ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
Savor the victory, then prepare for the next battle
The push to control limerock mining is far from over, and recent county actions have made the fight against future requests more difficult. Neighbors and opponents of expanded mining activities in the Density Reduction/Groundwater Resource DR/GR) area should be somewhat heartened by the Lee County Commission decision to reject the rezoning request for Old Corkscrew…
How Many Mines does Lee County Need?
Lee County already is the second biggest supplier of construction aggregate in Florida and has long provided about 70% of all of this essential road and building material for all 7 southwest Florida counties from Sarasota to Collier. Lee Future opposes the approval of unnecessary additional mines, and the erosion of the protections in the Comprehensive…
Wear RED to the Nov. 6 Board of County Commissioners Meeting
…oppose more lime rock mines Lee Future joins the Estero Council of Community Leaders (ECCL) in encouraging all its members to wear red to the November Board of County mmissioners final decision on the rezoning of the Troyer Brothers mine. Since we can’t testify, this will visibly show the County Commissioners that we support the Hearing Examiner’s decision…
Blue-green Algae in our Waters is a Disaster
…And it’s Caused More by Humans than by Nature The battle over water quality and public health returns to the Florida legislature. After last year’s devastating outbreak of blue-green algae and red tide, it seemed every politician vowed to “do something.” Now Florida lawmakers have the chance to demonstrate their commitment with solid action. Lee…
The Fight for Map 14 is Not Over.
October 22 Legal Hearing on LeePlan Changes Lee Future urges all members to support the legal challenge from Sakata Seed against the removal of Map 14 from the Lee Comprehensive Plan. Tuesday, October 22, 20199:00 am in Courtroom 5F Lee County Justice Center1700 Monroe Street, Fort Myers While this is strictly a legal proceeding with…
Editorial boards urge DeSantis to turn words into action on environmental protection promises
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won some early (and unexpected) plaudits shortly after taking office for making a number of statements in support of Florida environment. This reversal of eight years (and more) of rolling back environmental protection statewide and ignoring the devastating results from this laxity in polluted waters, dying sealife and endangered residents and…
“Saving Paradise: It’s Up to Us!” Community Forum
Sponsored by : November 9, 2019, 9:30 am – 11:30 amEstero Recreation Center9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero CHRISTIN COLLINS TO KEYNOTE COMMUNITY FORUM Christin Collins, community advocate and national speaker, will keynote the first public forum sponsored by Women For a Better Lee and Lee Future, two new citizen organizations working for change in Lee…
Protecting Florida’s Waters
This editorial by former Florida Governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham,and Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine highlight the Florida Conservation Coalition’s water policy initiatives for Florida. Lee Future believes all these points apply to Lee County’s problems and lack of proactive programs. Article was originally published in theOrlando Sentinel on March 1, 2019 Protecting and…
Major Toll Road Projects Opposed by Environmental Groups and Local Governments
Lee Future believes this toll road legislation was passed too quickly, without proper input by citizens, a lack of fiscal vetting before its approval, not enough research on need and impact, and absolutely no input from affected counties affected. The communities these roads will cut through have indicated this is not something they want. This…
Task force reports that septic tanks contribute to pollution problem
According to the National Environmental Services Center, Lee County has 132,266 Septic Systems, making this an issue of extreme concern. Fixing, replacing and better monitoring septic tank systems is one key to cutting down on the amount of nutrients polluting Florida’s waterways. The Department of Environmental Protection’s Blue-Green Algae Task Force met for the second…