To the editor:

I have submitted the following letter regarding the Guest Commentary, “Who runs Cape Coral?” to members of the Cape Coral City Council. The column was written by attorney J. Michael Hannon and published in The Breeze on Dec. 12:

Dear Councilmen and Councilwomen,

Since you have been prohibited from hearing the 3 Fisherman’s side of the story, I thought you may want to read this article from Friday’s Cape Coral Breeze. After reading this article you may decide that you are being misled by the City Attorney and those who want to punish the 3 Fisherman for standing up for clean water.

The whole legal process since the ruling to remove the lock in June has been one of punishment. The 3 Fisherman signed a settlement agreement at that time. The City’s whole case rests on proving that these 3 men, who have spent more time on the local waters than most in this city, acted in an improper and frivolous way when challenging the city’s permit to remove the Chiquita lock.

Remember, this same permit was denied 4 years ago with virtually the same facts, just a different judge. Judge Van Wyck had never heard a water case before and had never seen or even been to the waters around Cape Coral. The City’s own attorneys stated that the lock removal would add 58,000 lbs. of additional nitrogen per year to an already compromised system. Nitrogen is the single biggest polluter in our water system. The City’s suggested (will probably never happen) mitigation efforts are weak and ineffective against the onslaught of speeding large boats and additional pollution, which are the anticipated results of removal.

The people that have the most to gain here are the few behind the lock whose real estate values will go up 20-30%. Ask any Realtor about this result. Essentially you are asking all of the taxpayers of Cape Coral, some 200,000+ people to pay for removal of infrastructure that was built to protect the water for everyone.

Most taxpaying citizens will never use the Chiquita Lock, and many do not even know where it is. But all taxpayers will pay for its removal and pay with water that is further polluted.

This sanctions pursuit is exactly what I said at the last Council meeting. It is about character. Right now you are the BAD GUYS. This is just one more affront to the will of the people and their right to disagree with the City. You are now known nationwide as a “city which is trying to punish it’s own citizens.” Your actions are described “as vicious as the winning army running back on the field after battle to bayonet the losing army’s wounded.”

That is what it feels like to us. It is even harder to take since the 3 fisherman are taxpaying citizens that have volunteered for years to better the City of Cape Coral.

IS THIS WHO YOU PEOPLE ARE???

We know who we are, the Good Guys, but the question now is who are you??

Stop this harassment now. Why not assess those behind the lock who are getting this huge home value windfall for the legal fees and removal costs? They are the few who are benefiting while everyone else, including the manatees and other wildlife, will lose. My suggestion was a 2 way high speed TOLL lock paid for by those who use it just like the many bridges and roads in our state.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Anderson

Cape Coral taxpayer for 20 years