Lee County Taxpayers Association

11/03/2026

Vote for Jim Murphy for Fire Commissioner to protect your wallet! A vote for Larry Kosilla is a vote for a $7.18 Million Bonita Fire TAX HIKE Bonita Springs Fire Commissioner candidate Larry Kosilla is backing a union-pushed proposal to give fire district employees a radical shift change—moving from 2 days off for every day worked to a staggering 3 days off for every 1 day worked.

What does this reckless union-backed schedule mean for local homeowners and taxpayers? New Staffing Costs: To cover the massive increase in time off, the district will be forced to hire 34 new personnel (32 firefighters and 2 Battalion Chiefs). The Multimillion-Dollar Price Tag: This expansion adds an estimated $7.18 Million in annual personnel costs for salaries, pensions, and benefits alone.

A Shocking Property Tax Spike: Because the district relies on ad valorem taxes, this proposal will force a +19.5% increase in net property taxes, hitting household budgets hard. Out of Touch with Reality: With modern concrete condo and home construction across SW Florida, fewer than 1/4 of 1 percent of Bonita Springs Fire calls are actually for structural fires. We need responsible fiscal leadership that protects hard-earned taxpayer dollars—not policies that line union pockets at your expense. James Murphy is the proven, pro-taxpayer choice to keep our community safe without breaking your bank. Stand up for your wallet, Bonita Springs! Share this post and protect your community from unnecessary tax increases. Calculations based on 2026-2027 Final Budget documents.

11/02/2026

Stop Funding Lee County Bureaucratic and Politician Pension Bonuses—Vote YES on Amendment 3 for True Property Tax Relief! 🏠💰
Hardworking homeowners are getting squeezed while local government budgets continue to balloon. Taxpayers are paying triple for the same jobs, allowing politicians and bureaucrats to collect a pension and paycheck at the same time, do the same job and not pay the standard 3% of salary into the Florida Retirement System.
https://tripledippers.org/fl-2026-july-lee-county-government/
And https://tripledippers.org/attorney-richard-wesch-not-satisfied-with-672082-takes-1289095-pension-bonus/ and https://tripledippers.org/introducing-andrea-fraser-laster-lee-countys-queen-of-banked-hours/
It’s time to rein in municipal spending, end administrative waste, and put real money back into the pockets of residents! See the statewide list by county of over 35,000 Bureaucrat and Politician Pension bonuses, 795 payouts over $1 million at https://tripledippers.org/fl-statewide-tripledippers-dec-2025/
🚨 How Local Government Waste Hurting Taxpayers:
Unchecked Pension Perks & Triple Dipping: Millions of taxpayer dollars go toward funding high administrative pensions while the vast majority of private-sector workers rely on standard 401(k) plans.
Spiked Final Paychecks: Cashing out accrued vacation and sick leave at end-of-career, highest-salary rates artificially inflates lifetime pension calculations—sticking property owners with the bill.
Duplicated Services & Overpaid Administration: Overlapping fire districts and local authorities maintain redundant politicians, HR departments, finance teams, and separate pension programs. Consolidating these services into streamlined county-wide operations would save taxpayers millions.
🛠️ Common-Sense Solutions to Cut Local Waste:
Modernize Public Retirement: Require new public employees to participate in 401(k)-style plans.
Cap Leave Cash-Outs: Cap accrued leave cash-outs at 60 hours and require banked time to be paid at the salary rate it was actually earned.
Consolidate Duplicative Districts: Merge redundant fire districts and local emergency services into single, county-wide operations to eliminate duplicate administrative overhead and redundant local politicians.
Privatize & Streamline Services: Explore privatization and consolidation where independent contractors or streamlined local government can perform non-essential services more efficiently.
🗳️ Take Action: Vote YES on Amendment 3 (HJR 1F)
Amendment 3 (HJR 1F) provides direct property tax relief by expanding the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes for primary residents, putting a check on runaway local budgets.
Vote YES on Amendment 3 on November 3rd to cut property taxes, force fiscal responsibility, and stop subsidizing administrative excess!
Share this post with fellow homeowners to spread the word!

11/01/2026

If you want to STOP THE $7.18 Million Bonita Fire TAX HIKE you need to vote for James Murphy for Bonita Fire Commissioner! Are you ready for your property taxes to skyrocket by nearly 20%? Bonita Springs Fire Commissioner candidate Larry Kosilla is backing a union-pushed proposal to give fire district employees a radical shift change—moving from 2 days off for every day worked to a staggering 3 days off for every 1 day worked. The Union proposal is to work 7 days and 21 paid days off a month!

What does this reckless union-backed schedule mean for local homeowners and taxpayers? Massive New Staffing Costs: To cover the massive increase in time off, the district will be forced to hire 34 new personnel (32 firefighters and 2 Battalion Chiefs). The Multimillion-Dollar Price Tag: This expansion adds an estimated $7.18 Million in annual personnel costs for salaries, pensions, and benefits alone.

A Shocking Property Tax Spike: Because the district relies on ad valorem taxes, this proposal will force a +19.5% increase in net property taxes, hitting household budgets hard. Out of Touch with Reality: With modern concrete condo and home construction across SW Florida, fewer than 1/4 of 1 percent of Bonita Springs Fire calls are actually for structural fires. We need responsible fiscal leadership that protects hard-earned taxpayer dollars—not policies that line union pockets at your expense. James Murphy is the proven, pro-taxpayer choice to keep our community safe without breaking your bank. Stand up for your wallet, Bonita Springs! Share this post and protect your community from unnecessary tax increases.Calculations based on 2026-2027 Final Budget documents.

10/24/2026

A vote for Larry Kosilla is a vote for a $7.18 Million Bonita Fire TAX HIKE! Bonita Springs Fire Commissioner candidate Larry Kosilla is backing a union-pushed proposal to give fire district employees a radical shift change—moving from 2 days off for every day worked to a staggering 3 days off for every 1 day worked.

What does this reckless union-backed schedule mean for local homeowners and taxpayers? New Staffing Costs: To cover the massive increase in time off, the district will be forced to hire 34 new personnel (32 firefighters and 2 Battalion Chiefs). The Multimillion-Dollar Price Tag: This expansion adds an estimated $7.18 Million in annual personnel costs for salaries, pensions, and benefits alone.

A Shocking Property Tax Spike: Because the district relies on ad valorem taxes, this proposal will force a +19.5% increase in net property taxes, hitting household budgets hard. Out of Touch with Reality: With modern concrete condo and home construction across SW Florida, fewer than 1/4 of 1 percent of Bonita Springs Fire calls are actually for structural fires. We need responsible fiscal leadership that protects hard-earned taxpayer dollars—not policies that line union pockets at your expense. James Murphy is the proven, pro-taxpayer choice to keep our community safe without breaking your bank. Stand up for your wallet, Bonita Springs! Share this post and protect your community from unnecessary tax increases. Calculations based on 2026-2027 Final Budget document

10/22/2026

🚨 DANGER: RAILROAD TRYING TO SHIFT POLLUTION CLEANUP TO TAXPAYERS! 🚨

Before the November 4, 2026 Bonita Springs City Council Special Meeting, taxpayers face a massive financial trap. The seller’s Phase 2 Pollution Report threatens to dump $12.5M to $24M+ in toxic cleanup costs onto local families for a $28.56M land deal appraised at just $378,005!

The Railroad's restricted pollution study deliberately bypassed major industrial sidetracks, capped testing at shallow 6-inch depths, and failed to provide cleanup cost estimates.

We have compiled 20 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS for the Mayor, City Council, and the Railroad’s Pollution Consultant to answer before any deal is signed.

👉 READ THE FULL 20 QUESTIONS, PHASE 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, AND SOURCE DOCUMENTS AT:
🔗 https://usataxfighters.org/

— Dave Jaye, Chairman, Lee County Taxpayers Association

10/20/2026

Excluded Sidetracks & The Rail Road Seller Conducts the Pollution Investigation: The Fox Guarding the Henhouse, the
Polluting Rail Road, has VETO POWER over safety checks
https://usataxfighters.org/phase-ii-bonita-springs-railroad-pollution-failures-leave-taxpayers-on-the-hook/

Did you know the purchase agreement gives Seminole Gulf Railway final veto power over groundwater testing?

Under the current purchase contract, the city is blocked from overseeing a full pollution investigation. Prior written approval from the railway is required just to sample the water! On top of that, the Phase 2 study completely excluded high-risk sidetracks and adjacent industrial sites, including:

Depot Park (AX 987.4)

Old 41 & Terry Street crossings

The Tisch Laundry site

Causeway Lumber sidetracks

Why was the City Environmentalist bypassed, and why is a private polluter given the power to block testing on land the Railroad polluted and taxpayers are buying?
https://usataxfighters.org/phase-ii-bonita-springs-railroad-pollution-failures-leave-taxpayers-on-the-hook/

10/20/2026

Excluded Sidetracks & The Rail Road Seller Conducts the Pollution Investigation: The Fox Guarding the Henhouse, the Polluting Rail Road, has VETO POWER over safety checks
https://usataxfighters.org/phase-ii-bonita-springs-railroad-pollution-failures-leave-taxpayers-on-the-hook/

Did you know the purchase agreement gives Seminole Gulf Railway final veto power over groundwater testing?

Under the current purchase contract, the city is blocked from overseeing a full pollution investigation. Prior written approval from the railway is required just to sample the water! On top of that, the Phase 2 study completely excluded high-risk sidetracks and adjacent industrial sites, including:

Depot Park (AX 987.4)

Old 41 & Terry Street crossings

The Tisch Laundry site

Causeway Lumber sidetracks

Why was the City Environmentalist bypassed, and why is a private polluter given the power to block testing on land the Railroad polluted and taxpayers are buying?
https://usataxfighters.org/phase-ii-bonita-springs-railroad-pollution-failures-leave-taxpayers-on-the-hook/

10/19/2026

🧪 RIGGED TESTING: How the RailRoad conducted Phase 2 Pollution Survey Hid Toxic Hotspots
https://usataxfighters.org/phase-ii-bonita-springs-railroad-pollution-failures-leave-taxpayers-on-the-hook/
A deep dive into the S&S Environmental Phase 2 report reveals massive engineering and testing flaws designed to minimize contamination findings:

Shallow 0–6″ Sampling Only: Soil samples were taken exclusively from shallow surface soil, intentionally ignoring deep contamination where toxic chemicals settle.

Composite Hotspot Dilution: High-concentration toxic soil samples were mixed together with clean soil, mathematically diluting contamination levels to pass safety thresholds.

Omitted EPA Testing Methods: Essential EPA testing methods for key industrial contaminants—including herbicides (Method 8151), pesticides (8081), volatile organic compounds (8260), TPH, and glyphosate—were completely skipped.

Systemic Matrix Interference: Testing data showed severe lab matrix interference, yet raw interference logs and signed Chains of Custody were hidden or omitted.

Demand real, unedited lab deliverables before a single public dollar is spent! See source documents, Executive Summary and Analysis at https://usataxfighters.org/phase-ii-bonita-springs-railroad-pollution-failures-leave-taxpayers-on-the-hook/

10/15/2026

TAXPAYER-FUNDED BUREAUCRAT PAID LEAVE HOARDING; CAPPING LEE COUNTY GOVERNMENT BANKED LEAVE AT 60 HOURS TO FUND PROPERTY TAX CUTS

LEE COUNTY, FL — TripleDippers.org released a comprehensive forensic audit of Lee County Government public employee leave banks and compensation rosters, revealing systemic stockpiling of taxpayer-funded time off. The analysis exposes hundreds of bureaucrats hoarding hundreds—and in some cases thousands—of hours of unused leave, creating an artificial financial liability that drains public resources and artificially increases public pension calculations. https://theconservativerecord.com/lee-county-approves-5-5m-in-raises-amid-tax-concerns/?fbclid=IwY2xjawU-BPZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5oKNTx4ziKB7MAD70uTFhMZfBhD-hbKl_yhBMOcu2Gfw48d5_oELPOtCSpSw_aem_7phG5NcbUZ1KidvRbm416g

Lee County approves $5.5 million in employee raises and 6% increases for top officials while commissioners consider higher taxes and fees.

10/14/2026

Collier Undersheriff Jim Bloom retires with $1.2M. The retirement is a formality, a paper exercise, and Bloom is expected to return to his position at or around the same pay of north of $250,000 a year.

https://swfloridalighthouse.substack.com/p/collier-undersheriff-jim-bloom-just?r=bae4v&utm_medium=ios