In a town the size of Lehigh nearly always there is a community structure and a tax base to support the necessary infrastructure needed to sustain the town itself.  That includes road and transportation needs, parks and recreational facilities, water and sewer utility systems, and the most important service of all, a police system to protect citizens in their homes and places of work.  To my knowledge there is no populated area in Florida the size of Lehigh Acres that is not an incorporated city.  So many of those infrastructure needs outlined above are much more difficult to accomplish and sustain.

The way Lehigh has been able to succeed as well as it has in recent years is through a huge commitment of citizens themselves in numerous roles throughout the community.  This includes service clubs like Kiwanis and Rotary.  Fraternal organizations, churches & synagogues have certainly played a significant role.  The decades old Community Council has been the core political structure for citizens to be heard and from which leadership ideas could emanate. In recent years, The Lehigh Planning Corporation has played a huge role in developing the critically important community plan, which will play a major  role in helping the town deal with its challenges in the most effective and efficient manner.  But even with all these individual and collective citizen’s efforts, more needs to be done.  And fortunately, at Sheriff Mike Scott’s suggestion, we now see evolving a badly needed force to assist crime fighting in Lehigh, known as the Weed and Seed.  And again, you see many citizens volunteering freely their time and talents to make their community even better.

 

Weed and Seed focuses its efforts on assisting and improving law enforcement efforts in the areas of the town already documented to show the most serious crime problems.  My hat is off to the Sheriff and the team he has offered to make this effort successful.  And I keep it off while saying thanks to those other ordinary citizens that pitch in simply because they love Lehigh and call it their home.  With so many people continuing to work so very hard and diligently for this great community, it’s a certainty that Lehigh’s greatest days are still ahead.  It’s a great privilege for me to represent and work with these wonderful caring citizens.




Frank Mann
Commissioner for Lehigh Acres