Fort Myers proposes fire station near Six Mile Cypress wetlands

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Photo via lee.gov

Neighbors are coming together to protect wetlands in an area where a proposed fire station could go.

The City of Fort Myers wants to build its seventh fire station near Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, but neighbors nearby the preserve are protesting.

“To preserve them is nice,” Larry Anderson said. “It’s nice for future generations too.”

Neighbors are worried the station could be an intrusion on the wetlands at the preserve.

“It would be nice if they didn’t have to build on the wetlands,” Anderson  said.

The city looked at three potential sites and based its decision on call volume data, response times and growth in population. The closest station to the area is over a mile away and is not operated by Fort Myers.

“If they need another fire station, I don’t mind them building another one,” Anderson said. “If they have another parcel available that’s not on wetlands, I would build it there.”

The city said the land has already been purchased and annexed. The city is now focused on rezoning the land for the new fire station.

The projected cost for the new station will be around $160,000.

There will be a public hearing for rezoning the land in two weeks.

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