CAC Minutes 08/10/2023August 10, 2023 8•A.3
MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY
COASTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
Naples, Florida, August 10, 2023
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Collier County Coastal Advisory
Committee, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business
herein, met on this date at 1 P.M. in REGULAR SESSION at
Administrative Building "F," 3' Floor, Collier County Government
Complex, Naples, Florida, with the following members present:
ALSO PRESENT:
CHAIRMAN: Joseph Burke
VICE CHAIRMAN: David Trecker
Erik Brechnitz (absent)
Jim Burke
Councilman Raymond Christman
Dr. Judith Hushon
Steve Koziar (via Zoom)
Robert Raymond
Robert Roth (via Zoom)
Chris D'Arco, Field Inspector II, Coastal Zone
Colleen Greene, Assistant County Attorney
Farron Turner, Management Analyst I, Coastal Zone
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Anyone in need of a verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of the video recording from
the Communications, Government & Public Affairs Division or view it online.
I. Call to Order
Acting Chairman Burke called the meeting to order at 1 p.m.
II. Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
III. Roll Call
Roll call was taken and a quorum of five was established in the board room.
Acting Chairman Burke moved to allow Steve Koziar and Bob Roth to participate remotely due
to extraordinary circumstances. Second by Mr. Trecker. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0.
[Mr. Roth confirmed he was on Zoom, but Mr. Koziar wasn't able to connect until later.]
IV. Changes and Approval of Agenda
(None)
Mr. Trecker moved to approve the agenda. Second by Mr. Raymond. The motion passed
unanimously, 7-0.
V. Public Comments
(None)
VI. Approval of CAC Minutes
May 11, 2023
Dr. Hushon said it should be Vicksburg, Mississippi, not Missouri, on p. 8.
Mr. Christman moved to approve the May 11, 2023, meeting minutes, as amended. Second by
Mr. Raymond. The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.
VIL Staff Reports
Extended Revenue Report
"FY23 TDT Collections Revenue Report" dated July 31, 2023.
Chris D'Arco, a Coastal Zone Management senior field inspector, said he's presenting today
because Andy Miller could not attend the meeting. If there are any questions, he can get back to
committee members by email or Andy can bring the information back at the next meeting.
Mr. D'Arco presented the Extended Revenue Report for July 2023 and reported that.
• We are at $36.9 million.
• We're a little below last year but we're moving in a good direction.
Mr. Trecker said it looks about 33% positive.
Mr. D'Arco agreed.
Mr. Trecker said his only concern is that the trend on the red line is starting to converge with
the blue line. Is there any significance to that?
Mr. D'Arco said we're at a low season now. It's quieter for hotels.
Mr. Raymond noted that many hotels were closed during that time, so we're doing really well.
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Dr. Hushon told the CAC:
• There was nothing for disaster recovery.
• Many people who've been on the beaches told her we need a better inspection of what's
in the water, maybe a sonar or ground -penetrating radar (GPR). If it finds something, a
diver can get it.
• We need to guarantee that our beaches are safe.
• People are fairly comfortable with the beach, as long as they wear shoes, but in the
water, people are very uncomfortable.
• We should make our water more comfortable for the public.
• You wouldn't have to go out too far, about 15 feet, and use a flat-bottomed boat with a
GPR, which would show anything with metal in it.
Mr. Trecker said they could discuss that under the emergency berm item under New Business.
Dr. Hushon said this is different and replied that:
• This is junk from the beach that washed out into the water. An article in yesterday's
Naples Daily News reported that a man who stepped on a small table that had been
holding drinks on the beach cut his foot and got fibrosis.
• We need to make an effort and publicize it to show we're inspecting the waters off
beaches.
• By using GPR, you could inspect 3-4 feet under the surface, in the sand.
• Even though it's covered by sand today, that doesn't mean it won't be exposed
tomorrow.
• We should come up with an effort for the beaches so people will feel more comfortable.
They don't want to let their grandchildren in the water now because they're worried
about what's under the surface.
• This is disaster recovery. It's still a Hurricane Ian effort and wouldn't cost a lot.
Mr. D'Arco reported that.
• When the hurricane hit, we cleaned the beaches and monitored them for quite a while.
• We were out there every day, picking up everything, but it slowed down.
• Every now and then foreign objects would wash out, so there is material out there.
• We dove down to the near shore hard bottom recently, which is the reefs that run right
off the beach, and there is some material, mostly tree debris, as well as lawn chairs,
tables and unidentifiable debris covered by barnacles.
• We're out there every day and we groom Vanderbilt and Marco beaches.
• We also have drones and you can see a lot from drones.
• He can discuss this with Andy Miller.
• We're always keeping an eye on the beaches. If there's anything floating in the water,
we get it.
A discussion ensued and the following points were made:
• We're worried about what's under the surface, on the bottom.
• The county tried to emphasize to the public that no one knows what's out there, so move
cautiously in the water.
• The City of Naples continues to warn on its website and other postings about risks of
going in the water.
• If scanning can be done, it would be timely, particularly before the next tourist season.
• This would be covered in disaster recovery funding.
• This question should be shared with Andy and brought back to us with the county's
response at the next meeting.
• Maybe the county could coordinate with the city. Maybe it's a shared responsibility.
• This is an issue of concern for the city.
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• GPR needs to be dragged on the ground.
• They can try side -scan sonar, but that won't penetrate. It will provide a profile.
• Airplanes have found many things with sonar, so maybe it's possible.
• We can look into what options are available. We need expertise to guide us.
• We may get a lot of data that doesn't mean a lot, such as shells or plastic.
• Metal furniture is a concern and that could be picked up with magnetometers.
• The city is doing everything it can to warn residents, but there's a perceptual problem
and it affects people's behavior.
Mr. D'Arco told the CAC that there are about 37 transects that are covered during hard -bottom
monitoring, the same ones all the time. Benthic data is collected on each transect and the hard -
bottom edge is mapped yearly to see if there were any sand migrations up and down the reef. It
tends to be the same areas each year.
Mr. Raymond asked if they could get back to the agenda and return to this topic during the
Member Discussion.
[Mr. Koziar joined via Zoom at 1:18 p.m., explaining that there was a problem with the
password.]
Mr. D'Arco said he had no further staff reports.
Action Item: The CAC asked Mr. Miller to explain what methods the county could use to
survey metals and other debris under water to protect beachgoers while in the water, up to
about 15 feet out.
VIII. New Business
1. New Officer Voting
Mr. Trecker told the CAC that we elect and re-elect officers yearly, usually in June, but we had
no meeting in June or July. He formally stepped down as chair in May after serving for four
years, and Joe is running the meeting today as vice chair. He wants to nominate Joe Burke as
chairman. Joe has served as vice chair for many years and is a professional engineer with a
tremendous amount of relevant shoreline experience. Is there a second?
Mr. Trecker moved to nominate Acting Chairman/Vice Chair Joe Burke as chairman. Second
by Mr. Burke. The motion passed unanimously, 7-0, Vice Chair Burke abstained.
Mr. Trecker said he can remain on the board another year during the transition and will be here
for no more than 12 meetings.
Mr. Raymond moved to nominate former chairman Trecker as vice chairman, and he will
serve no more than 12 meetings. Second by Chairman Burke. The motion passed
unanimously, 7-0, Mr. Trecker abstained.
2. Executive Summary — After the Fact — Vulcan Inc. Replacement R-Monument Signage
Recommendation to approve the after -the -fact payment in the amount of $10,355.50 to
Vulcan Inc. for the replacement of emergency location identification R-Monument markers
that were damaged or lost during Hurricane Ian and make a finding that this expenditure
promotes tourism (Fund 1105, Project No. 50280). (Approved by the BCC on July 25, 2023)
Chairman Burke noted that because we didn't have a July meeting, it had to be done and was
approved by the BCC. We're voting to approve paying them after -the -fact.
Dr. Hushon asked if the $63 per sign includes installation.
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Mr. D'Arco said it does not and explained.
• The $10,355.50 cost covers all the signs we ordered.
• When Hurricane Ian hit, all the R-monument signs were pretty much wiped away.
• Emergency personnel use the signs to identify an area where a person needs help.
• We wanted to get them up as soon as possible and had a contract with Vulcan, which
provided the signs.
• The contract was expiring at the end of the month, so we rushed to get the order in
before the contract expired.
• We didn't realize the size signs that we ordered weren't part of the contract and Vulcan
didn't realize that.
• Moving forward, we're going to be more diligent, but we'd like to pay the vendor
because we received the signs.
Vice chair Trecker made a motion.
Mr. Raymond seconded it.
Councilman Christman said he supported it but had questions. Of of the 149 markers, what's
the total number along our beaches? What does this represent as a percentage?
Mr. D'Arco said we coordinated with the Sheriff's Office, our sea turtle folks and used our own
observations and 85-90% of them were lost.
Councilman Christman said his understanding from past discussions is that the markers are
used year on the beaches yearly to determine what areas need re -nourishment. It's a marker used
to determine the width of the beach and the degree to which a section of beach needs to be re -
nourished.
Mr. D'Arco said yes, they're used as a reference point and are placed about every 1,000 feet
along the beach, but it varies. The sea turtle monitors also use them as a reference point
Councilman Christman said that the markers, pre -hurricane, were like a "Where's Waldo"
exercise to find. They were inconspicuous and not easy to see. One of the unintended benefits of
the hurricane is that we're installing monuments/markers that are more visible, easy to see and
very useful.
Mr. D'Arco agreed, saying they were difficult to see, there was vegetation overgrowth on some
and they weren't very large. We ordered larger signs and they're red, so they'll be more
conspicuous and easier to see.
A discussion ensued and the following points were made:
• The county is installing them in-house.
• The county's last quote is coming in for the posts they're going to be mounted to. Once
we have three quotes, we'll go with the lowest, get them in, start construction and get
them installed in the next few months.
• They're all GPS marked and are generally along the dune line.
• If you walk along the beach to the north and look to the right, you will pass one about
every 1,000 feet.
Vice Chair Trecker made a motion to approve the after -the -fact payment in the amount of
$10,355.50 to Vulcan Inc. for the replacement of emergency location identification R-
Monument markers, which were damaged or lost during Hurricane Ian, and make a finding
that this expenditure promotes tourism (Fund 1105, Project No. 50280). Second by Mr.
Raymond. The motion passed unanimously, 8-0.
3. Executive Summary — Tourist Development Council (TDC) Fund 195 Grant Application
Requests
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Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Grant Applications
TDC 2023-2024 Category A Grant Application — Beach Maintenance
TDC 2023-2024 Category A Grant Application — Pier Maintenance
TDC 2023-2024 Turtle Monitoring Grant Application
TDC 2023-2024 Grant Agreement — Collier County & City of Naples
Recommendation to approve the Tourist Development Council Grant application requests
from the City of Naples, the City of Marco Island and Collier County for FY 2023-2024 in
the amount of $13,867,200, budget these expenditures, and make a finding that these
expenditures promote tourism.
Mr. D'Arco told the CAC.
• The beach renourishment projects help keep the beaches looking great for residents.
• Our inlet projects direct boats at Doctors Pass, as needed, for inlet management.
• Both projects have regulatory and permit compliance. The state and feds do the work.
There's a beach -maintenance component.
• We groomed Vanderbilt and Marco Island beaches, and the City of Naples grooms its
beaches, so we maintain beaches for visitors.
• For the City of Naples, it's a standard request, $200,000 for maintenance.
• The Naples Pier was heavily destroyed, and they must do a complete rebuild at about
$19.8 million; that's a separate item.
• There are administrative costs, so the total grant request is $13.8 million.
Vice Chair Trecker said when you look at the comparison of fiscal year 22-23 with fiscal year
23-24, the difference is for Hurricane Ian repair work and the forward renourishment work. Is
that right? Everything else looks pretty close.
Mr. D'Arco explained:
• The beach emergency response is $300,000, just for the county to open a P.O. and get
things going if there's an emergency. That's what that funding is for.
• The $2 million is for Hurricane Ian and June plantings. That's something we're going to
be doing over the next year.
• For Park Shore and Vanderbilt Beach, the report we received from Humiston & Moore
Engineers, the engineering company that surveys our beaches, looks pretty good, so we
may not need a re -nourishment next year.
• Clam Pass will be done, if needed, so that funding will still stay there and roll over.
• Then there's the feasibility study.
A discussion ensued and the following points were made:
• These are forward payments for additional work that will be done, if needed.
• We dredge about every five years, so $25,000 per year totals $250,000, which is held in
a fund and then used for dredging.
• The large numbers are for Park Shore and Vanderbilt Beach.
• Humiston & Moore conducts a yearly survey, which came in earlier this summer. It
supplemented the earlier APTIM results and shows re -nourishment may not be needed
this year on the November cycle.
• The county received the report a few days ago and Mr. Miller is still reviewing it. It
appears it won't be needed, but he can report on that at the next meeting.
• But one storm event can change all that.
We were basically doing a re -nourishment as part of the berm project.
Chairman Burke asked if staff could show the CAC typical sections of the report because they
tell the tale.
Mr. D'Arco said absolutely.
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A discussion ensued and the following points were made:
• Past discussions with Mr. Miller showed that the emergency berm work was a quick fix,
an emergency fix, that was to be supplemented by plantings to hold everything in place.
• The next step was the placement of significantly larger amounts of sand going forward.
• The beach is a dynamic environment. It changes so often that even while we were
preparing for the beach berm project, we watched parts of the beach accreting, growing.
• You would think we'd be at a loss, but over time some sand migrates back.
• The engineering firm says a lot of sand stays in the system and migrates north -south,
back and forth, so we reclaim a certain amount. That will probably be in the report.
• Sand moves around a lot.
• The berm was built at an elevation that averaged about 6 feet above sea level, so it stood
on the beach about 2-3 feet from the ground up.
• We got what we had before but it's not as high as it used to be.
Chairman Burke said there was a limitation to what the Army Corps of Engineers would put
back for dune height. He believed it would be restored to pre -Hurricane Ian width, not as high as
it was.
Councilman Christman made a motion to approve all the Tourist Development Council Grant
application requests from the City of Naples, the City of Marco Island and Collier County for
FY 2023-2024 in the amount of $13,867,200, budget these expenditures and made a finding
that this item promotes tourism. Second by Vice Chair Trecker. The motion passed
unanimously, 8-0.
Action Item: Staff was asked to further explain the typical sections of the report to the CAC at
the next meetinz
4. Executive Summary —10-year plan
Recommendation to approve the FY 2023-2024 10-Year Capital Planning document for
Fund 195 Beach Renourishment and Pass Maintenance and Fund 185 Program
Management and Administration and make a finding that these expenditures promote
tourism.
Mr. D'Arco told the CAC that the state requires us to update our 10-year plan every year. This
is used for planning purposes, as a guide and for projections.
Vice Chair Trecker noted that the Florida DEP requires this as the basis for grant requests, so
there's also a bureaucratic reason.
Dr. Hushon said when you look at the numbers, they're identical, except the dredging projects.
They're called inlet projects and they vary a lot, such as Wiggins Pass. Can you explain why
these variations are in some items and not others and why they're variable?
Mr. D'Arco said Mr. Miller can provide a more complete answer at the next meeting, but what
we've seen in Wiggins Pass is that when we do a major dredge, it may need a minor touch-up
in two years. It might need a much larger cleanup. What we've seen, especially with Wiggins
Pass, is that every couple of years it needs a fairly large dredge. That may be the reason.
A discussion ensued and the following points were made:
• The numbers don't make sense.
• Mr. Miller can provide more complete answers at the next meeting.
• The main cost differences appear to reflect the Hurricane Ian repair work and the work
going forward for the beach renourishment.
• Dredging permits typically occur every 10 years.
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• The county often does dredging before the permit expires because they're difficult to
get, but you can roll them.
• For fiscal year 23, the Hurricane Ian year, substantial funds were used from the 195
Fund to pay for immediate work done along beaches, including the emergency berm,
but Mr. Miller can provide further information about that at the next meeting.
• Some or all of those funds will eventually come back into the 195 Fund through FEMA
reimbursement.
• A projection is just a projection and things happen that could change it, but the fund
continues to grow yearly.
• The county projects it will be reimbursed 75% plus another 10%, a large amount.
• Fund 195 is essentially projected to grow, and collections have been above budgeted
amounts, which is probably why the roll forward number is so large.
• In 10 years, there will be a lot of money not committed to uses or programs. Is there
any interest or movement within the county to create more programs? It looks like
we've almost had too much money for what we need to do.
• The FEMA and DEP reimbursement for the emergency berm expenditure is expected
to be $24 million in 2025. We'll probably come in around $21 million when it's done,
under budget.
• It's unknown how long reimbursement will take, but Mr. Miller can discuss it at the
next meeting.
• We are cash -flush and if we can come up with more programs, we should try to do
more for tourism. The CAC's job is to provide advice, so at future meetings, with staff
input, we should discuss what programs to look into.
• At the July 25 BCC meeting, there was a discussion by some commissioners about
using money. It was mentioned that this wasn't the only source for things not involving
shoreline or water quality, etc., so there's probably going to be competition for the
money. Commissioners will want some of these unencumbered funds that are rolling
forward. If the money sits there, eventually it'll be taken for other purposes.
• On the East Coast and other areas around the Gulf there are offshore islands and reefs.
That comes under our purview. The Ten Thousand Islands shield Marco, so we have a
potential to put in some islands. They may be waste concrete when they go in and will
acquire oysters after they've been there a while. They also could have mangroves. That
would provide a viable offshore ecosystem that also benefits tourism.
• It's nice to see islands dotting the shoreline, rather than a straight line of water. That's
an alternative, possibly a five-year project, we can consider for that fund. The Coast
Guard already has given permission for similar projects.
• The Water Quality Subcommittee also brought up several pending recommendations.
• The Army Corps of Engineers has many of those ideas in its current programming. It
would be more prudent to wait to see what the Corps comes back with.
• The county will have to pay for some Corps report recommendations in two or three
years, when it's complete. That may be a way some of that money could be used.
• The City of Naples has created some major initiatives and the county could follow suit.
For example, Naples' recent stormwater quality program, which treats stormwater from
city streets before it gets discharged. That costs the city a lot of money. The county has
money for a similar program.
• The CAC could interface with Public Works to discuss a road drainage program that
could clean up water before it gets into the beaches, like Naples did.
• The CAC could consider touring the Naples stormwater program, which also would
benefit Marco Island.
• We can't wait 10-15 years for the Corps. We have the potential to use some of this
money sooner.
• Many nature -based solutions will fall on the city and the county. The Corps is talking
about the heavy stuff, sea walls and gates, and the county will be paying for it during
the implementation.
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• We need to decide what Army Corps options we'll move forward with.
Vice Chair Trecker made a motion to approve the FY 2023-2024 10-Year Capital Planning
document for Fund 195 Beach Renourishment and Pass Maintenance and Fund 185 Program
Management and Administration and made a finding that this item promotes tourism. Second
by Chairman Burke. The motion passed unanimously, 8-0.
Dr. Hushon said it's important that Andy fills us in on some of these questions because they
need to clarify six things for budget items.
Chairman Burke agreed that was needed for a further understanding on how the projected
numbers were developed.
Mr. D'Arco said they would do that.
Action Item: The CAC requested further answers about the numbers in the report from Mr.
Miller; the CAC wants to know how lonz the FEMA and DEP reimbursements will take; the
CAC wants to consider meeting with Public Works staff at a future meeting to look into a
stormwater road drainage program; and the CAC is interested in a tour of the City of Naples
stormwater facility.
5. Executive Summary (2) —Change Orders —a 23-8111 —Emergency Berm Construction —
Volume Overages
CO — P04500224085 — Phillips & Jordan Inc.
CO — P04500224201— Earth Tech Enterprises Inc.
Recommendation to approve Change Order No. 1 to Agreement No. 23-8111, "Collier
County Emergency Berm Truck Haul and Construction - Reach A," with Phillips &
Jordan Inc. after -the -fact to increase the contract amount from $6,723,041.50 to
$6,771,654.62 to adjust the quantity of sand; to ratify administrative Change Order No. 1
to Agreement No. 23-8111, "Collier County Emergency Berm Truck Haul and
Construction - Reach B," with Earth Tech Enterprises Inc., for sand redistribution, both
Change Orders relating to Hurricane Ian, Project No. 50280; payment of Pay Applications
No. 1 for both contractors; and make a finding that this expenditure promotes tourism.
Mr. D'Arco told the CAC:
• These are change orders as part of the emergency berm construction volume overages.
• Some areas, such as Horizon Way, Lowdermilk and 10' Avenue, resulted in some
change orders due to changes in beach topography from the time the surveys were taken
to the time construction occurred.
• Some volumes needed to be added to sections of the beach, including Vanderbilt Beach.
• The goal was to ensure we had a berm of 6-7 feet above sea level elevation and that the
berm be as continuous and uniform, as possible, so we made adjustments during the
building process.
• We did not exceed the volume amounts we thought we'd need for the project and did
not exceed the budget. This is simply a shifting of volumes.
• $24 million was allocated and due to changes in beach topography and construction,
there were changes that resulted in change orders, but we're coming in at $21 million.
Vice Chair Trecker said so there's no additional sand or money, just a reallocation of sand in
Reach A and Reach B?
Mr. D'Arco said yes.
Councilman Christman made a motion to approve Change Order No. I to Agreement No. 23-
8111, "Collier County Emergency Berm Truck Haul and Construction - Reach A, "with Phillips
& Jordan Inc. after -the -fact to increase the contract amount from $6,723,041.50 to
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$6,771,654.62 to adjust the quantity of sand, to ratify administrative Change Order No. I to
Agreement No. 23-8111, "Collier County Emergency Berm Truck Haul and Construction -
Reach B," with Earth Tech Enterprises Inc. for sand redistribution, with both Change Orders
relating to Hurricane Ian, Project No. 50280; payment of Pay Applications No. 1 for both
contractors; and made a finding that this item promotes tourism. Second by Vice Chair Trecker.
The motion passed unanimously, 8-0.
VIII. Old Business
1. Update — Emergency Berm Construction and Plantings
Mr. D'Arco reported that:
• The berm construction is complete, except for Port Royal, which we anticipate in
November after turtle -nesting season ends. That should take a few weeks or a month and
will complete the berm portion of the project.
• We're currently working with stakeholders, the cities of Naples and Marco Island,
Naples Botanical Garden and others to coordinate the new plantings.
• We're working with an engineering firm to help with the design.
• We'll probably put it out to bid for a contract this fall and hope to secure it by the end of
the year or beginning of next year.
• Then they need to grow the plants. Hopefully, we'll get the plants distributed throughout
the beach areas and that will complete the hurricane year.
A discussion ensued and the following points were made:
• The design was approved and they're still working on it. They were doing drone work
on the coastline a few days ago.
• It may be completed by the next meeting.
• The beach-renourishment plants are already being grown from seedlings.
• There's a demand along both coastlines for coastal plants.
• The total tonnage for the emergency berm is about 188, but it may be a little over 200
because they still have to do Port Royal.
• We still have about 45,000 cubic yards to be placed, so we won't approach 400,000 feet.
Mr. Koziar asked for an update on the Collier Creek project.
Mr. D'Arco said he has no updates now. Work was done, maybe by the City of Marco Island,
that will affect our project, but Mr. Miller can provide updates at the next meeting.
Action Item: Mr. Miller was asked to provide an update on the Collier Creek proiect to the
next meetinz
X. Announcements
(None)
XI. Committee Member Discussion
Councilman Christman said at the next meeting he'd like to have a discussion on the future of the Water
Quality Subcommittee and the plans for it to start meeting again. There were issues about how to make
the subcommittee more effective through county staffing support.
Chairman Burke suggested they add it to next month's agenda.
Mr. Roth (subcommittee chairman) said he won't be here until the end of October but could participate
via Zoom.
Chairman Burke told the CAC.
Dave was on the Army Corps call at the end of July and there was a lot of confusion.
Part of the confusion was because there was a prior meeting of the county's ad -hoc advisory
committee, which is chaired by Chris Mason, director of the Community Planning & Resiliency.
One of the Marco Island City Council members on the call voiced a strong opinion about the
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absence of Marco Island in the Corps' approach. Marco is not going away.
I asked the Corps to see if we've got wiggle room because it appears the Corps isn't going to do
anything for Marco. The preliminary studies pretty much excluded them.
I asked the Corps if the value of Marco is X millions of dollars, but the cost is 2X millions of
dollars, would they at least give us the X and the county would have to kick in the other $X to get
the solution. The Corps said they would.
It's uncertain how the Marco message is being carried forward.
Dr. Hushon said the Corps is now including Marco and other areas that were left out initially, like
Pelican Bay. Marco and Pelican Bay were involved in the charrette. She didn't think it was right to
conclude Marco won't be covered.
Chairman Burke said they're including it like they included it before, so they can exclude it on
economic grounds. We need to be prepared for that before we get to a final determination that they're
excluding it again because it's not economically justifiable per the formula. That's his concern and he
believes the interaction is still not going well.
Mr. Roth said he's surprised because he sat in on the charrette at the Marco table and they developed
very good fundamental, simple solutions. Marco won't get flood walls and floodgates, etc., because we're
an island and we can't be surrounded by a wall because that will become a bathtub, but there were some
offshore nature -based solutions we came up with as a team. He thought the Corps considered those
affordable solutions, such as creating some new mangroves to the south of Caxambas Bay, which got hit
hard during Hurricane Ian.
A discussion ensued and the following points were made:
• It's not certain that the Marco council person on the call was up to speed. There were no Marco
council people at the charrette, although they went to the information meeting, including the flood
coordinator.
• We need to have Chris Mason come to the CAC to present an update on where the ad hoc
committee (Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study Advisory Committee) is going and
to clear up these issues.
• Vice Chair Trecker said he's concerned about keeping Pelican Bay in the discussion. He spoke
with Kathy Purdue after the Army Corps meeting at the library and asked if Pelican Bay and
Marco Island would be included and she said Marco Island is excluded and Pelican Bay is
included. That was a couple of months ago and things may have changed.
• The Corps will still do its due diligence, but if they exclude Marco, we need a game plan and we
don't have one.
• One reason the Corps may be excluding Marco in its cost -benefit analysis is that don't understand
Marco Island's real estate value. They assigned a fixed note to the number of homes and seriously
devalued Marco. That's primarily based on insurance exposure, but the base information was
wrong.
• Vice Chair Trecker said we brought that to their attention at the charrette and he hopes they
listened.
• They were wrong about Pelican Bay and Naples Cay. There were several areas where their
estimated real estate values were way off.
• We need to be looking over the Army Corps' shoulders more, rather than letting them go off and
come back to us with errors again.
• That's what the ad hoc committee is supposed to be doing. We thought we'd get monthly updates
but don't know what's occurring with that committee.
• It was clear that the Army Corps didn't understand that the county had put another committee in
place.
• Chairman Burke said he was on the call and told Michelle he was concerned because we're the
Coastal Advisory Committee and he didn't know what additional advice or input we could
provide, but we could coordinate with Chris Mason. The CAC is an important stakeholder.
• We need to take a position and make a recommendation.
• If we don't get shore protection, is the Army Corps going to make money available to raise
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August 10, 2023
houses and is that even technically feasible?
• It depends on the house. You can raise timber houses, which is easy, and slab houses, which are
much more difficult and far more expensive. The Corps said they're doing that in Texas, but
they're post -tension slabs and not on pilings.
• They can do raise houses on piles by inching them up.
• We need to ask what it would cost to raise all the houses in The Moorings.
• The ad hoc advisory committee has held one meeting. It's not a group that's meeting with
regularity or sense of urgency. They meet at GMD Conference Room 609/10 on Horseshoe
Drive. The meetings are publicly noticed.
• The CAC needs to attend some of their planning sessions to provide insight and to comment. We
have a great deal of experience in the coastal area and two professional engineers.
Action Item: The CAC would like Chris Mason to attend the next CAC meeting to provide an
update on the ad hoc Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study Advisory Committee
and what's being discussed
XII. Next Meeting
September 14, 2023, 1 p.m.
XIII. Adjournment
There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by
order of the Chairman at 2:31 p.m.
Collie7/C,"74
visory ommittee
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These m_ iqutes were approved by the Committee on , (check one) as presented,
V , or as amended
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