Jacob Ogles
Hurricane Ian flooded Rep. Adam Botana’s Southwest Florida district, making storm recovery central to his work in the House. That will continue in the next Regular Session, as the Bonita Springs Republican chairs the Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee.
He knows the work will be important to his community and others living on Florida’s coast. That includes everyone in House District 80.
“We need to help people face crises after natural disasters,” Botana said. “We know that with everything we experienced — Ian a couple years ago and with Milton and Helene this year.”
But he said much of the work around disaster relief must keep the economy in mind. He explained that areas like Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach are still bouncing back from the worst of Ian. Businesses there need support to keep the community thriving.
One issue bringing uncertainty is the demand many business owners now face to pay back bridge loans from the massive storm, even as they deal with the effects of the weather events striking the Gulf Coast since 2022.
“We’re still coming back, and more hurricanes cause more problems,” Botana said. “That’s a big thing we need to look at. I know the loans need to be paid back, but we need to look at the timing.”
But the lawmaker has more than weather on his mind. Committee assignments released by Speaker Daniel Perez show an array of subjects on Botana’s plate this year. He will serve as Vice Chair for the Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee, working closely with fellow Lee County lawmaker Rep. Tiffany Esposito in the Chair position.
He also will serve on the State Affairs Committee, Ways & Means Committee and Insurance & Banking Subcommittee.
That latter area looms large for many residents who had to file claims in Southwest Florida over the last year, and as insurance premiums across the state continue to burden homeowners. Botana believes some of the changes in insurance regulation passed by the Legislature in recent years are starting to produce results, but he knows there is more work to do.
“There are a lot of good insurance companies out there,” he said, “but there are a lot of bad actors.”
Local appropriations requests will come through Botana’s Office as well. He knows there will be needs like beach renourishment, something he calls a “high-class problem.”
Botana also will focus on some local issues that have percolated in recent years. The state needs to provide solid oversight on local government. That’s an observation he makes as Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno remains under federal investigation. A former contractor with the Sheriff’s Office has alleged Marceno wanted kickbacks on public payments. Botana said he won’t comment or speculate about a federal investigation, but remains confident the Legislature and state government will respond to any revelations appropriately.
He attended a town hall this week on potential local bills, including a switch in Lee County to single-member voting for County Commissioners. The local delegation will likely vote in January on whether to put a referendum on the local ballot on such a change to the government.
“It’s interesting to see how the lines are divided,” he said. “At a previous town hall, I was told you can’t give the people the ability to vote on something because they won’t vote the right way. Well, I think it’s worked damned well in this country the last 250 years.”
