Conservation groups threaten lawsuit over Collier County development, cites risk to Florida panthers

NAPLES, Fla. —

Conservation groups are threatening legal action over a proposed large-scale development in eastern Collier County, arguing it could further endanger the already threatened Florida panther.

The groups notified federal agencies Wednesday of their intent to file a lawsuit, saying the proposed Rural Lands West project violates the Endangered Species Act. The development would allow new homes and businesses to be built east of Golden Gate Estates, an area experts say is critical panther habitat.

“This is primary zone habitat for panthers,” said Matthew Schwartz, executive director of the South Florida Wildlands Association. “They have to see if there’s any endangered or threatened species on the site and if there are adverse impacts to those species.”

The proposed project would bring roughly 9,000 homes, a town center and commercial space to thousands of acres currently considered important wildlife habitat. Conservationists argue the development would significantly reduce the land available for panthers to roam, hunt and reproduce.

Jason Totoiu, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the lawsuit would allege that federal agencies failed to properly assess the project’s long-term impact on the species.

“We were alleging that the federal agency that is responsible for reviewing these types of projects failed to consider this particular development’s impact on the ability of the Florida panther to both survive and recover,” Totoiu said. “A species like the Florida panther can cling to survival, so to speak.”

The project has already been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Conservation groups say that approval came without adequate analysis of how the development could affect the panther’s recovery in the wild.

According to wildlife officials, only a few hundred Florida panthers remain. Vehicle strikes remain one of the leading causes of death. Just three weeks into the year, at least two panthers have already been killed in traffic crashes.

“One just yesterday, a female, which is even more tragic,” Totoiu said. “We actually need females to reproduce and increase the population.”

Both Totoiu and Schwartz say the potential lawsuit could have major implications for the future of the species.

“Our hope is that the Fish and Wildlife agency will simply do its job and consider what this means for the species’s survival and recovery,” Totoiu said.

“They can’t just keep developing project after project and not say how much is too much,” Schwartz added.

Developers behind the Rural Lands West project and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been contacted for comment regarding the potential lawsuit. As of publication, no response had been received.

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