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CCLAAC Minutes 05/07/202 (Draft revised) May 7, 2025 1 MINUTES OF THE CONSERVATION COLLIER LAND ACQUISITION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Naples, Florida, May 7, 2025 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Advisory Committee in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 9:00A.M. in REGULAR SESSION at the Growth Management Department Building, 2800 North Horseshoe Drive, Naples Florida with the following members present: CHAIR: Michele Lenhard (Excused) VICE CHAIR: Ron Clark Gary Bromley Rhys Watkins John Courtright Nick Pearson Austin Howell Oriany Brito Christopher Satter ALSO PRESENT: Summer Araque, Environmental Supervisor, Conservation Collier Jamie Cook, Director, Development Review Division Derek Perry, Assistant County Attorney Melissa Hennig, Environmental Specialist, I May 7, 2025 2 1. Roll Call Vice Chair Clark called the meeting to order at 9:00AM. Roll call was taken and a quorum was established with 7 Members present. A. Approval of CCLAAC Members attending the meeting remotely All Members were present in the Conference Room 2. Approval of Agenda Mr. Courtright moved to approve the Agenda. Second by Mr. Watkins. Carried unanimously 7 – 0. 3. Approval of the April 2, 2025 Meeting Minutes Mr. Howell moved to approve the minutes of the April 2, 2025 meeting as presented. Second by Mr. Courtright. Carried unanimously 7 – 0. Mr. Bromley arrived at 9:01am and a quorum of 8 was present. 4. Old Business A. Acquisition Updates - Current Acquisition Status report updated monthly in advance of CCLAAC meeting provided as part of meeting packet and under Acquisition News at www.conservationcollier.com for information purposes. The report will be updated monthly (last updated 4/23/25) including parcels the County has acquired to date, offers made by the County, pending acquisitions and those properties where the owner withdrew the application. Ms. Araque presented the PowerPoint “Conservation Collier Update – April 23, 2025” for information purposes: She noted:  The Hendrix parcel Purchase Agreement was approved by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC).  Upcoming Purchase Agreements to be heard include HK Investment, Van Cleef, Golden Land Partners and Lautz.  The due diligence period was extended for the Symphony and the Cypress Cove Conservancy (Gore Nature Center) properties.  The owner of the Wildflowerz parcel is still considering the County’s offer and exploring other options for the property.. If any changes are proposed by the seller, the item will be returned to the Committee for an updated recommendation. 5. New Business A. Initial Criteria Screening Reports (ICSRs) and Rankings Ms. Hennig presented the PowerPoint “Initial Criteria Screening Report Properties for Review - May 7, 2025 Conservation Collier Land Acquisitin Advisory Committee” for the following properties: 1. Dr. Robert H. Gore III Preserve TPMA a. Reina The parcel is 2.27 acres, has an estimated value of $52,210 and scored 284 out of 400. Staff recommends the parcels be placed on the A-List for acquisition. Mr. Pearson moved to place the parcel on the A-List for acquisition. Second by Mr. Howell. Carried unanimously 8 – 0. 2. I-75 and Everglades Blvd. TPMA May 7, 2025 3 a. Pancham The 2 parcels are a total of 2.73 acres (1.59 and 1.14 acres), have an estimated value of $62,790 and scored 213 out of 400. Staff recommends the parcels be placed on the A-List for acquisition. Mr. Watkins moved to place the parcels on the A-List for acquisition. Second by Mr. Bromley. Carried unanimously 8 – 0. B. Proposed 2025 Target Protection Mailing Areas (TPMA) Ms. Araque noted:  A majority of the County is considered Target Protection Area under the Ordinance governing the Program.  The Target Protection Mailing Areas (TPMAs) have been developed to target landowners with parcels considered a priority for acquisition based on their characteristics.  Approximately 700 parcels are in these areas comprising 3,924 acres.  The I75 and Everglades Blvd. area was added in 2024 and there are 2 new areas in proposed for 2025 (East Naples and Symphony).  The State’s CLIP (Critical Land & Water Identification Project) data is used to help identify the priority properties.  Properties may be proposed for acquisition via an application by the owner or nomination of a parcel by the public. The letter sent to landholders in the Target Protection Areas are used to notify the owner of the County’s interest in obtaining the lands.  The TPMAs are reviewed annually and approved by the BCC via resolution. Ms. Hennig presented the “Conservation Collier Proposed 2025 Target Protection Areas” for consideration noting the proposed TPMAs were reviewed by the Outreach Subcommittee who provided input on the final list. She provided an overview of each area with the following noted during discussion:  Railhead Scrub Preserve – The Transportation Department was recently contacted about the rail corridor project and the County continues to express interest in the proposal.  Panther Walk Preserve – The area was expanded mainly to the west to consider additional properties. Another concept being separately explored is avenues available for an owner of residential property placing a portion of their undeveloped land into a conservation easement.  Marco Island – The Outreach Subcommittee added this area. Brad Cornell, Audubon of the Western Everglades/Audubon of Florida noted the concept of conservation easements on residential properties is favorable as it could increase the area available for stormwater management and wildlife corridors. He supports the additional areas proposed for 2025 and the Lipman parcel identified for Mcllvane Marsh adjacent to US41 is an important asset for stormwater management in the area. Another parcel which should be investigated with the JB Ranch property which is an Area of Critical State Concern and comprises 9,000 acres. The State of Florida is in negotiations with the owner; however if the acquisition does not come to fruition, the County may be another alternative for the owner. During Committee discussion with Staff on the JB Ranch property and if it should be incorporated into the TPMA. It was noted approximately 4,000 acres of the lands are in the Rural Lands Stewardship Area and designated as Sending Lands. ‘ May 7, 2025 4 Staff noted the State is in negotiations for the property and if future conditions change, the parcel could be evaluated and returned to the Committee for review. The owner is always free to apply for the Program. During Committee comments it was noted, moving forward with acquisitions on Marco Island, given the issues with climate change and sea level rise, the Program should target higher elevation properties in the area. These lands are also the most beneficial for Gopher Tortoise habitat. Staff noted during Hurricane Ian, the areas acquired by the County were subject to minimal impacts from storm surge. Mr. Watkins moved to recommend the Board of County Commissioners approve the “Conservation Collier Proposed 2025 Target Protection Areas” as presented by Staff. Second by Mr. Howell. Carried unanimously 8 – 0. C. Purchasing Policy discussion (at Chair’s request) Ms. Cook reported she met with Commissioner McDaniel on the policy and the County Attorney’s Office is drafting legally sufficient language on how to deal with wetland parcels. One point raised during the discussions is not utilizing properties acquired through the Program as a comparable when preparing appraisals. Staff and Committee discussion occurred on the existing parameters for offers to landowners, how wetlands on a property are determined and factor into the decision, the ramifications of mitigation costs, owner options following a Staff analysis including the ability to obtain a wetlands determination from County Staff for other sources, etc. It was noted the main issue appears to be utilizing a blanket appraisal for multi parcel projects and a concern the County may be overpaying for properties in these areas. Brad Cornell, Audubon of the Western Everglades/Audubon of Florida noted the policy proposal is not available with a BCC meeting slated for May 13th where the issue will be discussed and the County Clerk may be providing input on the matter too. 6. Subcommittee Reports A. Lands Evaluation & Management – Chair, Ron Clark – Last meeting June 5, 2024 No update necessary. B. Outreach – Chair, John Courtright – Last meeting April 23, 2025 No update necessary. C. Ordinance Policy and Rules – Chair, Michele Lenhard - Last meeting December 18, 2023 No update necessary. 7. Coordinator Communications A. Miscellaneous None B. Update on April events Ms. Araque noted:  Pepper Ranch Preserve - Swallow Tail Kite monitoring was undertaken. May 7, 2025 5  Barfield Burrows Preserve– Eagle fledglings present and work on management activities continues including installing signage, fencing, etc. A cleanup day will be held on May 19th.  Staff participated in the following events:  Burrow Buddies on Marco Island – April 4th.  Conservancy of Southwest Florida Earth Day – April 20th.  Community School of Naples Earth Day – April 25th. C. Meet in July? The Committee noted there will be a regular meeting on July 2, 2025. D. BCC Items Related to Conservation Collier Ms. Araque provided the following updates: 1. Previously Heard a. 4/8/2025: Symphony Properties, LLC (extend the due diligence period); Williams Farms (extend due diligence period) b. 4/22/2025: Purchase Agreement - Hendrix House (I-75 TPMA), CCLAAC January AAL; February 2025 AAL; Funding assistance from FWC invasive plant management; Cypress Cove Landkeepers Dr Robert H Gore III (extend the due diligence period); Agreement of the Sale & Purchase of the Williams Reserve property – 4th Amendment; Resolution amending Resolution No. 2007-300 the Purchasing Policy for Conservation Collier (continued to May 13th). 2. Upcoming a. 5/13/2025: Purchase Agreements HK Investment AG INC & Gary Van Cleef (both Marco Island), Purchase Agreement - Golden Land Partners LLC (NBM); March 2025 AAL; Resolution amending Resolution No. 2007-300 the Purchasing Policy for Conservation Collier. b. 5/27/2025: April 2025 AAL; Naming of Brewers Landing Preserve & the Interim Management Plan; Purchase Agreement Cameron Lautz; Cypress Cove Landkeepers (Gore) Agreement amendment; Conservation Collier Annual Report & Program Manual. 8. Chair/Committee Member Comments None 9. Public General Comments Brad Cornell, Audubon of the Western Everglades/Audubon of Florida noted:  On June 6th there will be a Corkscrew Watershed Science Forum at the IFAS building.  The tragedy of the recent bear attack in Jerome reinforces the importance of trash management in the County as the species tends to frequent areas where refuse is readily available for foraging. 10. Staff Comments None 11. Next Meeting – June 4, 2025 May 7, 2025 6 There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the chair at 11:25AM. Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Advisory Committee _________________________________ Michele Lenhard, Chair These minutes approved by the Committee on________________ as presented_______ or as amended ___________.