In Gateway, Florida, a town hall was convened by Lee County on Thursday to inform residents about their plan to acquire land on State Road 82 for the construction of a recycling facility.
Nearly 300 individuals dressed in red attended the town hall to express their opposition to the county’s project.
Fred Russo, a resident of Pelican Preserve for two decades, attended the meeting dressed in red, expressing concern as his property abuts the proposed site for the facility.
Russo argued, “It defies logic to place a recycling facility next to a residential community.”
He criticized Thursday’s meeting as insufficient, stating, “It seems like the commissioners are merely pacifying the community by allowing us to voice our concerns again, which we already shared two weeks ago. I doubt they will take any action based on this.”
Lee County Assistant Manager Christine Brady emphasized the county’s desire to directly engage with nearby residents.
Brady stated, “We aim to provide residents with the opportunity to interact with various subject matter experts, learn about the project, and communicate with our team.”
Brady clarified that the facility would be indoors and would not handle wet trash. Additionally, she noted that only five percent of the recycling materials would originate from outside the county. The site would be situated 1,000 feet away from the property line with a berm as a buffer. The county estimates that up to 200 trucks would pass through the location daily.
According to Brady, extensive research led the county to consider this location as the most suitable.
“We’ve evaluated properties over the past 18 months, including along the Alico corridor, and we selected this site because it’s already designated for industrial use,” Brady explained.
She warned that if the county does not acquire the land, it could potentially be used for other industrial purposes such as automobile repair services, manufacturing companies, a concrete plant, or a trucking terminal.
Russo and numerous others expressed dissatisfaction, deeming the explanations insufficient.
“We won’t give up without a fight,” Russo asserted.
The county intends to conduct another town hall session prior to the commissioners’ vote on acquiring the land in early May.
