LAMISD Manager David Lindsay today said the water control district, in cooperation with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office owners are going to get tough and stop trespassing, dumping, and partying on its lands and the lots of others that are unimproved in Lehigh Acres.
Lindsay said the district commissioners, himself and others have been discussing what to do about these serious problems over the last few months. The district has got to stop trespassing, littering and property destruction,” he said.
“And while these areas are environmentally sensitive and crucial to our water management system, a special effort will be aimed at the district-owned Halfway Pond (Mirror Lakes) and the privately owned Savanna Lakes area, which together form an area that is roughly bounded by Milwaukee Boulevard on the north, SR82 on the south, Homestead Road on the east and Grant Boulevard on the west. This has become a popular destination, known as the “82 Mudhole,” among ATV and muddling clubs.
Lindsay said the illegal use of these lands is destroying the environmental aspects and devastating LAMISD owned lands.
“We’ve got to stop it, it is against the law and we mean to make sure with the help of law enforcement, that we are able to get violators off our lands and the lands of nearby owners,” Lindsay said.
.Some of the land in the area is owned by developers and those plots are being completely destroyed through the illegal use of ATVs and Jeeps and other vehicles, too, he said. The dumping of almost any item one can imagine and weekend partying that has gone on in this isolated area of Lehigh Acres has got to stop, Lindsay said.
According to a statement put out by the ECWCD, Florida Statute 298.66 provides for the prosecution of individuals causing damage to infrastructure while Florida Statute 375.314 provides for penalties and prosecution for the destruction of natural resources.
“And that is what is happening. Our properties that we maintain are being destroyed. Young people with ATVs, jeeps and monster-wheeled trucks are and have been using our lands for a period of time and they are destroying what is there. In addition, people are dumping tires, all types of debris, appliances and more. We have cleaned out tons of trash that people are taking out there and it’s got to stop,” Lindsay said.
Lindsay said signs have been put up; cameras have been hidden in trees to find out the identities of the people who are destroying the lands. He said the violators are tearing down the signs, destroying the cameras and leaving the lands in a deplorable manner. He said ATVs are destroying the natural landscape and now as the rainy season is approaching, the area will turn to mud and big wheeled trucks use the area play to play mud games, commonly called “muddling.”
The place has become so popular for these violators that many of the activities have even been posted on YouTube on the Internet, therefore causing social media to advertise the place.
Lindsay noted that the district must take strong enforcement actions to reduce the negative environmental impacts for the good of the community and the integrity of its water system, and ultimately for the taxpayers.
LAMISD is a water control district that maintains 311 miles of canals, 20 lakes, 1,298 preserve acres, several parks and a variety of infrastructure such as 70 culvert crossings, 22 bridges, and 66 water control structures within 70,000 acres of land. It is not associated with FGUA, which provides water and sewer to some parts of Lehigh Acres.
Without the work of the district, Lehigh could experience dangerous flooding during heavy rains in the summer. Its work over the years has provided Lehigh with movement of water so lawns and streets are not covered with heavy rains and downpours.
He also noted there are places for ATV enthusiasts to attend and pay a small admission fee.
One is the Lazy Springs ATV Park located at 7350 SR82, just minutes away from the Halfway Pond and Mirror Lakes area.
The 550 acres at Halfway Pond is crucial to recharging aquifers and continuing water storage efforts in Lehigh Acres, Lindsay said.