The latest episode of SCCF’s “Land. Water. Wildlife.” podcast looks at what a proposed Lee County amendment could mean for Captiva. Matt DePaolis and Allie Pecenka of the SCCF Policy team discuss the amendment, CPA-2026-00005, which would fold the individual community plans for 17 unincorporated areas of Lee County, including Captiva, into the general Lee Comprehensive Plan.

RELATED STORY: What Are the Potential Impacts of the Removal of the Captiva Community Plan?

The county has said the change would reduce redundancy and make the plan simpler to use. Captiva’s community plan, however, was written with the island’s unique needs in mind. It includes guidelines that preserve dark skies for nesting sea turtles, keep building heights low, and promote native vegetation.

“Why do we care about building heights on Captiva? Why do we care about density? Why do we care about dark skies?” Pecenka asks in the episode. “It’s because these are the policies that protect the ecosystems and the wildlife within those ecosystems that we value, and that we know are incredibly special, and many of which are threatened or even endangered.”

The discussion explores how some of that language could shift and be lost through the elimination of the Captiva Community Plan, along with the strong community turnout that has shaped the process so far.

After residents spoke up, the Board of County Commissioners voted this month to pause the amendment’s schedule. The pause allows more time for public questions and a clearer communication plan. The amendment is expected to return for a vote at a later date.

“Land. Water. Wildlife.” connects listeners to nature through conversations with SCCF scientists, educators, and policy staff dedicated to protecting and caring for Southwest Florida’s coastal ecosystems. The episode is available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen to podcasts.