Residents Question Bonita Springs Home Buyout Proposal

People who live in flood-prone areas of Bonita Springs are raising concerns about a plan to have the city buyout their properties.

This week, the city is going door to door to see if neighbors want to potentially sell their homes to the city. In the letter sent to neighbors it says the city would then tear down the home since the area deals with flooding time and time again.

The state set aside $75-million to buy properties affected by Irma but there is no guarantee how much of that money Bonita Springs will get.

Neighbors say this brings up two major concerns for them, one being even if the city pays a “fair market value” for each home— that might not be enough money for families to stay in Bonita Springs.

And the second— unless the city buys every home in the area, does it really solve the problem?

“There’s not too many places in Bonita that people in this neighborhood are gonna be able to afford to go to, so where do they go,”? Bonita resident Mark Westall said.

This week, residents with questions and concerns will have an opportunity to speak with city leaders at a neighborhood meeting scheduled for Thursday at City Hall.