There seem to be few places touched by developers in Florida. Most plots of land have developers’ signs and still more houses are being built. Not too long ago some company cleared several plots past the Alico - Ben Hill Griffin Highway intersection, away from FGCU. The trees were burnt, then came bulldozers and other equipment to move the debris. Even the university was built on swampland, some of the original swamp remains but most has been drained and filled to accommodate parking lots and buildings. Towards where I live, there are fewer developers but this is because the area has already been developed.
The rampant development causes multiple problems, not all of which are even environmental. The free range on land leads to developers doing whatever they want, and since the housing crisis, there have been a number of razed areas sitting empty. This careless destruction of the environment by the highest bidder to make room for houses nobody can buy is unacceptable. This style of developing also effectively puts the developers in control of city planning. This makes driving anywhere more difficult, as all the developers are competing for the best lots. They have no incentive to make the drive to their competitors’ lots easier. This is at least in part why downtown Fort Myers is pretty much nonexistent. It isn’t close by to most people and most of the malls are a ways away.
One place without a developer problem would be Sanibel. It still has most of the environment intact as well. This is probably because most of the area is protected and the development is carefully managed. For example, chain stores aren’t allowed on the island; there are a few but only because the rule was enacted later. Fort Myers will never have Sanibel's planning but if development were managed more carefully, at least the current city centers won't become inconvenient drives, and the environment will be a great deal healthier.
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