Proposed changes to Lee County growth plan paused as Pine Island residents voice concerns

Lee County commissioners have paused discussions on proposed changes to the Lee Plan, the county's long-term growth plan, as residents of Pine Island voice concerns about preserving their community's character. Before moving to Pine Island, resident Rogan White and his family visited the area for decades. "It was predominantly an agricultural community and commercial fishing community, whereas now it is quickly becoming a bit more overdeveloped, overpopulated," White said. Despite the changes, Nadine Slimak, another Pine Island resident, said she and her neighbors appreciate the community's laid-back lifestyle. "They like the laid-back lifestyle we've got out here, and I bet if you walk down the street in Buckingham or Alva or Captiva, their residents would say the same thing about their own community," Slimak said. Slimak opposes the proposed amendments to the Lee Plan, which involve removing community-specific development rules. County staff have said the goal is to simplify the plan and avoid legal questions about future land use, emphasizing that the changes would not increase allowable development. While Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka supports simplifying policies, he expressed concerns about removing community-specific rules. "We wanted to simplify things, streamline things, and to do it, to do a good job, to be more effective as county commissioners," Mulicka said. "I never would have thought in a million years we were going to delete their names out of the overall master plan." White emphasized the importance of considering each community's unique needs. "If the county is not looking at each community in an isolated, unique way rather than a [30,000-foot] perspective, making decisions that could impact one community that is largely different from another, then they're not doing their duty for us taxpayers," White said. Slimak echoed the sentiment, stressing the need to protect specific aspects of local communities. "There are different aspects of our communities that we want to have protected, and that we feel need to be called out specifically by any land development codes or any comprehensive plan," Slimak said. Mulicka said he hopes the pause will allow commissioners to make a more informed decision. "It gets better with time — when you have more eyes on it, more input on these things, and you have time to vet these things. I think a lot of things that we could agree on," Mulicka said. Ultimately, White hopes Pine Island's charm remains central to future discussions. "Pine Island still has that, although it's at risk of losing it," White said. The length of the pause in discussions is indefinite, according to Mulicka. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.