Do We Need More Tourists? The citizens of Bonita Springs certainly do not need more tourists. More tourists mean more people on the roads, the beach and the golf courses. More tourists simply mean we spend more time waiting in line to enjoy our lifestyle.

I remember one astute lady wrote to the Banner, “I don’t want wider roads, I want less people on the roads”.

Certainly the business community and particularly the developers need more tourists to buy the ever-expanding supply of homes and condos they want to build. So who should pay to attract those tourists? Citizens support the right of every developer to advertise and bring tourists down to see their offerings. They support the right of every businessman to advertise and promote their business, but please don’t ask us to subsidize their efforts. The citizens/non business taxpayers of Bonita Springs should not be required to pay for improvements designed to attract tourists.

Lee County currently spends approximately $13million each year to promote tourism, $3million of that comes directly from the taxpayers. The balance comes from special taxes on tourist but non of it goes to to pay for widening the roads to accommodate the rental cars.

City Council spent nearly a million dollars to landscape the US 41 median. The state will landscape and put in lights, but our Council thinks that is not good enough to attract the tourist’s attention.

 City Council, please note the citizens of Bonita Springs would prefer if the tourists pass on by and not notice us!

Some continue to say we need a fishing pier to attract more tourists to our already overcrowded beach. The folks who attended the fishing pier workshop gave a resounding, “No, we don’t want it”!

The astute lady who wrote to the Banner went on to say,” If the roads are over crowded a few months of the year that’s good! Maybe the tourists will decide not to come back”.

Smart lady.

10/07/07