Environmental advisory board backs effort to rename, improve access to Billy's Creek

The Fort Myers Environmental Advisory Board voted March 4 to recommend that City Council seek federal recognition of the creek's possessive name and to ask staff to study and promote improved signage and kayak launch access at Billy's Creek.

Board members acted after a presentation by local stakeholder Jerry Miller, who described 14 years of volunteer cleanups, a conservation easement he holds, and several technical reports showing improving water-quality trends. Miller told the board he has title research and historical materials showing the creek has long been written as “Billy's Creek.”

Why it matters: board members said a formally recognized historic name could help with heritage and eco‑tourism promotion and that better signs and access would make existing public facilities easier to find and use. Miller and other speakers also urged the city to update and publicize recent watershed and pollutant‑reduction reports as part of any outreach.

Details of the presentation and board discussion: Miller cited a 2021 Calusa Waterkeeper report and a 2022 Florida Department of Environmental Protection update as the leading recent documents on the creek’s condition and said dredging funded through a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program following Hurricane Irma — and supplemented by city funds — improved navigation and removed exotic vegetation. He described several existing launch and access points (Shady Oaks, Fourth Street filter marsh, a Golden Street access near the stadium) and urged improved signage, parking, and maintenance to support small‑craft access and eco‑tourism.

The board debated whether to press for a formal name change at the federal level. Miller said the U.S. Board on Geographic Names generally disallows apostrophes on mapped feature names but that a successful application with clear historical evidence is possible. “It's Billy's. That's the name. Let's call it what it is,” Miller said.

Formal actions: the board approved a recommendation that City Council endorse an application to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to change the official mapping name to Billy's Creek (possessive form with an apostrophe). The board also approved a separate recommendation that City Council and staff examine improvements to kayak launches and signage for Billy's Creek and the Billy's Creek Filter Marsh so those access points are more visible and useable.

Board members and staff said those recommendations are intended to support ongoing habitat work, public access and stewardship; they noted funding for some projects may be available through existing parks and capital improvement budgets and Go Bond allocations. Staff and board members also suggested assembling a short update packet of the recent DEP and watershed studies to accompany any council recommendation.

What's next: the board will forward its recommendation to City Council; the motion asked that the board be listed as supporting the application and that staff coordinate next steps for access and signage improvements. Miller said he will prepare the historical documentation for a federal naming application and would wait for a council endorsement before filing with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Ending: Board members thanked Miller for the presentation and for volunteering on cleanups and stewardship efforts. The board adopted the naming and access recommendations by voice vote and asked staff to bring progress updates to a future meeting.