Ten years ago today, the headline in the Naples Daily News read “After Estero incorporation legislation, developers speeding up projects.”
Estero’s population had grown 144% from 2000 to 2010, from 9,261 to 22,612, according to one study. The south Lee community’s population was expected to grow at a higher-than-average rate than the rest of the county, according to an Estero market assessment released in September 2013.
It all came together in 2013
The Estero Council of Community Leaders, a civic group advocating for policy issues in and outside of Estero started to push for the creation of a village, in part, due to the city of Bonita Springs’ attempts to grow north.
“The straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak, was when the city of Bonita Springs tried to start annexing property that was in Estero,” said Nick Batos, former Estero councilor and former chairman of the Estero Council of Community Leaders. “Once they did that, I automatically felt the time had come that we must incorporate to try to protect the real estate, the properties that were in Estero.”
Work toward incorporation included an ECCL-funded feasibility study that looked at how Estero would perform as an incorporated community. The results of the study were in Estero’s favor, but more had to be accomplished before a vote to form a city — and it wouldn’t be easy.
The effort included public meetings and petitions and eventually lead to a state bill and a local referendum.
A big step to villagehood
On May 12, 2014, Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill sponsored by Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, that created a mechanism for Estero to become its own village, includes municipal boundaries and all but assured the community would get to vote on the issue in November.
“I did it for a couple of reasons,” said Rodrigues. “One, when I looked at what the tax rate would be for citizens of Estero ... it was clear that everyone in Estero would be getting a tax reduction if the incorporation passed. I thought that was a good idea. Estero did have a solid vision around their development. There was a real desire to protect property values.”
The next month, July 2014, Lee Commissioners unanimously approved Estero’s incorporation ballot language, a formality that marked the final step before election.
Before reaching the governor’s desk the Rodrigues-sponsored bill passed the Florida house and senate in April 2014.
The public weighs in
The day of the cityhood vote was Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014.
Supporters gathered at the Bonita Springs-Estero Elks Lodge to watch the results. Incorporation passed, with 87 percent of those who voted in favor.
Estero would become the sixth Lee County municipality and the first incorporation in the county in 15 years.
“It was unbelievable because we weren’t really sure how (the vote) was going to go. There was no guarantee that we were going to get our ticket punched,” said Bill Ribble, who would later serve as a councilor and mayor.
Estero officially became a village on the last day of December 2014.
Milestones
Estero residents made history again when the inaugural village council was elected March 3, 2015.
Two weeks later, the new council held its first public meeting at Estero High School. The councilors sat on a stage in the school auditorium.
Batos was chosen as Estero’s first mayor and Howard Levitan as vice-mayor. The seven-member group then set out to build a government.
“It went in my judgment pretty smoothly, considering they were brand new," said Don Eslick, former chairman of the ECCL. "We had the transition committee that the ECCL had formed, which really helped, too, to lay the groundwork for them going ahead.”
During the first five years, Estero took steps to plan for future growth in the city. It established rules for a village center, a walkable mixed-use downtown in the heart of the village. It created two development boards targeting planning and design. It hired a staff to follow the village’s desire to be “government-lite.”
The village in 2019 purchased 62 acres along the Estero River. The purchase price was $24.5 million, and it required Estero to take on a $20 million loan. Estero councilors and village staff said they wanted to see much of the land used for conservation and potential recreation opportunities.
“We said we weren’t going to spend (money) right off the bat. We didn’t,” said Levitan. “We created budgets every year, but we didn’t spend the money. We built these big reserves. That has given us the money to start to do what we want to do.”
Batos: "I think (the Corkscrew Road land is) going to be to Estero what Central Park is to New York.”
Jon McLain, current mayor and former councilman: “Without that, we would just have another piece of developed land there. I think that gives us a great opportunity to add a cultural experience to the village.”
Also in 2019, Estero was ranked #8 by USA TODAY for cities where the most people own their homes for having a homeownership rate of 85.5%
Estero’s population today is 37,730.
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