[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6318615,"mediaKeyId","2364704-26242f634a6626c76c51e95083b29cfa","parentId",2364704,"title","Sewer capacity questions surface as opponents seek clarity on wastewater assumptions for South Seas MPD","audioSeconds",689,"startMs",21671000,"endMs",22360000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2364704-26242f634a6626c76c51e95083b29cfa&start=21671&end=22360","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2364704-26242f634a6626c76c51e95083b29cfa/thumbnail_21671000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6318615/Lee-County/Florida/Sewer-capacity-questions-surface-as-opponents-seek-clarity-on-wastewater-assumptions-for-South-Seas-MPD","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6318615-6953e91e8d348479fed19dade529d0d1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771030464&Signature=NhOpEdu1W4YsNH1CS4jdOUFpA3y1fthIejXyYkR7M4xqWFPwycJBN1CIVMybtiT6295hW3qvKiXYrrcqtIZxAsh7iOWemTI3IZtZqWlwY6yZRqGOz1PYSy7Vpux-XulFDwq31DzCejHtyo0O5F9kqghBZrf-kE4CfvR7O3YBalJ3NjzbtBPb~G~pS1ZQo3OHwOaBEokWNn1yEaF~C8uCxHBkQOhjl1i7TyU6eh3SBYvai4rCRHDjqwMeTLvdYDXtkUZUWlj-esw0Yy4NKVtMeOuDGYJFGpof3GUpvbZNJnYNGjyqAEEzSy3lxY9QjHcd31uCjmOr0bg1EfV3HpXwoA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lee County, FL","date","2025-02-21T00:55:50.677Z","article","During the Feb. 20 hearing on the South Seas MPD, members of the public and the hearing examiner raised questions about whether the Florida utility authority serving the resort (recorded in the hearing as FGUA) has demonstrable capacity to receive and treat wastewater from the MPD at the flow rates the applicant used in its application materials.

Why it matters: Wastewater treatment and septic conversion are central environmental issues on barrier islands. Treatment shortfalls can increase nutrient loads to nearshore waters and contribute to algal blooms and public‑health hazards. The MPD’s scale and the authority’s documented capacity are therefore material to the county’s environmental and infrastructure findings.

What’s in the record and the disagreement

- Applicant documents include a May letter (earlier submittal) that referenced estimated potable/wastewater demand tied to a 425‑room figure (approx. 85,000 gallons per day). A later FGUA letter dated Jan. 23 (submitted in the hearing record) indicated FGUA could accommodate roughly 87,000 gpd for 435 hotel rooms (at 200 gpd per hotel room, the applicant’s math).
- When the applicant added 193 proposed multifamily dwellings to the calculation, the application submitted an additional per‑unit assumption of about 160 gpd per multifamily unit. Using that assumption produced an aggregate figure the applicant recorded of roughly 117,880 gpd (87,000 gpd for hotel rooms + 30,880 gpd for the 193 multifamily units at 160 gpd each).

Public commenters’ challenge

Opponents pointed to an older capacity analysis that used a higher per‑unit assumption for multifamily units (for example, an older county/consultant table that used a 2‑bed unit generation at around 240 gpd). Using the higher per‑unit assumptions — and a split of 2‑ and 4‑bed units across the 193 units — pushed a back‑of‑envelope estimate to roughly 148,680 gpd, a substantially larger figure than the applicant’s 117,880 gpd total.

Hearing‑level responses and follow‑up

- County staff acknowledged the discrepancy and told the examiner they would follow up with FGUA and the applicant to confirm assumptions and to request current capacity letters or engineering documentation that explicitly support the revised total demand.
- Members of the public asked the county to require an updated, contemporaneous wastewater capacity analysis and to make that information part of the administrative record before the examiner issues a recommendation.

Ending

The county staff and the applicant did not present a fully resolved engineering memo on wastewater flows during the hearing; staff committed to obtaining updated FGUA confirmation and to clarifying the per‑unit flow assumptions that underlie the 117,880 gpd figure. The examiner indicated follow‑up materials would be accepted into the record for consideration before a recommendation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","02/20/25 - HEX - DCI2023-00051 / South Seas Island Resort - Day 2","oneSentenceSummary","Letters from the utility authority indicate capacity for the hotel rooms the applicant proposes; public commenters and historical capacity analyses flagged different per‑unit wastewater assumptions and asked the county to require updated engineering verification.","taxTitle","Lee County, Florida","taxId",2869,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6318619,"Captiva community panel and county staff clash over South Seas MPD density, building‑height compliance",2346,3695000,6041000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2364704-26242f634a6626c76c51e95083b29cfa&start=3695&end=6041","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2364704-26242f634a6626c76c51e95083b29cfa/thumbnail_3695000.jpg","/articles/6318619/Lee-County/Florida/Captiva-community-panel-and-county-staff-clash-over-South-Seas-MPD-density-buildingheight-compliance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6318619-9428511dc7384e4bb8c8c73a6ef9ad44/orig.mp4?Expires=1771030464&Signature=c3Utoghkanio7eL6p7WHDjxmbnPI1~T0FqYt-IbLvAju3Oai~maHl9y0M91qHxAm0b7q4Q7-N8LjkIYuHVo7ZiIoF8AciJQTCcNesv65CVQqTEWlo0qn7QqEP8EKgqevCD9w2DuhnghslQY9WMJ2~nSRA0bkWT7YSkMF-PNeRQ359kU6o8YMsMj5FlfhepufrWvP1fp4RHDd5MUnavNzBnmyYAq6vZGviHi~PwZeOimGH9oJT4BXUoQGjmeJltvU2jR25pmGld8W64syrhC6AB8sSdfvKYxozwkYsJ86pqG4gRNfv0I4358OQB2rzIGtekJ9jJ4-3vXYolEdS9XhyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A contentious portion of Lee County’s Feb. 20 hearing focused on whether the South Seas Mixed‑Use Plan Development (MPD) conforms to the Captiva Community Plan and the county’s Land Development Code. The applicant’s planner and county staff said the petition — which would rezone about 120.5 acres to allow up to 193 multi‑family dwelling units and 435 hotel rooms with a maximum building height of 45 feet as measured under the Land Development Code — satisfies applicable standards when conditioned. Neighbors and civic groups countered that the petition would breach the historic, low‑density development pattern the Captiva plan requires.

Why it matters: The disagreement turns on long‑standing density allocations and how the county and courts have treated an administrative interpretation (ADD) and earlier zoning approvals for South Seas. A change in the MPD could alter how many units are allowed island‑wide and set precedents for building heights on the barrier island.

What the applicant and staff told the examiner

- Alexis Crespo (RVI, planning consultant for the applicant) presented the MPD as a redevelopment that reduces overall residential units compared with older administrative allowances while increasing hotel room counts in specified hotel tracts; she said the proposal protects wetlands, meets stormwater and resilient‑construction requirements, and adds sea‑turtle‑lighting protections beyond code. “It is in my professional opinion as a certified land use planner that the South Seas Mixed Use Plan Development has met or exceeded all of the applicable standards requirements of the Lee Plan as well as the Lee County Land Development Code,” Crespo testified.
- Adam Mendez, principal planner for Lee County staff, reviewed the zoning history and current conditions and recommended approval with a range of conditions and deviations. Staff’s recommended conditions include perimeter setbacks tied to building height, limitations on public access to formerly public commercial tracts (which the MPD would convert to resort‑exclusive amenities), protections for listed species, and distribution requirements to avoid placing all new units on a single tract. Mendez explained staff considered the administrative interpretation as an appropriate starting point and concluded the mixed uses, as conditioned, would be compatible on the site.

Public opposition and legal context

- David Mintz, president of the Captiva Community Panel (and representing other island groups), argued the island’s historic development pattern is fixed by an early PUD concept plan, an administrative interpretation (ADD 2002‑000098) and a 2003 settlement that he said the circuit court upheld. He told the hearing examiner the community believes the island‑wide density limit and the South Seas allocations should restrict any net increase that would let the applicant move from the allotted 272 units to the 628 units represented by the MPD’s hotel + condo math. Mintz repeatedly invoked Goal 23 and Policy 23.2.4 (the “historic development pattern” policy) as the governing standard and said approval would violate that policy.
- Owners and managers within South Seas, including Ken Suarez, testified about resort character, circulation constraints and parking enforcement limits inside the resort. The Captiva Fire District provided a letter (in the record) expressing concern that taller structures would require different ladder and rescue equipment, potentially imposing capital costs on the district and island property owners.

The building‑height and density specifics

- Existing local rules historically limited heights on Captiva to the lesser of 35 feet above grade or 42 feet above sea level, or a lower standard tied to FEMA base‑flood elevations in some places. The applicant requests a 45‑foot maximum measured under the Land Development Code and seeks deviations for several development standards; staff’s conditions accept some deviations while proposing greater setbacks for portions of taller buildings that face Captiva Drive.
- The applicant proposes 193 multifamily units and 435 hotel rooms in the MPD area. Staff’s review materials and public testimony referenced the resort’s longer history: a 1973 zoning approval that established a PUD concept plan, a 1982 county ordinance that set density expectations island‑wide, an administrative interpretation that allocated 912 units across the whole resort, and later amendments and administrative amendments that reallocated units among tracts but did not increase the 912 cap.

Next steps and outstanding items

The hearing examiner signaled that the record will stay open for supplemental materials and that staff and the applicant should clarify outstanding deviations, buffering/native‑plant requirements, and whether transportation analyses reflected the conversion of previously public facilities to resort‑exclusive amenities. No formal vote was taken at the hearing; the examiner will prepare a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners after closing the record.","Applicant says revised MPD complies with Lee Plan and LDC; county staff recommends approval with conditions. Opponents, including the Captiva Community Panel, say the proposal exceeds historic density limits and would permit buildings taller than the island’s customary scale.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6318621,"South Seas managers, planner say resort evacuation procedures and state modeling keep Captiva clearance time within acceptable range",3242,70000,3312000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2364704-26242f634a6626c76c51e95083b29cfa&start=70&end=3312","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2364704-26242f634a6626c76c51e95083b29cfa/thumbnail_70000.jpg","/articles/6318621/Lee-County/Florida/South-Seas-managers-planner-say-resort-evacuation-procedures-and-state-modeling-keep-Captiva-clearance-time-within-acceptable-range","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6318621-f86abac63013f9dad69e0ab3d4d5d4df/orig.mp4?Expires=1771030464&Signature=mPLvk8~6bAlh1U1ArYBEiqfVe~2YTVxlCMIqLPV7BcA5w0GnxblrOqekM3LT5SHP0PxjluW2jTkkz3RSMl7vB5T7RiqALoBssCp7zievHsP6-MIG3u9ncfgGnsU2AylOwEVJ18U6JZn~PFLJsQWT08e7pAuDQ1enlyjJXbk-94~9M3tTcOrK9e6g-G986P8r2VnDMgaCck3SB26rdA-mSwfYJpnjbcPInr9RKaiSIRK97InX6YMnMn4E-b~PUL5-AS1rosNmKA2aY1wjXeT7XEkMCjpR7~YVyDTFQm3caWq-OxbWAeLtxA01zFTU1bncT1Xo-woXiS0s21UPGuXqvQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","South Seas Resort staff and an independent evacuation planner told the Lee County hearing examiner on Feb. 20 that the resort’s hurricane evacuation procedures, combined with regional travel‑model results, keep the critical clearance time for Captiva and Sanibel within the thresholds used by the county and state.

The testimony came during a public hearing on a proposed Mixed‑Use Plan Development (MPD) for roughly 120.5 acres at South Seas. Sean Farrell, general manager of South Seas Resort, described the resort’s emergency protocol as a simple, three‑stage system — green, yellow, orange and then red for final shutdown — with regular updates, an annual exercise program, and guest outreach through an app and text messaging platform. “We communicate, we execute and evacuate if if needed. So it’s 1, 2, 3,” Farrell said on the record, adding that the resort tightens reservation controls (closing online bookings and waiving cancellation fees) and helps coordinate with island public safety when a storm threat rises.

Why it matters: Captiva and Sanibel are barrier‑island communities with one primary vehicular evacuation choke point. Any added overnight units or changes to how tourists are handled can affect how long it takes vehicles to clear the islands in a hurricane watch or warning.

Key details from Farrell’s presentation

- The resort staggers alerts to staff and guests and closes reservations as a storm approaches to avoid introducing additional visitors.
- When the warning level is raised (orange), staff secure outdoor furniture, assist guests with alternate reservations or cancellations and begin evacuation tasks; at red, the resort closes and notifies the sheriff and fire district of departure times.
- South Seas provides equipment, staging areas and has historically assisted county recovery operations, including road clearing after storms; Farrell said the resort sometimes stages debris removal and supports first responders with equipment and fuel.
- Farrell said islands’ hotel occupancy drops sharply as storms approach; he cited Irma data showing resort occupancy reached effectively zero two days before landfall.

State model and clearance time

Dan Trescott of Trescott Planning Solutions, a planner the applicant introduced as an evacuation expert, used the statewide/regional evacuation study (the 2021 transportation update) to estimate clearance times for Captiva and Sanibel. Trescott said the model’s conservative assumptions (including an assumed 100% occupancy for hotel/motel units and one vehicle per unit) produce a total time through the islands’ critical four‑way stop of about 4.6 hours under baseline inputs and about 4.8 hours after adding the MPD’s hotel rooms. \"The critical link clearance time to evacuate all occupied units on Sanibel Captiva is roughly 5 hours, 4.8, I'll round it to 5 hours,\" Trescott testified.

Trescott emphasized the model runs conservative scenarios: in practice, hotel occupants tend to leave earlier or not remain in place during late‑stage warnings, and local Star reports and South Seas’ own occupancy records show large early departures. He told the examiner that, on that basis, the MPD’s additional hotel rooms are unlikely to cause the county’s out‑of‑county clearance time to exceed the operational thresholds used for a category‑5 regional scenario.

Public questions and outstanding items

Public speakers and the hearing examiner pressed several technical details: county staff agreed to follow up on shelter mitigation funding and whether the transportation analysis accounted for conversion of public marinas and restaurants to resort‑exclusive facilities (which could reduce external traffic). Members of the public requested updated empirical occupancy and behavioral data, and asked the applicant and FGUA (the utility authority) to confirm assumptions staff used for bus/shuttle and vehicle use during evacuations.

Ending

County staff said they will continue to evaluate the MPD’s emergency‑management commitments and recommended conditions; the hearing record remains open and the examiner is taking additional public input and supplemental materials in later sessions.","South Seas Resort managers described a three-tier evacuation plan and an expert using the state evacuation model said added hotel rooms from the proposed MPD would increase island clearance time by minutes, not hours; public commenters pressed for updated data on occupancy assumptions and shelter impacts.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Sewer capacity questions surface as opponents seek clarity on wastewater assumptions for South Seas MPD

Captiva community panel and county staff clash over South Seas MPD density, building‑height compliance

South Seas managers, planner say resort evacuation procedures and state modeling keep Captiva clearance time within acceptable range