Samantha Roesler

Judge Anderson's widow, Audrea Anderson, shares stories about her late husband's legacy on April 26, 2022. Anderson was elected to the circuit court in 1990 and served as the Circuit Judge of the 20th Judicial Circuit until he passed away in 2007.

Lee County Justice Center dedicated to Judge Isaac Anderson Jr.

Samantha Roesler

Lee County recently held a dedication ceremony of the justice center in memory of the late Judge Isaac Anderson Jr., the first African American judge in the county.

Dr. James Douglass, Tori Guarino and Carter Oleckna from the FGCU Water School working together to study the ponds at Fairwinds HOA in Bonita Springs. The trio hopes their study encourages residents to eliminate their use of fertilizers and be more conscious of pond health.

FGCU Water School promotes pond management through HOA project

Samantha Roesler

Dr. James Douglass of the FGCU Water School, along with two FGCU biology students, Tori Guarino and Carter Oleckna, are on a mission to restore the pond at Fairwinds in Bonita Springs, from both a plant and water quality standpoint. The project could become a model for other communities in Southwest Florida.

A pumpstation off of Wiggins Pass in North Naples that will be receiving a back-up generator. Construction is expected to begin this month at some of the 14 sites where the automatic emergency systems will be placed.

Collier County project focuses on back-up power systems ahead of hurricane season

Samantha Roesler

Ahead of the 2022 hurricane season beginning June 1, the Collier County Public Utilities Department is working on a project to increase critical infrastructure resiliency. The goal is to make it more certain that residents will have water services after a big storm.

Map Alternative 1 presented to the Bonita Springs City Council. Council received three district maps and voted 7-0 to adopt alternative 1.

Bonita Springs City Council takes redistricting vote

Samantha Roesler

Bonita Springs will continue to put two communities into different districts for city council elections. That means people in Bonita Bay and Pelican Landing will be in different districts when voting for candidates for council.

ULTRA On Demand is a LeeTran service that debuted February in Bonita Springs. Riders can use the Uber app to request a pickup and drop off anywhere in the service zone that spans from Lovers Key to the east part of the city.

Uber-style LeeTran service makes debut in Bonita Springs

Samantha Roesler

LeeTran is using technology to serve riders better. The public transit agency is trying out an Uber-style service in Bonita Springs, while also working on a new park-and-ride location near the Bell Tower Shops.

Pelican Landing and Bonita Bay, Bonita Springs' two largest homeowner's associations, could potentially both be part of District 4 depending on how City Council votes. Redistricting has created a socio-economic discussion between the two communities and the rest of the city.

Bonita Springs HOAs could merge into one city district

Samantha Roesler

Bonita Springs is facing a controversial decision on how to make up city council districts for the next decade. Socio-economic issues are being raised about possibly combining Bonita Bay and Pelican Landing in the same district.

Conservation 20/20’s Conservation Land Acquisition and Stewardship Advisory Committee (CLASAC), discussed last week if they would like to pursue a purchase of what used to be the Bonita Springs Golf and Country Club, which Barron Collier has offered to sell for a price between $15 million and $19 million.

Bonita Springs golf course land denied for Conservation 20/20 consideration

Samantha Roesler

Lee County likely will not pursue a possible purchase of the former Bonita Springs Golf and Country Club, now owned by Barron Collier Companies. An advisory committee of the Conservation 20/20 land acquisition program voted against further consideration of buying the land. People who live around the property fear more flooding and other problems if homes are built on the land.

Habitat for Humanity volunteers from the Shadow Wood Charitable Foundation work together to build partnership place. Six homes will be completed by summer thanks to volunteers from multiple organizations.

Habitat for Humanity brings more affordable housing to Bonita Springs

Samantha Roesler

Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry counties is known for working to provide affordable housing for cost-burdened families of Southwest Florida. One of the current focuses for the local organization is Partnership Place.

Owen Zacharias and his son on day five of their sandcastle being built during their two weel stay on Bonita Beach. The effort of resiliency in the Bonita Beach area has potential to impact tourism numbers brought to Bonita Springs.

Bonita Beach lovers anticipate state coastal resiliency grant

Samantha Roesler

Lee County applied this month for the Resilient Florida Grant Program, which aims to provide money to counties for coastal resilience planning. The purpose of creating a coastal resiliency goal is to address impacts of flooding and sea level rise that face Lee County.

There are currently 12 projects on Lee County’s tier one project list, amounting to an estimated cost of $1.1 billion. So far, almost $500 million is still unfunded.

Rising costs pose challenge to Lee County transportation plans

Samantha Roesler

The Lee County Board of Commissioners met this week to talk about cost increases of their current and future road projects due to inflation. Currently the costs of non-residential construction are going up about 8% a year, according to county transportation planners.