Safe Routes.
Better Quality of Life.
Preserved for Future Generations.
The Bonita Estero Rail Trail, BERT , will create a safer place to walk and bike, improve the quality of life for residents, and preserve a valuable community asset for generations to come.
Why Vote Yes for BERT?
Creating a safer place for families, walkers, and cyclists away from busy roads and traffic.
Expanding opportunities for recreation, exercise, outdoor enjoyment and community connection.
Safer Routes for Families & Students
Safer connections for families, students and neighborhoods
Helping residents move safely through communities.
Every family deserves a safe place to walk, bike and enjoy the great outdoors.
Today, many residents must share roadways with vehicle traffic to reach schools, parks and community destinations. BERT creates safer connections between neighborhoods and places people visit every day.
With 11 schools located within one mile of the corridor serving more than 10,000 students, BERT has the potential to become an important community resource that supports safer travel and greater connectivity for families throughout Bonita Springs and communities beyond.
Quality of Life
A Community Asset Residents Can Enjoy Every Day
A place to walk, exercise, relax and connect with nature close to home.
Quality of life built through the every day experiences that brings people together. BERT creates opportunities of residents of all ages to enjoy the outdoors, stay active and the natural beauty that makes Bonita Springs special.
Whether it’s a morning walk, bike ride with family, an afternoon jog or simply spending time in the outdoors, BERT provides and safe and accessible space for recreation, wellness and community connection.
Preserving a Community Asset
Protecting an Opportunity for Future Generations
Preserving green space and an important resource before the opportunity is lost
As Bonita Springs continues to grow, preserving community assets becomes increasingly important.
BERT represents an opportunity to protect an existing corridor for public use while preserving green space, supporting wildlife habitat, and maintaining an important part of the communities character.
By investing in BERT today, residents can help ensure future generations have access to the same outdoor opportunities, natural beauty and community resources that makes Bonita Springs a special place to live.
Taxpayer Protections & Transparency
Built with Strong Accountability Measures
Residents deserve confidence that voter-approved funds will be used responsibly and as intended. That’s why BERT includes multiple layers of oversight, transparency and accountability.
This measure has strict accountability provisions. It requires full public disclosure of all project spending. Funds from this project can only be used to purchase and develop the Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT) – not for anything else. There will also be annual, public audits of how the funds are spent to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used efficiently and as promised to voters.
What is BERT?
About the Bonita Estero Rail Trail
The Bonita Estero Rail Trail, (BERT), is a proposed multi-use trail corridor that would create a 5.8-mile trail within Bonita Springs while preserving an important community asset for future generations.
The 5.8-mile Bonita Springs section of the 130-foot wide trail corridor will connect to the Collier County section of the trail corridor in the south and to the Estero trail corridor in the north, creating a total of 11.4-miles of trail. In the future, BERT will become part of the 420-mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail spanning seven coastal counties in southwest Florida.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bonita Estero Rail Trail, or BERT, is a planned multi-use paved trail that will connect communities across Bonita Springs, Estero, and Collier County. It will convert an unused railroad corridor into a multi-use trail for residents to enjoy the outdoors in a safe manner.
On Tuesday, August 18, Bonita Springs voters will consider a bond referendum to fund up to $35 million to acquire a 5.8-mile portion of the corridor to build a multi-use trail that will improve pedestrian safety, provide recreation opportunities, improve quality of life, and protect the corridor from private development.
The trail will span approximately 11.4 miles along an existing rail corridor, running from Wiggins Pass Road in Collier County, north through Bonita Springs and Estero, ending at Estero Parkway. The city of Bonita Springs is asking voters on August 18, 2026, to approve a bond measure to acquire the 5.8-mile portion that runs through the city and to begin construction on a portion of it.
Election Day is Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
The deadline to register or change party affiliation is Monday, July 20, 2026.
Early voting is expected to take place from approximately August 8 through August 15, 2026. See more here: https://www.lee.vote/
Ballots are typically mailed to voters between mid-July and early August ahead of the election.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by 7:00 PM on Election Day (August 18, 2026) to be counted.
Yes. Under current Florida law, all previous vote-by-mail requests have expired, so voters must submit a new request for the 2026 election cycle.
Yes. The trail is designed to create a safer routes for walking and biking, separated from cars and busy roads.
Yes. There are 11 schools within 1-mile of BERT. This trail will create safer routes, away from vehicular traffic, for school children to use to get to and from school.
Yes. The project prioritizes accessibility to ensure the trail can be used by people of all abilities.
Yes. Acquiring the land ensures it remains preserved for public use and is not sold for private development.
Yes. The corridor is expected to function as a roughly 92-acre linear park, providing green space throughout Bonita Springs.
In today’s digital age, it is more important than ever to provide parks, trails, natural areas, and outdoor recreation opportunities that encourage children to play outside and stay physically active.
BERT will help reduce traffic congestion by providing safe, alternative routes for walking and biking. By making it easier to travel to nearby shops, businesses, and destinations without a car, the trail supports both recreational use and everyday trips, taking some pressure off local roads and improving overall mobility.
The trail will provide a close-to-home opportunity for fun and healthy recreation, helping to enhance the overall quality of life for residents. Trails are important gathering places to allow us to escape the stress of everyday life.
Access to trails and green space can help support property values, while also preserving a high quality of life for current residents and for future generations, including our children and grandchildren.
The City of Bonita Springs estimates the project would cost the average homeowner about $57 per year, or roughly $4.75 per month, a small price for a once-in-a-generation investment in our community.
The estimate is based on a proposed 0.13 millage rate, which is approximately a 1% change in property taxes, a relatively small annual cost for most homeowners.
No. The exact cost will vary depending on a property’s taxable value, but $57 annually is the estimated average. This amount will get smaller over time as additional homes are built in Bonita Springs.
The funding would go toward acquiring the rail corridor and making initial improvements to develop the Bonita Estero Rail Trail for the 5.8 mile portion of the trail in Bonita Springs.
Using a bond allows the City to acquire the land now, rather than waiting years to save up funds. This is important because land and construction costs tend to increase over time. By acting now, the City can secure the corridor at today’s prices and avoid higher future costs.
This proposal ensures that the land is acquired at fair market value and can prevent the project from becoming more expensive in the future. It also allows the community to begin benefiting from the trail sooner, rather than delaying the project for many years.
This measure has strict accountability provisions. It requires full public disclosure of all project spending. Funds from this project can only be used to purchase and develop the Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT) – not for anything else. There will also be annual, public audits of how the funds are spent to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used efficiently and as promised to voters.
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Contact Us
Email: bert@vote4bert2026.com
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 366518, Bonita Springs, Florida 34136
Paid political advertisement for and sponsored by Vote4BERT2026, P.O. Box 366518, Bonita Springs, Florida, 34136