After years of intermittent negotiations, the nonprofit Trust for Public Land — on behalf of Estero, Bonita Springs and Collier County — reached an initial agreement to purchase 11.4 miles of railroad corridor from Seminole Gulf Railway for $60 million.
The public-private deal would allow supporters to build the Bonita Estero Rail Trail, a mixed-use trail along the unused corridor. The Trust also is working with other municipalities and county governments to connect the project to a larger regional trail system stretching from Tampa to Naples.
Doug Hattaway, the Trust’s Southeast region conservation director, presented the agreement at a village of Estero Council workshop Feb. 18. All three governments must approve the plan and complete a due diligence process before the sale can close, potentially as soon as October, according to Hattaway’s timeline.
The purchase price covers the land but not the cost of constructing the trail, which supporters say would provide safety, economic and health benefits.
An unused railroad corridor in Southwest Florida could be converted into the Bonita Estero Rail Trail under a proposed public-private agreement. The project would repurpose the land for recreation and transportation use.
Gulfshore Business
“I think this is going to transform the village of Estero, and of course Bonita Springs and Collier County,” Hattaway said. “Because we did The Legacy Trail project in Sarasota County. They’re at 600,000-plus [users per year] in only a few years on that corridor, and it is already transforming Sarasota County. We would expect something similar here, as well.”
Negotiations for the corridor stalled after 2020 when a $70.44 million offer exceeded what local governments were willing to pay. Talks resumed in 2023, and Seminole Gulf agreed to a 15% price reduction, Hattaway said.
The family-owned Fort Myers company transports products including drywood, lumber, plastics, recyclables, scrap steel and propane. It also is known for its Murder Mystery Dinner Train attraction.
“I think the important thing is the collective parties of the municipalities, the Trust for Public Land and Seminole Gulf Railway worked long and hard at coming to a new deal to make this happen this year,” said Seminole Gulf Vice President Robert Fay.
Under the agreement, the 11.4-mile corridor would run from Estero Parkway to the Bonita Springs city line. Estero would pay $19.8 million for its 4.1-mile portion, Collier County would pay $11.6 million for 1.5 miles, and Bonita Springs would pay $28.5 million for a 5.8-mile segment. Bonita Springs officials estimate maintenance costs for their section could range from $87,000 to $200,000 annually, depending on amenities.
An earlier version of the deal, valued at more than $80 million, included an additional 3.5-mile segment extending into south Lee County, but that portion is on hold, Hattaway said.
He said the long-term goal is to connect the trail to more than 400 miles of the Florida Gulf Coast Trail, which would run from the Tampa-St. Petersburg area to Naples, where it links with the Paradise Coast Trail. The system is about 50% complete.
Maps illustrate how the proposed Bonita Estero Rail Trail would connect to the Florida Gulf Coast Trail and Paradise Coast Trail. The regional system aims to link Tampa to Naples through a network of multiuse paths.
Estero government
“We’re working with all of these communities up and down the southwest coast of Florida to fill in these gaps and get this thing completed, hopefully in our lifetimes,” he said.
The project spans multiple jurisdictions and land-use areas, including commercial, industrial and residential districts
Under Hattaway’s proposed schedule, the governments would vote on whether to proceed by the end of March. A due diligence process lasting through August and expected to cost several hundred thousand dollars would include independent appraisals, surveys and environmental assessments.
Local governments would then vote on a final commitment by the end of September, with closing expected in October.
The agreement offers two purchase options, Hattaway said. Governments can pay their share outright or enter a two-year lease arrangement in which the Trust becomes the interim owner while local governments pay off the property with interest.
Estero Manager Steve Sarkozy suggested the village could issue a bond to pursue a direct purchase.
An overgrown stretch of unused railway between Collier and Lee counties is slated to become part of the Bonita Estero Rail Trail, a planned 11.4-mile path for walkers, runners and cyclists.
Deborah Orton/Friends of BERT
“We’re actually thinking a purchase would be the way to go,” he said.
The corridor also would be placed in the federal railbanking system under the National Trails System Act, preserving the route for public use while allowing the federal Surface Transportation Board to restore rail service if it is deemed economically justified.
Hattaway and Village Attorney Robert Eschenfelder said that outcome is unlikely. In addition to potential public opposition, Eschenfelder said the government would have to reimburse the purchase price adjusted to the Consumer Price Index, cover the depreciated value of improvements and demonstrate economic justification.