Lee County finalizes purchase of Four Mile Cove property

A piece of land so many people fought to protect has new owners.

Lee County on Tuesday finalized its $6,050,000 purchase of Four Mile Cove in Cape Coral, and a lot of families who live nearby are thrilled. What was slated to be development along SE 24th Street will now stay as is, a relief to many in the neighborhood who fought to keep the nearly 200 acres undisturbed.

“I’m just so thankful. It’s such a serene and beautiful place and it would’ve just been a traffic nightmare with that many homes … 228 homes or something like that? It would’ve been awful …. just awful,” said Barbara Mayer.

“I’m all for progress, but I’m all for preservation as well,” said Patricia Jacquette.

The land is located behind Joe Cruz’s home, and he watched part of it get destroyed last year by city workers. He says, “We’re definitely grateful to the Lee County commissioners for their position and their efforts as well as the city mayor and the council members because without their assistance we couldn’t have gotten this far.”

Commissioner Brian Hamman said the county is always looking for opportunities to improve water quality, flooding and expand existing preserves. He said while the county is quickly growing with new homes and businesses. Purchasing land like Four Mile Cove balances that growth by protecting the environment.

Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coviello, who has been a proponent of conservation efforts, said he is happy the landowner, the city, and county commissioners were able to come to an agreement to preserve the environment and property into the future,

Included in the purchase agreement: The City of Cape Coral also has to restore the mangroves ripped out by city workers, something the Department of Environmental Protection fined the city for months ago.

In east Lee County, a 427-acre portion of Hickey Creek Swamp was also preserved, bringing the total to 620 acres of purchased land.

The price tag or the Hickey Creek site is $4.4 million.