Letters to the Editor

From page 4

Mr. Cerchie’s multimillion-dollar traffic solution, for traffic at our 4-way, is to make a roundabout and ins tall traffic lights Hello, the Matlacha bottleneck is the problem

Population Requirements: The proposed area for incorporation is contiguous

The Island has a population of 8,614, per t h e 2 0 2 2 C e n s u s , w h i c h e x c e e d s t h e 5,000 required by the statutes

Density Requirements: Pine Island is 40 5 square miles or 27,520+/- acres The A p p r a i s e r ’ s D e p a r t m e n t c o n s i d e r s t h e Island to be 50-70% Agricultural per the current Zoning Map We do not meet the required density of 1 5 people per acre We only have 1/2

We will be easily approved for a few reasons 1) Density is not the objective of the 2022 Lee Plan, for Pine Island, initiall y I t i s d e m a n d f o r L D U s ( L a n d Development Units) from our agricultural land Primarily, these LDUs are for other cities and our Island Center Island agricultural landowners can still use the land they sold 2) Our Island is 27,520+/- acres, of which 12,277 or 47% of the acres are conservation land, water or mangroves

According to the County, of the first r o u n d 1 6 2 a v a i l a b l e 1 - 5 a c r e L D U s , Estero bought almost all of them Pine Island is using some behind Publix. Only 89 LDUs remain

Incorporation: The 2022 Lee Plan requires 2 7 acres per home on agricultural land Our height requirement remains in place. We are the exception to all other localities This Lee Plan should work out very well for us, if we can incorporate ASAP At that point, we will have total autonomy, regarding zoning, building and planning As many have informed me, every Land Developer has met with great losses due to lack of demand. Our greatest non-asset NO BEACHES! Currently, there are only 2 large projects with open LDOs Both are in Bocilla Seaport

Can you imagine what we can do with $9+/- million to address the issues of our Island, after the county ignoring us for decades! It is never too early to start thinking!!!!

A few facts of my interest and relief

We have 8,614 citizens, 6,814 dwellings

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e L e e C o u n t y S c h o o l System, we have 506 children grades 112 There are 247 kids, attending our “Grade A” elementary school and 259 in the Lee County School System According to the Census, we had zero births The Bert Harris Act lawsuits have all been settled, per the County CFO

Diane Cherella, MBA Bokeelia

Be prepared

To the editor:

Quick: What’s your Evacuation Zone? Not sure? Lee EOC gov

Who in the family can name a relative you can all call to contact to verify you got somewhere safe? Pick someone who is not in Florida Does everyone have that phone number on speed dial?

This is the moment to put your children through their eye roll paces to make sure your loved ones will be ready and safe this hurricane season Tank full of gas, 6 gallons of water for each member of the household, and yes, that includes pets. The FEMA food and the snack bars should be getting stashed somewhere near the extra medicine, batteries and flashlights now

Who is the person you can impose your family on for a week’s worth of hospitality? (Yeah, you should know that now )

Climate change is a real thing Your barstool buddy who considers it a point of pride that he never evacuates, is using old data No water in the world is heating faster than the Gulf of Mexico, and warm water means storm surge Cape Coral will not be providing sand bags, and we are in the cross hairs of today’s changed climate If you and your family are two inches above sea level, be making your escape plans now

Seriously

We had virtually no looting (endless news loop of the camera hog Sheriff arresting kids collecting bottles off the beach during last year’s storm does not constitute a looting hazard.)

Pete Buttigieg’s FEMA used drones, so the day after the hurricane passes you can view your property from the comfort of a northern hotel on Zillow or Zoom

Yes, you may have emergency crews closing your street access for a few days But seriously, if the situation is that bad the day after the storm, you won the lottery if you left early enough to be inconvenienced You do not need to be here till the storm has passed

Be prepared to have someone who owes you a favor (like someone you gave a kidney to) lined up to host you and the brood Have that option open for a week during next hurricane Make sure they know you will be at their door with only a few days notice

Ellen Starbird Cape Coral

Children need playtime

To the editor:

As a child, I remember playing outside for hours with my siblings We would pretend our backyard was a magic forest and we would have grand adventures filled with wild creatures, obstacles, and picnics Screentime included a couple hours of whatever cartoon was on the local TV channel While it’s a universal child comment to say, “I’m bored,” we found plenty of activities to fill our days by using our imaginations

I have always known how important play is in the life of a child but especially now that I have three children of my own and teach preschool, I have come to realize that not only is it an important part of childhood, but vital to mental health

During the times when I tell my children to find something to do that doesn’t include screens, they inevitably tell me they’re bored I encourage them to find something to do and give them options if they need them (there’s always chores if they’re that bored) It’s amusing to watch because all of a sudden, all my blankets have disappeared from my closet and have become a giant fort in the living room! They’re using all sorts of skills to figure out how to make the blankets stay on top of the chairs, or how to expand the fort to make extra rooms

Other times, they rediscover their markers and paints to come up with some kind of masterpiece or use their magnatiles to build a castle!

It’s pretty awesome to watch what happens when they are creative, use their imaginations, and just play! I think it’s important to just let our kids be “bored” sometimes You never know what magical lands they just might find

Jenny Sample Cape Coral