To Lee County Commissioners:

The developers are claiming the Pine Tarr errata sheet distributed this morning means that issue has been settled. That is not correct. The errata sheet only changes the wording of the mangrove protection exception the developers desire.

It makes absolutely no sense to issue an exception to mangrove protection laws to build this unneeded and unwanted shopping center--no matter what the wording of the proposed exception.

Pine Islands mangrove protection provisions have been in effect for some ten years and have repeatedly and successfully been applied in numerous cases. To give up that protection now simply because someone has asked for an exception would render the provisions meaningless.

The developers claim mangrove destruction is necessary to create needed commercial properties. That's nonsense. Per Lee County Staff statistics, Pine Island has 754 acres of commercially zoned properties, 421 acres (56%) of which is vacant. Pine Island already has enough commercially zoned properties to last us for at least one hundred and maybe several hundred years. What we actually need is to stop destroying mangroves to create even more unusable vacant commercial properties. The developers also claim they have to be authorized to destroy mangroves or they will have no incentive to remove exotics from mangrove areas--that's also nonsense because all Lee County development orders are conditional on removal of exotics from the property (including the mangrove or "green space" portions of the property).

The issue in this case in not whether the developers can get permission to build a Publix or other similar shopping center on that property (extremely unlikely to actually get built anyway, but approval would cause an increase in the property's market value). They can of course legally get building approval if they follow all of the existing rules. The issue is whether the Lee County Commissioners are willing to change the rules, i.e., do away with Pine Island's mangrove protection laws to accommodate this developer's particular building plan (the Pine Tarr property in fact has plenty of space for a shopping center without having to destroy mangroves). They have also suggested that they would compromise by agreeing with an exception that was drawn in way that would apply only to their project. The membership vote at numerous meetings of the GPICA was a unanimous and emphatic no on both proposals.

Mangrove protection on Pine Island is critical. Please do not grant exceptions to that protection.

Phil Buchanan