Renourishing and easements present problem
To the Editor:
After more than six years of Lee County’s hard selling led by Ray Judah, the “renourishment” results are not promising.
Less than 50 percent of the properties affected are now in agreement with the County plan. Yes only a MINORITY of the affected property owners agree with easements. In the last few months, owners rescinding their easements have reached 15 percent of the total.
Moreover, subtracting the easements controlled by government ownership, yields an even more glum picture. Affected, privately owned properties that agree with easements is now decidedly a minority!
Why?
The answer can be summed up easily.
1. Many private owners never wanted to artificially DOUBLE the size of the NATURAL beaches that we have.
It is certainly arguable that DOUBLING size of our NATURAL beach has unintended environmental consequences.
2. In the past, County stories changed often and County credibility was lost.
The initial claim was that DOUBLING the beach size would offer protection from hurricanes. That crazy argument did not fly.
Next, it was learned that Project Manager Boutelle did not tailor his plan to take into account EITHER actual erosion, beach stability, or beach growth.
Boutelle admitted publicly to Judah that his plan did not use available, actual historical erosion data back to 1927!!!!
As a result, Boutelle gave Bowditch Point, that has grown by leaps and bounds since 1927, the most artificial widening anywhere. in his project.
Boutelle gave the worst erosion spot , the least wide beach. And there are only 8 blocks of actual historical erosion in the 4.6 mile project.
But the plan was not justified based on fixing erosion. Recreation was 88% of the justification.
3. Boutelle rejected promising, lower cost, new technology, aimed at preventing erosion and naturally rebuilding eroded areas. Joannne Shamp, presented new technology from respected technical sources. She spent two years of intensive research and attended beach engineering conferences.
New technology is out. …..Just pump and dump sand every 7 years after Nature washes away the artificial beach,….. and pay the new bills with more taxes
4. County tossed in a requirement for 4.6 miles of an artificial strip of plantings that will yield sand dunes. Yet no such vegetation plan has been approved by County, State or our Town. How could any property owner sign an easement approving of a vegetation plan that does not even exist??
Having failed to win a majority support for their plan after over 6 years of all out effort, County off loaded their responsibility for obtaining easements onto our Town Council. Council is dutifully trying to salvage County’s fiasco.
Those who have signed an easement can still withdraw. Send in your letter rescinding your easement. Include your STRAP number, the property address for the property owner, with the letter signed by all owners. Send to Mr. Steve Boutelle, Division of County lands, P.O. Box 398, Fort Myers 33902-0398
Frank Schilling
Fort Myers Beach