Time for Pine Islanders to unite
To the editor:
I was a member of the Greater Pine Island Civic Association in the ’80s with islanders like Gene and Ellie Boyd, Barbara Dubin and Anna Stober. Many islanders had a vision for the future of our island. No to high rises, no to overdevelopment, no to traffic lights, no to high volumes of traffic, no to destruction of marine habitat, no to polluting our pristine waters. After long hours of blood, sweat and tears, The Pine Island Plan was adopted.
Look around. You call this paradise? It is because people cared about Pine Island’s future. Now, we must unite to save all they have done. The Lee County Community Development/Local Planning Agency (LPA) wants to remove our voice from public input about what happens in our own community and not just here, but other unique communities around Lee County as well. They say the reason for this is to streamline all plans into one Lee County Plan. Really? Guess what? Pine Island and other rural and unique communities don’t fit the mold.
No more public input, no more public opinion, no more free speech, no more speaking up for your rights. There is no more freedom to express what happens where your children and grandchildren live. What’s next? And what’s the real reason? Could it be to let developers have their way with our island?
Pine Islanders, now is the time to unite.
Call, write, email our elected county commissioners (who are supposed to represent, we, the voters) and tell them to allow Pine Islanders to have input over matters concerning our island. I know it gets disheartening, but ask yourself what good will it do? You may assume their minds are already made up. Well, that might be true. But we cannot give up hope. The hope that they will listen to the people who voted them onto the Board of County Commissioners in the first place.
My voice counts and so does yours.
Rhonda Dooley
Bokeelia