Estero and Bonita councils support Sanibel, Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach effort to change rate of Lake Okeechobee discharges

Estero and Bonita Springs elected leaders on Wednesday gave their unanimous support to a legal proceeding filed by three other Lee County cities that challenges the South Florida Water Management District's rules on discharging water from Lake Okeechobee.

In a Sept. 24 petition, the City of Sanibel, the City of Cape Coral and the Town of Fort Myers Beach argue that raising the minimum fresh water flows from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River during the dry season would improve water quality in the area.

The water management district approved a rule in September that raises the minimum level of water flows from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River from 300 to 400 cubic feet per second. The three cities in the petition say that new level is too low.

“The more you release during the dry season, the less water you have to release during the wet season,” Sanibel Mayor Kevin Ruane told the Estero Village Council in a presentation Wednesday. 

Ruane visited Estero and Bonita Springs that day to explain the importance of the petition and the negative impacts of the water management district's rule last month. 

The petition comes as Lee County communities continue to deal with water quality issues that have plagued Southwest Florida this summer.

Toxic blue-green algae has spread in the Caloosahatchee River and other waterways. At the same time, red tide blooms hugging the Gulf Coast have decimated marine life.

The algae blooms this summer have had direct impacts on the economy, tourism and life in the area, said Estero Councilman Nick Batos.

“I have friends who are now saying maybe we should be looking at a different part of the country to be retired in,” Batos said. “This is going to affect all of us enormously. We should all be acting as one in this venture.”

Estero resident Pete Cangialosi, a retired environmental engineer, urged the Estero councilors to support the action taken by the other Lee County cities.

Cangialosi told the council that he and his wife retired to Estero after vacationing in the area for years. They were drawn to Southwest Florida by the beaches in Sanibel and Fort Myers, he said.

“If I knew then, what I know now, we would not be living in this area,” he said. “It’s the beaches that draw people here, and they need to be kept in pristine condition.”

Estero councilors voted to cap any costs that come from supporting the petition at $10,000. 

The Bonita Springs City Council also voted Wednesday night to support the Lee County cities on the petition. 

"It costs $0, 0 cents, but is common sense," Mayor Peter Simmons said. 

Ruane told Bonita Springs councilors that while no blue-green algae had penetrated the Imperial River, the red tide algal blooms and economic effects are wreaking havoc on Bonita Springs.

“What’s involved is your businesses, your beaches, your people,” Ruane said.

Bonita Springs council members also retroactively approved a letter Simmons had signed along with the mayors of Sanibel, Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach.

Estero councilors voted to allow Estero Mayor Jim Boesch to sign the letter during the village's meeting Wednesday.

The letter was sent to the South Florida Water Management District's governing board in September. 

With Estero and Bonita Springs on board, all six of Lee County's cities are united in challenging the water district. 

Earlier this week, the Fort Myers City Council voted to support the petition filed by Sanibel, Cape Coral and Fort Myers Beach.

A hearing is set for Oct. 29 and 30 in Fort Myers, according to Florida Division of Administrative Hearing, the agency that will handle the petition proceedings.