Lee County to preserve 12 additional land parcels as part of 20/20 conservation program

Bill Smith, Fort Myers News-Press
Updated ·3 min read

Lee County will negotiate acquisition of a dozen properties for its Conservation 20/20 environmental protection program. On recommendation of county staff members, the properties were selected for possible addition to the city's portfolio of land set aside for conservation by vote of county commissioners.

All but four of the properties given consideration are five acres or less in size.

Commissioners gave unanimous approval in late February to continue negotiation for the acquisition of the 12 parcels and adding them to the 20/20 roster of environmentally important properties that would be protected from development. The 20/20 program is very popular with voters, 84% of whom voted in 2016 to continue it.

Members of the county staff seek potential parcels that fit Conservation 20/20 standards and determine whether to recommend to the board of commissioners that negotiation commence for acquisition.

Eight of the parcels approved for purchase by county commissioners are part of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) land preservation area, adding 192 acres to the protected conservation area.

"CREW conservation assets cover 192 acres overall. They range from 2.5 acres to 160 acres," said Robert Clemens, land acquisition manager for the county. Members of the county's Conservation Land Acquisition and Stewardship Advisory Committee who were present were unanimous in acquiring the land for conservation.

The package of properties includes an additional 40 acres to be added to the nearly 6,000 acres of conversation land in Alva honoring the late County Commissioner Bob Janes.

Other acquisitions approved by commissioners include 12 acres near the Columbus G. McLeod Preserve on the Caloosahatchee, north of Palm Beach Boulevard and west of Old Olga Road in Fort Myers Shores.

During a meeting of the CLASAC panel in January, Barbara Manzo, a leader of the Eyes on Conservation 20/20 Coalition, raised questions about the number of small parcels that were on the list for consideration.

Manzo suggested that the county concentrate on acquisitions such as the 350-acre Red Fish Point at the tip of Cape Coral.

Barbara Manzo, a leader in preserving Lee County's unspoiled terrain has suggested that public school site in Alva that has never been used could be considered for another 20/20 program
Barbara Manzo, a leader in preserving Lee County's unspoiled terrain has suggested that public school site in Alva that has never been used could be considered for another 20/20 program

She also suggested that the county look at acquiring the Eden Oaks property, located along Shell Point Boulevard. Eden Oaks was rejected a year ago in a quest to win county approval for construction of 55 homes over 309 acres.

Clemens responded that the county has been purchasing property for conservation purposes since the late 1990s and trends have emerged as larger parcels "tend to not be as readily available when when the real estate market is prime."

Manzo had made other suggestions for county acquisition for the conservation program, including acquiring land that was warehoused by Lee Public Schools for construction of a middle/high school in Alva near Tuckahoe and Joel roads.

But Clemens told the committee in November that the school district has indicated in the past that it intended to use the property that has been under consideration for construction of a middle/high school on a 100-acre site near the Alva Scrub Preserve, a prime venue for birdwatchers.

Clemens suggested that the school board representative to CLASAC submit the property for consideration if the school district decides not to develop it.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: CREW land preservation deal adds parcels ranging from 2.5 to 160 acres