The ECCL wishes you a Very Happy New Year, and we hope that you continue to stay safe and well and benefit from the COVID vaccine “rollout” as soon as possible.

We are pleased to provide you with the first of four planned GECR Reports for 2021. Our objective is to continue providing essential and informative articles that are a key focus of the ECCL’s vision: “To make the greater Estero area the best place to live, work, and play.” If you would like to read any of the previous GECR documents we released last year, you can find them on our website http://www.esterotoday.

Our first report illustrates the potential impact in Southwest Florida from global warming. The question for residents is not whether they will be affected by global warming, but by how much!  The ECCL is a supporter of the Southwest Florida Regional Resiliency Compact (SWFRRC), an agreement between its members, county and municipal governments in Southwest Florida, to collaboratively identify, prepare for, adapt to, and mitigate climate change impacts which will have positive benefits. However, we all must take steps, even small ones (outlined in the article), to help mitigate this growing threat to our way of life.

The second article provides an update on the ECCL’s involvement in supporting and assisting in enhancing our local schools’ educational standards. Even if you do not have children or grandchildren attending our local schools, many significant benefits result from enhancing education quality in the greater Estero area. A 2017 study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found 26 percent of home buyers considered the quality of schools when looking for a new home. But there are other additional indirect benefits, all of which positively impact our local community’s quality of life. We hope you find both articles of interest.