Collier County residents divided over Big Cypress development impact

Collier County is moving forward with the Big Cypress project, a major development that promises to reshape the area along Oil Well Road.

The county has already approved the project, which will include commercial and retail spaces and is expected to create about 6,000 jobs.

The development will be located within Rivergrass, Longwater, and Bellmar villages. Big Cypress falls under Collier County's Rural Land Stewardship Area program, which will permanently preserve more than 12,000 acres of land. However, not all local residents are on board with the project.

"The traffic is already twice what it was before," said Patricia Dobrydney, a Collier County resident.

"I can only imagine what's going to happen when we add another community all the way up there. It's just going to be the traffic like it's on Immokalee and everywhere else in Naples." Luisa Gomez, another Collier County resident, sees the development differently. "I think it's a great opportunity for, like, young families to come and, like, have a place to, like, kind of do fun activities," said Gomez.

"We are kind of out here in the middle of nowhere, and I think it's much needed."

Collier Enterprises is finalizing federal, state, and local permits, with hopes to begin construction in 2026.