Guest commentary: Re-Nourishment and easements
Fort Myers beach is not going to be re-nourished. Not unless the town council and the county commission reverse direction. The sad thing is; it’s already paid for. The bed tax, your property taxes, the money-your money, is just sitting there in savings accounts, taunting officials and managers (both town and county) who are desperately trying to balance budgets and lure baseball teams. That money pot is looking sweeter and sweeter.
The center of the problem is the release of easements. If you are like me the first time I heard that phrase, you are currently contemplating moving on to the horoscope section. An easement, as it relates to this project is temporary permission for the folks doing the project to cross your beachfront with the equipment necessary to place sand in front of your home. It also gives them permission to come back and add sand within the next ten years if you need it. The rights of public access to property will be essentially the same before and after the project. If people were allowed to sit in your lawn chairs before re-nourishment they still will; if they weren’t they won’t. Simple, not a bad deal right? Well the problems started a few years ago when the County commission, pushed by Commissioner Judah, added dunes and vegetation to the project. They slipped it in as a minor amendment to their comprehensive plan. It mirrored requirements in our comprehensive plan, no big deal right? Wrong. It turns out most of the folks who signed re-nourishment easements were promised no dunes and no vegetation. In fact at the time I am writing this editorial, the county web site is still promising no dunes and no vegetation in this project. Here is the web address:
http://www3.leegov.com/naturalresources/easment%20FAQ.htm. Go and see for yourself!
So, what exactly is the problem and where do we go from here? The permits for this project were approved under county comprehensive plans that didn’t have dune and vegetation requirements. Beachfront easement signers are understandably miffed. The county and the council propose releasing beachfront owners from their easements and letting them sign new ones. Sort of letting go of the bird in the hand to get the two in the bush, that always works out right? The problem is that the amount of state and federal funding for the project is directly related to the percentage of easements in hand. Currently there are enough easements in hand to do the project according to the cost projections done in 2005. The county is saying we need more but are hedging on helping us get them. The solution is simple: have the county remove the dune and vegetation requirements; keep the existing easements and GET THE JOB DONE!! I have suggested this several times to our council and it keeps falling on deaf ears.
Given the state of our country and economy Beach re-nourishment will be the last major infrastructure investment our island will see for many, many years. If it doesn’t happen, businesses that are hanging on by a thread will give up and move on. New ones won’t replace them. We are in real danger of losing actual homes and businesses to erosion right now.
I was thrilled by the support for last week’s editorial, Thank you, now its time to get to work. If any one reading this wants to help me turn the tide and save our beach please write me at herb@fortmyersbeachfl.gov. We desperately need to get the truth about re-nourishment out to beachfront property owners and easement holders. It’s almost too late. Any one holding an easement having questions or reservations please contact me by e-mail and I will personally arrange a meeting for you with town staff and myself. This council has said over and over both before and after the election that we are in favor of re-nourishment but it is dying by our own hands. Don’t believe our words believe our actions.
Its time for you, the voters, residents, visitors and business owners to call and write your elected officials, both town AND county, and the local papers. Tell them you want re-nourishment and you will hold them accountable.