Water-Related News

Lee County city leaders react to proposed changes to mining rules

Fourteen elected officials from Lee County cities urged commissioners Wednesday [Apr. 17] to preserve the county’s current land use policies on lime rock mining.

Lee County Commissioners voted Wednesday to send proposed changes to lime rock mining rules to the state for review by the Department of Economic Opportunity. The amendments to the county plan would return to the Lee County commission for an adoption hearing at a later date.

The changes the commission considered Wednesday include: eliminating a required lime rock supply and demand analysis, elimination of a map that identifies where future mines can be opened in southeast Lee County.

Mayors and councilors from Estero, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel spoke before the commission during hours of public testimony to express their concerns about removing those elements from the county’s land use plan.