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CCLAAC Minutes06/04/2025 (Draft) June 4, 2025 1 MINUTES OF THE CONSERVATION COLLIER LAND ACQUISITION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Naples, Florida, June 4, 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 VICE CHAIR: Ron Clark (Excused) Gary Bromley Rhys Watkins John Courtright Nick Pearson Austin Howell Oriany Brito (Excused) Christopher Satter ALSO PRESENT: Summer Araque, Environmental Supervisor, Conservation Collier Jamie Cook, Director, Development Review Division Sally Ashkar, Assistant County Attorney Melissa Hennig, Environmental Specialist, I Matthew Denison, Environmental Manager Jennifer Belpedio, Real Property Manager June 4, 2025 2 1. Roll Call Chair Lenhard 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. Howell moved to approve the Agenda subject to hearing Item 5.A after Item 3. Second by Mr. Courtright. Carried unanimously 7 – 0. 3. Approval of the May 7, 2025 Meeting Minutes Mr. Satter moved to approve the minutes of the May 7, 2025 meeting as presented. Second by Mr. Howell. Carried unanimously 7 – 0. 5. New Business A. Railroad “Rail to Trail” potential acquisition – Trinity Scott Trinity Scott, Transportation Management Services Department Head addressed the Committee noting: • The Trust for Public Land (TPL) approached the County to determine their interest in participating in the Florida Gulf Coast Trail for the corridor lands owned by the railroad in Collier County which abut Railhead Scrub Preserve and continue northerly to the County Line. • The portion of the corridor under consideration for this trail phase traverses from Collier County through the City of Bonita Springs, City of Estero and unincorporated Lee County to Alico Road. • The TPL reached contractual agreement with the railway to acquire these lands in 2024 and has until March of 2026 to raise the $80M of funds required for the purchase. • The phase from Collier County to Estero is 12 ½ miles in length and the TPL is seeking pledges to raise 50 percent of the purchase price from the various jurisdictions so they may move forward seeking other means of funding from the legislature, Florida Forever, other grants, etc. • The City of Bonita Springs and Estero have agreed to participate in the endeavor and committed funds, however the Lee County Commission has not committed funding the portion in unincorporated Lee County. • Collier County’s share for the acquisition would be $13.78M and the Transportation Department would participate in the funding for their Right of Way lands for Veterans Memorial Blvd. Extension. • The lands would be “rail banked” and a railway may purchase the lands back in the future by paying the purchase price paid by the TPL plus CPI increases and the cost of any improvements constructed on the lands. • Approximately 0.97 miles of the lands abuts Railhead Scrub Preserve with a total of 1.5 miles in Collier County. Charles Hines, Trust for Public Lands noted: • The organization is 50 years old and purchases land for the public for use. • Lee County’s issue is available funding and they may come on board in the future, especially if the southern sections of this phase come to fruition. • The strip of land is 130 feet wide and the asphalt trail would be 12 foot wide. June 4, 2025 3 • The existing trail in other areas of the State travels through preserve and park areas so there is no concern about negative impacts to Gopher Tortoises or other wildlife as demonstrated with past projects. Ms. Scott noted acquiring the property could benefit the existing preserve by restoring the lands and possible construction of a parking lot and bathrooms where the trail would end at Veterans Memorial Blvd. Extension. The City of Bonita Springs and Estero have pledged their amounts for the project in the amounts of $17M and $14M respectively. Deb Orton, Friends of Bonita Estero Trail (BERT) there is a great amount of community support including from neighborhoods like Mediterra which abut the property. During Committee discussion it was noted: • The existing owner would remove the steel rails and ties in the railroad bed and the elevated base would remain so the path may be constructed on top of the existing material. • If the land is acquired, the ownership composition will need to be determined given County funds are being dedicated to the project. • The project would have to meet the mandates set forth by the Ordinance governing the program if Conservation Collier participates in the funding. • Further information is required before a decision on the matter is made by the Committee. Speaker Brad Cornell, Audubon of the Western Everglades, Audubon Florida noted the areas could be restored to improve opportunities for wildlife habitat and they are tentatively in support of the project. The Committee requested Ms. Scott to supply additional information on the project including a breakdown of the segments of the property within the County (Transportation Dept., Railhead Scrub Preserve, other County Lands, etc.), the costs and related funding options, how the acquisition would support the goals of Conservation Collier, etc. 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 5/27/25) 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 Acquisition Update – June 4 2025” for information purposes: She noted: Approved by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) – Hendrix House, Cypress Cove Landkeepers (Gore Nature Center), Lautz, Symphony and Williams Farm. Upcoming BCC changed from 6/10 to 6/24 – HK Investments, Van Cleef and Golden Land Partners. Contacting owners in the Target Protection Areas regarding interest in selling their lands to the County will occur after the proposed revisions to the purchase policy are heard by the BCC. The Committee requested Staff to relay concern on delaying acquisition of properties already approved for purchase such as HK Investments, Van Cleef and Golden Land Partners. June 4, 2025 4 B. Purchasing Policy Ms. Cook provided an overview of the proposed revisions to the purchasing policy. Discussion occurred between Staff and the Committee on Section II.B regarding the existing parameters for offers to landowners, how wetlands on a property are determined and factor into the decision (including Staff noting offers made to landowners in the multi parcel project areas are based on the assumption their property is all wetland), the ramifications of mitigation costs, owner options including the ability to obtain a wetlands determination from County Staff for other sources and who should be responsible for those costs, any properties already approved for acquisition should not be subject to the proposed revisions of the Ordinance, etc. Speaker Brad Cornell, Audubon of the Western Everglades and Audubon Florida expressed concern on making the program less incentivized for landowners. He noted the burden for determining the characteristics of a property are generally the responsibility of a buyer during the due diligence process and the additional costs for items such as wetland determination shouldn’t be borne by the potential seller as it may be a deterrent to participating in the program. Staff noted the revisions are mainly a clarification of the existing process and the County wants to ensure any lands categorized as uplands are accurate, so they are not overpaying for the property. Mr. Courtright moved to support the concept of the proposed revisions to the Purchasing Policy subject to: 1. Wetlands determination for the properties under consideration being the responsibility of the County. 2. The 3 existing parcels previously approved for acquisition (Golden Gate Land Partners, Gary Van Cleef and HK Investments AG, Inc.) be acquired under the requirements of the existing purchase policy. Second by Mr. Watkins. Carried unanimously 7 – 0. Break: 11:04am Reconvened: 11:10am 5. New Business (continued) B. Initial Criteria Screening Report and Ranking Ms. Hennig presented the PowerPoint “Initial Criteria Screening Report Properties for Review – June 4, 2025 Conservation Collier Land Acquisitin Advisory Committee” for the following properties: 1. Nancy Payton Preserve TPMA a. Bennett The parcel is 1.0 acres, has an estimated value of $78,000 and scored 190 out of 400. Staff recommends the parcel be placed on the A-List for acquisition. Mr. Watkins moved to place the parcel on the A-List for acquisition. Second by Mr. Courtright. Carried unanimously 7 – 0. 6. Subcommittee Reports A. Lands Evaluation & Management – Chair, Ron Clark – Last meeting June 5, 2024 No update necessary. June 4, 2025 5 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 Chair Lenhard noted the Committee will determine if an August meeting will be convened at the July meeting. B. BCC Items Related to Conservation Collier Ms. Araque provided the following updates: 1. Previously Heard a. 5/27/2025: March and April 2025 AAL; Cypress Cove Landkeepers (Gore) Agreement amendment; Purchase Agreement Cameron Lautz; Naming of Brewers Landing Preserve & the Interim Management Plan. 2. Upcoming a. 6/10/2025: Conservation Collier Annual Report & Program Manual b. 6/24/2025: 2025 TPMAs; Agreement - Golden Land Partners LLC (NBM); Purchase Agreements HK Investment AG INC & Gary Van Cleef (both Marco Island); Resolution amending Resolution No. 2007300 the Purchasing Policy for Conservation Collier. c. 8/12/2025: May and June 2025 AAL 8. Chair/Committee Member Comments None 9. Public General Comments None 10. Staff Comments None 11. Next Meeting – July 2, 2025 There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the chair at 11:21AM. Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Advisory Committee _________________________________ Michele Lenhard, Chair June 4, 2025 6 These minutes approved by the Committee on________________ as presented_______ or as amended ___________.