Storm clouds are on the horizon for islanders
Pine Island is a wonderful, tropical, old-fashioned paradise, that is a fast disappearing anomaly in today’s modern Florida. Our Island is populated with every stripe of individual, from fishermen, to farmers, to retirees, to business people who commute across the big water to Fort Myers where they earn their income. We have artists, musicians, gift shop owners, restaurateurs,and auto repair shops workers. We have people of every income bracket and from almost every social background and ethnicity. Pine Island is a melting pot of cultures and lifestyles all jumbled into a fabric of quiet, laid-back island living, planted in the middle of an ever changing universe.
For some people, our island is not quite to their liking. They come here and at first are captivated by the unique quality of life they witness. But, soon they become disenchanted due to the lack of services or income opportunities found here. Others lament the changes that the island has already taken with a constant influx of new people, many of whom presume that they know everything better than the old-time inhabitants. But mostly, the island is populated with people who love the many wonderful characters and characteristics that the Island has to offer. It is for these people, the latter groups of island lovers, that this article is written.
The Greater Pine Island Civic Association was founded by such a group of Islanders. The organization was forged in 1957. And, although its bylaws have been amended 10 times since then, this group of people has had one major objective that unified them in both mind and spirit. That objective was preserve the best qualities of Pine Island lifestyle, culture and environment.
Over the last decade the main issue was developing a plan for smart growth for the Island that would allow modest growth for the Island, without jeopardizing the fragile fabric of Pine Island environment. This plan, which is now commonly called “The Pine Island Plan,” was put together by many dedicated people including Lee County staff, local Islanders, growers and some developers. It was a compromise plan that asked for the best effort of all concerned to live within a framework. A framework that would allow the best aspects of the island culture and environment to endure the ever-present developer onslaught that was virtually encircling the island from every side. And through the years, through all the bylaw amendment changes, the GPICA has remained steadfastly loyal to these principles.
Article two of their bylaws clearly states that: “the purpose of the GPICA shall be to unite, in common cause the residents and organizations of Greater Pine Island in a continuing effort to preserve and maintain a desirable, livable community. Within this purpose, the GPICA shall promote environmentally responsible planning or smart growth; shall promote preservation of sensitive natural areas and shall recognize and promote the unique character of our rural and agricultural island community …”
Through the years, the GPICA has been there when various regions of the island were faced with challenges to this smart growth, environmentally sound plan. But, as successful as they have been, the challenges have kept on coming. During the period between the time when the plan was adopted and the plan was enforced, several developers unhappy with the prospects of reduced densities on their develop able land, submitted projects to be included/grandfathered in the final plan. And they were, in fact, grandfathered into the document. There are literally thousands of residential lots now grandfathered under the Pine Island Plan, that will be built as the economy will allow. But still that is not enough for some land speculators/developers. They want more.
The developers who were left out, now want their piece of the Pine Island pie. They want to amend the plan to include their projects. many of these developers don’t even live here, and could care less about the unique lifestyle or culture found here, unless they can use it in their advertisements to sell more land and to make more money.
This poor economy has been a blessing to allow us all to regroup and refinance our efforts to snub this onslaught to our way of life and our environment. And regroup and refinance we must if we are to be successful in this ever present battle. We must use this lull to examine in our own minds as to why we live here and how much change are we willing to accept. Then we must find a way to stand our ground. For if we don’t we are looking at another Fort Myers Beach, or Marco Island or worse, a Cape Coral growing up before our very eyes.
In a recent Eagle article there were listed sum 12 projected attacks on our island culture and environment. These projects span every geographic region of our island. High density housing projects in the St. James City area; a resort with a three-story high-rise parking garage in Bokeelia, farm worker housing in the Island center; a sewer line, ripping up our new bike path and tearing up Main Street in Bokeelia; and a mega yacht marina sticking 800 feet into Charlotte Harbor are but a few of these threats to us.
But now there are even more issues to be concerned about. Cape Coral now wants to annex Royal Palms and large portions of Matlacha. This obvious tax grab would cripple our fire department, that would loose over 20 percent of it’s tax revenues in the aftermath of this action.
But that’s not all. Your area Florida legislators have submitted a bill to limit the amount of local authority there would be on new growth projects, by guess who, developers.
Storm clouds are indeed rising. In the next decade there will be more and more, well financed efforts by money interests to change our island. They have the benefit of paid full-time staffs, who could sit down with county staff at will, to discuss ways that the county and they could benefit at our expense. They have attorneys who, like the one representing the farm worker housing project, started and ended his presentation to the County Commissioners by saying that “his clients was prepared to sue the county if they didn’t get their way.”
The developer of the proposed mega marina, when he was rejected by the South Florida Water Management District, has now taken his appeal to the courts. Money is no object to them. The projected return on the investment will be many times the immediate cost.
The developer who wants to tear up Main Street and our new bike path on Stringfellow for a sewer, has offered the county that it will pay the cost of building the sewer. They are willing to pay millions of dollars to build a sewer almost 10 miles so that they could have their development. And their staff is meeting with County staff at will to make this happen. And I ask, who has the money and the resources to stand up to them?
There are many ways that we as individuals can prepare themselves for the storms that are coming our way. Certainly one way to have a voice in our future is to join one of the several regional civic groups around the island. These groups provide an excellent avenue to learn of and plan against future pending issues and threats facing their particular region.
Yet another is to join the GPICA. The GPICA has decade of historic support on behalf the Island and Island issues. Right now, as I write this article, the GPICA is holding meetings to find ways to effectively combat these and many other threats to our island culture and environment. But, the effectiveness of the GPICA is built upon the volunteered time and financial support of it’s members. Many people on the island think that the main issues facing the island are behind us.
And, all civic associations are very much issues fed. When all heck breaks loose, then people get aroused and inspired to action. As the victorious fights fade, their inspiration fades as well. We as a people need to not let this happen. Money is being spent on lawyers and engineers this very day, by developers who have big plans for our island. We need to build a war chest to force them to redefine their aims to meet our needs, and not just their own. We as an Island needs to band together, putting aside our regional differences of the past in order to present a unified front. A unified front to preserve the Island where we live.