Municipalities are a form of self-government. Citizens make local decisions locally. Municipal governments can do anything not explicitly prohibited under state law. What they want to do is up to the citizens and elected town leaders.

Being a municipality also means holding intergovernmental meetings and a seat at the table in conversations with other levels of government. Opportunities like this do not currently exist for our residents. They only happen through an established town government.

The primary requirements under Florida law are that municipalities must have a 20-year comprehensive plan and an adopted balanced budget. If any debt is taken on, the budget must reflect that the debt is actively paid back. Many local governments pursue grants to help fund local projects. Many private organizations and federal and state governments have grant programs for many types of projects and needs.

As a municipality, we would have the ability to go after any grant that fits our community’s needs. A great example of a local grant for a new town happened in Fort Myers Beach. On day one of incorporation, community leaders lined up a $1,000,000 grant to purchase an important archeological and recreational site in their new town. Soon after, a second grant founded Mound House, a historical museum at the site.