The Chairman of the Lee County Board of Commissioners Kevin Ruane is sounding the alarm about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers new plan for Lake Okeechobee.
The plan, known as CC, will become the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) plan for years, and isn't expected to be reconsidered until 2028. Ruane met with the Corps' Lt. Col. Andrew Kelly, who oversees the project, earlier this week.
"We need significant changes to cc in its current form and we'll be advocating to make sure those changes take place," he said.
Ruane is concerned the plan does not take into account the Caloosahatchee ecosystem, or consider the ecosystem impacts on Southwest Florida and the East coast of Florida equitably. He also said the Corps needs to take more time to consider changes to the plan.
"When you make a decision quickly, you make the wrong one," he said.
The deadline to finalize the plan is Aug. 5.