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Tell Lee County Commissioners to Establish Plan to Replenish Conservation 20/20
Hickey Creek Mitigation Park, which was partially acquired by Lee County’s Conservation 20/20 program
Next Tuesday, Sept. 16, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) will be voting on two important decisions regarding the future of Conservation 20/20, the county’s program to acquire conservation land.
Please join us in asking the BoCC to continue the program by establishing a transparent plan to replenish the Conservation 20/20 fund by submitting a comment pertaining to agenda item #42.
Decision 1: Tiered Acquisition Process
The BoCC will vote on a new tiered land acquisition process unveiled at the Aug. 20 Conservation 20/20 Advisory Committee. This process ranks nominated conservation lands in order of priority for acquisition, due to the Conservation 20/20 fund being $28 million short of the estimated $47 million cost to purchase all of these lands.
The Conservation 20/20 Ordinance requires the Conservation 20/20 fund to have at least $40 million, but staff have recommended not replenishing the fund this year due to economic hardships related to hurricane recovery.
This vote will take place at the BoCC’s regular meeting, which starts at 9:30 a.m. Please see more background information on the tiered acquisition process below:
Decision 2: Finalizing the County Budget
The BoCC will vote on the county budget at their final budget public hearing starting at 5:05 p.m. As is, the budget does not contain an allocation to replenish the Conservation 20/20 acquisition fund to the $40 million required by ordinance, though there is still the chance that the Board could correct this oversight.
Lee County has purchased 31,722 acres of conservation land through Conservation 20/20 since the electorate approved it in 1996. In 2016, 84% of the electorate voted to reauthorize and continue the popular program.
“Lee County’s conservation lands are hugely important, providing benefits including storm protection, flood control, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities while supporting our tourism-based economy,” said SCCF Policy Associate Holly Schwartz. “Dissenting comments speculate that we have enough conservation land. But the reality is that we must continue purchasing conservation land to balance the exponential growth our county is experiencing — including the estimated 86,000 homes that are in the development pipeline.”
Take Action Now
We encourage you to let the commissioners know that you support the continued purchase of conservation lands in Lee County by asking them to establish a transparent plan to replenish the Conservation 20/20 fund. Please submit comments here pertaining to agenda item #42.
You can also attend the BoCC meetings in person on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the Old Lee County Courthouse (2120 Main St., Fort Myers, FL 33901).