Lee County's public-safety committee reported the retirement of long-serving Emergency Management Agency Director Kevin Lally and progress on an abandoned-properties enforcement process coordinated with the state's attorney.

Michael Gopin (Public Safety and Court Services) told the board that Lally, who had led EMA for 19 years, held a retirement event and that the sheriff is considering two or three candidates to succeed him. "He served 19 years in that capacity for us," Gopin said. Gopin said he did not expect programmatic changes to the EMA program while a replacement is selected but noted the sheriff had candidates under consideration.

On the abandoned-properties initiative, committee members said the county has developed forms for violations and enforcement workflows in cooperation with the state's attorney's office, the county administrator and the county chair. The forms were described as reviewed and approved for use, and staff said enforcement will begin on a prioritized list of properties once the process is fully in place.

No personnel appointment for EMA was finalized at the meeting and no enforcement actions on specific properties were announced at the board session.