While Robert Troutman attempted to satisfy the required environmental concerns and recommendations, the planned community of The Estuaries was a dream that never came to fruition.

"The Estuaries got very bogged down then in trying to be developed."

Whether it was the federal government, the state government, or spirited members of the community, The Estuaries encountered opposition due to its proximity to sensitive wetland areas.

"He (Troutman) learned that it was of much public interest because it bordered on the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve… but he felt a deep civic duty to preserve and to protect this asset."

Simpson explained that Troutman did not want Southwest Florida to look like the development that had occurred on the East Coast, and The Estuaries was to be a better (environmentally) planned community.