Tempers flared at the Fort Myers Beach Anchorage Advisory Committee meeting this week. Residents that live on Tropical Shores Way are livid that the town is considering building the upland facility for the mooring field residents behind town hall on property the town recently purchased for $1 million.
The residents are upset that a canal that runs behind their homes will be used by mooring field residents to get to the facility, to wash their clothes, take showers and dispose of trash.
Boaters who rent mooring balls from the town use a small boat, called a dinghy, to get to a dock. By law, the town has to provide upland facilities in order to rent the balls. For years the town has been providing upland facilities through a contract with Matanzas. Over the last several years the town has been looking for a location to bring those services in house. They are also in the process of expanding the mooring field from 70 to 89.
The town was very close to constructing a 3-story building in Bayside Park between Nervous Nellie’s and Snug Harbor. That plan was spiked at the 11th hour when businesses and residents in that area found out about it and showed up in force to a council meeting. They let the council know what they thought of that idea and the council killed it.
In order to get to a new building by boat, if it’s built behind town hall, you have to use the canal behind the homes on Tropical Shores Way. This is a picture of that canal on the right. And that’s what has this group of residents up in arms. They say the town is rushing through this process. They are also upset with not being included in process and how this has gotten so far along without them knowing about it. They are worried the canal is going to turn into a highway. And there are concerns that mangroves will have to be trimmed.
Tropical Shores Way resident Gloria Abramoff asked the committee if any of them had seen the canal at low tide. It’s mud, she said. “10,000 cubic yards of mud would need to be taken out to make it usable for your purpose.
The town paid $1 million for the property and plans to use the property as a match for a grant of $3 million to pay for the building.
Members of the Anchorage Advisory Committee were also seeing the plan for the first time, and they had been involved in the details of finding an upland facility from day one. A few members also took the opportunity to lament about the squashed Bayside Park plan. Mike Ratliff called the council short-sighted for voting against the Bayside Park plan.
Residents believe the town is rushing this plan through just to apply for the $1 million grant. Vice Mayor Rexann Hosafros told them the town could always choose not to accept the money.
In the end the committee voted unanimously not to make a recommendation to the town council, voting to leave it in their hands.
Residents plan to show up in force to the town council meeting on Monday and use the public comment portion of the meeting to voice their opinions again. We will carry that meeting live on our Facebook page.
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