Can endangered Florida panthers and the Kingston development project coexist?

Part of east Lee County is slated to become a 10,000-home development between Corkscrew Road and State Road 82, which could affect Florida panthers living in the area.

This project is known as the Kingston development in East Lee County.

Sunday is the U.S. Corps of Army Engineer’s public comment deadline for the Kingston development project.

The proposed development in East Lee County would include as many as 10,000 homes, but endangered Florida panthers already call this place home.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida staunchly opposes the project and is calling on the public to oppose the Kingston development too.

“The 7,000 acres (of the Kingston development project) includes primary and secondary panther habitat. And the US Fish and Wildlife Service has estimated that the traffic costs for this development could kill up to 22 panthers every year,” said Julianne Thomas, the senior environmental planning specialist at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

Florida Fish and Wildlife reports that vehicle collisions are the number one cause of death for the Florida panther.

“If this project goes through any panthers that are using the land, and we think there could be as many as seven panthers that use this property based on past telemetry that has been collected by FWC, they’re going to have to use other areas that are available,” said Thomas. “That could cause interspecies aggression, which could end up with moving additional panthers.”

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But, Joe Cameratta, the CEO of the company overseeing the Kingston project, Cameratta Companies, has heard the concerns of panther advocates. He says the biggest issue facing the species is feline leukomyelopathy, also known as FLM.

“As far as the Panthers are concerned, the number one concern that it’s out there today, is this feline disease (FLM). They gotta get that under control, and our dollars that we’re using in mitigation, we’ll go for research for that feline disease,” said Cameratta.

Florida Fish and Wildlife says that Wildlife Crossings are beneficial to panthers.

Wildlife Crossings and bridges can be installed in an area that helps wildlife stay out of harm’s way and navigate safely across a road without getting close to any cars.

Cameratta plans to have Wildlife Crossings around the construction project if it does go through.

“We’re paying a prop share to the county. And that includes monies that they’re going to use in that area to install Wildlife Crossings. Plus, we’re paying for our own Wildlife Crossings, east of the project that was recommended by the Wildlife Federation that connects the project and those properties to CREW,” said Cameratta. “We’re also installing about a dozen small and larger Wildlife Crossings throughout the new road that’s going to be used for hurricane evacuation.

Estimates by the National Wildlife Federation put the current Florida panther population at slightly more than 200.

To learn more about the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s opposition to the Kingston Development project, click here.

Click here to learn about Cameratta Companies, the company overseeing the Kingston project.

Florida panthers have been endangered since 1967. Then in 1982, the Florida panther became the official state animal of Florida.