Lee County catches Collieritis

Collier County has a well-deserved reputation for its anti-business local government, but Lee County seems to be catching up with its neighbor to the south.

The latest example is Lee County's efforts to limit growth on 90,000 acres of land in the southern part of the county, which long ago was set aside for agriculture and mining. That's about 17% of the county's landmass and a critical part of the local economy.

Now, Lee County wants to take mining rights away from landowners in the name of conservation despite dubious scientific evidence that it's an area worth cordoning off. Problem is, the rock in that area is some of the best quality in the state and preventing its mining will cost the local economy billions of dollars in lost jobs and revenues.