- September 7, 2024
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FORT MYERS — For the second time in the past two weeks, Lee County commissioners have approved land purchases as part of the Conservation 20/20 program.
One deal is for 193.82 acres on Four Mile Cove Parkway, Cape Coral, adjacent to Four Mile Cove Ecological Park to the south and the Caloosahatchee River and creek frontage along the easterly boundary, according to a statement. The purchase price is $6.05 million, plus closing costs. The property includes pine flatwoods, mangrove swamp, saltwater marshes, cabbage palm hammock, palmetto prairie, hardwood/conifer mixed, mixed wetland hardwoods and live oak. The river and creek habitats are home to species including bald eagle, manatee and smalltooth sawfish, the release adds.
Both the Cape Coral City Council and Lee County commissioners approved an Interlocal Agreement specifying the terms and conditions of the city’s restoration of a portion of the property.
In the other approved deal, the county agreed to purchase 426.98 acres at 2200 Carter Lane, Alva. The land is within Hickey Creek Swamp, on the south side of State Road 80 and about one-quarter mile west of Hickey Creek Road, the release states. This parcel is a diverse mix of upland and wetland native plant communities including cypress forest, cabbage palms, pine flatwoods, and mesic hardwood hammock. With quick access from S.R. 80, the property has potential for marked hiking trails, the release adds. The purchase price is $4.4 million, plus closing costs.
Conservation 20/20, which has preserved 30,225 acres since its inception, is Lee County’s environmental acquisition and management program.