-
Voters Have Spoken on BERT. Will Our Elected Leaders Listen?
Voters Have Spoken on BERT: Will Our Elected Leaders Listen? On August 18, the residents of Bonita Springs sent a resounding message about the future of their community. More than 68% of voters supported investing in the Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT), including authorizing up to $35 million in bonds to help acquire and develop…
-
I’ve Lost Too Many Friends on Lee County Roads. That’s Why I’m Fighting for BERT.
I’ve Lost Too Many Friends on Lee County Roads. That’s Why I’m Fighting for BERT. by Steve Gunther, Bonita Estero Rail Trail – Treasurer I never imagined I would one day have to count the friends killed while riding bicycles. Yet here I am. Too many people in our community have headed out for a…
-
Why This Dad To-be Needs BERT
Why This Dad To-be Needs BERTby Rafael Feliciano, President & Media Director of Simmer House Becoming a father has changed the way I look at Southwest Florida. I’ve lived here since 2005. This community has given me friendships, opportunities, a career, and eventually, a place that truly feels like home. As a local business owner,…
-
The Bonita Estero Rail Trail: Infrastructure for Improving Intergenerational Healthspan in Southwest Florida
The Bonita Estero Rail Trail: Infrastructure for Improving Intergenerational Healthspan in Southwest Florida by Paula-Marie M. Ferrara, PhD., M.S., ACSM-CEP (Florida Gulf Coast University) Growing up in Southcentral Pennsylvania, my grandparents walked and socialized with neighbors every afternoon in the park across their street. In college, I trained for triathlon in the summers by running…
-
Why the Bonita Estero Rail Trail is Essential Medicine for Our Community
Why the Bonita Estero Rail Trail is Essential Medicine for Our Community by Julie Roppe-Stern, MSW, LICSWNaples Daily News, June 27th, 2026 As a mental health therapist, the very first thing I teach my clients is the true meaning of self-care. True self-care is not merely about getting a massage or a pedicure; it is…
-
What’s Next for the Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT)?
What’s Next for the Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT)? For years, the inactive Seminole Gulf Railway corridor has been an abandoned strip of track stretching across the heart of Estero and Bonita Springs, extending into Collier County. Today, the vision of transforming this 11.4-mile corridor into a world-class, multi-use recreational path is rapidly shifting from…
-
A Path to Survival: Why Lee County Needs the Rail-to-Trail Revolution
by Scott StrykerPublished by: News-Press, May 16th, 2026 I know what it feels like to lose someone you love. In my case, it was the cruel randomness of pediatric cancer—something with no clear prevention. For the families of the two cyclists killed this April in Southwest Florida, the grief must carry an added weight: the…
-
Naples Daily News Opt Ed
April 10th, 2026 A Once-in-a-Generation Path to a Safer, Greener Southwest Florida For years, Southwest Florida has been defined by a paradox: we live in a tropical paradise, yet our roads are among the deadliest in the nation for cyclists and pedestrians. We are a community of world-class beaches and nature preserves, yet we are…
-
Breaking News – Bonita Springs City Council Votes to Purchase Rail Corridor for BERT
Breaking News – Bonita Springs City Council Votes to Purchase Rail Corridor for BERT!! The Bonita Springs City Council voted to approve the purchase and sale agreement to acquire the rail corridor currently owned by Seminole Gulf Railway for the future Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT). The 6-1 vote occurred during this morning’s council meeting…
-
BERT Video
How BERT Will Transform Our Community Watch the latest video about what BERT will mean to the community here.