The City of Bonita Springs will be spending over $2 million this year on its community policing program, aiming to both decrease overall crime in the community and regulate the legacy issue of heavy traffic in the downtown area. The program pays for two sergeants, 15 deputies along with Lee County Sheriff’s Office vehicles and equipment.
“We definitely need some presence down there for safety concerns in order to keep our patrons, visitors and our community safe,” said Trish Leonard, president of the Bonita Springs Downtown Alliance. “We must have a better system of not only public safety but also of anything the city can produce for the residents in our area.”
This policing program is being funded through taxpayer dollars, but the lack of Bonita Springs substations may be hindering the number of potential protections the officers can commit to the city. The nearest Lee County Sheriff’s Office to downtown is by the Estero and Bonita Springs boundary line.
“What my concern is, and the Downtown Alliance’s concern is, is that there’s no place for those deputies to come to,” Leonard said. “You’d think we would get a little extra protection from the extra money the taxpayers pay.”
Despite the lack of substations in the city, Bonita Springs councilman Chris Corrie says that the community policing program has been effective for the city in regard to crime.
“Since we’ve gone to community policing, it’s worked really well and it’s something we are continuing to fund and something we will probably always have as a program to make sure our residents stay safe and we have very low crime statistics going forward,” Corrie said.
Although the police coverage has helped to decrease crime through the city, truck traffic that goes through the downtown area remains a safety concern. The additional law enforcement officers also have the responsibility of regulating speed and ensuring pedestrian safety, but each year this becomes more difficult as businesses and restaurants continue to populate the area.
“What we’re trying to accomplish (in downtown Bonita) is making it a walkable area, and we need to reduce the amount of truck traffic during the day,” Corrie said. “I think we need to do something to limit truck traffic so everyone can stay safe, and the noise level is reduced so people feel comfortable that they can be downtown without being injured by traffic.”
The council has been receiving emails from local residents and businesses expressing the need to regulate industrial truck traffic downtown, and Corrie expressed that this is something that should be addressed soon by the council.
“I think as we continue to develop downtown and we see more businesses and restaurants move there, we do need to have some consideration of how we’re going to handle 18-wheelers that want to cut through downtown,” Corrie said in last week’s city council meeting. “I’d just like people to understand that we are going to address that, I know it’s a concern.”
Leonard of the Downtown Alliance has been a Southwest Florida resident since the ‘70s and has hope that the city will continue to improve the area that she along with many other locals are so passionate for.
“We don’t want a Fort Myers, we don’t want a Naples, but we do want a nice downtown for our Bonita Springs,” Leonard said. “We will get there, but we are just not there yet.”
This story was produced by Democracy Watch, a news service provided by Florida Gulf Coast University journalism students. The reporter can be reached at sjroesler9635@eagle.fgcu.edu.