New plan requires new interlocal and new easements
At the Board of County Commissioners meeting Dec. 7, decisions were made that the town and property owners need to fully understand. The Commissioners will not pursue the Army Corps of Engineers 4.6 mile artificial beach program, but are researching a new plan.
The new BOCC plan is for a groin at Bowditch and smaller amount of fill from Bowditch to as far south as Lynn Hall Park, if they can get more easements on that stretch of beach. They will approach north end property owners by mid-January, offering state easements with mandatory vegetation but not mandatory public access. They think these easements will be easier to get.
What about those who already signed federal easements for the defunct CORPS project requiring public access on their private property? Is this fair? Town Council must demand that the current interlocal and federal easements be terminated, as they were based upon a federal plan that county and CORPS claimed could not be changed in any way. Those federal easements must be removed from owner’s deeds.
A new, independent engineering study and management plan for Matanzas Pass is needed based upon current coastal engineering technology. It may include a specialized groin, if recommended, to reduce the dredging frequency of the pass and the erosive impact on neighboring properties. That project requires its own state permit, interlocal agreement and property easements, far different than those in the current CORPS plan.
The Fort Myers Beach Town Council, staff, taxpayers and property owners must remain informed and diligent to steward our beach economy, ecosystem and property rights as the County proposes their new plan. Only when County provides a new engineering study and design, can council and north end property owners make an informed decision for a new interlocal agreement and related easements.
Joanne Shamp
Fort Myers Beach