FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Pete Winton, Lee County Administration
 (239) 335-2777

COMMISSION EXTENDS CONSERVATION 20/20/SETS BLASTING PUBLIC HEARING

FORT MYERS, Fla. (December 2, 2003) - The Board of Lee County Commissioners today approved the following items during its regular weekly meeting. They are:

Conservation 20/20 - Voted 3-2 (with Commissioners Andy Coy and Doug St. Cerny dissenting) to extend the Conservation 20/20 land acquisition program on a year-to-year basis without putting it out to a "straw ballot" referendum. A majority of commissioners believed enough public support has been shown generally and through five public forums held earlier this year to go ahead and extend the program, and that the County Commission, as the budget authority for the county government, has the ability to maintain, lower or increase taxes without going to referendum. Lee County voters approved Conservation 20/20 in November 1996 through a non-binding referendum that increased property taxes by 50 cents for every $1,000 of taxable property value. Since its inception, more than 11,000 acres of environmentally sensitive lands have been purchased and set aside for long-term preservation.

Blasting - Scheduled a Dec. 16 public hearing at 10 a.m. to consider continuing a blasting moratorium in the Winkler Extension area and expanding it to all of unincorporated Lee County. Commissioners adopted the Winkler Extension moratorium six months ago and it is close to expiring. Because of continuing complaints around the county from communities neighboring blasting sites - especially in regards to damage to nearby home foundations and because "infill" development is becoming more and more common - the Board is considering either further restricting blasting or prohibiting it. This would apply only to blasting for development, not mining, purposes and any moratorium applies to new permits, not existing permits. The Board also directed county staff to research two options and come back in six months with proposed ordinances - one would further restrict blasting levels, the other would prohibit development blasting. During the six months it will take to develop the ordinance, the county is proposing a moratorium in the unincorporated areas that will apply to both private sector and public sector projects. The moratorium is the subject of the Dec. 16 public hearing. Another public hearing will be held in six months after staff drafts the proposed ordinances that will consider whether to further restrict blasting levels or adopt an outright ban.