On Aug. 31, the Lee County Planning Agency (LPA) voted to advance changes to both the County’s Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code.

The vote came after extensive public comment requesting more time for community engagement before eliminating plans that protect many of the county’s unique unincorporated areas, such as Captiva, Pine Island, and Alva.

Pictured above, Captiva is one of the unique communities that would lose its Community Plan. The goal of the Captiva Community Plan is “to protect the coastal barrier island community’s natural resources such as beaches, waterways, wildlife, vegetation, water quality, dark skies, and history.”

The Comprehensive Plan is Lee County’s guiding document for determining growth within the county, while the Land Development Code (LDC) sets the regulations for adhering to these growth plans. 

Discussed at the meeting were staff-initiated changes to the Comprehensive Plan to eliminate any language that was “not required, duplicative, or outdated,” per direction given by the Board of County Commissioners.

These proposed changes have drawn substantial public pushback because of their impact on Community Plans and the required public information meetings.

“The proposed changes effectively eliminate individual community plans while weakening stakeholder engagement through the removal of requirements for public information meetings,” said Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis, who spoke during public comment at the LPA meeting.

WATCH Matt give his comments.

Community Leaders Push Back

Around 100 concerned individuals impacted by these changes were also present, many of whom voiced their opposition during public comment. Representatives from communities impacted by these amendments, including Captiva, Alva, North Fort Myers, Lehigh, Pine Island, and several others, were present. 

Members of the public pushed back against the idea that community plans could have individual components reduced for the sake of redundancy. They spoke to the unique nature of each community within Lee County and how nuance in plans to reflect that provides essential stopgaps for protecting natural resources and public safety, rather than serving as duplicative red tape that inhibits efficiency. 

Speakers also voiced concerns about the lack of time to truly understand the scope of the proposed changes. They cited having little over one week to read, understand, and comment on the 344-page document outlining the changes; initially released on a Friday, with one public information meeting held before the LPA meeting the next Monday.

Their grievances included the thoughtful analysis and countless hours of stakeholder input considered when crafting community plans and the speed at which their wholesale elimination was being proposed.

They requested a slower approval pace, giving the public time to understand the changes and ask questions as needed. Speakers questioned what would replace stakeholder participation after removing community panels and how that removal best serves the public interest.

“Overall, the clear public sentiment was for the approval process to be slowed and for extensive stakeholder engagement to be integrated before such sweeping changes could take place,” said SCCF Policy Associate Allie Pecenka, following the meeting. 

Also discussed were changes to the Land Development Code. County staff claimed that any technically required policies included in the proposed deletion of community plans were moved to the Land Development Code. Many community groups disputed this claim and asked for each community plan to receive a side-by-side evaluation of which elements are being deleted and where they would reside in the Land Development Code, which the county agreed to provide.

LPA Votes to Move Forward

Following the lengthy public comment, the LPA voted 4-2 to transmit the changes to the Comprehensive Plan to the county commission with a recommendation for adoption. The LPA also transmitted changes to the LDC impacting the DR/GR, with a 6-0 vote. 

Both amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and LDC could adversely impact ecosystems in Southwest Florida. 

The proposed plan will provide a less detailed approach to development, offer fewer opportunities for community engagement, and erase the unique community patterns of development currently protected by the Community Plans.

“Extensive community engagement coupled with sound science provides the necessary framework for any land use changes that will truly benefit our communities,” said Pecenka. “These processes take time and cannot be rushed when their impacts are so long-lasting, and the resources they protect are so precious.”

Please stay tuned for more information on the development of these issues and for the next opportunities to engage.