Welcome to Friends of BERT

Friends of BERT is an advocacy group for the Bonita Estero Rail Trail and the greater Florida Gulf Coast Trail in Lee County

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Celebrate Independence Day with ‘Friends’ and Rooftop at Riverside

Two Events Planned – VIP Parade Viewing Party and VIP Dinner & Viewing Party! Proceeds Benefit Friends of BERT!!

View the Independence Day Parade front row from the Rooftop! Watch the Bonita Springs 4th of July parade with a bird’s eye view, at Rooftop at Riverside! Click here to learn more!

Watch the Riverside Park Fireworks show from the BEST seat in Downtown Bonita at Rooftop at Riverside! Enjoy a mouthwatering Independence Day Dinner Buffet and savor delicious cocktails while you admire the Star-Spangled Bonita light up the sky. Click here to learn more!

Be one of the very first to become a Founding Member!

NEW! Introducing our Founding Membership Program. Learn more about how you can help support our cause by becoming a Founding Member. Click here to find out more.

Who We Are

We are an all-volunteer non-profit 501(c)(3) citizen group dedicated to bringing the Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT) and Florida Gulf Coast Trail (FGCT) to Lee County communities and making it part of the planned 42 mile trail network. Our mission is to generate public support for BERT and all sections of the FGCT trail network. Our advocacy group started in late September of 2022 and currently we have over 3000 members. Learn More

About the Trail

Rail crossing at Estero River

The proposed Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT) will run from just south of the Lee Collier County border to Alico Road along the 15 mile unused rail corridor through downtown Bonita Springs and Estero ending just north of San Carlos Park at Alico Road. BERT will connect to the John Yarborough Trail to the north and the Paradise Coast Trail to the south.  Once complete, BERT will become part of the planned 42-mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail network in Lee County and, ultimately part of the 400+ mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail stretching from Collier County to Tampa. See Trail Maps

Help Our Cause

By supporting the Friends of BERT, Lee County residents have a chance to make their voices heard and gain a safe place to walk/run/bike. Click to Join Now and receive our Friends of BERT Newsletter. You can also help by contributing your time, making a donation, or simply purchasing BERT Gear to help Friends of BERT make the Trail a reality.

Join Friends of BERT

Keep up-to-date with the progress of the trail and the activities of Friends of BERT. Click JOIN to become a Friend of BERT!
Friends of BERT 2022 Member Meeting

Volunteer

Want to get directly involved with helping Friends of BERT advocate for the trail? Click VOLUNTEER above and learn more.
Friends of BERT Volunteer Training Session

Donate

You can also help the Friends of BERT advocate for the trail by donating. Click DONATE above and learn the multiple ways you can donate.
Friends of BERT booth at The Promenade At Bonita Bay

Sponsor

Your organization can help support Friends of BERT by becoming a sponsor. Click SPONSOR above to find out more.

Purchase BERT Gear

You can also help Friends of BERT by purchasing BERT merchandise. Click the SUPPORT button above to go to our SweatVac partner’s site.

Why Is BERT Important?

Improve Quality of Life: Bonita Springs and Estero need open space for families to enjoy our beautiful area. We need safe trails that connect to our towns and businesses, as well as connections to trails to the north and south of us. Click to learn about a great example of these improvement from the town of Dunedin.

Boost Local Economy: Trails bring new business and visitors to our area. Home values near a Trail are significantly higher and businesses along the trail receive a significant economic boost. Read more about the economic benefits that the trail will bring here.

Lee County is one of the worst counties in the US for pedestrian and bicycle safety. This trail, and its connectors, will give pedestrians and cyclists an alternative to the busy roads. Click to read a News-Press article regarding Pedestrian Safety.

2021/2022 Lee County Bicycle and Pedestrian deaths: over 1200 crashes resulting in 71 fatalities and 100s of permanent injuries. We have a chance to lower these statistics by building the Bonita Estero Rail Trail!

Community Endorsements

To date, 26 communities have offered official HOA board endorsements supporting this multi-use trail. This list includes: Pelican Landing, Pelican Sound, Bonita Isles, Hacienda Village, Bonita Fairways, Riverwood Plantation, Fountain Lakes, Forest Creek Villas, West Bay Club, Bonita Bay, The Club at Rapallo, Bella Terra, Copperleaf, Light House Bay, Estero Bay Village Residents Club, Toscana at Vasari, Bermuda Park Condominium Association, Meadowbrook, Spring Run, Bonita National, Tidewater, Wildcat Run, Villages of Country Creek, Spanish Wells, VillageWalk, and Hunters Ridge Golf & Country Club with many more in the works. Combined, that represents over 22,000 homes in Lee County!

Business and Organization Sponsorships

Thank you to all of our generous sponsors who support our mission to help make BERT a reality! Please let them know how much you appreciate their support too.

Corporate Endorsements

The Blue Zone Project, Lee Health, and Bonita Springs-Estero Realtors have also offered endorsements. We appreciate everyone’s support!

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