Six Lee County Mayors To Hold Emergency Joint Meeting
Six Lee County Mayors To Hold Emergency Joint Meeting On Wednesday On Lake Okeechobee Water Releases.
Sanibel Red Tide, Sierra Club Opposes Back Pumping Into Lake Okeechobee. Photo Courtesy Of Sierra Club.
The City of Sanibel issued the following news release.
“The mayors of Lee County’s six municipalities will convene at an emergency joint meeting on Weds., Feb. 10 at 9 a.m. to discuss action items regarding freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee watershed.
The mayors of Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Estero, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel will gather for the public meeting in Bonita Springs City Council chambers at 9101 Bonita Beach Rd. SE.
The discussion will focus on action items to address the US Army Corps of Engineers’ back pumping and releases of dark, nutrient-laden freshwater into the Caloosahatchee watershed, which damage Southwest Florida’s economy and ecology.
Action items are expected to include both immediate and long-term requests of the governing agencies with jurisdiction over Lake Okeechobee, including the Army Corps and South Florida Water Management District, as well as funding requests for relief efforts at the state and federal levels for CEPP (Central Everglades Planning Project), EAA (Everglades Agricultural Area) and watershed storage projects.
Participants will be available for interviews both before and after the emergency meeting. They include: Bonita Springs Mayor Ben Nelson, Cape Coral Mayor Marni Sawicki, Estero Mayor Nick Batos, Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson , Fort Myers Beach Mayor Anita Cereceda and Sanibel Mayor Kevin Ruane.”
