The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a virtual public meeting Friday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. to share information about the Cape Haze Ecosystem Restoration Project in Charlotte County. This project is one of the largest coastal restoration projects the District has undertaken in the region.
Members of the public can join the meeting via Microsoft Teams. To join the meeting, please click on this link to register https://bit.ly/CapeHaze. Use of the Chrome browser is recommended for best compatibility with Teams. To join the meeting by telephone only, dial (786) 749-6127 and when prompted enter the conference ID: 902 412 271.
The project, expected to begin in late spring, is just south of the Rotonda West community and is estimated to take 24 months to complete. Located in a 410-acre portion of Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park, the project construction will span approximately 80 acres.
The project’s goal is to restore the area back to its natural state, which helps improve natural systems and provide healthy habitat for native wildlife. This includes restoring wetlands, planting vegetation and filling in canals that were dug decades ago for a community that was never completed. This project is the third and final phase of hydrologic restoration in the Cape Haze Peninsula and will result in contiguously restored land across the peninsula, between the shorelines of West and East Coral Creeks.
In 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Habitat Conservation awarded the District a $3.7 million grant to help fund the Cape Haze Ecosystem Restoration Project. The District will contribute the remaining funds needed to complete the project.
To learn more about the Cape Haze Ecosystem Restoration Project, visit our website at WaterMatters.org/projects/Cape-Haze-Restoration-Project