Beach residents should attend ‘widening’ workshop on Dec. 29
Editor:
For a decade, Lee County has tried to push down the town’s throat, doubling the size of 4.7 miles of beach!
In the 4.7 miles, we do have eight blocks of erosion. However, those erosion areas get the least County widening. Bowditch Point, the fastest growing area, gets the most beach widening. Obviously erosion was not the driver in county’s plan.
County has said repeatedly that the plan could not be changed. Accept their plan or the Fed money was gone. That scare tactic has been used repeatedly since 2004 when the cost was supposed to be $7 million. The cost is up big time now, but the “money will be gone forever” story is still the same.
County next said that all beach widening required native vegetation. That gives Ray Judah his beloved sand dunes.
Now, we hear that back room negotiations say that the upper part of the beach that covers much of the business area will not have to have dunes. Sand will come from dredging Matanzas Pass. That magical sand is exempted from dunes.
But it appears that the rest of the 4.7 miles of, largely residential areas, will still require dunes because the sand comes from out in the gulf?
What was once county unchangeable, has a huge change!
Who wins and who loses regarding dunes?
County now agrees that they have a moral obligation to allow those who signed up for easements to retract them. We understand that those who do not want dunes on their beach, can send an easement retraction letter to: Steve Boutelle, Division of County Lands, P.O. Box 398, Fort Myers, FL 33902-0398, via certified mail, immediately!
If county can be yet more flexible and just widen the eight blocks of actual erosion. all residents can save the hundreds of thousands of tax dollars, yearly, Remember, the mandatory future “renourishments” will be required … forever!
All islanders will also suffer the traffic increases from doubling the beach.
Contact your council person via phone or E mail and attend the “Workshop” at Town hall Dec. 29.
Frank Schilling
Fort Myers Beach