Farmworker housing hearing on Feb. 10
To the editor:
The proposed “farmworker housing” project will come before the county commissioners on Feb. 10 and Pine Island needs people to be there to oppose this proposal.
The project was turned down by the Lee County Hearing Examiner last year in a very well written opinion, which under Lee County law was final (See GPICA.org for a copy of that opinion, which has an excellent summary of the many reasons this project should be denied). The developer has however invoked a little known Florida state law that allows him to get yet another review by Lee County. Some 100 to 130 Pine Islanders testified against the project (one person testified for) at the HEX hearing. We need them and more to do that again at the commissioner hearing.
The county commissioner hearing will be on Feb. 10 in the commission chambers at the County Courthouse. The proceedings start at 9:30 a.m., but the farmworker housing case will not be called until later in the proceedings (I don’t know how much later, but don’t worry too much about being on time).
To get to the proceedings, I suggest you leave Pine Island about 8:45 a.m., go to Fort Myers via Pine Road, Hancock Creek Road, and Route 41 south. Take the first exit after crossing the river and park in the salsa colored parking building (they call it City of Palms parking). Walk one block south to the historic courthouse and go to the second floor to the commission chambers.
If you have a GPICA yellow T-shirt, consider wearing it. If you want to speak to the county commissioners (maximum 3 minutes), you can do so by filling out a little blue card at the entrance. If you prefer to register your vote by just standing up (no card required), I will ask the chair to give you that opportunity when I address the commissioners on behalf of the GPICA.
This project will determine whether farmworkers in Lee County are pushed into a segregated apartment complex on Pine Island, a complex proposed to be located on the site of the former Willow Lake, an extremely serious environmental violation that has not yet been adjudicated.
Please try to attend the commissioner hearing on Feb. 10. You may also want to attend the GPICA monthly meeting on Feb. 3 (Elks Lodge, 7 p.m.), when this issue will surely be discussed in depth. Please also call me on 283-4067 or e-mail coolcherokee@comcast.net if I can help.
Phil Buchanan
Pine Island