Bonita Springs voters approve $35 million bond to acquire rail corridor for regional trail

In a primary election held on August 18, Bonita Springs voters approved a $35 million general-obligation bond, clearing the final financial hurdle for the city to acquire a 5.8-mile stretch of dormant railway from the Fay family, owners of Seminole Gulf Railway. The bond, which will be serviced through property taxes over three decades, funds both the purchase and the initial engineering and construction of the central segment of the 11.4-mile Bonita Estero Rail Trail.

This corridor links the already-secured sections purchased by the Village of Estero and Collier County, together forming a continuous trail that will also plug a gap in the broader 400-mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail network. Conservation groups hailed the vote as the missing piece needed to protect the 180-acre rail corridor, while some nearby homeowners expressed concerns about privacy and future transit options. The Trust for Public Land, along with the Naples Pathway Coalition and Friends of BERT, coordinated the valuation and public outreach, and the transaction is expected to close in October, after required environmental reviews.