Florida Gulf Coast University officials are mulling over a proposed private land grant from a company called Private Equity Group that would give the school hundreds of acres near its campus. The proposal is already getting a lot scrutiny because it would come with some big strings attached.
FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw said this hefty donation could mean big things for the university.
“The 640 acres that is being discussed as a part of this gift would certainly give FGCU a lot of flexibility for future growth and development on a parcel of land that is adjacent to our core campus,” Bradshaw said.
But accepting this big land donation comes with some very big and very controversial strings attached.
Private Equity, which declined to comment on this story, wants to donate the land as long as there are special conditions in the proposed deal.
Among them: university officials would have to publicly and privately support the company’s plans to develop neighboring lands into a golf course, housing, a convention center, a hotel and stores, according to a letter of intent presented to the FGCU Board of Trustees last week.
But the land Private Equity hopes to develop sits in the Density Reduction/Groundwater Resource or DRGR area in Lee County.
The DRGR is about 83,000 acres of protected wetlands, conservation areas and agricultural lands which includes a layer of limestone essential for aquifer storage.
Andrew McElwaine, the president and CEO of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, said developing there would have serious repercussions.
“This parcel of land was set aside by Governor Bush for limited development in order to protect your drinking water,” McElwaine said. “So assume that groundwater recharge is of value and that paving over our groundwater recharge lands then deprives us of that water that is of significant taxpayer interest.”
Part of FGCU’s identity since it opened 15 years ago has been its commitment to the environment. President Bradshaw said environmental concerns are going to be a big consideration for the school as it looks over the proposal.
“We see ourselves as being good stewards of the environment and we have been and we will continue to have that as a core value,” Bradshaw said. “But even as good stewards of the environment, you know, development occurs and if we can have an impact on making sure that development is consistent with our principles of environmental sustainability, we want to have that impact.”
Private Equity also has some very clear rules about what support from the university would look like. Besides supportive appearances, statements and emails the company’s letter of intent said the offices of FGCU’s president and vice president would have to essentially lobby many of the area’s stakeholders.
This means FGCU officials would have to voice their support for the company’s development and zoning plans when the plans reach the Lee County Commissioners, the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, and various environmental agencies.
The Conservancy’s McElwaine said accepting those conditions would set a very bad precedent for the school.
“If this were an outright gift to the university with no expectation of anything in return, I think there would be little to complain about,” he said. “It seems to me the university should have a very strong gift acceptance policy that exempts them from being asked to become lobbyists for projects.”
FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw presented the private company’s donation proposal to the university’s Board of Trustees last week. He said he wants this process out in the open.
Environmental advocates spoke out against the plan at the meeting. Many said they are concerned breaching the DRGR’s zoning laws for this plan would open the doors for more development in the future.
Ultimately, the school’s decision to accept the gift or not would be made by FGCU’s foundation directors. The foundation’s mission is to grow the university through private donations.
