Panel discusses land use, leash laws on Captiva
At the April meeting of the Captiva Community Panel, the issue of leash laws on Captiva and the ongoing process to finalize the language of the land development code were discussed at length.
Panel member Nathalie Pyle, whose small dog was attacked by an unleashed dog on a Captiva beach a few weeks ago, informed the panel about the action she’s planning to take for stricter leash law education and enforcement on Captiva.
“It pointed out to me in a very personal way that we have an issue with dogs running loose on the Captiva Beach,” Pyle said, referring to the incident. “I’ve gotten feedback from a number of people that feel this is a real problem.”
Pyle noted that many of the residents she has spoken with have also had unpleasant encounters with unleashed dogs who have knocked them over or attacked them on the beach.
“I have spoken to the operation person for animal control for Lee County and there are a couple of different jurisdictions for animal control on Captiva. If it’s related to Captiva in general, it’s animal control. If it’s on a specifically designated beach, then it’s Parks and Recreation,” Pyle explained. “Any signage that might be added as you come on to the island is Parks and Recreation. So, it’s just a point of information (for the panel) that I’m going to pursue this, and one of the other avenues that I plan to pursue is to talk to rental agencies about what their policies are and what kind of information their visitors are given about bringing dogs.”
In regards to the land development code, the panel decided to wait until next month’s meeting to discuss the issue in depth in order to make a few more necessary adjustments to the language of the draft and also to give the public a chance to learn about the proposed changes and offer input in a public hearing setting.
Members of the public are always welcome to attend panel meetings, but the panel strongly encourages those that are interested in the land use discussion to attend next month’s meeting.
Panel member Sandy Stilwell also informed attendees and panel members that a sidewalk will soon be installed on Andy Rosse Lane in front of the Keylime Bistro and Royal Shell side of the street.
“I was contacted by DOT (Department of Transportation) because they want to put in a sidewalk on Andy Rosse for public safety,” Stilwell said, noting that construction on the new sidewalk is set to begin on Monday, May 4.
The panel will hold their next meeting on Tuesday, May 5 in the Wakefield Room at ‘Tween Waters Inn, 15951 Captiva Drive.