Policy

James is committed to finding solutions to the key issues that impact Bonita Springs.

Water

Bonita’s waterways must be protected and flooding must be prevented.

Newly developed land is required to contain only 15 inches of rain over a 3 day period to meet city standards. Hurricane Ian dropped 2 inches of rain in just a few hours. This policy is over 40 years old and does not meet modern needs. Homes in District 5 historically experience flooding, and with the new development East of I75, more water will flow into the Imperial River each time it rains. With storm surge coming up the river and rainwater coming down the river, homes will experience flooding more frequently unless new policy is enacted.

The Imperial River is a highlight of Bonita. It’s used for fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding by Bonita residents and visitors. It serves as inspiration to artists. The river is home to numerous wildlife, including manatees which are often visible around the Old 41 bridge. To keep the River beautiful and thriving for all to enjoy, we need to reduce pollution and increase the water quality.

Land

Parks and natural areas beautify Bonita, provide outdoor recreation spaces, and regulate our environment, making it a more pleasant place to live. They absorb rainwater that would otherwise runoff into the river, filter the ground water and air, helping to prevent red tide, and are home to important wildlife, like the bats that eat mosquitoes. The development of wild areas can lead to increased flooding, increased water pollution, increase in mosquito population, and displacement of pests, such as rats and cockroaches to nearby homes. The few remaining green spaces within Bonita’s core, as well as the uplands and wetlands at the edge of the city, should remain as they are, or be converted into public parks to best serve the community.

Quality of Life

Development must benefit the whole community, not just the developer. Bonita is entering a period of rapid growth and development. We need to ask ourselves, what do we want our city to be? 

With development comes an increase in people. Bonita already has traffic problems, especially around neighborhoods with one point of entry. New developments must have infrastructure that connects to existing infrastructure with multiple points of entry. It also must be safe and easy to walk or bike short distances. The city needs to build bike paths and sidewalks, as well as promote the Ultra Bus and Microbus services that it offers. Increasing foot traffic and public transportation use will help alleviate the car traffic, and increase business downtown.

Development and people also bring noise to the community. The current city noise ordinance contradicts the county ordinance, has unreasonable consequences, and is difficult to enforce, leaving affected people feeling angry and frustrated. There is a need to update the noise ordinance to be fair and enforceable so that the community is not disturbed by outdoor music venues that don’t care about their neighbors, or tourists having a loud party at a short-term rental.

Housing

The need for housing is increasing as Bonita grows. The city needs affordable housing so that the people that work here can live here. One way to do that is by increasing mixed-use zoning, allowing apartments on or above commercial spaces in every shopping area. Another way is to allow homeowners with larger lots to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that take the form of guest homes or garage apartments.

There is also an increasing worry of losing affordable housing to short-term rentals. The city could address this concern by improving the rental property code. The current rental property code states that owners of rental property must acquire a rental permit, which costs $100 and lasts for 3 years. This could be updated to a rental registry, where rental properties have to register to be on a public registry listing the property owner, manager, rental cost, and amenities every renter change. This would deter short-term rental properties from popping up and provide transparency to renters.