Last month there was a State level meeting of the Office of Greenways and Trails held in Jupiter, FL. During the two-day meeting, the committee heard updates on trails in SUN Trails network, and crowned Marco Island as a Florida Trail Town. BERT is working towards making Bonita Springs and Estero the next Trail Towns in this area. The theme that emerged from this conference is the importance of “Connecting People with Multi-use Trails and the Imperative to reduce injuries and fatalities in Florida.” The Legacy Trail in Sarasota County has demonstrated the positive impact on local economies, which is another incentive to bring this into our area.
Collier County joined Estero and Bonita Springs in pledging funds toward the purchase of the 11.4 miles, which represents the first phase of the 14.9-mile project. The total funds pledged is now at $39 million. There have been many fundraising activities involved in this campaign. For instance, this past November the “Third Annual Trek Bike Shop of Estero Ride” was held to benefit the Friends of BERT. There were 450 cyclists that headed out of the Coconut Point Mall location for 15- and 30-mile routes through Bonita Springs and Estero!
The goal is $82 million, which is what is needed to purchase the land from the Seminole Gulf Railway to build this 14.9-mile path through Southwest Florida. Along with the three jurisdictions, the Trust for Public Land and Friends of BERT make up the task force who are working to get this project completed. The fundraising effort continues through March 2026. For further information, there is an article by J. Kyle Foster in the Naples Daily News, “What’s the Latest on BERT?”
