07/16/2024 DraftJuly 16, 2024
1
MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY
EAST OF 951 AD HOC COMMITTEE MEETING
Naples, Florida, July 16, 2024
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Collier County East of 951 in and for the County of Collier,
having conducted business herein, met on this date at 6:00 PM in REGULAR SESSION at
Career Center 750 S. 5th Street,Immokalee Rd., Naples, Florida, with the following members
present:
Also present:
Parker Klopf, Staff Liaison
William L. McDaniel, Jr. ,Commissioner
Mike Boze, Comprehensive Planning
1. Pledge of Allegiance
2. Roll Call
Quorum established.
Mark Teaters, Sr., Chairman
Robert Raines, Vice Chair
Michael Ramsey
Kimberley Donna Ellis
Christina Aguilera (via Zoom)
Rae Ann Burton (alternate)
Aaron Zwiefel (alternate)
3. Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting
▪ Minutes were not available for approval.
4. Meeting Scheduling
▪ Our next meeting October 16 will be at the Heritage Bay office at 7:00 PM.
▪ Check out other places for future meeting, example was Big Cypress.
5. Mark Teaters
▪ Gave a small background on East of 951.
▪ Announced special guest Commissioner McDaniel and Mike Boze,
Comprehensive Planning
July 16, 2024
2
6. Christine Bettencourt (CRA) Presentation
▪ PowerPoint presented simplified.
▪ Christie has worked for Collier County for 23 years. She joined the team in
2008.She is the Assistant Director for CRA.
▪ Provided Immokalee CRA Annual Report.
▪ Further information discussed:
■ Page 5 of annual report, CRA & MSTU boundary to reference when she
presents.
■ Completed Projects:
■ 3 Welcome Signs; Farmer facilities,Triangle area off of West Park on 29, 29th
& the Village.
■ Zocalo Park got the pavers redone.
■ Maintenance of Historic Cemetery off Main St.
■ Sold land off 9th St, part of a bigger project.
■ All projects came in during the same time this year.
■ Went over Redevelopment plan
■ Projects on hold and in progress.
■ Pg 12 Immokalee Development highlights
■ Private Developments; 7-Eleven completed,RCMA building a hub center and
a daycare center and phasing out a charter school.
■ Future Housing Area.
■ Main street hotel that's moving forward.
■ Cleaning up the community.
■ Community outreach, we're over-expended sometimes, but I know how
important it is to be there, be visible, and do things in the community. We
have participated in the big bus event, Blue Zone project ribbon cutting,
community cleanup ,backpack event , tree lighting since 2015.
Mike Ramsey:
▪ Who is the largest employer in Immokalee?
Christie replied:
▪ It's between Lippmann and Seminole Tribe. I have a listing but I haven't updated
it because I don't know if it's out but I can get that for you.
7. Staff Presentation
▪ Trinity Scott from Transportation Management Services Department Head
▪ Airport Authority ;Gary Holmes, Director of Operations and Management Services
and Brian Garrett.
July 16, 2024
3
▪ Fire Chief -Thomas Cunningham
▪ Immokalee Sheriff-Paul Cabral
▪ Parks and Recreation-James
▪ PowerPoint presentation provided for each Position Point.
8. General Discussion
Transportation is the number one issue.
Immokalee Airport runway extension and future plans.
New Fire station DeSoto & Golden Gate Parkway
Substation adding 1 supervisor and 5 dispatchers.
Sheriff department using CIGM
Park and Recreation lots of plans for updating Immokalee,priority.
Discuss in the next meeting how many to approve and the details of minutes.
Affordable housing.
9. Questions:
▪ What's the future of the drag strip?
Unfortunately, the lease that we've just let out will probably cause it to either move or shut down
for the opportunity to come up with an idea to improve the operation and offer the existing parcel
that we're leasing out for development.
▪ Is Naples Airport trying to take over Immokalee Airport by moving here?
If you allow an airport to grow organically, it grows about as fast as the community around it.
There are features that right now are being filled by Page Field, by the Naples Airport, and by
Marco Island, because people want to come into that particular area. It'll just be a matter of time,
as you've seen, with what Naples has been, I'll just say, putting out feelers for. They are seeking a
place because they can't expand. And I can't even begin to think I could speak on whether or not
there's any opportunities there for the county. I do know that the county is always going to be
looking out for its constituents and taxpayers, and they'll make the best decision, I believe, that
makes the best sense for all the parties involved. So having said that, I can tell you that moving
the Naples Airport is very unlikely to happen just because of the monumental cost of a
brand-new airport from scratch.
▪ What's been the progress and what's happening and what's moving forward at this point in
time, with property sold on 9th St.?
There's no progress. I'll let you know. May 20th was the deadline. They submitted the application.
July 16, 2024
4
▪ Do you have any housing projects in the future or coming forward? Housing projects that are
not non-profit.
Yes. Not that are ours.Arrowhead,AR builders
▪ How will extending the runway improve the Immokalee Airport? What will it do for it
economically?
Longer runways, increased fuel sales, bring bigger planes or jets, increases business opportunities for
Immokalee
▪ Is there any way to deal with people, like reflectors on their backs or anything?
▪ Who uses our swimming pools, at the community center?
Immokalee High School swim team.
▪ How many meetings have we gone without minutes?
Two including tonight
▪ Comments from the board
▪ I think what the gentleman brought up about more baseball diamonds and more park fields
absolutely should be a priority.
▪ 1)Transportation. I'm not going to say my business probably was in and around here, but it
appears that there needs to be some four landing of sr 29 from 82 south to new market there's
a lot of new business traffic out here and it's interesting during the week
▪ 2) I didn't hear any talk about the future of Lake Trafford, which has to be a big issue for
future tourism.
▪ 3) It's mildly grown, and I spend a lot of time out here. As you get more impervious surface
and more housing, what are you going to do with the stormwater discharge issue? Lake
Trafford can handle so much. SR-29 is the second main canal. You've got to have some future
plans
▪ Public comment bar so there was a comment about the parts we have statement that we need
more seating in the parts for other people for people to read a book they specify which
properties is all just the park okay
▪ Can minutes be created from recording?
Parker Klopf: To verify:
#1 – Minute Taking
#2 – Detail of minutes
#3 – If minutes can be posted on CRA website before being approved by committee
July 16, 2024
5
Mark Teaters: Mr. Ramsey just to follow the question so this has been an interesting meeting so we've
been extended yes even after you want to call them so we need it we there's no deadline they want another
year but that's basically because we're going to be moving into the Golden master plan at some point in
time
Mike Ramsey :I'd recommend we come back out and go through some of this again and see how it's
working okay.Nod thing that's the most famous bcc movement we're going to come back
Mr.Lozano:Mentioned never meeting anyone at the meeting but he likes their vision as it’s part
of our vision as well.Likes the airport idea,mentioned Immokalee needing more affordable
housing. As President of the Chamber he gets calls about jobs and housing in Immokalee.
Comment was made about maybe not so much a nod but try to get a date established to get the people
from Immokalee and Golden Gate estates together, sooner than later.
10. Adjourn
▪ Motion to adjourn.
▪ seconded the motion.
All in favor – aye.
Time adjourned: 8:00 PM.
Collier County East of 951 Ad Hoc Advisory Committee
Mark Teaters, Sr., Chairman
These minutes were approved by the Chairman of the East of 951 Committee
on , (check one) as submitted or as
amended .
NOTE: Get the word out to the public to attend. Check on options for a public Zoom meeting.