New details are emerging on rebuilding the public marina in the Caloosahatchee River at downtown Fort Myers.
The Army Corps of Engineers is requesting comments on plans by Suntex Marinas, based in Dallas. The City of Fort Myers chose that company to rebuild the marina after Hurricane Ian. Suntex is requesting a permit from the Army Corps. That's why the corps put out a public notice of the plans.
The company wants to expand boat slips to cover the entire south side of the river, between the Caloosahatchee and Edison bridges. Those bridges form the west and east borders of the downtown riverfront. The old Yacht Basin had slips on only some of the river between the bridges.
According to the Army Corps of Engineers notice, Suntex wants to fill in some of the river along the Fort Myers bank, and to remove the gazebo and fishing pier that extend into the river from the Fort Myers bank.
Suntex would install floating devices to block waves in a storm. The devices would form a ring along the outside of the marina.
The Army Corps said in its release of documents that the waters of the marina do contain endangered species, including manatees and sea turtles. The corps said that means the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will get a say in approving any plans.
In addition the National Marine Fisheries Service also would be asked to review the plans and their impacts, according to the notice.
The corps said the decision on whether to issue a permit will depend on the impacts on the public interest. "The benefits, which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal, must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments," the notice said.
WGCU News contacted Suntex at its headquarters in Dallas, asking for comment. So far we have not received a response.
The notice from the Army Corps does not say of how long it might take to approve or deny a permit.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News, and also teaches journalism at Florida Gulf Cost University. He can be reached at mwalcher@wgcu.org