Southwest 32nd Place Vacation

At a glance

Based on human (CART) captions; names and numbers may be misspelled.

What: vacation (VAC26-000011) of 36,018 sq ft of Southwest 32nd Place and easements near Pine Island Road and Burnt Store Road, requested by the Island Pearl One LLC and Island Pearl Two Land Trust owners to assemble a commercial site.
Where it stands: hearing held and closed on October 20, 2026 after five residents opposed; Mary Ann Lucas said she will issue a written order. No decision was announced.
Next: the order, then City Council, with notice to parties.
Contested: the most discussed case of the day, with a request to table it.

A 60-foot right-of-way with two 10-foot lanes and open drainage; sewer, water and irrigation lines dead-end at the parcels the applicants assembled on both sides.
The owners offer a perpetual 20-foot public cross-access easement down the middle so vehicles can still get between Pine Island Road and the northern part of the street; Jamie Rivera said the road is not being closed.
Zoning is Commercial Corridor in the Pine Island Road District; staff cited comprehensive plan Policies 1.15 and 3.7 (land assembly).

Ten conditions, including coordination with FDOT and Lee County on access (the driveway is not shown as full access in the corridor access plan), a $210,686.94 tree fund payment, a 6-foot perimeter easement, the cross-access easement within 60 days, and positive drainage for a neighboring home.
Applicant agreed to all. Engineering: perimeter berm and a control structure cutting discharge by about half, with FDOT, city and water management district permits under review.
Patrick Carlton White noted commercial next to single-family triggers a 20-foot landscape strip or a 10-foot strip with a wall.

The 500-foot notice radius and signs are inadequate; some residents learned of the hearing on Friday and saw staff reports for the first time.
The street is a detour during frequent crashes at Burnt Store Road, Veterans Parkway and Pine Island Road, a hurricane evacuation route, and used by fire and ambulance crews. It carried floodwater during Hurricane Ian, and a resident near the end said the area flooded in Milton and Helene.
Closing it would push traffic onto residential Southwest 32nd Court and Eighth Street where people walk and bike.
Developer promises from a 2020 neighborhood meeting (upscale shops near Burnt Store Road, a good-neighbor buffer) do not match a footprint residents say is about three times larger.
No comments were sought from police, ambulance, public works, Lee County or the state; fire hydrant locations are a worry.
Speakers: Sam Jaffe, Frank Loria (asked for more time and was told he can make a public records request), David Scott (asked to table, citing a coming report), Nicole Alber, and a resident whose name is unclear in the captions.

About 43 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-20 - Hearing Examiner	43

2026-10-20 - Hearing Examiner — Hearing held; five residents opposed on notice, safety, evacuation and traffic grounds; applicants say the road stays open via a 20-foot public easement. Hearing closed, order to follow.