Last week, SCCF spoke out against a proposal for the Lee County Commission to amend the County’s comprehensive land use plan to allow for more development in the sensitive Density Reduction/Groundwater Resource (DR/GR) area. This area has been protected from intensive development since 1990 because of the critical ecosystem services it provides to our communities, such as water storage and flood protection, and because it contains key habitat for the critically endangered Florida panther.  

For all of you who echoed our concerns to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) through our action alert, Thank You! Over 1,300 actions were taken on this issue, sending a clear message to the BOCC that Southwest Florida cares about protecting this sensitive area. Our Environmental Policy team attended the BOCC zoning hearing on Aug. 19 and spoke out against these proposed amendments, alongside several partner organizations and local community members. 

SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis and Policy Associate Allie Pecenka give public comment at the BOCC Zoning Hearing on Aug. 19.

Key concerns in SCCF’s comments included the need to slow the approval process for these amendments, allowing time for thorough public involvement and analysis of how these changes will affect the ecosystem services, natural resources, and critical habitat characteristic of this area. The point was repeatedly made that when land use changes were last considered within the DR/GR in 2007, an advisory committee was appointed and multiple public meetings and workshops were conducted due to the impact that these potential changes would have on our community’s future. 

At the BOCC meeting, a clear public desire for this level of analysis, if not more thorough, should be a requirement for changes to land use planning in such a critical area. 

Despite strong public concern about these changes, the BOCC voted unanimously to transmit the proposed amendments to the state of Florida for further consideration. If the Florida Department of Commerce approves it, the plan will be presented one final time to the County Commissioners, where the BOCC will discuss adopting the new development guidelines. Please expect additional communications from SCCF on further opportunities to engage with this issue.

Additional Land Use Changes Proposed

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only large-scale land use change the county is proposing. Last Friday, another staff-initiated comprehensive plan amendment, CPA2026-00005, was emailed to interested parties in preparation for a presentation to the Local Planning Agency on Monday, Aug 31. Four days later, a public county informational meeting took place where over 150 people attended to learn more about the changes to the document that guides development in our unincorporated communities.

This most recent 300+ page comprehensive plan amendment was a result of direction from the Board of County Commissioners to eliminate any language that was not required, duplicative, or outdated.  The result is a proposed elimination of the Community Plans, created over the last 25 years with input from each community. Community plans provide guidance and protections that help to maintain the cultural, historical, and ecological values of the individual character of our communities from coastal towns to rural agricultural neighborhoods. This latest comprehensive plan amendment also includes changes to the land development code regarding the DR/GR that the Commissioners recently voted on. 

SCCF staff will attend the Local Planning Agency (LPA) meeting this coming Monday to voice our concerns about many of the changes proposed in this latest comprehensive plan amendment. If you would like to join us to share your concerns as well, the meeting will be held on Monday, Aug. 31 at 9:30 am in the BOCC Chambers located at 2120 Main Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901.

Please stay tuned for information on the next steps in this process and for the chance to speak out again on both land use issues.