by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
On January 13, 2026, the Sanibel City Council sent a letter to the Lee County Board of County Commissioners expressing its support for Community Housing & Resources’ request for funding for affordable workforce housing on Sanibel; that is, Riverview II.
Subsequently, at its August 18, 2026, meeting, the City Council discussed Lee County’s proposed $9.75 million CDBG-DR award for the Riverview II project and requested that staff prepare a letter expressing the Council’s preference that the City not serve as the grant subrecipient or pass-through entity.
A subrecipient is an organization that receives a portion of a grant (called a subaward) from a primary grant recipient to help carry out a substantive part of a federal or institutional program. They help design, deliver, or manage the grant’s programmatic goals, rather than just providing routine goods or services. They must follow the same rules, terms, and reporting requirements as the original grant.
After the August 18 meeting, staff prepared and distributed a proposed letter to City Councilmembers for review before sending it to the Board of County Commissioners. The letter expressed support for Riverview II and requested that Lee County structure the CDBG-DR award directly with CHR.
Following Councilmember review, Mayor Miller proposed revisions to the letter. The revised draft continues to request (emphasis added) that the City not serve as the subrecipient and provides that the award could be structured directly with CHR or through another permissible arrangement that does not require the City to serve as the subrecipient.
CHR prefers to be the subrecipient rather than the City of Sanibel or Lee County.*
Council instructed staff to redraft the letter with stronger language, such as stating that the City will not serve as the subrecipient.
*Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Tuesday, Sept. 22 to Lee County as a subrecipient instead of Onondaga County in New York. The Santiva Chronicle apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.