Too often, politicians make empty campaign promises just to get elected, and never follow through on them. But Kevin Ruane is not a politician; he is a businessman who cares about Southwest Florida and is committed to making Lee County the best place to live now and for generations to come.
Water Quality
Water quality directly affects our health, environment, and economy, which is why Kevin has been a champion for our waterways. Kevin has successfully worked with local, state, and federal governments to secure critical funds for restoration and preservation projects. Additionally, he fought back against the Water Management District’s plan to send the brunt of discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the West Coast.
Taxes
Despite record-high inflation, Kevin utilized his years of experience in accounting to lower our property tax rates. He did so while keeping crucial projects on track, still providing the same level of service as years prior, and continuing to keep up with growth.
Traffic
Kevin vowed to invest in infrastructure to facilitate the growth of our county, and he has kept true to his word. As the county continues to grow, Kevin understands the importance of finding smart solutions to alleviate traffic congestion. Kevin has done so through facilitating projects such as improvements to the Cape Coral bridge that will widen lanes and create safer bike paths, extending a high traffic turning lane in Buckingham, and increasing safety measures at crosswalks to eliminate pedestrian traffic accidents.
Public Safety
While Lee County has one of the lowest crime rates in Florida, Kevin has committed to not settling for the status quo and supporting our law enforcement and first responders to make us the safest county in the state. He championed allocating funding to the Sheriff department’s budget to hire 20 new deputies. Kevin also partnered with the Sheriff’s office to ban panhandling to make our streets safer.
Recovering from Hurricane Ian
On September 28th, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida as a category 4 hurricane, devastating our community. Since then, as the Lee County Long Term Recovery Task Force Chair, Kevin Ruane has played a crucial role in rebuilding stronger than ever. Following the storm, Kevin:
- Organized Food and Water distributions.
- Coordinated with FPL and LCEC to expedite returning power to the grid across the county.
- Aided residents with FEMA disaster assistance applications.
- Facilitated timely debris removal.
- Worked with Governor DeSantis to rebuild the Sanibel Causeway and Pine Island bridge.
- Partnered with local, state, and federal stakeholders to allocate funds to recovery efforts.
