BUILDING COMMUNITY LIGHT-RAIL MASS TRANSIT
AND BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS
Patrick Post Executive Director May 12, 2026
SW Florida Light-Rail Bike Pedestrian Pathway Organization
www.swfloridalrbpp.org
PO Box 2124 Naples, Florida 34106
patrickclaypost@outlookcom
239-738-0115
John W. Ketchum
Chairman, President and CEO NextEra Energy, Inc.
Chairman Florida Power & Light
700 Universe Blvd., Juno, FL 33408
Dear Mr. Ketchum,
I am proposing the building of a revolutionary community light-rail mass transit system with bicycle and pedestrian pathways on electric powerline corridors. These tram-style systems will provide a better alternative to driving vehicles everywhere people need to go. They will be a much safer, faster, less expensive, and more enjoyable way to travel through our communities, while reducing air and water pollution and traffic congestion. Wide paved treelined bicycle and pedestrian pathways would be constructed on both sides of the light-rail tracks to create an attractive linear park-like natural setting. Water fountains, park benches, picnic tables, and restroom facilities would also be available.
Building these vehicle-free mass transit arteries, which are designed to include pathways for bicycle riders and people walking and running, will help to reduce serious roadway injuries and fatalities, and Florida has the highest bicycle/vehicle accident and death rate in America. This project will create cleaner, healthier, and more livable communities. I am currently working with the non-profit groups Rails to Trails, Trust for Public Lands, and Friends of Bonita Estero Rail Trail to develop alternative non-vehicle pathways. Coldwell Banker Real Estate has enthusiastically endorsed the Friends of BERT project.
This light-rail mass transit system will be an infinitely better alternative to the approved roadway plan to widen the six lane I-75 freeway in Collier and Lee County in SW Florida by adding two more lanes for 20 miles from Golden Gate Parkway to Corkscrew Road. The cost to widen the freeway to eight lanes is estimated at $578 million or $28.9 million a mile. These transit systems with bicycle and pedestrian pathways would cost a similar $28.9 million per mile to build on electric powerline corridors. Each tram-bus will hold 20-30 passengers and bikes will be allowed to be taken on board at the rear of the buses. There would be passenger transit stations built every 10-20 blocks, and the tram-like buses will average 40 mph. This concept is similar to the Miami Metro-Mover Monorail.
Solar panels would be installed on the roofs of the transit stations and on the roofs of the buses. This system will be 100% powered from renewable energy with help from ground mounted solar panels and power storage installed near the tracks. With crude oil prices rising and availability declining, now is the time to begin reinventing U.S. mass transit by utilizing clean, unlimited, and low-cost solar power to create efficient light-rail systems.
Bridges would be constructed over main roadways so this system can operate continually regardless of traffic congestion. The system can also be expanded to run along very wide highways such as Collier Blvd. from Marco Island to Immokalee Rd. (25 miles). It could then continue north 20 miles to SW Florida Int. Airport and an additional 25 miles to the Solar City of the Future - Babcock Ranch = 70 miles. Developing this mass transit and bicycle and pedestrian pathway will revitalize our cities, and it will increase real estate property values by 3-7% for homes and businesses that are located near the system. This will then raise property tax revenues for city and county governments, which will help to pay for building this community transit infrastructure project. Implementing this concept could reduce roadway vehicle traffic enough to eliminate the need to widen the freeway.
Building this system will encourage the construction of desperately needed multi-family workforce housing near the light-rail tracks for firefighters, police, teachers, and nurses to purchase, lease, or rent. These critical workers are often priced out of the local housing market, and they usually need to drive their vehicles long distances to commute to work and home. The need for safer and abundant bicycle/pedestrian pathways and affordable workforce housing are two of the most critical issues now facing Collier and Lee County and all of Florida. Implementing this project will change our past misguided direction of focusing primarily on vehicles and begin focusing on what is truly better for people by providing healthier quality-of-life alternatives to driving vehicles throughout our rapidly growing communities. I have spoken with Tesla Inc. in the past about developing this solar light-rail project, and a partnership with them would ensure it becomes a reality.
There is another alternative to widening the I-75 freeway to eight lanes for twenty miles for $578 million. This would be to create 200 miles of bicycle and pedestrian pathways costing less than $3 million a mile to build. This system will improve our communities immensely by reducing traffic congestion, while promoting business growth and smarter sustainable housing development, and providing new places for our citizens and tourists to ride bikes, run, walk, and enjoy the outdoors. This will increase the health, wellness, and quality of life of everyone living in and visiting SW Florida, and this will increase tourism. For too long, we have focused on how to add more vehicles to our already crowded roadways. A better choice would be to significantly expand park-like bicycle and pedestrian pathways to provide more enjoyable and healthy alternatives to driving.
By implementing this solar-powered revitalization project in SW Florida, with leadership and support from NextEra Energy and Florida Power & Light, it will set a new standard for community mass transit development in America. We can then begin to compete with Europe and Asia in creating reliable, efficient, and cost-effective public transit systems.
I look forward to your response to my proposals.
Kind regards,
Patrick Post
