BCC Minutes 03/23/2021 RMarch 23, 2021
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TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Naples, Florida, March 23, 2021
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Board of County
Commissioners, in and for the County of Collier, and also acting as
the Board of Zoning Appeals and as the governing board(s) of such
special districts as have been created according to law and having
conducted business herein, met on this date at 9:00 a.m., in
REGULAR SESSION in Building "F" of the Government Complex,
East Naples, Florida, with the following members present:
Chairman: Penny Taylor
William L. McDaniel, Jr.
Rick LoCastro
Burt L. Saunders
Andy Solis
ALSO PRESENT:
Leo Ochs, County Manager
Daniel Rodriguez, Deputy County Manager
Jeffrey A. Klatzkow, County Attorney
Crystal K. Kinzel, Clerk of the Circuit Court
Troy Miller, Communications & Customer Relations
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March 23, 2021
COLLIER COUNTY
Board of County Commissioners
Community Redevelopment Agency Board (CRAB)
Airport Authority
AGENDA
Board of County Commission Chambers
Collier County Government Center
3299 Tamiami Trail East, 3rd Floor Naples, FL 34112
March 23, 2021
9:00 AM
Commissioner Penny Taylor, District 4 – Chair – CRAB Co-Chair
Commissioner William L. McDaniel, Jr., District 5; - Vice Chair - CRAB Co-Chair
Commissioner Rick LoCastro, District 1
Commissioner Andy Solis, District 2
Commissioner Burt Saunders, District 3
NOTICE: ALL PERSONS WISHING TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS MUST
REGISTER PRIOR TO PRESENTATION OF THE AGENDA ITEM TO BE
ADDRESSED. ALL REGISTERED SPEAKERS WILL RECEIVE UP TO THREE
(3) MINUTES UNLESS THE TIME IS ADJUSTED BY THE CHAIRMAN.
REQUESTS TO PETITION THE BOARD ON SUBJECTS WHICH ARE NOT ON
THIS AGENDA MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING WITH EXPLANATION
TO THE COUNTY MANAGER AT LEAST 13 DAYS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF
THE MEETING AND WILL BE HEARD UNDER “PUBLIC PETITIONS.”
PUBLIC PETITIONS ARE LIMITED TO THE PRESENTER, WITH A
MAXIMUM TIME OF TEN MINUTES.
ANY PERSON WHO DECIDES TO APPEAL A DECISION OF THIS BOARD
WILL NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDING PERTAINING THERETO,
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March 23, 2021
AND THEREFORE MAY NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD
OF THE PROCEEDINGS IS MADE, WHICH RECORD INCLUDES THE
TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE APPEAL IS TO BE BASED.
COLLIER COUNTY ORDINANCE NO. 2003-53 AS AMENDED BY
ORDINANCE 2004-05 AND 2007-24, REQUIRES THAT ALL LOBBYISTS
SHALL, BEFORE ENGAGING IN ANY LOBBYING ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING
BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ADDRESSING THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS), REGISTER WITH THE CLERK TO THE BOARD AT THE
BOARD MINUTES AND RECORDS DEPARTMENT.
IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY WHO NEEDS ANY
ACCOMMODATION IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCEEDING,
YOU ARE ENTITLED, AT NO COST TO YOU, THE PROVISION OF CERTAIN
ASSISTANCE. PLEASE CONTACT THE COLLIER COUNTY FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT DIVISION LOCATED AT 3335 EAST TAMIAMI TRAIL,
SUITE 1, NAPLES, FLORIDA, 34112-5356, (239) 252-8380; ASSISTED
LISTENING DEVICES FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED ARE AVAILABLE IN
THE FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DIVISION.
LUNCH RECESS SCHEDULED FOR 12:00 NOON TO 1:00 P.M.
1. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
A. Senior Pastor Heath Jarvis of Faith Life Worship Center
Invocation Given
2. AGENDA AND MINUTES
A. Approval of today’s regular, consent and summary agenda as amended (ex
parte disclosure provided by commission members for consent agenda.)
Approved and/or Adopted w/changes – 5/0
B. February 23, 2021 BCC Meeting Minutes
Approved as presented – 5/0
C. March 1, 2021 BCC Special Meeting Minutes
Approved as presented – 5/0
3. AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
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March 23, 2021
A. EMPLOYEE
B. ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
C. RETIREES
D. EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
4. PROCLAMATIONS
Items #16H1, #16H2, #16H3, #16H4 and #16H5 read into the record
5. PRESENTATIONS
Add on (Per Agenda Change Sheet)
A. Covid-19 Status Report
Update given
6. PUBLIC PETITIONS
A. Public Petition request from Mr. James Rosenberger, requesting the Collier
County Board of Commissioners join counties regarding protection for
firearm owners and supporters in Collier County.
Motion for the County Attorney to prepare an Executive Summary and
bring this item back to the April 13th BCC Meeting – Approved 5/0
7. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON GENERAL TOPICS NOT ON THE CURRENT
OR FUTURE AGENDA
A. Dan Cook – Government overreach and 17th Amendment
B. Jacqualene Keay – Affordable Housing
C. Mary Eldger – Constitutional rights
8. BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS
9. ADVERTISED PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. This item requires ex parte disclosure be provided by the Commission
members. Should a hearing be held on this item, all participants are
required to be sworn in. Recommendation to approve a Resolution of the
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Collier County Board of County Commissioners amending the Town of Ave
Maria Stewardship Receiving Area (SRA) to revise the SRA town plan and
master plan in accordance with Section 4.08.07.F.4 of the Land
Development Code, and specifically to: increase the civic uses from 148,500
to 350,000 square feet to accommodate a hospital use; redesignate 5± acres
of services district to Town Center 3; to add Appendix G, deviations to
provide for a signage deviation for an off-premises sign outside of the SRA
boundary and a maximum lot size deviation for multi-family development;
and add a vehicular trip cap based on existing permitted uses. The subject
property is located north of Oil Well Road and west of Camp Keais Road in
Sections 31 through 33, Township 47 South, Range 29 East and Sections 4
through 9 and 16 through 18, Township 48 South, Range 29 East in Collier
County, Florida. (District 5)
Resolution 2021-67 Adopted w/stipulation – 4/1 (Commissioner Taylor
opposed)
B. Recommendation to approve a Resolution proposing an amendment to the
Collier County Growth Management plan, Ordinance 89-05, as amended,
specifically amending the future land use element and map series to create
the Immokalee Road Rural Village Overlay (IRRVO) on property within the
agricultural, rural designation, rural fringe mixed use district, to establish
210.78± acres of neutral lands, 1998± acres of receiving lands and 578.49±
acres of sending lands; to allow a maximum of 4042 dwelling units within
the IRRVO of which a minimum of 3,000 dwelling units will be located in
the receiving lands; to provide for generation of transfer of development
rights credits from sending lands including one credit for restoration of farm
lands; to provide for uses on sending lands to include allowable uses in
county preserves; to provide for uses on neutral lands to include uses
permitted by LDC section 2.03.08.a.3 on neutral lands without limitation
including but not limited to agricultural activities, single family dwelling
units, group housing, sports and recreation camps, farm labor housing,
schools and educational plants; to provide for uses on receiving lands to
include a minimum of 25,000 square feet and a maximum of 125,000 square
feet of civic/institutional/government uses, a minimum of 50,000 square feet
and a maximum of 250,000 square feet of commercial uses permitted by
right and conditional use in the general commercial (c-4) zoning district,
with non-residential uses subject to a cap of 375,000 square feet in the
receiving lands; providing for a greenbelt and native vegetation
requirements; and furthermore directing transmittal of the amendment to the
Florida department of economic opportunity. The subject property is
2787.27± acres and located on east side of Immokalee Road, approximately
two miles north of Oil Well Road, in sections 1 and 2, township 48 south,
range 27 east, in sections 25 and 35. (Transmittal Hearing) (PL2018002660)
(District 5)
Resolution 2021-68 & Resolution 2021-68A Adopted — 5/0
10. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
A. This item to be heard immediately following Item #7.
Recommendation to provide additional staff direction regarding the County
Manager recruitment process. (All Districts)
Motion to hire and negotiate a contract with Mark Isackson as the new
County Manager—Approved 5/0; Tabled and report back on item after
lunch; Motion to approve contract effective March 23, 2021 — Approved
5/0
B. Request by Commissioner McDaniel to reconsider Companion Items #9A
and #16A1 from the March 9, 2021 BCC Meeting. Item #9A:
Recommendation to approve an Ordinance amending Ordinance Number
04-41, as amended, the Collier County Land Development Code and Zoning
Atlas, which includes the comprehensive land regulations for the
unincorporated area of Collier County, Florida, to create the Golden Gate
Parkway Overlay District (GGPOD) and eliminate the Golden Gate Parkway
Professional Office Commercial Overlay (GGPPOCO) and the Golden Gate
Downtown Center Commercial Overlay District (GGDCCO), and establish
uses, boundaries and design standards, by providing for: Section One,
Recitals; Section Two, Findings of Fact; Section Three, Adoption of
Amendments to the Land Development Code, more specifically amending
the following: Chapter One - General Provisions; Chapter Two - Zoning
Districts and Uses; Chapter 4 - Site Design and Development Standards;
Chapter Five - Supplemental Standards; and Chapter 10 - Application,
Review, and Decision-Making Procedures; Section Four, Conflict and
Severability; Section Five, inclusion in the Collier County Land
Development Code; and Section Six, effective date. Item #16A1:
Recommendation to approve a resolution amending the administrative code
for land development, which was created by Ordinance No. 2013- 57, by
amending Chapter Six, Waivers, Exemptions and Reductions, more
specifically to add section M, Deviation Requests for Projects in the Golden
Gate Parkway Overlay District (DR-GGPOD); and providing an effective
date. (All Districts)
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Commissioner McDaniel wants the record to reflect that he wishes to
change his vote to “No” for Agenda Item #9A from the March 9, 2021
BCC Meeting - Consensus
C. Recommendation to conduct a public workshop on the proposed expansion
of the Big Cypress Basin in conjunction with impacted county and municipal
leaders and representatives of the South Florida Water Management District
and Big Cypress Basin. (Commissioner McDaniel) (All Districts)
Setting a Workshop date for April – Approved 5/0
D. Legislative Priorities by John Mullins.
Update given
11. COUNTY MANAGER'S REPORT
A. Recommendation to award Invitation to Bid (“ITB”) No. 21-7823, “108th
and 109th Avenues Public Utilities Renewal" (Project Numbers 60139 and
70120), to Douglas N. Higgins, Inc., in the amount of $12,337,900, and
authorize the Chair to sign the attached Agreement and authorize the
necessary budget amendments. This is a companion to Agenda Items #11B
and #11C. (Tom Chmelik, Public Utilities Engineering and Project
Management Division Director) (District 2)
Approved – 5/0
B. Recommendation to approve a work order to Q. Grady Minor & Associates,
P.A., under Agreement Number 15-6450, for Construction Administration
Services for the Public Utility Renewal Project for 108th and 109th Avenues
(Project Numbers 60139 and 70120) in the amount of $324,208. This is a
companion to Agenda Items #11A and #11C. (Tom Chmelik, Public Utilities
Engineering and Project Management Division Director) (District 2)
Approved – 5/0
C. Recommendation to approve a $1,145,540 Purchase Order to Stantec
Consulting Services, Inc., under Agreement Number 14-6345 for
Construction, Engineering, and Inspection Services for the Public Utility
Renewal Project for 108th and 109th Avenues North, Project Numbers
60139 and 70120. This is a companion to Agenda Items #11A and #11B.
(Tom Chmelik, Public Utilities Engineering and Project Management
Division Director) (District 2)
Approved – 5/0
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D. Recommendation to approve the purchase of Property, Terrorism and
Equipment Breakdown Insurance effective April 1, 2021 in the estimated
amount of $4,612,483. (Jeff Walker, Risk Management Director) (All
Districts)
Approved – 5/0
E. Recommendation to accept the staff report regarding truck traffic on Logan
Boulevard Extension between Immokalee Road and the Lee County line.
(Anthony Khawaja, Chief Engineer Traffic Operations) (District 3)
Motion for the County Attorney to bring back options/solutions for
roadway issues at the April 13th BCC Meeting – Approved 5/0
12. COUNTY ATTORNEY'S REPORT
13. OTHER CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS
14. AIRPORT AUTHORITY AND/OR COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCY
A. AIRPORT
B. COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
15. STAFF AND COMMISSION GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS
A. Proposed Future Workshop Schedule (All Districts)
B. Mr. Ochs – CRA Workshop on April 6, 2021
C. Mr. Klatzkow – Seed to Table Action
D. Commissioner Saunders - Motion to dismiss the Seed to Table Action –
Approved – 5/0
E. Commissioner Taylor – US Army Corps of Engineers overview
discussion at the April 13th BCC Meeting
F. Commissioner Taylor – Resiliency Compact
G. Commissioner Taylor – Florida Legislative Bill
H. Commissioner Taylor – Flags/Banners
I. Commissioner Taylor – Mask mandate to sunset April 13, 2021
J. Commissioner LoCastro – Wastewater/Utility main break
K. Commissioner McDaniel – Wastewater/Utility main break
L. Commissioner Solis – TDC Update
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M. Commissioner Solis – Bill in committee using TDC fund for flood
mitigation
N. Commissioner Saunders – Tigertail Beach Concessions Agreement
O. Commissioner Saunders – Commissioner Summer Break
P. Commissioner LoCastro – Tigertail Concessions, Summer Break
Q. Commissioner Taylor - Adjourned
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16. CONSENT AGENDA - All matters listed under this item are considered to be
routine and action will be taken by one motion without separate discussion of
each item. If discussion is desired by a member of the Board, that item(s) will
be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately.
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Approved and/or Adopted w/changes – 5/0
A. GROWTH MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
Continue Indefinitely (Per Agenda Change Sheet)
1) Recommendation to approve the issuance of a Right-of-Way (ROW)
Permit to create a designated parking area within the ROW on a
specific segment of Hamilton Avenue from Thomasson Drive to Bay
Street. (This is a companion to Agenda Item #16C1. All items must be
either approved or denied together on today’s agenda) (District 4)
2) Recommendation to approve final acceptance of the potable water and
sewer facilities for Addison Place, PL20180002227, accept the
conveyance of a portion of the potable water and sewer facilities, and
authorize the County Manager, or his designee, to release the Final
Obligation Bond in the total amount of $4,000 to the Project Engineer
or the Developer’s designated agent. (District 3)
A final inspection was conducted on November 25, 2020 and
found the facilities to be satisfactory
3) Recommendation to approve final acceptance of the potable water and
sewer facilities for Staybridge Suites, PL20180003442, accept the
conveyance of a portion of the potable water facilities, and authorize
the County Manager, or his designee, to release the Utilities
Performance Security (UPS) and Final Obligation Bond in the total
amount of $14,319.58 to the Project Engineer or the Developer’s
designated agent. (District 1)
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Located off of Triangle Blvd and Celeste Drive
4) Recommendation to approve final acceptance of the potable water and
sewer utility facilities for Ave Maria School of Law Sports Complex,
PL20190002227, and authorize the County Manager, or his designee,
to release the Utilities Performance Security (UPS) and Final
Obligation Bond in the total amount of $5,179.07 to the Project
Engineer or the Developer’s designated agent. (District 3)
Located at the corner of Vineyards Blvd and Vanderbilt Beach
Road
5) Recommendation to approve final acceptance of the potable water and
sewer utility facilities for Olympia Park Plaza Unit 300,
PL20210000253. (District 2)
Located at the corner of Airport-Pulling Road and Vanderbilt
Beach Road
6) Recommendation to approve final acceptance of the potable water and
sewer facilities for Addison Place Expansion, PL20190001502, accept
the conveyance of the sewer facilities, and authorize the County
Manager, or his designee, to release the Utilities Performance Security
(UPS) and Final Obligation Bond in the total amount of $7,896.36 to
the Project Engineer or the Developer’s designated agent. (District 3)
A final inspection was conducted on February 5, 2021 and found
the facilities to be satisfactory
7) This item requires that ex parte disclosure be provided by
Commission members. Should a hearing be held on this item, all
participants are required to be sworn in. Recommendation to
approve for recording the final plat of Del Webb Naples Parcels 205-
208, (Application Number PL20200001578) approval of the standard
form Construction and Maintenance Agreement and approval of the
amount of the performance security. (District 5)
Located within Ave Maria
8) Recommendation to authorize the Clerk of Courts to release a
Performance Bond in the amount of $17,800 which was posted as a
development guaranty for an Early Work Authorization (EWA)
(PL20200001441) for work associated with Tollgate Plaza Parking
Lot. (District 5)
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9) Recommendation to authorize the Clerk of Courts to release a
Performance Bond in the amount of $72,400 which was posted as a
development guaranty for an Early Work Authorization (EWA)
(PL20200001503) for work associated with SkySail – Phase One.
(District 5)
10) Recommendation to authorize the Clerk of Courts to release a
Performance Bond in the amount of $54,000 which was posted as a
development guaranty for an Early Work Authorization (EWA)
(PL20200001503) for work associated with Tree Farm. (District 3)
11) Recommendation to authorize the Clerk of Courts to release a
Performance Bond in the amount of $1,200 which was posted as a
development guaranty for an Early Work Authorization (EWA)
(PL20200002263) for work associated with Naples Classical
Academy. (District 5)
12) Recommendation to approve an Agreement for the purchase of land
(Parcel 207FEE) required for the Vanderbilt Beach Road Extension
(Project No. 60168). (All Districts)
Folio #37543640000
13) Recommendation to approve the release of a code enforcement lien,
with an accrued value of $171,318.98 for payment of $5,118.98 in the
code enforcement action titled, Board of County Commissioners v.
LSF9 MSTR Participation Trust, relating to property located at 4070
29th Ave NE, Collier County, Florida. (District 5)
Violation for unpermitted alteration work to the interior of the
main structure that was brought into compliance on October 26,
2020
14) Recommendation to authorize a budget amendment to recognize
revenue and transfer funding for projects within the Transportation
Supported Gas Tax Fund (313) and Transportation & CDES Capital
Fund (310) in the amount of $138,880.17 (Projects #60066, #60085,
#60088, #69331, #69333, #69336, #69339, and #69338). (All
Districts)
As detailed in the Executive Summary
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15) Recommendation to approve Change Order No. 4 to Agreement No.
06-4000 with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., (f/k/a CH2M Hill) in
the amount of $499,810, for modifications to the Vanderbilt Beach
Road Extension Project consistent with Board approved alignment.
(Project No. 60168) (District 5)
B. COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
1) Recommendation that the Collier County Community Redevelopment
Agency and the Board of County Commissioners review and accept
the 2020 Annual Reports for the two component areas: Bayshore
Gateway Triangle and Immokalee Community Redevelopment Areas
(CRA) and publish the reports on the appropriate websites. (District 4,
District 5)
C. PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT
Continue Indefinitely (Per Agenda Change Sheet)
1) Recommendation to approve the attached Amendments of
Conservation Easements that were deeded by Naples Botanical
Garden (NBG) to the South Florida Water Management District
(SFWMD) and Collier County (County), and by NBG to SFWMD.
(This is a companion item to Agenda Item #16A1. All items must be
either approved or denied together on today’s agenda.) (District 4)
2) Recommendation to award an Agreement for Invitation to Bid
(“ITB”) No. 21-7832, Cocohatchee River Park Fuel Tank
Replacement project, to ATC Group Services LLC, in the amount of
$216,500 and authorize the Chair to sign the attached agreement and
related budget amendments. (District 2)
Located at 13535 Vanderbilt Drive
3) Recommendation to approve the document necessary to convey an
easement to Florida Power & Light Company over property owned by
Collier County at the proposed Heritage Bay Government Center site.
(All Districts)
Folio #49660082584
4) Recommendation to approve Amendment No. 3 with South Florida
Water Management District to continue leasing office space for
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March 23, 2021
Tourism on Horseshoe Drive North for one additional year. (All
Districts)
5) Recommendation to approve a Lease Agreement with American
National Insurance Company to relocate the office for Pelican Bay
Services to another office within the Suntrust Bank building in Pelican
Bay, and to approve a Sublease Agreement between Collier County
and The Pelican Bay Foundation. (District 2)
6) Recommendation to award Invitation to Bid No. 21-7833 “Golden
Gate Community Park Pool Reconstruction and Restroom Alteration”
to Compass Construction, Inc., in the amount of $958,060, authorize
the Chair to execute the attached Construction Services Agreement,
and approve the attached budget amendment. (All Districts)
7) Recommendation to award an agreement to Schenkel & Shultz Inc.,
for Request for Professional Services (“RPS”) No. 20-7753, “Design
Services for Collier County EMS Stations,” in the amount of
$713,680 for two new Emergency Medical Services stations approved
in the Infrastructure Sales Tax program. (All Districts)
For the Golden Gate Estates EMS Station 74 and Old 41/North
Naples EMS Station 412
D. PUBLIC SERVICES DEPARTMENT
1) Recommendation to accept and appropriate a Fidelity Charitable
Donor-Advised Fund grant of $100 to support the Collier County
Public Library and authorize the necessary Budget Amendment. (All
Districts)
2) Recommendation to authorize a Budget Amendment to recognize
carry forward of residual funds from the 4-H Youth Development
Program funding received by the Public Services University
Extension Services Division. (All Districts)
3) Recommendation to approve and authorize the Chairperson to sign the
First Amendment to the grant-funded HVAC installation subrecipient
agreement between Collier County and the Collier County Housing
Authority to extend the agreement, modify the Federal Award
Identification Number and clarify the match language. (All Districts)
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4) Recommendation to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign the
First Amendment of the sub-award agreement between Collier County
and the Institute for Intergovernmental Research for the Building
Bridges Between Jails and Community-Based Treatment for Opioid
Use Disorder Demonstration Project. (All Districts)
5) Recommendation to recognize and accept revenue for a Collier Area
Transit bus shelter in the amount of $65,000 and to approve all
necessary Budget Amendments. (District 2)
For bus shelter improvements at an existing CAT bus stop located
on US 41 between Ridge Drive and Myrtle Road
6) Recommendation to approve and authorize the Chairperson to sign an
agreement between Collier County and Housing Development
Corporation of SW Florida, Inc., d/b/a HELP to provide
administration of a mortgage and utility assistance program through
the Collier County Assistance Funds to benefit individuals and
households impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. (All Districts)
Providing benefits to residents in need of mortgage, utility, and
foreclosure prevention counseling
7) Recommendation to approve an “After-the-Fact” Agreement and
attestation statement with the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest
Florida, Inc., Coronavirus Consolidated Appropriations Act funding
under the Older American Act grant program for the Collier County
Services for Seniors Program and authorize the necessary Budget
Amendments. (All Districts)
The total grant award for the CCA Agreement in the amount of
$231,742.07
8) Recommendation to approve a Purchase Order to Capital Contractors,
LLC under Agreement No. 19-7525, “Annual Agreement for General
Contractors,” to be funded by the Vanderbilt Beach Municipal Service
Taxing Unit (MSTU) in the amount of $229,853.35, for the
construction of paver sidewalks at the southwest and northwest
corners of Vanderbilt Drive and Bluebill Ave. (District 2)
9) Recommendation to approve the Fifth Amendment to Agreement No.
19-002-WV between Collier County and Benevate, Inc., for Grant
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Management Software to support the Emergency Rental Assistance
and the Collier County Assistance Program, authorize the
expenditures under the Waiver, and authorize the Chair to sign the
amendment. (All Districts)
For the continued needs of Collier County residents and business
owners affected by COVID-19
10) Recommendation to approve an “After-the-Fact” grant application for
a 3-year Florida Department of Children and Families Criminal
Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant in
the amount of $1,200,000. (All Districts)
Engaging inmates that are exiting the jail system in medication-
assisted treatment (MAT) to reduce re-incarceration
11) Recommendation to approve and authorize the chairperson to sign a
release of lien for a unit that is no longer subject to the terms of the
Affordable Housing Density Bonus Program. (All Districts)
Property located at 4430 Botanical Place Circle, Unit 104
E. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DEPARTMENT
1) Recommendation to renew the annual Certificate of Public
Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) and Permit for a Class 1 (ALS
Transport/ALS Rescue) and Class 2 (ALS Intra-facility ALS
Ambulance Transport) for the Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue
Department within the boundaries of the Seminole Tribe in
Immokalee. (All Districts)
2) Recommendation to approve the administrative reports prepared by
the Procurement Services Division for change orders and other
contractual modifications requiring Board approval. (All Districts)
3) Recommendation to approve the administrative report prepared by the
Procurement Services Division for disposal of property and
notification of revenue disbursement. (All Districts)
F. COUNTY MANAGER OPERATIONS
1) Recommendation to approve a report covering two budget
amendments impacting reserves and moving funds in an amount up to
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and including $25,000 and $50,000, respectively. (All Districts)
BA #21-345 for Domestic Animal Services Donations
2) Recommendation to adopt a resolution approving amendments
(appropriating grants, donations, contributions or insurance proceeds)
to the FY20-21 Adopted Budget. (All Districts)
Resolution 2021-59
G. AIRPORT AUTHORITY
1) Recommendation to approve the submittal of the attached Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Coronavirus Response Grant
Program (ACRGP) grant applications to request eligible funds under
the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations
Act (Public Law 116-260) (CRRSAA) in the amount of $23,000 for
the Marco Island Executive Airport (MKY) and $13,000 for the
Immokalee Regional Airport (IMM). (District 5)
2) Recommendation to adopt a Resolution authorizing execution of
Amendment for Extension of Public Transportation Grant Agreement
(PTGA) G0Z16 with the Florida Department of Transportation to
extend the end date of the Agreement for the Security Enhancements
at the Immokalee Regional Airport from June 30, 2021 to December
31, 2021 to provide sufficient time for project completion. (District 5)
Resolution 2021-60
H. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
1) Proclamation designating March 18 - 28, 2021 as the 45th
Anniversary of the Collier Fair. The proclamation will be mailed to
Rhonda Ward, Collier Fair Manager.
Adopted
2) Proclamation designating April 17 - 24, 2021 as Pickleball Week in
Collier County. The proclamation will be mailed to Terri Graham, co-
founder of Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships.
Adopted
3) Proclamation designating March 2021 as American Red Cross Month
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in Collier County. The proclamation will be mailed to Jill Palmer,
Executive Director, American Red Cross - Florida Gulf Coast to
Heartland Chapter.
Adopted
4) Proclamation designating April 2021 as Child Abuse Prevention
Month in Collier County. The proclamation will be mailed to Laura
Lafakis, Associate Director of Development, Youth Haven, Inc.
Adopted
5) Proclamation designating April 5 - 9, 2021 as National Community
Development Week in Collier County. The proclamation will be
delivered to Kristi Sonntag, Director, Community and Human
Services Division.
Adopted
I. MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE
1) Miscellaneous Correspondence (All Districts)
J. OTHER CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS
1) To record in the minutes of the Board of County Commissioners, the
check number (or other payment method), amount, payee, and
purpose for which the referenced disbursements were drawn for the
periods between February 25, 2021 and March 10, 2021 pursuant to
Florida Statute 136.06. (All Districts)
2) Request that the Board approve and determine valid public purpose
for invoices payable and purchasing card transactions as of March 17,
2021. (All Districts)
K. COUNTY ATTORNEY
1) Recommendation to approve and authorize the Chair to execute a
Settlement Agreement in the lawsuit styled Jose Cruz v. Collier
County Board of Commissioners, (Case No. 19-CA-3739), now
pending in the Circuit Court of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit in and
for Collier County, Florida, for the sum of $60,000. (All Districts)
Relating to an accident involving a county vehicle from March 30,
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March 23, 2021
2017 on Davis Blvd, near W. Crown Point Blvd.
2) Recommendation to approve a pre-suit Mediated Settlement
Agreement for the total amount of $105,669 for the taking of Parcel
1165FEE, required for the Vanderbilt Beach Road Expansion Project
[Project No. 60168]. (All Districts)
3) Recommendation to appoint three members to the Health Facilities
Authority. (All Districts)
Resolution 2021-61: Re-appointing Robert H. Chalhoub and
George Russell Weyer and Appointing Rebecca Ann Gatian to fill
a vacant seat
4) Recommendation to reappoint a member to the Public Transit
Advisory Committee. (All Districts)
Resolution 2021-62: Re-appointing Devon Browne to a three-year
term expiring on March 22, 2024
5) Appointment of members to the Pelican Bay Services Division Board.
(District 2)
Resolution 2021-63: Appointing David Mangan (representing
Commercial/business interests) and re-appointing Joseph
Chicurel and appointing John Cullen, Susan Lyons Hamilton and
Michael Lee Rodburg (all representing residential interest)
6) Recommendation to appoint a member to the Bayshore Beautification
Advisory Committee. (District 4)
Resolution 2021-64: Appointing John M. Smith to fill the
remainder of a vacant seat expiring on March 3, 2023
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. SUMMARY AGENDA - This section is for advertised public hearings and
must meet the following criteria: 1) A recommendation for approval from
staff; 2) Unanimous recommendation for approval by the Collier County
Planning Commission or other authorizing agencies of all members present
and voting; 3) No written or oral objections to the item received by staff, the
Collier County Planning Commission, other authorizing agencies or the
Board, prior to the commencement of the BCC meeting on which the items
are scheduled to be heard; and 4) No individuals are registered to speak in
opposition to the item. For those items which are quasi-judicial in nature, all
Page 18
March 23, 2021
participants must be sworn in.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adopted – 5/0
A. This item requires that ex parte disclosure be provided by Commission
members. Should a hearing be held on this item, all participants are
required to be sworn in. PL20200001448, City Gate PUDA-
Recommendation to approve an Ordinance amending Ordinance No. 88-93,
as amended, the City Gate Commerce Park Planned Unit Development; by
increasing the development intensity for the sports complex extension lot by
adding ±10,000 square feet for medical office uses for Collier County
employees only; by increasing the actual height for the sports complex
project and certain lots east of the FPL easement to 100 feet; by amending
the development standards and deviations; by increasing the trip limitation
for the sports complex extension lot; by updating the master development
plan to show the current lot configuration and relocation of City Gate
Boulevard South. The subject property consisting of 419.60± acres is located
at the northeast quadrant of the intersection of I-75 and Collier Boulevard
(CR 951) in Sections 35 and 36, Township 49 South, Range 26 East, in
Collier County, Florida. (This is a companion item to Development Order
Amendment Petition PUDA-PL20200002056, Agenda Item #17B.)
[PL20200001448] (District 5)
Ordinance 2021-15
B. This item requires that ex parte disclosure be provided by Commission
members. Should a hearing be held on this item, all participants are
required to be sworn in. PL20200002056, City Gate Commerce Park DRI-
Recommendation to approve a Resolution amending Development Order 88-
02, as amended, the Citygate Commerce Park Development of Regional
Impact, providing for Section One: amendments to add ±10,000 square feet
of medical office uses to the DRI; amendment to the master development
plan; and increase the trip cap limitation; Section Two: findings of fact;
Section Three: conclusions of law; Section Four: effect of previously issued
development order, transmittal to the Department of Economic Opportunity
and providing an effective date. The subject property consisting of 419.60+
acres is located at the northeast quadrant of the intersection of I-75 and
Collier Boulevard (CR 951) in Sections 35 and 36, Township 49 South,
Range 26 East, in Collier County, Florida. (This is a companion item to
Planned Unit Development Amendment Petition PUDA-PL20200001448,
Agenda Item #17A). [PL20200002056] (District 5)
Page 19
March 23, 2021
Development Order 2021-01/Resolution 2021-65
C. Recommendation to amend Ordinance No. 2021-02, the County
Government Productivity Committee Ordinance, to increase the membership
of the Productivity Committee from nine to eleven members. (All Districts)
Ordinance 2021-16
D. Recommendation to adopt a resolution approving amendments
(appropriating carry forward, transfers and supplemental revenue) to the
FY20-21 Adopted Budget. (All Districts)
Resolution 2021-66
18. ADJOURN
INQUIRIES CONCERNING CHANGES TO THE BOARD’S AGENDA SHOULD
BE MADE TO THE COUNTY MANAGER’S OFFICE AT 252-8383.
March 23, 2021
Page 2
MR. OCHS: Madam Chair, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much. Good
morning.
MR. OCHS: Good morning.
Item #1A
SENIOR PASTOR HEATH JARVIS OF FAITH LIFE WORSHIP
CENTER - INVOCATION GIVEN
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I believe we have our senior pastor,
Heath Jarvis, from Faith Life Worship Center to give us our prayer.
And after that I'm going to ask Commissioner McDaniel if he would
lead us in the Pledge.
PASTOR JARVIS: Good morning, everyone.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Good morning.
PASTOR JARVIS: Let's pray.
Father in heaven, we come before you today. We're thankful
that we live in the greatest nation on this earth. We're thankful to
see your hand of protection and provision on us. We're thankful to
live in one of the most beautiful places on earth here in Southwest
Florida.
Today, God, we have the opportunity to discuss some important
topics that affect all who live here, and I ask for your guidance as we
discuss these issues, help us to discuss these things with civility, with
patience, and with respect. Most of all, Lord, help us to make the
decisions that will best benefit our community.
Lord, I also pray for our leadership here today in Collier County.
Lord, they have important conversations ahead of them today and,
Lord, they have the responsibility to make wise decisions on behalf
of our community. I pray for your peace and your guidance and
March 23, 2021
Page 3
your protection and provision over them and their families.
Your word tells us in the book of James that if we ask for your
wisdom, you will give it to us in generous abundance. So, Lord, we
ask for it, and we receive it thankfully by faith. And I pray this
according to your word, and I pray it in the name of Jesus. Amen.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: With me, ladies and
gentlemen.
(The Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison, and the
proceedings continued as follows:)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I would ask that we remain standing
and that we give this moment a few seconds, a few -- a minute or so
to remember those who lost their lives yesterday in Boulder,
Colorado.
(A moment of silence was observed.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
County Manager.
Item #2A
TODAY’S REGULAR, CONSENT AND SUMMARY AGENDA
AS AMENDED (EX PARTE DISCLOSURE PROVIDED BY
COMMISSION MEMBERS FOR CONSENT AGENDA.) -
APPROVED AND/OR ADOPTED W/CHANGES
MR. OCHS: Good morning, Commissioners. These are the
proposed agenda changes for the Board of County Commissioners
meeting of March 23rd, 2021. The first proposed change is to add
Item 5A to this morning's agenda. This is a monthly presentation of
your COVID status report. That was inadvertently left off your
index. My apologies there.
The next item is to continue Item 16A1 and also 16C1, which is
March 23, 2021
Page 4
a companion item to 16A1. These are continued at Commissioner
Taylor's request. They have to do with right-of-way designations
and permitting an interlocal agreement with the Naples Botanical
Garden all related to the improvements of Hamilton Avenue.
We have one time-certain item. That's Item 10A. That will be
heard immediately following Item 7, which is your public comment
on general topics not on today's agenda.
And those are all the changes that I have, Madam Chair.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
Commissioner Solis, any changes or additions to the agenda?
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: No changes or revisions, and on
the -- and as far as disclosures on the consent agenda, no disclosures.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I have no changes, and as far
as the consent agenda as well, I have nothing on the consent agenda;
no disclosures.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I as well have no changes nor
any disclosures.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Madam Chair, I have no
disclosures and no changes. I have a comment in reference to
16A13. I don't want that removed from the consent agenda. I just
want to make a comment when it's appropriate. If now is the
appropriate time, I'll do that.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Now would be the appropriate time.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: I've asked the County
Attorney -- and I'd like for kind of a report to come back to us at our
next meeting.
We have a policy in place dealing with code enforcement that
March 23, 2021
Page 5
goes back to the Great Recession of 2008, 2010, and 2011 time
frame, and we're obviously well beyond that. We have our own little
mini recession, I guess, in terms of the pandemic. But I think we
need to take a look at the policy and make sure that it's up to speed in
terms of our current situation.
So with the permission of the Board, I'd like to direct the County
Attorney to come back with us with a report on how we handle code
enforcement and if he has any suggested changes due to the changes
in circumstances.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Do we have consensus on the Board?
(No verbal response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
All right. And I have no disclosures and no changes to the
agenda except as noted.
MR. MILLER: Madam Chair?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes.
MR. MILLER: I do have one registered online speaker for the
summary agenda. I'm not sure what it's in reference to, but I guess
now would be the time to call on her.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Jean Ruppel. Ms. Jean Ruppel, you've
registered to speak on a summary agenda item. Can you unmute
yourself and tell us what item you want to speak about, please,
ma'am -- or sir. I'm sorry, Jean. Jean Ruppel or Jean Ruppel.
Now would be the time to unmute yourself, please.
(No response.)
MR. MILLER: All right. We'll try to communicate with them
off-line, Commissioner. But she's -- Madam Chair, she's not
unmuting. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
So given that, and we're about to approve the agenda, I'm
March 23, 2021
Page 6
assuming her comments -- I don't know where we go from here. Just
approve the agenda, and then we'll go from there.
MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. So do I hear a motion to
approve the agenda?
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Motion to approve the agenda.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Second.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously. Thank you.
Proposed Agenda Changes
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
March 23, 2021
Add-On Item 5A: COVID-19 Status Report
Continue Item 16A1 Indefinitely: Recommendation to approve the issuance of a Right-of-
Way (ROW) Permit to create a designated parking area within the ROW on a specific segment
of Hamilton Avenue from Thomasson Drive to Bay Street. (This is a companion to Agenda
Item 16C1. All items must be either approved or denied together on today’s agenda)
(Commissioner Taylor’s request)
Continue Item 16C1 Indefinitely: Recommendation to approve the attached Amendments of
Conservation Easements that were deeded by Naples Botanical Garden (NBG) to the South
Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and Collier County (County), and by NBG to
SFWMD. (This is a companion item to Agenda Item 16A1. All items must be either approved or
denied together on today’s agenda.) (Commissioner Taylor’s request)
Time Certain Item:
Item 10A to be heard immediately following Item 7
4/6/2021 4:09 PM
March 23, 2021
Page 7
Item #2B
FEBRUARY 23, 2021 BCC MEETING MINUTES - APPROVED
AS PRESENTED
MR. OCHS: Item 2B is approval of the Board of County
Commissioners meeting minutes of February 23rd, 2021.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Do I hear a motion to approve?
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: So moved.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: A second?
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Second.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Approval and a second. All those in
favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
Item #2C
MARCH 1, 2021 BCC SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
APPROVED AS PRESENTED
MR. OCHS: Item 2C is approval of a Board of County
Commissioners special meeting minutes from the March 1st, 2021,
meeting.
March 23, 2021
Page 8
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So moved.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Second.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Motion and a second. All those in
favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously. Thank you.
MR. OCHS: Madam Chair, that takes us to the reading of the
titles of your proclamations on your consent agenda this morning.
We have several. With your permission, I'll go ahead and read
those.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
Item #4
PROCLAMATIONS - ITEMS #16H1, #16H2, #16H3, #16H4 AND
#16H5 READ INTO THE RECORD
MR. OCHS: First is Item 16H1. This is a proclamation
designating March 18th through the 28th, 2021, as the 45th
anniversary of the Collier County Fair. This proclamation will be
mailed to Rhonda Ward, the manager of the fair.
Item 16H2 is a proclamation designating April 17th through the
24th, 2021, as Pickleball Week in Collier County. The proclamation
will be mailed to Ms. Terri Graham, the Cofounder of the Minto US
Open Pickleball Championships.
March 23, 2021
Page 9
Item 16H3 is a proclamation designating March 2021 as
American Red Cross Month in Collier County. The proclamation
will be mailed to Jill Palmer, the executive director of the Florida
Gulf Coast to Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Item 16H4 is a proclamation designating April 2021 as Child
Abuse Prevention Month in Collier County. The proclamation will
be mailed to Laura Lefakis, associate director of development for the
Youth Haven, Incorporated.
Finally, proclamation -- excuse me, Item 16H5 is a proclamation
designating April 5th through the 9th, 2021, as National Community
Development Week in Collier County. This proclamation will be
delivered to Kristi Sonntag, your director of the Community and
Human Services Division.
And those are all of today's proclamations, Madam Chair.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you. Do we need a motion on
that?
MR. OCHS: No, ma'am. You've already approved them.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. Thank you very much.
MR. OCHS: Thank you.
Item #5A
COVID-19 STATUS REPORT – UPDATE GIVEN
MR. OCHS: Now we move to Item 5A. This is the monthly
COVID-19 status report. The report will be given by a number of
staff. We'll begin this morning with a presentation by your director
of public health, Kimberly Kossler. And Mohammad Abbasi, I see,
is here as well.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: And this would be Mr. Abbasi?
MR. OCHS: He's going to tell us that right now.
March 23, 2021
Page 10
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Was that good? Was that great?
Am I observant?
MR. ABBASI: Good morning. Mohammad Abbasi, Florida
Department of Health in Collier County.
MR. OCHS: Are we on here?
MR. MILLER: Did you bring a PowerPoint, sir?
MR. ABBASI: Yes, I have it.
MR. MILLER: Hold on one minute. Is this it?
MR. ABBASI: No. I have the slide I can present.
MR. MILLER: Okay.
MR. OCHS: There you go. I'll just put your visualizer up.
MR. ABBASI: So we'll start by looking at the emergency
department visits for influenza-like illness syndrome. Looking on
the left-hand side of the slide, that number of visits over the last two
weeks are trending down, and on the right-hand side of the slide is
the long-term trend from July of last year.
MR. OCHS: Say when you want another slide.
MR. ABBASI: Next, please.
Okay. Moving on to the emergency department visits for
COVID-like illness syndrome, they're also trending down over the
last two weeks, and on the right-hand side, you can see the
trend -- long-term trend. There's a slight increase over the last two
weeks, but it's not a significant increase if you look on the right -hand
side.
Moving on to the positivity rate, it is also trending down over
the last two weeks, on the left-hand side. And if you look at the
right-hand side, the long-term trend, we were plateaued at around
6 percent for three to four weeks, but the current positivity rate is
5.6 percent, which is below 6 percent over the last 14 days.
These are the positivity rates across different areas of the
county, and they range from a low of 4.8 percent in North Naples to a
March 23, 2021
Page 11
high of 8.1 percent in Marco Island.
Next, please.
Looking at the hospital capacity, the number of COVID filled
beds, there's a slight downward trend. Overall bed occupancy is
high, which is typical for this time of the year.
Next, please.
MR. MILLER: I've got it, Leo.
MR. OCHS: There you go. You're on.
MR. ABBASI: So looking at the number of hospitalized cases
in Collier County, the 14-day average, you can see there's a
significant downward trend starting around last week of January, and
then it kind of plateaued over the last two weeks, and there's a slight,
slight downward trend there.
I'll go to Kimberly.
MS. KOSSLER: Good morning.
So just to give a quick review of total cases to date, we are
currently at -- I'll find my little page here. So as of yesterday, total
cases reported is 31,402; 490 deaths related to COVID. As far as
our vaccination efforts, total people vaccinated, 115,061. That's over
69,000 people who have completed their series and over 183,000
doses that have been administered.
For our percentage of 65-plus years and older population is
73 percent, and if you factor in the 60-plus, 60 to 64 in that, we're
around 65 percent. So still working on the age groups as they
continue to drop.
So in collaboration with our great partnerships -- obviously, we
can't do this by ourselves. We are -- and our increasing commercial
pharmacies are continuing to come on board. We expect more and
more of that to happen as well. We're providing throughout the
county over a thousand plus vaccines on average each day.
So the new executive order which took effect March 22nd
March 23, 2021
Page 12
lowered the age group to 50 years old. In addition, I wanted to make
sure everybody knows that the state has launched a system for the
homebound who wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Anyone in
the public can email requests to
homeboundvaccine@em.myflorida.com. You put in your name and
phone number, and someone will contact you to set up an
appointment.
We continue to utilize our community partnerships to provide
vaccines out in the community to our residents. We are contacti ng
individuals registered through the State of Florida myvaccine.fl.gov
preregistration site, or also known as ShareCare, to schedule
appointments. For anyone who is having difficulty scheduling or
unable to transport to any of the vaccine sites, they can contact our
call center. It's open seven days a week 9:00 to 5:00. And that
number is 252-6220.
There's also a list of vaccine sites that you can find on Florida
COVID vaccine site locator, and that's FloridahealthCOVID19.gov,
and CDC also has one at vaccinefinder.org, and that includes all the
pharmacies as well.
So CDC has been providing updates and recommendations.
This slide captures some of the latest guidelines as far as fully
vaccinated people. After you've been fully vaccinated against
COVID-19, which either means the Johnson & Johnson single dose
or the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer, you have to have two weeks into
it in order to have that full immunity take effect. So after you've
been fully vaccinated, you should keep taking precautions in pu blic
places, like wearing a mask, staying six feet apart from others and
avoiding crowds or poorly ventilated spaces as we learn more, is the
disclaimer for that.
So as recommendations continue to be made and we continue to
have more understanding about the virus and the vaccine, what we
March 23, 2021
Page 13
are learning is how the vaccine will affect the spread. Some early
data does show that the vaccine may help keep people from spreading
it, but we are continuing to learn more about that.
We know that vaccines for COVID-19 are effective at
preventing disease, especially severe illness and death. We are still
learning about how effective it is against the variants of the viruses
that causes the COVID-19 disease, and we're learning more about
that as well. And we're also learning about how long the vaccines
can protect people. So more recommendations to come on that as
well.
And last, but not least, we are still doing testing and
recommending testing. It's provided at the Health Department as
well as various locations throughout the county. As of yesterday, we
have received over 178,000 tests conducted to date with an average
of about 7,000 being conducted weekly.
And that concludes our presentation. Any questions?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes. Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: How -- we purchased a
mobile testing facility, and that was contemplated to be a mobile
vaccination facility. They called it the Minnie Winnie. Then got
renamed the Thor. How's that working out? Is it still working, and
can we help you with that?
MS. KOSSLER: My understanding, there was some
maintenance being -- happening with it right now. I think it can still
definitely be utilized for testing when it comes back. And we can
look at that as far as utilizing for vaccine as well once we get out of
the large point of distribution business and --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'm hearing the vaccination
numbers are increasing a lot.
MS. KOSSLER: Right.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That's really good news.
March 23, 2021
Page 14
And how long has the mobile unit been down for maintenance?
MS. KOSSLER: I'm not sure. I think it's been a couple
weeks, but I can follow up and check on that.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: If you would and let us know
if there's something we can help with from a staffing maintenance
standpoint.
MS. KOSSLER: Absolutely.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That doesn't need to be
immobile.
MS. KOSSLER: Right, okay.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I wondered if you could tell
us -- explain to the public the rationale behind working with groups
within our community and what the -- in your opinion and the
Department of Health opinion, what the advantage is. Thank you.
MS. KOSSLER: Sure. So with some of the organizations
we're utilizing through faith-based organizations, Senior Center, and
HOAs to target specific age groups under the executive order, many
individuals were having a lot of difficulty registering, whether it was
through the system or transporting, just working through the overall
system. So we felt, in partnerships, to get the word out and make
sure people have a way of getting it, can help educate them on the
process; that's the benefit of why we're using and continue to use
them. It seems to be a little bit more of a target approach for the
county as well, and we think that that's beneficial with the
commercial suppliers, the pharmacies and such coming on board and
increasing, too.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you, Ms. Kossler.
MR. OCHS: Madam Chair?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes.
MR. OCHS: We have Mr. Mullins also here from the staff.
March 23, 2021
Page 15
I'd like to have him present a few slides that he's presented in the past
updating the comparative county information.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay, very good.
Mr. -- Commissioner LoCastro has a question.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: As a follow-up to that, I was
going to ask the same thing about communities. What has been your
response? You know, I mean, number one, I want to commend you
and Christine and the rest of your staff, your sense of urgency, at
least, getting back to -- I mean, I would expect to all the
commissioners. I get back a note, you know, quickly with a big
issue. But how has that community response been where people can
apply? And I realize, as you reminded me, or maybe it was
Christine, they're not applying to bring the vaccine to their clubhouse,
but it's to identify them for maybe a series of -- a number of doses or
whatnot. But has it been an overwhelming response, and how have
you been prioritizing it? I get that question a lot.
MS. KOSSLER: So we're definitely getting more positive
feedback than negative. That's how we try to balance. It's like,
okay, we're definitely getting a lot more, you know, help, more
people interested, more organizations interested, and I think the
positives are outweighing the negatives on that side.
As far as prioritizing, we're working with our partnerships and
helping to divvy up to them as well on who they can take within their
jurisdiction as far as if they're going to them or if we're bringing t hem
through our large drive-through site. So it's somewhat of a
first-come first-serve, but it can also just depend on location and
numbers as well.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: But have we started to
increase those communities? I mean, did the first bigger list come
out, and is it going to be something that's going to be continuous and
regular that we're going to -- you're going to preselect or select these
March 23, 2021
Page 16
applicants in a prioritization order?
MS. KOSSLER: As long as we're in the business right now
that we're in, we'll continue that service to the community.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yeah.
MS. KOSSLER: It seems to be a positive impact. And as
more and more commercial pharmacies and things come on board,
we can scale back and target more for harder to reach as well.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Thank you, ma'am.
MS. KOSSLER: You're welcome.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Ms. Kossler, one of the things I
remember you telling me is that by having -- by having -- working
within the community and having these groups almost support this
whole system, you, of course, supply the vaccine -- and you certainly
are at North Collier, but they are getting these people. It ensures that
the people getting the vaccine are Collier County residents.
MS. KOSSLER: It does. It does help with t hat, and it also
helps with the follow-up for the second dose. It helps with
transportation to the site, if needed, and just the education part about
taking some of that workload, if you will, off of us locally to, you
know, go through why you need the second dose, why it's important,
so some of those education pieces as well. It's a huge -- it's a
wonderful service that the organizations are providing.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
MS. KOSSLER: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. Mr. Mullins.
MR. MULLINS: Good morning, Commissioners. For the
record, John Mullins, Government Affairs Manager.
And Commissioner McDaniel had requested an updated series
of charts plotting State Department of Health daily coronavirus report
data which, since it's been a while, I will now briefly review for
format and included data points and then defer to the commis sioner
March 23, 2021
Page 17
for his analysis.
The commissioner requested three chart topics: Positivity rate,
hospitalizations, and fatalities using the earliest report by county that
we could obtain, which was last April. The charts plot one-month
intervals from that day through the latest available report, which was
as of yesterday, the March 21st report. The highlighted section of
the daily report are where the data were collected, as you see depicted
on the slide that is before you.
Regarding positivity, please keep in mind that the report states
that the rate is calculated excluding people who have previously
tested positive. And on the positivity charts, the colored number at
each data point is the total number of test results listed in that daily
report.
Now, there are two charts for each of the three topics, one being
a Southwest Florida comparison of Collier, Lee, and Charlotte
Counties, and then the other, which is getting a little busy now, and I
apologize for that, a wider selection of populous counties. Now,
regardless of chart, Collier County is represented by the red line on
each.
Now, the circle and cross represents the date that a mask order
was put into effect by a county, and as you'll see, a couple of the
counties had mask orders in place prior to public availability of
county-by-county data.
Now, lastly, the phased reopening timeline has been simplified
for spacing purposes, and the vaccine rollout timeline has been
added. And as was mentioned just a few moments ago, as of
yesterday the age has now dropped to the 50-plus demographic.
And with that, I am happy to defer to the commissioner for his
direction.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Go back to the first slide,
please. Not that one. Next one. There you go.
March 23, 2021
Page 18
And then go through those slowly, if you would, please. You
skipped right to the end, and that last one, it was busy even for me.
MR. MULLINS: I was just waiting for your direction.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes, sir; yes, sir; yes, sir.
And this is -- these data points are the ones that I was really wanting
to look at, and that's the comparison of our community with our sister
communities to the north when the mask mandates were, in fact, put
in place, and so on. If you would go -- then go through the balance
of the slides. There's not a lot of analysis that's going to come from
me. I'm really not qualified to express analysis other than this. And
these comparisons, I think, are very, very enlightening with regard to
how our community is reacting, has been reacting to the virus in
comparison to other communities of similar size, shape. And then
when we compared our community to the five probably most densely
populated -- here we go -- the five most densely populated
communities/counties within the state and how we're tracking in
comparison to them, of course the numbers are going to be higher in
volume when you're dealing with a Dade County in comparison to
Collier County. So -- but I just -- again, this is information that I
find very, very valuable because it gives a very good comparison as
to how we're doing in comparison to other communities.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Just a quick question. I'm
assuming -- and I may be incorrect -- that in all of these charts this is
a per capita presentation. So, obviously, there's a substantially larger
population than on the East Coast counties. So is it per capita? Is
that the way that's --
MR. MULLINS: Well, no. It is based on total hospitalizations
and total deaths, and then we back out the previous month to get the
delta between, and that establishes what the differences are.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: So the chart we're looking at
March 23, 2021
Page 19
right now, on the orange line, which I guess is -- I guess that's
Broward County, the peak there. That's the number of deaths -- raw
number of deaths. Okay. I understand now.
MR. MULLINS: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Okay. Thank you.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah. That particular one's
hospitalizations.
MR. MULLINS: But the next one would be fatalities.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Yeah. Thank you.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Thank you, John.
MR. OCHS: Thank you, John.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: And so Mr. Wert, is he available?
MR. OCHS: Yes, ma'am --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: There he is.
MR. OCHS: -- he's there.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I didn't see you at the back of the
room. I don't -- I don't know if you have any presentation, but I did
pick this up over here. Why don't we put this on the visualizer.
MR. WERT: Good prompt.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yeah. Well, it was by design.
MR. WERT: For the record, Jack Wert, your Tourism Director.
And, Commissioners, good morning. Just a brief update on where
we have been with the -- this Paradise Pledge we actually put into
effect last July and began offering it to our tourism partners to simply
adopt. And I don't know if we have a write-up on what it is, but just
the -- probably the three top things following all the CDC -- the
current CDC and Florida Department of Health guidelines and
protocols for sanitization of areas, checking staff as they come to
work, temperature checks, that type of thing, whatever they do in the
various businesses. And related to face coverings, it said we -- in the
pledge it said, we strongly recommend face coverings for both staff
March 23, 2021
Page 20
and customers where social distancing is not possible. We did that
early on, because at that point in time we had kind of a mixed variety
of face coverings in the unincorporated area. City of Naples at that
point had not adopted it. Marco Island did, but we had a number of
the larger hotels -- all of the chain hotels have corporate protocols,
and masks are mandatory on every one of those properties.
So it was a little confusing of one side of the street might have a
mask mandate, one not. So we felt that that wording of "strongly
recommended" was the right way to go.
The pledge itself has caught on very fast. We are up to about
150 tourism-related businesses, and I guess virtually any business in
Collier County is going to get some impact from visitors coming to
their business. And so those 150 have grown. In addition to them
just putting that little sticker on their door, we also did provide to
them and delivered to their businesses a PPE kit which included
masks so they could use them for both customers and their staff as
well.
We got hand sanitizer. There were plexiglass shields. All of
those types of things. Big, big kit of stuff that each business got, an d
I think that helps for more and more businesses to sign up.
So at this point we are going to continue it. And what we are seeing
and hearing -- we do a lot of research both here, regionally,
nationally, and even internationally. What we are seeing is for the
traveling public, they expect to go to a place that is taking
precautions to make their visit safe. Certainly, that's not everybody,
but the vast majority in traveler sentiment studies and so forth that we
see, and we see them every month, that's what people expect to find.
So that's why we think the pledge will continue as part of how we are
communicating to the potential travelers and those people who have
been here in the past, too, you know, our loyal visitors; that we are
taking every precaution that we can, and our businesses are following
March 23, 2021
Page 21
these CDC/Florida Department of Health guidelines.
And so that's been very well received. And the information that
we provided to the Tourist Development Council yesterday is very
positive that our number of visitors are growing. Our occupancies
are very strong in our various hotels, weekends more so than
weekdays, but truly our community has shown nice recovery from
those early days in April and May of last year when we were running
less than 10 percent occupancies. We're seeing occupancies up in
the 90s, which is kind of typical of this time of year. So we made a
nice recovery.
But we think that the Paradise Pledge certainly has had a good
deal to do with people feeling this is a place they want to come, and
especially those loyal folks who have come many years in the past. I
think they're looking for a safe place, and that's what Collier County
seems to be saying to them, and I think that's why we've done pretty
much better than anyone else in the state that we compete with for
visitors.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you. Commissioner Solis?
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Well, I was just -- thank you, Jack,
for being here. I would have had my -- the slides I was going to
share teed up for you if I knew you were going to be here, but --
MR. WERT: Right, right.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: And you answered the question I
had, and that was, what does the data show in terms of how effective
this campaign has been. And I would just share that what was
presented yesterday at the TDC was -- one, made everyone feel very
positive, because although compared to the beginning of 2020 we're
still down a little bit, the beginning of 2020 was a record two months.
You know, January and February were the two biggest months we'd
ever had. So almost going back to that is a great sign that the
campaign, you know, only Paradise will do. There's one great one,
March 23, 2021
Page 22
what's -- what is it, what's better than a sunset in Paradise is --
MR. WERT: A walk on the beach or a sunset.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: It's a sunset with a pizza or
something.
MR. WERT: Exactly, yeah.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: There are some great -- staff did
some great work, and our partners did some great work to target, you
know, what makes Collier County a great place to be, the Pa radise
Pledge, and we've outperformed our competitors, and that's the big
takeaway.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Congratulations.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: So great work, Jack. Thanks.
MR. WERT: Thank you, sir.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Wert.
MR. WERT: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you for being here.
Item #6A
PUBLIC PETITION FROM MR. JAMES ROSENBERGER,
REQUESTING THE COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF
COMMISSIONERS JOIN COUNTIES REGARDING
PROTECTION FOR FIREARM OWNERS AND SUPPORTERS IN
COLLIER COUNTY - MOTION FOR THE COUNTY ATTORNEY
TO PREPARE AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND BRING THIS
ITEM BACK TO THE APRIL 13TH BCC MEETING –
APPROVED
MR. OCHS: Commissioners, we move now to Item 6A, public
petitions. This is a public petition request from Mr. James
March 23, 2021
Page 23
Rosenberger requesting the Collier County Board of County
Commissioners join counties regarding protection for firearm owners
and supporters in Collier County.
The petitioner has 10 minutes to present.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: And as he comes up to the podium, I
believe we have some folks that have some signs. I don't know if
there's anyone outside in the lobby. They are welcome to come in.
If you would stand up at the back. You definitely -- we do not take
public comment or any kind of public comment on a public petition
at the time of the public petition. But you are getting your message
with these signs. I appreciate you being here. And if there's anyone
else there, feel free to come in. And please feel free to hold up your
signs.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
MR. ROSENBERGER: Good morning, Madam Chair.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Good morning.
MR. ROSENBERGER: Good morning, Commissioners and
county officials. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to
address the Board.
My name is James Rosenberger. I'm a retired captain from the
New York City Fire Department and survivor of 9/11. Our country
was under attack on that tragic day from international terrorists.
Today, our country is under attack from our own government.
I stand here representing over 5,500 petitioners imploring you to
protect and preserve our Second Amendment right which is under
attack by the fast and furious bills being introduced and voted upon in
Washington, D.C.
I would like to start by presenting Article II of the Bill of Rights
which was passed in 1791, which reads as follows: A well regulated
militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the
March 23, 2021
Page 24
people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. "Infringed" is
the keyword.
As defined by Webster's dictionary, actively break the terms of a
law or agreement. How is government infringing on our Second
Amendment rights? Through restrictive, discriminatory,
overbearing, and unconstitutional regulations.
Tolerating an overpowering government has been unacceptable
since the inception of our great country. The Second Amendment in
the Bill of Rights was drafted to assure that the people would be
protected from an oppressive tyrannical government. With the
current pending legislation, we are headed in that direction.
On January 4th, 2021, during the 117th Congress, the attack
began on our Second Amendment rights when Sheila Jackson Lee, a
congressional representative from Texas, introduced the following
bills. It's HR121, Gun Violence Reduction Resources Act of 2021.
The key point of this bill is to hire 200 additional ATF agents and
investigators to enforce the gun laws. Outwardly, this appears not to
be problematic.
Now let's look at HR130, Kimberly Vaughn, Firearm Safe
Storage Act. Safe storage of firearms and ammunition is mandated.
The investigation of reports of improper storage of firearms or
ammunition will be required. If we refer back to HR121, the
additional ATF agents will be tasked with the investigation of reports
of improper storage. From whom are the reports going to be
generated? As most people store their firearms in their place of
residence, will this open the door to illegal search and seizure?
The next bill is HR125, the Not Sorry Act of 2021. This bill is
flawed by the fact that it enforced a seven-day wait period. At this
point in time, Florida has a three-day wait period for a background
check. Why add an additional four days if the backgrounds are
being completed in three?
March 23, 2021
Page 25
Let's imagine a scenario involving an order of protection in a
domestic violence case. A woman applies for a firearm. As she
waits for her permit over an extended period of time, she is violently
killed by her deranged ex-boyfriend. Was this imaginary? No.
This scenario actually happened on June 5th, 2015, to Carol Bowne,
age 39, of Berlin Township New Jersey. She knew that her best shot
at defending herself from her violent ex was a gun and not a piece of
paper known as an order of protection.
The next bill up, HR127, Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and
Registration Act. This little bill will require the federal government
to register 400-plus million guns in a span of three months. This
registry database will be available to all members of the public which
would or could create discrimination against gun owners, including
employment or access to essential services like insurance and/or
housing. Such transparency will help criminals target the homes of
those with firearms and ammunition.
Obviously, criminals who possess firearms illegally would
self-exempt themselves from the registry requirement.
Many shotgun shells currently possessed by law-abiding citizens for
hunting would suddenly become contraband. The bill bans all
shotgun shells larger than 41 caliber, and 50 caliber or greater could
cost you $50,000 in fines and 10 years in prison. Hunting wildlife
would be impossible if these restrictions went into effect.
The bill would discourage voluntary mental health treatment for
combat veterans or victims of violent crimes by permanently
prohibiting the issuance of a license to anyone who has been
hospitalized or treated for these types of traumas. It requires a
holder of a firearm to pay an insurance premium of $800 per year.
Applicants and members of their household would be required to
undergo a psychological evaluation at the applicant's expense by a
psychologist approved by the Attorney General. Former spouses
March 23, 2021
Page 26
would be included in the evaluation reports as well. Let's see how
that goes.
These are only four of the bills waiting in Congress. There also
is HR135, HR167, HR8, and HR1446.
Now that we have become familiar with some of the pending
legislation, we are proposing the Second Amendment Preservation
Act from here on referred to as SAPA. What is SAPA? It is a
document that has been created to protect our Second Amendment
rights from the unconstitutional regulations previously cited. The
United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and any
statute, to be valid, must be in agreement. It is impossible for a law
which violates the Constitution to be valid.
We are aware of the existing 2013 Collier County resolution
upholding our Second Amendment. This was appropriate at the time
and served its purpose; however, eight years have passed. Now we
need the Second Amendment Preservation Act because gun
regulations are going into effect that will drastically infringe on our
Second Amendment rights.
The foundation of our document was created by using the 2013
resolution and combining it with the Newton County and Mercer
County, Missouri, SAPA. They set the precedent for other counties
to follow.
The SAPA would empower our Collier County sheriff to act on
his constitutional powers granted him by his oath of office.
Constitutionally, we would be assured that -- no interference by the
federal government, thus protecting both his and your constituents.
In a mere four weeks, we have collected over 5,500 Collier County
signatures supporting SAPA, and we are still active. Our efforts
have also spread to Lee County as well as Indian River County.
Attorney Paul Westcott from Indian River County has adopted our
SAPA document. Polk, Lake, Wauchula, and Hernando currently
March 23, 2021
Page 27
have resolutions in effect.
You've received the list showing 39 counties with Second
Amendment resolutions. These are all nonbinding resolutions.
They offer little protection to what we are facing today.
Out of state, Newton County passed their SAPA act on February 3rd,
2021, and Mercer County, Missouri, is February 25th, 2021.
Obviously, we are not standing alone. They sense the urgency and
have since acted.
Is there urgency to pass SAPA in Collier County? Can it wait?
When a pending hurricane threatens Collier County, there is no delay
to prepare. One does not wait until the storm is upon us to fill the
bags with sand or to take refuge. Well, the storm is here. Our
Second Amendment is under attack, and that attack is happening
right now.
In the words of President Theodore Roosevelt, in any moment of
decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best
thing you can do is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is
nothing at all. As a representative of your constituents, I implore
you to support the oath that you have sworn before God to uphold
and defend the Constitution and to protect the rights of the people
that have put you in office. Please do not allow the rights
guaranteed by the Second Amendment to be infringed upon. Please
support and pass the Second Amendment Preservation Act.
I do have a statement from Sheriff Rambosk at this point I'd like
to read: The office of sheriff in Florida is written into the
Constitution of the state. I'm honored to be a constitutional officer
elected by the voters of our community. As a constitutional officer,
I am bound to uphold the United State Constitution and the Florida
Constitution, and I have sworn a solemn oath to do so. In the oath I
affirm that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and
government of the United States and of the State of Florida -- and the
March 23, 2021
Page 28
State of Florida that I am qualified to hold.
In addition, the mission statement of the Collier County Sheriff's
Office is focused on the rights set forth in our Constitution. The
duty of the Collier County Sheriff's Office is to preserve and to
protect the lives, property, and Constitutional guarantees of all
persons. The United States Constitution with amendments is the
foundation of all that my deputies and I do in protecting and serving
Collier County.
I am unwavering in my devotion and commitment to service the
sworn oath and the citizens of Collier County. I affirm that I support
the rights guaranteed through the Constitution of the United States
and all of the amendments and that I do not condone any
unconstitutional infringement upon these rights.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Rosenberg [sic].
Your time is up. Thank you.
MR. ROSENBERGER: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes, Madam Chair. As
you've already stated at the beginning, we don't have discourse and
public comment when the items that are not on today's agenda are
brought forth. But I'd like to suggest that we ask our County
Attorney to prepare an executive summary and bring this back at our
first meeting in April and actually discuss the parameters of what's
being proposed, the goods, the bads, the dos and the don'ts, and
actually have a position where we can actually vote on something.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Is there support? Is that a motion,
sir?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: If you need a motion, I'll
make that.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I second.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. There's a motion on the
March 23, 2021
Page 29
floor and a second. Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Madam Chair, on the motion
just real quickly, if I might.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Right.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Sorry I hadn't pushed this.
This is directed to the County Attorney. As part of that presentation,
the State of Florida has totally preempted any regulation by local
governments --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: -- and basically criminalized
any actions by elected officials to do anything dealing with guns,
ammunition, and that sort of thing. In addition, there's another bill
pending this year that even toughens up that. So when you come
back to us with any kind of information on this, let us know and,
obviously, you would do that. But I want to emphasize we are
somewhat restricted. I shouldn't say "somewhat restricted."
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: A lot.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: We are very restricted in
what we can do, and I want to make sure that we're not violating any
current state law but also that law that may very well be in effect on
July 1st of this year.
MR. KLATZKOW: Two things, if I may. One, this identical
issue came up 2013, and the Board passed a resolution. I have a
copy of the resolution up there. I reviewed the other resolutions
similar counties have recently passed, and they're substantially
identical to this. I'm asking the petitioner, are you asking for a
resolution or an ordinance?
MR. ROSENBERGER: I'm not asking for a resolution. A
resolution is nonbinding, with all due respect.
MR. KLATZKOW: So your request is that the Board of
County Commissioners enact an ordinance?
March 23, 2021
Page 30
MR. ROSENBERGER: Yes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Can't do it.
MR. KLATZKOW: Do you have a copy of a proposed
ordinance that you want?
MR. ROSENBERGER: Yes. It was presented to the
commissioners.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I sent it to you.
MR. KLATZKOW: No. I'm just trying to get this for the
record so that --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I understand.
MR. KLATZKOW: Because the petition itself did not include
an ordinance. If you can give me and the court reporter a copy of
the ordinance that you want, I'll report back to the Board.
MR. ROSENBERGER: Thank you.
MR. KLATZKOW: But I think you know what the answer's
going to be.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yep. Thank you, sir.
MR. ROSENBERGER: Any other questions?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: No, sir.
MR. ROSENBERGER: Thank you for your time.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you. Thank you for being
here.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Are we going to vote on the
motion, Madam Chair?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes. We have a motion on the floor
and a second to ask the County Attorney to prepare an agenda item
for the next meeting regarding this issue. All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
March 23, 2021
Page 31
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously. Thank you.
And you will be able to speak at the next meeting. Thank you.
Item #7
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON GENERAL TOPICS NOT ON THE
CURRENT OR FUTURE AGENDA
MR. OCHS: Madam Chair, that moves us to Item 7, public
comments on general topics not on the current or future agenda.
MR. MILLER: Madam Chair, we have 11 registered speakers
here in person, a couple more online. I do believe most of them are
connected to the public petition, but we accepted the slips. We'll call
them.
MR. OCHS: Hold on. That's the Chairman's discretion.
MR. MILLER: Yes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: But we did speak about this. We
are -- you've accepted the slips, but nobody can speak to this issue at
this meeting, so -- but did they put down the subject, sir?
MR. MILLER: Yes. I had a limited discussion with some of
the people that submitted the slips saying that they were going to take
a different angle on the topic rather than the Second Amendment.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: No topic.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Madam Chair?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Can I just suggest Item 7 is public
comment on general topics not on the current or future agenda, and --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: That's right.
March 23, 2021
Page 32
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: -- the amendment was on the
agenda.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: On this agenda.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: So it wouldn't be appropriate to
hear those now, I don't think.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: That's correct.
MR. MILLER: And I would add, we're bringing back an
ordinance, so there will be an opportunity to speak then.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yeah. They could speak then,
right.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: So your concern is you can't
differentiate those?
MR. MILLER: Well, I do believe all of these are related to
guns, ma'am.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay.
MR. MILLER: I will have to call the two people online
because I do not know what they -- I don't have that kind of
information available to me online.
So, Lisa, we're going to go online here.
J. Ruggieri. Mr. or Ms. Ruggieri, you're being prompted to
unmute yourself. You've registered to speak on public comment.
Mr. or Ms. Ruggieri, R-u-g-g-i-e-r-i. Ruggieri. They are not
unmuting.
I have one other registered online for this issue for public
comment, and that is Tom Ross.
Mr. Ross, are you there? You're being prompted to unmute
yourself. There's Mr. Ross. Mr. Ross, did you have something on
public comment on general topics?
Oh, wait. This is on me. I'm sorry. Hold on just one second.
Go ahead, Mr. Ross.
MR. ROSS: Yes. I'm here as a consultant for county staff.
March 23, 2021
Page 33
MR. MILLER: Oh, okay. I have you under Item 7, I'm sorry,
sir. That's for a different item.
That's all we have for public comment, ma'am.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. Thank you very much.
MR. COOK: I want to make a comment on the 17th
Amendment. I don't think that's on the agenda.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: No, on the 17th Amendment?
MR. COOK: Correct. General public comments.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: You can speak.
MR. MILLER: That is Dan Cook. Mr. Cook.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: But if it has anything to do with the
right to bear arms, sir --
MR. COOK: I understand.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. Thank you.
MR. COOK: I understand. For the record, Dan Cook.
And so the reason why I just wanted to speak about the 17th
Amendment is I've been hearing a lot of people concerned about
government overreach, just in general government overreach,
primarily from the federal government.
So one of the solutions that a lot of people talk about is having a
convention of states so that they could introduce term limits at the
federal level. And I just wanted to bring up the 17th Amendment as
another alternative as something that we the people really could do to
hold government more accountable.
And what I wanted to share with you and share with the public
is how the 17th Amendment changed how Senators were chosen.
Originally, in our Constitution we had a bicameral legislation. So
you have the House of Representatives represents the people; the
Senate was originally intended to represent the state governments.
So the 17th Amendment, which was passed in 1913, changed that.
And the Senators were chosen under a popular election rather than
March 23, 2021
Page 34
being chosen by the state government. And it's my belief that that
kind of -- you know, I think that that infringed a lot on states' rights.
I believe that the -- that Senators were able to be recalled from their
state legislators if they weren't representing the states properly, and
so I just wanted to bring that up to the public and to the Board, since
you guys have influence to possibly consider a repeal of the 17th
Amendment rather than doing a convention of states to put in term
limits to hold federal government accountable.
And I just wanted to bring the subject up as something to
consider in the future. I believe, since the county has passed
resolutions in the past, such as in 2013, I believe if -- if the people
wanted to petition and if the Board felt compelled to pass another
resolution to ask for a repeal of the 17th Amendment, that might be
something that could be discussed at a future date. And so I just
wanted to bring that up. I know the 17th Amendment isn't a hot
topic or anything, but I just wanted to bring that up. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
MR. MILLER: Madam Chair, in looking through these, I do
have one public comment clearly marked for not that topic, and that
is for diversity, affordable housing, and this is Jacqueline Keay.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Sir, I'm sorry. Excuse me. Ms.
Keay, if you didn't fill out a slip, you --
MR. MILLER: He did. He filled it out. I have a slip, yes.
Jacqueline Keay. Yeah, there she is. I know she was in the
hallway. Ms. Keay wants to speak on the diversity of affordable
housing.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. Thank you.
MS. KEAY: Good morning. Good morning.
Wisdom and forward thinking are needed to sustain our way of
life in Collier as opposed to fear, hate, and division.
As I am working on my certified financial planning designation,
March 23, 2021
Page 35
I will use the four golden rules of investing to demonstrate how we
can equalize opportunities for all residents through diversity. To
protect your assets and to increase your wealth, one's portfolio must
be balanced. Money should be invested in various categories as
stocks, bonds, real estate, and commodities. Some main points of
investing are not to put all your eggs in one basket, protect your
assets, and increase your wealth.
Rule No. 1, diversification. Dividing up your money spreads
risk, guards against catastrophic loss. There's a need for us to build
an inclusive community based on diversity, equity, and inclusion. If
not, the Naples community can experience a catastrophic loss.
Rule No. 2, rebalance. Review portfolio to stay on track. If
off balance, take money from overperformers and invest in
underperformers to retain balance. We must rebalance our economy
by helping the working class build wealth via attainable housing.
We must make this a priority and not an afterthought.
Rule No. 3, dollar cost averaging. Fear causes missed
opportunity. Euphoria causes buying too high. One should invest
the same amount regularly to take emotions out of decision-making.
We must establish systems to ensure resources and opportunities are
equally provided to the working class as they are to the wealthy.
Rule No. 4, keep costs down. You can control your costs. It's
important to minimize your fees in order to maximum your earnings.
A lack of attainable housing comes at a great cost to us all. We must
mitigate this crisis by making attainable housing communities a
reality instead of an elusive idea. This critical issue is draining
valuable resources from our community.
I leave you with one of my favorite quotes: A rising tide lifts
all boats. This is the very definition of what diversity is and what it
does. It lifts us all up equally, which will sustain our standa rd of
living in the Naples community.
March 23, 2021
Page 36
Thank you all very much.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
MR. OCHS: Madam Chair, we move now to your --
MS. ALGER: Excuse me. I just wanted to speak on the
Constitution, Section 242, Title 18.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Have you filled out a slip?
MS. ALGER: I did.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: And you want to -- and --
MS. ALGER: I just want to reiterate something that's in our
Constitution. That's all. It's read right from the Constitution.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I'll let you speak.
MR. MILLER: Your name, ma'am.
MS. ALGER: My name is Mary Alger. I'm from Marco
Island, Florida.
And Section 242, Title 18, in the U.S. Constitution, states, it
makes a crime for a person acting under the color of any law to
willfully deprive a person of right or privilege protected by the
Constitution or laws of the United States. For the purpose of Section
242, acts under color of law include acts not only done by federal,
state, or local officials within their lawful authority but also acts d one
beyond the bounds of that official's lawful authority if the acts are
done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the
performance of his or her official duties.
Persons acting under the color of law within the meaning of this
statute include police officers, prison guards, and other law
enforcement officials, as well as judges, care providers in public
health facilities and others who are acting as public officials.
It is not necessary that the crime be motivated by animis towards
the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, or familiar -- familial status or
a national origin of the victim. The offense is punishable by a range
of imprisonment of up to life -- up to a life term or the death penalty,
March 23, 2021
Page 37
depending upon the circumstances of the crime and the resulting
injury of any.
I just wanted to read that right out of our Constitution.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
MS. ALGER: Can't trample on rights.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
MS. ALGER: Thank you.
Item #10A
ADDITIONAL STAFF DIRECTION REGARDING THE COUNTY
MANAGER RECRUITMENT PROCESS - MOTION TO HIRE
AND NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT WITH MARK ISACKSON AS
THE NEW COUNTY MANAGER – APPROVED; TABLED AND
REPORT BACK ON ITEM AFTER LUNCH; MOTION TO
APPROVE CONTRACT EFFECTIVE MARCH 23, 2021 –
APPROVED
MR. OCHS: Commissioners, we move to your morning
time-certain item. This is Item 10A. A recommendation to provide
additional direction to staff regarding the County Manager
recruitment and selection process.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Ms. Lyberg, did you want to present
or not?
MS. LYBERG: Good morning, Commissioners. For the
record, Amy Lyberg, Human Resources Director.
At your last meeting, you had made the decision to have each
commissioner provide a list of their top three candidates, and that
information is available to you today in your executive summary,
Item 10A.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: And so, Commission, we have
March 23, 2021
Page 38
ranked 1, 2, and 3. Rank No. 1, it appears that Mr. Isackson has four
out of five; in Rank No. 2, Mr. Yilmaz has 2 out of five; and in No. 3,
Mr. Yilmaz has two out of five. So what is your pleasure here? I
think we are ready to appoint and elect a county manager.
Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. Good morning.
I -- first of all, I want to say out loud I applaud the process that this
board put in place to go -- to select a new County Manager. We had
35 plus or minus folks that actually applied for the job. We went
through the process of reducing that list from 35 down to, I believe,
eight when we went -- we did what we did, and then we brought that
back to a total of five.
I have to say out loud, I actually even had conversation with our
county manager last week. I was disappointed with the last process
that we put in place and the actual ranking. But now looking back,
in retrospect, it allowed for the public, if they chose, to be involved in
this process. By stating and ranking the candidates, it made it -- it
made -- it a matter of public record, and folks who cared to could
share their opinions with us as to how, in fact, we went through the
selection process.
So with that, I again want to thank everyone, everyone who
applied, went through the process, went through the interview
process. There's, obviously, going to be a choice made today, but no
one loses in a process like what we have brought forth.
And with that, I'd like to make a motion that we enter into an
agreement to hire Mark Isackson as our next county manager.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: I'll second that.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. There's a motion on the floor
and a second. Any discussion?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well, I wasn't quite done.
Thank you for seconding the motion. But I just -- I think maybe as a
March 23, 2021
Page 39
point of discussion we need to talk about the parameters. I'd like for
us to, if we can, move into -- we have to negotiate on the contract and
hire --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: That's -- one thing at a time.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. That's fine.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner LoCastro, do you
have anything to comment?
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yeah. I just wanted to say
that, first, I think that we provided a lot of transparency and, you
know, as Commissioner McDaniel was saying, to the public, you
know, nothing was done in a vacuum or in secret.
And I wanted to provide a little context to just, you know, why I
ranked the people I did. I think, you know, our goal here is to build
a deep bench. We've had a lot of turnover. I can only speak for the
three people that I ranked, but I think any of those three would be
fine county managers, and I think they all are going to have a role as
we move forward down in the years and have more turnover.
But, you know, I agree with the majority of my colleagues here
who all put Mr. Isackson number one. I think, you know, his
comments at the podium talking about what he would bring and, you
know, how he would pull the team together and whatnot, I think
makes him a really great choice. And having done this, you know,
separately and then seeing that, you know, we're all close. You
know, we're not 10,000 miles apart, so it's not going to be a perfect
match. But it's a lot closer than what I would have thought the first
time we did this and then now.
So I just want to thank the process and thank Amy and her team
for expediting this and, obviously, we made it easy, too, when we are
at least close, a lot closer than what people maybe thought. But I
think we have a real opportunity here to, you know, pick up where
Mr. Ochs has left off after so many years and also put a fresh set of
March 23, 2021
Page 40
eyes on some things. And like that lady said, you know, a rising tide
lifts all boats. And I think, you know, what we're about to do here
today will, you know, lift up the entire staff, put a little bit of a
spotlight on some people that maybe have been buried that are
unpolished diamonds, as Mr. Isackson had alluded to at the podium,
and, you know, I just appreciate the process, and I'm ready to vote
today as well.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Thank you, Madam Chair.
I just want to thank all of the folks that applied for the position,
especially the folks in-house that applied. It's tough putting your
name out there, and we have to, obviously, make one selection. But
I see a couple of the applicants who are in the audience here from the
county staff. I just want to thank you for your willingness to step up,
and I think we're about to make a decision that's going to be in the
best interest of the county and the taxpayers going forward.
So thank you for your interest.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. There's no comments. So
there's a motion on the floor and a second to elect Mark Isackson as
our new county manager. All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously. Thank you.
Mr. Isackson.
(Applause.)
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: And I understand that
March 23, 2021
Page 41
Mr. Isackson's agreed to work for the next three years for a dollar a
year.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I second.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: We're going to discuss that at lunch.
MR. ISACKSON: Independently wealthy, I am not.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Twelve hours a day.
MR. ISACKSON: Commissioners, thank you very much. The
process, too, I feel for you. Certainly, going through a three -month
ordeal to select your next county manager is never -- it's never easy.
It's never pleasant. You had some very qualified candidates, and I'm
honored to be the chosen one.
You know, I think that we'll talk over lunch. I don't know, Jeff,
if we just -- because there's really only two issues left. I think the
contract's the contract, other than maybe salary at this point and
duration of the contract. I think those are the two numbers that need
to be filled in, and that's what I would focus in on. If we're going to
meet with the Chair -- that would be my suggestion. Over lunch,
Jeff and I will sit down and maybe bring that back today.
And the effective date of the contract, really, is also something
that needs to be talked about, and I did not hear that at the dais, so I
would suggest that that also be discussed, and we can discuss that -- I
guess, at noon, as well, unless there's comment from the Board as to
what their pleasure might be.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well, it was on that note.
Would you rather have a say-so in your start date, assuming we can
reach an amicable agreement on a contract a nd a salary or --
MR. ISACKSON: You can -- yeah. If the Board's
comfortable, we can -- County Attorney and I can talk with the Chair
at lunch, and we can suggest a contract with a starting date also.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That's fine.
March 23, 2021
Page 42
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Saunders?
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Thank you, Madam Chair.
In terms of a start date, Mr. Ochs is leaving I think May 31st is his
last day. I'd like to see you on board at least a month in advance of
that. That means that we'll have two people sitting there as the
county manager, but I want you to have that month or so sitting at the
table here and making sure you're up to speed on everything. So I
would just encourage the Chairman and the County Attorney to be a
little flexible on that start date. Some overlap --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: -- is not going to hurt us. I
think it will bode well for us. The County Manager, Mr. Ochs, will
still be in charge. I don't want the -- we're not going to have two
county managers overriding each other, but I think that we need that
month with Mr. Isackson really coming up -- fully up to speed on all
the county operations.
MR. ISACKSON: I will mention to the Board that County
Manager Ochs and I have talked. We'll make sure there's a smooth
transition, certainly. And we know each other pretty well, so we'll
take care of that.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Solis.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Well -- and I was just going to
congratulate Mark as well. I mean, obviously, you know you
weren't the top of my list, but I want you to know that you will have
my support and, really, what I would hope is that we could talk you
into more than three years.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Maybe we --
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Because that's -- for me, I think
that's going to be really important, and I think we need -- we need
some continuity, and I hope we can talk you into more than three
March 23, 2021
Page 43
years.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. So the will --
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Should we add this as an
agenda item at --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes. We'll add it as an agenda item.
MR. KLATZKOW: Or you can just table this.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: This afternoon.
MR. KLATZKOW: I mean, we'll table the item now.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Continue it? Continue it.
MR. KLATZKOW: We'll table the item now, and we'll come
back. Do you want to do this first thing after lunch or later in the
day, ma'am?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Let's do it first thing after lunch.
We'll do it first thing after lunch assuming -- you know, if we can't
reach a decision --
MR. KLATZKOW: Well, either way, you'll report back to the
Board on the discussions first thing after lunch.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes. Right.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Perfect.
MR. ISACKSON: Thank you, Commissioners.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you. I'd like to say a couple
of words to Dr. Yilmaz who, again, I think -- I don't know who. I
think it was you, Commissioner Saunders, who mentioned that, you
know, they stepped up, and certainly, Mr. Rodriguez, two valuable
employees.
Dr. Yilmaz, I don't know what we would do without you. I
don't know how -- your vision and your planning for the future, your
scientific background, your attention to health, safety, and welfare
because you handle the water, has been invaluable to this county, and
I really want to acknowledge that, and I look forward to it conti nuing.
And, Mr. Rodriguez, you started, I believe, at the bottom here. I
March 23, 2021
Page 44
believe that you actually worked in the parks and you worked on a
horse for a while touring the parks, and you have -- you have climbed
that ladder and you embody the American dream, and we value your
continued presence in our community and in our community of our
government. You have given a lot, and I know you will continue to.
Thank you.
MR. RODRIGUEZ: Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and
it's been my pleasure to serve the public, and I'll continue on, and
thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: You're welcome.
MR. OCHS: Commissioners, I just want to offer my
congratulations to Mark. I know he'll do a fine job for this board
and the community. And he and I will have no trouble working out
a transition plan that I think will serve everyone's best interests.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
MR. OCHS: Ma'am, do you want to take your court reporter
break now before we move into public hearings?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yeah. I think we all need a break.
This was -- we've done it, guys.
MR. OCHS: Ten minutes, ma'am?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes, thank you.
(A brief recess was had from 10:15 a.m. to 10:26 a.m.)
MR. OCHS: Madam Chairman, you have a live mic.
If everyone would please come to order.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much. I think we
are now moving to our advertised public hearings. Is that correct,
sir?
Item #9A
RESOLUTION 2021-67: AMENDING THE TOWN OF AVE
March 23, 2021
Page 45
MARIA STEWARDSHIP RECEIVING AREA (SRA) TO REVISE
THE SRA TOWN PLAN AND MASTER PLAN IN
ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 4.08.07.F.4 OF THE LAND
DEVELOPMENT CODE, AND SPECIFICALLY TO: INCREASE
THE CIVIC USES FROM 148,500 TO 350,000 SQUARE FEET TO
ACCOMMODATE A HOSPITAL USE; REDESIGNATE 5±
ACRES OF SERVICES DISTRICT TO TOWN CENTER 3; TO
ADD APPENDIX G, DEVIATIONS TO PROVIDE FOR A
SIGNAGE DEVIATION FOR AN OFF-PREMISES SIGN
OUTSIDE OF THE SRA BOUNDARY AND A MAXIMUM LOT
SIZE DEVIATION FOR MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT; AND
ADD A VEHICULAR TRIP CAP BASED ON EXISTING
PERMITTED USES. THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IS LOCATED
NORTH OF OIL WELL ROAD AND WEST OF CAMP KEAIS
ROAD IN SECTIONS 31 THROUGH 33, TOWNSHIP 47 SOUTH,
RANGE 29 EAST AND SECTIONS 4 THROUGH 9 AND 16
THROUGH 18, TOWNSHIP 48 SOUTH, RANGE 29 EAST IN
COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA – ADOPTED W/STIPULATION
MR. OCHS: That is correct, Madam Chairman. That moves
us to Item 9A. This item does require ex parte disclosure be
provided by commission members, and all participants are required to
be sworn in.
This is a recommendation to approve a resolution amending the
Town of Ave Maria Stewardship Receiving Area to increase the civic
uses from 148,500 to 350,000 square feet to accommodate a hospital
use, redesignate five-plus-or-minus acres of service district to Town
Center No. 3, to add an Appendix G, deviations to provide for a
signage deviation for an off-premises sign outside of the SRA
boundary, and a maximum lot size deviation for multifamily
development, along with a vehicular trip cap based on existing
March 23, 2021
Page 46
permitted uses. The subject property is located north of Oil Well
Road and west of Camp Keais Road.
Ex parte would be in order at this point, Madam Chair.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes, ma'am. I have them
all: Meetings, correspondence, emails, and calls.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Madam Chair, I have the
same thing on both -- I'm sorry -- on items -- or rather, 9A.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: 9A, okay.
Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yeah, on 9A I have all the
above as well.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Solis.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: On 9A I have a meeting with
Mr. Yovanovich and Mr. Arnold.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: And I also have had meetings and
emails and telephone calls regarding this issue.
So those who wish to testify, would you please rise and raise
your right hand, and our clerk [sic] will swear you in.
(The speakers were duly sworn and indicated in the affirmative.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
MR. ARNOLD: Good morning, Madam Chair --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Good morning.
MR. ARNOLD: -- and Commissioners. I'm Wayne Arnold, a
Certified Planner with Q. Grady Minor & Associates here
representing Ave Maria development.
And we have David Genson and Austin Howell from Barron
Collier Companies present. Rich Yovanovich is our Legal Counsel,
and Norm Trebilcock's our Traffic Engineer who created the trip cap
for the project.
March 23, 2021
Page 47
So we have a few cleanup changes we're trying to make and a
couple of other changes that we'll bring about as mentioned in your
title, potentially a new hospital to the Ave Maria community.
I'm going to quickly go through the changes that we're
proposing. And I'm not going to get into all the gory details about
Ave Maria. It's -- obviously you know where Ave Maria is, and it's
developing rapidly, and there's a need to respond to some of the
increases in population and business growth in the community.
So we are -- there's seven changes we're making. I'm just going
to go down the list that I have on the screen in front of you. We're
redesignating five acres that's presently part of the services
district -- it's on the utilities site -- to a town center designation. We
hope that that will allow us to have a home for the people who are
doing yardwork and pool enclosures and those kinds of things that
don't have sort of a business presence in Ave Maria because there's
not a location for them.
We're increasing the civic square footage use from 148,500
square to 350,000 square feet. That will accommodate a future
hospital site that's no specific hospital yet but in discussions with a
hospital group, and that would bring it closer to Oil Well Road near
the Arthrex complex.
We're modifying the SRA to add a trip cap. Most of your
planned developments and your newer towns and villages will have a
trip cap associated with them. There was not one for Ave Maria due
to its age, so we've established a trip cap based on the e ntitlements
for the property.
We're adding a mini warehouse use as a separate category in the
list of uses. It was in your balance sheet tallied against our retail
square footage. And we need the additional retail square footage, so
we're adding that mini warehouse use as its own entity. We're
adding language that will permit signage as authorized in other parts
March 23, 2021
Page 48
of Collier County in Ave Maria. The way the SRA document's
structured, it refers you back to the town core for any of the town
centers. And the town core is the center part of the town where you
have high pedestrian activity, so there's an emphasis on wall signs
and things like that but not really the types of signs that you find
when you're in a more, let's call it, a suburban model for commercial,
which is allowed in the other town centers.
We're adding a deviation that we discussed. This was for an
off-premises sign. There's currently an off-premises sign located at
the corner of Camp Keais Road and Immokalee Road. We're
looking to have an additional sign that would be available for traffic
coming to Ave Maria from State Road 29 corridor, so we've asked for
that deviation. Staff has supported that.
And we're asking for a deviation regarding four-acre maximum
currently in the SRA document that allows a multifamily tract to be
four acres. We're asking for multifamily sites to be up to 25 acres.
And I know we had discussions with most of the commissioners.
And I think the Planning Commission deliberated on this, and staff
did not support the deviation, because there's an active bundled golf
community under development now that is essentially getting around
this four-acre provision by platting four-acre tracts and then doing a
unified site plan over it. And I know I've heard Mr. Yovanovich
refer to it. It's the engineer make work.
And while we don't object to having -- making work, we like to
have our clients get through the process without more bureaucracy,
and we think that the deviation would allow us to just acknowledge
something that's already being done. And it's not going to be a
detriment to the community. It's simply something that can happen
without an extra engineering step involved.
So those are the changes that we're proposing to make. I've got
some other slides, if you're not familiar with the specifics of Ave
March 23, 2021
Page 49
Maria, where the services district is located. And we think that
makes sense. And I don't think it's an issue. It certainly wasn't for
staff or the Planning Commission. But if you drive out there today,
the utility site's surrounded by a huge berm and buffer. You really
can't see into it, so this is why we think it makes perfect sense to put
some of the services in that location.
The hospital site, it's going to be located just east of Arthrex if
the hospital materializes. And these are the actual text revisions.
I'm not going to go through those, but the references are there for the
discussion points I made previously.
So with that, we're here to answer any questions you might have.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Let's -- no questions at this time.
Shall we move to public comment?
MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. I have three registered speakers
online for Agenda Item 9A.
MR. OCHS: Excuse me.
MR. KLATZKOW: Do you want a staff report first?
MR. OCHS: Could we get a staff report, ma'am?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm looking here.
Yes, forgive me.
MR. SABO: Good morning. James Sabo, Comprehensive
Planning Manager for the county.
Our recommendation is approval minus Deviation No. 1, and the
Planning Commission also forwarded that same recommendation,
removal of Deviation No. 1. We are good with the rest -- the
off-premises sign is fine and appropriate in our opinion.
And I'll entertain any questions.
MR. OCHS: James, explain Deviation 1.
MR. SABO: Deviation 1 is the parcel size. We -- the rationale
for the parcel size, it's currently maximum of four acres. The
connectivity and urban scale is the reason for that. I have an
March 23, 2021
Page 50
example here that actually helps. If we can put this on the visualizer.
All right. So that is the town center for Ave Maria. The highlighted
parcel there is at the corner of Torino and John Paul -- Pope John
Paul Boulevard. I don't want to disrespect a pope, Pope John Paul
Boulevard. That is about 350 by 350. It's a three-acre parcel. It's a
square. The maximum size in Ave Maria now is four or -- yeah,
four acres is the maximum size.
So you can see how this connects into that core, that downtown
core. And density and connectivity is the reason for that larger
parcel size. If you increase it to 25 acres -- or 50 acres is what their
original recommendation was, it lessens that -- lessens that
connectivity. It makes it a bigger parcel, a little more cumbersome
in terms of the urban scale.
So that explains what Deviation No. 1 is. And we're
recommending against increasing that maximum parcel size to
25 acres, keeping it at four acres. Additionally, the residents of Ave
Maria have come to expect that that is how the development will
proceed moving forward.
MR. OCHS: That's multi-family parcels, correct?
MR. SABO: Multiple-family parcels, correct.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Solis, do you have a
question?
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yes, just to make sure I understand
what this means. So -- because what Mr. Arnold was bringing up in
terms of doing something different that really encompasses more than
four acres, that's an option. I mean, that can be done without
violating any rules.
MR. SABO: There is -- there is a way to cluster four-acre
parcels such that you can accomplish, and the Planning Commission
did discuss that at their meeting. You can cluster four-acre parcels.
Under uniform site plan, Site Development Plan application, you are
March 23, 2021
Page 51
relieved from some of the standards such that you can take four acres,
four acres, four acres and connect them. And I guess I don't want
to -- I don't want to talk too much, but you can -- you can create those
four-acre parcels and kind of create a larger parcel by keeping them
in four-acre pieces.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Right. I mean, so I'm -- it's not
a -- I'm not throwing out a trick question. I just want to make sure
that I understand. So there's an option to do that, but staff's
objection to this is that -- and this aerial, I think, helps clarify that for
me. It's -- the four acres was to promote connectivity and
walkability and those kind of things. Okay. All right. That's all I
had. Thanks.
MR. YOVANOVICH: May I?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes.
MR. YOVANOVICH: I just want to follow up on that concept.
Mr. Sabo, we're asking for this change -- I'm sorry -- in the
neighborhood general portion of the project, not the town core. So if
I can just put this on the visualizer. I think this is an example of
what we're requesting.
MR. SABO: I do understand Mr. Yovanovich's statement.
That -- our aerial was provided for example only. It is not where
they're intending to increase the parcel size. They're intending in the
neighborhood general, as Mr. Yovanovich had mentioned.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Right. And I just want -- I think
Commissioner Solis was asking the question about how -- what are
we asking for and how does it really work. The town is broken into
multiple context zones: Town core, town center, neighborhood
general with -- as you get away from the town core and the town
center, you have the larger parcels that are being developed. And
this is an example, correct, Mr. Sabo, of a multifamily project that is
currently being developed within the Town of Ave Maria within a
March 23, 2021
Page 52
neighborhood general context zone, correct?
MR. SABO: That is correct. And if I can explain a little
further, Mr. Yovanovich, those two building sections, is that a
four-acre parcel, or is it --
MR. YOVANOVICH: Yes. The red line -- may I? May I
explain? Essentially what happens is you take a 25-acre parcel, you
plat it into four-acre parcels, and then you ignore the platted line for
the unified development. So that red line is a platted parcel. And as
you can see, there are multiple buildings on that platted parcel. And
the development -- you can't tell by looking at the project that it's
been platted into a larger multifamily project.
So what it does, it creates the additional engineering step of
platting first and then doing the unified site plan. And what we're
asking is to avoid having to plat first.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: So can I just ask a question. So is
this -- this has already been done in Ave Maria?
MR. YOVANOVICH: And is being done by a developer of the
bundled golf community out there.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Oh, okay. So this isn't something
new that would be going on in Ave Maria?
MR. YOVANOVICH: No.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: This has already been done?
MR. YOVANOVICH: Correct.
MR. SABO: That is correct.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: So --
MR. SABO: So they're able to stack -- if I may, Commissioner
Solis, they're able to stack -- if you can see that red line there, they
are able to stack those four-acre parcels next to each other and,
through a uniform site development plan, they can abut them next to
each other. And it -- it really looks like it's not two four-acre
parcels --
March 23, 2021
Page 53
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay.
MR. SABO: -- but an 8-acre parcel.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: So is there -- and this is a question
that I don't know the answer to. Is there a difference in how they
would go about -- other than the platting and helping our economy by
creating more work for engineers and surveyors, is there -- is there
anything that they would have to do differently in terms of permitting
and getting the approvals for this -- for example, what's on the screen
there? I mean, does it fundamentally change what they can do to
remove this deviation, or does it really just create more -- more work
for the engineers, number one? Number two, if the aerial that you
showed is a concern in the town center, can we just say that
that -- Deviation No. 1 just doesn't apply to the town center? Is there
something that we can clarify to make everybody happy?
MR. SABO: To answer your first -- or your last question first,
yes, that is possible to create that area just to the town center or the
core. That's a possibility.
The other answer to your question -- your first question is the
only real issue that I can think of is the platting. So they'd have to be
platted at four-acre lots. The unified Site Development Plan does
allow them to --
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Right.
MR. SABO: -- you know, abut them together like that. The
intent -- I must say, the intent of the Ave Maria town plan and the
maximum four-acre parcel size is that scale and that connectivity.
So it may not have contemplated golf course type development along
a golf course, and there is nothing in the RLSA about golf course
type development.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay. So it really -- one way or
the other, it doesn't change what could be built on these four-acre
parcels that were massed together?
March 23, 2021
Page 54
MR. SABO: That is correct.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah. And I just was
curious -- because -- well, the way I understood it, this did
not -- well, this request, this deviation did not apply to the town
center proper. And I was curious as to why you used the town center
as an example of a less-than-four-acre size piece of property within
the town center when there -- and I knew this was going on out here
over on the -- I think they call that subdivision The National. And
how big -- how big is this piece of property here that's been
assembled? Is that a little bit bigger than four acres, or is that eight
acres?
MR. SABO: I would have to defer to Mr. Yovanovich, but it
looks about eight acres.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: He's not paying attention.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Yes, I am.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Oh, you are. Okay. How
big a piece of property is this?
MR. YOVANOVICH: On the visualizer is approximately
eight acres. What I was trying to determine, whether it continued on
beyond this piece of paper. That's what I was ensuring.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Oh. So it necessarily could
even be larger than that?
MR. YOVANOVICH: It can. It is unlimited in size.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: They could -- they could
group under the current development criterion multiple four -acre
tracts to accommodate whatever a developer necessarily wanted to
build, so...
MR. SABO: That is correct. And the Planning Commission
had discussed that as well, stacking those four-acre parcels.
March 23, 2021
Page 55
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I understand. Thank you.
Now, talk to me a little bit about the sign issue, if you could, please.
There was some questions during the Planning Commission with
regard to the allowances that are existent per the SRA slash -- and I
don't know if the RLSA actually addresses the signs in total -- and
what the request for the increase -- or adherence to the existing LDC
for the signs of Collier County be included in --
MR. SABO: All right. A couple of things, if I may put on the
visualizer. Do you see that bottom line there regarding signage;
signage in the town center shall comply with town core standards,
community general standards, or LDC Section 5.06.04, which is a
community-wide or the county-wide ordinance. And that's Town
Center 1, and the next page is Town Center 2. But, essentially, it's
deferring it to the same thing. So this next page is the sign standards
from town core in Ave Maria.
So signage permitted now, as Mr. Arnold had mentioned, wall
signs are permitted; that's the second paragraph down. Projecting
signs are permitted. Window signs are permitted. Hanging signs,
awning signs, looks like pole signs mounted at the top of the bracket,
and marquee sign which, essentially, is a movie theater type sign.
What -- and they are bound by those sign standards.
They are looking for flexibility in the Town Center 2 and 3 areas,
which is where the gas station is and the other commercial areas in
Ave Maria, to allow a menu type or a marquee type sign. Not a
marquee theater marquee but a --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Monument sign.
MR. SABO: A monument sign that has, you know, a Starbucks
or this doctor office or a CPA or whatever it is. Currently the sign
standards for Ave Maria do not allow that. So my understanding is
that's what they are looking for, the flexibility from the county sign
ordinance to allow that.
March 23, 2021
Page 56
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So, really, they're
allowed -- all these signs are allowed within the existing LDC of
Collier County. They just are not -- the one that's necessarily
excluded would be -- or are there any inclusions that we should be
aware of other than the monument sign that would facilitate what
they're looking for, or are there -- and I don't want to -- you know,
you're not allowed to give me your opinion, but -- well, you can, but
I -- is there something we should be aware of that could negatively
impact the community with this adherence to the overall -- I mean,
our Land Development Code for Collier County has served the
county relatively well except for some of those flashing lights that
we've had discussions about.
MR. SABO: The county -- the county sign ordinance is pretty
restrictive.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Right.
MR. SABO: The issue for them is -- and I can't answer as to
what they may think of in the future. So whatever our county sign
ordinance would allow would be allowed for them in these areas. So
that -- you know, I don't know. There may be -- and the Planning
Commission had discussed this, that while there may be some future
sign that they come up with that fits the county ordinance but may
not be exactly what the Town of Ave Maria or the community would
like, four of the planning commissioners were comfortable with
having the county sign ordinance be in place for those types of
requests.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Gotcha. And my last
question is for maybe Trinity, and that's having to do with -- thank
you, James.
MR. SABO: You're welcome.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: My last question has to do
with the relevance of a trip cap and the validity of the trip cap.
March 23, 2021
Page 57
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: While Trinity's coming up, can I
just ask Mr. Sabo one last question before he sits down?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Sure.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Maybe -- Ms. Scott, you could use
this podium.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Sorry. Before you sit down. So
just so I'm clear, this change from the four acres to the 25 acres won't
apply to the town center. It's in the general nei ghborhood area?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I don't see that restriction.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: That's a restriction. I just want to
be clear. I didn't see that either.
MR. SABO: I would need a minute, Commissioner, to clarify
that. I don't know that off the top of my head.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay. If you can clarify that, I
just need to know that.
MR. SABO: All right. Mr. Arnold may be able to.
MR. ARNOLD: For the record, Wayne Arnold. And if it's not
clear, we'd be happy to add that to the deviation, that it's only
applicable to the neighborhood general context zone.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That was my understanding.
If you didn't --
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay. Yeah, I didn't see it, so I
just wanted to make sure.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yeah, I didn't see it.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It was my understanding that
it was.
MR. SABO: Madam Chair, one other clarification if I can.
There's a typo in the executive summary. They had originally come
in requesting 50 acres. It is actually 25. So your motion should be
for 25 acres and not for 50.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Sorry I jumped in. I just --
March 23, 2021
Page 58
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: No, no.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: -- didn't want him to sit down.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Ms. Scott.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It's appreciated. There
again, I had understood it to be for outside the town center, and that
was why I was curious as to the example that was given within the
town center, but thanks for the clarification.
Good morning.
MS. SCOTT: Good morning. For the record, Trinity Scott,
Transportation Planning Manager.
The relevance for the trip cap allows us, as the town may
continue to evolve, as things change, they may come in for future
amendments. It allows us to look at what was previously approved
from the trip perspective and have that for comparison purposes.
Many times we hear when someone comes in for a change, there's no
impact to the traffic. We want to make sure that -- based on how we
originally looked at that. In addition, this is a vested development,
so we do have those trips banked within our concurrency network.
So knowing if we need to add trips to certain links based on changes
in the future or perhaps change of uses, that type of thing.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. So it's more or less
just a carving in stone?
MS. SCOTT: Yes, based on the original, plus the last proposed
change, I believe, when they added the Arthrex.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Memorializing where they're
at and what they're doing.
MS. SCOTT: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I understand. And just as a
final point, I'm really happy about the increase in credits allowable to
help facilitate. You know, we have had negotiations going on for
our hospital facility out there for quite some time and this will -- this
March 23, 2021
Page 59
will allow those discussions to continue without delay from the
developer being able to supply the credits.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Any other questions? I do have a
couple of questions. And, Mr. Sabo, stay close.
But for Mr. Arnold, can you please put on the visualizer what you're
visualizing or anticipating to be off premises in terms alongside the
road to market Ave Maria?
MR. ARNOLD: Troy, can you bring that --
MR. MILLER: You want the PowerPoint back?
MR. ARNOLD: The PowerPoint back up.
MR. MILLER: Yes.
MR. ARNOLD: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: There you go.
MR. ARNOLD: I think this is the sign you're referring to --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes.
MR. ARNOLD: -- Madam Chairman.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes. And understanding we cannot,
according to the law, I think -- County Attorney, we are not allowed
to regulate content. What we are allowed to regulate i s size.
MR. KLATZKOW: That is absolutely correct, ma'am.
MR. OCHS: Madam Chair, I'm so sorry. Could you move
your microphone.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I'm so sorry. And right now we don't
have a -- at this point you're asking for a deviation to allow this to
happen; is that correct?
MR. ARNOLD: That is correct.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Is there any other sign in any
other -- well, I guess it's Ave Maria is the only one out there at this
point. Is there any other approved development that is allowing
these signs such as you are proposing right now?
MR. ARNOLD: Not that I'm aware of. There are a few other
March 23, 2021
Page 60
off-premise signs in the county. Your code does contemplate them,
but it only allows them within a thousand feet of the property
boundary. This one's about 4,500 feet away.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Understandably. No, it's a long way
away. I have a great deal of angst about this because if you look and
you get closer, this is a marketing sign for the developers. And not
that I don't think they should be marketed, but do we want a
proliferation of these kind of signs along Oil Well Road?
Remember, we're going to have commercial going in there. I
think -- I think we're on a slippery slope right now.
I don't have any problem at all with an Ave Maria sign that is
uniquely saying Ave Maria, but we can't regulate that. So it's a
real -- it's a discussion that we have to make whether we're going to
allow the off-premises signs.
So that's it. And I think we are now ready for -- oh, and I think
it's interesting to note that Mr. Klucik, who is a resident of Ave
Maria, actually is a tenant of the developer of Ave Maria, voted
against this. There was one NIM and about 60, 65 people attended
to it. I believe there was a second NIM that I didn't see listed, but I
know you said you spoke that there was a second NIM out there also.
MR. ARNOLD: Yes. There was a second informal
informational meeting that occurred after our first required
neighborhood information meeting. And just for the record, I know
there was discussion at the Planning Commission about the
off-premises sign, but I don't think I would categorize the residents as
having an issue with that offsite sign.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: One resident did.
MR. ARNOLD: One resident expressed their --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: On the Planning Commission.
Okay. Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. And I spoke with Robb
March 23, 2021
Page 61
specifically about the sign issue and the sign ordinance, and the
concern wasn't the offsite premises signs. I mean, our code
contemplates offsite signs.
I'm interested to understand why they're asking for a
deviation -- other than the deviation for the offsite sign. I think the
request is because our code has a limit of 1,000 feet, and they're
asking for, I think, 4,500 feet. But if they -- if this weren't approved
and you wanted to -- and I know we have had other signs that have
come off site, and it was outside. What's the process to be able to
put your sign 4,500 feet away? Whoever wants to ask [sic] that.
And then I do want to address Mr. Klucik's comments. I spoke with
him on Sunday, so...
MR. ARNOLD: Wayne Arnold, again, for the record. So
there would be two opportunities to get a sign more than 1,000 feet
away, and one would be the deviation process we're asking for today
or the other would be a variance, and I'll let your staff tell me if I'm
incorrect. But those are the only two mechanisms that I'm aware of.
MR. SABO: For the record, James Sabo.
That is correct. The deviation process and the variance process for a
sign more than 1,000 feet.
Do you want to know our rational for supporting the 4,500 foot?
This is a large area. There's development going on. There are
people coming from different directions. It is large areas of not a lot
going on in terms of signage or directional signage or anything like
that. We felt it was appropriate in this case to direct interested
people toward Ave Maria.
MR. KLATZKOW: You're going to have this same issue when
Rivergrass goes in and those other towns go in. So if it's the will of
the Board to do this here, you're going to be asked for those other
towns as well.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yep. That's not going to be such a
March 23, 2021
Page 62
vacant area for much longer.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And then -- and, Madam
Chair, in regard to Robb Klucik and his comments, I spoke with him
this past Sunday. The main concern -- the main concern that he had
was there wasn't a lot of clarity at the Planning Commission level
with the allowable signage that is currently allowed, and the -- and
the expectation to go over to the current LDC. There wasn't a lot of
clarity coming for his questions.
He and I spoke about it, and from what I've been able to
ascertain and even what Mr. Sabo has said today, there's not an
enormous amount of increase or a negativity that could come to the
folks in Ave Maria before -- before it could, in fact be addressed. So
when I spoke with Robb, as long as that clarity was, in fact, brought
forward -- I, of course, can't speak for him. His concern was the lack
of comparison between what's currently allowed and what the
applicant's asking for. So that's just a point there. That was the
main reason why he voted against it, because he didn't get that
clarification in advance of his meeting.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. Public comment.
MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. I have three registered speakers
for this item. They're all online.
Our first speaker will be Marsha Maldonado -- oh, excuse me.
Anthony Tozzi, followed by Marsha Maldonado and then Mynor
Gomez, although I think I called inaudible too fast for my Zoom
operator. So let's go with Marsha Maldonado first.
Marsha, you're being prompted to unmute yourself. Could you
please do that at this time.
Marsha Maldonado?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. Let's go ahead and try
Anthony Tozzi; Anthony Tozzi; T-o-z-z-i.
March 23, 2021
Page 63
Anthony, are you there? Yes, you are, sir. You have three minutes,
sir.
MR. TOZZI: Well, actually, I am okay. I heard the
presentation of the planners, and they did answer my questions. So I
really have nothing more to add at this point.
MR. MILLER: Thank you very much, sir.
My final registered speaker for this item is Mynor Gomez.
Mynor Gomez, you're being prompted to unmute yourself at this
time. Mynor Gomez? I still see nothing from Mynor Gomez. One
more time.
(No response.)
MR. MILLER: Okay. And just for safety sake, let me try and
call Marsha Maldonado one more time.
Marsha Maldonado, you're being prompted to unmute yourself,
ma'am.
(No response.)
MR. MILLER: And still nothing. They're online but not
unmuting, ma'am. That's all we have registered.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. Thank you very much.
Well, then the public comment portion is closing. And so any
comments? Are we ready to vote? Should we vote -- question.
Should we vote on these requests separately or would -- because I'm
not sure. I think Mr. Klucik voted against the entire agenda item in
the Planning Commission. I don't think they separated them out,
although they did separate out the deviation for the four acres, I
believe.
MR. KLATZKOW: Well, I mean, you can vote as the staff
recommendation or you can vote to give the applicant what the
applicant is asking for. It's one vote. I just need one motion that
clarifies what we're doing with the deviations, or the requested
deviations.
March 23, 2021
Page 64
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. So let's review the -- let's
review the deviations again, if we could, please.
MR. KLATZKOW: Can you put them on the overhead?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Mr. Sabo.
MR. ARNOLD: It's in our presentation, James.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Deviation No. 1 is just the change
from the four to the 25 acres.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Correct.
MR. ARNOLD: And if I might, Madam Chair. Wayne
Arnold, for the record.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Of course.
MR. ARNOLD: Mr. Yovanovich did check the Land
Development Code, and the citation for the code section is the
neighborhood general context zone. So it is applicable only to the
neighborhood general context zone for that acreage change.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: So it's the will of the Commission to
vote on the four questions -- the four requests as an aggregate rather
than separate them out?
MR. OCHS: Madam Chair, just, again, for clarification, the
staff recommendation was to approve the petition with the sti pulation
that Deviation No. 1 is eliminated from the resolution, and that was
consistent with the recommendation of your Planning Commission.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. That's an elegant way of
doing it. All right.
Do I hear a motion? Commissioner McDaniel and then
Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes, and I don't -- and I'm
inclined to vote for what the applicant has asked for. I don't have
issue with the deviations they've requested.
I think we already clarified the fact that the increase of acreage
March 23, 2021
Page 65
from four to 25 isn't applicable within the town center, which is what
I'm reading here with regard to the Deviation No. 1. So there's really
no necessity to actually remove it, as was recommended by the
Planning Commission.
MR. OCHS: No. I don't think that's entirely accurate. We
were showing the representation of the town center just to give you
some sense of a scale of a three- or four- or five-acre parcel. But the
deviation clearly relates to the neighborhood residential development
and the current -- the current requirement out there is a maximum of
four-acre parcel for those multifamily projects.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And maybe I'm confused.
It's not impossible. But why are we excluding -- or including a
deviation for something that isn't part of the applicant's request?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It is.
MR. OCHS: It is, sir.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It is.
MR. OCHS: They're asking to go from a four-acre maximum
to a 25-acre maximum.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: But outside the town center.
And Deviation No. 1 --
MR. OCHS: Correct.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And forgive me. I'm
just -- I'm trying to read what is up here.
MR. OCHS: Okay.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And Deviation No. 1 is a
relief from that with regard to the town center, and the appli cant's not
applying for that.
MR. OCHS: No.
MR. ARNOLD: Can I clarify? I don't mean to interrupt. But
I think it's -- the phraseology from the Land Development Code, the
citation of the numbers that are there refer you to the neighborhood
March 23, 2021
Page 66
general. It's all considered town design criteria. So I think it's just a
little confusing.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So the town design criteria is
where I was coming up with the issue.
MR. OCHS: Yes. It's not a town center.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It actually is -- that
neighborhood general is the reference that's in front of all that.
MR. OCHS: Correct, correct.
MR. ARNOLD: That's the E, little i.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And I don't -- Madam Chair,
I don't really have any -- I don't think there's a need for us to go
through these individually unless you-all do. But I'd like to make a
motion for approval as applied for.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: There's a motion on the floor. Do I
hear a second?
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: I'll second it, but I do have a
question, if I might, to make sure I understand fully.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. Second. Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: You had indicated that there
were some modifications you were going to make. I want to make
sure that that's part of the record.
MR. ARNOLD: The modification I said, if we need to include
the reference to neighborhood general context zone under the
deviation, I'm happy to.
The citation is to that section of the code, but if we need to put
the wording in there to make it more clear...
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: We do.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: As long as it's clear, I don't
have an issue.
MR. ARNOLD: Okay.
MR. OCHS: It's clear to us.
March 23, 2021
Page 67
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: All right. Then I'll second
the motion.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. Any other discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: There's a motion on the floor and a
second. All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
Aye.
And I'm opposed because of the one deviation which is
requesting an off-premises sign to be located on Oil Well Road.
And other than that, I approve the other three, but I mu st vote against
the entire issue before us.
Thank you. It passes --
MR. ARNOLD: Thank you, Commissioners.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: -- 4-1.
Item #9B
RESOLUTION 2021-68 & RESOLUTION 2021-68A: AN
AMENDMENT TO THE COLLIER COUNTY GROWTH
MANAGEMENT PLAN, ORDINANCE 89-05, AS AMENDED,
SPECIFICALLY AMENDING THE FUTURE LAND USE
ELEMENT AND MAP SERIES TO CREATE THE IMMOKALEE
ROAD RURAL VILLAGE OVERLAY (IRRVO) ON PROPERTY
WITHIN THE AGRICULTURAL, RURAL DESIGNATION,
RURAL FRINGE MIXED USE DISTRICT, TO ESTABLISH
210.78± ACRES OF NEUTRAL LANDS, 1998± ACRES OF
March 23, 2021
Page 68
RECEIVING LANDS AND 578.49± ACRES OF SENDING
LANDS; TO ALLOW A MAXIMUM OF 4042 DWELLING UNITS
WITHIN THE IRRVO OF WHICH A MINIMUM OF 3,000
DWELLING UNITS WILL BE LOCATED IN THE RECEIVING
LANDS; TO PROVIDE FOR GENERATION OF TRANSFER OF
DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS CREDITS FROM SENDING LANDS
INCLUDING ONE CREDIT FOR RESTORATION OF FARM
LANDS; TO PROVIDE FOR USES ON SENDING LANDS TO
INCLUDE ALLOWABLE USES IN COUNTY PRESERVES; TO
PROVIDE FOR USES ON NEUTRAL LANDS TO INCLUDE
USES PERMITTED BY LDC SECTION 2.03.08.A.3 ON
NEUTRAL LANDS WITHOUT LIMITATION INCLUDING BUT
NOT LIMITED TO AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES, SINGLE
FAMILY DWELLING UNITS, GROUP HOUSING, SPORTS AND
RECREATION CAMPS, FARM LABOR HOUSING, SCHOOLS
AND EDUCATIONAL PLANTS; TO PROVIDE FOR USES ON
RECEIVING LANDS TO INCLUDE A MINIMUM OF 25,000
SQUARE FEET AND A MAXIMUM OF 125,000 SQUARE FEET
OF CIVIC/INSTITUTIONAL/GOVERNMENT USES, A
MINIMUM OF 50,000 SQUARE FEET AND A MAXIMUM OF
250,000 SQUARE FEET OF COMMERCIAL USES PERMITTED
BY RIGHT AND CONDITIONAL USE IN THE GENERAL
COMMERCIAL (C-4) ZONING DISTRICT, WITH NON-
RESIDENTIAL USES SUBJECT TO A CAP OF 375,000 SQUARE
FEET IN THE RECEIVING LANDS; PROVIDING FOR A
GREENBELT AND NATIVE VEGETATION REQUIREMENTS;
AND FURTHERMORE DIRECTING TRANSMITTAL OF THE
AMENDMENT TO THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IS
2787.27± ACRES AND LOCATED ON EAST SIDE OF
IMMOKALEE ROAD, APPROXIMATELY TWO MILES NORTH
March 23, 2021
Page 69
OF OIL WELL ROAD, IN SECTIONS 1 AND 2, TOWNSHIP 48
SOUTH, RANGE 27 EAST, IN SECTIONS 25 AND 35 –
ADOPTED
MR. OCHS: Commissioners, that moves us to Item 9B. This
is a recommendation to approve a resolution proposing an
amendment to the Collier County Growth Management Plan to create
the Immokalee Road Rural Village Overlay on property within the
agricultural rural designation in the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District.
This property is located -- it consists of 2,787 plus-or-minus acres
located on the east side of Immokalee Road approximately two miles
north of Oil Well Road. And this is a transmittal hearing.
MR. MULHERE: Good morning.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Good morning.
MR. MULHERE: For the record, Bob Mulhere with Hole
Montes here on behalf of the applicant.
Also with me here this morning is Don Schrotenboer, who is the
owner's representative; Rich Yovanovich is our Attorney; I believe
Andy Woodruff is available via Zoom if necessary; and I think -- I
don't see Norm, so he may also be available. Norm Trebilcock is
our Transportation Consultant; and Barry Jones is the PE.
So the -- this is a transmittal amendment. Because of the size
of the amendment, if it's above 10 acres, it's a -- what's considered a
large-scale amendment. Those require two sets of hearings;
transmittal and adoption.
This is the first set of hearings. If this gets approved, then
probably in the fall we will bring back the adoption with the PUD,
the rezone, the mixed-use PUD.
Subject property is 2,787.27 acres located, as shown on the
aerial, right here. And Immokalee Road runs this way, then swings
to the north, and then back to the east. So it has -- there's four
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sections of land in this square. So there's two miles frontage on
Immokalee Road.
I did just want to point out the difference -- because we've had a
lot of discussion about villages. This will be the first village that
you will see -- that you have seen in the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use
District. That is separate and a part and different from the Rural
Lands Stewardship Program which is further to the east. So your
Rural Lands Stewardship Program is basically 195,000 acres that
surrounds the community of Immokalee, right here. and the Rural
Fringe Mixed-Use District is just east of the urban area, and most of
that district is surrounded by Golden Gate Estates.
So you have a Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District there, here, a
much larger one in here, and this is the subject property.
There is a more traditional transferable development rights
program in the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District. So it is -- the
county created sending lands and receiving lands. The orange is the
sending lands. Owners in the sending lands can transfer
development rights to the receiving lands, such as the subject
property here. I just wanted to spend a minute explaining that,
because you have not actually seen a village in the Rural Fringe
Mixed-Use District yet.
This amendment includes all three of the designations from the
Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District, the subject property. It contains
sending lands, neutral lands, and receiving lands. On the receiving
lands, we would propose to create the rural village, the sending lands
are put in protection, and on the neutral lands, which are adjacent to
the Corkscrew neighborhood, we are not asking for any changes to
that. We will -- as they requested -- I met on several occasions with
the Corkscrew neighborhood -- we will retain the allowable neutral
one-per-five -- a density of one per five.
So, again, the sending lands were the highest value
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environmental lands. The receiving lands allow for conversion to
some form of development, in this case a rural village, and the neutral
lands were deemed no harm, no foul. We're not going to change
anything with those.
I just point out this aerial. You can see that the subject
property, even back as far as 1973, this is the -- what is currently a
mine. This is Immokalee Road here, and Immokalee Road runs
down this side as well. So you can see that this land was farmed and
altered, for the most part, back as far as 1973. This is a more current
2019 aerial, and this is ariel a fairly large excavation right in here.
This map shows you a little closer perspective of the property.
As I mentioned, there's -- or maybe I didn't, but I will -- 1,998 acres
of receiving. This property was part of the Hussey settlement
agreement. It was formerly known as SRA 46 Land Trust at that
time. And as you may recall, the Hussey property further south got
578 acres, and change, of receiving lands, and this property, as part of
that settlement, got 578.49 acres of sending lands. Those have not
been designated. The settlement required them to be designated
when the landowner came in to take some entitlement action on the
property. So we would be designating these sending lands right here
and right here as part of this process when we get to the adoption.
Again, those two combined are a little over 578 acres.
So what changes are we asking for? Well, the density that
we've requested is 4,042 units; within the village, 4,000. Within the
neutral, 42. Again, neutral is limited to one per five.
The current regulations establish a maximum size for a village
of 1,500 acres. We are proposing through this amendment to
increase that size on this project to 1,998, which is the size of the
receiving lands.
The county does allow for one larger village in the southernmost
receiving lands, which is the Lipman Produce and some other large
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agricultural operations down in that area, but all others are limited to
1,500. So we're requesting to increase that size. Right now the
county also allows for a minimum density of two units per acre and a
maximum of three in a village. So they do have an established
minimum density.
So if you had a 1,500-acre village and you built the maximum
density at three units per acre, you could develop 4,500 units. We
were proposing to develop 4,000 units within the village but spread
that across a larger land area; 1,998 acres.
So our minimum density is 1.5, and our maximum is 2, and that
is partly because there is 400 -- I think it's about a 450-acre
excavation lake within the project that, obviously, can't be developed.
We are also asking for a TDR bonus of one TDR per acre of
farm fields if they are restored within the sending lands. So there is
about 80 acres of cleared farm fields within the sending lands. As
part of the getting to you leading up to this hearing, we have met with
a couple of environmental groups, including Brad Cornell and
Meredith Budd; Brad Cornell of Audubon of the Western Everglades
and Meredith of the Florida Wildlife Federation.
And we've been working with them and continue to work with
them. And they would like to see the farm fields restored. I have
an aerial, which I'll show you in just a second.
So this aerial shows the sending lands, which generally run like
this. And this is that fairly large farm field, and this is a farm road to
that. And so in restoring those, we put a limit, I think, at 100 acres,
but it actually will probably be less. Again, staff supported this as
well as the Planning Commission.
So we have a cost estimate to restore that to functioning habitat,
including wading bird habitat. You know, this is fairly close to
Corkscrew, so part of the reason we engaged with Brad was to make
sure that we were addressing concerns that they might have. And so,
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again, in restoring that we would have some upland and some
wetland wading bird habitat and, if we do that, the cost is somewhere
in the neighborhood of $1.7 million. So by allowing TDR
generation for that at one unit per acre, you recoup the cost to restore
that and incentivize that restoration. And, again, that was supported
by staff.
We aren't making any changes to the neutral lands, which are
right there. Let's see. I already mentioned the change to the village
size. All of the rest of these requirements are consistent. They
relate to the town center and neighborhood commercial. And we
also are providing for a research and technology or business park
under the assumption that, as the Board has always discussed pending
changes to this district, employment creation has always been kind of
an important thing. We don't know if we'll be able to do that, but
we've allowed for it in the Comp Plan.
Let's see. This just shows you how the TDRs are corrected
[sic], and it's a little complicated, so I'll go over it with you. You
have a base density at one unit per five acres, which would get you
400 units on the 1,998 acres. We are required to provide affordable
housing, and we're required to provide 400 units, and under your
provisions, we get a half-a-unit bonus for each affordable housing.
So that's 200 units.
From our own sending lands, we anticipate we can generate 563
TDRs, and then in a village you get a bonus for each TDR that you
acquire.
So within the project itself, we can generate 1,726 TDRs. So to
achieve 4,000 units, we would need to acquire 1,137 TDRs from
outside of our project from other landowners in the sending area,
which is the program that you want to see happen so those
landowners are made whole for the loss of development rights they
got when we made their lands sending.
March 23, 2021
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I've asked for a couple of changes to the greenbelt buffer.
Those changes are necessitated by the county's desire to have a
four-lane public roadway through this project which runs along the
south and then north from Immokalee Road on the southwest corner
to Immokalee Road on the northeast corner and also some utility
requests for a raw water well and raw water -- a raw water well line
easement as well as some raw water wells.
So in order to accommodate those things, we've asked for some
changes to the requirements of the greenbelt. And, again, staff and
the Planning Commission both supported that.
Your code allows for a reduction in native vegetation when you
collocate public facilities, and this just reflects that if we do that, we
will get that reduction.
And then the last item is a reduction in the littoral planting
zones. You have those two very large lakes, and they have their own
reclamation plans associated with them, and we've come to find that
the littoral zones function better if they are aggregated, and so we've
requested that deviation from 30 percent, which would be an
incredible amount, down to 15 percent, and that's because of those
two big lakes.
So that concludes my presentation, but we're happy to answer
any questions that you have.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I do have a question about the littoral.
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: You've reduced it?
MR. MULHERE: Yeah. So the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use
District requires 30 percent littoral plantings. On a project of this
size, that would be -- with the -- multiplied by the perimeter;
30 percent by the perimeter of the lakes within the project.
But each of the two mines already have a restoration plan, and it
would be such a large number that -- look, it probably would be very
March 23, 2021
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difficult to maintain a functioning environmental condition in those
littoral plantings because, you know, they're going to be a lot
narrower and a lot shallower because they're going to be around these
big lakes with the wind action hitting those. It's very difficult to
maintain them. Each of the mines does have a reclamation plan.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Who's responsible for that --
MR. MULHERE: The developer is. The owner right now,
yeah.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Right now?
MR. MULHERE: Yeah, yeah.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: So does that reclamation plan have to
come back to the Commission for approval, or are you just --
MR. MULHERE: No. They're required, as part of the
mine -- at the end of the mine, when it ceases to -- by DEP, I believe,
is the agency.
So when we come in for our various plats for development on
the project, we will then identify where the littoral plantings will be
on the actual development lakes and we will meet that 15 percent
requirement overall.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: But to meet the 30 percent, did you
say? Was it 30 percent?
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: So you want to reduce it by
50 percent?
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. So we know that littoral
plantings are one of the critical features of water quality.
MR. MULHERE: Well, water quality and habitat, yes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. So the justification for
reducing this is because --
MR. MULHERE: By aggregating them, we will actually create
March 23, 2021
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better functioning habitat and water quality provisions. And when
you aggregate them, you're either going to get less functional long,
linear littoral plantings, or you're going to get them aggregated, in
which case you don't really need to do as much. That's the basis for
that. It has been approved on other projects.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. Okay. And the lakes, how
big are the lakes, please?
MR. MULHERE: Frankly, I think maybe we ought to revisit at
some point, not as part of this project, but revisit that littoral planting.
It's the only one -- it's, like, quadruple the amount required anywhere
else in the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District. And I know we're
going through that restudy now, so...
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay.
MR. MULHERE: I'm sorry; I missed your question.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: No. How big is the lake?
MR. MULHERE: Well, the one -- so let me go to that again.
Let me get to that area. I'm sorry. So this lake here, which is the
neutral lands, is about a little -- maybe 195 or 196 acres, and the total
of this neutral-lands parcel is 210. So it's almost the entire parcel.
And then this one here is about 450 acres.
Now, what you're not seeing here is that the rest of this area all
throughout here, which will be developed -- and this may be a little
bit confusing, so let me -- this will have a number of development
lakes which will have the littoral zones on them.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Got it.
MR. MULHERE: I apologize. I see where that would be
confusing.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: And the circle at the bottom that you
just did that looks like it's land, this is a lake?
MR. MULHERE: It actually is. It's -- in this aerial, which, I
don't know, was in June of 2019, it's a little bit shallow, so that's why
March 23, 2021
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it looks like land, but it is -- it is an excavation; ongoing excavation.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. Thank you.
Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes, thank you.
And just -- I'm rather intimate with that lake there on the south. And
just for your edification, when we get to a draft of the site plan that's
proposed here, south of the entrance road, the four-lane where they're
contemplating bringing the road through, south of it is a no blast zone
on that 500 acres or so that's permitted for a lake, and it virtually
cannot be dug in any kind of economy to make sense to actually
excavate it, so...
MR. MULHERE: I'm not sure if I got it exactly right,
Commissioner, but, you know, just in this vicinity, the four-lane
public roadway will come in somewhere around here and will then
swing a little bit to the south and then move north all the way back to
Immokalee Road. So I think you're referring to some of this area,
and maybe it swings up a little bit more.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It's actually -- it's actually
just to the -- well -- and you're the one drawing circles. It actually
flows right along the circle that's in the middle of the permitted lake
area right -- that area, and then draw a line along the south end of
that, right there, and then back to the west. There's a no blast zone
there. And that's -- and the road's going to go through there. But
from that line, basically, south is -- there's no blasting allowed. So
that just is maybe a little bit clarification as to the size of what the big
pond is, in fact, going to look like.
A question for you, and this has been asked of me regularly.
On a good day, assuming transmittal goes forward, adoption goes
forward, how long will it take for our community to be seeing
vertical development?
MR. MULHERE: Commissioner, right now we are in the -- in
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really the kind of early stages of the jurisdictional permitting. I
would assume two years for jurisdictional permitting, and at the same
time, we would -- assuming we get -- and that's from the adoption in
the fall and MPUD hearings.
And then we have to go through some -- you know, the plat and
then build the entry road at least to the first portion of the
development. So there's some infrastructure that's going to be
required. So I believe that it will be safe to say five years; five
years.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Plus/minus. And again --
MR. MULHERE: Yes. There will be some construction. But
vertical -- your question was vertical.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Right. And that was the
impact on the community necessarily -- so there is a little bit of an
impact that comes from the actual construction.
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: But, you know, the concerns
with the traffic and everything, it potentially could be as early as five
years. Could be a little less; could be a little longer than that.
MR. MULHERE: Yes, yes; that's correct.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Depending on the economy,
as things go.
When you mentioned earlier in the southerly portion of the
Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District, there was a larger contemplated
village for the -- what we all know as the Lipman Farms.
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Approximately how large is
that village allowance within the --
MR. MULHERE: That allowance is 2,500 acres.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And so this request is
increasing from the --
March 23, 2021
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MR. MULHERE: Fifteen --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- rural fringes --
MR. MULHERE: Fifteen to --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Fifteen hundred to 19 --
MR. MULHERE: About a little under 2,000.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Right at 2,000. Okay.
And then my next question has to do with the restoration of the
farm fields that are in the environmental area, because it was rather
impressive the size -- right there. This is a -- this is a critical area for
habitat, some wonderful wetlands. I've stomped most of these
swamps that are delineated here on this picture. What criterion is
going to be utilized? Is there a format or criterion for the restoration
of those farm fields back to --
MR. MULHERE: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- habitat?
MR. MULHERE: We're actually working directly with Brad
and Meredith. They -- Brad, particularly, I think, has some
experience with some restoration that related to the panther
mitigation bank, and he's made some suggestions, and we've
committed to continue to work with them. The objective would be
to create some wading bird habitat as well as some uplands. So
maybe this is a depressed marshy wetland. And I'm -- look, I'm not
an ecologist, but I'm -- I've been on the call, so, you know, I stayed at
the Holiday Inn.
And also this is a pretty substantial, I think, cypress area.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It is.
MR. MULHERE: So it's important, I think, to restore that. It
will serve two purposes: A water quality and a hydrology benefit
but also a habitat for wading birds.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Right. And so what I heard
is there isn't a set of standards yet developed --
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MR. MULHERE: No.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- that's being suggested.
When will we know what those standards, in fact, are going to --
MR. MULHERE: Yep.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Will we know those
standards, and will they be solidified before I'm asked to adopt this?
MR. MULHERE: They will. We're going to work with them
and come back. And right now, just so you know, there's an
incentive, and the incentive is twofold. It's --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I got the incentive. I
appreciate that. I just wanted clarification --
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- because talking with the
environmental groups about potential standards and not having them
solidified end up being two different things, and I wanted to hear
when those were going to be done.
I also wanted to ask -- if I recall, there was a contribution of a
significant amount of right-of-way along the east side of this property
that runs along Immokalee Road?
MR. MULHERE: Yes. So I can use this example right here.
We have -- and this will come back in the form of the PUD when you
see it in, hopefully, the fall. We have a 100-foot right-of-way
reservation requested which we agreed to -- obviously it doesn't
become actual until we come back -- along Immokalee Road here.
And, again, as I mentioned, the plan right now calls for a public
roadway through there. So traffic will have the ability to come
through here and perhaps not have to go along this --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: The old Immokalee Road.
MR. MULHERE: This area of Immokalee Road.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah, the old Immokalee
Road. And that's one of the huge benefits for this project. That
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right-of-way restoration, assuming we go through the process and
transmittal, there's, again, some amazing wetland communities that
are over along Immokalee Road that are in dire need of enhancement,
and with that reservation, we'll be able to do wildlife crossings. And
we've actually -- I've got some information that came from staff, I
think, over the weekend with regard to the restoration efforts that
Brad was here last month talking to us about and the potential of
some form of increased restoration actually coming from the canal
system that runs along the east side of this property through those
designated areas and underneath Immokalee Road that can be a huge
benefit to the environmental community as well.
And I actually even spoke -- I spoke with Meredith as well,
because I think over here in what's designated as Section 31, between
30 and 31, there's a very sensitive environmental area, and they're
talking about a wildlife crossing across the canal to interconnect
through these designated lands to the north end to allow for that
transition back and forth from eastern Golden Gate Estates and over
into the CREWs land as well.
And I have one last question, Madam Chair, and then I'll quit for
a minute, and that is, there was some discussion early on about the
potential of a purchase of land for the contemplated bus barn -- CAT
bus barn and Road and Bridges facility. Is that reservation included
in this at this stage?
MR. MULHERE: It's not included in the GMP. Right now it
is in the MPUD and has been reviewed three times so far by staff.
We'll be resubmit -- we're making a few site plan changes, which is
normal, through this process, but it's still in there. And we presume
that we will go forward with that school board bus barn and the
county Road and Bridge facilities.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Having that as an option --
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
March 23, 2021
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COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- is paramount as far as I'm
concerned, so -- and I have no further questions for the applicant
right now.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
There's an email we've all got with a resident from Golden Gate,
only one, okay, concerned about this development taking the water
from their wells, which is the opposite side of the environmentalists
who want more water, you know -- exactly. And we do have our Dr.
Yilmaz here. And I'm wondering if he might consider just briefly
addressing, as we develop in the east, how are we preserving existing
wells? And I don't know if he hears me or if he's even paying
attention.
MR. MULHERE: May I just add, while he's coming up --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes.
MR. MULHERE: This will be served by county sewer and
water, so we're not going to be affecting somebody's wells.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: That's kind of what I wanted, if we
could, because it's a -- it's part of the great plan out there.
Did you hear my question, Dr. Yilmaz?
DR. YILMAZ: Yes, ma'am, I did. Commissioners, for the
record, George Yilmaz, Collier County Water/Sewer District director.
What we have, this board has approved integrated water resources
strategy. Under water resources strategy, there were three visionary
guiding principles. One was, are we going to withdraw through this
development process potentially going on the eastern parts of the
county more water than currently we are withdrawing now. The
answer is no.
The agreements we have with developers takes us to No. 2 point
that we introduced in our integrated water resources strategy net zero
water footprint. What that means is that we will be taking less
freshwater from our freshwater resources with minimal if not no
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impact to upper and lower Tamiami aquifer system. 80 percent of
our water, and going into next 50 years, close to 100 percent of our
water will be coming from lower and upper Hawthorn aquifer
system, which is being recharged by green swamp area in central
Florida.
And, thirdly, this is going to be, from a water resource
management strategy and conservation standpoint, will significantly
reduce agricultural withdrawals and discharges related to agricultural
activities.
So having shared with you next 50 years and painting the picture
how the water resource is going to be there, we are confident that
freshwater supplies will be preserved, if not be better off, as far as
drinking water supplies using our nano and aero technology, will be
good enough for over 1.5 million residents.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
DR. YILMAZ: Thank you, ma'am.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Fascinating. I don't know if this
board was here, this board currently, when we did the water
integrated plan, but it might be timely to have a review of it. All
right. So any questions?
MR. OCHS: Do you want the staff presentation?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yep. We'll hear from the staff now.
MS. MOSCA: Good morning, Madam Chair, Commissioners.
For the record, Michele Mosca with the Zoning Division.
Staff is recommending approval of this Growth Management
Plan for transmittal to the state. Staff has determined that the project
furthers the rural village -- furthers the rural village concept within
the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District of the Future Land Use Element.
The proposed village provides for a mix of uses, it provides for a mix
of housing types including affordable housing, and it also has the
potential to preserve or protect from development in the sending
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lands over 1,400 acres, which is key to these projects.
And, Commissioner Taylor, you had asked staff to provide a
comparison document. So the comparison would be between the
rural village proposal that you're seeing today and the proposed
restudy-based amendments that you'll be seeing probably within the
next few months.
So what I'd like to do is put on the visualizer the table. This
also can be found in your staff report for the Planning Commission,
so I'll do that now.
So you can probably see the similarities. Again, there's a mix
of housing types, so both in the proposed rural village as well as in
the existing provisions, which is the middle column, and the white
paper or the rural fringe proposal for the amendments.
There's opportunities for a technology park or business park for
employment. There's also provisions for institutional and civic uses,
and most noteworthy about the differences would be the TDR or
Transfer of Development Rights generation rates.
So as Bob explained to you, really with this proposal they are
self-bonusing, which is okay. I mean, again, there are opportunities
for TDR severances. They are required to go outside of the rural
village for roughly 1,137 credits and, again, that could preserve
upwards or stop from potential development that additional 1,400
acres.
Are there any questions about the table? I don't know if you all
have had a chance to review it. So I just want to make sure before I
go further, if you have any questions -- okay.
And then, finally, the Planning Commission recommended
approval unanimously of this particular amendment, and they had
two conditions. One was for the working -- the applicant will work
with the Florida Wildlife Federation to look at a crossing, and then
there was also staff text and, I'm sorry, third there was a developer
March 23, 2021
Page 85
contribution agreement so that mitigation was addressed.
So if there's any questions...
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Seeing none, thank you very much.
MR. MULHERE: Madam Chair, I just wanted to put on the
record, no objection to those conditions. We're doing that right now
anyway. The DCA will come back to you as part of the adoption
and MPUD, and we are presently working with staff to work through
that process.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you. There are no questions.
Any public comment?
MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. I have one registered speaker in
the room and three registered speakers online. We'll start with Rae
Ann Burton, and Rae Ann will be followed by Brad Cornell and then
Matthew Schwartz. Well now, I saw Rae Ann here earlier. All
right. I'm going to throw my Zoom people a curveball -- wait, there
she is. It's got to be. There she is.
MS. BURTON: Good morning, Commissioners. My name is
Rae Ann Burton. 2530 31st Avenue Northeast.
Item 9B is a project that will impact panther preserves, create
traffic congestion, and make an even already difficult commute even
worse. It's only one of many compact dense communities creating a
commercial sprawl.
This village is not cohesive with the rural environmental or
RLSA plan which developers are constantly changing to suit their
desires. The required infrastructure should be the developers. We
will be the burden of the taxpayers. This village will create more
congested traffic which will create access issues for communities that
have entrance on Immokalee. Estate tax money already goes into
general fund where everyone benefits but the Estates.
People move knowing there are no stores around the corner. It
wasn't an issue until developers started building in the fringe area.
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People moved here for rural environment and wildlife, not for the
conveniences that we are now told we need. It is the developments
that are demanding the conveniences.
I'm tired of hearing we must build for "they" want to move here.
Why? Who are "they"?
There are no homes for the homeless. Maybe if they had a
home, they would be a benefit to society. But the county approves
high-cost housing selling at prices only locals can dream of owning.
Sold for vacation homes, rentals, or to businesses that want a place to
house or entertain clients or employees.
It seems public concerns and fears are being ignored; that the
projects are already cut in stone. This project is wrong f or the
Estates, endangers panthers and bear habitat, creates further traffic
congestion, more wildlife kills, and forces more wildlife/human
contact creating more farm animals and pet deaths.
Project only benefits developers and a lawsuit settlement and
four foreclosed parcels of Commissioner McDaniel. Even though
there is no financial gain, there was also no financial loss. He should
excuse himself from voting, as it would seem a conflict of interest.
We live here. Most of the developers do not, some not even in the
county or state. We are the taxpayers. This is our backyard. Our
homes are being destroyed so gated, densely packed villages have
amenities while destroying ours.
We don't have to go on a vacation to get out of congested
developments. We have the space and nature to watch, a tree to sit
under and ponder on the sounds of nature, or at least we did.
This development will destroy the unique area of Naples, the paradise
we want to enjoy and the tourists come to see. The Board was voted
by the taxpayers to protect the environment, wildlife, and taxpayers
that live here. Yes, developers have a right to develop their land, but
not at the cost of my -- of me losing mine.
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Growth must be controlled, also benefit the Estate homeowners;
cannot just be the developers.
Do not approve; it benefits only the developer and landowner
that seek only profit at our expense.
MR. MILLER: Madam Chairman, your next speaker online is
Bradley Cornell. Mr. Cornell will be followed by Matthew
Schwartz and then Meredith Budd.
Brad, I see you're there. You have three minutes, sir.
MR. CORNELL: Good morning, Madam Chair and
Commissioners. This is Brad Cornell on behalf of Audubon of
Western Everglades and also Audubon Florida and its Corkscrew
Swamp Sanctuary. So thanks for the chance to comment on this
Immokalee Road Rural Village Overlay.
As Bob Mulhere mentioned, Audubon and Florida Wildlife
Federation have spent over a year meeting with the applicant's
representatives on this project and continue to meet regularly on
several aspects that remain unresolved on this proposal. We have
appreciated this dialogue very much.
Audubon -- on my first comment, Audubon believes the
proposed rural village density bonus TDR credit that is just for using
other credits is inappropriate.
The density is low for a village or a town, and the Rural Fringe
Mixed-Use District was designed to protect habitat and wetlands
through TDR credit rewards. This proposed gifted credit would not
be tied to any public benefits. In contrast, the proposed bonus TDR
credit for each acre of restoration of farm fields is good and
necessary, and Audubon supports that. That helps achieve the Rural
Fringe Mixed-Use District purposes very clearly.
Speaking of those restored farm fields, the applicants are
proposing about 80 acres of restoration on the north end. Audubon
recommends these be restored primarily to wet prairies, which is a
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wetland habitat type, which has largely been eliminated from the
region as most of them have been converted to farms and urban uses.
These are vital for wood stork nesting, according to Audubon
research at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, so that's why we make this
strong recommendation. Wet prairies are not easy to restore, but
they're absolutely essential.
Next, Audubon opposes reduction of the required littoral
planting area from 30 percent to 15 percent because these areas, when
aggregated in lakes, will act as wading bird forging areas and habitat
and contribute significantly to better water quality. This do es not
include the two mining lakes that Bob Mulhere was talking about.
Without more acreage of restoration of wetlands from farm fields, the
littoral planting areas will have to substitute for that important
ecological benefit that this area needs very close to Corkscrew
Swamp Sanctuary and the CREW Bird Rookery Swamp.
Finally, I just want to note that Audubon also supports what Florida
Wildlife Federation is about to raise with you by Meredith Budd,
which is the need for wildlife crossings in two locations and the
importance of human/wildlife conflict reduction policies for this
project.
So thanks very much for considering our input, and we look
forward to continuing to work on this project with the applicant as
well as your staff. Thanks.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I have a question for you,
Mr. Cornell.
MR. CORNELL: Sure.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Your position is that if additional
TDRs are applied to this project, it should be for restoration, correct?
MR. CORNELL: Yeah. Restoration would be a prime way to
do that. There are different ways to generate TDRs. As Bob
Mulhere and staff have summarized, another would be from sending
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lands as base credits off site, and they are generating some from that.
They could generate more by going to the TDR marketplace and
buying more credits, or they could do more restoration on farm fiel ds
and adjust their footprint so that they accommodate that. So, yes,
there would be different ways they could generate more
public-benefiting credits.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Madam Chairman, your next speaker on this
item will be Matthew Schwartz.
Mr. Schwartz will be followed by Meredith Budd.
Mr. Schwartz, I see you're on with us. You have three minutes,
sir. Go ahead.
MR. SCHWARTZ: Thank you. Just minimize something.
Can you still hear me?
MR. MILLER: Yes, sir.
MR. SCHWARTZ: Okay, great. So Matthew Schwartz,
South Florida Wildlands Association. We're a small nonprofit that
works to protect wildlife and habitat in the greater Everglades.
Yogi Berra -- I'm going to talk about Yogi Berra for a minute. And
he has a famous quote. Asked about going to a popular restaurant.
He famously said, nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.
That saying definitely applies to Broward County, your sister county
across -- your sister county across Alligator Alley, with a current
population of nearly two million people, and more and more it's
applying to Collier County as well.
In 1980, Collier County had a population of about 85,000.
Today it has a population of about 400,000. In only 40 years, it's a
nearly five-fold increase in population. That is staggering growth,
and that has not been adequately planned for or mitigated.
Last week, or the last meeting, commissioners spoke about that
rapid growth in glowing terms. Collier was described as a booming
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new metropolitan area.
Current residents have a different opinion. You heard one
today. I was also speaking to another resident of the Golden Gates
who was in tears looking at the presentation knowing what's coming.
The new road that was described is right behind her house. It cuts
off, you know, extremely important wildlife habitat.
Most of the residents, they come here now and then. They
complain about a degradation of the local environment, loss of
wildlife and wildlife habitat, overcrowded roads and traffic
congestion, impairment of water quality, loss of fish populations,
algae outbreaks due to contaminated runoff, and other impairments
that are the result of rapid growth including a general decrease in the
quality of life for a formerly small gulf-side community.
I lived in Broward County for 13 years, and I had a conversation
one time in a staff room with a Broward County planning staff
member about Broward's level of growth. It's about two million
people, as I said, right now. When asked about what that growth had
accomplished, his reply was, we've allowed more people to live here
than ordinarily could have, and he stopped right there. No further
elaboration.
Collier County seems to be on a similar track, accomplishing
little by population growth except more population growth and
degradation to the natural environment and the habitat of Florida state
animal as well as numerous other Florida native species of Florida.
I think I've got three minutes, and I have 30 seconds left. The
4,000 new residents, as planned for this project, are an unmitigated
disaster for the Florida wildlife and for the other local wildlife. It's a
stone's throw from the important public lands, CREW lands, the Flint
Pen Strand and, most importantly, the famous Corkscrew Swamp, the
last stand of native old growth cypress trees in our region.
The local water runoff use will drain these areas, because when
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agricultural lands are used, when water is used in agricultural lands,
that water stays on the surface, returns to the aquifer. The other
stuff -- and I've set my alarm for three minutes, so I suppose that's it.
But when water use is used for the public supply, that use is taken out
of commission, basically dumped, and it's gone.
So there is numerous other problems with this project. Roadkill
is going to increase all kinds of degradation. And I would say do not
approve this project. I would say take into consideration -- if you're
really concerned about the needs of Collier County, the residents,
what they want, they don't want this.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
MR. SCHWARTZ: They don't want New Suburbia. Thank
you very much.
MR. MILLER: Madam Chair, your final speaker on this item is
Meredith Budd. I'll give Meredith a second here to unmute herself.
There you are, Meredith. You have three minutes.
MS. BUDD: Good morning. Meredith Budd on behalf of the
Florida Wildlife Federation. Good morning, Commissioners,
Madam Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to speak.
As Brad mentioned just before, the Federation, along with
Audubon, have been in communication with the applicant over the
past year, and we're appreciative of the opportunity the applicant has
given us to provide our input and for their willingness to work with
us.
Today you have a Growth Management Plan amendment before
you that would allow this village to come back for their further
approvals. So in advance of enabling this village to come back, I
think it's really important for you to be sure that the village
application that will be coming back is one that is compatible with
the landscape.
There is a severe wildlife mortality issue on the north/south
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segment of Immokalee Road that is immediately west of this village.
Also, as mentioned, the village will have a bypass road moving
through it that will bisect habitat as it moves north/south through the
village.
Commissioner McDaniel, thank you for highlighting the Horse
Pen Strand and the need for wildlife to be able to maintain their
current movement patterns through the region.
The village is to the east of CREW and to the west of that Horse
Pen Strand. The settlement agreement converted those 578 acres of
land to sending area. So given the surrounding land uses, the now
designated sending land, it's critical to be able to provide
wildlife-crossing structures on both Immokalee Road and the bypass
road. Again, that north/south segment of Immokalee has panthers
and bears consistently killed by vehicles. That's not only a wildlife
issue; that's a human-safety issue as well. There are also many
wading birds and wood stork roadkills that are on that same road
segment.
So FWF and Audubon have met with FWC. We actually have
a meeting with the service tomorrow to discuss these crossing needs
and these wildlife issues.
Also, the village is in an area where there is high probability of
wildlife conflict. We have discussed this issue with the applicant,
and we encourage them to commit to implementing a comprehensive
wildlife/human conflict plan including both education and
bear-resistant trash containers for residences and for businesses.
So we're very pleased that the applicant has been willing to work
with us on this and has taken our recommendations, and they have
indicated to us that they would be willing to implement both the
Comprehensive Plan and the bear-resistant trash cans throughout the
village. These strategies are needed in all areas of the county where
there are bear and panther habitat, and they're really necessary for this
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village to move forward.
So I understand that this is a GMP amendment, but I believe that
these are issues that are important for you to just be aware of at this
time in the process so that when the village comes back we can
ensure that these wildlife issues are fully addressed. So we look
forward to continuing this dialogue with both the applicant and with
your staff as it moves forward. So thank you so much for your time.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
MR. MULHERE: I just want to, if I could, Madam Chair,
respond to a couple things. I think there was maybe a little bit of
confusion on how we generate TDRs within the project. There was
a -- I think Brad mentioned, well, they're going to get some. Well,
there's no some. It's 1,137 TDRs at somewhere between 12 - and
$15,000 apiece. So if you do the math, it's significant.
But having said that -- could you switch this. Yeah, right there.
Perfect. So I just want to show you how the GMP amendment
proposes to generate TDRs. If you look at A, it says, base TDR
credits 0.4 per acre. Now, that's only within our own sending lands.
Right now you have an early-entry bonus of .2 and the base TDR of
.2. That's what's in there right now. I combined those two, not for
an increase -- you can see it says .4 -- because I somehow thought
after 20 years an early entry didn't make a lot of sense. But I can go
back to the early entry at .2 and the base at .2, and it's the same
number.
So -- and then we have the environmental restoration
maintenance bonus, which is exactly what you have today, and then
we have the conveyance bonus, which is also exactly what you have
today. The only new bonus is one for restoring those farm fields,
which you heard there was support for. So I just wanted to clarify
that. It's not -- and we're not creating more TDRs other than the
farm-field restoration TDR, which is a one-TDR-per-acre bonus.
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We have committed to the human/wildlife interaction plan
which we will bring back as part of the rezone, MPUD rezone, which
will cover not only the actual wildlife interaction, including
bear-proofed trash cans and other wildlife species management plans,
panther, but also we'll address controlled burns which will occur in
the public lands close to us. So we have no problem with that, and
we will continue to work with interested parties to make sure that that
addresses their concerns.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Solis.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Mr. Mulhere, I just want to make
sure -- because I had written this down -- that on the -- there was 563
TDRs from the sending area but then there was, essentially, a match
of 563?
MR. MULHERE: Yes. So in a village, for every TDR or
TDR credit that you get -- so the base or any of those credits that are
available to anybody -- in a village, to incentivize a village, your
Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District gives a bonus for each TDR credit.
That's to get from -- because right now outside of a village you're
limited to one unit per acre. So to get up to two or three, there's a
combination of TDRs that you have or you acquire, and with us
it's -- we have -- we actually have to go out and buy quite a few more
than we have, 1,137 at a minimum, and then for each one that you
acquire, TDR or TDR credit, you get a bonus. A village -- they call
it a village bonus. So that's how you get to that density, that
minimum density of two or that maximum of three.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay. So maybe this is a question
for staff, because I thought what Mr. Cornell was saying was that
there was something in this situation being inappropriate about that,
but if that's -- if that's what the -- if that's what our process allows for,
then -- if that's what the rule is, then that's what the rule is at this
point, and that's maybe a discussion for a later time.
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MS. MOSCA: For the record, again, Michele Mosca, if I may.
I have something on the visualizer for you. So I just want to make
sure we have a clear understanding of where these TDR credits are
coming from.
So I did a rough calculation based on the on-site sending lands.
So you can look at the calculations, and so they're achieving roughly
562.77 on site, and they're doubling that. Just so we're clear, that
would give them 1,225 plus-or-minus credits. And then for the
offsite sending lands, they will have to go out and purchase that 1,137
TDR credits, and they're getting an additional bonus for that. Just so
we're clear.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: The bonus is for what?
MR. MULHERE: They exist today.
MS. MOSCA: The bonus that exists today, as Bob's telling me
in the background, is to get to the base density which in the existing
rural village provisions is 2. Their base density is 1.5, and their max
is 2. So there's a little bit of a difference there, but it is a rural
village bonus.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: And that's allowed under the rules?
MS. MOSCA: Not what -- not what the applicant is proposing,
because we have a little different of a provision in the existing and
what's proposed in the restudy amendments. Again, it's all about the
density. So after 2, and Bob's saying after 1.5, they get the rural
village bonus. Again, this is a Growth Management Plan
amendment, so they're asking for a different density, and they're
asking for a different maximum acreage for this rural village. So
their base would be 1.5. Under the existing provisions it's 2.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: So they've reduced the requirements
by .5 TDR?
MS. MOSCA: For the minimum density, yes, and then asked
for the rural village bonus, which they can do, it's okay, because it's a
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Growth Management Plan amendment. But it's not consistent with
the existing provisions and the future provisions. But, again, that's
okay because it's a Growth Management Plan amendment. But I just
want to make sure it's clear how they're deriving those bonus credits.
Maybe I didn't make it clear.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: So, if I may, just to dovetail onto
what you were speaking about, Commissioner Solis, I think the issue
is -- for Mr. Cornell is that could they get their -- these additional
purchased TDRs or would-be-purchased TDRs from another source,
like the environment, to enhance the environment even more?
MS. MOSCA: Sure, they could. The 1,137, yes, because
they're asking for that additional bonus of 1,137 additional credits.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: And so how would -- how would you
get it from the environment? To do what? Is it minimal? I know
there's this gradation, correct? It's the RLSA. There's this level, so
many TDRs; this level, so many -- is it uniform within the --
MS. MOSCA: It's uniform. All the credits -- one credit equals
one unit. So it could be for restoration; it could be for conveyance; it
could be for their base unit.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: But is there any level of restoration,
any description of what that restoration includes?
MS. MOSCA: It does not.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Oh.
MR. YOVANOVICH: You have to restore the land. You
have to remove exotics. You have to --
MS. MOSCA: You know what, he's right. I apologize. So
there is the provision for the restoration maintenance plan in the
restoration and maintenance bonus credit. I didn't realize that's what
you were referring to. I thought you were referring to the RLSA and
the different levels.
So you have to make sure that you remove the exotics from the
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property, and then it has to be functioning at the restoration
maintenance plan levels identified in the plan. And then it requires a
bond for all of that, and after that the bond can be released or the
property can be conveyed to a state agency or another accepting
agency from the Board. It's not similar -- or it's not just like the
RLSA in those standards.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. And I just wanted
to -- and I want to clarify that. It's important that we -- even though
these properties are in close proximity, that we stay over on the Rural
Fringe Mixed-Use District and its rules and not come over with
what's comparison --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: That's right.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- to the RLSA, because then
we start talking about credits and TDRs, and there's a certain amount
of development rights that come with a credit and not a TDR, and
they're just different all the way across the board.
I wanted to discuss -- back around, if I could, to Bob or Michele.
Actually, it's more to Bob, and that's the concern -- or the expression
of issue with the reduction in the littoral -- in the littoral planting
areas from the 30 percent requisite to the 15 percent requisite and if
you had calculated what that actually translates to from an acreage
standpoint.
MR. MULHERE: Commissioner, we haven't calculated it, but
there's going to be a significant total perimeter of lakes. There's
probably another 30 lakes on the pending PUD master plan, maybe
20 or 30 lakes, all of that perimeter. And I don't think that was ever
intended to apply to these larger mining lakes. It says to
development lakes. Well, you know, these will function as a
pass-through of water, but they're not really development lakes.
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So your LDC, when it requires littoral plantings, it says it should
apply to development lakes. But I wanted to make it clear, because
it would be a very, very high number. As it is, it's hard for us to
meet all of the demands that are placed upon us in the village, this
village, when we could just go under by right and develop 2 - or 3,000
units out there with none of the benefits, none of the public roadway,
of the county barn, of the fire station, which I forgot to mention. So
we're working through a balance here.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well -- and that's the
question. And I, of course, understand the balance and the benefits
that come with the adherence to the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District
and also your original statement you're the first one -- you're the first
one out the barn door doing a rural village, per se.
MR. MULHERE: Yeah. And of a significant size, too.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And I have -- and I have to
say that, you know, I have heard throughout my independent career
that, you know, the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District with regard to
these villages and towns has some very onerous criterion that's yet to
be reviewed by this board in the GMP amendments. I mean, we
actually did an interim one to address the --
MR. MULHERE: Twenty-five thousand.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah, exactly. And the
early bonus TDR that was never addressed either. So I guess my
question is, is if we were to transmit this as today, would that
automatically allow for -- because I really think in my -- from what
I've seen with the preliminary site plans, when you come back in with
the littoral plantings that are existent per the existing mining
operation and add back in the littoral plantings that are requisite
within the development areas, you're going to come really close to
that 30 percent in total for what it is that you're doing. And my
hesitation is by reducing it from 30 to 15 percent, how large of a
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reduction, actually, is that, other than, obviously, 50 percent of the
littorals?
MR. YOVANOVICH: Commissioner, we don't know that
number right now, but we can know that number as we get a little
further along. The risk you have is if you don't transmit today at the
30 percent number and let's just say you leave it alone at the
15 percent number and you determine, you know what, we really
should have agreed to the 30 percent number when you get the data
you need, I've got to start the process over again for transmittal
because you can't -- you can't -- you can't change a standard that was
transmitted.
So what we would request -- we want to get you that number.
We would request, since it is transmittal, that you transmit as your
staff's recommending, as the Planning Commission recommended,
and we'll have that number for you at the adoption. And at that point
you could say, well, maybe the number should be 25 percent, or
30 percent's the right number. But we would ask if you could go
ahead and transmit that so we can get you that data.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Let me parrot back what you
just said to me. If we approve this at your requested 15 percent
reduction per the stipulated 30 percent and we find that that 15
percent's not happy, we can adjust that prior to --
MR. YOVANOVICH: You can.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: You can upwards.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Yes. You can't go -- but if you go the
other way and leave it at the 30, you can't go down.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Gotcha.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Does that make sense?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. Well, thank you. That
was a nice clarification and addresses -- I think addresses the
concerns that Brad expressed, so...
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MR. MULHERE: Madam Chair, may I just take one minute?
I wanted to respond maybe more clearly to County Commissioner
Solis' question, because I don't think it was -- either my response
wasn't clear or Michele's wasn't or maybe both of us were not clear.
The village bonus unit of one per TDR credit exists in the plan
today. We haven't asked for any more than what exists today.
We have not asked for any more TDRs or any greater number than
what the county currently allows with the exception of that
restoration bonus, which is capped at 100.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay.
MR. MULHERE: Michele's correct, we have reduced the base
density from 2 to 1.5. So under the current standards of a minimum
of 2 and a maximum of 3, you know, you could have created a need
for more TDRs than what we need under our proposal, which is 1.5
and 2. However, as I mentioned earlier, if you took a 1,500-acre
village and you met the minimum, you would have 3,000 units.
If you met the maximum, you'd have 4,500 units, and we're at a
cap of 4,000, which is pretty darn close. If we left our village at
1,500 and then went and developed the remaining 500 acres under the
current cap of one unit per acre, we would develop another 500 units
outside of the village. It just didn't make any sense to us. So I hope
that's a little bit more clear.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yep.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. County Attorney, I have a
question. At this point with the transmittal, do we need to specify
wildlife crossings, the specific type of restoration that we, as a board,
would support in terms of defining it as wet prairies? How specific
do we need to get here at this point?
MR. KLATZKOW: You don't need to do that yet.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay, okay.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I didn't hear what you said.
March 23, 2021
Page 101
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: We don't need to get --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Can you repeat --
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: He said, "You don't need to do that
yet."
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. That's what I thought
I heard, but I wasn't clear.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I think he's looking something up.
Okay. Are we -- are you looking something up, sir, or are you just --
MR. KLATZKOW: No, we're fine.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay, good. All right. All right. I
think we're -- no questions. Any closings?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. Do I hear a motion?
Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I make a motion
for -- approve as recommended by the Planning Commission and our
staff.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: I'll second that motion.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. There's a motion on the floor
and a second. Any other discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously.
MR. MULHERE: Thank you. We'll be back in the fall.
March 23, 2021
Page 102
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
So it's 12:15. It's time for lunch. We'll meet back here at 1:15.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Madam Chair?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Will that give you enough
time? Do you need another 10 or 15 minutes?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: What do you think? Maybe -- all
right. I'll follow -- I was trying to be cognizant of the time. Let's
meet back here at 1:30. How's that? Okay. Thank you.
(A luncheon recess was had from 12:16 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
MR. OCHS: Madam Chair, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much. I think we
are ready to -- I think we had a successful lunch where we were able
to discuss the -- a contract with Mr. Isackson, and Mr. Ochs was part
of our discussion, and thank you very much, sir, for coming up.
MR. KLATZKOW: And we'll put the bullet points up for the
Board. The proposed agreement, subject to your approval of course,
will be that the agreement is effective as of today. Since you can't
have two county managers acting at the same time, the statut ory
duties will be assumed by Mark as of May 3rd. Leo will remain in
his current position until his current separation date, which I believe
is May 31st, Leo?
MR. OCHS: Correct.
MR. KLATZKOW: Okay. So following May 3rd, Leo will
remain as county manager, but all the duties and obligations under
the ordinance and under the statute will vest in Mark.
To get to Commissioner Solis' concern that this is a short time
thing, it will be the same provision that both Leo and I have.
Predominantly, it's a two-year deal with an option of two-year
renewals so they can continue in the normal course of business.
Mark asked for a flat salary of $230,000. In exchange for that, we've
March 23, 2021
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eliminated the cost-of-living adjustments. The bonus in the contract
and the car allowance is eliminated.
I think you'll find that with that elimination, that the
compensation is substantially identical to your current compensation.
And now it's up to you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Just real quickly, the
two -- the renewals, those are two two-year renewals?
MR. KLATZKOW: They operate the same as it's always
operated. So the contract will run through May 3rd, 2024. As of
the current contract, the year before Mark will come before you and
talk about another two-year term, and it will continue to be extended
with Board approval and, obviously, Mark's approval.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: So if there's a decision not
to -- for the Board -- on the Board's part, for example, not to go
beyond the three years, that's totally at the option of both parties; is
that --
MR. KLATZKOW: It is the option of the Board.
MR. OCHS: The Board.
MR. KLATZKOW: Option of the Board. It's a voluntary
renewal. Both parties have to agree to it.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Right, okay.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Is that me?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. I -- the transition
from May 3rd through the balance of Leo's agreement, how are we
going to manage that? Because you said -- in one point I heard you
say you can't have two county managers, but he's -- the transition -- I
mean, we'll be working through the transition until May 3rd, but he's
March 23, 2021
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not formally leaving until -- or do you have enough time to --
MR. OCHS: No. My termination date is May 31st.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: May 31st. So what do we
do between May 3rd and May 31st?
MR. KLATZKOW: Leo will be mentoring Mark during that
period.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Leo will what?
MR. KLATZKOW: Leo will be there for -- as a mentor to
Mark or to bring Mark up to speed or to be available to Mark, but
Mark will assume all of the duties of the county manager as of that
date.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Mark will assume the duties
as of May 3rd and --
MR. KLATZKOW: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- the transition will --
MR. KLATZKOW: Yes. This way you have a month
transition where Leo can get Mark up to speed.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: But we'll obviously have an
overlap in County Commissioner pay, right, from the 3rd to the
31st -- or county manager pay, right?
MR. KLATZKOW: Yes.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yeah. Okay.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Just to clarify a little bit
here, because Commissioner LoCastro raised an issue. The
overlap -- from just reading the three bullet points, the agreement is
effective as of today.
MR. KLATZKOW: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: So I'm assuming that means
that the new salary starts today.
March 23, 2021
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MR. KLATZKOW: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Okay. So the overlap
actually will be from today forward, which is fine. I just wanted to
clarify that.
MR. KLATZKOW: The overlap --
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: -- misunderstanding there.
MR. KLATZKOW: The overlap in compensation will begin
today, and Mark will assume the obligations of the county manager
as of May 3rd.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: All right.
MR. KLATZKOW: So after that date, Leo's off the hook for
all bad decisions.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Madam Chair, if there 's no
other discussion, I'll make a motion to approve the arrangement. I'm
understanding that Mr. Isackson is in agreement with that. He's got
his thumb up, for the record. So I'll make the motion to approve the
staff --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Second.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. The motion -- a motion on
the floor and a second to accept the contract details as presented by
County Manager [sic] Klatzkow.
Any discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
March 23, 2021
Page 106
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It's done. Thank you.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Congratulations, everybody.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Congratulations.
MR. KLATZKOW: And I'll have the contract for the
Chairman's signature when the Board meeting's done.
MR. OCHS: All set?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All set.
Item #10B
REQUEST BY COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL TO RECONSIDER
COMPANION ITEMS #9A AND #16A1 FROM THE MARCH 9,
2021 BCC MEETING. ITEM #9A: RECOMMENDATION TO
APPROVE AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE
NUMBER 04-41, AS AMENDED, THE COLLIER COUNTY
LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AND ZONING ATLAS, WHICH
INCLUDES THE COMPREHENSIVE LAND REGULATIONS
FOR THE UNINCORPORATED AREA OF COLLIER COUNTY,
FLORIDA, TO CREATE THE GOLDEN GATE PARKWAY
OVERLAY DISTRICT (GGPOD) AND ELIMINATE THE
GOLDEN GATE PARKWAY PROFESSIONAL OFFICE
COMMERCIAL OVERLAY (GGPPOCO) AND THE GOLDEN
GATE DOWNTOWN CENTER COMMERCIAL OVERLAY
DISTRICT (GGDCCO), AND ESTABLISH USES, BOUNDARIES
AND DESIGN STANDARDS, BY PROVIDING FOR: SECTION
ONE, RECITALS; SECTION TWO, FINDINGS OF FACT;
SECTION THREE, ADOPTION OF AMENDMENTS TO THE
LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, MORE SPECIFICALLY
AMENDING THE FOLLOWING: CHAPTER ONE - GENERAL
PROVISIONS; CHAPTER TWO - ZONING DISTRICTS AND
USES; CHAPTER 4 - SITE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
March 23, 2021
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STANDARDS; CHAPTER FIVE - SUPPLEMENTAL
STANDARDS; AND CHAPTER 10 - APPLICATION, REVIEW,
AND DECISION-MAKING PROCEDURES; SECTION FOUR,
CONFLICT AND SEVERABILITY; SECTION FIVE, INCLUSION
IN THE COLLIER COUNTY LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE;
AND SECTION SIX, EFFECTIVE DATE. ITEM #16A1:
RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION
AMENDING THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE FOR LAND
DEVELOPMENT, WHICH WAS CREATED BY ORDINANCE
NO. 2013- 57, BY AMENDING CHAPTER SIX, WAIVERS,
EXEMPTIONS AND REDUCTIONS, MORE SPECIFICALLY TO
ADD SECTION M, DEVIATION REQUESTS FOR PROJECTS IN
THE GOLDEN GATE PARKWAY OVERLAY DISTRICT (DR-
GGPOD); AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE -
COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL WANTS THE RECORD TO
REFLECT THAT HE WISHES TO CHANGE HIS VOTE TO “NO”
FOR AGENDA ITEM #9A FROM THE MARCH 9, 2021 BCC
MEETING – CONSENSUS
MR. OCHS: Commissioners, we move on to Item 10B. This
is a request by Commissioner McDaniel to reconsider two companion
items from your March 9th Board of County Commissioners
meeting; those being Items 9A and 16A. This was the Land
Development Code amendment that created the Golden Gate
Parkway Overlay District and also a companion, Item 16A1, which
provided some deviation provisions in your Land Development Code
related to the overlay district.
Commissioner.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Go ahead.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I have no interest in carrying
March 23, 2021
Page 108
this back through the process and having another hearing. I would
like for the record to reflect that I'd like to rescind my yea vote and
change it to a nay. That's all I really want to do with this.
The process -- the only way I can necessarily do that is to send notice
to the County Manager and ask for a reconsideration of the item to
rehear it and change my vote.
I misunderstood some of the appropriations that were included
in the overlay. I know the aggregate good of the overlay, the
benefits that potentially could come from that, but I've -- I would like
to rescind my yea and change it to a nay. And if that's allowable by
this board, I think this board can bequeat h that, correct?
MR. KLATZKOW: Unless the Board has objection.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I'm sorry?
MR. KLATZKOW: Unless the Board objects. Just for the
record, Commissioner McDaniel is asking that his yea vote be a nay
vote.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Well, before we indicate
that, if more than one commissioner then says I want to change my
vote, you don't -- then you don't even need the reconsideration at that
point, just -- I'm not sure exactly how this all works. I don't care if
the vote's changed as long as it doesn't change the decision that we
made.
MR. KLATZKOW: The only way to change the decision is if I
had a majority of this board want to bring it back. Failing that, it
remains as it is.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: All right.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And unless there are more
people that feel like me, then this is not going to have an impact on
the decision and the work that was done. It was just -- it was a
misunderstanding on my behalf.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I mean, do you want to
March 23, 2021
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elaborate a little bit more about -- because we might have missed
something, then, too. I mean, do you want to educate us a little bit
more on what came to light that we might have missed?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I can, if you wish, just
briefly. I understood there to be more of a conditional-use process
with this overlay than by right.
And I have -- I had understood there to be more of a derivative
of the conditional-use process with public notice with these use
changes than what is actually within the overlay. And so it's caused
me concerns. Again, the benefit far -- I think far outweigh those
potential concerns. But I gave my word that that was the way that it
was going to be, and I misunderstood it, and I can't back up on my
word.
So with that, I'd like to -- if the Board will acquiesce to changing
my vote, then we don't have to go through that process of
reconsideration.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Do -- County Attorney, do we need
to have a motion?
MR. KLATZKOW: No.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: No.
MR. KLATZKOW: As long as the Board acquiesces, just head
nods are fine.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Is there a consensus to allow
Commissioner McDaniel -- to agree to Mr. -- Commissioner
McDaniel changing his vote on an ordinance amending Ordinance
No. 04-41? Is there a consensus?
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yeah. I mean, I have no
objection. I'm just --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Carry on.
March 23, 2021
Page 110
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: So I'm curious about the process
for the future. So one can change a vote --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Can I --
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: -- on a motion for rehearing? We
can do that without having --
MR. KLATZKOW: All we are doing is Commissioner
McDaniel is noting for the record that --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That was what I said, for the
record.
MR. KLATZKOW: All he's doing is noting for the record that
if he knew then what he knows now, he would have voted no.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Oh.
MR. KLATZKOW: That's essentially what he's doing.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: You could have done that on
commissioner comments or something, too, right? I mean, we could
have done it that way. I'm trying to figure out the effect of it. I'm
not -- I'm not trying to talk you out of it or anything or not let you do
it. I'm just trying to figure out --
MR. KLATZKOW: There's no effect. The ordinance remains
valid and binding.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Just, again, for future
reference, will the official record reflect that this ordinance was
approved on a 5-0 vote?
MR. KLATZKOW: Yes, and then there will be a notation in
this meeting that Commissioner McDaniel --
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Okay. So it doesn't really
change --
MR. KLATZKOW: It doesn't change.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: -- other than he's keeping his
word to the people that he made that commitment to?
March 23, 2021
Page 111
MR. KLATZKOW: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That's it.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: And that will be the way it
will operate in the future if -- I just want to make sure we're not
starting to change votes anytime we want.
MR. KLATZKOW: No. The only way you can really change
a vote is if you bring it back on a reconsideration.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And I didn't want to do that.
The only way I understand the process to -- I didn't know I could do
it under commissioner comment --
MR. KLATZKOW: Well, there really is no process to do this,
but I know that you wanted it for the record because you made a
promise to somebody to do this, so...
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That's all. Thank you.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Understood.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right.
MR. OCHS: Next?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes, please.
Item #10C
CONDUCTING A PUBLIC WORKSHOP ON THE PROPOSED
EXPANSION OF THE BIG CYPRESS BASIN IN CONJUNCTION
WITH IMPACTED COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL LEADERS AND
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA WATER
MANAGEMENT DISTRICT AND BIG CYPRESS BASIN -
SETTING A WORKSHOP DATE FOR APRIL – APPROVED
MR. OCHS: Okay. Item 10C is a recommendation to conduct
March 23, 2021
Page 112
a public workshop on the proposed expansion of the Big Cypress
Basin in conjunction with impacted county municipal leaders and
representatives of the South Florida Water Management District and
the Big Cypress Basin Board. Commissioner McDaniel brought this
forward.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Caught me in mid sip of a
cup of coffee.
I wanted to make this suggestion, because there's a lot of
discussion of the potential of the expansion of the boundary, pros and
cons. People have expressed concerns about -- we, as a board, have
expressed concerns about the administration, the membership on the
Board, the financing, the governance, and so on and so forth.
I reached out to both of the senators who represent this area,
spoke with them. They both thought that this was a fine way to
do -- to move this agenda -- to move this item forward to allow the
public to give some input as to how they felt. And so that was
the -- that was the proposition.
I'm suggesting sometime before the end of session, mid-April to
latter April, we have a workshop format, invite some of the officials
from Lee County, some of the officials from -- well, from the
District, of course, and from the jurisdiction of the proposed new
boundary to a workshop and then -- and publicly vet some of these
concerns that folks have raised.
And the rationale is, I have a sneaking suspicion that this is
going to be a continuing effort, and the sooner we grab onto the
public component and understand fully the benefits associated with
the expansion of the District, the better opportunity we have of
serving the community, our community, as well. So I'd like to make
a motion that we do, do that.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: There's a motion on the floor. Is
there a second?
March 23, 2021
Page 113
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Second.
I think it's a great idea.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Any discussion?
MR. OCHS: I'm sorry. Did you give a date range, sir, when
you wanted to do that?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Mid to late -- before the end
of session, mid to late -- mid to late April, three weeks out'ish,
maximum -- or minimum.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Just for a point of order, I'm not
available the week of the 12th.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well, that's the week I want
to do it for sure, then.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: So, you know, if we do this, it
would have to be -- because I would like to attend, obviously.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I was --
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: -- the week of the 19th or the 26th.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: The 26th -- the week of the
26th works well. It's still before the end of session. We still have
an opportunity to -- and, again, I'm not -- I'm okay even on the week
of the 19th as well, but that's our board meeting week, and we usually
have a little bit of lag in time after our board meetings. There's a
week or so there before people start coming at us to talk to us about
the next board meeting. So either one of those weeks is fine, in that
range. No specific location. I was thinking North Collier rec center
was a nice place to actually do it. There's a large group area there.
We've got all the media, and people can -- we can do a hybrid
meeting to allow people to Zoom in and speak publicly, and it's
certainly got enough parking and facilities to handle that.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I was thinking it would probably be
by Zoom.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'm thinking -- well, you can
March 23, 2021
Page 114
attend by Zoom if you wish, but I was --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: No. I would think that Lee County
would want to do that, you know, that the officials would be by
Zoom. But we'll see. We'll see what -- I think we should give them
the option. We can do that, correct?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well, that was what I
suggested with a hybrid.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: We can do everything, right? It
could be --
MR. MILLER: Yeah. If you want to have people join with
video, we would just make them panelists instead of public
commenters. They'd have more ability to share their video and
audio.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Good.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: We would still have to have
three commissioners in the room for a quorum under our rules.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Correct.
Okay. There's a motion on the floor and a second. All those in
favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously. Thank you.
MR. OCHS: Commissioners, we move to Item 11, County
Manager's report. Items 11A, 11B, and 11C are all companion items
related to our water/sewer and stormwater improvement program
that's ongoing in Naples Park. Item A --
March 23, 2021
Page 115
Item #10D
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES BY JOHN MULLINS - UPDATE
GIVEN
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Oh, excuse me. I'm sorry, County
Manager. I made a grave mistake. Mr. Mullins is here in the room,
and I wanted him to give us an update of where the -- where the bill
is and what's going on in Tallahassee, so...
MR. OCHS: Certainly.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I do apologize. Mr. Chmelik, don't
take it personally.
MR. MULLINS: Thank you, Commissioners. Again, for the
record, John Mullins, Government Affairs Manager.
I can tell you in summary that the amendments that you put
forward via the resolution at your second meeting in February have
not been incorporated into either the House or Senate Bill.
Now, on the Senate side there's good reason. The bill has not
moved since your second meeting in February. So it is currently
pending the appropriations subcommittee on agriculture,
environmental, and general government, of which Senator Rodriguez
is the Vice Chair. And they're meeting, I think, on the 24th. It's not
on the agenda for this week.
The appropriations subcommittee will not meet again until, at
the earliest, next week and at the moment the time blocks have not
been set for that subcommittee to meet as of yet.
House Bill 209 yesterday came out of the Ways and Means
Committee on the House side. And if you blink, you missed it. It
was taken up. Very little discussion. No debate. No questions.
And came out 16-1. And it still has one more committee to go on
the House side, the State Affairs Committee. The earliest that that
March 23, 2021
Page 116
could occur would be Monday, March 29th, which is their next
scheduled meeting.
And that is your current status.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: So, Commissioner Saunders, how
does that work? If we ask for amendments and they're not in the
House bill and it's passed through the House, how does that work?
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Well, the -- once the bill
passes in the House, they send it over to the Senate. The Senate has
a couple choices there. They can take up the House bill, amend it to
the way they want it, and send it back to the House, and the House
can consider those amendments. And that's generally what would
happen.
So the amendments that we have sent in could be added when
the bill gets over to the Senate, and also they could be added on the
floor of the House when it gets into the House chambers. So there's
plenty of opportunity for the amendments to take place.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. All right. Thank you,
County Manager.
MR. OCHS: Thank you. Thank you, John.
Item #11A
AWARD INVITATION TO BID (“ITB”) NO. 21-7823, “108TH
AND 109TH AVENUES PUBLIC UTILITIES RENEWAL"
(PROJECT NUMBERS 60139 AND 70120), TO DOUGLAS N.
HIGGINS, INC., IN THE AMOUNT OF $12,337,900, AND
AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR TO SIGN THE ATTACHED
AGREEMENT AND AUTHORIZE THE NECESSARY BUDGET
AMENDMENTS – APPROVED
MR. OCHS: Commissioners, Item 11A is a recommendation to
March 23, 2021
Page 117
award a construction contract to Douglas N. Higgins, Incorporated, in
the amount of $12,337,900 for the construction of water/sewer and
stormwater improvements to 108th and 109th Avenues as part of our
Public Utilities renewal program; authorize the Chairman to sign the
attached agreements; and authorize necessary budget amendments.
As I mentioned, these are companions to your next two items,
11B and 11C. Mr. Chmelik is available to give a presentation or
respond to questions from the Board.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Solis.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Just a quick question, just for the
folks in Naples Park. We have to live through it, you know,
third-world kind of conditions in there. When is it expected to start?
MR. CHMELIK: Commissioners, it will be expected to start in
the next couple of months. As far as the duration, fifteen months
starting in April.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Fifteen months. But you're going
to work on 108th and 109th at the same time?
MR. CHMELIK: Yes. We're doing both concurrently. Tom
Chmelik, for the record, by the way.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Solis -- when
Commissioner Solis won the election, I remember staff saying, poor
Commissioner Solis. He's a new commissioner, and he's walking
into what's happening in Naples Park and all the upset that goes on
with replacing -- it's so important, the job -- but to replace all that, as
you say, it's a third world.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: It's really hard on everybody in
there. And I think staff has done a great job, by the way, working
with everybody in there to try to minimize the disruption from this
thing, but there's just no easy way to dig up sewer lines and
waterlines that are in the middle of the road for that big an area. I
mean, it's -- so, anyway, I just wanted to get some clarification on
March 23, 2021
Page 118
when you thought it would start.
So other than, you know, for those people in Naples Park
listening, I'm sorry, but there's really no option, and we'll try to make
sure that it's as efficient as we can, which I think the staff has done a
really good job at doing and refining that whole process.
So unless anybody has any other questions, I'd -- go ahead.
MR. CHMELIK: Well, Commissioner, we thank you for your
support through all these projects, and I just would like to add that
since we started doing them, we've applied the lessons learned --
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Right.
MR. CHMELIK: -- that we've had going through, and instead
of ripping up the entire street from end to end for four blocks and
doing the construction, as we did on 107 and 110, the last two streets
we did, 95th and 96th, we did all the water main at once, which was
least impactful to the community, and then we went and did the
sewer and stormwater one block at a time, and after we finished that
block, we did full restoration with one layer of asphalt. So at least
that one-quarter of the neighborhood could get back to life more or
less as normal. We continued that throughout for four blocks and
have found that that's the least disruptive way, and it really didn't
impact pricing when we compared it to the previous contracts that
were awarded.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Oh, well, that's good. I mean, that
really made a difference, I think, in how -- how impactful it was on
everybody's day-to-day, because the first go-round was brutal, and it
was really -- it was really hard on everybody.
But I think that the folks in Naples Park have come to
understand that it's all for the better and, unfortunately, there's other
neighborhoods in District 2 that we'll have to start this on, too, right?
MR. CHMELIK: With your support. Thank you,
Commissioner.
March 23, 2021
Page 119
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Well said. So is that a motion, sir,
or --
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: -- do you want someone else to make
that motion?
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: No, I'll make the motion to
approve.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. Commissioner
LoCastro -- we've got a motion on the floor.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, I just wanted to add
something.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Are you going to second that motion
or --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I'll second it, but I wanted to
make just a quick comment.
I don't know if this is any consolation but, you know, just a
reminder, we had a wastewater pipe, you know, break in District 1,
41-year-old pipe. You know, if you don't do this kind of stuff, then
you get what happened this past weekend. And it was only through
the, you know, immediate action of the county and Dr. George and
his team and Amy Patterson and a whole bunch of people that did
great work. But I'm sure what we're going to dig up here would fail
sooner than later, and it would be -- it's a little bigger of an
inconvenience when you have, you know, wastewater and other
things all over the street and whatnot. But, you know, I feel your
pain, but, you know, this is -- this is a worthwhile investment. I,
obviously -- I second the motion.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah. Just a -- and it's just
a -- what he said. I mean, these are much-needed subsurface
infrastructure, not pretty, not sexy, long -term improvements for our
March 23, 2021
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community, and we've got to do it, so...
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Clay pipes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That's the replacement of
necessary infrastructures; clay pipes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. So there's a motion on the
floor and a second. Any other discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously. Thank you.
MR. CHMELIK: Thank you, Commissioners.
Item #11B
A WORK ORDER TO Q. GRADY MINOR & ASSOCIATES, P.A.,
UNDER AGREEMENT NUMBER 15-6450, FOR
CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION SERVICES FOR THE
PUBLIC UTILITY RENEWAL PROJECT FOR 108TH AND
109TH AVENUES (PROJECT NUMBERS 60139 AND 70120) IN
THE AMOUNT OF $324,208 – APPROVED
MR. OCHS: Commissioners, Item 11B is a recommendation to
award a contract to Q. Grady Minor & Associates for construction
administration services for that same Public Utilities renewal project
in the amount of $324,208. And, again, we're available to res pond to
March 23, 2021
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questions or present.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, I mean, I think we all
had some -- we all have pre-meetings before this meeting and, you
know, I put a big red circle around this one and got some answers
from our Clerk of Courts and some others. Just trying to see if
we -- you know, if we're doing a deep enough dive on how we're
spending our money.
I had just made some notes and said it just seems like there's
some redundancies. You know, we have well-paid senior project
managers and, you know, I've got a spreadsheet here of what the
$324,000 buys you, and the spreadsheet's kind of generic. I'm not
saying that -- you know, I know this is a motion to just pay the bill,
but maybe if we can elaborate a little bit more on there isn't overlap
between, you know, what Grady Minor's being paid, what the project
manager's being paid, what Stantec's being paid. It just seems like
there's, you know, a lot of redundancy, and maybe there needs to be.
So I just wanted a little bit more fidelity. And, you know, you've got
a lot of money being thrown around here. So I'd appreciate if you
could elaborate a little bit more on who does what, why we pay this
high of a bill.
MR. CHMELIK: Yes, certainly, Commissione rs.
Well, if I could start in this project, the design -- just design only was
separate when it started. The design was done, and then the
construction was bid out, then we applied construction administration
services to that construction contract at the amount that it was
awarded and the percentages it was awarded.
So, typically, we would combine design and construction
administration together. And if you look at the numbers and add
those together, the construction administration, the Grady Minor
piece, is 2.6 percent of construction cost, and then if you look at the
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design that wasn't included in the executive summary, but that was
almost $400,000. So that's 3.2 percent of construction cost. We
add the 3.2 percent and the 2.6 percent for design construction
administration; that's 5.8 percent of constructed costs.
Now, the rule of thumb is if your design is 10 percent of
construction cost, that's normal. So we're less than that at 5.8
percent. And then at the CEI component, that also has a 10 percent
rule of thumb, and our CEI costs are 9 percent of construction costs,
so that falls within the realm.
Now, as far as the different tasks that were represented, there are
actually -- in the contract, the Stantec CEI contract, there's 16 or 17
tasks necessary in that contract. But in the proposal, if you compare
the proposal to the contract, we only use seven tasks in that contract.
The contract had a lot of different types of tasks that we have applied
to much more complex projects. They weren't needed here. So
when you pare down those seven tasks, there is no duplication
compared to the construction administration side.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Did we pay Stantec less
because they said they were going to do 16 tasks but we only needed
to do seven, or am I misunderstanding what you're saying?
MR. CHMELIK: No, no. It's just the tasks that we were
required.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay. I guess where I just
see the overlap is less with Stantec but more between Grady Minor
and the in-house project manager. And I understand what you're
saying, that, hey, when you look at the algorithm, it's under the norm,
but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's the best use of taxpayer
dollars. I mean, that's just, you know, maybe one data point and one
benchmark that we're not well over what is the norm. But just
because we're under, you know, I wouldn't say that we just write
them a blank check. And I'm not saying we are.
March 23, 2021
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But I just wanted to see if you saw any overlap the way I did in
what Grady Minor does and what I thought a project manager did. It
was less with Stantec and more between those two. And I know the
numbers -- I know we're not talking about a billion dollars or
anything, but it's taxpayer dollars. So even if it's 5 percent of the
overall project, if it's 5 percent that's wasted, I mean, I wouldn't trip
over that and leave it on the ground. So can you make a comparison
between what Grady Minor does and the project manager, and is it a
good use of our -- is there -- do you see overlap there?
MR. CHMELIK: I don't see overlap, and it is a good use. It's
needed for the quality control of the project. Our project manager
here has nine projects that are going on right now, and by being able
to use these services, one project manager can be leveraged to keep
moving those projects, keep track of them, and work with the
communities and make sure they get done.
So, you know, we could approach it differently, but we're not
going to get as much work done. And we welcome any
commissioner, the Clerk, anybody to come out with us, see what a
project manager does in the field.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I guess alls I would say is the
generic comment, and I appreciate your reply. That's what I was
looking for is -- me personally, you know, for my own edification, I
care a little bit less about the algorithm and more about, like, what are
they actually doing, you know. It might be 2 percent of the overall
project, but if it's something that's redundant or not needed, that's
2 percent we could have put somewhere else.
So I just hope we're looking at exactly what they're doing and
not just sort of the flat rate, the percentage of the overall project, and
if it's under what, you know, the maximums are, hey, mission
accomplished.
I still do see some redundancy here, but maybe that's why I will
March 23, 2021
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get with you and would like to do a deeper dive for my own
background on how this money is being invested, you know, the
taxpayer dollars are being invested here.
MR. CHMELIK: We'll be happy to map that out for.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay. Thank you.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Madam Chair?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Any other discussions? Oh,
Commission Solis.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yeah. I was just going to say part
of what appears to be overlap is that we have split up two of the
functions, right, and we have two different parties providing different
services which, actually, in a way, protects the county because we've
got different pairs of eyes looking at different things and not the same
entity that did the design necessaril y overseeing the contract -- the
construction, right?
MR. CHMELIK: That's exactly correct. We, actually, 10 or
more years ago we used to do that where the design engineer did the
certification and the inspection, and then that was broken up to have a
separate CEI overseeing the work of the contractor and the designer.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: As a recovering construction
litigator, that's a lot of times a good thing, especially when it's
taxpayer dollars. So that's all I have. Thanks.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: When we broke it up like
that, though, then did -- I would expect we saved dollars where we
took that responsibility away from the design engineer or whatever
the example was that he gave, correct? I mean, like, you know,
when you said we had the same person sort of doing two jobs at the
same time but now we don't. Now we pay a third party. So -- but
did we save money over here? So we just sort of shell gamed the
money around and we got better performance for it or --
MR. CHMELIK: We'd have to look at it, but I --
March 23, 2021
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(Simultaneous crosstalk.)
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I mean, I would hope that we
did that.
MR. OCHS: I wouldn't characterize it as a shell game.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, you know what I'm
saying. If you had $10 million between two people and then you
brought in a third to do some of the jobs of the two people, you'd still
spend $10 million. You know, you wouldn't double pay is my own
part so --
MR. OCHS: I understand.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: -- just sharing the money, I
guess, maybe, or a proper appropriation of the money when a third
party comes in. Okay.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: I think that was the analysis
between the 3.2 and the 2.6. When you put those together, it was
under the 10 that's usually -- so we split the money up, is what I
think --
MR. CHMELIK: Well, the 3.2 and 2.6 were all engineering
design functions.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Right.
MR. CHMELIK: And then the CEI is in addition to that. So
we had 5.8 percent combined for design and 9 percent for the CEI.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: The CEI, okay.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. Any other discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. Hearing none, do I have a
motion?
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Motion to approve.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Second.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Motion on the floor and a second to
approve. All those in favor, say aye.
March 23, 2021
Page 126
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously. Thank you.
MR. OCHS: Yes, ma'am.
Item #11C
A $1,145,540 PURCHASE ORDER TO STANTEC CONSULTING
SERVICES, INC., UNDER AGREEMENT NUMBER 14-6345 FOR
CONSTRUCTION, ENGINEERING, AND INSPECTION
SERVICES FOR THE PUBLIC UTILITY RENEWAL PROJECT
FOR 108TH AND 109TH AVENUES NORTH, PROJECT
NUMBERS 60139 AND 70120 – APPROVED
MR. OCHS: 11C is the final companion item here, and this is a
recommendation to approve a contract with Stantec Consulting
Services for construction engineering and inspection services for the
Public Utility renewal project for 108th and 109th Avenues North in
the amount of $1,145,540.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: I'll make a motion to approve.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Do I hear a second?
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Second.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: There's a motion on the floor and a
second. No discussion?
Commissioner Solis, that was just -- you just -- I got your name
up here.
March 23, 2021
Page 127
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: No, no.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It's disappeared. Okay.
No discussion, okay. All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously. Thank you.
MR. OCHS: Thank you, Tom.
MR. CHMELIK: Thank you.
Item #11D
THE PURCHASE OF PROPERTY, TERRORISM AND
EQUIPMENT BREAKDOWN INSURANCE EFFECTIVE APRIL
1, 2021 IN THE ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF $4,612,483 –
APPROVED
MR. OCHS: Item 11D is a recommendation to approve the
purchase of property, terrorism, and equipment breakdown insurance
effective April 1st, 2021, in the estimated amount of $4,612,483.
Jeff Walker, your risk management director, is here to either present
or respond to questions from the Board. This is the annual renewal
of your program.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I've got a question.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Sir, just for historical
purposes, how has this fee changed over the years? Has it been 4.6
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for, you know, the last five years, or it's -- you know, they've raised
this 5 percent every year? I'm just sort of curious if you knew that
or --
MR. WALKER: Sure. For the record, Jeff Walker, Risk
Management Director.
In your executive summary, there is a -- excuse me. Let me get
there. There's a slide chart in there that shows the last three years,
yes, sir. You can see it in the chart there. I will tell you that the
market is heavily affected by storms. And as you know, in 2020 we
had a record storm year. We had Hurricane Irma in 2017. And
what you're seeing here is really the results of those storms.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I mean, I saw that chart, and
then I just thought those were big numbers. And, you know, I
figured it was the -- we didn't have any big terrorist attacks or
anything, but I figured the storm -- I mean, it was a bigger impact
than what I expected. Those are big jumps, so...
MR. WALKER: Wind comprises probably about 75 percent of
the premium.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I mean, previously to
Irma -- and if you don't know this, I mean, I'm not trying to play 20
questions with just. I'm just really more curious. Prior to Irma,
were our jumps in premium much less single digits; were they?
MR. WALKER: Between Wilma and Irma, it dropped
dramatically.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Oh, is that right? Okay.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. All right. So seeing no other
questions, do I hear a motion? I'll move approval.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Second.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Motion on the floor and a second.
All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
March 23, 2021
Page 129
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously. Thank you.
MR. OCHS: Thank you, Commissioners.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
Item #11E
STAFF’S REPORT REGARDING TRUCK TRAFFIC ON LOGAN
BOULEVARD EXTENSION BETWEEN IMMOKALEE ROAD
AND THE LEE COUNTY LINE - MOTION FOR THE COUNTY
ATTORNEY TO BRING BACK OPTIONS/SOLUTIONS FOR
ROADWAY ISSUES AT THE APRIL 13TH BCC MEETING –
APPROVED
MR. OCHS: That moves us to Item 11E. This is a
recommendation to accept the staff report regarding truck traffic on
Logan Boulevard Extension between Immokalee Road and the Lee
County line. Tony Khawaja, your traffic engineer in your
Operations division, will make the presentation.
MR. KHAWAJA: Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name
is Anthony Khawaja, for the record. I'm the Chief Traffic
Operations Engineer. I'm here to talk to you today about Logan
Boulevard and some of the truck traffic that we've been experiencing.
Let me find the mouse for this guy.
This image here is from the Traffic Management Center. This
is what we've been monitoring on Logan Boulevard to make sure
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what the traffic looks like. We started getting complaints in late
January, early February about heavy trucks using that roadway,
especially dump trucks. We immediately took some action.
Actually, like Commissioner McDaniel has suggested, we followed
few trucks to see where they're coming from and where they are
going. A lot of the trucks were going to the county complex on
Heritage Bay on Collier Boulevard; they were going to Naples
Classical Academy, the new school being built on Immokalee Road;
and Valencia Trails; and to some other locations.
But during that period, WINK News picked up the event, and
they put that on the news and covered it very well. We worked with
Collier County Sheriff about speeding. We put a few "your speed"
signs to try to reduce speeds in the area. We talked to Collier
County Sheriff to do some selective enforcement, and we talked to
inspectors of these facilities to see if they can move some of
the -- ask them not to use Logan Boulevard. Of course, we don't
have the authority to stop them from using Logan Boulevard, but the
suggestion was made.
So I'm going to go through and -- you know, this is Logan
Boulevard. This is the segment we are talking about. It's from
Immokalee Road north to the county line. The segment north of the
county line is within Bonita Beach maintenance and, you know, the
top there is Bonita Road.
Most of the trucks were coming, of course, from Bonita Grande
mine. They are coming down Bonita Grande Drive down to Bonita
Beach Road, down to Logan, down to Immokalee, and then going
through that area there where a lot of construction was happening at
that time.
The question came is, what's excessive trucks? During that
period, this is -- actually, this picture was taken on the 3rd -- on
February 3rd, and you can see a lot of dump trucks were using that
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roadway. We did these remedies, and the truck went down. What's
excessive -- and I'm going to go through a few slides to talk about
what we consider excessive.
Our excessive is 5 percent or higher. You know, 5 percent and
higher is not really a lot of trucks. So this picture also is considered
excessive, and that's because there's three trucks here out of 40
vehicles. And if you take the percentages, that's about 7-and-a-half
percent. So that's also excessive if -- this is normal. Oh, sorry.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Mr. Khawaja, when you say "we,"
what --
MR. KHAWAJA: Staff.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: What standards are we using?
MR. KHAWAJA: I'm going to get there in one second,
Commissioner. Yes, yes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Very good. Thank you.
MR. KHAWAJA: This is normal, and this is normal as well.
You know, there is normal traffic, normal distribution of trucks.
So to answer the commissioner's question here, you know, first
the DOT considers a truck any vehicle that is intended to carry goods
and materials. The national average is 4 percent trucks, is about
4-and-a-half percent for large vehicles. These are combination
trucks on multi trailers.
There isn't set standards. There isn't -- FDOT doesn't say if you
have 3 percent, you are high or if you have 4 percent, but these are
what's considered an average for an arterial/major collector roadway.
They're about 4-and-a-half percent of combination trucks and
multi-trailer vehicles.
We use less, actually. Our numbers are less, because in our
analysis, we include also what you can see there is Class 6 and 7 on
the side of the display. Class 7 is where the dump truck's full.
International, what they're talking about is 8 and below. Class 8 and
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bigger.
We look at Class 6 and bigger. And we are looking at -- what
we consider normal is 3, not 4 and a half, and we consider 5 to be
excessive or high.
After we get the calls, we set up counts, and we counted Logan
Boulevard two separated times. One was in February 9th through
the 11th. And on the 9th it was high, it was 5.1, but the numbers
went down. And then we went out again because the community
continued to raise concerns.
And we looked again, and we looked at it from the 23rd to the
25th. And you can see that the percentages are around what we
considered normal or average.
I think the numbers went down from the end of January and
early February when the complaints were the heaviest, and that's
what we will continue to monitor.
So the other issue with Logan Boulevard, it used trip money.
And, you know, we had 2.6 million of trip money, which says that we
are building a facility that is to serve the national statewide as a
regional -- has a regional functionality and part of the integrated
system. So restricting trucks is something we want to take very
carefully when we're looking at restricting trucks on Logan
Boulevard. It's the only road that is east of 75 that connects north to
Lee County as well.
You know, restricting trucks, you know, is contrary to the goals
of that agreement with FDOT. And I have Trinity Scott here if you
have agreement questions or regarding the trip funds questions.
Staff also has been working with the community on two other
projects that I thought I should mention. We are doing two median
crossovers north of Stone Creek to provide turnaround or an area
where you can pull over, because that area has curb and gutter on
both sides, in the median and on the edge line -- on the edge side.
March 23, 2021
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And we're also working with the community on trying to look at their
intersections. We met with them twice with each one of the
communities.
We heard back from Olde Cypress, and they are interested in a
roundabout to replace their multiway stop. We also talked to
Riverstone recently, Jay and I. They came and met with us
Thursday, last Thursday, and they seem interested on looking at the
roundabout at their facility. We think having -- if we end up with
two roundabouts, it will be very discouraging to trucks to be using
that roadway as a cut-through.
Stone Creek, when we met with them, they were n't very sure
that they want to do anything at their intersection. So for now -- we
haven't heard from them, but still -- you know, they might select the
do-nothing option.
We're going to continue to monitor to make sure we reach the
5 percent, but even if we reach the 5 percent consistently, it is
difficult to say. We're going to bring it back to you, and you guys
can make the decision, but our recommendation is not to restrict
trucks on Logan Boulevard at this time.
Any questions?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: I don't know that I have any
questions. I do have a couple comments, and it may result in
some -- well, let me keep you up there for just a minute. Let me
read something that I just received last night from a resident out
there. And he's pointing out that we have a tremendous noise
problem with the trucks, and I can understand that because that's a
fairly narrow road and not too far away from a lot of homes. But he
says, while the noise is unbearable to many homeowners, I'd suggest
the counties consider -- and that's Lee County and Collier
County -- consider the unreasonable and added risk to pedestrians,
March 23, 2021
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bicyclists, and motorists given the roadway was designed for two
lanes with no concrete curbs and less than three feet from the walk
and bike paths along the sidewalk.
And I've been down that road many times, and it is rather
narrow. And if you have a problem, you really have no place to pull
over. It's not designed to accommodate that. I know you're looking
at a couple ways to solve part of that.
But I'd like to see the county continue this item. I've asked the
County Attorney to provide to us at a future date what alternatives we
may really have. There may not be any. I'm not making any
promises to the neighborhood. There may not be any solution to this
problem. But I'd look to know that before we move on to other
items.
And so, you know, we have an agreement with the trip funds. I
think you said $2.6 million was appropriated. Maybe that agreement
prohibits us from doing anything. But I don't know that for a fact,
and I want to get more information.
So what I'd like to ask the Board to do is to delay any final
action on this. Perhaps in our second meeting in April, perhaps the
County Attorney can come back with some information as to what
options we may have.
So, for example, I don't know that reduced speeding will help.
That may deter trucks from going down there. More speeding
enforcement may help. I just don't know what possible solutions
there are, and I'd like to make sure we explore those.
So I'll put that in the form of a motion just for consideration.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'll second the motion.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yeah, I want to pick up on
where Commissioner Saunders left off. I was thinking very similar
things, because we're all getting similar emails. And, you know, it's
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great that the -- there, again, the algorithm says 1 to 5 percent, yeah,
success, but let's just say for argument, if you're at 1 percent -- and
I'm not saying Logan. I'm just saying hypothetically -- and then you
go to 4 percent, you're under 5, but that's a huge jump. And for
people that live there -- and, you know, Commissioners Saunders is
right. I've been out there quite a bit as well.
Narrow Road. Sometimes when you don't have as many
buildings or trees to absorb the noise -- there's a lot of things that go
into noise. So even though the quantity of trucks may still be sort of
under the -- you know, the maximum that we think is a problem, if
you live out there, I think that little bit of bump or just maybe this is
more than what they've had in the past is still a problem.
The notes I get, actually, say less about the number of trucks and
just exactly what Commissioner Saunders said, just noise. So
nobody's out there counting trucks, but to the citizens that live there, I
think they would say they don't care how many trucks are out there or
what the percentage is. It's a lot louder than it used to be. And I
thought the same thing when I drove through there for the fir st time.
It's not only narrow, but the setbacks and whatnot, it's -- similar term,
it's tight. And, you know, safety and noise.
So I would agree. I think we -- you know, even if we're under
5 percent, I don't think we claim victory. The big complaint is noise,
and maybe this is an area that 5 percent is excessive, and 3 percent
might be excessive, so...
MR. KHAWAJA: Understood, Commissioner. You know, it
is a county road. We're trying to manage it the best we can. I agree
with you, I mean, the neighbors might not be happy with 3 percent as
well. It's just the standard numbers for an arterial roadway is what I
showed you.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: No, I hear you.
MR. KLATZKOW: Is the predominant issue dump trucks?
March 23, 2021
Page 136
MR. KHAWAJA: Well, they come and go.
MR. KLATZKOW: Is that the predominant issue?
MR. KHAWAJA: Yes, definitely it's dump trucks.
MR. KLATZKOW: We'll come back with something.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner McDaniel and then
Commissioner Saunders. It's your district, sir, but I'll defer to
Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Do you want to go first, or --
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: I was just going to point out
a couple things just for the public's information. The County
Commission started this project in 2011, so it's been a long time.
And actual construction -- or the agreement with the Department of
Transportation was in May of 2016. So there really -- we all -- I
think the three of us got on the Board in November of 2016, and then
four -- so I'm just pointing out that we all kind of inherited this issue.
And when I first saw this road -- I'm going back now a year or
so ago when it first opened up. I think it's probably about close to a
year.
MR. KHAWAJA: A year, yes.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: I called Nick Casalanguida
up, and I said, this is one of the worst roads I've ever ridden on.
What if you have a flat tire? What if there's a small minor accident?
There is nowhere to go. And so Nick had said at that time they were
going to investigate ways to fix this kind of a problem. That was
before we started having dump trucks. There's history here. We've
kind of inherited it. And hopefully we can find a way to resolve it.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah. Well, you
know -- and you're correct, we did inherit it, but it was always
contemplated to interconnect Logan all the way up through to the
Beach Road. I still own a home on Logan Boulevard, and that was
March 23, 2021
Page 137
one of the considerations that I dealt with way back in the day. On e
of the questions I want you to look into -- because I have an
enormous amount of experience in managing company trucks -- are
there any bridges or weight limitations that we could maybe utilize to
manage the size of the vehicles that are traveling -- look into that, if
you would, please. I know we were successful in doing that on the
southerly end of the -- I forgot the name of the road off of Vanderbilt
Beach extension that was a private road that we opened up.
MR. KHAWAJA: Massey.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Massey. We were able to
limit the -- put a weight limit on and keep the heavier trucks from
utilizing it.
We do have an issue with it being a county road. The dump
truck operators have a right to drive those dump trucks to Publix and
get their groceries. So we have an issue in managing the path that
they take and the travel. And it is -- from the industry standpoint, it's
all about the jobs and the mileage from the source where the material
that's being hauled to a particular project and where that Bonita
Grande mine is, in fact, located.
One thing I did do and successfully managed for our community
at Waterways, we actually put out just simple little
eight-and-a-half-by-11 in English and Spanish, please don't use your
Jake brakes in this period of time, because those are the
large -- because those guys are like me on my Harley. They like to
hear the -- they put straight pipes on their truck and that sort of thing.
And so -- but when they use the motor brake to slow themselves
down, that creates an enormous amount of noise. And so we started
at the quarries that I was operating in eastern Collier County, we
passed them out for months, just those little eight-and-a-half-by-11,
to the truckers and said, on this segment of road, please don't use
your Jake brakes. I literally had residents -- when I was the owner of
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the quarry, I literally had residents in Waterways call me and thank
me for those efforts that we did because it mitigated the noise impact,
because they were coming up to that light at Oil Well Road and
Immokalee and laying on the Jake brakes and coming down.
So if you've got things like that, that might be something. I
know the operators up at Bonita Grande, and I'll certainly help to
assist with that process. It can help mitigate the noise.
MR. KHAWAJA: Yes. If you know somebody, I tell you, it
would be nice if they could stay on I-75, you know, get off at
Immokalee.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well, you're not going
to -- you can't --
MR. KHAWAJA: Understood.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: You can say what would be
nice -- and, you know, there again, from a noise standpoint, right now
the weather's nice, everybody has their windows open. So what
wasn't noisy before when it's hot, now the windows are open, people
are enjoying the fresh air. It's all a matter of distance. If the job is
at the school, the new school that's being built at Fogg's Nursery,
they're not going to drive two miles further to the west to get on 75.
That -- it equates to 20 cents a ton per mile on the -- on the transport.
That's just an economic consideration. It's -- it's 20 cents per ton per
mile for a trip to go.
MR. KHAWAJA: I don't know if they save on distance, you
know, because Logan takes you east and you have to come back also,
so -- but...
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So I'm okay with continuing
the item and further exploring alternatives that we have. I'm totally
fine with that.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Solis.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yeah. And my only thought is is
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if -- whatever comes back, if there's some thought given to, okay, if
we curtail the use of the -- of Logan for trucks, where can we
anticipate those trucks going? Because the trucks still need to get
where they're going, right? So are we -- you know, it is like a
balloon in the sense that you squeeze it one way, they're going to go
the other. And just to, you know, have an idea of where that would
be, do we have any indication of where they're going? I mean, are
these -- is there one main development where there's a lot of fill
going in that -- anyway, I'm not saying that now. I'm just saying
whatever comes back so we can have a discussion about the whole
thing, that would be helpful for me.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Just one point on that,
Madam Chair, if I may. There's no supply of fill dirt to speak of in
Collier County.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Oh, I know.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: The aggregate. There is
rock, but there's virtually -- there's virtually no supply of fill dirt. So
these projects that are in requisite of fill dirt, even our own, the things
that we're doing down at the Paradise Coast Park and the like are
drawing on the mining operations in Lee County. We're pulling
truck traffic down out of Lee County, so...
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. No more discussion? Is
there -- there's a motion on the floor and a second, I believe, to have
the County Attorney bring something back to us to address this issue;
is that correct? Have I --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes.
MR. KLATZKOW: You will have an executive summary at
your next meeting.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
MR. MILLER: Madam Chair, I do have several public
commenters registered on this item.
March 23, 2021
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CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. If you want to talk --
MR. MILLER: We have three here in the room.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. If our public commenters
would like to talk us out of it, please do. If not, please note that we
are going to bring back an executive summary, which is another
hearing on this issue, because we realize the seriousness of this.
MR. MILLER: Your first speaker is Carol Jouzaitis, followed
by Paul Sperlock, and then Bruce Smith.
I'd like to remind the speakers, you can alternate between podiums
while the other one is being cleaned. Thank you.
MS. JOUZAITIS: Sure. Good afternoon, Commissioners.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak.
My name is Carol Jouzaitis, and I live with my husband, Walter
Jones, in Riverstone on Pleasant Springs. We are separated from
Logan by a berm. We live directly across that berm from Logan
Avenue.
We bought our house in 2013 before the road Logan was
extended north of Seven Seas. We knew that that was going to
happen, and it did happen a couple years later, and then a few years
after that it was extended further all the way up to Bonita Beach
Road.
We welcome the extension just because our only exit and
entrance to our development is on Logan Avenue. So we thought it
was great, and that was until just about six months ago or so when
there was suddenly an explosion of truck traffic and truck noise on
Logan Avenue, as we've been talking about.
Suddenly, this steady flow of extremely noisy dump trucks on
Logan became the norm on weekdays. Like, literally every weekday
from 6:00 a.m. until late in the afternoon we can hear those trucks
rumbling down Logan 10 hours a day. We can feel the vibrations in
our house.
March 23, 2021
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I have neighbors who said to me, I no longer have to set my
alarm clock. I know when it's 6:00 a.m. because the dump trucks
come rumbling down the street.
We were aware of the traffic study being conducted, and about
the time of that traffic study, suddenly the number of trucks deceased
for a few weeks and then came roaring back, literally.
Let me cite some data to you to sort of underscore the extent of
the problem. On Friday, just this last Friday, March 19th, I went,
took a chair, sat on Logan from about 2:15 in the -- from 2:15 in the
afternoon to 2:45. During that 30-minute period, a total of 109
vehicles passed me going north or south; 12 were dump trucks.
That's 11 percent of all the vehicles in that half-hour period.
I did this again yesterday morning at 6:15 a.m. till about
6:45 a.m., another 30-minute period, when I counted a total of 86
vehicles, including nine dump trucks. So that was more than
10 percent. Again -- I think that was one minute.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thirty seconds.
MS. JOUZAITIS: Okay. And I have to say that that's pretty
typical. My husband and I ride our bikes up and down Logan,
sometimes we walk up and down Logan several times a week.
Sometimes we do it in the morning; sometimes we do it in the
afternoon. We also are now counting the dump trucks while we ride
our bikes.
It takes us about 40 minutes to get from Seven Seas up to Bonita
Beach and back to Seven Seas, and we typically count about 15 dump
trucks during that ride. Often there are two or three dump trucks in a
row so -- and they are noisy, and imagine that multiplied by two or
three when you get these caravans.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
MS. JOUZAITIS: Okay. Thank you very much.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Paul Sperlock. He'll be
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followed by Bruce Smith, and then our first online speaker, Angela
Norkiewicz.
MR. SPERLOCK: Hi, Madam Chair. Thanks for hearing us.
We live next to this noise machine that we're talking about. I'm here
because in Stone Creek my house is probably the closest to Logan
that there is. The back of my house is maybe 100 feet from the edge
of Logan southbound.
So, like they said, starts at 5:30 in the morning, these trucks
rumble down. And it's -- the cars going up and down Logan you
can't hear, but the trucks you can't miss. When I built my pool, I put
in water features so that during the day, that the sound -- we knew the
road was going in. We did water features to put in because we kne w
the sound was going to get drowned out by the water features. The
water features do nothing for dump trucks. It's like it's not even
there, but I can't hear the cars. So the issue is -- and I understand
that the primary focus of this body is generally development and
expansion. I understand that. But we're part of historic
expansion/development that needs a simple remedy. And I
appreciate the work that staff has done, but I think we should go back
to staff and see if there is some way to limit the number of trucks on
that road.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you. Thank you very much.
MR. SPERLOCK: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Bruce Smith. He'll be
followed by Angela Norkiewicz and then Barbara Arty.
MR. SMITH: Madam Chair and Commissioners, thanks very
much for the opportunity of speaking. My name is Bruce Smith.
I'm a Stone Creek resident. Our backyard faces Logan.
Noise from the trucks on Logan Boulevard wakes us up between
5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. most days, and the excessive truck noise
continues throughout the day. What I have noticed about the truck
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noise, because I bicycle along Logan every day, is that corporate -- or
company vehicles. They're very quiet. Big, huge dump trucks.
QE, who did all the -- I think the sewer pipe extension, quiet just like
a car, but all the private vehicles who aren't -- I guess who aren't
maintained as effectively, are extremely noisy.
I oppose the approval of the staff report, as I believe the traffic
study was skewed in two ways. On February 5th, Michelle Scavone
of the Growth Management indicated that Collier Development
Services would be contacting trucking companies to advise them to
use alternative routes. A few days later a traffic study was
conducted, February 9th and 11th, and then again on February 23 to
25. Executive summary dated 3/23/21 states the truck traffic was 5.1
the first day, second day was 3.9, the third day was 3.6, which is still
above the normal, as per your guidelines.
I believe the reason for the decrease in truck traffic was
Development Services' communication with the trucking companies
in an effort, knowingly or not, skewing the results of the traffic study.
The executive summary indicates that 3 percent truck traffic is
considered normal. It is, therefore, apparent that the truck traffic on
the second and third day was above normal, and it continues to not
only be above normal but excessive.
I believe the vehicle study was also skewed because of the
location on Logan Boulevard. The traffic study equipment
was -- where the traffic study equipment was placed. The placement
of the study equipment was installed just north of Treeline for both
studies. This location captured not only the vehicles used in the
extension of Logan Boulevard but also the 1,200-plus vehicles
entering and exiting two communities, being Stone Creek and
Riverstone, from Immokalee that did not use the extension.
Had Collier staff not reached out to the trucking companies,
more likely than not that all three days of the traffic study would have
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showed a use of 5 percent or greater. Had Collier County placed the
study equipment within the extension of Logan Boulevard, we would
be looking at the true numbers of vehicles using the extension.
I would respectfully request that another traffic study be
conducted in view of the skewed results and that the study be
performed within the extension. Furthermore, Logan Boulevard is a
narrow two-lane secondary road with several twists and turns. There
is nowhere to pull over and, as you said, you're looking at the
information.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
MR. SMITH: Thank you very much for your time.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker, our first speaker online is,
Angela Norkiewicz. She'll be followed by Barbara Arty and then
Charlene Smith.
Ms. Norkiewicz, you're being prompted to unmute yourself right
now. If you could please do so. There you are. You have three
minutes, ma'am.
MS. NORKIEWICZ: Good afternoon. I am a Lee County
resident, and I wanted to participate in this call today because we live
in Palmera, which borders Logan Boulevard. We are one of the
closest streets to Logan. We're separated from Logan with a wall,
probably a T box, and water -- a waterway.
The two issues that we have -- I can actually feel the house
shake, and we're probably a good 500 feet from the road. But we do
feel the shaking when the trucks are running down the road.
The other thing is the noise from the motorcycles. So, you
know, I know there's some issues about trying to restrict the truck
traffic. That's not really my concern. My concern is whether or not
sound barriers could be put up. And, like I said, I'm in Lee County,
and maybe I need to address this with the Lee County commissioners
as well, but I did want to bring it to your attention. That's it. Thank
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you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker will be Barbara Arty. She'll
be followed by Charlene Smith and then Harold Altz.
Barbara, you're being prompted to unmute yourself at this time, if
you'll do so. Ms. Arty, Barbara Arty. There you are.
MS. ARTY: Yes, hi.
MR. MILLER: You have three minutes, ma'am.
MS. ARTY: Okay. A previous speaker addressed the
concerns that I had about that study that was conducted, so I'd like to
piggyback on that a little bit.
I do agree that we can have another traffic study but only if the
trucking companies can't hear about it in the future. And I don't
know how you do that.
So, anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Thanks for including us
in the meeting.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Charlene Smith. She'll
be followed by Harold Altz and then J. Ruggieri.
Ms. Smith, you're being prompted to unmute yourself, if you'll
do so at this time. There you go.
MS. SMITH: Hello, everyone.
MR. MILLER: Yes.
MS. SMITH: I'm the wife of Bruce Smith. He's pretty much
said what I needed to say.
I just want to point out again that the -- we believe that the
traffic study was skewed. Michelle -- Michelle Scavone did tell us
that they would be contacting trucking companies to tell them to take
alternate routes. I guess, in fact, they did because the first day of the
study was 5.1, it went down to 3.9, and then 3.6.
Certainly, before the first day of the study, I'm sure, you know,
all the homeowners could tell you it was excessive noise and
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excessive truck traffic. You know, if it wasn't for this, you know,
heads-up that they gave to the trucking companies, we probably
would have our desired signage preventing, you know, large trucks
from using Logan.
And I guess my only -- you know, my only -- I'm happy that you
guys are going to be adjourning to another day and gathering some
more information, so that keeps most of us happy.
I just want to -- my only comment, and I do understand your saying
it's a county road, that, you know, the truckers have a right to use
those -- the county road but, you know what, we've got six
communities that abut Logan Avenue, and all these homeowners are
up in arms because of the sound and noise. I mean, these trucks are
horrible to have them, you know, day in and day out listening to
them.
So, you know, my only other comment is, to add to it, is let them
take highway 75 like they used to. Why can't they take 75, you
know? Then they can do their business and let, you know, the
homeowners enjoy their properties.
So thank you for listening to me. I appreciate it, and I'll
adjourn now to let somebody else speak.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Harold Altz. He'll be
followed by J. Ruggieri and then James Chorley.
Mr. Altz, there you are, sir. You have three minutes.
MR. ALTZ: Thank you. Good afternoon. I'd like to
piggyback also just to confirm about the study. Unfortunately, the
study was also conducted over a 24-hour period. The trucks run
from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Including additional data for the
remaining 12 hours is skewing the numbers. And we're also looking
at the fact -- and, again, I realize that we are constantly expanding,
which is needed as a society and a community, but the fact is, if
traffic was to increase from the increased number of people moving
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to Florida and homes being built, that we could end up with
thousands more cars utilizing Logan Boulevard, which is needed;
however, that would skew the number of trucks to be able to go up
accordingly.
The trucks are already violently disturbing of the beauty that
people have that enjoyed and invested their money in. As people
have mentioned on the Board about being taxpayers and looking after
us, which amen we have you people to look after that, because we all
know businesses don't always put that as a top consideration.
The reality is, these trucks have used Interstate 75 for many
years before Logan was built. Nothing has changed, and other than
they now have an alternative route -- and it comes down to whether a
business can save a few dollars, as pointed out by one of the
commissioners.
This is not just about whether a business can save dollars. You
have taxpayers paying millions of dollars in taxes on billions of
dollars’ worth of property that they chose to live in Florida in this
location because of the tranquility and how it improved our lifestyle.
The trucks have now taken that away from us.
Waking up, being disturbed, having my property shake -- I am,
too, about 50 yards tops from Logan Boulevard. It has nothing to do
with the brakes. It has to do with the heaviness of the trucks, the
speed in which they go down, and the fact that they're even there. It
does save them time. It does save the company money.
Unfortunately, your taxpayers are paying that price.
It really is recommended, even though it's a county line, to
exclude trucks from here given that the interstate is actually closer to
the mine than Logan Boulevard is. It's a slippery slope, and I know
you have a balance and a job to do, and we appreciate that, but in the
best interest of the citizens of Naples, Florida, and Bonita Springs,
Florida, along this area, this is really a no-brainer because
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it -- unfortunately, none of you live here to experience this, and the
study is designed to get it through, and it's not taking into
consideration the reality of what the residents are dealing with.
I thank you very much for my opportunity to speak to you all.
Have a blessed day.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is J. Ruggieri. He'll be
followed by James Chorley, and then Vincenzo LiCausi.
Mr. Ruggieri, there you are. You have three minutes.
MR. RUGGIERI: Great. Thank you very much.
Thank you, all, for your time and your attention to this matter.
I think you guys have heard it all. I live about 100 yards from
Logan on a street that runs parallel to Logan, primarily, and I can tell
you that at any given time during the day, like the other people have
said, trucks' noise is apparent. I don't live as close as other people.
I don't really hear the trucks as loudly as other people, but I can tell
you we hear them.
My concern is two things: Noise and safety. Let's take safety
first, because that tends to move the dial. As one of the
commissioners pointed out, there's no room for error along this road.
The walking paths are extremely close to the road. There's no
place to pull over. I have seen trucks, have been behind trucks that
have taken the curves far too quickly and have had to jam their
brakes on. So let's hope it doesn't come down to somebody getting
hit on the side of the road because we don't want to restrict trucks.
And from a noise point of view, I think you've heard plenty.
It's real. It's constant. A truck just went by while I was waiting,
and I heard it, and I'm sitting in my house in my office one of the
windows closed.
Here's what I would say: Any one of you are welcome to come
sit in my driveway. I'll buy you coffee. I'll bring you out a chair,
and you can do your own little survey, like some other people have,
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and you can hear the noise for yourself. I appreciate the efforts of
this group, I'm glad you're going to look into it further, but I really
urge you to not allow these trucks on Logan Boulevard. It's a safety
and noise issue, and I don't think it's a difficult decision to make as a
citizen. Thank you for your time.
MR. MILLER: All right. James Chorley is no longer online
with us. Let's go to our final speaker, Vincenzo LiCausi.
MR. LiCAUSI: Hi, everyone. I think one point of reference is
also there is a noise ordinance in Collier County, and I believe,
relative to these dump trucks, it's 86 decibels at 50 feet. My
property abuts Logan Boulevard, and I'm probably 120 feet away,
and I recorded decibels of about 92, assuming my meter is correct.
So I think there's another angle here, and that is the noise
ordinance. The noise for regular traffic, the limit is 60. And I get
about 65, 70 from normal vehicles. So there is a -- there definitely is
a noise issue. If we enforce the ordinance, it seems like a no-brainer
to me.
Thank you.
MR. MILLER: That was our final registered speaker, Madam
Chair.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you, folks.
About 1981, '82, there's a little neighborhood in Lake Park [sic]
called Lake Park in the City of Naples, and there was a lot of truck
traffic going on Seventh Avenue North, and two neighbors got lawn
chairs and sat out and counted the trucks one afternoon, and that was
the traffic study that proved to the city at that time that there were too
many trucks on that road, and they subsequently put two small
roundabouts on the road, and it helped a lot.
I'm not suggesting we can do that on Logan, but never dismiss
the eye and sitting in the lawn chair and counting, because you've got
it. And to announce you're going to do a truck study from a
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company that understands the cost of transportation and would
automatically take another route is probably not what we need to do
in the future.
So we have a -- I believe there is a motion or if there
isn't -- there is a motion, I believe there's a second, to ask the County
Attorney to create an executive summary and to come back to start to
remedy this issue. We're not pushing it down the road. It's going to
be at our next meeting. That was -- I didn't mean to say pushing it
down the road. But we're not pushing it away. It's going to be at
our next meeting, and we're going to discuss it at that time.
Yes?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'd like to -- I mean, because
you said it, and it's been alleged, I just would like to hear from staff,
because I think there's a misunderstanding. I don't think that our
staff reached out to the trucking companies or the mine to alert them
that there was a study about to transpire. I think we did the
study -- what I understood was we did the study and then reached out
to the industry to talk about alternative routes and such. Correct me
if I'm wrong, but that's --
MR. KHAWAJA: No. Actually, when we start hearing the
complaints, we wanted to take some action to reduce the truck on
that --
(Simultaneous crosstalk.)
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So you did reach out to the
industry and then conduct the study after you did that?
MR. KHAWAJA: We conducted the study about two weeks
later, yes, that's correct.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. Forgive me, Madam
Chair.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: No, no, that's quite all right. I think
that's important.
March 23, 2021
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COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It's absolutely important.
MR. KHAWAJA: We wanted to take immediate action when
they were calling us; they're having problems. We got the Sheriff
out. We got the speeds, and then we tried to get them off the road.
But the community continued to tell us we want it now. Do the
study now. So we responded by getting out there and doing the
study then, and then went again in two weeks, which is -- and we
continued to watch it from the traffic management center, and we're
ready to go again if the numbers go up, but that's where we are at.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. Thank you very much.
All right. There's a motion on the floor and a second. We're clear
on the motion. All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously. Thank you.
Our next meeting is April the 13th.
Item #15
STAFF AND COMMISSION GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS
MR. OCHS: Commissioners, we move to Item 15, staff and
commission general communications.
I just have your reminder; you have a CRA workshop scheduled
for April 6th at 9:00 a.m. in this commission chambers, and that's all
I have, Madam Chair.
March 23, 2021
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CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
MR. KLATZKOW: I do have --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: County Attorney.
MR. KLATZKOW: -- something, actually.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Oh, good.
MR. KLATZKOW: Our favorite topic, Seed to Table. As the
Board knows, the Governor issued a clemency order regarding the
remission of fines for any fines imposed by local government
concerning the COVID restrictions so that any fine as a result of the
Board's mask ordinance has now been, well, forgiven by the
Governor.
We have a, as you know, proceeding before the Special
Magistrate. We've asked her to rehear her previous ruling as to lack
of jurisdiction. Given this executive order by the Governor, in
essence, just pardoning all of the mask violations stat ewide, it's my
personal opinion that I don't see any purpose moving forward with
the Oakes matter at this point in time, and I'd like to ask the Board to
direct the County Manager to cease the prosecution as it's a code
enforcement function.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Thank you, Madam Chair. I
met with the County Attorney yesterday and suggested that we have
this conversation.
I agree with the County Attorney. The Hearing Examiner [sic]
had already indicated a lack of jurisdiction. We filed a notice of
rehearing on that. But even if we were successful, which we would
not be, there's nowhere for this to go. So I want to urge the county
to go ahead and dismiss that action in its entirety, and I'll make that
motion if that would be appropriate.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: And I'll --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Second.
March 23, 2021
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CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Okay. There's a motion on the floor
and a second. No discussion. All those in favor, say aye.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Those opposed, like sign.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: It carries unanimously.
MR. KLATZKOW: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
Okay. I'm going to go first today because I'm chair. So forgive me,
but I've just got a few things.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: It should be ladies first
anyway, shouldn't it?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Ladies first.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: There you go.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: We received a letter from the
representative Brett Cohen from Naples Cay, and this is regarding the
plans of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make our beach much
stronger, and I believe there -- we're under public comment. County
Manager, I'm wondering if it wouldn't be wise at our next meeting
just to do a brief overview, because there -- they are -- particularly
have grave concerns about the maps themselves, and I believe they've
issued public comment, but I literally have lost where we are in this
process, understanding that a decision has to be made in September
of this year, I believe, correct? But perhaps we could just do a brief
overview of where we are and where we're going for the public, and
it could just be a staff presentation. Would you -- are we okay with
that? Okay.
March 23, 2021
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MR. OCHS: Do you want that at your next meeting?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yes, please, before the folks leave to
go north.
The county of Lee County has decided under the leadership of
Chairman Ruane to join the Resiliency Compact, and I'm wondering
if that is something that we in Collier should consider doing.
We -- if I see nods, we should. If not, we can just, again, have a
brief presentation of what it entails. There are no fees. There 's no
money involved for, like, three years. It's a question, I think, of just
providing a united front as we go forward and deal with the
interesting challenges we have with sea level rise. Do I see -- are we
okay doing that?
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Sure.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Consensus. Okay, good.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: There will be an ask for
money at some point, though.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Oh, in three -- yeah, two to three
years, I've been told.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Eventually, correct, yes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: We have a fascinating bill in
Tallahassee, so this is -- this is a nod to our folks in Tallahassee who
have decided -- it's weaved into an election bill that if it's
passed -- and I'm not saying it's passed. It's still in a committee. I
think it just got out of the ethics committee. I think that's what it
says. But what will happen is if it passes, we'll all be up for
reelection next year; all of us. That's a provision in there, yes. I
thought that --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Is that why I'm getting notice
from Dave Carpenter about my reelection --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: That's right.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- next year on a bill that
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hasn't even gotten through?
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: No. Well, he didn't give you notice.
He said, but just watch it because it's there, and it just got from one
committee, and it's on another. But there's a lot of provisions,
according to John Mullins, in that bill that would give some folks
pause to question what's going on. But, you know, wouldn't that be
interesting; we're all running at the same time?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Not fruitful at all.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: No. But, anyway, that's -- I just
thought I'd bring that to you.
There is a question that comes up occasionally about the ability
of an event sponsor or -- such as pickleball to put flags out to
announce an event and to have the festive attitude. When we were
talking about this great golf tournament up at Quail Creek, the y
wanted to put flags out to announce the entrance to Quail Creek from
Immokalee Road.
We don't have any provisions. Code Enforcement says, no, we
can't do it. I'd like to see if we couldn't bring this back for a
discussion where we would maybe create some kind of conditional
use so that the idea that as we advance and start entertaining more of
these sports events specifically, but it could be other events, that
the -- there is a -- we iron out what we want and what we don't want.
Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: And I'll refer to the County
Attorney. And I think there's an old legal maxim: What's good for
the goose is good for the gander. We learned that our first year of
law school, I think.
If we start opening up this for county events, I don't see how we
can deny it for private events, and that would be my concern. You
could have these types of flags up all over the place. So I'd be very
cautious. And that's kind of a question for the County Attorney, but
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I think that that might be going on this slippery slope, if you will.
MR. KLATZKOW: I don't disagree. If you'd like me to come
back, I can --
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Yeah, I would, just to -- now,
if -- then it -- okay. Yeah, let's -- if you would, at your convenience.
And then, finally, just to remind everyone that the mask mandate is
sunsetting on April the 13th, 2021.
And on that note, Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay. My closing
comments would be congratulations again to Mr. Isackson. You
said a lot of great and profound things at the podium and during your
one-on-one interview, so we'll hold you to those.
But I think we're all looking forward to, you know, aggressive
leadership, you know, at the top, or enthusiastic leadership maybe
would be better, but some -- you know, make changes where we need
to make them and stay the course where we need to and all the above.
So, you know, congratulations, again.
I also wanted to just throw out again, thanks to Dr. George and
Amy Patterson, the whole team. I think we all, myself, learned more
about wastewater, right, in the last 72 hours than I ever wanted to
know. But, you know, there were two things we all told WINK
News the other days, at least that I said: I wanted to see action and a
sense of urgency, and we had both.
You know, it's unfortunate there's a few citizens out there that
sort of don't understand the science and the engineering of what
happened, and I know they're upset about wastewater being in a
retention pond. But just as I said in my replies to, you know, all of
them, well, it being in the pond is better than being in your sink, and
a few dead fish is better than, you know, your children drinking
contaminated water.
So, actually, I think it's commendable what our team did over a
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weekend and, you know, in immediate, you know, fashion. So, you
know, well done, and thank you, and we'll -- let's finish up the little
bits and pieces.
Amy's got a lot of homework assignments. She's getting out to
citizens and speaking to them with a sense of urgency, and I
appreciate that. We all do. We all appreciate it.
You'll be getting those same calls from Commissioner Solis'
constituents once you start tearing up pipes.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Thank you, ma'am.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: So we're going to go down to this
end. Commissioner McDaniel. I know. I'm just keeping
everybody on their toes today.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: I'm getting whiplash.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I can't lull away.
I, again, wanted to thank staff. I actually heard Amy was out there
with her finger plugging that hole for a while while they were getting
caught up. So it was a remarkable job by all of our staff for a very,
very poor circumstance that was taken care of in a very, very short
period of time. And I want to echo the thanks that was done there,
so -- and I have nothing further.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
Commissioner Solis.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Well, as I committed to do at the
beginning of the year, I was going to do a quick little rundown of
what happened at the TDC yesterday, which is really good, because
it's really good news actually, and I think we're all ready for some
good news. So I've handed that out, and I've got it also on the
visualizer.
These are just some data related to what's going on at RSW.
We didn't have the February RSW information yet, but you can see
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down where it says January 21st that RSW, it's outperforming, really,
our main competition. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa
are all down 50 percent. It's good news that we're only down
39 percent, but you have to take that in the context that January of
2020 was the biggest year that had ever happened. I mean, it was
over the top the amount of traffic that we had.
The next page will just show you what's happening. At the
beginning of 2020, you can see that most of our visitors were
coming -- were flying in. That came to a crashing halt in April.
And as I showed last time, what sustained us was really local visitors,
right, and the drive-in within the state. But as you can see, as things
are changing, the campaigns that the staff put together and the
marketing partners put together have really made a difference.
Things are starting to come back to normal. It's about almost 50/50
in terms of those that fly in and those that drive in.
The next one is a really interesting slide that shows you kind of
year to year, you know, what's happened in terms of Florida visitors
versus out-of-state visitors, and it shows you more of the same, that
the -- you know, the Florida visitors really sustained us through the
worst of it and that now the out-of-the-state folks are coming back.
Again, this is all in the context of January, February, and March,
really, of 2020 were just over-the-top years [sic]. In fact, I think
staff was talking about really starting -- going back and using 2019 as
the baseline because 2020 was such an aberration.
The next slide you can see where the major markets are that our
visitors are from. This -- we're down 17 percent from February of
2020, which is -- was great news. All the hoteliers on the TDC were
very, very encouraged by that. When you compare that to February
of 2019, it's really only down about 10 percent. So it's all great news
all the way around.
The next page is just some takeaways from information received
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from some of the hotels. And I've highlighted the one that is really
telling. March was only down 15 percent from 2019, which was a
record; that was a record as well. Already halfway to April 2019
record numbers. Doing more in a day than the entire month of April
of 2020. So great news for our tourism industry.
And then a couple of slides that -- this is something that's really
been effective, this targeted marketing, personalized marketing with
the videos that I showed last time, but what you can see over to the
right-hand side where the arrows are, that these are ads, and the
post-viewing of this ad, the engagement's up. I mean, the
post-engagement for February was up 271 percent, and the
impressions overall, 462 percent. I mean, these ads have been really,
really effective.
And this -- the next slide I'm just showing a little bit of what the
social media campaign has done. This is -- I thought it was great.
It's -- on Facebook -- on the Facebook page it says it's hard to
improve upon a Paradise Coast sunset unless, of course, you had
pizza, which this was the best-performing post the whole time, and it
was really, really effective. So just kudos to our staff for being very
creative and coming up with things that really grab people's attention.
Tax Collector collections, as you can see, for February were
actually ahead of the budget by about 352-, $353,000, and now we're
updating the forecast. We're updating it up instead of down, which
is a good trend to be doing. We were doing the opposite for quite a
while. You can see on the graph that the actual collections are
exceeding the budgeted collections.
And then the last slide is just a blurb, a bullet point to show what
are the most viewed pages from our website, the explore safely
landing page, again, related to the pledge that Commissioner Taylor
brought up at the beginning today. The events landing page, the
home page, and then the coronavirus information page was No. 4,
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and the Discover Marco Island article page was No. 5.
So I think this is more evidence that the campaign and the pivot
that the staff recommended in terms of our marketing for Collier
County was really effective. So I'd like to thank them for all their
hard work.
One little thing that came up from -- of concern related to our
friends in Tallahassee was there was some concern expressed. There
is a bill, I think, that's in committee somewhere that would change
the rules relating to the use of TDC funds to make it available for
things like flood mitigation. Obviously of concern to the folks that
contribute that or to promote tourism, because that's not really
necessarily tourism related.
And, again, congratulations to Mr. Isackson, and I hope moving
forward we have great year, and also to Dr. George and everybody
else that applied as well. You know, it's a very, very difficult
decision. So thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Thank you, Madam Chair.
Commissioner Solis, thank you for that information. That certainly
will help us as we go through our budgeting process.
When I was in the Senate, we always had kind of a process
where a senator would stand up and say, I'd like to make a point of
personal privilege, and at that point, everybody would sort of sit
down and listen. We don't have that process here, but I'm going to
sort of ask for a point of personal privilege, if I might.
I've got a couple things I want to talk about that are not
necessarily on the positive end of the spectrum. Quite frankly, I'm
reluctant to bring these up, but I think one of the most important
things we can do as a commission is make sure that our public has
confidence in what we do in our decision-making process.
March 23, 2021
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And I want to start off by saying, I think Collier County has
probably some of the best public services of any county in the state of
Florida; probably of any county in the country. You look at our
EMS system, you look at our law enforcement, you look at our
schools, you look at our Clerk's Office, you look at the Supervisor of
Elections, our Tax Collector, our Property Appraiser; I rarely get a
complaint about the quality of the services that we provide in this
county.
And so I've got a couple things I want to talk about that I just
want to clarify the record, make sure that the facts on the record are
correct.
The first issue that I want to talk about involves the county's
handling of the Tigertail Beach concession agreement. I want to
read a couple sentences from a Facebook post, which I hate to go on
Facebook. It's never good news, but I do it from time to time.
This is from one of our fellow commissioners, Commissioner
LoCastro. And he's talking about the food and beverages services
provided by Tony at the Tigertail Beach area. And, he says -- this is
a quote, unfortunately, the renegotiation of this -- of his contract with
the county was totally mishandled last year, and this amazing
Tigertail ambassador was shown the door, and the snack bar and
rentals sat vacant for many months. I only wish I was a
commissioner during the time of this inexcusable mistake.
And that's kind of a smack at all of us. The County
Commission, we approve those concession agreements, and we
approve the going out for the bid, but I think it's more of a real smack
on the County Manager.
So I've asked Mr. Ochs if he would spend a few minutes and
explain what happened. I want the public to really understand what
happened on that, because I don't think we simply showed this
concessionaire the door. I don't think we mishandled the
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negotiations or the end result. So if you will indulge me, I'd like the
Manager to explain what really happened in reference to that
agreement.
MR. OCHS: Yes, sir. I'd be happy to.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: I do have one more after
that.
MR. OCHS: Sure. So in January of 2020, the Board issued a
request for proposals for food and beach rental concession agreement
renewal for Tigertail Beach. As a result of that, in early February we
received two proposals, one of which was from RFA. That was the
company that Mr. Smith owned and operated. The staff review
committee went through their due diligence, and the staff committee,
in early March, recommended Mr. Smith's firm to get that contract.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: That's the Tony that we're
talking about?
MR. OCHS: Yes. Tony Smith, yes.
So I should note at the time that Mr. Smith submitted his
proposal to the RFP, he noted no exceptions to the specifications or
the terms and conditions in that RFP document. So based on that
and the staff's recommended award, we went ahead and drafted up a
standard agreement that contained the basic terms and conditions that
were in the RFP, presented that to Mr. Smith, and asked him to
review it and execute it. And, again, that was in early April-ish of
2020.
And then we, you know, unfortunately proceeded for the next
couple of months to get into protracted discussions with Mr. Smith
who continued to make frequent demands or requests to change the
scope of the contract having to do with all kinds of different elements
that were in the RFP.
And so we got to a point where he actually finally executed the
agreement in late June, but it was still missing certain insurance
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certificates that were required as part of the contract. And when we
pressed him for those so that we could get the contract to the Board
for award, he finally told us that he was going to withdraw from the
contract, and that's how that went forward, Commissioner. And so
we had to then go out with another RFP, which we did, which
resulted in the award to a new vendor a couple of meetings ago.
So I think any characterization that the staff mismanaged the
contract is inaccurate, to put it mildly.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: All right. Thank you. I
appreciate that.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I'll hold my comments till
after you're done.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Second issue, again,
involves Commissioner LoCastro's comments, and I just want to
clarify the record.
This is in a letter to Rae Burton -- Rae Burton, and in the letter
to Ms. Burton, he says, I think a two-month paid break for
commissioners is appalling, and so do most citizens. Now, that's
okay. That's, you know --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Fact.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: That's dialogue that we can
all live with. But he had some stuff in his Facebook post that just
simply is not correct, and I want the Manager to correct this.
It says, citizens I talk with wonder why commissioners over the
years have voted themselves an extended summer break that slows or
stops decisions during that time. When they regroup after the
summer, that short break puts the county months behind schedule.
Maybe this is arguable to some. I'm only voicing my opinion,
but I feel it is a mistake to vote ourselves a vacation when the rest of
the real world doesn't operate that way.
The point I wanted to make -- and I would ask the County
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Manager to spend a few minutes explaining what happens. We have
three meetings that we don't schedule in the summertime. We've
talked about this. As Commissioner McDaniel had pointed out
before; every year for the last four years we've talked about. We
haven't changed the schedule.
And I don't believe I recall any business slowing down. I don't
recall ever being behind schedule in September when we come back
to work. But I think it's important for the Manager to explain to the
public what happens during the period of time when we don't have
those three meetings and whether or not government is shut down,
whether or not we wind up two or three or four months behind
schedule because of that, because I think it just sends a false
impression that we're not doing the government's and the public's
business here.
MR. OCHS: Well, I can say un-equivocably the day-to-day
business of the Board obviously doesn't shut down during that
six-week period. The staff, in fact, produces regular agendas for
action that is subsequently ratified by the Board when you come back
to your first board meeting in every September.
Having said that, obviously, there are some things that the staff
can't approve on its own, like land-use decisions. But that's been a
separate policy decision of this board and past boards that doesn't
really relate to the day-to-day work or necessarily to only that
six-week period.
But you've made a decision as a board not to bring controversial
land-use items during the summer months, in any event. So if you
exclude those, the rest of the staff work goes on without fail
throughout the year.
And I don't recall anytime where I would say we were backed
up beyond what our normal workload is in the fall. It's always busy
because people are coming back, and I don't see where, you know,
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the six-week hiatus from those three meetings has any material effect
on the day-to-day work of the staff. We continue to work all
through that period.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Madam Chair, I want to
thank the Commission for your indulgence. I just think it's
important that the public understand that we are -- that the county is
performing excellent services across the board. There is no
interruption in those services at any point in time. And we're always
here if there's a need to have a meeting in August, if there's a
hurricane coming. It's happened before. We have an emergency
meeting. We're here to do what's necessary.
So, again, I just wanted to make sure the public understands the
process.
MR. OCHS: Yeah. And, Commissioners, one more thing for
the public's benefit; the Commission already knows this. Because of
those intermittent breaks, this board and prior boards have put
procedures in place that allow me, for example, to make emergency
purchases on behalf of the Board and then have those ratified
subsequently. Under emergency conditions, obviously, you delegate
extraordinary authority for me to keep things going in your absence.
So I think the Board has anticipated some of those kind of breaks and
have made provisions in your ordinances and your resolutions to give
me the tools to keep the wheels turning, if you will.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, my comment would be
I really appreciate Commissioner Saunders being a regular Facebook
visitor of my page, because I think he'll actually learn a lot if you get
out and actually talk to the public.
And I agree with you, I think the public does understand what's
happening, and in the 20 town hall meetings that I've had in my first
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90 days, I certainly have heard a lot from the public. So I would
encourage you get out there and maybe do, you know, more face to
face than just, you know, a Zoom town hall meeting once in a while.
In reference to Tony Smith, let's talk some facts. So I
appreciate how you've encapsulated and briefly put together what
would make your point seem to make sense, but let me talk to you
about reality. We have an airport that we're cutting the ribbon on
that's a year and a half behind schedule. And much like Tony
Smith's negotiations, I appreciate what the County Manager is saying,
but those dragged out an inordinate amount of time. And you're
saying Tony dragged them out, then we should have been smart
enough to tell him, you know, hey, you're one and done.
He also talks about, and it's been corroborated to me, that, you
know, he was on the higher end of the percentage that was taken from
his -- or being asked, you know, from his revenue at Tigertail Beach,
and for somebody that had that many years of service and also
knowing that if we lost Tony and you put this thing out for bid, you
wouldn't get 40 contractors. I mean, we got two bids. One person
dropped out. So I wouldn't sit here and pat ourselves on the back
that we're replacing Tony Smith after a vigorous competitive contract
bid. I mean, I hope this person that's coming from Orlan do can do
half as good a job as Tony did. And it's either him or nobody.
And I live out on -- at Marco, so I don't know how much, you
know, everybody else goes out there. But seeing that place shut
down, I wouldn't pat ourselves on the back that we're doing great
work.
We've got folks out there that can't get food, can't rent kayaks.
And regardless of what you think about Tony Smith and the
wonderful job by the staff, even the Parks and Recs folks that I sat
down with, you know, admitted that there was sort of a lot of
consternation back and forth because we didn't like Tony very much.
March 23, 2021
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Well, you know, let's be big girls and boys and run this place
like a business. And if he was jacking us around for four months,
then we show him the door four months earlier but make sure we
know what we're doing.
You know, we've had no competition, and basically we're being
force fed, you know, a new contractor, and I can tell you he's not
going to be any kind of Tony Smith.
But I get out, and I do talk to the public. And the reason that
they talk about the vacation putting people behind is if you talk to
developers and contractors and whatnot -- and if it's perception, then
we're doing a very poor job of advertising, you know, what a
wonderful thing it is to not have county commissioners for two
months, and it has zero effect on anything. Because when I talk to
developers and folks that are waiting on permits and whatnot, they
say, when we come back in session, and a lot of other business of the
county, it's stacked up. It's stacked up.
So if that's not our perception, you might want to get out and
talk to the public who actually are affected by what happens in this
room. So it's great that we're sitting up here and saying how great
and wonderful everything is.
And I also think it's perception. I don't need a vote to be in here
working, you know, throughout the whole year the way, like you
said, the rest of the staff is. So I don't know why we're special. But
I know myself and Commissioner McDaniel, I think, are going to be
here throughout the summer. You know, I would never, you know,
say in this chamber that if we cancel summer vacation, quote, I won't
be here. I would have been embarrassed, you know, to say that.
But I stand by my comments. I'm glad that Commissioner
Saunders is educating himself on what's going on in the real world by
reading my Facebook page. I stand by every comment there,
because it wasn't something I made up. It's something I heard from
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the people. And even from our own staff who admitted behind
closed doors the things they would do different.
And so I think, you know, that's why you have an airport that's a
year and a half behind schedule and that's why we have Tigertail out
there sitting for many, many, many months not, you know, serving
our wonderful people that are out there.
So, you know, I wouldn't give yourselves any gold stars up here.
The things that I've said that are positives are facts, and I stand by
every comment that I've made whether it's been on Facebook or to
constituents. So enough said.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Solis.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Madam Chair, not to belabor this
any more, but I think -- I think we just heard what's behind this; that
developers and contractors are complaining about --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, they're citizens, too.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: -- things not meeting through the
summer. There isn't one infrastructure project, there are no permits
that are delayed, none of that happens. And to a person, I have never
heard of a constituent in District 1 or even district -- any district, 1
through 5, say that what we should be doing is hearing zoning and
development matters through the summer, and if that's what's behind
that, I'd like to get that on the table, because --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: You should come to my town
hall meetings.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Absolutely. You should come to
mine, because that is the number-one request that we not do.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Really? Wow.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yes. In fact, the request is always
do not do -- do not do any of those meetings outside of just the
season.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, then congratulations.
March 23, 2021
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It passed, so I don't know why you're continuing to beat a dead horse.
Let's support the vote.
COMMISSIONER SOLIS: That was -- that was something
that was -- your predecessor was adamant about because that's what
her constituents always said to her.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, they told her a lot of
things as well that I'm hearing different. But I'd say it's a moot
point. We voted, and it's one decision, one voice. So I don't know
why, you know, you're trying to beat a dead horse to try to, you
know, pat yourselves on the back. We voted for it. I support it.
There's going to be continued summer break for all the reasons that
the three of you stated who voted for it. So, you know, move on.
The vote's done.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: Commissioner Saunders?
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Just to wrap up, I will
continue to read the Facebook posts. I don't think I'll learn anything.
But if there's something that's incorrect, I will bring it back.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yeah. Well, that's a point of
opinion.
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: All right. On that note, we're
adjourned.
**** Commissioner Solis moved, seconded by Commissioner
LoCastro and carried that the following items under the Consent and
Summary Agendas be approved and/or adopted ****
Item #16A1 – Continued indefinitely (Per Agenda Change Sheet)
RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE ISSUANCE OF A
RIGHT-OF-WAY (ROW) PERMIT TO CREATE A DESIGNATED
PARKING AREA WITHIN THE ROW ON A SPECIFIC
March 23, 2021
Page 170
SEGMENT OF HAMILTON AVENUE FROM THOMASSON
DRIVE TO BAY STREET. (THIS IS A COMPANION TO
AGENDA ITEM #16C1, ALL ITEMS MUST BE EITHER
APPROVED OR DENIED TOGETHER ON TODAY’S AGENDA)
– CREATING A PARALLEL PARKING AREA
Item #16A2
FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE POTABLE WATER AND
SEWER FACILITIES FOR ADDISON PLACE, PL20180002227,
ACCEPT THE CONVEYANCE OF A PORTION OF THE
POTABLE WATER AND SEWER FACILITIES, AND
AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY MANAGER, OR HIS DESIGNEE,
TO RELEASE THE FINAL OBLIGATION BOND IN THE TOTAL
AMOUNT OF $4,000 TO THE PROJECT ENGINEER OR THE
DEVELOPER’S DESIGNATED AGENT – FINAL INSPECTION
FOUND THE FACILITIES SATISFACTORY AND
ACCEPTABLE ON NOVEMBER 25, 2020
Item #16A3
FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE POTABLE WATER AND
SEWER FACILITIES FOR STAYBRIDGE SUITES,
PL20180003442, ACCEPT THE CONVEYANCE OF A PORTION
OF THE POTABLE WATER FACILITIES, AND AUTHORIZE
THE COUNTY MANAGER, OR HIS DESIGNEE, TO RELEASE
THE UTILITIES PERFORMANCE SECURITY (UPS) AND
FINAL OBLIGATION BOND IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF
$14,319.58 TO THE PROJECT ENGINEER OR THE
DEVELOPER’S DESIGNATED AGENT – FINAL INSPECTION
March 23, 2021
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FOUND THE FACILITIES SATISFACTORY AND
ACCEPTABLE ON FEBRUARY 5, 2021
Item #16A4
FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE POTABLE WATER AND
SEWER UTILITY FACILITIES FOR AVE MARIA SCHOOL OF
LAW SPORTS COMPLEX, PL20190002227, AND AUTHORIZE
THE COUNTY MANAGER, OR HIS DESIGNEE, TO RELEASE
THE UTILITIES PERFORMANCE SECURITY (UPS) AND
FINAL OBLIGATION BOND IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF
$5,179.07 TO THE PROJECT ENGINEER OR THE
DEVELOPER’S DESIGNATED AGENT – FINAL INSPECTION
FOUND THE FACILITIES SATISFACTORY AND
ACCEPTABLE ON FEBRUARY 8, 2021
Item #16A5
FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE POTABLE WATER AND
SEWER UTILITY FACILITIES FOR OLYMPIA PARK PLAZA
UNIT 300, PL20210000253 – FINAL INSPECTION FOUND THE
FACILITIES SATISFACTORY AND ACCEPTABLE ON
FEBRUARY 11, 2021
Item #16A6
FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE POTABLE WATER AND
SEWER FACILITIES FOR ADDISON PLACE EXPANSION,
PL20190001502, ACCEPT THE CONVEYANCE OF THE SEWER
FACILITIES, AND AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY MANAGER, OR
HIS DESIGNEE, TO RELEASE THE UTILITIES
March 23, 2021
Page 172
PERFORMANCE SECURITY (UPS) AND FINAL OBLIGATION
BOND IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $7,896.36 TO THE
PROJECT ENGINEER OR THE DEVELOPER’S DESIGNATED
AGENT – FINAL INSPECTION FOUND THE FACILITIES
SATISFACTORY AND ACCEPTABLE ON FEBRUARY 5, 2021
Item #16A7
RECORDING THE FINAL PLAT OF DEL WEBB NAPLES
PARCELS 205-208, (APPLICATION NUMBER PL20200001578)
APPROVAL OF THE STANDARD FORM CONSTRUCTION
AND MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT AND APPROVAL OF THE
AMOUNT OF THE PERFORMANCE SECURITY –
W/STIPULATIONS
Item #16A8
THE CLERK OF COURTS TO RELEASE A PERFORMANCE
BOND IN THE AMOUNT OF $17,800 WHICH WAS POSTED AS
A DEVELOPMENT GUARANTY FOR AN EARLY WORK
AUTHORIZATION (EWA) (PL20200001441) FOR WORK
ASSOCIATED WITH TOLLGATE PLAZA PARKING LOT –
LOCATED OFF OF BECK BOULEVARD
Item #16A9
THE CLERK OF COURTS TO RELEASE A PERFORMANCE
BOND IN THE AMOUNT OF $72,400 WHICH WAS POSTED AS
A DEVELOPMENT GUARANTY FOR AN EARLY WORK
AUTHORIZATION (EWA) (PL20200001503) FOR WORK
March 23, 2021
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ASSOCIATED WITH SKYSAIL - PHASE ONE – OFF OF OIL
WELL ROAD
Item #16A10
THE CLERK OF COURTS TO RELEASE A PERFORMANCE
BOND IN THE AMOUNT OF $54,000 WHICH WAS POSTED AS
A DEVELOPMENT GUARANTY FOR AN EARLY WORK
AUTHORIZATION (EWA) (PL20200001503) FOR WORK
ASSOCIATED WITH TREE FARM
Item #16A11
THE CLERK OF COURTS TO RELEASE A PERFORMANCE
BOND IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,200 WHICH WAS POSTED AS
A DEVELOPMENT GUARANTY FOR AN EARLY WORK
AUTHORIZATION (EWA) (PL20200002263) FOR WORK
ASSOCIATED WITH NAPLES CLASSICAL ACADEMY
Item #16A12
AN AGREEMENT FOR THE PURCHASE OF LAND (PARCEL
207FEE) REQUIRED FOR THE VANDERBILT BEACH ROAD
EXTENSION (PROJECT NO. 60168)
Item #16A13
THE RELEASE OF A CODE ENFORCEMENT LIEN, WITH AN
ACCRUED VALUE OF $171,318.98 FOR PAYMENT OF
$5,118.98 IN THE CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTION TITLED,
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS V. LSF9 MSTR
March 23, 2021
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PARTICIPATION TRUST, RELATING TO PROPERTY
LOCATED AT 4070 29TH AVE NE, COLLIER COUNTY,
FLORIDA – FOR CODE VIOLATIONS THAT WERE BROUGHT
INTO COMPLIANCE ON OCTOBER 26, 2020
Item #16A14
A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO RECOGNIZE REVENUE AND
TRANSFER FUNDING FOR PROJECTS WITHIN THE
TRANSPORTATION SUPPORTED GAS TAX FUND (313) AND
TRANSPORTATION & CDES CAPITAL FUND (310) IN THE
AMOUNT OF $138,880.17 (PROJECTS #60066, #60085, #60088,
#69331, #69333, #69336, #69339, AND #69338)
Item #16A15
CHANGE ORDER NO. 4 TO AGREEMENT NO. 06-4000 WITH
JACOBS ENGINEERING GROUP, INC., (F/K/A CH2M HILL) IN
THE AMOUNT OF $499,810, FOR MODIFICATIONS TO THE
VANDERBILT BEACH ROAD EXTENSION PROJECT
CONSISTENT WITH BOARD APPROVED ALIGNMENT
(PROJECT NO. 60168)
Item #16B1
THE COLLIER COUNTY COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCY AND THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
REVIEW AND ACCEPT THE 2020 ANNUAL REPORTS FOR
THE TWO COMPONENT AREAS: BAYSHORE GATEWAY
TRIANGLE AND IMMOKALEE COMMUNITY
March 23, 2021
Page 175
REDEVELOPMENT AREAS (CRA) AND PUBLISH THE
REPORTS ON THE APPROPRIATE WEBSITES
Item #16C1– Continued indefinitely (Per Agenda Change Sheet)
RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVED THE ATTACHED
AMENDMENTS OF CONSERVATION EASEMENTS THAT
WERE DEEDED BY NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN (NBG) TO
THE SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
(SFWMD) AND COLLIER COUNTY (COUNTY), AND BY NBG
TO SFWMD. (THIS IS A COMPANION ITEM TO AGENDA
ITEM #16A1, ALL ITEMS MUST BE EITHER APPROVED OR
DENIED TOGETHER ON TODAY’S AGENDA)
Item #16C2
AWARD AN AGREEMENT FOR INVITATION TO BID (“ITB”)
NO. 21-7832, COCOHATCHEE RIVER PARK FUEL TANK
REPLACEMENT PROJECT, TO ATC GROUP SERVICES LLC,
IN THE AMOUNT OF $216,500 AND AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR
TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT AND RELATED BUDGET
AMENDMENTS
Item #16C3
THE DOCUMENT NECESSARY TO CONVEY AN EASEMENT
TO FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY OVER PROPERTY
OWNED BY COLLIER COUNTY AT THE PROPOSED
HERITAGE BAY GOVERNMENT CENTER SITE
Item #16C4
March 23, 2021
Page 176
AMENDMENT NO. 3 WITH SOUTH FLORIDA WATER
MANAGEMENT DISTRICT TO CONTINUE LEASING OFFICE
SPACE FOR TOURISM ON HORSESHOE DRIVE NORTH FOR
ONE ADDITIONAL YEAR
Item #16C5
A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH AMERICAN NATIONAL
INSURANCE COMPANY TO RELOCATE THE OFFICE FOR
PELICAN BAY SERVICES TO ANOTHER OFFICE WITHIN THE
SUNTRUST BANK BUILDING IN PELICAN BAY, AND TO
APPROVE A SUBLEASE AGREEMENT BETWEEN COLLIER
COUNTY AND THE PELICAN BAY FOUNDATION
Item #16C6
AWARD INVITATION TO BID NO. 21-7833 “GOLDEN GATE
COMMUNITY PARK POOL RECONSTRUCTION AND
RESTROOM ALTERATION” TO COMPASS CONSTRUCTION,
INC., IN THE AMOUNT OF $958,060, AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR
TO EXECUTE THE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES AGREEMENT,
AND APPROVE THE BUDGET AMENDMENT
Item #16C7
AWARD AN AGREEMENT TO SCHENKEL & SHULTZ INC.,
FOR REQUEST FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES (“RPS”) NO.
20-7753, “DESIGN SERVICES FOR COLLIER COUNTY EMS
STATIONS,” IN THE AMOUNT OF $713,680 FOR TWO NEW
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES STATIONS APPROVED IN
THE INFRASTRUCTURE SALES TAX PROGRAM
March 23, 2021
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Item #16D1
ACCEPT AND APPROPRIATE A FIDELITY CHARITABLE
DONOR-ADVISED FUND GRANT OF $100 TO SUPPORT THE
COLLIER COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY AND AUTHORIZE THE
NECESSARY BUDGET AMENDMENT
Item #16D2
A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO RECOGNIZE CARRY
FORWARD OF RESIDUAL FUNDS FROM THE 4-H YOUTH
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FUNDING RECEIVED BY THE
PUBLIC SERVICES UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERVICES
DIVISION
Item #16D3
THE CHAIRPERSON TO SIGN THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO
THE GRANT-FUNDED HVAC INSTALLATION SUBRECIPIENT
AGREEMENT BETWEEN COLLIER COUNTY AND THE
COLLIER COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY TO EXTEND THE
AGREEMENT, MODIFY THE FEDERAL AWARD
IDENTIFICATION NUMBER AND CLARIFY THE MATCH
LANGUAGE – INSTALL THE UNITS TO AT LEAST 49 UNITS
IN SECTIONS A & B AT FARM WORKER VILLAGE IN
IMMOKALEE
Item #16D4
THE CHAIRMAN TO SIGN THE FIRST AMENDMENT OF THE
March 23, 2021
Page 178
SUB-AWARD AGREEMENT BETWEEN COLLIER COUNTY
AND THE INSTITUTE FOR INTERGOVERNMENTAL
RESEARCH FOR THE BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN JAILS
AND COMMUNITY-BASED TREATMENT FOR OPIOID USE
DISORDER DEMONSTRATION PROJECT – EXTENDING THE
AGREEMENT TO AUGUST 31, 2021, DUE TO COVID
RESTRICTIONS IMPLEMENTED BY JAILS LIMITING INMATE
ACCESS TO SERVICE PROVIDERS
Item #16D5
ACCEPT REVENUE FOR A COLLIER AREA TRANSIT BUS
SHELTER IN THE AMOUNT OF $65,000 AND TO APPROVE
ALL NECESSARY BUDGET AMENDMENTS – FROM THE
COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NAPLES, INC. FOR
A BUS STOP LOCATED ON US 41 BETWEEN RIDGE DRIVE
AND MYRTLE ROAD
Item #16D6
THE CHAIRPERSON TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN
COLLIER COUNTY AND HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION OF SW FLORIDA, INC., D/B/A, HELP TO
PROVIDE ADMINISTRATION OF A MORTGAGE AND
UTILITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THROUGH THE COLLIER
COUNTY ASSISTANCE FUNDS TO BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS
AND HOUSEHOLDS IMPACTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS
PANDEMIC – EACH APPROVED HOUSEHOLD WILL
RECEIVE $495
Item #16D7
March 23, 2021
Page 179
AN “AFTER-THE-FACT” AGREEMENT AND ATTESTATION
STATEMENT WITH THE AREA AGENCY ON AGING FOR
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, INC., CORONAVIRUS
CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT FUNDING UNDER
THE OLDER AMERICAN ACT GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE
COLLIER COUNTY SERVICES FOR SENIORS PROGRAM AND
AUTHORIZE THE NECESSARY BUDGET AMENDMENTS
Item #16D8
A PURCHASE ORDER TO CAPITAL CONTRACTORS, LLC
UNDER AGREEMENT NO. 19-7525, “ANNUAL AGREEMENT
FOR GENERAL CONTRACTORS,” TO BE FUNDED BY THE
VANDERBILT BEACH MUNICIPAL SERVICE TAXING UNIT
(MSTU) IN THE AMOUNT OF $229,853.35, FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION OF PAVER SIDEWALKS AT THE
SOUTHWEST AND NORTHWEST CORNERS OF VANDERBILT
DRIVE AND BLUEBILL AVE
Item #16D9
FIFTH AMENDMENT TO AGREEMENT NO. 19-002-WV
BETWEEN COLLIER COUNTY AND BENEVATE, INC., FOR
GRANT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE TO SUPPORT THE
EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND THE COLLIER
COUNTY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, AUTHORIZE THE
EXPENDITURES UNDER THE WAIVER, AND AUTHORIZE
THE CHAIR TO SIGN THE AMENDMENT
Item #16D10
March 23, 2021
Page 180
AN “AFTER-THE-FACT” GRANT APPLICATION FOR A 3-
YEAR FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES CRIMINAL JUSTICE, MENTAL HEALTH AND
SUBSTANCE ABUSE REINVESTMENT GRANT IN THE
AMOUNT OF $1,200,000
Item #16D11
THE CHAIRPERSON TO SIGN A RELEASE OF LIEN FOR A
UNIT THAT IS NO LONGER SUBJECT TO THE TERMS OF THE
AFFORDABLE HOUSING DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM –
LOCATED AT 4430 BOTANICAL PLACE, UNIT 104, NAPLES
Item #16E1
ANNUAL CERTIFICATE OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND
NECESSITY (COPCN) AND PERMIT FOR A CLASS 1 (ALS
TRANSPORT/ALS RESCUE) AND CLASS 2 (ALS INTRA-
FACILITY ALS AMBULANCE TRANSPORT) FOR THE
SEMINOLE TRIBE FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE
BOUNDARIES OF THE SEMINOLE TRIBE IN IMMOKALEE –
WHICH EXPIRES ON APRIL 28, 2022
Item #16E2
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS PREPARED BY THE
PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION FOR CHANGE ORDERS
AND OTHER CONTRACTUAL MODIFICATIONS REQUIRING
BOARD APPROVAL – FOR 2 CHANGE ORDERS, NO
AMENDMENTS AND 1 AFTER-THE-FACT MEMO W/FISCAL
IMPACT OF $2,821.50 FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES
March 23, 2021
Page 181
Item #16E3
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT PREPARED BY THE
PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION FOR DISPOSAL OF
PROPERTY AND NOTIFICATION OF REVENUE
DISBURSEMENT – AS DETAILED IN THE EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Item #16F1
A REPORT COVERING TWO BUDGET AMENDMENTS
IMPACTING RESERVES AND MOVING FUNDS IN AN
AMOUNT UP TO AND INCLUDING $25,000 AND $50,000,
RESPECTIVELY – FOR AN X-RAY ENCLOSURE AT
DOMESTIC ANIMAL SERVICES
Item #16F2
RESOLUTION 2021-59: A RESOLUTION APPROVING
AMENDMENTS (APPROPRIATING GRANTS, DONATIONS,
CONTRIBUTIONS OR INSURANCE PROCEEDS) TO THE
FY20-21 ADOPTED BUDGET
Item #16G1
SUBMITTAL OF FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
(FAA) AIRPORT CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE GRANT
PROGRAM (ACRGP) GRANT APPLICATIONS TO REQUEST
ELIGIBLE FUNDS UNDER THE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE
AND RELIEF SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT
(PUBLIC LAW 116-260) (CRRSAA) IN THE AMOUNT OF
March 23, 2021
Page 182
$23,000 FOR THE MARCO ISLAND EXECUTIVE AIRPORT
(MKY) AND $13,000 FOR THE IMMOKALEE REGIONAL
AIRPORT (IMM)
Item #16G2
RESOLUTION 2021-60: A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING
EXECUTION OF AMENDMENT FOR EXTENSION OF PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION GRANT AGREEMENT (PTGA) G0Z16
WITH THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
TO EXTEND THE END DATE OF THE AGREEMENT FOR THE
SECURITY ENHANCEMENTS AT THE IMMOKALEE
REGIONAL AIRPORT FROM JUNE 30, 2021 TO DECEMBER 31,
2021 TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT TIME FOR PROJECT
COMPLETION
Item #16H1
PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING MARCH 18 - 28, 2021 AS
THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLLIER FAIR. THE
PROCLAMATION WILL BE MAILED TO RHONDA WARD,
COLLIER FAIR MANAGER
Item #16H2
PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING APRIL 17 - 24, 2021 AS
PICKLEBALL WEEK IN COLLIER COUNTY. THE
PROCLAMATION WILL BE MAILED TO TERRI GRAHAM, CO-
FOUNDER OF MINTO US OPEN PICKLEBALL
CHAMPIONSHIPS
March 23, 2021
Page 183
Item #16H3
PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING MARCH 2021 AS
AMERICAN RED CROSS MONTH IN COLLIER COUNTY. THE
PROCLAMATION WILL BE MAILED TO JILL PALMER,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN RED CROSS - FLORIDA
GULF COAST TO HEARTLAND CHAPTER
Item #16H4
PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING APRIL 2021 AS CHILD
ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH IN COLLIER COUNTY. THE
PROCLAMATION WILL BE MAILED TO LAURA LAFAKIS,
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH HAVEN,
INC.
Item #16H5
PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING APRIL 5 - 9, 2021 AS
NATIONAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WEEK IN
COLLIER COUNTY. THE PROCLAMATION WILL BE
DELIVERED TO KRISTI SONNTAG, DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY
AND HUMAN SERVICES DIVISION
Item #16I1
MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE
March 23, 2021
1. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS TO FILE FOR RECORD WITH ACTION AS DIRECTED:
A. DISTRICTS:
1) Cedar Hammock Community Development District:
Meeting Agenda 09/08/2020; 10/12/2020; 11/09/2020; 12/14/2020
Meeting Minutes 09/08/2020; 10/12/2020; 11/09/2020; 12/14/2020
2) Immokalee Water & Sewer District:
FY20/21 District Board Meeting Schedule; 2019 Public Facilities Report;
2020 Public Facilities Report
B. OTHER:
March 23, 2021
Page 184
Item #16J1
TO RECORD IN THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS, THE CHECK NUMBER (OR OTHER
PAYMENT METHOD), AMOUNT, PAYEE, AND PURPOSE FOR
WHICH THE REFERENCED DISBURSEMENTS WERE DRAWN
FOR THE PERIODS BETWEEN FEBRUARY 25, 2021 AND
MARCH 10, 2021 PURSUANT TO FLORIDA STATUTE 136.06
Item #16J2
REQUEST THAT THE BOARD APPROVE AND DETERMINE
VALID PUBLIC PURPOSE FOR INVOICES PAYABLE AND
PURCHASING CARD TRANSACTIONS AS OF MARCH 17,
2021
Item #16K1
THE CHAIR TO EXECUTE A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT IN
THE LAWSUIT STYLED JOSE CRUZ V. COLLIER COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, (CASE NO. 19-CA-3739), NOW
PENDING IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE TWENTIETH
JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR COLLIER COUNTY,
FLORIDA, FOR THE SUM OF $60,000 – FOR A MOTOR
VEHICLE ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON MARCH 30, 2017
ON DAVIS BLVD.
Item #16K2
A PRE-SUIT MEDIATED SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT FOR
THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $105,669 FOR THE TAKING OF
March 23, 2021
Page 185
PARCEL 1165FEE, REQUIRED FOR THE VANDERBILT
BEACH ROAD EXPANSION PROJECT [PROJECT NO. 60168]
Item #16K3
RESOLUTION 2021-61: APPOINTING REBECCA ANN
GATIAN AND REAPPOINTING ROBERT CHALHOUB AND
GEORGE RUSSELL WEYER ALL WITH TERMS EXPIRING ON
MAY 15, 2025 TO THE HEALTH FACILITIES AUTHORITY
Item #16K4
RESOLUTION 2021-62: REAPPOINTING DEVON BROWNE
WITH TERM EXPIRING ON MARCH 22, 2024 TO THE PUBLIC
TRANSIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Item #16K5
RESOLUTION 2021-63: APPOINTING DAVID MANGAN
REPRESENTING THE COMMERCIAL/BUSINESS INTERESTS
AND APPOINTING JOHN CULLEN, SUSAN LYONS
HAMILTON, AND MICHAEL LEE RODBURG, AND
REAPPOINTING JOSEPH CHICUREL REPRESENTING
RESIDENTIAL INTEREST ALL WITH TERMS EXPIRING ON
MARCH 31, 2025 TO THE PELICAN BAY SERVICES DIVISION
BOARD
Item #16K6
RESOLUTION 2021-64: APPOINTING JOHN M. SMITH WITH
TERM EXPIRING ON MARCH 3, 2023 TO THE BAYSHORE
March 23, 2021
Page 186
BEAUTIFICATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Item #17A
ORDINANCE 2021-15: PL20200001448, CITY GATE PUDA-
RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE AN ORDINANCE
AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 88-93, AS AMENDED, THE
CITY GATE COMMERCE PARK PLANNED UNIT
DEVELOPMENT; BY INCREASING THE DEVELOPMENT
INTENSITY FOR THE SPORTS COMPLEX EXTENSION LOT
BY ADDING ±10,000 SQUARE FEET FOR MEDICAL OFFICE
USES FOR COLLIER COUNTY EMPLOYEES ONLY; BY
INCREASING THE ACTUAL HEIGHT FOR THE SPORTS
COMPLEX PROJECT AND CERTAIN LOTS EAST OF THE FPL
EASEMENT TO 100 FEET; BY AMENDING THE
DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND DEVIATIONS; BY
INCREASING THE TRIP LIMITATION FOR THE SPORTS
COMPLEX EXTENSION LOT; BY UPDATING THE MASTER
DEVELOPMENT PLAN TO SHOW THE CURRENT LOT
CONFIGURATION AND RELOCATION OF CITY GATE
BOULEVARD SOUTH. THE SUBJECT PROPERTY
CONSISTING OF 419.60± ACRES IS LOCATED AT THE
NORTHEAST QUADRANT OF THE INTERSECTION OF I-75
AND COLLIER BOULEVARD (CR 951) IN SECTIONS 35 AND
36, TOWNSHIP 49 SOUTH, RANGE 26 EAST, IN COLLIER
COUNTY, FLORIDA. (THIS IS A COMPANION ITEM TO
DEVELOPMENT ORDER AMENDMENT PETITION PUDA-
PL20200002056, AGENDA ITEM #17B.) [PL20200001448]
Item #17B
March 23, 2021
Page 187
DEVELOPMENT ORDER 2021-01/RESOLUTION 2021-65:
PL20200002056, CITY GATE COMMERCE PARK DRI -
RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION
AMENDING DEVELOPMENT ORDER 88-02, AS AMENDED,
THE CITYGATE COMMERCE PARK DEVELOPMENT OF
REGIONAL IMPACT, PROVIDING FOR SECTION ONE:
AMENDMENTS TO ADD ±10,000 SQUARE FEET OF MEDICAL
OFFICE USES TO THE DRI; AMENDMENT TO THE MASTER
DEVELOPMENT PLAN; AND INCREASE THE TRIP CAP
LIMITATION; SECTION TWO: FINDINGS OF FACT; SECTION
THREE: CONCLUSIONS OF LAW; SECTION FOUR: EFFECT
OF PREVIOUSLY ISSUED DEVELOPMENT ORDER,
TRANSMITTAL TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITY AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. THE
SUBJECT PROPERTY CONSISTING OF 419.60+ ACRES IS
LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST QUADRANT OF THE
INTERSECTION OF I-75 AND COLLIER BOULEVARD (CR 951)
IN SECTIONS 35 AND 36, TOWNSHIP 49 SOUTH, RANGE 26
EAST, IN COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA. (THIS IS A
COMPANION ITEM TO PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT
AMENDMENT PETITION PUDA-PL20200001448, AGENDA
ITEM #17A) [PL20200002056]
Item #17C
ORDINANCE 2021-16: AMEND ORDINANCE NO. 2021-02,
THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT PRODUCTIVITY COMMITTEE
ORDINANCE, TO INCREASE THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE
PRODUCTIVITY COMMITTEE FROM NINE TO ELEVEN
MEMBERS
March 23, 2021
Item #17D
RESOLUTION 2021-66: RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT A
RESOLUTION APPROVING AMENDMENTS
(APPROPRIATING CARRY FORWARD, TRANSFERS AND
SUPPLEMENTAL REVENUE) TO THE FY20-21 ADOPTED
BUDGET
*****
There being no further business for the good of the County, the
meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 3:24 p.m.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS/EX
OFFICIO GOVERNING BOARD(S) OF
SPECIAL DISTRICTS UNDER ITS CONTROL
4114-
PENNY TAY OR, CHAIRMAN
ATTEST'`‘r
.CRYSTAL K.`1INZEL, CLE
3
ee/UAALIA,
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le% Uv fo( ha rt-Aifs
These minutes appr d by the Board on 1131 , as
presented or as corrected
Page 188