Growth lifted our property values. It also handed us the bill.
During the past decade, District 80 and the surrounding areas have experienced growth and development that enhanced property values and built up our communities and our commercial corridors. That is the good news, and it is real. But with growth come consequences that impact everyday lives, full time and part time residents alike. The most noticeable is the traffic congestion that comes from a lack of attention to infrastructure expansion, from roads and water systems built to accommodate developers rather than the people who already live here.
District 80 residents are frustrated, and the frustration is understandable. Rapid growth with limited voice or input produces concerns that touch our daily lives. The voters I have spoken with overwhelmingly raise the same things: traffic, flooding, hurricane resilience, environmental impacts, the strain on infrastructure, school capacity, and the loss of the character that drew people here in the first place. Government needs to be held accountable. It needs to shift from serving special interests to responding to the expectations of District 80 voters.
When growth is not focused on the needs of the residents, the outcome shows up in the cost of living: uncontrolled property insurance, a shortage of affordable housing, and recovery efforts from hurricanes and weather disasters that fall short on both the islands and the inland properties of District 80. Several Fort Myers Beach residents, to take one example, are still waiting for the recovery support that was promised and required after Hurricane Ian. Some have been told that the qualifications set by the state and federal government are impossible to meet. Many have been denied FEMA and Red Cross support. People are trying to recover, and the systems built to help them are not built around their needs.
"Growth should work for residents, not just developers. We need better roads, stronger storm protection, clean water, and responsible planning that preserves our quality of life."Bill Moskal
We are surrounded by water. We cannot use for our benefit.
District 80 is built around water, and that same water has become harder to swim in, less reliable as an ecosystem, and less dependable as the foundation of a coastal economy. Blue-green algae blooms have become a recurring summer emergency on the Caloosahatchee, driven by Lake Okeechobee discharges, agricultural runoff from the upper watershed, and the rapid urbanization of District 80 itself. In 2024 alone, the Florida Department of Health issued multiple health alerts for algae toxins at access points from Alva to Cape Coral. These blooms close the water to residents, kill fish and wildlife, and signal a nutrient load the river cannot absorb.
Hurricane Ian exposed the other half of the problem. The storm killed 152 people in District 80 in September 2022, wiped out large portions of Fort Myers Beach and Pine Island, and cut Sanibel off from the mainland for weeks. The rebuilding has been slow and uneven, and in places it has been pushed toward higher-density redevelopment that leaves the same barrier islands more exposed to the next storm, not less. Water quality and storm resilience trace back to the same failure: development pressure that outpaces infrastructure investment, paired with a state that has repeatedly overridden the ability of local communities to protect what they have. (Bill's full record on the Captiva conservation fight and his water commitments are covered in detail on the flood protection and water quality page.)
"We're surrounded by water, that's the irony. We're surrounded by water, but we can't really use it."Bill Moskal
A voice in Tallahassee that answers to District 80, not special interests.
District 80 voters have the opportunity to have real input into how development and infrastructure happen here. As your representative in Tallahassee, I will make sure residents have a voice that influences traffic circulation, environmental preservation, architectural standards, stormwater protections, and comprehensive planning. To date, the incumbent has not been willing or able to ensure District 80 voters have ownership in the development process. I will.
How do we make that happen? Together, we make Tallahassee acknowledge that residents' concerns come first. We demand that state and county representatives are transparent and honest. And we deal honestly with the legal realities, so we understand what we can and cannot do to manage development in our own communities. As your representative, alongside your voice, I will attend public hearings, submit your written comments, and press developers and city councils to include us. Together we will be heard as informed, constructive, and grounded in the values and needs of District 80 residents.
My message is threefold, and it is simple:
"I am a problem solver focused on cost, neighborhoods, and accountability."Bill Moskal
Lower costs. Smarter growth. Stronger District 80 communities. The bottom line is that together we will make sure Tallahassee works for our community, District 80, and not for special interests.