SCCF urges attendance at final hearing for Eden Oak
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation is urging the public to show its support for wildlife, mangrove wetlands, and public safety by attending the final hearing for a rezoning request on April 5 for Eden Oak, a proposed development off of Shell Point Boulevard in Fort Myers.
“The current plan would destroy 36 acres of mangrove wetlands, put more people in the coastal high hazard area, create new sources of pollution from runoff, cause boat traffic in sensitive habitat used by threatened and endangered species, and add traffic to the evacuation and emergency access,” SCCF Policy Associate Holly Schwartz said.
The Lee County Board of County Commissioners will vote on the rezoning request to build 55 residential units and a 13-slip docking facility. Counter to the lessons from Hurricane Ian, approval would put human life, current property, and wildlife in jeopardy, the SCCF reported.
“The wetlands that we have protected in Lee County protected us during the storm, and the commissioners need to be aware that this is the wrong project in the wrong place at the wrong time for our community,” Schwartz said.
The SCCF is inviting the public to show its opposition by attending the final hearing on April 5 at 9:30 a.m. in the second-floor commission chambers of the old courthouse, at 2120 Main St., Fort Myers.
Since 2016, the SCCF has been actively opposing the zoning request and will present the reasons that approving unwarranted entitlements in a designated coastal high hazard area would be ill-advised.
“There is no stronger protection for our citizens, our property, and our wildlife than the mangroves and wetlands nature has provided,” SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis said.
Because of local laws prohibiting ex-parte communication on zoning matters, only those who have previously spoken at the Hearing Examiner (HeX) level will be allowed to address the commission on the item. The SCCF is encouraging those who are eligible to testify at the hearing to do so. Those who did not speak at the original meetings are still encouraged to attend to show their support for denial.
For those who are eligible to speak, the SCCF has prepared a list of talking points at https://www.sccf.org/downloadable-files/62de992c88c105bf42806851.pdf.
“It is always helpful for the commissioners to hear personal accounts of how this rezoning request will impact you and your neighborhood — especially in light of the experience we’ve gained with flooding and storm surge from Hurricane Ian,” DePaolis said.
For more information, visit https://www.sccf.org/our-work/environmental-policy/eden-oak.