LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A massive new development project has broken ground in east Lee County, spanning from south of Corkscrew Rd. to SR-82.
The Kingston development has officially started construction on its first two communities: The Esplanade at Kingston and Kingston South. The developers say they have plans to build 10,000 homes over the next 25 years.
Beyond the residential areas, the developers say the project will include 700,000 square feet of commercial space, a hotel, a K-8 school, and plans for a future high school.
"The nice thing about Kingston is that it's 10 minutes from the airport, 10 minutes from FGCU, 10 minutes from the outlets. There's so much job growth on the Alico corridor so we are 10 minutes from that, so it's exciting," Nick and Dominic Cameratta said.
Click here to see Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak with the Kingston developers.
The Cameratta brothers, who are developing the project, emphasized their commitment to preserving the natural environment. With 7,000 acres of land for the project, they say they have decided to restore 50 percent of it into preserves and natural flow ways, then put it into conservation.
The Cameratta brothers say the development has received approval from Florida Fish and Wildlife as well as from the US Army Corps of Engineers.
"They do a very thorough review, they have very specific conditions that need to be met. We've met and fulfilled those conditions through the Army Corps of Engineers. When you look at everything as a whole, this project is going to be tremendous benefit to the environment overall, we're really proud of that," the Cameratta brothers said.
The developers say approximately $11 million has been paid for panther mitigation, with $20 million paid for roads and wildlife crossings. The developers claim the project will save approximately 1 billion gallons of water per year.
However, not everyone supports the development, Rob Moher, CEO and President of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, has expressed concerns.
"The approval of the Kingston development permit is deeply concerning for our community, wildlife, and the Greater Western Everglades ecosystem," Moher said.
The developers remain focused on creating an attractive community with extensive amenities.
"We have a tremendous amenity package designed for this community. We have been recognized for our amenities and our lifestyle in all our communities. Again with this project we intend to build another multi-generational community, catering to people of all ages," the Cameratta's said.
Kingston expects to welcome its first residents in early 2027.
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