City of Bonita Springs, City council meeting, October 21, 2026

The City of Bonita Springs City Council meeting on October 21, 2026, included several actions related to the Bonita Estero Rail Trail. Council accepted the environmental assessment report for the proposed rail-trail corridor after a presentation on soil sampling and planned mitigation; additional sampling results and final trail design and soil-management documents remain in progress. Council also approved a purchase-and-sale agreement amendment extending due diligence to October 29 and setting a potential closing for early January, a bond authorization for acquiring the inactive rail corridor and constructing capital improvements, draft bond-offering documents, and a budget amendment to account for bond proceeds and the rail-trail capital project. The bond amount is incomplete in the transcript and cannot be determined. These measures passed by roll-call votes.

Council approved an interlocal agreement with Lee County for transit services, including discussion of a temporary beach route; staff said the beach service would not add a cost to the city. Members discussed requesting more information from Lee Tran about service levels and ridership. Council also approved the Wonder Gardens special-assemblage final plan subject to design coordination with staff on architectural details and the city’s Old 41 aesthetic; no project cost was available because design and engineering were ongoing. Other discussion covered noise barriers along I-75, infrastructure and stormwater priorities, and the city’s legislative agenda, but no related procurement award was identified.