Bonita Spring's Rail-Trail Business Impact

>> TUESDAY IS THE OFFICIAL DAY FOR PRIMARY ELECTIONS. BUT MANY FLORIDIANS ALREADY HAVE CAST THEIR BALLOTS ACCORDING TO THE FLORIDA DIVISION OF ELECTIONS, NEARLY 2 MILLION REGISTERED VOTERS SUBMITTED A VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT OR VISITED AN EARLY VOTING LOCATION. AND WHILE MANY RACES WILL DETERMINE WHAT GOES INTO THE NOVEMBER MIDTERM ELECTIONS, SOME ISSUES LIKE THE DECISION ON FUNDING THE BONITA, STERILE RAIL TRAIL WILL COME DOWN TO THE PRIMARY WGCUS YOUN JOO PARK. TAKES A LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RAIL TRAILS IMPACT ON HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESSES. >> TUESDAY'S PRIMARY ELECTION WILL DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT BONITA SPRINGS RESIDENTS. WELL PROVE AN INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAX TO PAY A 35 MILLION DOLLAR BOND FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS. TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND'S TO KIND OF WAY SAYS ALTHOUGH PEOPLE MIGHT BE HESITANT INITIALLY, HE IS SURE THEY WILL BE HAPPY WITH THE RESULT. >> WE CAN TAKE THIS DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH AND CONVERTED INTO A COMMUNITY ASSET WITH A MULTITUDE OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT WILL HAVE A RETURN ON THAT INVESTMENT. >> HOMEOWNERS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT UNKNOWN EXPENSES AS IN THE CASE OF RESIDENT CAROL MONTANA. AND THEY'RE GOING TO BUILD THE GRINCH YEAR. >> LONG THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOMETHING WHEN IT GETS TO THE ROADS TO CROSS THE ROADS. YOU KNOW, IT'S THIS MONEY CAN'T. HOW MUCH IS IT CAN ACTUALLY COST? >> BUT A POLL OF BUSINESS OWNERS RATHER THAN HOMEOWNERS SHOWS DIFFERENT REACTIONS. TAKE A MICKELSON'S PASTRY SHOP, FOR EXAMPLE, IT THIS BUSINESS IS LOCATED RIGHT ALONG THE RAILS. ELIZABETH NICHOLSON AND HER HUSBAND HAVE OWNED AND OPERATED THEIR SHOP FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. AND SHE IS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE IDEA OF THE TRAIL, YOU KNOW, POP IN GRAB SOMETHING, GRAB A LITTLE LUNCH WIRE HERE AND >> THINK FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE AREA WOULD WOULD BE REALLY NICE TO HAVE SOMEWHERE TO GO. BE ABLE TO GRAB SOMETHING AND THEN GO SIT OUTSIDE IN A IN A BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT INSTEAD OF JUST I MEAN, WALL INSIDE ENOUGH. SO. >> TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND'S DOC HAD AWAY. HE CITED RESEARCH SUPPORTING THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF THE TRAIL. >> SURVEYS HAVE SHOWN FROM BUSINESS LEADERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT WHEN THEY'RE DECIDING WHETHER TO EXPAND OR LOCATE THEIR BUSINESSES INTO A NEW COMMUNITY. ONE OF THE FEATURES ARE CRITERIA THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM IS THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY OF THOSE AMENITIES THAT REALLY IMPROVE OUR WELL-BEING AND OUR COMMUNITIES. HE SAYS THE TRAIL CAN INFUSED MONEY INTO THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND AT JOBS. >> ALSO PROPERTIES ALONG THE TRAIL WOULD BENEFIT FROM INCREASED VALUES, ACCORDING TO CHARLES HYNES DIRECTOR OF THE FLORIDA GULF COAST RAIL PEOPLE THAT. >> HAPP THINK TRAIL MAY BE GOING BEHIND THEIR HOUSE. WELL, SOMEHOW DECREASE THEIR PROPERTY KNOW IT'S GOING TO HAVE PUBLIC USE AND PUBLIC ACCESS. WHAT ACTUALLY THE TRUTH AND EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT PROPERTY VALUES IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A TRAIL. >> INCREASE THE PROPERTY VALUES. BUT BEFORE THE POTENTIAL INCREASE IN PROPERTY VALUES, SOME HOMEOWNERS ALONG THE RAIL MAY NEED TO CONSIDER LEGAL ASPECTS ACCORDING TO ATTORNEY A THEN SEE BRITAIN AFTER LEWIS RICE LAW FIRM THAT TIME ISRAEL IS DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW ARE REALLY HAVE ANY NEED TO KNOW. >> THE FULL EXTENT OF THEIR PROPERTY RIGHTS OR THEIR OWNERSHIP RIGHTS BECAUSE ALL THEY REALLY NEED IS AN EASEMENT TO RUN TRAINS AND THEY DON'T NEED TO DO CHANGE THE TITLE. BACK TO THE 18. 100'S TO CONFIRM HOW THE BOUT WAS CREATED FOR EVERY SINGLE SEGMENT OF ITS RAIL LINE. >> TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND SAYS THIS TRAIL ANTICIPATES THE TO DEVELOPMENT BY CARVING OUT CLEAN SPACES THAT WOULD BENEFIT PUBLIC HEALTH. HOW DO WE ALSO POINTS OUT THAT RAIL SYSTEM WOULD HELP CONNECT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA TO OTHER COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE. >> THIS IS PART OF A LARGER SYSTEM. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE AN ISOLATED 11.4 MILES, AT LEAST INITIALLY IT MIGHT BE. BUT WITH ANOTHER 3 AND A HALF MILES TO THE NORTH AND THEN IT WILL FREE CONTINUE TO FEED FARTHER AND FARTHER NORTH INTO THE STATE-WIDE NETWORK. SO IT'S NOT ON ITS OWN. IT'S GOING TO BE PART OF A LARGER STATEWIDE CONNECTED SYSTEM. >> IT'S A COMPLEX ISSUE WITH MANY IMPLICATIONS. THE FUTURE OF THE RAIL TRAIL CONVERSION WILL BE DECIDED ON HOW THE BONITA SPRINGS RESIDENTS VOTE IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION ON TUESDAY FOR WGCU NEWS.