NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — First they were homes. Then they were uninhabitable; graffitied, space ship-like fixtures on the southwest Florida Gulf seascape.
Now a Naples-based nonprofit is hoping to turn the dome homes into a reef, taking the property off the hands of its Boston owner and preserving them in a way before rising waters overtake them.
Oceans for Youth in Naples aims to educate children about marine life and ecosystems. With the help of a Naples attorney, the group is trying to raise $2.2 million to remove and sink the dome homes somewhere off the coast of Collier County.
They hope to raise the money in a year through a crowdfunding site. As of Friday they had raised $210 toward the goal.
Built by Bob and Margaret Lee in 1980, the dome home had solar panels and a water cistern for rain. The family lived there for two years before selling the property. After changing hands a few more times, John Tosto bought the property 2005 with plans to restore the home and live in there. But when the county deemed it uninhabitable in 2007, they started piling fines, saying it had to be brought up to code or removed.
The county has fined Tosto $250 a day for the past 3,144 days for a total of $786,000. If the home is donated for this reef project, Collier County spokeswoman Kate Albers said commissioners could vote to waive the fines.
Attempts to reach Tosto for comment were unsuccessful, but attorney Timothy Cotter has been working with him since he bought the property.
"I'm not too familiar with the status of how title sits," Cotter said. "But I wouldn't say this is a way for John to get it off his plate. I think he realized with the shift in the land that it's the best use for those homes and it would be kind of cool to restore them in a different light.
The county began sinking concrete last year as part of a large-scale reef project with 36 sites about 10 to 28 miles off shore, spanning from off Cape Romano to between Gordon Pass and Doctors Pass. Officials believe that project will have an economic impact of $30 million a year — between tourism dollars, and the jobs created surrounding the reef — once complete.
While they have yet to designate a spot for the reef, Oceans for Youth founder Wayne Hasson hopes to have them placed offshore an equal distance from Naples and Marco Island. How many miles will be determined through talks with officials. Hasson said the homes will become a magnet for tourists and fish alike.
"It's gonna be magic," he said.
Tim Hall, a marine engineer with Turrell, Hall & Associates, began working on the property when Tosto bought it.
They finally secured permits to move the homes up along the beach when Hurricane Wilma came through, he said. The storm eroded too much of the beach to make relocation possible, he said. Tosto, he said, has had his hands tied since.
Hall, a Naples native, remembers seeing the domes being built as a kid. He admits it will be somewhat sad to see them disappear from view.
"I know for some of the eco-tourists groups it's kind of a landmark for them," he said. "When you go down that part of the coast, that's always one of the things you look for."
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Information from: Naples (Fla.) Daily News, http://www.naplesnews.com