Conservation 20/20

River District trolley to return; Commissioners agree to CREW land purchase

Lee Commissioners authorize purchase of about 12 acres on the Caloosahatchee River

County Commissioners voted Tuesday, to authorizing staff to pursue the purchase of a roughly 100-acre former orange grove adjacent to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary through the county's Conservation 20/20 program.

Lee County residents now own more than 40 acres of undeveloped land along Moody Road on the northern shore of the Caloosahatchee River in North Fort Myers under the Conservation 20/20 program.

The widely supported land conservation program could have its funding slashed by 40 percent.

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.

Last week, the Lee County Commission voted unanimously to acquire a 3,922-acre parcel in South Lee County. The $42.4 million acquisition, known as Edison…

Lee County records showing dangerously high levels of arsenic on Pine Island were ignored by county and state environmental officials, an investigation by…

Lee County residents overwhelmingly voted to continue the Conservation 20/20 program on Election Day. That sets aside tax dollars to purchase and manage…

Six Lee County mayors met Wednesday to talk about solutions to water discharges flowing into the Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee.The South…