President Signs Bill to Protect 17,000 acres of Collier County Beaches!
President signs bill to protect more than 17,000 acres of Collier County Beaches!
Last Monday, President Obama signed into law a bill that revised the boundaries of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System, giving 17,044 acres of pristine Collier County shoreline federal protections.
The legislation, authored by U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Bonita Springs, was introduced and passed the House over a period of a few hours on February 9. The Senate passed the same bill by unanimous consent on February 22, sending it to the president for his signature.
“I want to thank the president and both of Florida’s U.S. Senators for acting so quickly and promptly for the residents of Collier County, following the bill’s passage in the House,”Clawson said after the signing. “The 15 miles of coastal barrier protected by this new law is sound economics, as it will grow Southwest Florida’s real estate values and tourism industries, which attract over five million visitors each year, generating $4.6 billion in annual revenues.”
The new law is expected to protect certain barrier islands against winds or tidal forces during major tropical storms and will discourage any development of the area south of Naples including parts of Macro Island, Keewaydin Island and Cape Romano that are part of the Ten Thousand Islands
Clawson has said the measure will have a “profound, permanent and positive impact” on the region, including the tourism industry. The size of the area protected is believed to be the largest since 1982.
Clawson‘s bill also corrected some outdated maps of lands in the area making some private property available for flood insurance.