In the month that has passed since Hurricane Ian made landfall, we have all gone through major shifts in our day-to-day lives as we start down the road to recovery. This storm was an event that will have a huge and long-lasting impact on our community and all of South Florida. As we rebuild, it is our hope that we can do so responsibly, in a way that prepares for future storms of this caliber. An important component of planning for such storms is carefully thinking about how and where we design future development.
Many of you received the notice yesterday from Lee County to continue the Eden Oak rezoning vote by the Board of County Commission from the scheduled Nov. 2 date to a date uncertain. Click here for a link to the continuance request. SCCF will immediately post the rescheduled date once it becomes available.
We aren’t sure why the continuance was requested or granted, but our hope is that those who are pushing for the development are rethinking their plans. Adding unnecessary density to the coastal high-hazard area is not just irresponsible, but also dangerous. The storm surge protection provided by our mangroves and wetlands will become increasingly important as we face larger and more frequent storms. SCCF will continue to fight this, and other development plans that remove wetlands and place the citizens of Florida and their property at unnecessary risk.
In the meantime, SCCF will be distributing more information to our Eden Oak advocacy group including SCCF’s legal arguments in support of the Lee County staff and Hearing Examiner’s recommendation to deny the applicant’s zoning change request and an upcoming Op-Ed by James Evans, SCCF CEO and Rob Moher, President and CEO of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
We thank you for your continued interest in preserving and protecting the natural areas of Southwest Florida and we stand with you in the recovery efforts to help our neighbors as we work to restore the community we hold dear.
