Bonita Springs voters to decide on $35 million rail-trail bonds
Bonita Springs voters will decide Aug. 18 whether the city may issue up to $35 million in general-obligation bonds for acquiring and constructing the proposed Bonita Estero Rail Trail, a linear park and recreational rail-to-trail project.
The referendum would give voters a say in a financing plan that could affect the city’s long-term public finances. If approved and followed by the city’s required financing steps, the bonds could be repaid through ad valorem property taxes levied on taxable property within Bonita Springs.
What voters are being asked to approve
The Bonita Springs City Council called the special referendum through Ordinance 26-05, adopted April 15, 2026. The ballot question concerns bonds for the acquisition and construction of the Bonita Estero Rail Trail, identified in the city’s bond notice as the BERT project.
The authorization would be capped at $35 million in principal. The bonds could mature within 30 years of issuance, creating the possibility of a long-term repayment obligation for the city if the borrowing is later carried out.
The city’s notice identifies taxable property within Bonita Springs as the source for debt service. That means the measure is not only an infrastructure and recreation decision; it is also a decision about whether to authorize a potential property-tax-supported borrowing structure.
The records do not provide a specific tax-rate increase or a final tax bill effect for individual property owners. Approval of the referendum would authorize the borrowing ceiling, but it would not by itself establish the amount any particular property owner would pay.
The trail remains a proposal
The available city records describe the proposed financing, but they do not establish that the rail trail has been finally approved for construction. They also do not show that bonds have already been issued, that construction has begun or that the trail is open.
The $35 million figure is a maximum principal authorization, not confirmation that the city will borrow the full amount. The approved records also do not provide a final construction budget or a completion schedule.
Those distinctions matter because the Aug. 18 vote is about financing authority for a proposed project. A favorable vote would be one step in the process, followed by any additional city action needed to issue bonds and advance the project. The referendum itself would not settle the project’s final cost or construction timetable.
Election dates and what comes next
The referendum is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, and will be conducted concurrently with the Lee County primary election. The election will be coordinated with the Lee County Supervisor of Elections.
The city’s regular municipal election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026. That election lists City Council seats in District 3 and District 5, but those races are separate from the August bond question.
For Bonita Springs residents, the immediate decision is whether to authorize up to $35 million in long-term bonds for the proposed Bonita Estero Rail Trail, with repayment tied to taxable property within the city. The approved source packet does not include an election result, a final project budget, a construction schedule, bond-issuance details or an official estimate of the referendum’s tax impact.
Sources
- 2026 Bond Referendum & Municipal Election, City of Bonita Springs
- Notice to Electors of the City of Bonita Springs of a Bond Referendum Election, City of Bonita Springs
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