Agenda 08/26/2025 Item # 2D (July 8, 2025 BCC Meeting Minutes) July 8, 2025
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TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Naples, Florida, July 8, 2025
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 Board members present:
Chairman: Burt L. Saunders
Dan Kowal
Chris Hall
Rick LoCastro
William L. McDaniel, Jr.
ALSO PRESENT:
Amy Patterson, County Manager
Ed Finn, Deputy County Manager
Jeffrey A. Klatzkow, County Attorney
Crystal K. Kinzel, Clerk
Troy Miller, Communications & Customer Relations
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MS. PATTERSON: Chair, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Good morning. Welcome to the
County Commission meeting of July 8.
Before we get started, I want to just make a couple of comments.
We have this wonderful tradition of having someone in active
military or a veteran come to our meetings to get us started with the
Pledge of Allegiance, and we always have a someone from a church
or a synagogue help us get started with a prayer. But this morning,
we have a really special family here, and so I just wanted to say just a
quick word.
We have -- first of all, we have Pastor David
Wildman -- Wildman from the Grow Church Estates. But for the
Pledge of Allegiance we have Jeff Brodeur, army veteran, served in
Korea at the DMZ and is president of the Korean War Veterans
Association; then we have his son, Vincent Brodeur, army veteran
who was seriously wounded; and then we have his mother, Maura
Brodeur, navy veteran.
And so we have a family of veterans here with us this morning
and -- to really give us a perfect example of the sacrifice of the men
and women who join the military forces to protect this nation. And
so I'm just really pleased to have you here with us this morning.
So we'll start off with the invocation and the Pledge of
Allegiance.
Item #1A
INVOCATION BY PASTOR DAVID WILDMAN - GROW
CHURCH ESTATES; PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: 1) JEFF
BRODEUR, ARMY VETERAN, SERVED IN KOREA AT THE
DMZ, PRESIDENT OF THE KOREAN WAR VETERANS
ASSOCIATION (DAD) 2) VINCENT BRODEUR, ARMY
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VETERAN (SON) 3) MAURA BRODEUR, NAVY VETERAN
(MOM) MOM, DAD AND SON (HAD 27 SURGERIES WHEN
WOUNDED IN IRAQ WAR) - INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF
ALLEGIANCE GIVEN
PASTOR WILDMAN: All right. Good morning. Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us together today for
this Collier County Commissioner meeting. We're grateful for the
chance to be a part and serve this community and for the many
blessings that you've poured out on this county.
I lift up the leaders in this room, the commissioners, the staff
and everyone working behind the scenes, give them clear minds,
steady hearts, and wisdom for the decisions that they face. Help them
work together with respect and purpose, keeping the good of the
people in mind.
Your word in 1 Timothy 2:2 tells us to pray for those in
authority so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives marked by
godliness and dignity, and that's our prayer today, for peace in our
communities, for wisdom and leadership, and for a spirit of unity
across the Collier County.
We also pray for the people who live and work here, our
families, first responders, small business owners, and so many others
who make this county what it is. Watch over them, encourage them,
and meet their needs today.
And we also pray a special blessing over our Armed Forces and
the veterans, especially those in this room this morning. Grant them
the health and the provision that they need in every area of their life.
And as this meeting begins, may everything said and done be guided
by integrity, humility, and a heart to serve.
And we pray all those things in Jesus name. Amen.
(The Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison.)
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MR. JEFF BRODEUR: God bless America.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We're going to take a few photos,
and while we're doing that, I want to thank Lois Bolin. Every
meeting she makes arrangements to have veterans here at our
meetings.
Before you start the photos, we'll stand up here for that. But I
just want to thank you for your efforts because it's quite a task every
two weeks, and you do a great job. So thank you for that.
MS. BOLIN: You stay right there. They're going to come in
behind you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And can we get our photographer
to take one, and then we'll send you one.
MS. BOLIN: Sorry. You've got the real photographer.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We'll make sure you get this photo
as well.
MR. JEFF BRODEUR: Thank you. Thank you.
(Applause.)
MR. JEFF BRODEUR: I want to say it's an honor to be here.
Nice to see a lot of people we know here. Thank Lois, good friend of
ours. And a little history of us. We've been down here since 2010.
We were actually sent here by the Department of Defense to the
Tampa Polytrauma Center. And we lived in Venice for about two
years, and it was only 40 minutes to the hospital.
And I don't think a lot of people realize, a lot of America's
worst, very badly wounded soldiers were sent to Florida, the Tampa
Polytrauma Center, and they're all centered around that area, and I
mean very bad brain injuries. Double, triple, quadruple amputees are
up in that area.
And when we got here, the Polytrauma Center really wasn't
that -- very nice. And it was overfull. It was the height of the war.
And, you know, we had fought for private care and got Vincent
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private care in Boston, and they actually got him out of a coma up
there after one year. He's had 49 operations, and then they shipped us
down here.
And the Polytrauma Center today at Tampa is by far the best in
America, by far. They just put up a brand-new wing, and it's state of
the art. And his doctor up there, Dr. Scott that runs the Polytrauma
Center, actually talks to his other doctor in Washington at Bethesda,
and they're putting the first TBI ward in America right there in
Tampa at the VA Polytrauma Center. That's a big deal.
So, you know what, we're happy to be here. Vincent was with
the 82 Airborne at the surge, and they went in to clear a building, and
they blew that building up. And his team leader, Sergeant
Woodcock, was four feet to his left, and he basically disintegrated,
and Vincent had catastrophic injuries. They actually removed his
complete cranium, several blood clots from the right side of his brain
frontal lobe on the left side, arm blown off and reattached. And it's
been a journey for us.
And we ended up down here. And you know what, this is a
great community. There's a lot of good people in this community.
They do a lot of support for veterans. And we do a Vinny's Wounded
Vet Run, and we were just able to give out $27,000 to several groups
that have supported Vincent, and we'll continue to do that, and we're
giving back to the community.
So my wife here served in the navy six and a half years in
Europe. Vincent, of course, Iraq, and I served in the DMZ in Korea
and somehow was elected as national president.
And fortunately, a lot of those guys I knew. Those guys were
real heroes. I mean, I knew them all, all the Medal of Honor
recipients. They were -- they were the old breed, and, you know, it's
really sad to see those guys passing. But they entrusted me to carry
on their legacy, and that's what I'm doing.
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So I do run -- I was national president, and now I'm the
president of Southwest Florida. And I do a lot of the stuff behind the
scenes nationally. Unfortunately, politics is involved in everything,
even up in Washington with various veterans groups. And to be
honest with you, when I go up there and come back, I can't wait to
come back home down here to be honest with you.
So thank you and appreciate everything the county has done for
our veterans, and Lois and everybody here, for supporting our
veterans. Thank you.
(Applause.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you for your service.
MR. JEFF BRODEUR: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ms. Patterson.
Item #2A
APPROVAL OF TODAY'S REGULAR, CONSENT, AND
SUMMARY AGENDA AS AMENDED (EX-PARTE DISCLOSURE
PROVIDED BY COMMISSION MEMBERS FOR CONSENT
AGENDA.) - MOTION TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER
MCDANIEL; SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LOCASTRO -
APPROVED AND/OR ADOPTED
MS. PATTERSON: Commissioners, agenda changes for
July 8th, 2025. First is move Item K5 to 11H. This item was --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: For folks that are listening to this,
you really have to pay attention because this is going to be really
confusing and actually, I think, almost comical when we get to some
of the time-certains.
Thank you, sir.
Sorry to interrupt, but I just --
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MS. PATTERSON: All right. First up we're going to move
Item 16K5 to 11H. This item was continued from the June 24th,
2025, BCC meeting. This is a recommendation to provide direction
to staff to advertise an ordinance to amend the Collier County
Parking Storage and Use of Vehicles Control Ordinance codified in
the Code of Laws and ordinances to provide limitations on the
parking and/or storage of commercial motor vehicles and commercial
equipment in residential areas including the Estates zoning district.
This is being moved at Commissioner McDaniel's request.
Next is add-on Item 16B9. This is a recommendation to approve
and authorize an after-the-fact payment in the amount of $117,236.48
to Quality Enterprises, USA, Inc., for the Immokalee area
improvements TIGER grant project under Agreement No. 20-7811
for additional driveway installations. This is being added at staff's
request and was provided to each board member as a one-way
communication and has been added to the agenda.
One agenda note, on Item 10A the title should read, "Imposing
the sixth cent," not "sixth percent" of the tourist development tax.
And now for the highlight of the agenda, our time-certain items
for this agenda. First we're going to hear Item 6A at 9:15. This is a
signature petition submitted by Brandon Reiff and Janet Miller
regarding Willoughby Acres Park.
Item 11 to be heard at 9:30 a.m., a resolution adopting the
proposed millage rate for -- maximum millage rate for FY '25/'26.
Item 11B to be heard at 10 a.m., which is the tourism impact
study for the sports complex expansion.
Item 10A to be heard immediately following Item 11B, directing
the County Attorney to advertise an ordinance for the purpose of
levying and imposing the sixth cent of the tourist development tax
subject to voter approval in the November 2026 general election.
Item 11C to be heard immediately following Item 10A, which is
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the tourism impact study for the Sun-N-Fun Lagoon.
Item 11D to be heard at 11 a.m., a recommendation to proceed
with land acquisition on Bay and Danford Street to address future
boat parking needs and local community challenges.
And, finally, Item 9A and 9B to be heard no sooner than 1 p.m.
This is amending the NC Square Mixed-Use Overlay and Planned
Unit Development to change the affordable housing requirements.
Now, we will have court reporter breaks scheduled for 10:30
and again at 2:50.
With that, County Attorney.
MR. KLATZKOW: Nothing, County Manager. Thank you.
MS. PATTERSON: Chair.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Commissioner Kowal,
do you have any changes to the agenda?
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: No changes, and I have no ex
partes for the consent-agenda items.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Good morning, Mr. Chairman. I
have no changes and no ex parte.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I, as well, no changes and no
ex parte.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: No changes; no ex parte.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And I have no changes and no ex
parte as well.
MS. PATTERSON: Very good. If we could get a motion to
approve the agenda as amended.
COMMISSIONER HALL: So moved.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So moved.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Second.
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We have a motion and a second.
All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
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Item #2B and #2C
JUNE 10TH, 2025, BCC MINUTES, AND THE JUNE 19TH, 2025,
BCC BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING MINUTES - MOTION
TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL; SECONDED
BY COMMISSIONER LOCASTRO - APPROVED AND/OR
ADOPTED
MS. PATTERSON: Commissioners, that brings us to Item 2,
agenda and minutes, if you want to take these two together. We have
Item 2A, which is the June 10th, 2025, BCC minutes, and the
June 19th, 2025, BCC budget workshop meeting minutes.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Move to approve both minutes.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Second.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. We have a motion and a
second. Seeing no discussion, all in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
MS. PATTERSON: Very good. We're about two minutes early,
but I can go ahead and read in the title for our 9:15 time-certain.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yes, please.
Item #6A
SIGNATURE PETITION SUBMITTED BY BRANDON REIFF
July 8, 2025
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AND JANET MILLER REQUESTING TO RENAME
WILLOUGHBY ACRES PARK TO THE CLAYTON MILLER
MEMORIAL PARK AT WILLOUGHBY ACRES - MOTION TO
APPROVE A MEMORIAL AT THE PARK IN HONOR OF
CLAYTON MILLER BY COMMISSIONER HALL; SECONDED
BY COMMISSIONER KOWAL – APPROVED
MS. PATTERSON: Okay. Item 6A, public petitions. This is a
signature petition submitted by Brandon Reiff and Janet Miller
requesting to rename Willoughby Acres Park to the Clayton Miller
Memorial Park at Willoughby Acres. Just before we invite the
speakers up, we did have correspondence with the petitioner
regarding the renaming. The Board of County Commissioners does
have a specific renaming policy, and so we have had conversations
with the petitioner about possibility of creating the Clayton Miller
Memorial at Willoughby Acres Park, which would allow us to retain
the name on the park but also provide for a safe memorial space for
Clayton Miller.
And so with that, I invite the petitioner to come up, and you'll
have time to speak.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Good morning, and sorry for your
loss.
MS. MILLER: Thank you.
MR. REIFF: Good morning. I'm Brandon Reiff. This is Janet
Miller. Thanks for hearing us today. I'm going to read from this, so
hopefully that's okay.
The North Naples community is still mourning the tragic loss of
Janet's 14-year-old son, Clayton Miller, who passed away in a
devastating e-bike accident in the North Naples neighborhood of
Willoughby Acres on March 15th, 2025.
Clayton was a great student, amazing athlete, funny, sweet,
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caring friend, and a wonderful son who always -- who everyone
loved, everyone who met him loved.
In light of the recent tragedy, we proposed changing the name of
Willoughby Acres Park to the Clayton Miller Memorial Park at
Willoughby Acres. We have over 1,300 signatures of Naples
residents who supported this proposal and hoped for the park's name
change; however, it did not meet the criteria the county requires to
make the name change.
It has been suggested by the County Manager we may be able to
erect a Clayton Miller Memorial at Willoughby Acres Park.
Although this was not our initial hope, a memorial for Clayton at the
Willoughby Acres Park is a great second option.
The memorial will serve as an extremely meaningful tribute to
Clayton's memory and provide a lasting reminder to the impact he
had on our community. It would also honor his family, loved ones
and friends, while reinforcing the importance of safety on our streets
and the community support.
I'd like to thank John Mullins for his help walk -- for walking us
through this whole process. It's been -- you know, it's been a lot, and
we appreciate your time and consideration for this.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. Any comments from the
commission? Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Thanks for coming up. It takes a lot
of guts to bring that up. And I think a memorial is an amazing idea
not only to bring and keep awareness of what a great student he was,
what a leader he was. And I think a memorial in that park is highly
appropriate, and I'll support that fully.
Thank you.
MR. REIFF: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Do we have any other
registered speakers?
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MR. MILLER: We do not.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Well, then, let's entertain
a motion to that effect, Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I'll move that.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I'll second it.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'll third it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion,
second, and a third. Any discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
Thank you for being here and --
MR. REIFF: Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
MS. MILLER: Thank you.
Item #11A
RESOLUTION 2025-142: RECOMMENDATION TO ENTER
INTO A NON-EXCLUSIVE FACILITY USE LICENSE
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND AMERICA'S
MILITARY AND FIRST RESPONDER MUSEUM INC., TO
DISPLAY MILITARY ARTIFACTS AND OTHER MILITARY
MEMORABILIA AT THE COLLIER COUNTY MUSEUM AT THE
GOVERNMENT CENTER AND ADOPT A RESOLUTION
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APPROVING THE USE PURSUANT TO SECTION 125.38,
FLORIDA STATUTES. (JOHN DUNNUCK, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR - FACILITIES & REDEVELOPMENT) - MOTION TO
APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER HALL; SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL – ADOPTED
MS. PATTERSON: Commissioners, our next time-certain is
not 9:30. I would suggest we could take the military museum item in
between. That's one -- we have folks here representing that. This is
the lease. That's Item 11E. This is a recommendation to enter into a
nonexclusive facility use license agreement between the county and
America's Military and First Responder Museum, Inc., to display
military artifacts and other military memorabilia at the Collier
County Museum at the government center and adopt a resolution
approving the use pursuant to Section 125.38, Florida Statutes.
Mr. John Dunnuck, your executive director of Facilities and
Redevelopment, is here to present.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Let me just interrupt for a second.
Do we have any public petitions -- any public comments?
MR. MILLER: We do. We have six registered public
comments.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Do you want to go ahead and take
those?
MS. PATTERSON: Sure. Of course.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Well, this item -- your
item will be real quick. Let's take the public comment right after
you -- I mean right after you finish your item, Mr. Dunnuck. Let's go
ahead and finish the museum -- I think that will be a quick one -- and
then we'll get into the public petitions --
MR. DUNNUCK: Sure.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- public comments.
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MR. DUNNUCK: Good morning. Following the Board's
direction to work collaboratively with the America Military and First
Responder Museum, we've worked out a use agreement for
approximately 2,000 square feet at the museum location. You'll see
it's a five-year lease. There's termination for convenience. You
know, it's consistent with the county's museum operations, which is
something that was kind of important to us in the fact of the hours.
Now, they may have -- adjust their hours a little bit less than our
operations, bit it works consistently. Ten-dollar-a-year lease. No
utility costs.
The only outstanding issue is we have a requirement for
workers' comp. They don't believe workers' comp is eligible since
they're not workers and paid employees, and so we're working
through their insurer, so I'd ask a little bit of latitude from the County
Commission to work out the insurance requirements as part of the
signing of this lease.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sure we'll have some registered
speakers.
MR. MILLER: I have one, Dave Hinds.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Good morning.
MR. HINDS: Good morning. My name is Dave Hinds. I'm the
president of the America's Military and First Responders' Museum.
And basically, all I wanted to say -- I thank Chris Hall for
pushing this item through the agenda. It's been turbulent times since
last March when we started looking for a space. Unfortunately, we
don't have the manpower to operate the airport museum and also this
museum. But we will suffice, and we'll keep on plugging away in
hopes of a bigger building in the near future.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you very much.
MR. HINES: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall, do you have a
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motion?
COMMISSIONER HALL: I move to approve it.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Second.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and
second.
Seeing no discussion, all in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passed unanimously.
Let's move on to the public petition -- or public comments.
MR. MILLER: Sure, public comment.
I'm going to remind the speakers of a couple things. I'm going
to call multiple names. If you'll queue up at both podiums. You'll
get a 30-second warning when you have 30 seconds left of your three
minutes.
Our first public speaker is Duane Thomas, followed by Jan Rich.
MR. THOMAS: Good morning. My name's Duane Thomas.
I'm a marina contractor, general contractor serving South Collier
County, Marco Island, Port Royal area.
And the reason I'm here today is the City of Marco Island has
provided us, graciously, with allowing us to use the approximately
200 vacant lots that we have on the island to use to have products
delivered for our jobs. But my business alone, I pull approximately
350 building permits a year, and each one of them need a staging lot
where I need seawall material delivered, pilings delivered coming in
and out. So out of that 200 lots that are available on Marco Island, I
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can only use once a year, and the homeowners are
becoming -- reluctantly allowing us to use them. I've asked the city
manager multiple times to use the area by the Jolley Bridge to have
product delivered and product picked up, in conjunction with the area
possible using the boat loading ramp on the Caxambas Park area in
the south end of the island for the same thing. This is just for pickup
and delivery.
Again, Marco Island, I've -- they've helped as much as they can.
I've been to City Council and talked to Mr. Palumbo at City Council,
and they really don't have any commercial areas for us to do anything
with. There's no C-5 lots available to purchase for this type of
industry, and really the only place to go is either the boat-loading
ramps or the base of the Jolley Bridge, which we've used in the past
for multiple stagings. But for whatever reason, we're getting denied
now by the County Manager to use that area.
Some of my other colleagues that are here today are going to
speak on the same thing. There's a couple of them that couldn't make
it here today, but they did write letters to City Council -- excuse me,
Mr. Saunders, and that would be DSI Construction and also Imperial
Marine Construction.
So basically, we're just here looking for help, hoping you're
going to help our staging problem. There's approximately 80 miles
of seawalls that need to get replaced on Marco Island in the next five
years. The Island was designed for the seawalls for a life expectancy
of 35 years. Most of them are 50 and 55 years old now, and they're
falling down faster than we can put them up.
Again, I seek your help. Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Your next speaker is Jan Rich, will
be followed by Patty Teulet.
MS. RICH: Good morning, Commissioners, and thank you for
your time. My name is Jan Rich. I am president and cofounder of
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For the Love of Cats.
I'm here today in response to your June meeting when
Commissioner Saunders said that independent rescue organizations
such as ours were much more experienced and better equipped to
handle community cat problems than the county.
After hearing the commissioner's encouragement to come up
with a solution, we developed a proposal that we presented in a
meeting to County Manager Amy Patterson, DAS Director Meredith
McLean, and Growth Manager Department Head Jamie French. A
copy of the proposal was also given to Commissioner Saunders.
For the Love of Cats has more than 20 years of rescue
experience with trap, neuter, return, TNR, and supports the county
community cat ordinance. Our proposal has a solution to the county's
stray cat overpopulation. The solution is a partnership between For
the Love of Cats and the county that provides our organization with
the additional resources we need to help the public, minimize the
threat of rabies, reduce the agonizing death of over 25,000 kittens
born on the street every year, and control the overpopulation of the
estimated 50,000 free-roaming cats throughout the county.
Our proposal includes taking over all the public requests for
assistance with community cat issues, including trapping, transport,
kitten rescue, public education, and return home for the community
cats. DAS will pay for surgeries, vaccinations, and community cat
wellness expenses.
In our discussion, however, we were told that budget cuts make
our proposal untenable at this time while thousands of kittens and
cats suffer inhuman cruelty; however, we're continuing to work in
partnership with the county discussing other options that may help.
For the Love of Cats plans to TNR close to 750 cats this year.
To make a measurable impact on the substantial financial burden of
the overwhelming number of kittens and cats surrendered to DAS
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every year, that number needs to triple to make the Collier County
community cat ordinance a real benefit to the public.
Today I brought each of you a copy of our proposal, which I
think you already have, for your review. We plan to continue our
great working relationship with the county.
Please consider adding more support to the community cat
ordinance through a work partnership with For the Love of Cats for
the benefit of the public and our feline community.
Thank you for your time.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ms. Patterson, I know we've had
several discussions concerning that, and I think that -- I think the
Board is pretty supportive of trying to privatize some of those
operations that we're just not that good at and don't really need to be
that good at. And so I don't know what the status is, but perhaps you
could give us just a quick update. And are you able to work out
something with the Love of Cats?
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir. We have a follow-on meeting
coming up in a couple weeks to start to talk through the details of
what the partnership would look like and how we may be able to
phase in this type of partnership. So there's -- they have a robust
proposal, and I appreciate the detail and the effort that they put into
that, so we're looking to look at how we can start to develop this
partnership and grow it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: My assumption is the Commission
is totally in support of privatizing some of these functions; is that
accurate?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'm totally in support as long
as it makes sense. And I think we're going to get an update at our
next meeting in August, and then we can have some discussions in
our September budget hearings to make sure we're appropriating
accordingly. That's the way I'd like to travel.
July 8, 2025
Page 20
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Is that pretty much the consensus
of the Board that this is --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER HALL: (Nods head.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So we're going to
continue working on your proposal and working with staff to see
what we can come up with, but I think we all agree -- or we do all
agree that we need to do something differently than what we've been
doing, and your organization is certainly the one to look to to deal
with cats.
MS. RICH: Thank you. We greatly appreciate your support.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Patty Teulet. She'll be
followed by Ewa Front.
MS. TEULET: Good morning, everyone. My name is Patty
Teulet, and I have been a long-time volunteer at Domestic Animal
Services.
The comments I'm making today are shared by Laurie Harris,
also a DAS volunteer who is currently out of town.
As you are well aware, Naples is experiencing significant
population and economic growth. This is guaranteed to substantially
increase the number of stray dogs and cats throughout all of Collier
County. Sadly, in anticipation of this growth, an aggressive plan was
not put in place to mitigate backyard breeders and strays reproducing
in the streets. All of you today, as well as your predecessors, have
heard this ongoing, unnecessary, unaddressed problem within the
county. Mr. Kepp has been in front of the commissioners and the
DAS advisory board for many years to ask for help with this
problem.
I would like to thank you for your commitment to the current
renovation of the DAS facilities; however, to my knowledge, there
July 8, 2025
Page 21
was or is no plan to increase the number of dog kennels. Not a single
kennel has been added or expanded to house the big dogs since its
inception 30 years ago.
ACOs are the only way to gain control over this burgeoning
issue. In reading the ACO job description on Collier County website,
it reads like you must have experience as an EMT, a veterinarian, and
a police officer. All that for $22 an hour. You can make that hourly
wage at Costco, Walmart, Home Depot without getting attacked by a
dog or a person. The job description certainly needs a factual update
and creativity; it's unappealing and a bit gruesome in parts.
Lee County posted on Facebook to pull -- to begin to pull in
some interest for ACOs with six bullet points for the job description.
There should have been an aggressive plan years ago to end illegal
backyard breeders; a trap, neuter, and release cat program; spay and
neuter days for low-income families; and community educational
programs; plus the collection of fines.
What is the county government's plan to reduce the already
unburdened [sic] shelter, especially taking into consideration the
increased population and the lack of animal control officers, which I
believe we have now five, and we need 12?
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Ewa Front. She'll be
followed by Brian Gilmore.
MS. FRONT: Good morning, Mr. Chair, members of the Board.
My name is Ewa Front. I would like to ask for your help in
addressing current staffing challenges, specifically the surgical
veterinary position at Domestic Animal Services which has been
vacant since last September. This is a critical position for our
community's animal welfare. It's encouraging to see neighboring
organizations like the Gulf Coast Humane Society bringing on not
July 8, 2025
Page 22
one but two qualified veterinarians. This demonstrates that talented
professionals are available.
Public records -- how do I change that?
MR. MILLER: I do it.
MS. FRONT: Okay, thank you.
Public records indicate three applications are on file for this
crucial position in Collier County.
One before. Thank you.
Could we please get an update on the hiring process? Hiring our
own veterinarian at DAS would be a more fiscally beneficial solution
for both our animals and taxpayers rather than relying on third-party
outsourcing.
Next one. Thank you.
Domestic Animal Services, DAS, stray intake has surged by
20 percent in just one year for the same period of time. We will
double our DAS intake within four or five years, amounting to 10- or
12,000 animals a year.
Lee County -- next one, please. Lee County Domestic Animal
Services is successfully partnering with local veterinarians to trap,
neuter, return voucher program to provide free spay/neuter surgeries
for community cats. This collaboration directly addressed pet
overpopulation. We have seen -- we've been advocating for similar
solutions here in Collier County for a very long time.
Next one, please.
Our shelter is at a critical breaking point.
Next one, please.
We are seeing alarming reports from commissioners' updates,
social media, and county posts indicating overcapacity and the
potential for closing shelter intake. We are proud to be a no-kill
shelter, but this pride often overshadows the inurs growing suffering
just outside its walls. Homeless animals don't receive a little
July 8, 2025
Page 23
injection [sic] at our shelter. Instead, every single day of their lives is
a struggle, filled with agony leading to an unavoidable, slow, and
often agonizing death.
Imagine the terror of an animal suffering for days after a car
accident on the side of the road or a disabled cat or dog waiting for
death to finally bring some relief.
Commissioners, it is really difficult for me to understand. Your
hearts are clearly in the right place, championing solutions for our
community. The public is equally on the board stepping up with both
monetary support and hands-on help whenever the call is made. So
with this incredible collective will and unwavering support, why are
we not yet seeing the implementation of real lasting solutions that
will finally address the persistent animal suffering we are witnessing?
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Brian Gilmore, and he will
be followed on Zoom by Marsha Oenick.
MR. GILMORE: Good morning, Commissioners. Thank you
for hearing me today.
I'm going to read from a statement I wrote this morning. My
name is Brian Gilmore, and I am an owner and vice president of
Collier Seawall and Dock. We have served the residents of Collier
County to the very best of our ability for the past 20 years. We have
been good partners with the City of Marco and always try to do the
right thing.
The marine construction industry is unlike most any other
business in that our products must go from land to sea in order to
deliver what the people that move here or already live here want for
their seawall protection or dock enjoyment needs.
In Naples, we have The Landings that's managed by the City of
Naples, and on Marco, we're able to utilize vacant lots with the
July 8, 2025
Page 24
landowners' approval in accordance with a city code where rules are
followed and it becomes actually part of the permit.
We're operating like that. We're getting by but going forward
we're just seeing that vacant lots are becoming less and less due to the
home buildout, but the needs for our products and services are
becoming more and more.
If the county would consider making this an agenda item or
making a workshop, something to that effect, to look at a plan to
allow regulated use of Caxambas Park possibly before and after
normal business hours and the vacant area at the base of the Jolley
Bridge, this would help our efforts going forward into the future.
It's kind of funny about marine construction; nobody really
wants to see our barges and cranes till they need us.
Thank you for your time. I really appreciate it and hope you-all
consider this. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ms. Patterson, is there any
particular reason why we would not permit the rental of space at the
Jolley Bridge, or is that just something that is not doable?
MS. PATTERSON: So there's actually a long history on this
site. It, in the past, has been used for various activities, but the
interesting part about it is is actually right-of-way. So there's a
number of issues with the site, how people can access the site safely,
ingress and egress, the proper shielding of construction materials
from the road.
So we've worked in the past on ideas on how that can be done.
None of them are simple. And as these gentlemen have explained,
this is one of the last remaining deepwater accesses where you can
bring in a barge and barge materials around. The county has utilized
it for debris removal in the past, but it continues to be challenging on
how that can be safely managed for access and some other issues.
It would probably be beneficial for us to bring an agenda item
July 8, 2025
Page 25
back to lay out all of the challenges that are being experienced with
that site as well as the fact that it is the gateway to Marco Island. So
management of the site, if it's used, is incredibly important so that it
doesn't become an eyesore.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah. I would think that any cost
associated with the site -- the shielding of it, screening of it, the
access, any of that, would have to be borne by the industry.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: But I would assume that we could
actually turn that into a bit of a revenue source.
Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, it's in my district. I'm
not looking to make the front door of Marco Island, the base of the
bridge, a revenue source. It's not a vacant lot. It's an area owned by
the county that's used by citizens on a daily basis to fish, look at the
sunset, enjoy wildlife.
I realize the convenience it would be for our contractors to be
able to utilize this taxpayer and county-owned property and a cost
savings, you know, to them, but you know, I live on a canal, and
when people want their seawall replaced and they don't have -- and
the contractors don't have access, they pull up a barge to the seawall,
they replace the seawall. And it costs the person a bit more, but that's
the price you pay for, you know, living on the island. If I replaced
my seawall tomorrow, I would hire a company, and they would come
up with a barge, and they would fix it.
I don't -- I don't think, you know, using Caxambas, which is
already exploding at the seams -- and when I became a
commissioner, one of the things we stopped was using the base of the
Marco Island bridge as a convenience for these contractors.
Have we approved it on a case-by-case basis? Absolutely.
When the Marco Island Yacht Club was building all their docks and
July 8, 2025
Page 26
we didn't want to see trucks driving all over Marco, it made sense to
have that be a temporary staging area. They did exactly what our
chairman said. They -- you know, they fenced it off in minimum
time, and our handshake was, "Leave it better than you found," which
they did, and they only took a small piece of it.
But just, you know, blanket access to any contractor who wants
to use it and, you know, come and go is a great disservice, I think, to
the citizens of Marco who, you know, that's the front -- that's the
front door to Marco Island.
And there are other options. They're just less convenient and
more expensive. But my position -- and I've been working
with -- with our County Manager and the rest of the staff on
this -- and we've been taking things on a case-by-case basis.
But the question being asked is, "Just let us use it." And if you
go out there on a daily basis kicking out the citizens so that, you
know, barges can pull in and drop a bunch of concrete and
whatnot -- and we've had issues were it's lingered there for a while.
So I'm not against having a dialogue about it, but, you know,
this sits squarely in my district. I know how the citizens feel. There
are other options; they're just more expensive and less convenient.
And I don't think Caxambas exists for contractors to pull up barges
full of, you know, materials, and the base of the Jolley Bridge is the
front door to Marco Island, and the way it looks now is the way
citizens had always hoped to have it.
It doesn't mean we can't address, you know, a case-by-case
basis, but just saying, you know, every Tuesday, Thursday, and
Friday contractors have unfettered access to that area -- it's not a
vacant area. It's an area that's used by citizens on a regular basis.
And forcing them out because we're using it as a staging area or a
dumping ground for contractors for ease of use is not something I
would support and haven't supported it in most cases; not all, but
July 8, 2025
Page 27
most.
So we can talk about it at another time, but it's not something we
haven't discussed in great detail.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So let's just see if
there's -- apparently, there's no objection to at least having a
discussion. I would agree with you. I wouldn't want to chase the
public away. I've been out there -- I've been out there to take pictures
of birds from time to time, so I do see folks out there fishing.
I don't know if there's any way that that can be accommodated at
the same time. I don't know anything about the geography of that
particular island -- or area. But it sounded like, Commissioner
LoCastro, you didn't have an objection to at least having a discussion.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, we've had plenty of
discussions. If we need to make it a formal discussion in this forum,
you know, that's fine. But we've talked to all -- I've talked to these
contractors on a one-on-one basis and so has Ms. Scott and
Mr. French.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I don't want to waste anybody's
time. Let's just see if the Board has any interest in having an agenda
item on this. I would support having an agenda item. Not saying that
I would support doing anything differently than what we're doing, but
at least have the discussion.
What's the sense of the Board in terms of just having the
discussion?
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I mean, before you ask the
rest of the Board, I mean, I think this is something that's specific to
my district, and if it was in your district, I would be looking for you
to handle it? If it's something that's bigger than a breadbox and it
needs to come to this board for a vote, that would surprise me. But,
you know, I'll follow the will of the Board.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: No. The only reason I even
July 8, 2025
Page 28
mentioned that is because you said you weren't against having a
dialogue.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, I'm not in favor of it,
but, I mean, if it's the will of the Board -- but I think we're handling it
just fine on our own in District 1.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: What's the sense of the Board? Do
we --
COMMISSIONER HALL: I'm all in favor of letting him handle
it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'm fine with it for now.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Leave it the way it is.
All right.
MR. MILLER: We have one final public comment on Zoom,
Marsha Oenick.
Marsha, you're being prompted to unmute yourself. I see you've
done that. You have three minutes.
MS. OENICK: My name is Marsha Oenick. I'm a resident of
Naples Park. Thank you for your time.
You have heard me speak about Vanderbilt Beach Library in the
past. I remain committed to enabling its long-term future. I am also
very committed to the long-term success of the overall Collier
County library system.
After the budget workshop, I provided you the results of my
investigation of the per capita cost of the Collier County library
system versus some other Florida systems and reported to you that
the Collier County library system is a bargain compared to Lee
County, Sarasota County, and the City of St. Petersburg. I appreciate
that I received responses from two of you who read my report.
In summary, Collier County library system currently cost about
July 8, 2025
Page 29
$23 per capita. All the other systems examined cost 50 to
100 percent more per capita. I didn't show you that the Collier
County system also only has about 50 percent of the FTE headcount
per capita served compared with these systems. Frankly, we have
a -- we have a bargain here.
Since then, I have also carefully reviewed the charts ResourceX
provided to you at the budget workshop regarding the library. I was
surprised and, frankly, disappointed that for each and every program
area cited they suggested to you that 50 to 100 percent of the cost of
that budget line could be reduced or paid with alternative revenues. I
was shocked that the range was absolutely the same for each line
item, and no explanation was provided in these slides how the figures
were obtained.
For instance, what system has covered 100 percent of the cost of
their space with business partnerships, library development grants, or
consulting services? This slide talks great reduction in the cost of the
library system but, frankly, what is the evidence that it can be
achieved and, frankly, what is the target? Do we want $12 per
capita? $0 per capita? We need this established.
Some of the revenue strategies may well provide some relief to
the General Fund funding source and should be pursued, but all the
revenue strategies identified will require resources and time to effect
begging, perhaps, an increase in funding this year to get really serious
about capturing funding from elsewhere.
We are currently blessed with a terrific library system now
which, frankly, may be the benchmark for dollars spent per capita
and FTEs applied per capita.
It's clear we need realistic targets for the library system if we
want it to do even better than be first in class in cost.
I suggest you accept no further cuts to the library budget and
direct ResourceX efforts to other areas such as process improvements
July 8, 2025
Page 30
to the procurement system that they raised that apparently everyone
seeks and which would have significant positive impact to all aspects
of county work.
Process changes are hard and require substantial effort. Please
put them to work there instead.
Thank you for all you do. This is a difficult -- it's difficult to
manage all of the money that you have to spend over many, many
needs, and I appreciate your work very much. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: That's all of our public comment.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Ms. Patterson, we have
the 9:30 time-certain.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
Item #11A
RESOLUTION 2025-141: RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT A
RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE PROPOSED MILLAGE
RATES AS THE MAXIMUM PROPERTY TAX RATES TO BE
LEVIED IN FY 2025/26 AND REAFFIRM THE ADVERTISED
PUBLIC HEARING DATES IN SEPTEMBER 2025 FOR THE
BUDGET APPROVAL PROCESS. (CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON,
DIVISION DIRECTOR – CORPORATE FINANCIAL &
MANAGEMENT SERVICES) - MOTION TO APPROVE A RATE
NEUTRAL MILLAGE AND REAFFIRM THE ADVERTISED
PUBLIC HEARING DATES BY COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL;
SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LOCASTRO – ADOPTED
MS. PATTERSON: This is Item 11A, which is our 9:30
time-certain. This is a recommendation to adopt a resolution
establishing the proposed millage rates as the maximum property tax
July 8, 2025
Page 31
rates to be levied in FY '25/'26 and reaffirm the advertised public
hearing dates in September 2025 for the budget approval process.
Mr. Christopher Johnson, the division director of Corporate
Financial and Management Services, is here to present.
MR. JOHNSON: Thank you, Ms. Patterson.
Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Commissioners. For the record,
Christopher Johnson, your director of Financial and Management
Services.
Today, as Ms. Patterson stated, the Board will adopt a resolution
which establishes the proposed millage rates as the maximum
property rates to be levied for the FY '24 -- I'm sorry -- FY '25/'26
budget, and we're going to reaffirm our advertised public hearing
dates for the adoption of the '25/'26 amended tentative budgets on
September 4th, 2025, and the FY '25/'26 final millage rates and final
adopted Collier County budget on September 18th, 2025.
Today I'm going to briefly take you through the budget timeline,
we'll talk about the July taxable value that we received on 6/27, we'll
go through the proposed maximum millage rates, and finally, the
Board will adopt the maximum millage rate resolution.
Any questions before I move on?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Nope.
MR. JOHNSON: All right. Everybody knows this slide, so I'm
going to go through it really quick here. In the peach color, that is
what we've accomplished so far in the budget process. We had our
budget policy discussion in February, our strategic and priority-based
budgeting workshop in March. We adopted budget policy in March
as well. The Board received budget workshop documents at the
beginning of June. Last month on the 19th we had our priority-based
budgeting workshop, and today, in blue there, the Board -- as I stated
earlier, the Board will adopt the proposed millage rates as the
July 8, 2025
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maximum property rates to be levied in FY '26.
On the -- on or before the 15th, you will all receive your FY '26
tentative budget with a change schedule for any changes made since
the June workshop. From there, on or about August 4th, we will
certify to the Property Appraiser the maximum millage rates and
confirm our public hearings.
On or before August 24th, the Property Appraiser will send out
the TRIM notices to all of the property owners within with the
county. And then there in yellow you'll see 9/4/2025 is our first
public hearing that's scheduled. That will be at 5:05 p.m. in this
building. In the bottom in the yellow, on 9/18/2025 will be the
second and final public hearing, again, at 5:05 here in this building.
Any questions on the timeline?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I don't see any.
MR. JOHNSON: All right. I'll jump into the July taxable value.
As you can see here, this is the taxable value. The top three are our
countywide taxable values. They're all the same. They're the whole
county. The county has increased $12.9 billion from about
152 billion to $165 billion. Of that, 4.3 billion is net new taxable
value, which is utilized in the calculation of the rolled-back millage
rate.
Down at the bottom there you'll see the Unincorporated Area
General Fund, increase there of about 8.5 billion from 96.4 to
104.9 billion. Of that, 3.2 billion is considered net new taxable value.
And as I've stated before, the state ad valorem estimating
conference projects continued tax-base increases of about 7.8 percent
and 6.5 in '26 and '27. The overall percent changes this year were 8.5
countywide and 8.8 in the unincorporated area.
Any questions on any of that before I move on to the millage?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: No.
July 8, 2025
Page 33
MR. JOHNSON: All right. I'm sorry. This is just a chart that
depicts the last five years of taxable value increase from 2021 to 2025
or FY 2022 to 2026. In the General Fund or countywide, it's
increased about 58 percent, and in the unincorporated, approximately
59 percent over that five-year period.
All right. Onto the millage rates. This chart here depicts the
first column or one, two, three -- sorry, third column there is the prior
year adopted millage rates. In green there you'll see the current
rolled-back rate based on the July 1st taxable value, and in blue is the
millage-neutral rate which represents last year's adopted millage rate,
and then the differences are in the final column there between millage
neutral and rolled-back rate.
And we'll go to the more interesting part here, the tax dollars
associated with those rates. Here again, in the third column, you'll
see the prior year adopted tax dollars. You'll see the current year
rolled-back tax dollars, and in green there you'll see the variance
between last year and this year rolled-back. And then we have
millage neutral tax dollars and the variance between millage neutral
in the prior year in the blue, and finally, in the yellow you'll see the
difference between millage neutral and the rolled-back rate. So that
totals about 27.5 million countywide and 3.5 in the unincorporated
area.
Any questions on this?
(No response.)
MR. JOHNSON: All right. Now this slide, I think, paints
another picture that is pertinent. This is our tax scenarios versus
policy. So in yellow there you have the amount of the tax levy
projected in our policy. If you recall, we utilized a 5 percent increase
in policy. Then you have the rolled-back tax dollars and the variance
between the rolled-back and policy, which is about $11 million less
than the 5 percent for county -- for the countywide total and about
July 8, 2025
Page 34
1.1 million in the unincorporated area.
Then you have the millage neutral tax dollars and the variance
between millage neutral and policy. You can see countywide it's
about 16.4 million increased over policy, and the unincorporated area
is about $2.4 million.
Any questions on that?
(No response.)
MR. JOHNSON: All right. And I know this is kind of hard to
read here. It was included in your packet as well, but this is the roster
of proposed maximum millage rates. For the countywide millage
rates, that includes the General Fund, Water Pollution Control, and
Conservation Collier as well as the Unincorporated Area General
Fund millage rate, the proposed millage rates are at millage neutral.
It should be noted that these -- if these are adopted as the maximum
property tax rates, there will still be -- it's the maximum we can go.
In September we can still adjust accordingly.
And then below there you have your MSTU millage rates.
Those were all set at policy, which was for FY '26 operating
expenses, and any capital allocations.
Any questions on that?
(No response.)
MR. JOHNSON: This slide here just depicts the associated tax
levies. The tax levy for FY '26 at the maximum millage rates would
total $621.4 million. At the rolled-back rate, it's 589.8.
And with that, Commissioners, we have a recommendation to
adopt a resolution establishing the proposed maximum -- sorry -- the
proposed millage rates as the maximum property rates to be levied in
FY '25/'26 and reaffirm the advertised public hearing dates in
September 2025 for the budget approval process. Again, that's
September 4th and September 18th at 5:05 p.m.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
July 8, 2025
Page 35
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. Mr. Chair, I'd like
to -- I'd like to make a comment and then make a motion. But my
comment is it's important to understand that we're adopting our
proposed maximum tax rate today. We're not adopting the budget.
Staff has already come through and prepared the budget at
rolled-back from an expense standpoint plus 3 for O&M and 5 for
capital, if I'm not mistaken.
MR. JOHNSON: If I may, Commissioner. The budget was
built around the 3 percent for operating, the 5 percent for capital at an
overall 5 percent policy rate, was what that fit into.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That was the policy that was
set by the Board?
MR. JOHNSON: Correct, correct.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And that was fine for where
we're going. So with that, I'd -- I made it really simply. You made it
complex.
MR. JOHNSON: I apologize.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Cut it out.
I'd like to make a motion that we adopt the rate neutral from a
revenue standpoint.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Second.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and
second. We do have public comment?
MR. MILLER: We have one registered speaker, Brad Cornell.
MR. CORNELL: Good morning, Mr. Chair and
Commissioners. I'm Brad Cornell, and I'm here on behalf of
Audubon Western Everglades and Audubon Florida. Thank you for
the opportunity to briefly address you on the proposed millage rate
adoption for Fiscal '26.
A couple of comments. Conservation Collier millage rate has
been reduced over the past two years to 0.2096 mills from the
July 8, 2025
Page 36
long-time original voter referendum supported quarter mill, .25.
Audubon Western Everglades and Audubon Florida recommend the
adoption of a millage levy for Conservation Collier be returned to
that quarter mill that had been the long-time levy.
The primary rationale for increasing funding to restore -- is to
restore endowment style trust funds for perpetual management and
public access opportunities and obligations for the soon-to-be
6,400-plus acres of preserves, including the pending acquisition of
Williams' Farm.
The rationale also considers the need to increase the acreage of
both urban and large acreage preserves that are not being provided by
the state or the federal government or their programs.
So Audubon thanks you very much for considering our
recommendation to support the restoration of the Conservation
Collier quarter-mill levy. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
Anyone else?
MR. MILLER: No.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Mr. Johnson?
MR. JOHNSON: I would just need a motion and --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I made the motion. The only
thing I didn't add to my motion specifically, Mr. Chair, was the dates
for the public hearings, which was read into, so -- but -- neutral and
the budget hearings --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and
second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, all in favor, signify by
saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
July 8, 2025
Page 37
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
MR. JOHNSON: Thank you, Commissioners.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ms. Patterson, I think we can move
on to the 10 a.m.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
Item #11B
RECOMMENDATION TO ACCEPT THE TOURISM IMPACT
STUDY FOR THE SPORTS COMPLEX EXPANSION FOR THE
FUTURE PHASES OF THE PARADISE COAST SPORTS
COMPLEX. (JAY TUSA, DIVISION DIRECTOR - TOURISM) -
MOTION TO ACCEPT REPORT BY COMMISSIONER
MCDANIEL; SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HALL –
APPROVED
MS. PATTERSON: Item 11B is our 10 o'clock time-certain.
This is a recommendation to accept the tourism impact study for the
sports complex expansion for the future phases of the Paradise Coast
Sports Complex.
Mr. Jay Tusa, your director of tourism, is here to begin the
presentation.
MR. TUSA: Thank you, Ms. Patterson.
Good morning, Commissioners, Chairman. So this morning we
have two presentations for you. The first is for Paradise Coast Sports
Complex, the study that we did. So I've been working on this over
the past few months at your direction and then -- following your
discussion, then we'll have a presentation on Sun-N-Fun; that would
July 8, 2025
Page 38
be Item 11C.
And let's see. Next up, we will ask the Hunden representative,
Matthew Avila, to come up and do the presentation for Paradise
Coast Sports Complex.
MR. AVILLA: Commissioners, thank you for having me here
today. I'm very excited to present our final report -- or a summary of
the final report that you-all have had. We'll cover some of the main
items that we found throughout our assessment of the sports complex
as well as some of our recommendations for moving forward.
Next slide, please.
So to go over a little bit on why we were hired and some of the
items that we covered throughout this assessment, our goal was to
conduct a thorough market demand, financial feasibility, and
economic impact study for the sports complex as well as looking at
multiple scenarios for future expansion.
Next slide.
So to summarize our market findings, there's a few points here
that I want to touch on in terms of some of the items that we
evaluated throughout this study process. We looked closely at many
markets across the state in terms of softball, baseball, as well as
soccer, and then at the indoor sports landscape as well, looking at
basketball, volleyball, primarily, but also support sports that could be
played within those facilities.
To hit on a few key points, we found that baseball and softball,
there is a significant opportunity in the space and a lack of facilities
in the region. We understand that there are many competitive
facilities to the north of us. But in Collier County, excuse me, there
are -- there's a significant opportunity to attract tournaments and large
events here on the baseball landscape.
Those tournaments and events would occur during the summer
months, which we'll talk about here in a sec, where that is typically
July 8, 2025
Page 39
the slow period here, and we'll see some hotel data that supports that
here in a sec.
In terms of the soccer landscape, the facility is one of the most
premiere soccer complexes in the country. You-all are very blessed
with the caliber of the facility currently as well as the management
and FC Naples that plays there today.
In terms of basketball and volleyball, Central Florida is quite
crowded, and there are many projects that are in the pipeline on the
indoor landscape, so that is pushed -- and you'll see in our
recommendations -- to a later phase in the project, however can be up
for consideration with your all's guidance, especially looking at some
of the economic impacts that would generate and potential
fortification for storm and inclement weather.
In terms of the support space, the hotel industry perspective, we
spoke with many hoteliers as well as the hotel and restaurant
association and found that those sports travelers in the winter months,
they can't pay that -- that high rate that is currently in the market for
those hotel offerings, which makes it hard to make sense for those
tournament operators.
And then finally, in terms of best practices, we looked at many
national case studies within the state of Florida but also across the
industry in terms of flexibility and phasing of these projects and
found that many of them grow and evolve over time, which is exactly
what is occurring at Paradise Coast today.
Next slide, please.
So before I get into some of our findings and recommendations,
I wanted to touch on this because it is so important for the
conversation today, is the overall seasonality of RevPAR, which is
rate and occupancy, the multiple of the two, and those months where
you'll see the significant dips are those warmer months of the year in
the summer which, with those baseball and softball periods, we
July 8, 2025
Page 40
expect that to significantly be pulled upwards, which will be
incremental growth for the hotels and the overall economy in Collier
County, whereas those indoor sports, the basketball and volleyballs
tournaments that would come here would be during the winter
months where we already see a lot of visitation from soccer.
Next slide, please. So our recommendations have validated
some of the preliminary plans that have been completed for the
outdoor expansion of five softball diamonds and six baseball
diamonds. Those would be multipurpose and be able to play soccer
on the outfields.
We're recommending additional facilities in terms of food and
beverage to accommodate the additional fields. And then, finally, a
later phase for the indoor field house of six basketball courts, which
could accommodate 12 volleyball courts.
Next slide.
So to go through a few of the financial projections before we
open it up for questions and comments, we completed four scenarios,
one which is the current facility, the second is the recommended
outdoor elements, the third would be the recommended indoor
elements, and then the fourth would be full expansion of the complex
moving forward with both outdoor and indoor elements
recommended.
Next slide.
So to summarize some of our financial projections, we worked
with current management as well as staff to look at how the facility's
performing today and made projections based on our expectations for
additional tournaments. And as you can see, we're estimating a
significant growth in visitation of the complex under the
recommended Scenario 2, reaching over 517,000 visitors by
stabilization and an overall healthy financial performance for the
venue moving forward by elevating the summer months of the year,
July 8, 2025
Page 41
which will help with staffing as well as other maintenance and
upkeep of the facility.
Next slide.
To summarize some of our impacts here. For Scenario 2, our
recommended scenario, over a 30-year time frame, 18.8 million in
hotel tax generation for the county, and then the figures below are
those economic impacts in terms of spending, earnings, supported
jobs in the county, and total tax impact including sales tax in the
county.
Those net impacts would be compared to Scenario 1. So over
800,000 -- or 800 million, excuse me, in net spending with Scenario 2
expanding the outdoor facility.
Next slide.
So a few comments I wanted to make here. As mentioned,
Scenario 2, the recommended scenario having significant softball and
baseball tournaments. We're estimating 14 large softball events and
20 large baseball events upon stabilization, and significant additional
attendance related to those events and overall use of the facility.
Next slide.
So finally here, encapsulating everything discussed within this
presentation, I wanted to show a detailed chart which really hits home
on the point of elevating the room-night generation during the
summer months. So you'll see the current facility does not generate
significant room nights during the month of May through October,
but introducing those baseball and softball events will significantly
grow the room-night generation from the facility and across Collier
County due to that expansion of the outdoor facility, really hitting
home the point that TDC funds to support the outdoor expansion is
justified.
And with that, I'll open it up for comments and questions that
you-all may have.
July 8, 2025
Page 42
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Thank you, Chairman.
You know, we spoke yesterday, and I had some concerns. And,
you know, I just -- you know, in the back of my mind, I keep thinking
about summer months in South Florida, especially Southwest Florida,
having outside sporting events and bringing a lot of people in from
different parts of the country to participate in these big events. Our
weather's always an issue, and, you know -- and I expressed some
concern about that. Weather here is unpredictable. Weather here can
be torrential, dangerous, especially with lightning, things like that.
And I think we strive to have an experience here in Collier
County when people come here not to have a bad experience but a
good experience. And maybe there's a reason in South Florida they
don't have a lot of outside baseball, things like that, going on. I don't
know if that's a consideration in your study because of the weather.
And secondly, I notice -- if you go back two slides, I think it
was, you had those scenarios. Oh, one more. Go the other way.
Sorry. And did you take -- I see in here you do have something
called banquet special events.
MR. AVILLA: Yep.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: And you have numbers assigned
to those. Now, that, for indoor events, would be like -- things like
sporting shows, hunting shows, boat shows, things like that that
wouldn't be affected by the weather.
MR. AVILLA: Yep.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: And I look at the numbers you
even have here. You've got 58, 58, 73 -- are those the total? No,
those are the numbers. So you're showing almost a greater amount of
numbers for those type of events.
MR. AVILLA: Yep.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Wouldn't those be held more
July 8, 2025
Page 43
likely in a nice, large center --
MR. AVILLA: Correct. Yep, so --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: -- to protect it from the weather?
MR. AVILLA: Yeah. So we projected over 20 -- 20 additional
events that would be held within the indoor facility, so for that
scenario for getting over 82 special events. So that may be a boat
show. It may be a trade show or a gala that's held within the facility.
So we looked at some comparable facilities across the country. One
in our study was Legends Event Center in Bryan, Texas, so we
actually spoke with them throughout this study process and
understood how many special events they hold within their facility.
That's an eight-court venue in Bryan. So we programmed that in, and
those events are significantly beneficial and, obviously, aren't
exposed to the weather.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: And I'm just bringing it up
because it's just -- I don't have a problem with us needing to finish
this complex, because it's -- you know, it's our baby now, you know.
It's our job to get it done, but maybe one should be built before the
other before we're just jumping into something that -- you know, I
just -- that's just my opinion.
MR. AVILLA: Yep.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Listen, I've got four other people
up here that are going to make a decision and their own opinion, but I
just wanted to express that before we move forward.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. Good morning. Thank
you, Mr. Chair.
Ostensibly, I'm not in opposition of the consideration for this,
for what we're talking about here. The one thing that I haven't seen
enough of, I should probably say, is a detailed analysis of the O&M
July 8, 2025
Page 44
associated with the expansion of these facilities. That burden falls to
our tax base. O&M is operations and maintenance, by the way. That
burden falls to our tax base. I concur with Commissioner Kowal that
we need to -- there's at least a perception that we should finish this
park. But I have -- I have had other business adventures [sic]
that -- where expansion was recommended to me but we didn't make
any more money. As a matter of fact, when we expended more
money, we lost more money.
And so, for the world, I'm not saying yes or no to this expansion
until I see a far more detailed analysis on the O&M expected not just
from the operations and maintenance, but also a capital reserve for
replacement that comes along. We, as a government, haven't been as
steadfast in managing those capital assets appropriately for the
long-term haul.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: In terms of the operations and
maintenance -- I'm glad you're here, Adrian -- my understanding is
that the revenue from this facility currently covers -- I may be
mistaken on this, so it's a question. But I believe that the revenue
currently covers the operations and maintenance and that in the long
term, if we expand these facilities, we're not going to be looking to
the taxpayers for operating and maintenance funds. Is that close to
being accurate?
MR. MOSES: I'll address that. I'm Adrian Moses, general
manager of the Paradise Coast Sports Complex representing Sports
Facilities Companies.
To answer the questions, I'll address --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Start with mine first.
MR. MOSES: -- Commissioner McDaniel first and then your
question.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That's what I thought your question
was.
July 8, 2025
Page 45
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: No, it wasn't, but it's okay.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Who's going to be responsible for
operations and maintenance?
MR. MOSES: The projections that we have for the
development of future outfields takes a current nine-field complex,
which hopefully soon will be a 10-field complex, and increase it by
more than 50 percent in size to a 22-field complex -- sorry,
100 percent in size. What that doesn't reflect in our models of how
we operate facilities, that's not a 100 percent increase in staffing and
100 percent in -- we already have a general manager. We already
have a finance manager. We already have all of the staff that operate
the facility.
It's not a one-for-one increase when it comes to when we add
fields. It's not necessarily a complete there. We already have that
base of staff there. We will increase slightly on overhead in terms of
having, like, an events and tournaments manager for baseball and
softball, but it doesn't necessarily mean the increase. The increase in
revenue that we would see from the baseball and softball tournaments
in the summer would easily be enough to cover the increased amount
of COGS that we would spend in operating those -- operating those
events.
So when it comes to maintenance and the current financial
health of the sports complex, it's close. We're currently running
hundreds of thousands -- hundreds of thousands of dollars in our
operating budget.
In our way that our operating budget is reviewed and managed,
we have a separate budget for our landscaping and maintenance, and
it doesn't take into account things like capital improvements and
things like that; however, if you take everything that we are currently
operating this year with our facility, we're going to be very close to a
"cost even" minus the capital expenditures. The benefit of having
July 8, 2025
Page 46
these fields means that the amount of revenue that we would be able
to keep at a plateau over the year means that we would keep
consistent revenue over the year and be able to operate a profit.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I think the comment I would make
to the Board is that we don't have to make a decision today as to
which scenario we're going to go forward with. That's going to take a
whole lot more analysis.
The next agenda item deals with the sixth penny of tourist tax,
and I think I could say with a bit of certainty that if we don't move
forward with that, this discussion is just academic because we don't
have the money to do either Scenario 2 or 3 or 4 going forward.
So, again, this -- there's going to be a lot of discussion as to
which scenario we ultimately go with.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Right.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro -- are you
finished, Commissioner McDaniel?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Not yet.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And I certainly understand
there's an economy of scales that comes along. When you have a
certain amount of personnel, you have a certain amount of assets, you
can expand those asset base and better utilize the personnel
appropriation that you have.
But just -- from what I understand so far, overall, the park is still
operating at a deficit to a plus $2 million, 2.3 or so with exposure to
our tax base, and so that's -- those are the numbers that I'm wanting to
have a look at along with the capital reserves requisite to be able to
have asset replacement as we go.
We're -- we, Collier County, for an eternity has been really good
at building really pretty things, but we haven't brought into account
the long-term exposure for the capital asset replacement and then
July 8, 2025
Page 47
oftentimes even the ongoing maintenance. I'm not -- I mean, my
brain operates a little differently, but I know that aggregately out here
there are hundreds of millions of dollars of deficits that we have in
capital asset replacement and maintenance. Stormwater being one of
those. Roads and Bridges being another.
So I understand the overall economic viability of what we're
talking about, and I know we're going to have future conversations
with regard to this. I just was expressing a thought process that I've
been -- that I've been chewing on for a while to try to get happy with
this expansion and feel halfway certain that it's not going to create an
additional burden.
MR. MOSES: If I may, we have to look back before we look
forward. When the sports complex was initially struck and the plan
was built out, the operating contract that our organization had was
based upon the facility being built out with the baseball and softball
fields being built essentially to get the facility to a level of profit to be
able to cover its own costs. The whole plan was to have the facility
as its entirety to make sure that it wasn't a burden.
We are at our capacity at the moment. We're getting very, very
close to being in that crossover point where it can stand on its own
two feet legitimately, but ultimately, the complex was due to have a
deficit to begin with and then -- and then develop into a profit center.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'm aware of those things,
Adrian. And I hope you don't take what I'm saying as negative by
any stretch.
MR. MOSES: Yep.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: You folks are doing a
wonderful job.
MR. MOSES: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I can't express my thanks
enough. But if we have to look back, we've got to look back. It was
July 8, 2025
Page 48
represented to this board when I brought this item forward that this
was going to be a 60, $80 million TPC, total project cost. Right now
we're at 115 million, and we're staring at more, another -- depending
on what the ultimate costs are for this expansion are, we have to bring
that into the revenue stream as well. We have to capitalize for the
ongoing maintenance and repairs and such.
So there's both sides of that equation. And I'm just expressing
my thought processes with regard to that.
MR. MOSES: Understood, and thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yes.
Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Thank you, Chairman. When
we met, I made a comment, and I just wanted to go on the record and
repeat it. I was -- we all got a much more detailed -- multiple
detailed slides here. You're just showing sort of a summary, and I
just wanted to reiterate again, like, how impressed I was with the
depth and the options.
And, you know, one of the things I had said at a previous
meeting is, you know, don't show me 50 slides of an aerial view of a
baseball field. I know what it looks like. I want to see the dollars,
the cents, where the money's going.
And this was a really good start. I mean, if you went through all
four of those different slide packages, it was very close to what I was
looking for, if not spot on.
On the flip side, I'll just make this generic comment. I don't
want to get tunnel vision on the sports complex. So I know what was
promised and what we should do. And as I said in my office, "We
can do anything, but we can't do everything."
And tourism dollars can be used for lots of different things,
some things right now that are in a significant need/disrepair. So
before we put gold plating on top the platinum sports
July 8, 2025
Page 49
complex -- which might be the smart thing to do. So I don't say that
with sarcasm, but I don't think anybody drives by the sport complex
and goes, "Man, somebody better fix that place up. It's a total dump."
But we can drive by 10 different things right now, maybe 20, that are
a little less visible that actually could benefit from tourism dollars.
So I'm looking at the overall use of what -- we're so lucky to live
in a county where tourism dollars can be pulled. Many counties don't
have that advantage. But I don't want to get tunnel vision just on the
sports complex. I mean, look at the heroic efforts of the county staff
and Commissioner Hall had to do on Sun-N-Fun, you know, years
before, before he was even sitting in the seat. That could have been
maybe rescued with some tourism dollars and whatnot.
And like you say, we always want to look back. I want to look
back not just on the sports complex. I don't want to get tunnel vision
on the sports complex.
And, you know, my last comment will be a military one.
"Rising tide lifts all boats." So it's great if we have this Taj Mahal
sports complex with every field we need. Let's make sure we're not
doing it at the detriment of maybe some other things that also support
tourism that also need a helping hand.
I think Commissioner McDaniel even sort of touched on that a
little bit. We have to look at the whole big picture. But on the
positive note, I'll just reiterate again, really great job not just on the
couple of slides you're showing here but on the complete set you sent
all of us. It was -- it was very helpful, and you can tell a lot of effort
went into it, and that's what we need. These are big dollars here. We
don't want to see two slides and then just say, you know, "yay" or
"nay." We're trying to all do a deep dive and make a smart financial
decision on where tourism dollars are best invested, not just spent.
So I know we still have some work to do, but thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
July 8, 2025
Page 50
COMMISSIONER HALL: Thank you, Chairman.
Matthew, good job on this and, Mr. Tusa, good job streamlining
it for us.
I think the mainest thing that we have to remember today is that
this study is required so that we can use TDT funds if we -- if we
decide to do whatever scenario or at all.
And I could just echo everybody. Besides the return on -- what's
the real return on investment? You know, it's not money spent. It's
money invested. Invested money you get back. Spent money you
never do.
It's -- there's things to consider. Like Chairman McDaniel said,
the capital reserves, we've seen -- we've seen the results of some of
our county assets being deteriorated over 20 years with no real capital
plan to put anything back into it: Sun-N-Fun.
And the other thing that has not been mentioned that I think we
do need to consider at some point is the debt that's already incurred,
to pay back and include that debt service in any financial figures that
we come across.
I love -- I think that softball and baseball can be played in the
summer. I think that they can plan to do things early. Yes, we have
afternoon rains, but there's still -- there's still half a day. We play
tennis. We play golf. We play -- we ride our bikes. We do all kinds
of things early, and I think that that can be incorporated. So I don't
think that's exactly a deal killer, but it's a concern.
I do want to say again, thanks for the thorough explanation, the
thorough study of it that will allow us, if we choose, to move
forward.
Perfect. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. And just, I guess -- do
we have any registered speakers on this particular item?
MR. MILLER: We do not, sir.
July 8, 2025
Page 51
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. Then we need a motion to
accept the report, and in terms of what scenarios we ultimately go to,
if any, that will be for a future discussion. And as I said, that
discussion becomes somewhat academic if we don't have revenue to
move forward, and that's going to be the next -- the next item.
I do want to say something on Sun-N-Fun. And, Commissioner
Hall, you did a wonderful job in getting that done. But I get a little
bit of a twinge every time I hear someone say, "Well, we just ignored
that." The County Commission did not ignore Sun-N-Fun. The
county staff did. And I don't generally criticize staff, but I'm talking
about staff members that are no longer on our staff.
But in 2017, the County Commission set aside $17 million for
maintenance and repairs of our aquatic facilities. In 2024, I think we
still had $17 million in the bank. That was not the fault of the
Commission.
So when we start criticizing past commissions on ignoring, you
know, Sun-N-Fun and that sort of thing -- and I'm not saying that's
what you're doing, but I just want the public to know that we
had -- we had a staff issue there that ignored that, and so we'll move
on.
Commissioner McDaniel, you had some additional --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'm going to make a motion
for acceptance of the report.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I just want to make a
comment, and it's no disrespect to what you're saying. And I get that,
but I also think our job is to also monitor our districts, and if we think
the county staff is dropping the ball, then our job is to sit here in a
meeting or to call people in and say, "Hey, I've got a park that has
been dysfunctional for a year or two. What the hell are you guys
doing with the money?" So I look at it as when we say "county
staff," that's us, too.
July 8, 2025
Page 52
So, you know, I definitely hear what you're saying, but -- you
know, we're looking forward, but I know when I make a comment
and I say something like, looking back, would have, could have,
should have, I just think that's part of the learning process. We can't
go backwards. But I'll just speak for me, I consider myself county
staff. And if I drive by Donna Fiala's park and I think the furniture is
in disarray, which it is -- and I met with Mr. French and I said, "I'd
like to plan for putting, you know, lounge chairs out there that aren't
broken and rusty and that sort of thing," you know, then we make a
plan. So I think it is a team effort.
And I'm proud of the five people that are up here because I see
us working a lot closer with county staff, and when we see something
or -- and we did the same thing, I think, with Conservation Collier.
And maybe Brad Cornell will disagree with me, but I think we took a
look and did a deeper dive and said, "Hey, there's a ton of money
sitting in the bank somewhere. How's it being spent?"
So I look at it as it's part of our responsibility as well, and it's not
throwing stones or anything or -- but, you know, I'm not sitting back
waiting for the county staff to make my district look better. I want to
work with them, and, you know -- and I'll get it back in the lane here.
And for the today, right now, we, five of us, are committed to making
sure that, you know, whether it's tourism dollars or it's our county
money, from other pots, are invested properly, and it's your job to
prove to us the best way that you recommend steering those dollars.
And hopefully we've learned from some things in the past that we
don't repeat, and I think -- I think we have.
But, you know, I'm county staff. I have a badge just like
everybody else in this audience, and I think that, you know, we
all -- we all get the credit, and we all get the blame, you know. We're
one team.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And I will fully admit that I didn't
July 8, 2025
Page 53
go over to Sun-N-Fun and look at the internal plumbing of that
facility. And if I did, I don't think I would have known what I was
looking at.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Not your district?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And it's not my district. But I just
want the public to understand that the Commission did set aside the
funds for that and it just didn't get spent.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Absolutely.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Thank you.
I just want to echo, when I make the comments of, "For 20 years
things went south," I'm not -- there's no would have, could have,
should -- there's no blame for anyone. But I do know that we've
rebuilt it. It's in a great -- it's in great shape, and we have a renewed
commitment to maintain it and to watch over it and love it for years
to come.
And I just want to say again, publicly, thank you to Mr. French,
Mr. Hanrahan, Mr. DeLony and all of the staff that worked
tirelessly --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Can we clarify that to be the
young DeLony?
COMMISSIONER HALL: We can.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Not the old guy? He didn't do
anything.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Yeah, the pretty one.
But, no, they worked tirelessly. They worked -- there was a lot
of obstacles that came up, including a bad concrete pour right there in
the 23rd hour, and they came -- they got through that. They got the
contractor on board. There was a lot of things that had to come
through at the last minute just to get opened by July the 4th.
And I'm glad to report that on Saturday this week, last week, we
July 8, 2025
Page 54
had over 800 visitors. So Sun-N-Fun is back in the saddle.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Thank you, Chairman. Since my
colleagues up here kind of are going back and forth about investment
to profit and debt and things like that, I have to ask our comptroller a
quick question, because we had -- I had this question -- yesterday we
had raised it when we were speaking in reference to I think it was
Phase 2.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: You can come up.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: There was about $16 million
borrowed from the tourism tax fund for Phase 2 of the sports
complex?
MS. KINZEL: Yes. Thank you. For the record, Crystal Kinzel,
comptroller.
Yes, there's 60 million split between the beach facilities funding
and the beach park funding. Yes, beach park facilities has 6.8, beach
renourishment about 9.4 remaining, and the total debt out is
88 million on the pure debt that was borrowed in the reference from
Commissioner McDaniel. The other two, the 16- is on top of the 88-.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: So that was monies that was
taken out of tourism tax that was designated for specific things like
beach renourishment, things like that.
MS. KINZEL: And went towards this. We're paying that back
at about 500,000 a year, which -- divide 16 million by that, and --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Thirty-two years.
MS. KINZEL: -- we will probably never see that back in, so...
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That's only eight years.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: So I guess my reasoning behind
this is today we're going to vote on a 16 --
MS. KINZEL: Please don't let Commissioner McDaniel do the
math for you. Call me up anytime. Thank you.
July 8, 2025
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COMMISSIONER KOWAL: It's, like, 32 years.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Sorry about that. That was
bad --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: But I know today is -- our
discussion is the sixth-cent tax that, you know, we want to get on the
ballot for '26, November, I believe.
So I think we have to understand that we've already been taking
money from this fund, this account. So, I mean, is this something
that we will be repaying ourself back from that sixth cent, or is it just
purely going to go towards --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Let's get through this right
now.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I know. I'm just -- I'm just
saying, you know, we're trying to collect more money from the
citizens, and we've -- we need to give some money back to the
citizens.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We've got to be careful when we
say, "Collecting money from the citizens." This sixth penny is
collecting money from our tourists, not from our --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Okay. All right.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And that's going to be the
distinction that we're going to have to make if the Board moves
forward is that this is a tax that our visitors pay, not our citizens pay.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I understand that.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Not that our visitors aren't citizens.
A lot of them aren't, but some are.
All right. So we have a motion and a second to accept the
report.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Did anybody second it?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: It's been seconded.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Yes, Chris seconded it.
July 8, 2025
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Let's go ahead and go through that,
and then we'll take a break. All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
Let's come back at quarter to 11 --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: 10:45.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Or 10:45, if you would prefer.
(A recess was had from 10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.)
MS. PATTERSON: Chair, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll
please take your seats, we're going to reconvene.
Ms. Patterson.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
Item #10A
RECOMMENDATION TO DIRECT THE COUNTY ATTORNEY
TO ADVERTISE AN ORDINANCE FOR THE PURPOSE OF
LEVYING AND IMPOSING THE 6TH CENT OF THE TOURIST
DEVELOPMENT TAX SUBJECT TO APPROVAL BY THE
VOTERS OF COLLIER COUNTY AT THE GENERAL ELECTION
ON NOVEMBER 4, 2026 - MOTION TO APPROVE BY
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS; SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER HALL – APPROVED 5/0; MOTION TO
APPROVE THE COMPLETION OF FIELD #9 AT PARADISE
July 8, 2025
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COAST SPORTS COMPLEX BY COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS;
SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL – APPROVED
MS. PATTERSON: That brings us to our next time-certain.
That is Item 10A. This is a recommendation to direct the County
Attorney to advertise an ordinance for the purposes of levying and
imposing the sixth cent of the tourist development tax subject to
approval by the voters of Collier County at the general election on
November 24th, 2026.
Again, Mr. Jay Tusa, your director of Tourism, is here to
present.
MR. TUSA: Hello again, Commissioners, Mr. Chairman.
So this agenda item is to kind of piggyback on our last agenda
item with the Paradise Sports Complex, and this will be the funding
mechanism for the expansion. And so this would be a referendum to
the voters to implement a sixth penny of tourist development tax
funds.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Let me make a few
comments. I brought this before the Board about a month or so ago
just to get everybody used to the idea that perhaps this would be
something to consider with the intent of bringing it back today and
actually making a motion to move forward with the referendum.
So there are several people here that have a lot of knowledge
about this particular issue, including Jay Tusa, but I don't know that
it's going to be necessary to hear from them, but I want to make a few
comments in case the Board needs some additional information.
I've been working with the Chamber of Commerce, with the
Florida -- the Collier County Chapter of the Florida Restaurant and
Lodging Association, and I believe Chris Lopez is here to talk about
that, with the understanding that this is not something that will
ultimately pass if the Board votes to put this on the ballot unless we
July 8, 2025
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have the business community behind it, because the business
community is able to raise money and do a campaign.
Now, in addition to trying to get the business community behind
this issue, I'll be working with some of the soccer families, some of
the soccer and amateur sports folks in our community, which is
really -- a very large proportion of our ad valorem taxpayers and
citizens of this community have kids that participate in soccer and
softball and baseball, and they're going to understand that in a way
to -- the way to enhance the facilities for those activities is to approve
this, is to vote for this.
And the key issue will be informing our voters that this is a levy
imposed on our tourists to help complete these facilities and our
beach renourishment and other things going forward. It's not a tax on
our ad valorem taxpayers. So that's going to be critically important.
And I hope that -- if this is approved by the Board to go forward, I
hope that the entire commission takes an opportunity to inform
their -- their voters in their different emails that you send out, your
monthly newsletters, let people know what this really is about and
that it really is a tax on our visitors.
I think -- we had a really interesting conversation about the
Hunden report. We're going to have some more discussion about the
Hunden report as it relates to the Sun-N-Fun. But that whole
discussion, as I said, is totally academic; if we don't approve this
sixth penny, there is no way to move forward with completion of the
Paradise park.
Now, this sixth penny will generate somewhere around 9 to $10
million a year, and that -- only about 70 percent of it can be used for
a project like the Paradise Coast. And so there will be plenty of
money available from that penny for additional advertising for other
types of projects that the county may want to work on, for beach
renourishment as an example. And once Sun-N-Fun is -- or Paradise
July 8, 2025
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Coast is completed, there will still be -- that tourist tax will continue,
so that will be a long-term benefit for the community.
The restaurant association, the lodging association, they
recognize that this will generate a lot of tourism dollars going
forward for the community and will help sustain that industry in our
community.
And so that's the basis for my bringing this forward is that,
again, I see this as the only way to go forward if we're going to do
any of these types of things. But it's not just limited to Paradise
Coast.
We have a couple commissioners lit up, and again, for the
Commission, we do have plenty of folks here in the audience that can
provide some insight. I would like Mr. Lopez, if he would come on
up, just to confirm what I've said in terms of the restaurant and
lodging association in terms of recognizing the potential importance
of this.
MR. LOPEZ: Of course. Thank you, Chairman,
Commissioners. Appreciate your time and consideration this
morning.
Chris Lopez, regional director for the Florida Restaurant and
Lodging Association here in Southwest Florida.
Yeah, we've had some really robust conversations. Our Collier
chapter is made up of many of the business management and business
ownership here and our restaurant and lodging space and our resort
space are really excited about this opportunity.
There -- you know, I did just some quick research for a
comparison. Sarasota County, 6 percent bed tax; Palm Beach
County, 6 percent bed tax; Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, 6 percent bed
tax.
I think those are some comparable markets to what we have here
in Naples with the resort style, the water style, and the breadth
July 8, 2025
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of -- and the options of lodging and things that we have here.
So, you know, I think that this will be certainly an opportunity
for the industry to get in front and educate our electorate that this is
not a tax on the citizenry of Collier County. This is a tax on every
visitor that comes in and spends one night in a hotel or short-term
rental of less than six months here in Collier County. So it's a
tremendous opportunity.
Commissioner Saunders is correct, we've had some great
stakeholder engagement meetings as well as some additional
meetings with our FRLA chapter and our members. We look forward
to the opportunity to educating the community, educating our own
members on this, and really driving what could be some really great
dollars that we can invest in the future on many of the projects
around the county.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. There is a young lady in the
audience, Veronica. If you wouldn't mind coming up for just a quick
minute. And I apologize, I did not get your last name. So when you
get up here, I'm just going to ask you a quick question. I hate to put
you on the spot. I met you yesterday at our meeting concerning this
issue, and you had some really interesting comments in terms of what
your organization does and the facilities that are needed for our kids
to play soccer and other sports.
For the record, though, could you state your name?
MS. DOCIO: Sure. My name is Veronica Docio, and I'm
founder and director of Naples United FC. Naples United FC is a
soccer -- there's three arms to it. There's a soccer academy; there's a
foundation. It's called Soccer for All; and then we have our first team
that represents Naples at the semiprofessional level.
So that first team gives opportunity to our youth that are
learning how to play soccer, in Naples, an opportunity to showcase
their talent and obtain a future within the sport, whether it's
July 8, 2025
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professional soccer or college scholarships.
Then we have our non-for-profit side of it, our foundation,
which we work with organizations like Youth Haven and Salvation
Army, and we provide at youth homeless kids an opportunity to
participate within our program for free or at very little cost.
So that's why we need these fields. Right now I have
12-year-olds training at 10 p.m., because we don't have enough
fields. Part of our growth this year was within the Youth Haven and
Salvation Army. We're giving those kids opportunity to play with an
organization through our Soccer for All initiative, and now we have
to come up with creative ways with Paradise Sports Complex to be
able to accommodate those kids within our program because of the
lack of the fields.
So Naples is growing tremendously. We need to keep our kids
on the pitch. We need to keep these kids playing soccer and
participating in sports and away from the streets, the couch, the TV,
the drugs and everything that comes after. So that's my --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you very much. I just
wanted the Board -- we all know the importance of soccer and other
youth sports to our kids here, but I thought having you give a real-life
story as to what you have to go through just for your organization to
get kids on soccer fields, so thank you very much.
MS. DOCIO: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
You know, I want to -- I wanted to say out loud that, ostensibly,
I'm not in opposition of bringing this initiative forward and putting it
on the ballot, but I also want to say at the same time -- in a previous
discussion we talked about ongoing operational expenses associated
with these new capital expenditures, the overall exposure to our tax
base that comes along with that. And I really want to dive into those
July 8, 2025
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specifics with knowns that we have with operational exposures as
well as future capital investments that are requisite out of the revenue
streams that we have, in fact, coming.
I also want to say that there's an elephant in the room that
we -- that has to do with this, and this has to do with the capacity of
our landfill. That is a critical life-sustaining necessity that has a huge
impact on overall business all the way across the board. And there
were decisions made by previous boards to encroach upon those
lands and those holdings for this facility at all.
And so as we're moving forward with this robust adventure to
expand this facility and build the ball fields and do the indoor field
house, I would also like to be -- I would like to remind everybody
that there are other -- there are other issues on a particularly larger
scale that impact our whole community that are going to be infringed
upon with this -- with this expansion if we don't make some different
adjustments in how we're managing our overall waste collection.
And then last but not least -- and again, this is up for future
discussion, but one of the things that sold me on Paradise Coast in the
first place was the 80,000-square-foot indoor Cat 5 stadium inside the
dam of I-75, and that is protection for all of our residents when the
inevitable next storm surge comes inside I-75.
And although I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes have
selective memory -- and somebody in that back row reminded me
that maybe the phasing of this got changed around, but I had it in my
brain early on that that stadium was going to be one of the first assets
that was constructed over there, and now it's been moved off to, in
this -- in this proposal it's been moved off to three to five years out.
So as we're moving through this process, if, in fact, this board
votes to put this on the referenda next year in November, I just want
to make sure that we're giving due consideration to a multifaceted
approach with regard to how we're utilizing these funds.
July 8, 2025
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Thank you, Chairman.
One of the things that county elected officials did that I thought
was really smart -- it predates me -- is the last time they voted to put
something on the ballot and have citizens decide on an added tax is
they had a laundry list of things that that money could support, and I
think the reason it was attractive to citizens is they saw how diverse
and how important a lot of those things were. Mental health. There
was a bunch of other things. I said this at the last meeting, we don't
want this to sound like the Paradise Coast Sports Complex tax.
The other thing I would -- so I think -- and I think the Chairman
even alluded to it. There's some other things that, you know, people
need to understand. Number one, where the money's coming from.
And lastly, I'll just say, when I was first elected -- and I'm sure
Commissioner Saunders and Commissioner McDaniel, they would
even echo this from the more years they've served here -- there used
to be Press all sitting in the back here. In fact, there was two rows
reserved for Press, right? Now they all watch it on Zoom.
Press, if you're listening, please get this correct, because two
meetings ago, I think it was, we had a citrus grove owner who wanted
to ask our permission to at least move forward with the request to no
longer pick oranges, and land that he owns, he would like to pursue
the request -- which is very complicated to -- possibly build
something on his property.
And when we voted to allow that legal request to go forward, of
course, I made a comment, "Hey, Press, please get it right. I don't
want to see on the front page of the paper, 'Idiot commissioners
approved 2,000 houses in an area that won't hold that.'"
And what do you think that some of social media and the Press
had? That exact twist. We don't want that to happen here.
Number one, we're not approving any tax, okay. We're
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approving, if it got approved, the ability to put it on -- to have the
citizens vote for it.
And so you wait and see tomorrow, somebody will report,
"Commissioners raise our taxes," and, of course, we're not doing that.
But lastly, like what I'll echo -- and to Commissioner
McDaniel's point, you meant field house. You were saying stadium,
but I think the term we were using about the Cat 5 was the field
house, but, you know --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I said the wrong thing?
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, you were saying
"stadium," so I was just --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Forgive me.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Mox nix.
But, lastly, you know, like I said, looking at all the things that
those dollars, if it was passed, could be used for and making sure
that's part of the advertisement would be very beneficial, as it was
last time, when we had a large list and citizens approved it, and then
we picked those things off one by one. Field house is -- or the sports
complex is obviously a big leader, but it's not the only thing, and I
think if we don't get this out -- get this out correctly, if it does pass, it
runs the risk of, "Oh, we're taxing citizens to -- you know, to increase
the size of the Paradise Coast Sports Complex," which that wouldn't
be what we're doing, and we're not voting to collect any more tax.
It's to allow the citizens to decide.
So whoever's listening, just want to make sure you're taking
good notes and you're helping us educate the public as well as to the
possibility of what we're discussing today.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Thank you, Chairman.
I just -- this is more of an educational question for myself. But I
July 8, 2025
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know the young lady just spoke in reference to their soccer
organizations and leagues. Now, I know when my children were
young, they participated in our football clubs here, you know, the
Naples Bears, the Hurricanes. We always had access to the schools,
the public schools, their fields, the football fields. We had our games
there on Saturday. Is that not an option for you to use the schools for
soccer?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Veronica -- I'm sorry. Veronica,
you'll have to come up to the microphone.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I'm sorry. I just --
MS. DOCIO: It's not for multiple reasons. One is a lot of the
fields don't have lighting. For example, a lot of middle schools don't
have lighting. The -- our busiest -- you know, when -- the fall season
and the spring season is for sports in the U.S., it's also when high
schools are playing sports, multiple. So, like, the stadiums are being
used for soccer and for every other sport that the school needs. So it's
not available to us to rent --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Okay.
MS. DOCIO: -- during our highest season, our highest demand
for fields.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I was just curious, because we
used to use them on the weekends, and we had our practices usually
off field.
MS. DOCIO: Yes. No. Unfortunately, you know, schools are
busy with their own programming to be able to rent it out to clubs
and organizations outside of their school. We may get lucky once or
twice, but we can't run a program depending on that.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: No. I mean as a possibility to use
them. That's what I meant. Like, as an option.
MS. DOCIO: Yeah. I mean, it's a possibility, but they're too
busy for us to depend on them. We need, you know, the county
July 8, 2025
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fields.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I appreciate that. Thank you.
MS. DOCIO: No problem.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: If you'd stay there. When I
get called on, I have a question for you, so -- but I don't think I'm
next.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: You can have a seat if you want,
though.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Stay close.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Kowal, are you --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I'm done. Yeah, I just was
curious, because we've used them in the past.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Thank you, Chairman.
I just have a question. If we move forward with this, who gets
to choose the ballot language?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: The ballot language is set by
statute to -- that's a legal question for Mr. --
MR. KLATZKOW: It's in the ordinance.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It's in the ordinance.
MR. KLATZKOW: That will be the language.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Well, it's a good question. Are we
able -- we can change -- can we change that language?
MR. KLATZKOW: It's pretty much statutorily set.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We can --
COMMISSIONER HALL: I just hate the double -- when I look
at the ballot sometimes on these amendments or whatever, it's the
double negative, "What happens if," "Only when." I mean, it's
like -- I just want to make sure that the people know exactly what
they're voting for and it's plain and it's simple and it's up front.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Do you want me to read it?
July 8, 2025
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COMMISSIONER HALL: Go for it.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: (As read:) Shall Collier
County ordinance...be approved authorizing Collier County to levy
and collect an additional 1 percent -- and it should say one
cent -- tourist development tax from all short-term rentals in order to
provide additional revenue to fund promotion related to infrastructure
and improvements and other authorized uses as set forth in the statute
125.0101 -- or 04, Florida Statute. Don't write down misspoken
words, please.
COMMISSIONER HALL: All right.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It's right here. It's in the --
COMMISSIONER HALL: I'm glad. I just wanted to clarify for
my pea brain.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Now, it doesn't answer the
question. Can we modify that question if it's not clear enough?
MR. KLATZKOW: The statute requires that language.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. So there you go.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Thank you, sir.
Ma'am, I wanted to just piggyback off of Commissioner Kowal's
question, because I do get this question a lot. You've already
answered it. That was one of the questions I get is, you know, "How
about the schools?"
But the second part is, "Where did all these kids play soccer
before the sport complex was built?" And I think your answer's
going to be, "There weren't as many playing, but now that we have a
location, it has attracted more people."
Is that the answer, or are we building a sports complex so
businesses can come in and run big soccer tournaments and things
like that?
And yes, it does bring revenue into the county and hotels and
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gas and all that. But, you know, there's some citizens out there -- and
I've said this before. And I'm just speaking for my constituents that
think the sports complex is finished or that we've built something
that, much like sometimes we take hits where our county parks are
being used by businesses to run, you know, jet ski operations and this
and that and not as much revenue is coming back to us, somebody's
paying an $8 launch fee, and then they're making $400,000 a year.
In the case of your business, your organization or whatnot, it's
grown because the sports complex exists? That's sort of part one. Is
that true or, you know, like Commissioner Kowal said, where were
all these kids playing soccer before the sports complex?
MS. DOCIO: So, you know, from our experience as an
organization, we grow throughout the entire year. So for those of you
that are aware how the soccer works is there's tryout season, right?
And usually the clubs grow within that tryout season. But for us, we
grow steady of people moving in to Naples with kids looking for
soccer.
Another thing is soccer within the United States is growing as
well. Now we have the World Cup coming up next year. We have
the club -- the World Cup of Clubs. So the interest of the sport
within our community has grown as well.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: But if we didn't have these
fields, then you wouldn't be able to grow at the rate you're growing. I
mean, that's an obvious question, right? I mean, because you already
answered you can't use the high schools the way you used to. So I
guess what I'm trying to figure out is if the sports complex was not
existent, you wouldn't be able to grow exponentially as you are.
MS. DOCIO: Correct. I mean, our home is Paradise Coast as a
club. Before Paradise Coast existed -- our first team has been around
since 2017. We used the high schools for our home games, but we
couldn't develop that -- we couldn't do that developmental program
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because we didn't have the fields.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Right. Okay.
MS. DOCIO: So -- but if Paradise Coast didn't exist, you would
have a demand within the -- it would have to exist eventually because
the demand for -- kids are moving in, families are growing, the
community is growing from the family perspective, so it's a need that
you would have.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay. Thank you, ma'am.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. I just had one quick
question, and it had to do -- it popped into my head with the
adjustment in the language. At what stage, if we -- because there's
still further data and analysis requisite for this borrowing, utilization
of these funds for expansion of the park. At what stage can we stop
the referenda if for some reason this board chose to -- wasn't happy
with the financial analysis for the ongoing operations, O&M, capital
replacement? How -- at what stage do we have to stop the referenda?
MR. KLATZKOW: The referendum calls for a 2026 vote.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes, sir.
MR. KLATZKOW: So the Supervisor of Election is not going
to do this for at least a year, year and a half, put this language
together. You can always rescind the ordinance, and that would end
it.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. So -- and is there a
specific time frame -- because I think there's something within the
SOE's office that we have to have it done and approved by a certain
date, like in June or July or something --
MR. KLATZKOW: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- of next year.
MR. KLATZKOW: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. Okay. So it's about a
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year away from now. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Commissioner
McDaniel, anything else?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'm good.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right.
All right. I'm going to make two motions this morning in
reference to this. One is obviously to move forward with the
referendum. And as the County Attorney said, if the Board decides
to rescind the ordinance at some point, that's the option of the Board.
It just takes a simple majority vote. I'm hoping that this is a
unanimous vote this morning, and I'm hoping that the Board
recognizes that the business community's support and the lodging and
restaurant association's support is really based on a couple things.
They want to know what this penny's going to be spent for, and we
have an obligation to let them know that, but they also acknowledge
that the Paradise Coast park is a very important component of this,
and so I'm hoping that we recognize that.
There was one thing that was said by Matthew with the -- with
Hunden that I think is -- it really kind of hit home with me. He said
that this Paradise Coast is the premiere soccer complex in the
country. Now, we didn't set out to make the premier soccer complex
in the country. We set out to make a first-class facility for our kids to
have a place to play soccer and other sports as well as attracting
tournaments.
And so what we've built, quite frankly, is a gem. And I think
that this will be -- when we finish, this will be a gem that will serve
this community for the next 50 years, long after all of us are gone.
And also just -- and I say this every time this issue comes up.
This is not just a business where we're just trying to generate revenue
and make a ton of money. We will make money on this park in terms
of the operation and maintenance. Will we ever get the capital costs
July 8, 2025
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back? No, that never was the thought.
This is not one of those types of businesses where you have a
return on investment and you get your investment back and you make
money. It's a -- it's a regional park, and we don't make any money in
terms of capital return on any of our regional parks. Big Corkscrew's
a perfect example. That's going to be a $100 million park. There'll
be no return on investment on this.
And so I'm hoping that the Board recognizes that this is a
facility that will serve the citizens of this community as a regional
park for decades to come and also will generate revenue for the
county in terms of the cost of running this park but will, more
importantly, generate tourism in terms of the revenue for the park.
So my first motion -- I am going to make two motions. My first
motion is move forward with the referendum to direct staff to take
whatever action's necessary to place this on the ballot for
November of 2026 and to -- hopefully the Commission will continue
to work with our business organizations to promote this. I know we
cannot spend money promoting, but that's the motion is to move
forward with this.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I'll second it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We have a motion and a second.
Any further discussion? Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Just one, and that is just -- I'm
in support of the motion, just so you know. But as a
portion -- County Manager, as a portion of the analysis -- because
we've had some discussion about people utilizing our fields. I'd like
an aggregate inventory of our fields, all of our fields, park and school
system, and the availability of those in this analysis going forward,
please.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and a
July 8, 2025
Page 72
second. I see no further discussion. All -- do we have registered
speakers in addition to --
MR. MILLER: We did not, only the gentleman that spoke, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and
second. All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
Second motion, related but on a slightly different subject.
Many, many months ago, we discussed the completion of Field
No. 9, and I believe the Board was unanimous in going forward with
that. There may have been a negative vote, but I don't recall there
being a negative vote on that particular issue. I know Commissioner
Hall had some questions about it.
But we have the -- basically have the funds set aside. That's
been planned from the very beginning. Staff is looking for some
final decision on that. I believe they had that decision, but I'm going
to make a motion to move forward with the completion of Field 9. If
the Board needs some information on what that involves, then we
have the staff here to go through with that, but that would be my
motion.
Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Mine had to do with money,
and I just want to make sure that we have the adequate funding
appropriated to take care of that -- take care of that Field 11.
MR. FINN: Yes, sir. There is sufficient funds, principally TDC
July 8, 2025
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funds, through the collection of the fraction of a penny for the sports
complex.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I just want to clarify, was that the
field and the parking lot and the pavilion?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yes, the facilities that are
necessary for the field.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I'm good.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So we have a motion. I
believe there was a second.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'll second it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Mr. Finn, go build that field as
quickly as you can.
MR. FINN: All right.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Need some help?
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Not you personally, Ed, okay?
We -- you're good at a few things, but, you know...
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I was going to help him.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I've got a big truck.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We do have one more
July 8, 2025
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report from Hunden.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
Item #11C
RECOMMENDATION TO ACCEPT THE TOURISM IMPACT
STUDY FOR THE SUN-N-FUN LAGOON. (JAY TUSA,
DIVISION DIRECTOR - TOURISM) - MOTION TO ACCEPT
REPORT BY COMMISSIONER HALL; SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER LOCASTRO – APPROVED
MS. PATTERSON: That brings us to Item 11C. This is a
recommendation to accept the tourism impact study for the
Sun-N-Fun Lagoon.
Again, Mr. Jay Tusa is here to begin the presentation.
MR. TUSA: All right. Thank you, Commissioners.
Mr. Chairman, tourism's final agenda item for the day.
So we have 11C, the Sun-N-Fun Lagoon study. So this has been
ongoing for a while. It was presented to the TDC at their June
meeting and approved by them, acceptance of the report, and so
Matthew is going to come back up with Hunden and present the
findings of that study for you.
MR. AVILLA: Commissioners, thank you for the time again.
We can go to the first slide.
So to chat a little bit about why we were engaged in the items
that we discussed and analyzed throughout this study process was
really looking at the facility and the improvements that were made
and things that could be due -- done in the future to best suit the
facility as well as ongoing use and potential utilization of TDC funds
for future improvements.
Next slide.
July 8, 2025
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So a main goal of our analysis was to understand where people
are coming from when visiting the Sun-N-Fun park to understand if
this is accommodating tourism and drawing folks that are coming
from outside of the county to the Sun-N-Fun park.
We utilize Placer.ai, which collects cell phone geofencing data,
to understand where folks go or come from when they're visiting the
park. We pulled data back to 2017, and you'll see a few snapshots
from 2019 and 2023, which shows that in an annual year, in 2023, the
facility accommodated 866,000 total visits, and approximately 64,700
came from within 25 miles, and you'll see those visitors from beyond
25 miles and over 100 miles.
We can go to the next slide.
The next slide here shows a little bit more detail on visitors that
are non-Collier County visitors. And from our assessment going
back to 2017, approximately 46 percent came from outside of Collier
County. So that shows that nearly half of all visits to Sun-N-Fun
came from outside of Collier County.
Twenty-three percent of the total visits came from Lee County
which, from our perspective, shows a significant pull of dollars from
the surrounding area as well as across the entire state to Sun-N-Fun.
This does not mean that Sun-N-Fun is their sole reason for visiting
Collier County but is an asset -- an asset but also an amenity that
improves their overall stay within the county.
Next slide.
So throughout this assessment, we conducted a close look at the
operational performance of the facility and conducted two scenarios.
One is the baseline scenario looking at the current facility and
looking into the future on how it might perform, and then Scenario 2
is under the assumption that there's a third-party management group
that integrates with existing county staff.
There are new cabana rentals, which we feel is a significant
July 8, 2025
Page 76
opportunity at the park today that can drive more revenue into the
facility as well as accommodate those visitors and locals that want
shade structures. So it can be a revenue stream and also improve the
quality of visit for folks that are coming to the park.
And then one key finding that we found throughout our analysis
is the introduction of new features is a way to improve visitation,
keep people coming to the park, as well as draw more tourism.
So shown on the next slide here is our summary of impacts to
Collier County under those two scenarios. I want to point out the
incremental impacts between Scenario 1 and 2. Over 16 million in
incremental spending with those improvements to the park
introducing the new cabana rentals, which we expect to attract more
visitors.
Approximately 6.1 million in new earnings, four additional
full-time jobs within the county, and 500,000 in tax revenue between
Scenario 1 and 2 with those additional improvements.
One point I want to hit on briefly is just under Scenario 1, which
is the baseline, the park currently, or projected over the next 30 years,
will generate 6.7 million in tax revenue. Those are net new to the
county, with over 700,000 accommodated or generated within the
hotel tax at 5 percent.
Next slide, please.
So in terms of our implications, with an incremental 16 million
in net new spending compared to the baseline and 500,000 in tax
revenues generated, especially looking at the visitation draw, and
with over 46 percent coming from outside the county, our assessment
proves and shows that there are substantial visitation from folks
coming into the county, elevating their stay because of the park,
justifying the allocation of TDC funding to the park.
So with that, I'll conclude our presentation and open it up for
questions or comments.
July 8, 2025
Page 77
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. So my understanding is
is that the 16 million spend is for new assets, the cabanas, and so ons
and so forth, and those monies are coming from the TDT tax.
MR. AVILLA: Correct, yes. The 16 million is from hotel and
sales tax combined.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. And then my next
question has to do with the revenue stream. Is there -- has there been
any analysis done on the current charges that we're doing for -- I saw
a brief slide come through here, but -- you didn't spend a lot of time
on it, but with regard to how much we're charging --
MR. AVILLA: Yep.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- our current residents in
relationship to our visiting residents?
MR. AVILLA: Yes. So in the support materials -- and if you
go two slides -- two slides further. Other direction.
As he gets there, we did look at the rate spectrum between what
the facility is currently charging and what the facility could or should
be charging. For that second scenario, we did assume a slight
elevation in rates. We looked at several other parks such as Sun
Splash, which is a very popular park to the north of the county, and
looked at what they charge and felt that the facility could charge
slightly higher.
So under Scenario 2, we did assume a slightly higher -- higher
rate for residents but also for non-Collier County residents with a
more -- a higher increase for non-Collier County residents from our
assessment. And in the support materials is what those rates were.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall, do you have
anything else to --
COMMISSIONER HALL: No.
July 8, 2025
Page 78
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Could we get a motion from you
to --
COMMISSIONER HALL: I'll move to approve the report.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Do we have any
registered speakers?
MR. MILLER: We do not.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Second.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We have a motion and a second.
Seeing no further discussion, all in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. AVILLA: Thank you, Commissioners.
Item #11D
RECOMMENDATION TO PROCEED WITH LAND
ACQUISITION ON BAY AND DANFORD STREET TO
ADDRESS FUTURE BOAT PARKING NEEDS AND LOCAL
COMMUNITY CHALLENGES. (JOHN DUNNUCK, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR - FACILITIES & REDEVELOPMENT) - MOTION TO
APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER KOWAL; SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL – APPROVED
MS. PATTERSON: Commissioners, that brings us to our
11 o'clock time-certain, Item 11D. This is a recommendation to
July 8, 2025
Page 79
proceed with land acquisition on Bay and Danford Street to address
future boat parking needs and local community challenges.
Mr. John Dunnuck, your executive director of Facilities and
Redevelopment, is coming up to present.
MR. DUNNUCK: Good morning, again. Before I get started in
the presentation, I just -- I find it kind of interesting how everything
always ties together in some form or fashion.
You know, if you go on to the next slide, in 2003, we adopted a
board, you know, beach access and boat launch master plan. In that
actual 2003 plan, Sun-N-Fun was contemplated as being an
alternative to beach access during the discussion. So as it all kind of
comes together in the TDC discussion, funding and everything else, I
just kind of wanted to point out the items that you just heard before
actually tie back into this 2003 plan.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: What that really proves is that we
go in continuous circles. Everything goes back to something.
MR. DUNNUCK: Well, and admittedly, I'm one of those
people in the circle. I presented this 2003 plan to the County
Commission back in the day, and I also presented the 1998 plan
which was a predecessor to this 2003 plan.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Did you have bell bottoms on?
MR. DUNNUCK: I was a little bit younger and a little bit less
gray, I can tell you that.
As part of the 2003 plan, one of the alternatives for boat access
that we talked about to increase was actually to look at purchasing
Danford Street and Bay Street and acquire the parcels around
Bayview Park for future boat launch access. We recognized that
finding actual waterfront and building a boat launch itself was going
to be a challenge in the county.
And so part of that plan was to look at actually acquiring the
parcels in here. It was right as the CRA was starting. This
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neighborhood, admittedly, was a little on the rough side, and we've
presented that to the County Commission. In a 5-0 vote, they agreed
to move forward.
The county then started accumulating in the willing-seller
program aspect -- there was nothing eminent domain. I don't want to
ever put that word out -- those words out there. But it started
acquiring parcels. And you'll see on the map on the right-hand side,
we acquired actually 12 parcels early on between 2003 and 2007.
Well, as concurrency started occurring -- because an element of the
AUIR and for regional boat parks -- regional parks, an element
actually is boat launch parking. It's a sub-element that's kind of
buried in there, but it is actually an element for consideration.
And so as they were contemplating the impact fee studies in
future years and everything along those lines, they recognized we
were going to have a deficit in the AUIR as far as boat launch
parking spaces as the community continued to grow.
And so in 2007, the staff brought together a plan that said,
"We've got these 12 parcels. Let's look at rezoning them to park
now, and, you know -- and ask the county commissioner [sic] to then
create parking spaces to be excess to Bayview Park."
Well, the County Commission kind of looked at it and said, "It's
kind of a haphazard plan when you kind of look at the mapping, and
you're breaking up parking spaces to residential -- to parking spaces,"
and the County Commission basically said in a unanimous vote,
"This is not a good idea."
Following that vote, it kind of went dead. The whole project
kind of stopped and literally has been stopped for about 18 years in
terms of looking at future land acquisition. I think there was one time
a letter of interest sent out in between to see if the residents were
interested, and most of the residents said no.
And if you go on to the next slide, you know, this is just kind of
July 8, 2025
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an AUI [sic] presentation that shows in today's numbers that, you
know, basically, we're at a deficit of about 22 spaces right now. As
the future grows, you know, if you look out 10 years from now, we're
looking at a deficit of 40 spaces in terms of countywide. And so that
kind of answers the question of, you know, is there a need?
If you can go on to the next slide.
So then as we're, you know, putting on my CRA hat in the past
year, I look at -- you know, we deal with the community at a whole,
and what changed from back then in 2007 to today is a lot of the
situations with the storm surge events that have occurred in the past
five years.
With Ian, with Helene, with Milton in the last several years, this
community has -- you know, had gone through extensive flooding.
Many people have had to replace their units three times over.
And so in talking to the community, there is a combination of
fatigue and more of a willing seller look at things and recognizing
that certain storm surge events we're not going to be able to prevent.
We just will not be able to put enough infrastructure in this high
hazard area to actually make a really big difference.
You know, there's programs like Elevate Florida that could
elevate a certain house, but you're still going to have to deal with the
infrastructure of the roads and everything else.
Specific to Danford Street, as the CRA -- since I've been in the
CRA since May of last year, the issues that we've experienced with
the community have to do a lot with just the -- kind of the changing
of times, which is you have certain areas and houses that are three
feet above flood level, and then you have houses that are actually
built to code today. So you have a mixture of uses in FEMA
elevations in the area.
Specifically on Danford Street, one of the complaints, though, is
the boat traffic that's occurring coming through there on a daily basis,
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and with the expansion of the Hamilton Avenue several years ago,
they added 34 more spaces, it's just 34 more spaces that are impacting
them on a regular basis.
And so we've dealt with the complaints of speeding and park
hours and commercial traffic coming through, because there's been a
variety in Danford Park where -- or Bayview Park where we've
actually had people being dropped off to take into Keewaydin Island
for construction work. So we actually found 2x4s being loaded onto
a pontoon boat.
Then you have your basic jet skiers using the park, and then you
have a lot of commercial light traffic in terms of, you know, just the
fishing guide picking up people in terms of that.
But you have a lot of activity constantly going through the park.
And so from a community standpoint, there's a lot of frustration with
how we manage the day-to-day operations of the park.
And so after dealing, you know, and handling probably about
seven of the nine CRA meetings I've had in the past year, the
community issues over and over again, I started thinking, "Well,
maybe there's an alternative plan."
And so if you go on to the next slide --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Troy.
MR. DUNNUCK: I'll go on to the next slide.
You know, we thought about what does a plan look like that
could possibly work with what we have.
And so the idea is to think about rerouting the entrance of the
park from Bay -- from Danford Street to Bay Street and move it
around and acquire all the parcels on Bay Street. And I'll show you
the land acquisition map again of what we own and look at the -- you
can then expand all of the parking along Bay Street because you're
against Hamilton Harbor, so you don't have another neighbor on the
other side of the street on Bay Street, and you could create potentially
July 8, 2025
Page 83
60 to 80 trailer spaces and 40 to 50 vehicular spaces.
And, additionally, what it does, too, is inside Bayview Park it
allows us to probably restore some of the green space in the park.
Because one of the options that occurred after 2007 was they added
parking spaces right along the waterfront. So they basically turned
that park almost wholly and consistently into boat launch parking,
and there's very little green space. And I'd argue that Bayview Park
is probably one of the most beautiful parks in the county because you
look right over Gordon Pass. And so a lot of people like to just go
enjoy the park.
So we came up with this concept. And, you know, Shirley and I
started talking about it in the CRA and said, well, maybe it's
something we'd bring forward. Well, then fast forward a week later, I
started noticing new development occurring right on Danford Street
and Bay Street. And so on Danford Street, we had a permit pulled for
a three-story building, and on Bay Street we had fill being brought in.
And so I asked -- you know, I went to the -- I went to the developers,
and I asked for a meeting. And I went to both of them and said,
"Hey, would you be willing to look at, you know, potentially
selling?" And they said yes.
So we looked at the property map, and you kind of look in blue,
we have -- Collier County, what we own today; green is what the
developers all own; and red is the remaining.
And so we -- excuse me -- we went and then started talking to
everybody, and said, hey -- we met with each one individually and
said, "Would you be willing to look at a purchase?" And they all said
yes but for one person.
And -- excuse me. Could I get some water? I don't know if we
have any handy.
So we started looking at the majority of the community, and
everybody said they'd be willing to talk to us and they actually would
July 8, 2025
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be willing to look at participating in this program but for the person
at the 1700 location outside the entrance of the park.
And so as we worked through that -- that discussion and -- you
know, and he's presented some alternatives of, like -- he likes the
concept of the project. He just doesn't like the idea of bifurcating,
you know, the roadway onto his side of the road. But we have talked
with him. And I provided you the letter that he -- you know, he
provided as part of this project and went forward.
And so, you know, we basically have a willingness of the
community to participate in this project but for one person, as I said.
And, you know, it's a long haul. Because when I get into it, this is
just the beginning when you start looking at properties. What I'd like
to do is get the Board authorization to look at the idea of taking
surpluses -- because we actually own property that we wouldn't need
under this plan. They could possibly be surpluses or land swaps that
we could utilize. The CRA has talked about potentially, as the
advisory board, has talked about doing, you know, putting up the
Del's property as a potential swap if the commercial developer
wanted it, you know, in a discussion that we had last month, and then
there's grants opportunity with CDBG funds. There's park impact
fees that we could look at.
Kind of the funding strategy would be to use General Fund as
last resort. We do have $3 million set aside in strategic initiatives.
But the idea is kind of work that plan forward and to look at the
viability of this. And, you know, it's going to be one of these where
I've told them they're not going to get rich. This is -- this is a county
project, and we have a process of appraisals we'll work through. But
we think in collaboration, we think if we get everybody together, this
could be a tremendous home run.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And what you're looking for today
is a motion from the Board to move forward with the evaluation of
July 8, 2025
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this -- continue to evaluate?
MR. DUNNUCK: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Do we have any registered
speakers?
MR. MILLER: Yes, we do, sir. We have eight.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. Do you want to hear the
registered speakers before we --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I had a question.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I had a quick question.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And my question is, how
flexible is your plan? One of the deficiencies that we have is we're a
public entity, and we're announcing that we're about to go buy a
bunch of property in an area, and though there are willing sellers,
there sometimes is a tendency for larceny that comes along. How
flexible is your plan with regard to adaptability? Because you're
showing -- you're showing the re-access road here. We already know
there's a neighbor that's not so smurfy about your plan. And
that -- and so how flexible -- are you flexible enough to be able to
adapt once you accumulate or don't?
MR. DUNNUCK: Absolutely. If I went back -- let's see if I can
go back here.
MR. MILLER: I'll get you, John.
MR. DUNNUCK: If I went back and looked at this, you know,
plan, we've talked with people near the end of the street and whether
they'd want to swap a house at the top of the street. We've talked
with -- we've actually had those individual discussions to some level
with the owners, and so I do believe there's a lot of flexibility on how
we work out a plan, how the road access works, things along those
lines. I just think that -- and as I said, you know, when you look at
what we own on Danford Street, those blue properties could be
July 8, 2025
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surplussed if we acquired the properties closer with the road access,
or vice versa. So there is a lot of flexibility in how we proceed.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Thank you, Chairman.
Well, this is in my district, and I know the CRA and you guys
had a lot of conversation about this project and the future plans. I
know what it's like. You know, I see on a regular basis the parking
situation down there. If we didn't have -- I know before we had the
35 extra spots going up Hamilton Avenue there, or whatever it's
called now, going up to Thomasson, that was a bear because people
were trying to shove vehicles everywhere and anywhere with boat
trailers. We had to put these, like, bollards on the road to keep them
from parking up against these properties.
And, you know, I know for a fact that park is one -- it's a gem.
It is. The views from that park is amazing. But the sad part is
75 percent of the park is a parking lot and not a park. And it
probably was never a concept and designed to be that way. And, you
know, this might be a fix to bring that back to standard or back to
what it should have been or what it was designed to be.
So I like the concept, the vision, but I like the fact that the
funding sources are not going to be -- we're going to try to avoid as
much as possible, you know, General Fund, being part of this project
between the CRA and the other funding sources you talked about.
So I support it being in my district to at least, you know, get it
moving in the right direction for now, so that's kind of where I stand
on it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Thank you, sir.
I meant to ask you this when we met, but looking here, all the
red squares, which ones actually have structures on them? Are some
of the reds just empty lots owned by folks? I mean, we already know
July 8, 2025
Page 87
1700 has a house on it, obviously. We got the letter here.
MR. DUNNUCK: Yep.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: But which are the other ones?
Do most of them have structures?
MR. DUNNUCK: The majority of the red ones all have
structures on them.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: They do? They do? Okay. I
mean, well, 1700 isn't -- I appreciate the letter very well written and
to the point, but it's in a -- in a strategic spot furthest away from
where the plan could be, so it seems like, you know, we might be
able to appease everybody and do something smart here, but okay.
So -- but most of the red have structures on them, okay. But most of
those people were interested in selling and you moving or --
MR. DUNNUCK: Willing to talk and to sit with us.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay.
MR. DUNNUCK: As I said, there's a lot of fatigue from what's
happened in the past several years. The one that I call the hole in the
doughnut, which is in between all the blue that we own at the top of
the street, that's Nan Gerhardt. Nan used to work for us at the county.
Her husband passed away unexpectedly last year, and, you know, so
she's -- she's been willing -- she's been an advocate since I drove this
plan up in 2003.
And so a lot of the homeowners we've talked to have all said,
"Yes, we're willing to work with you."
There's one parcel we have not talked to, which is 1701, and
that's out of courtesy. They had a personal issue last week, and we
have -- you know, we've been giving them their space appropriately.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. We have eight registered
speakers, is that what you said?
MR. MILLER: Yes, sir. We will begin with Cathy Shaw, and
July 8, 2025
Page 88
she'll be followed by Milena Brankov.
MS. SHAW: Good morning. Thank you so much for
having -- sorry. Good morning. Thank you so much, Commissioners
and Chairman, John, and all the -- for considering this this morning.
I just come to you because I am a resident on Danford Street,
and I'm very happy to listen to some positive movement for this
project. I've been very -- I'm a lifelong resident of Collier County.
I've lived on Danford Street for 30-plus years, and over the last 15
years I understand we have new zoning laws and all these things
about building up around us, but the influx of water that's coming in,
not just from storm, but the runoff from rainwater and all that, the
high tides because our road has been deteriorating for the usage of
commercial. We have great big trucks that come down our street
carrying riprap and -- because Danford -- or Bayview Park is a
launching pad. We've been approached to do even the -- bringing in
from the Naples Pier. That's how easy this has been accessed for
these commercial boats.
So I guess my reason for coming to you is to just emphasize that
if we get approved for this and we do really back this plan -- John's
come up with a great idea -- is that this would be a long-term
sustainable solution for us and not just something short-term that is
Band-Aided, because over the past few years our street has been
repaired, but it's been Band-Aided, and our street has sunk, so -- from
all of these heavy boats, these bigger boats, because when the park
was expanded and the boat ramp was expanded from just a single
ramp to two boats going in, these bigger boats are coming down our
street as some of you may know, and that has caused a problem for
us.
And the other thing that I'm interested in finding out is that we
have a big pipe at the end of our road that is -- I live on the north side
of Danford, and there's a big pipe down at the end of Danford Street
July 8, 2025
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by the park that is on a tilt, and the water comes in from the bay
there, and it runs -- I'm sorry.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: You've got thirty seconds. Go
ahead and finish.
MS. SHAW: And it runs down our way. And so even on just a
tide -- it's not -- it's not storm. It's not anything. It's just on a tide our
streets are being flooded. And I just -- I'm not as techie as some of
these people have been. But you can just see the stuff that we're
going through here.
And this water runs up into -- I have a stilt home, but some of
the smaller houses -- and these generational homes it's running -- it
runs down there into their home. So thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Milena Brankov, and she'll
be followed by Mark Stillman.
Am I saying that even close to right?
MS. BRANKOV: My name is Milena Brankov. I am also
resident of Danforth Street, and I'd like to thank Commissioner
Kowal as well as the Bayshore CRA team who are here for bringing
this topic to your attention. I just want to mention that this has been
going for years. The Bayview Park, Bay Street, and Danford Street
has been experiencing issues. And we got flooded every high tide.
And now we're in high-tide season, rain season. It's -- sometimes it's
two times a day the street is flooded. You heard we have heavy
trucks with boats, people walking back and forth, no sidewalks. A lot
of hazards and safety issues here.
So in the park also we've observed and we've reported many
times some unauthorized out-of-ordinance activities. We request
many times this is taken care of.
So our request is really for long-term sustainable solutions. We
heard the other two speakers, too, and to stop the flooding. And we
July 8, 2025
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also, since have been so many years going on, there were solutions
taken -- presented to us, but not taken any actions. We also engaged
a nongovernment organization to observe the development of this
project. It's called -- what was the -- anyway, we presented the name
of the organization -- Responsible Government of Naples is also
observing how this is developed, and we're looking forward to really
having this resolved in the future.
Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Mark Stillman, and he will
be followed by Jim Kalvin.
MR. STILLMAN: Good morning. My name is Mark Stillman.
I have -- I'm the person at 1700 Danford Street. I think the word was
"not so smurfy."
But I want to go on record. I have a long history, and you folks
have seen my letter. It dates back to -- I own the house of
the -- basically, the first developer of Danford Street. He built it. I
knew him well. My father knew him well. They were both skilled
craftsmen and boaters. And they made their home right at the end of
the street closest to the boat ramp.
I admire some of the speakers here today. John has done [sic]
an excellent speaker. He's -- I've taken a lot of his time over the past
few days, but I still have this need to be part of this neighborhood.
And I'll say this: Bayview is a wonderful neighborhood. It's a highly
desirable location with a great history.
I know that you've mentioned some of the things weren't so nice
down there, but when you drive up and down that street, it's beautiful.
You see a lot of great-looking places. We just finished painting the
outdoor and everything with ours. I've renovated it. I've been
renovating it for 10 years now, but unfortunately, the plan that you're
describing totally eliminates or isolates many of us, or at least me, the
long-term residents, of what we love most. It further kind of destroys
July 8, 2025
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much of its historic quaintness of the area and also an original
Florida-style architecture that's unique to just that area.
We were only personally informed about this plan a little over a
week ago. We're just beginning to understand how it affects us or me
personally, or my wife and I personally. And I believe that those
who are the most affected need more documented details and options
than we've been presented.
From our perspective, we believe there needs to be more
discussion and communication. And then we ask for flexibility and
creativity and to work together to find solutions that, one, keep the
owners like us in the neighborhood that we love, allow us to keep and
enjoy a lifestyle that we have built and cherish, and, three, to keep
this quaint boating community as a whole.
Thank you. Any questions?
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Jim Kalvin. He'll be
followed by Maurice Gutierrez.
MR. KALVIN: Good morning. My name is Jim Kalvin. I am a
founder, charter member of the Marine Industries Association of
Collier County. Currently a director emeritus. I hold a 100-ton U.S.
Coast Guard license, Florida guide licensed, and a marine contractor's
license. So I'm very familiar with all the water access ports in Collier
County.
And on behalf of the Marine Industries Association, we want to
say thank you to the county for pursuing this. We completely
understand and feel for the residents in the affected area. Nobody
likes a bully, but there are realities. The fact that we've got a growing
community simply because we have waterfront here in Collier
County.
As the community's grown, with the exception, I believe, of
Goodland Boat Park, I don't know that -- we've enhanced a couple of
places, but there have been no new facilities built in years and years
July 8, 2025
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and years.
Pursuant to the comment about the trucks full of riprap and
concrete and the pier demolition going down Danford Street, that's
absolutely correct and unfortunate. Right now there are two
commercial loading places that can legally be used in Collier County.
That's one of them at Hamilton Harbor across from Bayview Park.
The other one is Naples Landing in downtown Naples. And just as
an aside maybe to throw in here -- and while this discussion's going
on, there are other county-owned properties that we could consider
for heavy commercial use that would get this stuff out of the
residential neighborhoods.
Back to the project at hand, we certainly see the need, and the
marine industries would be standing by to help in any way possibly
that we can, whether it's consulting, whether it's ground proofing,
whether it's a historical perspective, we're at your disposal, and that's
pretty much it.
I want to thank again, staff. We've been watching this for 20
years to see what, if, and when it may happen. So hopefully we can
see it sometime soon. Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Maurice Gutierrez, and
he'll be followed by Nick Pearson.
MR. GUTIERREZ: Good morning, Commissioners. Maurice
Gutierrez, for the record.
They say timing is everything, and it's kind of obvious here,
because this -- this project has been thought of but has never really
come to fruition because of neighborhood issues and property owners
not willing to engage.
We need to see the effort that our director, Mr. Dunnuck, has
done in conjunction with the property owners to take the opportunity,
not to see the costs of the project, but the value, because the reality is,
by separating access from the residential area, it will designate the
July 8, 2025
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roadway with no residential owners being impacted, create a
dead-end for the folks on Danford, which increases property value
and privacy, and allow what the CRA and the MSTU has done over
the years in improving Thomasson, improving Hamilton, and then, of
course, the access into this.
Parks and Rec has presented this in the past to our CRA
advisory boards, but we've never had the opportunity to gather the
property owners collectively to come up with a solution, not a
remedy, the solution being eliminating the potential impact of boats
going down narrow residential streets, which is what Danford is, and
allowing an access that may in the future be actually able to create a
roundabout at the entrance, put a gate, and have park hours
acknowledged and lawfully followed, which I know a lot of the
residents have come to our meetings to complain about.
So I hope that this opportunity can be an eyeopener to see what
we can achieve and not just look at the cost. I think a factor that the
CRA timeline will still be viable while this project, if proceeds, will
be able to possibly financially support, as well as the MSTU. And I
think the timing is right for the community to get a facility that
doesn't impact the residential neighborhood as it does today.
Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Nick Pearson. He will be
followed on Zoom by Cynthia Tutino.
MR. PEARSON: Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name's
Nick Pearson. I'm a lifelong resident of Collier County. I'm also an
environmental consultant here. I work with guys like Jim Kalvin all
the time and many other marine contractors in the area.
I just want to echo everything that he said here. I think what we
have here is a really rare opportunity at a home run, like John said.
And I just feel that I would urge you to keep moving this down the
road. It would be a shame to have this kind of sit idling again,
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especially after what happened the first time. You know, 20 years
passed between then and now. And I sort of fear that if we don't take
advantage of this opportunity now, then we may not be able to again.
It's definitely not going to be any easier in the future to continue to
acquire parcels in this area.
And that's really all I wanted to say. I think many of my other
comments probably would just be repetition, so I'll leave it at that.
MR. MILLER: Our final speaker on this item joins us on Zoom,
Cynthia Tutino.
Cynthia, you're being prompted to unmute yourself, if you'll do
so at this time. And there you are. You have three minutes, Cynthia.
MS. TUTINO: Hi. I'm Cynthia Tutino, and I live at 1715
Danford. I'm right across the street from Mark Stillman.
And I agree with Mark that, you know, our properties are very
unique in where they sit. The views looking towards the park are
spectacular. I sit there for hours and look out my windows. But I
also understand that the park needs to move forward along with the
county and the city. This is a gem, and it's absolutely necessary, I
believe, to expand the park.
But I've heard over and over from several people, including
Maurice, that -- how wonderful this area is, how beautiful it is. It is a
gem, but also that once Danford Street is closed off, the property
values of Danford Street will increase.
I want you to keep in mind also what would the future property
values be of the people that are willing to sell their properties?
Because in -- as Mark said, where can we go that would offer us this
kind of view, this kind of property that we can enjoy?
So I am willing to work with everyone, but I think that we need
to sit down and discuss what the property owners would actually like
out of this.
Thank you.
July 8, 2025
Page 95
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Mr. Chair, with your indulgence, I had one
more gentleman who didn't realize he needed to do a slip. With your
indulgence, Mr. Sawyer, Kit Sawyer.
MR. SAWYER: Thank you all very much. My name's Kit
Sawyer. I have Sawyer's Outboard on Bayshore.
I was president of the marine industry 25 years ago when we
were working on this, trying to buy property there, and -- when we
were all talking about it. I definitely feel for the people that are there.
I don't know if it's possible, and I'm not the person -- maybe
Nick. But the 17 -- the property -- the mangroves that are next to it,
that is, I don't know if anything can be done. That's all pumped-in
land from Port Royal. I don't know if we can put an entrance in
through that and then come down the back side. That just makes
sense to me to do something there because it truly was an original in
the first place, so why can't we cut through the mangroves and make
an entry there and leave him alone?
I understand that, you know, several people here are willing to
talk about selling, and I think that's awesome. I wish we would have
done this 25 years ago.
The other thing is is Jim Kalvin made a comment of other
properties that is accessible for commercial load and unload. I really
think we should be looking at that. But I'm really very thankful for
you-all. Have a great one.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
All right. Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Thank you, Chairman.
Well, I would like to make a motion to go ahead and, I guess,
start the process, is basically what we're being asked today, is start
the process of moving this forward.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'll second it.
July 8, 2025
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and
second.
Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I just wanted to make a
comment -- I think it bears worth saying -- how impressed I think we
all are with the citizens who have come forward. I mean,
Mr. Stillman writes a letter that is just so professionally written.
There's a lot of -- a lot of emotion, a lot of passion in here, and, you
know, at times we get citizens that are facing a similar thing and
come here screaming and yelling at us that we're trying to destroy
their town, turn it into Miami, all this. I just -- I'll just speak for
myself. I am -- I salute you, as a military member, to the people that
came to the podium, to some of the emails that we got, and to the
people that were on Zoom, it's very refreshing to have citizens say,
you know what, "I'm willing to work with the county," because at
times we don't always experience, you know, that kind of, you know,
mutual cooperation, you know, from citizens, and I can tell you
nobody sitting up here is trying to force-feed something into that, and
I have every confidence that Commissioner Kowal will lead a great
discussion with all the folks.
And we're going to take some baby steps here, but my whole
point was just how impressed I was with everybody that came up
here and didn't yell and scream at us and say, "What are you doing?"
This and that. And we need more of that -- more of that civility and
cooperation, you know, not only in our county, but maybe in our
country to, you know, get things done the right way, and I thank you
for that. It was noticed and appreciated.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and a
second. Any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Seeing none, all in favor, signify
July 8, 2025
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by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
We have a time-certain at 1 o'clock. Why don't we take a lunch
recess until 1 p.m.
(A recess was had from 11:59 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
MS. PATTERSON: Chair, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ladies and gentlemen, we'll
reconvene our meeting.
Ms. Patterson, I believe we have a 1 o'clock time-certain and --
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- remarkably, we're going to make
the time-certain.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
Item #9A
ORDINANCE 2025-30: RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE AN
ORDINANCE AMENDING THE COLLIER COUNTY GROWTH
MANAGEMENT PLAN, SPECIFICALLY AMENDING THE
FUTURE LAND USE ELEMENT TO AMEND THE NC SQUARE
MIXED-USE OVERLAY TO CHANGE THE AFFORDABLE
HOUSING REQUIREMENTS FROM 100% TO 30% OF THE
PREVIOUSLY APPROVED 129 DWELLING UNITS AND
RETAIN THE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED 44,400 SQUARE FEET
July 8, 2025
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OF COMMERCIAL USES. THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IS 24.4±
ACRES AND LOCATED AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF
IMMOKALEE ROAD AND CATAWBA STREET,
APPROXIMATELY 1.6 MILES WEST OF WILSON BOULEVARD
IN SECTION 29, TOWNSHIP 48 SOUTH, RANGE 27 EAST,
COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA. (PL20230017980- NC SQUARE
MIXED-USE OVERLAY GMPA) (THIS IS A COMPANION ITEM
TO #9B) - MOTION TO APPROVE W/CHANGES BY
COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL; SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS – ADOPTED
Item #9B
ORDINANCE 2025-31: RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE AN
ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NUMBER 2021-18,
THE NC SQUARE MIXED-USE PLANNED UNIT
DEVELOPMENT TO CHANGE THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
REQUIREMENTS FROM 100% TO 30% OF THE PREVIOUSLY
APPROVED 129 DWELLING UNITS AND RETAIN THE
PREVIOUSLY APPROVED 44,400 SQUARE FEET OF
COMMERCIAL USES. THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IS 24.4±
ACRES AND LOCATED AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF
IMMOKALEE ROAD AND CATAWBA STREET
APPROXIMATELY 1.6 MILES WEST OF WILSON BOULEVARD
IN SECTION 29, TOWNSHIP 48 SOUTH, RANGE 27 EAST,
COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA. [PL20230017979] (THIS IS A
COMPANION ITEM TO #9A) - MOTION TO APPROVE
W/CHANGES BYCOMMISSIONER MCDANIEL; SECONDED
BY COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS – ADOPTED
MS. PATTERSON: That brings us to Items 9A and 9B. 9A is a
July 8, 2025
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recommendation to approve an ordinance amending the Collier
County Growth Management Plan specifically amending the Future
Land Use Element to amend the NC Square Mixed-Use Overlay to
change the affordable housing requirements from 100 percent to
30 percent of the previously approved 129 dwelling units and retain
the previously approved 44,400 square feet of commercial uses.
The subject property is 24.4 plus/minus acres and located at the
southwest corner of Immokalee Road and Catawba Street
approximately 1.6 miles west of Wilson Boulevard in Section 29,
Township 48 South, Range 27 East, Collier County, Florida.
This companion item is 9B, which is a recommendation to
approve an ordinance amending the Ordinance No. 2021-18, the NC
Square Mixed-Use Planned Unit Development, to change the
affordable housing requirements from 100 percent to 30 percent of
the previously approved 129 dwelling units and retain the previously
approved 44,400 square feet of commercial uses. The subject
property is 24.4 plus/minus acres and located at the southwest corner
of Immokalee Road and Catawba Street approximately 1.6 miles west
of Wilson Boulevard in Section 29, Township 48 South, Range 27
East, Collier County, Florida.
With that, we'll take the disclosures from the Commission, and
then we'll swear in the participants.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Are we going from the old ex
partes or --
MS. PATTERSON: County Attorney?
MR. KLATZKOW: Ex partes for this item --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: There's no requirement on this
one, I don't believe.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah, I'm not sure that we need to
go through. Do we need to do that again?
July 8, 2025
Page 100
MR. KLATZKOW: It doesn't hurt.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. Well, we'll pass on the ex
parte.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It's not on our list, but we --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We disclosed all of that at the
beginning of the first hearing.
MS. PATTERSON: Very good.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I got everything.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Everything. I got everything.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I've got emails.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I've heard of it. I've heard of
it.
MS. PATTERSON: If we could have the participants stand up
to be sworn in by the court reporter, please, anybody that's going to
be giving testimony or public comment.
MR. MILLER: If you've registered for public comment for this
item, you need to stand.
THE COURT REPORTER: Do you swear or affirm the
testimony you will give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth?
(The speakers were duly sworn and indicated in the affirmative.)
MS. PATTERSON: Very good. Mr. Yovanovich.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Good afternoon. For the record, Rich
Yovanovich on behalf of the applicant.
As you recall where we left off the last time, our request was to
change the previous affordable housing commitment from a 129-unit
for-sale project to a 205-unit rental project. There was some
concerns from our neighbors, and the neighbors said they preferred to
leave the density at the 129 units. They preferred a for-sale product,
and we requested a continuance.
So what we've done is we basically have gone back to what the
July 8, 2025
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original PUD provided for with regard to the number of units being
129 units. They will be for-sale units. The one change that occurred
was, as we explained, if we did -- we would not be able to afford to
do all units at for-sale, so we requested to reduce the number of
affordable percentage of income-restricted units to 30 percent, which
is consistent with what the Board has been requiring of affordable
housing rental projects.
This is the first for-sale project that's not Habitat related. So we
brought forward that same 30 percent commitment in the PUD as
well as in the Growth Management Plan amendment. We went back
to the original commercial square footage of 44,400 square feet. We
went back to including the daycare, which all was part of the original
request.
So essentially, the number of units, the commercial square
footage, and the daycare are consistent with what was originally in
the approved Growth Management Plan amendment and the PUD,
which is what we heard the neighbors saying they were fine with. So
we're bringing forward the change to reduce the percentage of
affordable units to 30 percent. And that's an overview of what we're
asking for.
I know, Commissioner McDaniel, you requested at the last
meeting and yesterday when I met with you the ability to provide a
pedestrian and bicycle interconnection as part of the master plan. We
would need to add that. But I spoke to my client, and they are willing
to add that additional interconnection should the residents in Valencia
Trails want to have that pedestrian interconnection or bicycle
interconnection to get to the retail that hopefully they'll enjoy as part
of this project.
And that's basically our presentation. I could go back through
the details of everything, but I think that that summarizes where we
are.
July 8, 2025
Page 102
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. And so in -- you and I
talked about a pedestrian access for the residents, but I also at the
previous meeting, if the -- if the folks at Valencia Trails chose to
have a gated access for them to get into the commercial and back into
their subdivision, that you would provide that, but that would need to
happen in advance of your SDP process?
MR. YOVANOVICH: We would -- we would -- if they want to
have vehicular interconnection, they need to let us know now.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Sooner than later?
MR. YOVANOVICH: Right, to see if we can accommodate
that in the site plan.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. And if I can ask one
more question while I'm lit up, sir. Basically, the proposal that
you've brought before us is what's already approved on the site with a
deviation from 100 percent affordable to 30 percent affordable?
MR. YOVANOVICH: Correct.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Affordability.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I don't see any other
questions at this point in time. I know we have registered speakers.
Why don't we go ahead and --
MR. MILLER: Yes, sir. We have 14 registered speakers on this
item. The first speaker is Brad Cornell, and he will be followed by
Dave Hooker. I'm going to remind the speakers that you'll get a beep
at 30 seconds remaining on your time.
MR. CORNELL: Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and
Commissioners. I'm Brad Cornell. I'm here on behalf of Audubon
Western Everglades and Audubon Florida.
I have a few comments about this project that aren't the usual
July 8, 2025
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comments, but I think you'll get where I'm going with this.
Audubon strongly supports proactive measures to increase
affordable housing in Collier County; however, it should never come
at the expense of protecting our shared natural resources: Wildlife
and the beautiful environment of Southwest Florida. We can and
must do both.
The proposed revisions to the NC Square mixed-use overlay and
the PUD would reduce the affordable unit total from 100 percent to
only 30 percent of 129 units and only for 30 years. Audubon views
this reduction of the majority of the affordable units but still being
exempted from required purchase of TDR credits to entitle those
unaffordable units as an abuse of county's affordable housing
incentives in the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District.
Audubon interprets the intention of this Future Land Use
Element policy for public benefit exemption from TDR credit
purchase requirement to be specific to the units within a project that
are affordable. We don't believe the intention is to exempt
market-rate housing units from the required TDR credit purchase.
That results in significant reduction in protections for wetlands,
panther, and other listed species habitats in the Rural Fringe
Mixed-Use District Sending and Natural Resource Protection Area
lands, NRPA lands.
We have seen this also at the South Naples Citrus Rural Fringe
Mixed-Use District project on Sabal Palm Road. To address this
repeated conflict with the intention of the TDR program to protect
Collier County's rural natural resources, Audubon recommends
considering a glitch amendment to clarify this policy purpose
resulting in only affordable housing units being exempted from the
TDR credit purchase requirement. This should be reflected also in
the Land Development Code.
For today's hearing on the NC Square revisions, Audubon
July 8, 2025
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recommends only allowing exemption from the TDR credit purchase
for the affordable housing units project on the NC square project.
Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Dave Hooker, and he will
be followed by Lisette Scott. Now, Mr. Hooker has ceded time from
five additional speakers. As I call your name, please raise your hand
to indicate that you're here.
Grace Kaplan?
(Raises hand.)
MR. MILLER: Thank you.
Steve Kaplan?
(Raises hand.)
MR. MILLER: Thank you.
Bruce Laperuta? I hope I got close on that.
MR. LAPERUTA: You got it. Good.
MR. MILLER: Walter Ratschan?
(Raises hand.)
MR. MILLER: And Cathy Ratschan?
(Raises hand.)
MR. MILLER: He will have a total of 18 minutes.
MR. HOOKER: I promise I won't be over 18 minutes.
Chairman and Commissioners and support staff, my name is
Dave Hooker. I've been a resident four years here in Collier County
and reside now in Valencia Trails and soon-to-be neighbors with the
NC Square project.
I'm just a simple guy. I'm not a lawyer. I'm not that articulate
and not as passionate as some of these people here, Marion who
you've spoken -- listened to, Lisette and Donna, but I would like to
share my thoughts and express my feelings concerning this voting
issue.
My entire life, I was taught how to move forward with difficult
July 8, 2025
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conversations, and those discussion topics, for these conversations, I
just put it in three buckets: What do we need to continue to do,
start -- stop doing, and start doing?
So I want to give some kudos out, because you probably don't
hear that from the public that much. But I was always taught to catch
people doing the right thing, and I just want to express thanks for the
Board for their patience, understanding, and also appreciate how you
recognize your tenured employees as well as volunteers and top
performers in the county.
So I just appreciate also how you've been diligent on saving on
tax dollars, because I listened to the David Lawrence project, so I
appreciate your concern.
I also want to thank the entire staff being engaged with our
community. I want to thank NC Square trying to understand the
community's concerns and hopefully be great neighbors.
I don't want to forget also to thank WINK News, their team and
reporters listening to our community's point of view but also the
residents up and down Immokalee.
So stop doing? As the conversation usually shifts to what
should we stop doing, well, first I want to emphasize don't stop
praying, don't stop doing the Pledge of Allegiance, don't stop your
culture, but please stop assuming, if you are assuming, that our
community wants to stop progress. Because we don't want to stop
progress. We know this area is beautiful, and a lot of people want to
continue to move in.
Bucket 3, what needs to start doing. The third bucket is how we
keep our conversations moving forward, express what the needs are,
starting to achieve kind of a win-win situation between both parties.
Lisette and possibly some others will express more detail on a
win-win situation, but I want to share some of my thoughts and
questions, and hopefully the commissioners can review these.
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First is traffic. We all know, and I think, Mr. McDaniel, you go
back and forth all the time. Sure, we care that our community get in
and out -- we have a light now -- but we also want to consider safety
to all the people on Immokalee, including NC Square, because right
now in the plan it's a right -- you get into NC Square right, and then
you have to leave right. So that's going to be a -- and trust me, I've
been here four years, and traffic on Immokalee Road is getting worse.
Also, the Board is, I'm sorry, aware that people from Immokalee
coming in is -- the workers are -- consistently more traffic is going
east and west during business hours.
The second point I want to talk about is sound pollution. The
buffer has been significantly reduced in the new proposal, but we
expect and hopefully this board will recognize and consider to be
great neighbors and being respectful with noise control at night. If
you can dial that down to a minimum, that would be great. I realize
developers want to maximize every square foot, but as good
neighbors, to be respectful, with the building an adequate buffer for
pickleball courts, I guess, and also TV.
The third and final one is fire barriers. Wildfire prevention and
mitigation seems to be out of the plan. I don't know why. We have
concerns, and hopefully that would be your concern also. A couple
years ago, there was a controlled fire at Wilson and Immokalee,
which the fire trucks were delayed getting there because there's a
gridlock on Immokalee, and homeowners couldn't get back to their
home for three to six hours, which was -- not real happy out there.
So I'm not sure why that fire barrier would be eliminated. I have no
idea.
So to recap, we at Valencia Trails want to be a world-class
community, and we want to be world-class neighbors, and also our
hope is to hold our home values. And just as importantly, we want to
be a community of concern and respectful Naples residents.
July 8, 2025
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So thank you for considering addressing these three issues
before you vote. Thanks.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Lisette Scott, and she'll be
followed by Dorothy Pavlica. Ms. Scott has been ceded additional
time from four folks.
Donna Cascardo?
MS. CASCARDO: Yes.
MR. MILLER: Robert Yost?
MR. YOST: Yes.
MR. MILLER: Thank you.
Judy Yost?
MS. YOST: Yes.
MR. MILLER: And Madeline Murphy?
(Raises hand.)
MR. MILLER: She will have a total of 15 minutes.
MS. SCOTT: Hello. Once again, Lisette Scott. On behalf of
Valencia Trails homeowners, I'd like to thank Collier County
Commissioners working on this project for receiving and reviewing
our Valencia Trails petition letter, our signatures, our emails, our
phone calls, and questions.
To review, Valencia Trails has 838 single-family homes; thus,
approximately over 1,600 residents.
We are here once again voicing our preferences for our Board of
Collier County Commissioners to vote yes for the 129 home-owned
dwelling units.
At a high level, let's take a quick review of Valencia Trails'
community and NC Square. Valencia Trails opened its sales doors
July of 2020. There was a lot happening in 2020. COVID and an
influx of people starting to move from everywhere to Naples, thus a
lot of -- lots of growth in Collier County.
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From July 2020, Valencia Trails' sales was at a fast pace selling
single-family homes. Then in April 2021, the Board of Collier
County Commissioners approved the rezoning of our front yard, just
a few feet away from our community, for NC Square for 129
townhomes. I don't think many homebuyers in Valencia Trails were
aware of this. I certainly wasn't.
Regardless, the 129 townhomes right in front of Valencia Trails
as rezoned and approved in April of 2020, is and was complementary
to Valencia Trails' community and surrounding communities such as
Twin Eagles.
Life is progressing in Collier County with the building of
Founder's Square, The Pearl apartments, the Mark Lane apartments,
which is three miles west of Valencia Trails. So from July 2020
through June 2024, Valencia Trails has sold approximately
93 percent of its 838 single-family homes.
All is good, but then the residents whom are a few feet away
from NC Square receive a letter notifying us of the public hearing to
rezoning NC Square from 129 townhomes to 249 four-story-high
affordable housing apartments. Well, that's no -- that's not so
complementary anymore to Valencia Trails nor our surrounding
communities.
In the meantime, we are already having issues with The Pearl
and the Mark Lane apartments not being able to rent their apartments
and are offering two months free rent, and it's still happening in July
of 2025.
In any case, after the July 2024 meeting, from August 2024
through December 2024, Valencia Trails community put together our
petition and gathered over 640 signatures in opposition to the 249
four-story-high apartments.
Then in February 2020 [sic], residents attended and spoke at the
public hearing meeting voicing our preference for the 129
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townhomes and against the 249 apartments, which was actually
lowered to 205 apartments at that hearing.
The Planning Commission approved the 205 apartments on
February 20, 2025. Please be assured our Valencia Trails residents
were not okay with the 205 apartments.
This brings us to April 8th, 2025, for the Board of County
Commissioners meeting. And once again, our Valencia Trails
residents attended and spoke to reiterate we are in preference to the
townhomes in order to provide compatibility to our community and
surrounding communities, also in order to provide an opportunity for
our missing middle essential service personnel to start building their
American dream of homeownership rather than renting an apartment
in order to retain a balance of infrastructure and beauty throughout
Naples, while meeting the needs of all.
We left that meeting encouraged to hear Commissioner Chris
Hall, to voice his similar concerns and recommend the developer to
go back and revise plans for the 129 townhomes.
Finally, this brings us to today, July 8th, 2025. Valencia Trails
are here once again to ask the Board of Collier County
Commissioners to please vote yes in favor of the 129 residential
home-owned townhomes -- residential dwelling units.
Your decision on approving the 129 townhomes will have a
positive short-term and long-term impact not only for Valencia Trails'
residents and surrounding communities, but also to all of Collier
County. Let's -- let Naples be a model of how to balance the growing
needs of a community by building townhomes where folks will be
able to purchase and fulfill their dreams of owning a home.
And finally, in response to the path that Valencia Trail [sic] may
need, we don't need that. We already have -- we do have a gate to
enter our community, but we have sidewalks that are open, so we can
freely bike ride to the NC Square community. But thank you for
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considering that option.
Again, thank you for hearing me speak once again.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Dorothy Pavlica. She will
be followed by Melida [sic] Lucas. Ms. Pavlica's been ceded three
additional minutes from Natalie Santarsiero.
MS. SANTARSIERO: Perfect.
MR. MILLER: Oh, I got it right.
She'll have a total of six minutes.
MS. PAVLICA: First, I'd like to thank the Board for listening to
our disagreement with the apartments and going back to the original
plan of 129 owner -- owner-occupied affordable properties where our
younger people can acquire equity in their homes and start building
up pride in the community. And I applaud you, the entire board, for
considering that.
However, when I bought into this community, I had no idea that
part of the community would be commercial. That's 44,400 square
feet.
Now, this type of residential/commercial rezoning from rural
was done in 2021 [sic]. I believe it was April. And this was during
the height of COVID, so many of us did not have a chance to vote or
even hear -- have our voices heard regarding this change. Now, this
change was not made to other areas. The property in front of the
existing property in question is still zoned rural, and since there's a
nursery on it, the owner has a tax exempt. Okay.
Since this zoning was passed in 2021, the following
developments with plenty of commercial space and rental properties
have been approved by the County Commissioners. First -- and
nearest to Valencia Trails is the Wilson Boulevard and Immokalee
Road development summary. It has a 40,000-square-foot
neighborhood retail, up to 80,000 square foot of air-conditioned
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self-storage, and another 125,000 square foot of commercial space.
This rezoning was approved in March 2024 to accommodate
increased demand for mixed-use services in the growing area.
Next we have the Vintage Naples apartments, Randall at
Orangetree in Naples, Florida, which is several miles east of Valencia
Trails. There will be 400 apartment units and many commercial
structures in the area. There will be a Chase Manhattan bank,
AutoZone, backyard car wash, and the purpose was to bring
significant multi-housing for the eastern Immokalee corridor paired
with over 150,000 square feet of retail space.
And, of course, the Commission is well aware of Founders
Square, which is yet developing another section.
So Founders Square is only maybe a mile from Valencia Trails
and can well accommodate the needs of our community.
So what we don't have is any townhomes, attached villas, small
single-family homes that can be purchased by our young first
responders, firemen, et cetera. So I would propose that the
Commission consider rezoning or zoning back the 44,400 square feet
to residential, and maybe instead of the 44,400 square feet of
commercial, add additional owner-occupied units.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MS. PAVLICA: How many minutes do I have?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Zero.
MS. PAVLICA: Okay.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: You're at minus one so far. Go
ahead and wrap -- if you have another comment or two, go ahead and
wrap up real quickly, if you could. Just take another minute to wrap
up, if you would.
MS. PAVLICA: A minute, thank you, sir.
I do appreciate you taking the time to listen to me today, and
hopefully you will consider changing the 44,400 square feet of
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commercial and the nursery school, which today there is one being
started in front of Naples Academy, and the school has after school.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Thank you very much.
MS. PAVLICA: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next and final speaker is Melida Lucas.
Am I saying your first right? Is it Melinda or Melida?
MS. LUCAS: It's Melinda.
MR. MILLER: Okay. I didn't see an N. I'm sorry.
MS. LUCAS: Hi. My name is Melinda. I'm a Valencia Trails
homeowner, and I'm here speaking for myself and others.
So when we all purchased homes in Valencia Trails, none of
which, I don't think, are valued under a million-dollars-plus, we
imagined a peaceful, safe environment, and now we're facing outdoor
TVs, commercial noise -- did somebody mention pickleball
court? -- and traffic creeping ever closer to our homes.
And now we're told -- now I'm hearing that 25 feet is supposed
to be a buffer? It's not enough. Like, imagine your home, your
bedroom, your backyard, your pool within this 25 feet between you
and a wall of noise, lights, and traffic. Consider, would that be
acceptable to you if you were purchasing a home? Would that be
acceptable to any of you? I don't think so.
So this isn't abstract for some of us, all of us at Valencia Trails.
This is reality. This is not abstract.
If you've been on Immokalee Road, you already know you sort
of take your life in your hands on that road. I mean, I don't know
how -- yeah. We've heard and seen so many sad stories from
Valencia Trails employees as well as other people. It's like the traffic
laws on that road are just suggestions; they're not laws.
So it's reckless there. It's dangerous. It's aggressive. It's
nonstop, and I do mean 24/7. And we don't need any more of that
pressure. We need protection.
July 8, 2025
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So nobody's fighting growth. I mean, when you live somewhere
nice, other people want to live there, too, and we get that. That's why
we're here. But we also like to be mindful of our investments. It's a
55-plus community. For many people, they've poured their whole
life into this move, everything they've owned. And I'm -- I just ask
you to put yourselves in the Valencia Trails place and make the
responsible choice as you consider would that be acceptable in your
own life. If you were going to go buy a house in Vermont or
Connecticut right now where I think the minimum buffers are 100
feet -- most states have much larger buffers. I mean, 25 feet isn't
acceptable. A little elementary-aged school kid could toss a ball that
far easily. Yeah, it's just unacceptable.
So please put yourself in our place and make the responsible
choice. That's it. Thank you.
MR. MILLER: That's all of our public comment for this item.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Mr. Yovanovich, you
have a right to respond to public comment if you'd like to.
MR. YOVANOVICH: First, just to respond to the first speaker,
we do have the wildfire protection plan. It still is part of the PUD. It
gets approved as part of the plat or Site Development Plan. I could
put the language up, but there is a fire protection plan still in the
PUD. It did not go away.
What I thought I heard the residents say is they were happy with
the PUD they had in existence at the time and they were fine with
reducing the amount of the units that were income-restricted. And
we've -- and they would go back to what they originally had and what
was approved, and that's what we've done. We've gone back to what
was originally approved with the same buffers, the same heights, and
with the same square footage that was previously approved. That
was the direction I thought we were given when we were told to take
a timeout, and we did.
July 8, 2025
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And we hope -- and I think most of the community said thank
you. And I would hope that you will appreciate my client's
willingness to work with the community and make the changes that
make the project a good project, and we hope you'll approve our
request and approve the requested changes.
With regard to -- you know, I'll stop there. I'm not going to
respond to Mr. Cornell. I'll talk to him privately.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well, let's talk about
Mr. Cornell, because I was -- I was sitting here -- I was thinking
about this -- and because I've always been an advocate of the
consumption of TDRs with development within the Rural Fringe and
now -- and now -- and now I understand why I approved 129 units
back in '21, because of the affordability aspect of it, and that $15,000
expense with regard to the affordability, those two don't jive.
The -- the reduction from 100 percent afforded -- affordability
does open up the discussion for the utilization of TDRs, number one.
That's my -- that's one issue. My number two issue is I do not like
this daycare, have not liked this daycare from the beginning. Its
generation of traffic is far in excess of any potential commercial that's
out there on a regular basis, except for the period of time -- and
sometimes daycares go year-round. They don't just operate during
school hours. I mean, depending on the age bracket of the kids that
they're bringing in, it could be 365 days a year and thousands of trips.
So those are my two issues. I'd like to --
MR. YOVANOVICH: Sure.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- I'd like to discuss and hear
if you have any opportunity for adjustment.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Well, let's take the first one first, which
is the affordable housing. If you recall, in 2023, the Board amended
its Growth Management Plan to allow for affordable housing in the
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Rural Fringe Mixed-Use District. We predated that. We were kind
of like the precursor to what happened in the Rural Fringe Mixed-Use
District. And as an incentive to provide affordable housing, you
actually wrote that we're not allowed to use TDRs as part of the
bonus program. That's the way it reads right now in the Growth
Management Plan. That doesn't mean you can't change it
prospectively. And we've had these discussions in the past, and
you've always said, well, you're right, Rich. We'll work
prospectively to correct --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Did I actually -- did I actually
say you were right?
MR. YOVANOVICH: In the past on other things, yes, you
have, and matter of fact, I had that transcribed, and we'll -- and
produce it if necessary. I can't produce it today, but there were times
that you did say I was right.
But prospectively, if you want to make the glitch change that,
you know, Mr. Cornell's talking about, then let's talk about doing that
prospectively.
One of the ways to allow for affordable housing to occur is
you've got to let market-rate units be built to basically subsidize the
provision of income-restricted units. And everything you add to the
cost of that market-rate unit then makes affordable housing less of an
incentive for a developer to go through and do. And I think we'll all
agree that income-restricted for-sale product -- this is the first one
that I know of that's going through the process that's not a product of
a not-for-profit organization. So I hope we'll encourage this to occur
more. So as far as -- that's my response to the TDR question.
And we did discuss about -- and my client is willing to maybe
convert some of the daycare, because that is -- and you heard that
spiel that I gave the last time; by giving up the daycare, we would be
giving up a whole lot of trips on Immokalee Road.
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Now, I think what would be fair is perhaps to convert some of
the daycare to a commercial use which is not, you know, all through
the day 365 -- well, I'm sure the weekends, but, you know, during a
12-month-a-year job to something different.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It's a significant reduction in
traffic compared to a 12,000-square-foot daycare.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Daycare. So we had talked about, you
know, maybe rounding up the commercial to 50,000 square feet,
which is less than half of the daycare square footage, which I think
would be a fair tradeoff. It would probably be a better use from a
peak morning time when people are on the road and when the
congestion's occurring to not having kids coming to a daycare.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So the TDRs is not a
discussion that we can -- even on the non --
MR. YOVANOVICH: It's not something that would work in
the pro forma at this point. I mean, prospectively, maybe for other
projects, but on this one it's difficult.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I missed the prospective
portion of that discussion.
Well, I mean -- I mean, I would -- I have to hear what the rest of
my colleagues have to say, but I think the elimination of the daycare
center and an increase to the commercial would be a better use of the
facility and certainly a reduction in traffic.
Of course -- now, do we have use restrictions to the
commercial?
MR. YOVANOVICH: Yeah, we wouldn't change -- yeah,
there's limited uses that are allowed that are -- that are compatible
with our neighbors.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: What are those uses? And while
you're looking for that --
July 8, 2025
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MR. YOVANOVICH: I could put the big laundry list of uses
up.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Thank you, Chairman.
I -- like Commissioner McDaniel, I would agree to change the
daycare use, or if we could add additional uses; I'd be fine with that.
I do have a question about the TDRs. I know that we have given
an exemption for affordability, but do we have the ability to split that
and say we're going to collect 70 percent of the TDR and let the
30 percent of the affordability go? Do we have that flexibility, or is it
just all TDRs or nothing?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I think -- I think what I heard
Rich -- and I'm not trying to speak for him.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Not on this project. On future
projects.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'm not negotiating with you.
But on future properties [sic]. I think -- I think it's something we
need to give consideration to because of the -- we have the
prohibition on the utilization of TDRs when housing affordability is
part of the density bonus process, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not
speaking out of turn, am I, Mr. Bosi?
MR. BOSI: No.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Note that I called you that.
So I think that -- I think we ought to -- at some stage we ought to
have a discussion about utilization of those TDRs when we're dealing
with that market, and affordability is -- I'm not questioning the
suspect of the language of affordability, because if I recall, this
development is calling for 120 and 140 for their -- of our AMI, and
our AMI is 104- last I knew. So we're talking about 100-,
$150,000-a-year buyers in this affordable status, so...
But I certainly think it's something that -- it is something that we
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should give consideration to. And Rich was correct, the only
other -- I think Lisa's in the back. The only other development that is
not -- is a not-for-profit, that doesn't have to acquire the TDRs in
order to attain their development density.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Mr. Yovanovich, can you put that
list of uses up?
MR. YOVANOVICH: Yeah. It's basically all the C-2, which
are the limited commercial uses, and then some of the C-3s that are
considered neighborhood commercial uses. That's Page 1. And
then -- so like the first one, we've limited the amusement and
recreational to martial arts and yoga studios that you would find
typically in a strip, you know, retail. So the uses have been pared
down or limited in square footage as to what can go on there. And
then when you're ready, I can put up Page 2. And again, these are
uses that were already approved as part of the original PUD.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: The No. 8, the eating places with
6,000 square feet or less --
MR. YOVANOVICH: That's a restaurant.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah, I figured that.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Hence the eating places.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah, that one didn't go past me.
COMMISSIONER HALL: You pay for it there.
MR. YOVANOVICH: I did try to sneak that one, but that's
been there all along.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah. The question, is that fast
food as well or --
MR. YOVANOVICH: Yes, yes.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Chick-fil-a.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And the other -- take a look at the
next page.
July 8, 2025
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MR. YOVANOVICH: I may have to slide it for you after you
read it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And the reason that I wanted to
have this list up, I was going to ask Dave Hooker -- so if we're
talking about expanding the -- potentially expanding the commercial,
is there anything on that list that would be incompatible with
Valencia Trails in your mind?
MR. HOOKER: I'm not going to speak --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: You're going to need to come up to
the podium.
MR. HOOKER: I'm sorry.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: You don't have to answer the
question. If you're willing to --
MR. HOOKER: I would say the only -- and I'm not a Robert
Kennedy fan, but, you know, fast food, I think we have plenty of fast
food. You know, maybe a boutique restaurant, but that would -- I
would say the community would probably frown on fast food.
MR. YOVANOVICH: If I can.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yes, sir.
MR. YOVANOVICH: If you look at one more page in the
PUD, you would see that stand-alone drive-throughs are prohibited.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Stand-alone fast food. You could have a
Starbucks attached that has a drive through, but you cannot have a
stand-alone McDonald's. You cannot have a stand-alone Chick-fil-a.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That's where I was getting to.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Okay.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So the commercial uses,
if we do expand them, there doesn't appear to be any uses on there
that would be obnoxious to Valencia Trails?
MR. YOVANOVICH: I don't think. You're going to get the
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Chick-fil-a on the site --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: No.
MR. YOVANOVICH: -- if you expanded the square footage.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Commissioner Hall, are
you finished?
COMMISSIONER HALL: (Nods head.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Thank you, Chairman.
I just wanted to play devil's advocate a little bit. If we're trading
the childcare space for more commercial -- I mean, I do know that
area very well, and there's a lot of commercial around there already.
And so like you say, you want to get the right commercial. You can't
always guarantee that you're going to get, you know, three Ocean
Prime restaurants. Yeah, there's a few things on the prohibited list,
but be careful what you wish for.
But the other thing I think is for me to really feel comfortable
with that -- and this is just me talking out loud. You've got
30 percent of the units affordable. And regardless of the people, the
working-class folks that fill those units, you're going to have more
blue-collar, more working-class folks there, and they tend to come
with children. And by shrinking down the ability to have a childcare
center, whatever, you know, it's being called, to have it be smaller,
we lose, then, that service for those people that live there.
And I'm just, you know, sitting here saying, well, we're going to
trade that for a couple of restaurants or what have you, I just want to
make sure we're really measuring twice and cutting once before we
just sort of make a knee jerk here, because that's an important service
for families.
And so I'm not saying I know what the right square footage is,
but it just seems like we're -- we're quickly just talking about trading
this for that. And I remember, you know, a previous conversation
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was we weren't going to have the child development center -- or
childcare center at all, and now we're sort of back to it. But maybe
we can shrink it down for more commercial. I just -- I want to feel
better about that, and also from a traffic standpoint. Because I
understand -- I've heard it said, "Well, you know, regular
commercial's a lot less traffic than a childcare center."
The way I remember childcare centers is big traffic in the
morning, big traffic at night, kind of a little bit of lull in the evening.
A whole bunch of commercial is just traffic all day long.
So I don't know that I could just make the blanket statement that
making the childcare center smaller and then adding a whole -- not
adding a whole bunch but substituting it for commercial
exponentially reduces the traffic. I'm not -- I mean, I'm not sitting
here as a traffic expert. So make me feel better about that, and make
the citizens feel better about that. I just think there's some questions
buried in there that I'm still struggling with.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Well, I can only -- you know, and my
recollection from the conversation from the community before was
the daycare's a lot of trips, and we don't want a lot of trips throughout
the day. And daycare throughout the day, especially in the mornings
when you're dropping off your child, coincides with most people
going to work.
So from a biggest bang for your buck, if you will, on reducing
traffic would be to convert the daycare that we know at 250 students
most -- maybe you have two kids you drop off at the same time, but a
lot of times you just have one. So you're going to have a lot of cars
coming in the morning to drop off on the way to work.
So I'm not going to -- exponential? I can't say it's an exponential
reduction, but I can tell you in the morning it is a significant
reduction when Immokalee Road is not the most pleasant experience.
Hopefully it's going to get a lot better when Vanderbilt Beach Road is
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opened up, but right now that was the concern we heard was the
daycare adds a lot of trips on that road, and we'd like to see that go
away, and that was even raised again today, asked the daycare to go
away.
So we're suggesting some other use that I think would be
beneficial to the people who not only live in our community but live
next door to our community and who are on Immokalee Road all the
time looking for -- for these uses. And again, nobody's just going to
build it. There will be a demand for what we put there before we
build it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Thank you, Chairman.
Yeah, I think what Commissioner McDaniel and Commissioner
Hall was alluding to was basically eliminating the daycare, and you
said we'd go to the 50,000-square-foot commercial.
MR. YOVANOVICH: And eliminate the daycare.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Eliminate the daycare. And
you're only talking 5,600 square feet added.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Correct.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: In reducing the 12,000 from the
daycare.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Correct.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: And that's probably, what, one
restaurant or --
MR. YOVANOVICH: One or two.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: It's not going to put --
MR. YOVANOVICH: It may not even be a restaurant. It could
be some other -- it could be some other use.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Two small storefronts, so it's not
going to put a big bump on the commercial traffic, I would think.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: It's not going to be a McDonald's
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and a Burger King.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: No, it doesn't -- stand-alone
drive-through.
MR. YOVANOVICH: But it might be a restaurant.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: But some sort of eating
facility, right? And that equals restaurant? Does that --
MR. YOVANOVICH: It would be an eating facility.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I didn't quite understand the part
where you can't sell poultry. I saw that in there.
MR. YOVANOVICH: I can't. I could sell it cooked.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Okay. All right. But like I said, I
don't see -- I mean, definitely removing the daycare during peak
hours on and off is going to reduce the traffic in and out of that
property area there for sure. And adding the 5,600 square foot to the
commercial that's already going to exist there is not going to be that
much.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Correct.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I think we're probably
ready for a motion. It sounds like that -- there's been a discussion
that, I think, has improved the situation for the community.
And so is there a motion on this particular project?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Do you want to do it, or do
you want me to? I'll do it. You can do it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel, yes.
And if you would include the elimination of the daycare but the
addition -- increasing the square footage of the commercial to 50,000
square feet, I believe, was the -- is that correct?
MR. YOVANOVICH: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Second.
I'll make that motion. I'll make a motion that we approve the
development, raise the -- eliminate the daycare, raise the square
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footage of the commercial up to 50,000 square feet, and allow for the
reduction to the 30 percent of affordability with respect to the 129
units.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And I would like to say
whoever's in charge of the neighborhood, give consideration to the
gated access for you folks in and out of that development.
MR. HOOKER: That will go to the new HOA. The board will
make that decision.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Excuse me, sir, sir. Sorry. You're
welcome to speak, but you're going to have to come up to the
podium.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: David, would you like to
come up and speak? Because I would like -- I know -- I know there's
resistance to it, but resistance to it today when there -- when you have
vehicular access to and from your subdivision, only your people go
there, and only your people come out. And -- but the pedestrian
traffic will always be there. But, for vehicular access, it's going to be
a mess. If you want to get into that commercial plaza, you've got to
go to your light, go to their center, then go down to the next light, do
a U-turn and come back.
MR. HOOKER: Understood. That would -- we just turned over
to the HOA, so HOA board and the community would make that
decision.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay.
MR. HOOKER: So, you know, I don't think anybody here is
going to speak one way or the other for that decision. Also, second
point is there's two daycare centers being built, if you're not familiar
with that. So I don't know about the market study on that, but --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay. That's good to hear.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And you mentioned that,
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David, and I appreciate it. I didn't want to correct Commissioner
LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I hadn't heard that.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: You had your paw up.
MR. YOVANOVICH: My traffic consultant reminded me what
we're going to have to do is we'll work with your traffic staff to come
up with what that trip cap number is related to the extra 5,600 square
feet and bump up the trip cap equal to that number. But we'll
coordinate that with your Transportation staff.
That's fine.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I just want to say again, hats
off to the citizens in the community. This is -- I mean, today we're
just seeing rock star citizens at -- at everything we're voting on. And,
you know, I commonly encourage citizens, "Hey, instead of having
50 people come up to the podium and it's sort of hodgepodge of sort
of opinions or whatnot, how smart it is to get a spokesperson
and -- several, and everybody allots their time."
We have some other big votes coming up in the next few
months, and I hope citizens take this as an example of a perfect way
to do it. Eloquent speaker has the things, not yelling at us. We're not
stupid commissioners. We're trying to do the right thing outlining the
points.
And then also it's obvious that there's been communication
between, you know, the applicant, the citizens. And we don't always
have that, and today's just a great example. It's happened several
times already where we just have had just superstar citizens come up
here and represent their communities with polish and
professionalism.
And I can speak for all of us saying it's refreshing, and we
appreciate it. And that's how you get the right -- you know, the right
end result. And it won't please everybody, but, you know, there's
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always some give and take.
And I appreciate hearing about the daycare center, because in
the back of my mind I'm sitting here saying, you know, it's great to
say wipe it out, but then you lose that service. And those people who
are driving to work dropping their kids off, they're workers. You
know, so it's -- it goes hand in hand, but you've made me feel a lot
better about that. But thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and a
second, and that motion is to approve both Items 9A and 9B; is that
correct?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Seeing none, all in favor, signify
by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
MR. YOVANOVICH: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: What's that gentleman's name;
Hooker? Dave Hooker?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Hey, Dave, you said you
didn't speak eloquently because you're not an attorney? I mean,
we've got an attorney over here, and he had to ask what an eating
facility was. So, I mean, I'm just saying, you did okay.
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MR. HOOKER: I didn't say about IQ.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: You did okay.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ms. Patterson.
Item #5
ARTIST OF THE MONTH – THERESA WEBB
MS. PATTERSON: Commissioners, while we're clearing the
room, let's take a look at the Artist of the Month. So our July Artist
of the Month is Theresa Webb, a full-time Collier County resident.
Ms. Webb started her career as an artist at the age of 80.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Wow.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ladies and gentlemen, we're still
conducting our meeting. Ladies and gentlemen, we're conducting our
meeting. Take your conversations outside, please.
Yes, ma'am.
MS. PATTERSON: She specializes in oil paintings, bringing
lifelike realism to her subject matter. She also has expertise doing
commissioned pet portraits.
Ms. Webb displays her artwork at the Coco Art Gallery in the
Coastland Center Mall and Trillium Gallery in the Naples Art
District.
With that, Commissioners, I know -- Troy, how many speakers
do we have on 12A?
MR. MILLER: I have two, four, six, eight -- it looks like 10
online and five here in the room.
MS. PATTERSON: Commissioners, if you'd like, it's a little bit
out of the order, but these folks have been waiting for most of the day
for the Clam Bay items. Do we want to take that one next and get
them done?
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I know we have people
here for everything, but --
MS. PATTERSON: We do.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- let's go ahead and take that up.
MS. PATTERSON: All right. So that moves us to Item 12A.
This item was continued from the May 13th, 2025, BCC meeting. It's
a recommendation to provide direction to advertise an ordinance
establishing the Clam Bay Advisory Committee to provide
recommendations to the Board on matters affecting the entire Clam
Bay estuary system. And I will look to the Board and the County
Attorney on this. There's been some discussion at prior meetings.
And we do have 15 speakers? Fifteen.
MR. MILLER: Yes. I'm still counting. We've had some leave.
It looks like we have about 12.
MS. PATTERSON: All right.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: This is an item -- I think,
Commissioner McDaniel, this was -- is your item?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. Yep. Well, this --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I think it stemmed from that
workshop we had.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: It did, it did. And the
residents -- and the residents -- some of the residents of Pelican Bay
and some of the residents of Seagate and some of the residents of the
City of Naples expressed some concerns, some thought processes,
and this was my answer to engage in the community, engage in the
stakeholders, engage in the folks that have been primarily in charge
of the management of the estuary along with the residents of the city
who are impacted by it to offer up -- offer up some additional
opinions to us, because if I'm not mistaken, County Manager, this
estuary is actually -- the NRPA is county's property.
MS. PATTERSON: I actually don't know the answer to that, if
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it's the county's property.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I thought it was, but I might
be wrong.
MS. PATTERSON: Yeah. I'm looking at our Pelican Bay folks
in the back who are giving me the thumbs-up.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So having said that -- and the
impacts of this estuary are far-reaching. I know since I have became
a commissioner, we have spent untold dollars of TDT money
dredging out Clam Pass.
I have talked to several -- several consultants with regard to the
overall health of the estuary, the necessity for a proper flush, if you
will, with regard to saltwater coming and going with the tides. Some
of my -- some of my long-term -- some of my long-term residents
that have lived here even longer than I remember when Clam Pass
was a flourishing pass.
So my idea was us to engage the community and have a
discussion, open it up for -- open it up for the ability for others that
are impacted by what's going on with the Clam Bay estuary to have
some input.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Thank you, Chairman.
When I saw this, you know, it's a valiant effort to bring the
community together for conversation; however, when it comes to
creating an ordinance for a -- an advisory committee, there's still
three Pelican Bay people, two city people. And I have been working
in the background -- and I'm going to bring it up here pretty shortly.
We have 43 different advisory committees in the county, and the cost
to put them on and to have staff there is -- it's overwhelming, and I'll
bring that up later. But I didn't feel like we had the need to create
another advisory committee.
I did have a conversation with Tim Hall about the health of the
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estuary because I know that Pelican Bay Services Division is in
charge of managing it right now, and he assured me that the -- even
though the estuary's gone through multiple changes through the
storms in the last five years, that the health of the estuary is not in
question.
I talked to him for over an hour. I said, "School me; educate me
on all of this." And we went from everything from algae bloom to
phosphates to everything. And after my conversation, I felt good that
the estuary is being taken care of in a proper fashion. I know that this
has been going on since, you know, forever. But if we do not create
an advisory committee, another one, it doesn't mean that the
interested parties can't get together, have civil conversation, listen to
each other's needs, and come to us even as a Board with
recommendations that they've gotten together and brought us forth.
We can do that without having the expense, without having the
creation of it.
I've had -- you know, I'm in District 2. Pelican Bay's right
across the street from me. I have no idea how many emails I've
gotten. It's more on this than anything -- I've gotten more emails on
this than when I made the comment about the dogs when I first
became a commissioner.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Don't do that twice.
COMMISSIONER HALL: But no. And if -- the common
theme is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." And this is -- today's item is
just in -- it's an item to go forth in advertising for the ordinance. And
personally, I'm not even going to support advertising it. I don't want
it. The people don't want it. Pelican Bay Services is in -- doing a
good job with the estuary.
I do want to encourage the city people -- and they said that
they've had conversations. I would like to see it be a different
conversation. I would like to publicly say that when Pelican Bay
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meets with these people, that they meet with an open mind. They
meet with listening to the needs of people, and that the city people
come forth with the attitude of this is what we just would like
to -- this is what we want. This is what we would love to have,
instead of, "The water's dirty." We're suffering. This is that, and
that's this. And it used to be this way in the history. Just come with
open -- with communication. Plain talk is the easiest understood.
And I think that both parties are mature enough to come forth with
something that's to come -- if they have to come back to us, that they
can come with something that's worthwhile.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Thank you, Chairman. You
know, I kind of got involved in this, too. And at some point before
we had that breakout meeting where we had this as one of the
subjects, but, you know, I represent District 4 which is unique, which
is similar to Commissioner LoCastro's district where you have a city
within your district that has its own government, its own council, its
own mayor. It's its own, you know, Class A city.
And the problem is, my district and the people that live in my
district within the city, you know, they want some representation
from their county commissioner because they don't vote for me.
They put me in this seat as part of the people in my district. And they
felt that they never had a voice, and they were actually the
neighboring people to this bay. They sit right on the bay even though
they're in the city, and they're kind of excluded from having a voice
when it comes around to, you know, having discussions about the
condition of the bay.
And there's some people that's lived in these communities right
up against the bay for 30 -- 30, 25, 35 years, and they can contest
[sic] that it's not the same as it used to be. And there's something
that's changed. You can't just blame it all on the storms in the last
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five years.
There's just -- certain things are just not the same. It's not the
same bay as it was before.
And that being said, they got to go to, I think, two meetings last
year, or at the beginning of this year and the end of last year, but it
shouldn't have been on my request as the County Commissioner to
have them sit down at these meetings, you know, that typically
happen amongst the people that run this operation. They should be
welcome all the time because they are neighboring to this
water -- body of water, and they are affected by this body of water.
And don't fool yourselves that this water doesn't leach out into
the gulf with the extra algae and the extra contaminates. It's an issue
that can affect anyone along our coastline, miles and miles of our
coastline, so it's not just a single community's problem or a single
community's responsibility. It's all our responsibility.
And it was like Commissioner McDaniel pointed out that the
bay is county property. You just have to be entrusted to maintain it
for us as the county. It's the people's property.
That's why I was in favor of having something, a third set of
eyes, a neutral party to report back to us just so we have more -- you
know, more clarity and more openmindedness to how to look at these
problems or direct our TDY [sic] money in certain directions, or if
we have to get a greater permit to go beyond the bend, things like
that, to do more dredging up to the bridge, things that may be healthy
for the bay.
But, you know, I'm one of five people up here. And like
Commissioner Hall said, it shouldn't take a commissioner to get
involved to have people invited to sit down and talk about this. So I
feel that, at minimum, if this doesn't pass today, the advertising
where we don't move forward, that I think that we should have the
ability to have at least two mandatory meetings a year for all the
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stakeholders that live on the border of this water, have the
opportunity to sit down and have a meeting and then the minutes
from that meeting brought forth to the Board of County
Commissioners to be evaluated. And if there's some good ideas in
there -- and there might be some bad ideas in there. But I think it
wouldn't hurt, at minimum.
But I just wanted to make sure I expressed that because I feel the
people in the city do need a voice in this because they are -- they're
right on the border of this body of water. It is in their backyard, so...
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah. Well -- and on that
note, Venetian Bay, the culvert pipes underneath Seagate Drive are
too small. The flush that's coming out of Clam Bay now is not
enough flush to actually help push the water out of Venetian Bay
when the tides are, in fact, coming and going.
This is -- this is -- this is county property. And again, I'm not
blaming the -- I'm not blaming anybody. Pelican Bay has done an
admirable job spending Pelican Bay residents' money, because I think
they have a non-ad valorem assessment that supports the PBSD's
adventures along the way.
Commissioner Hall, is that correct?
COMMISSIONER HALL: That's correct. They fund the whole
operation from assessments and the MSTU with the exception of
about 200,000 a year that comes from General Funds.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So my thoughts were the
creation of this committee brought all of the stakeholders into it. You
know, there are -- there are additional funding sources that can come
in and other opinions and thought processes on how the overall
estuary can be managed. So -- I'm not looking to step on
Commissioner Hall's district or either one. This is an issue that I've
seen since I've lived here. I mean, we all experienced what's gone on
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with this estuary. I've lived here for 44 years, so this isn't just a snap
decision. And community involvement to me was never an evil
thing.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I do have a question. Does the city
environmentalist attend these meetings of the district when -- is there
anybody from Pelican Bay that can answer that question as to
whether the City of Naples does have some representation at least in
front of the meeting? Because it seems to me that that would be a
very valuable contributor.
MR. FOGG: Commissioners, I'm Michael Fogg. I'm chairman
of the Pelican Bay Services Division.
Our public -- Pelican Bay Service Division board meetings are
public meetings, the same as yours. It's an elected board. Anybody's
welcome to attend those meetings, and representatives from Seagate
and Naples Cay have actually attended our meetings and discussed
many of these issues that we're going to be talking about today.
In addition, we have a committee of Pelican Bay Services
Division which is specifically named the Clam Bay Committee which
spends more time than the board does focused on these issues. That,
again, is a public meeting open to the public, and it's minuted and
recorded and available through the county records.
So to your specific question about the city, there is no direct
involvement with the city.
We do -- we have a good working relationship with the Coastal
Advisory Committee on a number of issues, including discussions
around these topics that we're talking about today. But there has been
no specific city representative that's come forward to the meetings to
make comment.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. All right. We have --
MR. MILLER: Well, Mr. Fogg here was our first speaker and
has a total of six minutes to speak. Did you have more you wanted to
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hear from him?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: How many speakers do we have
now?
MR. MILLER: We have, it looks like, nine, 10.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And the issue this morning -- or
this afternoon is whether or not we're going to advertise, so...
MR. MILLER: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. If you would -- you've
got six minutes.
MR. FOGG: Okay. All right. Thank you.
Okay. So as I already said, I'm Michael Fogg, chair of the
Pelican Bay Services Division.
Since 2013, the county has delegated responsibility for the
advice and management of Clam Bay to the Pelican Bay Services
Division, and it looks after the Clam Bay itself plus, obviously,
mainly the NRPA which sits within it.
So I'm here kind of to advise. We're an advisory committee.
I'm here to advise. It's probably unprecedented for somebody from
the Pelican Bay Services Division to appear before the Commission.
We tend to keep a very low profile and get on with the responsibility
of managing the Clam Bay estuary, and there have been really no
major issues that have caused us to need to come before the
committee.
The ordinance, as drafted, however, strikes at the heart of the
PBSD mission and their operations by creating what we believe to be
an unnecessary unelected oversight committee with, as drafted, no
staffing and no budget.
So it won't be a surprise to you that I'm here today to advise you
not to proceed with the ordinance.
It's worth noting, I think, from a history point of view that prior
to 2013, the estuary and the NRPA were managed by various
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different county organizations with mixed results, which ultimately
resulted in significant die-off in the mangroves and other significant
problems.
And that since 2013, when PBSD took over, there has been a
fairly successful management program, and there have been no really
significant problems with the die-off in the mangroves.
Now, my formal response to the proposal was sent to you in a
letter from me on May 27th, which I would appreciate being included
in the record today.
What I want to do today is just to talk about three points. They
are water quality in Outer Clam Bay, water quality in the Seagate
canals, and some comments about the draft of the ordinance itself.
As to water quality in Outer Clam Bay, various commissioners, I
think, have received input from various residents about concerns over
water quality in Outer Clam Bay. For the most part, as I understand
it, these comments are anecdotal based on visual impressions of the
state of the bay. The extensive monitoring that PBSD undertakes
would suggest otherwise.
Conditions in Clam Bay and the NRPA are extensively
monitored on a regular basis by PBSD. The first way that we do this
is by pollution control. The Collier County Pollution Control group
tests our water quality monthly at various stations throughout Pelican
Bay, two of which stations are adjacent to residents of Seagate.
Those monthly reports are tabulated, and an annual report is
presented to the Clam Bay Committee and then ultimately to the
Pelican Board -- Pelican Bay Services Division board and is publicly
available. Generally, those results show a stable -- a stable estuary
within acceptable parameters.
The second method that we do to monitor conditions within
Clam Bay estuary is that we monitor tidal flow through a variety of
tidal gauges which are monitored constantly, and it is the flow in and
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out on those gauges which ultimately determine whether we choose
to dredge or not dredge in any particular season.
And the third way that we do it is that the staff and our
consultants periodically are out in the bay on a regular basis and
have, obviously, reservations about the state of the mangroves,
whether there's any potential for any stress or die-off amongst the
mangroves.
So it is fair to say that some measurements, not all, by any
means, and that some of the tidal flows are not in the ideal range.
But interestingly, most of those issues -- those areas where there
is concern are not in Outer Clam Bay. They're actually in Upper
Clam Bay, which is to the north, which area does not get as much
tidal flow as Outer Clam Bay.
So much has been made about dredging and the frequency of
dredging and the depth and breadth of dredging in Clam Bay. PBSD
dredges Clam Bay in accordance with a permit which has been in
existence now for several years, which was approved by the Army
Corps of Engineers. It's fairly limited. We're only allowed to do
certain dredging, and we can only do it certain times of the year. We
supplement this where necessary with hand-dug channels which open
up tidal flow into specific areas of the mangroves where we think
there's particular areas of stress.
So although all the measurements that we take suggest to us that
the estuary is stable, in an abundance of caution and in anticipation of
some expected storm effects this summer, we have been
recommended by our consultant that we actually schedule a dredge
this summer or at least this fall, as it turns out.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We're going to need you to wrap
up.
MR. FOGG: Okay. Well, I've got -- the only other issue -- so
my bottom line there is Clam Bay is in good condition by all
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measures that we take, all right. The issues that I think the Seagate
folks are really interested in are the conditions within their canals.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Again, we have a lot of speakers,
so you need to wrap up.
MR. FOGG: Okay. Well, I guess my bottom line is is that
there's -- we don't see a need for this oversight committee. The
conditions in play are adequate -- if you wish to address the issues in
Seagate, a special attempt through the CAC or through some other
committee need to be done.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. FOGG: Okay.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Patrick. And, I'm sorry, I
cannot make out this writing on this last name.
MR. WACK: Oh, I failed handwriting. It's Wack, W-a-c-k --
MR. MILLER: Okay. Patrick Wack will be --
MR. WACK: -- believe it or not.
MR. MILLER: -- followed by Kathy Worley. Thank you, sir.
MR. WACK: Well, listen, I appreciate all your time, and I
know you've heard a lot -- and by the way, I'm going to be the only
speaker, so -- but I'm representing Naples Cay. And you heard a lot
from folks from Naples Cay, maybe too much for some of you.
You know, I'm a bit like David in the David and Goliath story
here. But, listen, I think -- a couple things. One, we can argue about
the health of the estuary. I can give you data that shows that it isn't
healthy. It is considered impaired by the State of Florida. The
seagrass has declined to less than 5 percent. I can go on.
Secondly, you know, we did have an engineering study done
who made some recommended changes which I think ought to be
taken, you know, seriously.
Third is I have provided at the Clam Bay meetings that were
mentioned a pretty comprehensive list of things that we think should
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be examined, by the way, that go beyond water quality, that get into
that mangrove strip, which you may remember from the U.S. Army
Corps, which, if that breaches, we're all in trouble, you know, all
those communities. Unfortunately, with the U.S. Army Corps study
gone, you know, that's no longer around.
We want the same things as Pelican Bay: Clean water, a better
environment, but we want it consistently applied to the entire NRPA,
all the way to the south. And fundamentally, it's our backyard. And
we figure that without some normal representation, structure, we'll
be -- continue to treat it as a bit of an unwanted stepchild.
So whatever your conscience tells you today, we appreciate your
time and effort in looking at this matter. We hope that you can -- we
can get your support for a committee. If not, we hope there's an
alternative solution which, you know, gives us a better voice and kind
of holds everyone accountable. So that's all we ask.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Kathy Worley. She'll be
followed on Zoom by Alison Sawyer.
MS. WORLEY: Good afternoon, Commissioners. Kathy
Worley, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and I'm the director of
environmental science.
If the Commission -- I'm not going to talk about whether or not
you should do this ordinance. What I'm going to talk about is if you
happen to do this ordinance and decide to develop a Clam Bay
advisory board, I would strongly suggest that technical advisors be
included in this advisory board.
The purpose, as stated, is to -- of the ordinance is to review
issues affecting the entire bay system, including direction,
management, health, and long-term viability.
Now, the purposes stated, none of the five members that are
proposed in the ordinance, as written anyway, are required to have
any mangrove, estuarine, or scientific backgrounds or the expertise
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that would be needed to achieve the stated goal of this advisory
board.
I would strongly suggest if you decide to move forward with
this, that the board be expanded to include five technical individuals
including two mangrove ecologists with experience in
estuarine -- Clam Bay estuary, one hydrologist that is familiar with
isolated mangrove forest inlet areas, one water-quality scientist that is
familiar with dredge and fill canal systems adjacent to mangrove
estuaries, and one climate or sea level rise resiliency expert, and that
is because this area is very vulnerable to that.
If these individuals are on the advisory board, you
might -- along with the five that you have suggested, you might have
a better chance of making a difference for the entire system if you go
forward with this proposal.
You know, I've worked in the Clam Bay system now for over 25
years. I've produced annual reports on a myriad of challenges that
this system faces that have occurred over a quarter of a century.
There have been many changes of who's in charge of the place,
but I would argue that nature and the effect of developing and
creating an isolated system are driving the bus here.
The reality is there's not going to be an easy answer moving
forward, but whatever you decide to do should you -- should be
driven by the best available science, and I thank you for listening to
me today.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker on Zoom is Alison Sawyer,
and she will be followed by Carolyn Healy.
Ms. Sawyer, you've unmuted yourself. You have three minutes.
MS. SAWYER: I appreciate your time.
I'm a Pelican Bay resident, a newly elected board member on the
Mangrove Action Committee. I have a degree in natural resource
management and have worked as a naturalist for the National Park
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Service in a number of key national parks, including places like
Yellowstone National Park, C&O Canal, Rocky Mountain National
Park, and so I'm well aware of the delicate balance between use and
preservation. And one of the difficulties, I think, in an issue -- in an
area like Clam Bay where we have so much -- so much desire to use
this to have clean water and yet at the same time have businesses and
HOAs that have their -- you know, their desired effects on these areas
is that when decisions need to be made, the extended layering of
oversight becomes very difficult with making decisions in a timely
manner that can allow the best preservation of these mangroves.
We all depend on these mangroves, the people, the businesses,
the wildlife, and we can't afford to relinquish oversight to groups that
have their own issues and agendas that would not allow us to
continue to move forward in a timely manner on keeping the
mangroves safe.
And so I really appreciated and I echo Chris Hall's comments
and feedback. I appreciate these commissioners and all the work that
you're doing.
Commissioner Knowles [sic], I thought that your -- was a
wonderful idea that maybe rather than just adding another layer of
advisory board, that we could establish some meetings where we
could have these discussions being made.
I would like to encourage the commissioners to not move
forward with trying to create a whole 'nother advisory committee and
allow those who already have the scientific knowledge of this area to
continue to work as they are doing to keep this Clam Bay and Clam
Pass area safe for all of us and preserve the mangroves in the process.
Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Carolyn Healy, and she
will be followed by Martin Chamberlin.
Carolyn, you're being prompted -- I see you've unmuted
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yourself. You have three minutes.
MS. HEALY: Hello. Thank you. Can you hear?
MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am.
MS. HEALY: Thank you very much.
I wanted to thank you all for taking this issue and listening and
all the work you do. I am a 12-year board member of a watershed
institute that does a lot of policy, research, advocacy, and I'd like to
kind of echo what we've heard today from Commissioner Hall, from
our previous speaker Alison, and also from the head of the PBSD.
At this point, a layer of bureaucracy is not what is needed
and -- to be effective and have effective work on it done in this area.
I think you can argue appointing more technological savviness or an
advisory committee being part of it is -- or being consultants within it
is something valuable, but just adding another layer is not helpful in
this type of work. This type of work takes a lot of passion, a lot of
drive, and to have it layered is not helpful.
I think that's really all it is. Others have said it better than -- or
the same as I am, and I want to echo what they're saying. Thanks for
your time.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Martin Chamberlin, and he
will be followed by Maureen Flatly.
Mr. Chamberlin, you're being prompted to unmute yourself, and
you've done so, sir. You have three minutes.
MR. CHAMBERLIN: Thank you. No comment at this time. I
appreciate it, though.
MR. MILLER: All right, then.
That will take us to Maureen Flatley, and she will be followed
by Michael Riley.
Maureen, you're being prompted to unmute yourself. And,
Maureen, are you with us?
(No response.)
July 8, 2025
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MR. MILLER: All right. I'm going to throw my Zoom
coordinator a curveball here and go on to Michael Riley.
Mr. Riley, you're being prompted to unmute yourself, if you'll
do so. You have done that. You have three minutes, sir.
MR. RILEY: Hi. Thank you. I'll be very brief.
First of all, I would echo Commissioner Hall's point in terms of
"if it's not broken, don't fix it," and also I think the points that Alison
and Carolyn made were spot on, particularly around the -- I think
the -- there's a perception sometimes that more is better, and I think
just adding another level of bureaucracy is not helpful.
Finally, I would also just encourage the Board of County
Commissioners, if you have not done so, to read in detail Michael
Fogg, the chairman of the Pelican Bay Services Division's letter. I
thought it was very well written and spot on, and I will leave it at
that.
Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Maureen Flatley, and she'll
be followed by Susan O'Brien.
Did I try Maureen? Yes, we did.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: You did.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: She's asleep.
MR. MILLER: She is asleep, I'm being told.
So we'll go on to Susan O'Brien. Susan, I see you've unmuted.
You have three minutes.
MS. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Good afternoon, Commissioners. I served on the Pelican Bay
Services Division board from 2011 to 2022 and as chair of PBSD's
Clam Bay Committee for 10 years. I attended the March 4th BCC
meeting at which eight individuals from Naples Cay and Seagate
spoke about Clam Bay.
A major takeaway from their comments was that consideration
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should be given to dredging Clam Pass every year to ensure good
tidal flow throughout Clam Bay and to minimize this disruption to
Clam Bay caused by the current practice of dredging only when
certain variables are met. I agree that consideration should be given
to annual dredging of Clam Pass because conditions have changed
since the Clam Bay Management Plan was approved by the BCC in
2015. Many of the changes in Clam Bay are due to the four
hurricanes we've experienced since 2017.
I support PBSD and Naples Cay and Seagate representatives
having a series of meetings between now and the end of the year to
discuss the pros and cons of annual dredging of Clam Pass and other
issues.
I respectfully disagree that to address the issues raised by
Seagate and Naples Cay, a Clam Bay advisory committee should be
formed at this time. Before the responsibility for advising the BCC
on issues related to Clam Bay is moved from the fully staffed and
fully funded PBSD, an established division of Collier County
government, to an unstaffed and unfunded Clam Bay Advisory
Committee, every effort should be made to address the issues before
such a major change is made.
I respectfully request that you not pursue the formation of a
Clam Bay advisory committee at this time and that you consider
asking PBSD to meet directly with Seagate and Naples Cay
representatives to discuss and make recommendations if needed to
the BCC.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
MR. MILLER: Mr. Chairman, your final registered speaker on
Zoom is Trent Waterhouse.
Mr. Waterhouse, you're being prompted to unmute yourself.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: He's right there.
MR. MILLER: Wow. I have a slip for you, but when I saw you
July 8, 2025
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online, I thought you must have left.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Make sure he unmutes
himself.
MR. MILLER: Yes. Please unmute yourself, sir.
MR. WATERHOUSE: Can do.
Commissioners, good afternoon.
I would urge you to allow the Collier County Pelican Bay
Services, the Seagate neighborhood, and Naples Cay to continue
communicating and collaborating with each other and leveraging the
PBSD engineering data, staffing resources, and more than a decade of
experience successfully managing the Clam Bay estuary.
The proposed Clam Bay Committee has the wrong name, no
scope, no funding, and no staffing. It interferes with the Collier
County Pelican Bay Services Division purpose, power, duties,
staffing, and funding to manage the Natural Resource Protection
Area, mangroves, and Clam Bay estuary.
The proposed advisory committee could also unintentionally
result in the Pelican Bay Foundation exercising its reversionary
property rights to assume ownership of Clam Pass Park, the Clam
Bay estuary, and the beach from the Ritz-Carlton to the Naples
Grande. There's no doubt that Seagate and Naples Cay
neighborhoods located in the City of Naples need help and have
sought help to address the water-quality issues in their canals, the
dune plantings, the mangrove restoration, and beach renourishment.
The jurisdictional boundary of the Pelican Bay PUD at Seagate
Drive and the MSTBU taxing authority of the PBSD restricts PBSD
funds from being used south of Seagate Drive.
Having personally collaborated with the Seagate Neighborhood
Association leadership over the past year, there's no question about
what needs to be done. All parties are focused on water quality,
healthier mangroves, and a properly dredged Clam Pass within the
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permits and templates approved by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
Any current or future use of the Clam Bay estuary from
motorized boating must be approved by the Pelican Bay Foundation.
Those matters have already been litigated.
From a practical perspective, the BOCC forming the Clam Bay
advisory committee does not fix the money, staffing, and professional
technical advisor needs raised by Seagate and the Naples Cay
neighborhoods. The Seagate/Naples Cay neighborhoods need help,
they need funding sources, technical advisors, and staffing, none of
which are provided through this ordinance or through this proposed
committee.
As always, thank you for your service to our community, and I
appreciate the time today.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. That concludes the
public comment. Let's just see if there's a motion. And I do have a
couple comments I'd like to make in terms of where I think we ought
to go. But is there a motion on this particular issue to bring this
back?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Let me make a
suggestion.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I -- do you want to have a
motion, or do you want to have a discussion about it? I mean --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Well, let me give you my thoughts,
and then -- I'm not so sure. If there's a motion and second to move
forward with advertising the ordinance, I'll support that, but I don't
believe that -- just to keep the dialogue going, but I don't think that's
the right answer.
I think that the City of Naples needs to be involved. I
think -- and I think Collier County needs to be involved, but I don't
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think we need to create another structure for that. I think there's a
structure in place where we can accomplish that.
I'll turn to Commissioner Kowal because it's his district in terms
of the particular issue here. And you've heard all the conversation.
What do you think is really the right solution to getting more
involvement?
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: And like in the -- my opening
comments, you know, I -- you know, I was behind some sort of
committee when we came out of the workshop, you know, putting
something together, but my concern was -- like I said before, was that
I shouldn't have got involved to the point where -- or I -- once I got
involved, it felt like Mr. Wack and the other citizens in that area that
lived in the city finally had the opportunity to actually be part of
some of their meetings at some point or had the opportunity to get an
invitation to speak with the people that run the organization. And I
felt like it shouldn't have took me to do that.
But my opinion is that I think at the minimum out of this
meeting we're having today -- and I heard the one speaker on Zoom
and a couple other people, they're very open to having some sort of,
like, mandatory annual meeting or something with the stakeholders
and other people that may have a greater grasp on what, you know,
this bay has, you know, to offer to us, especially in a healthy
condition, and just have that -- minutes from that meeting reported
back to the Board of County Commissioners. It doesn't mean we're
going to have to adopt anything or look at it, but it will give us an
opportunity to take a second look, and if it's an issue, we can always
bring it up, so...
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And I would suggest that, if it's
possible, if you could contact the city manager and -- because I don't
know what involvement the city has had in any of this.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Well, at the workshop, we
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had -- their environmental gentleman was here. He spoke at the
podium, and he did -- he was very interested in some sort of
partnership in moving forward.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Is that something that perhaps you
could kind of --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I will.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- spearhead in putting something
together to involve the city more directly in this conversation?
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Yeah, definitely. Then we can sit
down and figure out who should be at the table.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Because I would support any type
of involvement with the city in this discussion, but I don't think I
would support ultimately going with another advisory board, because
I agree with Commissioner Hall. I think that that would not result in
anything particularly positive. And we have so many of those to
begin with. It's just another -- another level that I don't think will
accomplish anything.
So my thought is, Commissioner Kowal, if you could work with
your colleagues in the city in terms of getting them involved in some
way. And I'm sure that the Pelican Bay Advisory Board, they
understand that the County Commission is interested in including
more dialogue with the city. And I'm certain that they will
accommodate that, and if they don't, then we could always come back
with another advisory board.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: So like I said, I think the
opportunity to get these people to the table, but if they don't take
advantage of it, that's on them. That's the way I look at it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: So I think we do have people out
there interested.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I'm going to echo that exactly.
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There's just a few things that -- after listening to everyone that I
would like to encourage in the dialogue. Number one is maybe for
the Naples Cay people to consider a smaller MSTU to where they can
come to the table with some funding, and I definitely feel like you
need a voice in the matter.
I loved Ms. Worley's comments about the technical advisors,
everything except for the sea rise thing. That -- the beach has come
right there every single day for the last million years, and it's going to
continue to come right there, so...
To consider the annual dredging. And I think with some extra
funds, that's a possibility in the discussions.
And what Commissioner Kowal said, just providing us with the
meeting minutes. I would love to know that there's civil, constructive
conversation going on with the two parties, and I think that the
people that are involved are way smart enough to come up with
something brilliant to keep the estuary flowing, to keep the estuary in
great health, and we can all live happily ever after.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah. And I'm fine with that,
especially if Commissioner Kowal's going to be assisting there.
I heard several things. Number one, the Clam Bay Management
Plan hasn't been touched since 2015, and I would like that to be a
portion of what's, in fact, going on.
I specifically would like to have city involvement and county
involvement, because this is an NRPA. I would like some of our
staff to be involved in these meetings as well from a -- from an
environmental consultation standpoint.
I want to say out loud I'm the last guy that would ever be
looking to create bureaucracy. The thought process here was an
advisory committee, not an oversight committee. It was represented
several times that this was an oversight committee. That was never
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the premise, never the thought process. It was for involving
community.
Commissioner Hall, you spoke of the creation of an MSTU. I
would -- I would offer up that the folks in Naples Cay and in the
south or in the northern end of Venetian Bay should give
consideration to that to be able to maybe offer up some funding to
assist with the flush issues that we, in fact, have. I mean, there's a
lot -- there's a lot here. This has been going on for a long, long time.
But I'm okay with this. I mean, this isn't -- this isn't something
that has to happen right now. If you're comfortable with it, I am.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: And just to piggyback on that.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: When I do go to the city, I mean,
that would have to be something that we'd have to really take a deep
dive, because they have to request --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Of course.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: -- because they have to request
us, as the county, to create some sort of MSTU --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Correct.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: -- for that section of the city. It's
like -- it's one of those, like -- we have to -- we have to, like -- they
have to -- I believe that's correct. Is that not correct? I know we're
talking about this in another portion we've been working on.
MS. PATTERSON: We'll -- right. We are working on this for
another area in the City of Naples, the logistics of an MSTU and how
that would work for -- for this type of activity, but we can sort
through that.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Once I get with the city and we
get representatives, then that will be something I could have a
discussion.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I'm going to try to
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fashion a motion and see if it encapsulize what we're all talking
about, and the motion would be to not move forward with an
advisory board as that line in this agenda item but instead to have
Commissioner Kowal work with contacts in the city and also with the
Pelican Bay Advisory Board to come up with a mechanism to
provide some input for the folks in Seagate and those other
communities, whatever that mechanism might be. Similar to what
you did with the -- you know, the automatic -- or the electric bikes
and that sort of thing, you know, you came up with a great solution to
that problem, and I'm confident that you would do the same with this,
because I agree that another advisory board will not get us to where
we want to go.
So that would be either your motion or my motion, but that
would be --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I like how you worded it. I'll
second.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I'll second it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So we have a motion and
a second. Any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
We're going to take a break until five minutes to 3 and give our
court reporter a bit of a break.
July 8, 2025
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(A recess was had from 2:41 p.m. to 2:55 p.m.)
MS. PATTERSON: Chair, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you, Ms. Patterson.
COMMISSIONER HALL: What are we going to do now?
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Put your seatbelt on.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Let's move to the hobby
breeders.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
Item #9C
RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE AMENDING
THE ANIMAL CONTROL ORDINANCE BY AMENDING THE
DEFINITION OF HOBBY BREEDER AND PERMIT
REQUIREMENTS AND PROCESS - MOTION TO CONTINUE TO
AUGUST 12, 2025, WITH RELATED DIRECTION TOSTAFF
AND THE COUNTY ATTORNEY BY COMMISSIONER
SAUNDERS; SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL –
APPROVED; RECOMMENDATION TO WAIVE ADOPTION
FEES UNTIL SEPTEMBER 9, 2025, BY COMMISSIONER
SAUNDERS – APPROVED
MS. PATTERSON: That brings us to Item 9C. This is a
recommendation to adopt an ordinance amending the Animal Control
Ordinance by amending the definition of hobby breeder and permit
requirements and process.
Mr. James French is here -- your department head of
Community Development/Growth Management, is here to begin the
presentation.
MR. FRENCH: Good afternoon, Commissioners. I will be
brief, believe it or not.
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I just want to introduce Lisa Blacklidge and Meredith McLean.
Lisa works with our Land Development review team. She's worked
all over Community Development and Environmental Services, or all
over Growth Management and Community Development for a
number of years. And, of course, Meredith is your director of
Domestic Animal Services. Both have worked diligently on this.
And per your direction, Commissioner Saunders, they did meet with
Tom Kepp, and I believe it was a good meeting. Hopefully Mr. Kepp
will agree.
And we -- I think we've been able to incorporate what will be
provided to you, many of the changes that he's asked for. Lisa.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I don't know if Mr. Kepp has ever
agreed. If he does, this will be a first, and it will be a good start.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: For him to be agreeable, we'll
be -- we'll make that a part of the record.
MR. KEPP: I'm the most agreeable person in here.
MS. McLEAN: Is that on record?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes, it is. She's writing it all
down.
MS. BLACKLIDGE: Lisa Blacklidge, planning manager,
Development Review.
This ordinance was advertised on May 27th, and -- I went the
wrong way, yep. On May 13th, it was requested to be advertised; on
May 27th, it was advertised; and on June 18th, we met with Tom
Kepp after the direction from the Board to discuss proposed
recommendations for changes to the ordinance.
The ordinance that was advertised proposes to amend the
definition of hobby breeder to clarify the -- that -- if two or more
litters would be considered a pet dealer and that service dog
organizations are exempt and not considered breeders.
The proposed amendment requires that hobby breeders obtain a
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permit, it would establish late fees, and -- for renewals, and that they
would disclose permitted activities that may conflict with the
ordinance.
If there were requirements that would have a combination
permit -- so if they were -- if it was an animal-based organization,
they would be required to have multiple licenses if they were a
groomer or -- and then they were also a pet dealer.
And then it also added a fee of up to $500 if they failed to obtain
a permit.
One of the proposed changes was additional requirements that
allowed for the denial, suspension, or revocation of a permit. They're
listed below. They were for cruelty of animals or violating the
standards-of-care ordinance. The current ordinance didn't have
specific requirements. This was added to give code enforcement
better teeth so that they could deny permits.
It also added for an appeal process. If the permit was denied,
they could go before the Special Magistrate and they could reapply
for the permit if all the requirements were satisfied.
On June 18th, staff met with Tom Kepp. Some of the proposed
recommendations are listed in front of you: To treat all puppies and
kittens bred by hobby breeders the same as commercial breeders.
This would require pet exams, records of offspring and adults, health
certificates, and microchips, scheduled inspections, and transfer of
ownership not until eight weeks.
Medically unaltered pets that could be treated the same as
altered pets. This would allow reduced fees for licensing for pets that
were unable to be altered, and it could -- and then we would ask for
inspections that -- possible for unaltered pets to verify that breeding
is not happening.
Better enforcement for noncompliance; evaluate fees for
breeders to encourage spay and neuter; simplify the penalties and
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clear paths for enforcement. This would consolidate the penalties,
including the non-aggravated and aggravated penalties, and added a
mandatory appearance to the Special Magistrate if warranted; late
fees for failure to renew permits. And staff supported the reasons for
denial, suspension, and revocation of permits.
The permits that were -- or the stakeholder recommendations
that are italicized on there would -- if you wanted to impose them on
this ordinance, it would require additional amendments to the
advertised ordinance.
So changes would be required to this ordinance, which is 13-33,
which is the Animal Control Ordinance, and then additional changes
would be required to 13-55, which is the Standards of Care
Ordinance, which is a separate ordinance that this ordinance
established, and those changes would be required to implement the
big changes that Tom Kepp was wanting, which would be the vets,
the vet care, the vaccinations, the microchip. Those would all fall
under a different ordinance. So those would be brought back at a
later meeting if you wanted to make changes to the fee schedule and
the animal care ordinance.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So we would be in a
position to approve this ordinance with recommended changes at
some point, but some of the changes are to ordinances that have not
been advertised, so those will -- we will have to bring back. So
you're going to have to kind of keep us on task in terms of what we
can do and what we can't do as we proceed.
MS. BLACKLIDGE: Sure.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Anything else from --
MS. BLACKLIDGE: No. Questions?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I don't see
anybody -- Commissioner McDaniel. I'm sorry.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Thank you.
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When I read this ordinance, it led me down a path that wasn't as
descriptive as I would have liked. There was a specific definition for
a hobby breeder and then what happens when you're no longer
deemed a hobby breeder. You're now a pet dealer. But there was
no -- and maybe with what you're talking about -- I understand this is
one of -- one of three ordinances that needs to be touched if we're
going to incorporate all of these adjustments.
And so I think it was in the second paragraph. After the
definition of hobby breeder, it says If you have more than two litters,
then you shall be deemed a pet dealer, but I couldn't find any
definition of a pet dealer and/or what -- and is that all included in a
different ordinance that you're talking about we're going to have to
touch?
MS. BLACKLIDGE: That would be included in this ordinance,
and that was something that I had recommended to change. The
definition of pet dealer is a Florida Statute term that closely aligns
with our ordinance definition of commercial breeder. So it was an
additional introduced term that might be redundant.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So my question is, to you and
the stakeholders, would it be better to do all three of these ordinances
together in one clear path as opposed to shoot at this one first and
then do the next and do the next?
MS. BLACKLIDGE: That would be up to you, but it might be
the cleanest path.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I would prefer we do that. I
would -- I -- I'm -- I would rather we do it all at once and not
piecemeal it.
MS. PATTERSON: If we get your guidance, then we can bring
all three back together and make sure that they all -- they can all tie
out together.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well -- and forgive me,
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Mr. Chair. I don't mean to interrupt, but don't we have to advertise
all three simultaneously?
MS. PATTERSON: No, because this one was advertised, but
the changes -- we will have to advertise the changes to the others.
But if we get your guidance on this one, we'll advertise them all again
together. I don't think it's a big leap to do it or a big effort. We've
gotten most of the way there. But timing is up to you-all. If you'd
like to do it in two steps, we'll work with the County Attorney to
make it happen.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well, I'd rather do it in one
step. But talking about late fees that we haven't reviewed yet,
suggestions on mandates for commercial breeders or pet dealers,
whatever those definitions, in fact, entail, without actually touching
them, I'm -- I would -- I would think we should -- maybe we should
continue this item till our August meeting when -- you're making a
face, Mr. Chair.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Well, you're talking about
continuing an item. We've got a lot of registered speakers that have
been here all morning and all afternoon.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And if we're able to adopt an
ordinance today, even though it's only one of three, then that would
be my desire --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- as opposed to again continuing
this for another -- in this case another six weeks. I don't know that
we need to do it all at the same time. Now, if staff says and the
County Attorney says, "Well, we can't really do it piecemeal," then
that's another story, but I don't believe that's the case.
So that's why I was making a little face there. I was concerned
about all the folks that have been here all day.
July 8, 2025
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COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And again, I'm not looking to
disrespect anyone for their time. It's just these are -- I mentioned it
to -- I mentioned it to Jamie yesterday that I had concerns with the
definitions that are included in here, or the lack thereof, and then I
hear -- and I also heard -- I thought about it after Mr. French told me
yesterday that there were other ordinances that were going to be
needing to be touched. I was thinking it would -- it would just make
more sense to do them all at once.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: So I recently had a little bit of
a cat problem on Marco, so I can relate to some of these things.
I don't know if we approve something today or not. I was
thinking out loud, and I was thinking along very similar lines here.
Not to stall anything or not to hear from people, but I think we need
to come out with an ordinance that hits this problem hard, and I feel
like we're sort of picking away at the edges. And the people who do
this in a really, really bad way are not dumb or stupid. They're
looking for all the loopholes. They know how to work their way
around everything, and if we have multiple ordinances and the
wording isn't quite right, they're going to find those loopholes
quickly.
And I'd rather do this correct and strong than fast and sloppy,
and we're, you know, redoing it and redoing it and redoing it and
adding something here and there and whatnot. And I don't know that
if we -- I don't know that we've pulled all the pieces together to have
something really strong hit the street.
And so my thought was kind of similar which is, hey, it seems
like we have a little bit over here, a little bit over here, a little bit over
here, and we have to think like the people who are going to try to
violate this. How are they going to get around it?
And as I read through things -- I'm not an animal expert here,
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but certainly Mr. French and I have been involved in a couple of big
ones on Marco and some other places -- we need something
that's -- you know, nothing's ever airtight. Someone always finds a
way around it, but we need something that I believe is very strong,
very detailed, and doesn't have three different versions floating
around there.
So I don't know if that means we vote on something today or we
don't. But I had similar concerns of what Commissioner McDaniel
was voicing as well.
I definitely want to hear from the public that's here, and whether
we vote on something or not, what they -- the input they give us now
will help us either in the next hour or in six weeks to have something
that they love even more. So I don't think, you know, there's -- we're
trying to race to the finish line. We're trying to get something out
there that's strong and enforceable and doesn't have, you know, any
holes in it that are obvious workarounds for some of these folks.
What do you think, Mr. French? I know you're knee deep in this
as well. What's your thoughts or recommendation?
MR. FRENCH: Thank you, Commissioner.
I like to think that I'm over my head, actually, beyond knee
deep. But both unfortunately and probably fortunate to me is that my
last meeting on Monday's one-on-ones was with Commissioner
McDaniel, and I mean this with all due respect because he challenged
me to reach out to our office of Special Magistrate, and that's why I
was a few minutes late today. I did have a phone meeting with
Patrick Neale this afternoon. And I talked to Pat because what he's
seeing is he's seeing amped-up enforcement, more so then he's ever
seen in Collier County, and he wants to do everything by the book
and by the law.
But -- and he -- he gave me the permission to express some of
his challenges, and some of them are, for example, where he has a
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case, whether it be a dog running at large, whether it be a cat,
whether it be some sort of animal issue, the ordinance does not -- it
restricts him on how much he can fine and also restricts him on what
his powers and duties are, and the only thing he's left to do is make a
referral to the County Attorney or to staff to seek a district court,
which costs more money, which takes more time, and inevitably, it
could result in a not favorable outcome for either the county or that
animal. And so these are some of the challenges that I just learned
about this morning.
And so I'm with you that we also believe that we could adopt
this ordinance as presented today, and then we could bring back
amendments to be able to address all of the concerns that Mr. Kepp
brought up to us last week.
We brought this back based on Board direction, and we were
probably short-sighted in not sitting down with Tom before. So it
was a very good suggestion, Commissioner Saunders. We appreciate
that, Mr. Chair.
But at the end of the day, now that I've -- Commissioner
McDaniel has challenged us, these are now -- now I've got some
concerns that have been brought up by your Special Magistrate that
says, "Hey, I'm willing to sit down with you as well and show you
some of the legal parameters where I'm challenged," and we could
work further with the County Attorney. So it really is the Board's
pleasure should you like to pass this today and have us come back
with an amendment and advertisement of all -- of all three that are
going to require some massaging.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I would not be interested in passing
this ordinance today if we have to come back in six weeks to amend
this particular ordinance. My understanding was -- and apparently
that was not correct. My understanding was that we have a couple
other ordinances that need to be worked on and amended in addition
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to the passage of this one and that they were -- they were three
different ordinances, which I thought meant we could adopt the
hobby breeder's ordinance today and then do the other two
ordinances at the next meeting. But if we need to have changes to the
hobby breeder's ordinance, that's a different story.
MR. FRENCH: We find that they're not in unison. There's
some conflict in the language to where -- especially in the definition
where one definition may make reference to the state, and we
did -- originally, based on Board direction, we had only focused on
the hobby breeder. As we started to read further into this, we noticed
that you've got this other ordinance out here that they're in
conflict -- not in conflict, but they do necessarily complement each
other, and that creates some challenges on the enforcement side.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Thank you, Chairman.
Now, you were going through the presentation, and, you know, I
thought we were just going to talk about the hobby breeder particular
ordinance today. But you did kind of enlighten when you start saying
things about the commercial breeder where you're bringing things
over from that language into the hobby breeder ordinance which, you
know, the chipping, the vaccinations. A lot of things that they're held
to a certain standard to as a commercial breeder licensed in Collier
County.
What's to keep somebody from just getting a commercial license
since they're already held to the same standard in the hobby breeder,
and they can have as many litters as they want?
MR. FRENCH: I don't believe we're looking for much
differential here.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: You understand my question?
MR. FRENCH: Yes.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: We're trying to strengthen the
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hobby breeder, the person that just has the two litters a year, or
whatever that number -- magic number is. We're trying to strengthen
that to give us more teeth to enforce it. But if we're bringing the
same language from the commercial breeders ordinance to the hobby
breeders ordinance, what keeps them from just getting a commercial
license and have as many litters as they want?
MR. FRENCH: That's a very good question. And there's
nothing that would keep them from doing that; however, that would
require --
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: The whole idea is to keep the
number of dogs and cats being born down by having a hobby breeder
ordinance that's strong.
MR. FRENCH: In a commercial breeder setting, what I would
tell you is that now you're talking about needing a facility. Now
you're talking about building code. Now you're talking about fire
code. Now you're talking about zoning. If you're a true commercial
breeder, where you're registered as a commercial breeder with the
state, you're going to be in a building.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Okay. Well, that's what I'm
asking, because I -- I don't want to make this to a point where they
can just say, you know what, I'll just get the other, and it keeps me
from being restricted to two litters a year.
MR. FRENCH: The restrictions would be very similar so that if
you're going to enter into this business, there's going to be some
heightened costs and restrictions that would be put on you should you
think about getting into the breeder business. It's not to thwart people
away. It's really to say, "If you're going to do this, you're going to do
it in a responsible fashion in line with the State of Florida as well as
with Collier County."
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: All right. Well, I thought
ultimately it was we were just trying to get -- curb the multiple litters
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out there we have no control over was to create a better hobby
breeder ordinance.
MR. FRENCH: And many of these that we're finding, these
backyard breeders, so to speak, hobby breeders, they're not licensed.
They're not licensed at all, and the most we can fine on something
like that is perhaps $250, and it's not a property violation because of
the at-home business. It is simply -- it's just simply somebody had a
litter of puppies, and they decided they were going to let them go, or
kittens.
But I think to Mr. Kepp's point and what he might tell you is that
having them all spayed or neutered for -- on the licensing piece, but
also if you do get into the breeding business, they're going to be vet
checked, they're going to be microchipped. They're going to be
registered. And whether you give them way or whether you sell
them, you have to keep records for a period of two years so that that
breeder, then, would be responsible for providing that -- we found
this animal here. There should be a record of that transfer of the
ownership to this person.
So as we start to do that investigation, whether it be the Sheriff's
Office or whether it be our Code Enforcement ACO staff, we at least
know where that animal came from or, perhaps, if the dog got out or
the cat got away, we would be able to contact the registered owner
and say, "We have your animal."
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Thank you, Chairman.
In conversation with you yesterday, I didn't like the low fees.
You don't accidentally be a multiple offender of this ordinance. You
have to do it on purpose. And a $500 fine is a chip shot for
somebody selling a $3,000 cat.
And whatever we do, whether we do it today or whether we do it
all in one swoop, I want to be -- two things: I want to be limited as
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less as we can for enforcement. I mean, if there's a state statute that
says what we can and can't do, I want to stretch that to the limit. And
if there's any gray area, I want to be deep in the gray. And if -- and
whatever -- whatever we can do fine-wise to make it hurt, make it
sting, make it wound, whatever we've got to do, I want to do that,
because, you know, a man's treasure is in his heart, and if we can get
to his treasure, we can get to his heart. So that's all I'm going to say
about it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. I think listening to what
I've heard here so far is this -- this hobby breeders ordinance isn't
ready yet. I think that we need to touch all three. I think we need to
have consultation from the magistrate with regard to the fee
structures, the penalizations, Commissioner Hall, to make it hurt as
far as those that are in violation of and/or doing things that are
outside of Hoyle.
And I certainly want to hear from the public that have been here
all day. Those inputs, as Commissioner LoCastro said, are as valid
today as they are if we pass something in a month from now. So -- or
month and a half, however many weeks that is, Mr. Chair. So my
suggestion is is that we hear from the public and that we bring all
three back at our first meeting in August.
MR. FRENCH: We would ask the magistrate, if it's okay with
the Board, to actually maybe come in and weigh in as well.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: He can do it to you. He
doesn't need to speak to us. He can give you his -- as far as I'm
concerned, I don't need to speak to him personally. He can give you
his suggestions, and we can add those in when we review all three.
MR. FRENCH: He just offered -- he just asked that I offer his
services as well should you have any questions for him about some of
the things he's seen.
July 8, 2025
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I think it would be a good idea to
have him come, so -- because we may have some questions. And if
he's willing to do that, I think it's a good idea.
MR. FRENCH: So one of the things, just very quickly, is
that -- so the power to remove an animal, he does not have that. So if
you've got -- he's got one person that has five violations. This person
clearly paid a lot of money. But $500, that's all he's left with. He can
fine up to $500, and he's like, "I'd love to be able to just take this
animal from him." And it's a running at-large. I don't think it's an
animal abuse case. We didn't get into the detail.
But that's much like what we did on the cat case. That was your
warrant, by the way. That wasn't -- and we appreciate the Sheriff's
Office for helping us, but that was your staff. First time ever that our
ACOs actually went and we did not have to give a 48-hour notice.
Protection of evidence, those type of things. This is -- this is
new to Code, and we've had this for the last year. But some of these
do lead into both property as well as criminal cases, and we're fully
prepared. But again, we're identifying the limits in the language of
the ordinances that are permitting us, and I think that's some of
Mr. Kepp's frustrations as well.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Let's hear from the citizens
today, do a deep dive with the magistrate, pull all these things
together, and instead of launching a firecracker, let's launch a stick of
dynamite, okay. This is a big deal. The can's been, not kicked, but
it's been thin out there, and I think we need something that sends a
message to the community, and I think you've heard it, you know,
from all of us here.
So I don't think anybody's kicking the can, but in six weeks
you're going to bring us back something that's got some beef and
some meat to it, and I think that's what we need. And I think we have
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to also make sure -- and that's where the magistrate can help, and also
all the animal experts out here and our own County Attorney. Think
like a breeder who's trying to cut corners and get around the system
and try to make the ordinance as airtight as possible because you
know they'll -- they'll find the workarounds. Let's not make it easy
for them, and bring us back something that's super strong, and I think
that's what you're hearing from all of us.
MR. FRENCH: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Let's go to the registered
speakers.
MR. MILLER: Your first speaker is Tom Kepp. He'll be
followed by Ewa Front. Tom's been ceded additional time from
Heather Adams.
(Raises hand.)
MR. MILLER: Jacob Adams.
(Raises hand.)
MR. MILLER: Cassandra Gehring.
(Raises hand.)
MR. MILLER: And Elizabeth Kepp, I understand, is not here.
MR. KEPP: My wife went home. She got tired.
MR. MILLER: She left you.
MR. KEPP: She left me.
MR. MILLER: I thought you were agreeable.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Tom, it might have been those
shorts.
MR. KEPP: You like these? I've got a couple extra pairs.
MR. MILLER: You have 12 minutes, Tom.
MR. KEPP: Listen, thank you, guys. That's the most positive
presentation from the Board that I've heard since I've been coming up
here for 23 years.
And, you know, I'll say this -- and I don't mean to sound this
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way, but I do know what I'm talking about with -- out in the field.
And to your concerns on the commercial breeder and then some
of the hobby breeders going that way, most people don't understand
this. I have no problem with responsible breeders. And in fact, one
time there was a guy selling pit bulls on the side of the road in
Immokalee with a big sign. And I actually stopped him, and I said,
"Why don't you turn all your competitors in? Give me their names.
I'll go over there and find them, and I'll turn them all in, and then you
become -- go get your license, build some good kennels, and you can
get the money that you need for your product." I said, "But
everybody and his brother's out doing this, and that's -- it's illegal,
and you shouldn't be doing it, and we have too many of these animals
out."
And so the bottom line is, these -- these hobby breeders, they're
not going to spend $200 apiece, each puppy, getting a -- getting a
health certificate. They're not going to keep records for two years.
These are -- they're not actually -- they're not even hiding. I mean, I
find puppies in the front yard. I just -- I think in the last three weeks
I've taken 30-some puppies. They've all been running around in the
front of the house. They're not even hiding it. And I turned them in,
or I've got them surrendered to me.
Bill helped me just the other day get two puppies and a female
and a little male. Actually, the little male's at my house, and the other
ones, they went to Gulf Coast Humane Society.
And so the bottom line is, if -- if we pay attention to this and do
it, you won't have to hear from me anymore because we'll fix this
problem.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Do you promise?
MR. KEPP: Huh?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Do you promise we won't
hear from you?
July 8, 2025
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MR. KEPP: I promise you, absolutely.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Don't believe him.
MR. KEPP: Yeah, don't believe me.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I don't believe you.
MR. KEPP: There'll be another issue. I just -- I just -- I just
turned somebody in the other day that I have the records in my bag
back there. The first time I turned them in was '06, and I just turned
them in again the other day. And from '06 to now -- I think it was
20 -- 2009, 2012, 2015, '16, '19, '23, and now, and I bet you they've
never paid a penalty. I'll just guarantee it. And they've been
having -- when I first went there, they were having parvo puppies.
That's how -- Kelly Highland was with me at that time. This is in '06,
I think, or '3 or something like that. And they're still doing it, but
they won't anymore after the other day, I don't think.
So as far as these -- I have no problem putting this off if -- I
want it strong. And I want to basically say that the hobby breeder
thing is the biggest thing that will help this problem, okay. There's
going to be others and cruelty and neglect. We need a good neglect
charge. That's what we don't have. In here -- in the report that we
have from the other -- our meetings, it says, "Finding of animal
neglect. Finding of animal neglect." It keeps putting that through
here. But we don't have a charge of that.
And at one time I recommended -- there's not really a charge of
neglect that I know of, even in state statutes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Didn't you bring an ordinance
forward specifically severely penalizing folks for neglect,
Commissioner Saunders?
MR. KEPP: I don't think there's one in play, because I've never
seen -- I've never seen it charged.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That may be confused with -- I
started this hobby breeder ordinance discussion in October of last
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year. That's why I'm a little frustrated, because this has been going
on for, well, about eight or nine months, and to find out today that
this isn't ready is a little bit concerning.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: From my recollection --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: But I don't recall what you're
suggesting.
MR. KEPP: And one of my recommendations when we were
talking about that was we have a standards of care, and we give them
all these citations of standard of care, and half the time nobody pays
them, blah, blah, blah, because it's not really a very -- each one
individually is not charged.
But I think my recommendation one time was if we take one
standard of care and they get in violation on that, that's a standard of
care violation, but if they get two or three, they get a neglect charge
because now you have no food, no water, chained, okay.
That's -- that's actually state statute, and I have the book out in my
bag. That is cruelty: No water, no food, and shelter. By state statute
that's cruelty, and people aren't being charged with it.
But as a county, I don't know why we can't put a neglect charge
where if you have one -- it's a standard of care, okay, the food, you
forgot to put it out. You know what I'm trying to say? But if you
have three of them, that's neglect, and that would be a very strong
process. But, of course, now we have to figure out a way to actually
collect the fines.
But as far as the hobby breeder thing, this -- you know, I was
asked to come and do this and get public input. And I just want
to -- I want everybody to understand that the last -- and this is another
thing -- this -- the last two advisory boards -- and we were talking
about advisory boards a few minutes ago -- have not brought
anything to this board, but back in probably -- this was probably
2002, I'm not sure exactly, but this actually is the hobby breeder
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permit -- or the hobby breeder in what it reads as being hobby
breeder, what you're supposed to be doing, like, you know, health
certificates, chips, records, and keeping them till eight weeks, this
was done by the advisory board, but Jim Rich never took it to the
Commission.
And they literally wrote it -- actually, Burt, I think you might
have one of these. And this spells out. And so what they did was
they -- the DAS -- this is on an official DAS packet, and it's all in
here just what I've been saying that we need, but they never made it
law. They put it in there, and then when I went over and said, "You
guys can't pass these out. This isn't the law," and they took it
immediately down and didn't do it.
They were actually passing this out telling people that this
was -- this was in the ordinances. And it's on their station -- I didn't
make it up.
And so this was all public input from the advisory board that
never made it to your desk, and so it's already there. This was the
public comments at the advisory boards.
And so my next statement on this -- and because it -- since we're
going to go back and deal we this enforcement, this is the biggest
thing for me.
And then, of course, we have to figure out once we catch these
people, what do we give them as far as citations, and how do we go
back and -- because throughout this it says, "And if they don't adhere
to these, we're going to pull their permit." The people I'm dealing
with, they don't want a permit. They would be happy to give you
back the permit and just keep going -- doing what they do.
But let's -- you know, the advisory board concept came up
today. And, you know, I put my name in to be back on that advisory
board, and I would love to do that if the advisory board gets a
strong -- not recommendation -- order, because it's actually in the
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ordinance now, but it's just people wanted to -- the way they got
around this, they said, "well, it's not in our purview. It's not a
program or a service."
Well, if you look at your accounting department, which I have a
copy of the accounting document, and right underneath it says,
Domestic Animal Service, animal services and programs, and under
services it says, enforcement is the number one.
Now, we've moved it to Code. But my point is that that
advisory board was responsible for that, and they didn't do their job.
I think you ought to bring this advisory board back. Don't get
rid of it, but put people on, myself, that really want to take this
serious and make recommendations to the Commission, come to you
once a month and give you our recommendations and tell you what
our problems are or how good it's going. Because if not -- and
this -- please don't -- it's not a threat, but the truth of it is, if you don't
have an advisory board to deal with these things and truly deal with
them and bring you just once a month or once every two months
recommendations, this place is going to be filled with citizens that
have no place else to go to vent their frustrations.
And I have no problem being on that board and dealing with the
public and trying -- you know, getting these things worked over and
talked at. But if that board -- it is completely inept now. There's
hardly anybody on it. And I don't know whether the intention is to
get rid of it or build it up. But I would recommend strongly to let's
have a good advisory board and get people on it that are -- that are
willing to tackle these problems and work with Jamie and them to get
them fixed so you don't have to listen to this all the time, because as
much as I like talking to you guys, I'm kind of tired, so...
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I appreciate you mentioning the
advisory board, because I think we do need to redo the ordinance,
reconstitute the board, and give it some teeth and give it some
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responsibility and clarify that.
So again, what I was actually going to suggest is that between
now and our meeting in August that you work with staff and help
change the -- make some changes to the advisory board so that it
becomes an effective board. I have attended a couple of the
meetings. It's been a while now, but I attended several meetings, and
there really wasn't much substance to it. And so I had talked to a lot
of the animal activists about changing that board. So I would -- that
will be part of a motion today would be to direct staff to change that
board.
Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair.
And I do have selective memory issues, I'll be the first to admit,
but it was the animal abuse registry that you brought forward, and
that lists folks that are charged with neglect and abuse to be on this
registry, and they're now -- short of legal penalties, they're now no
longer able to own a pet, so that was -- that was out there.
Now -- and I also know --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Has that been effective; do we
know?
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I believe it has.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well, on that note, the
legislature this year passed two laws, one of which I recall is called
the Dexter Law that has some statutory language with
regard -- they're having -- to be honest with you, what I understood is
they're having trouble coming up with a definition of neglect, because
dogs and cats are not humans and how do you define neglect? And
that was some of the -- but what I'll do is I'll get copies of the statutes,
make sure that it gets to our staff so that those are all
intertwined -- who put a beep on me?
MR. KEPP: I think they're beeping me, and you're taking up all
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my time.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: But I'll get that information to
our staff so that the ordinances that we are reviewing when we come
back in August are more complete.
MR. KEPP: Well, the interesting part about those -- you know,
I went to that convention up in Orlando, and they were bragging
about getting the dog that was chained up in the hurricane, and they
passed -- it was the -- what was that dog? It was a different dog. But
anyway.
And I'm going, like, that's already -- that is already cruelty.
They're passing a law that is already there. I mean, it's -- you know,
it's -- I don't really -- didn't understand it. But what I really wanted to
know -- to understand is, when you do the wording exact -- I don't
exactly know the exact wording, but it's like imminent bad weather,
like a hurricane or whatever, right?
So to clarify that, does that mean that when Matt Devitt says,
"We are in immediate tornado warnings in Collier County," and your
dog's chained outside, is that -- is that going to apply to that? You
know, is that -- they don't clarify that stuff. They just make these
standards.
It's like I go to this cruelty abuse thing. Go out to the Sheriff's
Department or go to -- go to Domestic Animal Services and walk up
to the desk -- I've done it before back when we first passed the one
here -- and said, "Could you pull up that cruelty list and show it to
me?" They didn't have any clue what I was talking about. It was a
long time ago. Now, maybe they're -- maybe they're doing that now.
But the problem is those things are great for PR, but does anybody
really check them?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah. The Sheriff's Office
maintains the animal-abuse registry.
MR. KEPP: Right. But it still takes -- if I'm adopting an animal
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out, I got to go to it and look. Which my point is, who's really
looking? Is DAS, or do those -- the people at the front desk, do they
go and look? Does Gulf Coast Humane Society check on records?
You know, it's only as good as what people are going to do.
And if you -- it's kind of like when I used to say to -- with
officers, pull all the officers in the room one at a time and ask them
what this ordinance means, and you'll get -- well, I don't know how
many officers we have now, but you're going to get a different
answer from every single one.
So I guess my time's up. They're starting to come up.
MS. McLEAN: Commissioners, did you want an answer to the
background check for adoptions?
Meredith McLean, division director, for the record.
We do a background check on everybody who adopts, and if
there are certain crimes that were committed, they are denied
adoptions, and that would include animal abuse.
MR. KEPP: Do they check the --
MS. McLEAN: Yes.
MR. KEPP: Yeah, we had a discussion about that before. Hey,
listen, thank you both for doing this, and everybody, thank you all.
So I think this is going to make a lot of difference. Do you need me
for anything else?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: No.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Nope. Carry on.
MR. MILLER: Do you want our next speaker now? I'm sorry.
Our next speaker is Ewa Front, and she'll be followed by Victoria
Redstall.
Ewa's been ceded some additional time from --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We have a quick question.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Meredith, I'm sorry. I didn't
know if you were leaving or you were going to sit down. I wanted to
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just make a couple comments while you were here.
First of all, thanks for what you're doing and for your leadership
at DAS. It goes without saying that if we're going to come back here
in August and talk about some really significant things to the
ordinance and everything, that you would be here. But between now
and then as well -- and I'm probably being redundant here because I
know you're listening to all the conversations, you really need to help
us with the board, because it's -- I've attended some of the board
meetings as well.
All well-meaning people, no homework assignments ever come
out of it. And I can't tell you how many times I said to previous
board members, "You don't need our permission to come here and
brief us. Work through your chain of command, but in the end, if
you want to talk to the commissioners, you don't need an invitation."
You're really the cog that cannot only make that board effective
but then I -- and I had said to a previous DAS director, I would like to
see the DAS director at these meetings regularly, once a quarter,
whatever, to give us an update of what's going on, what's going on
with the board, what are doing down at DAS? How is this ordinance
working? Are there any holes that, you know, you've discovered,
you know, things that have come to your attention?
But the board is certainly something that, you know, we need
your guidance, your leadership, your feedback, and between now and
when we meet again in August, you know, please let us know how
it's going, how we can help. But, you know, you're down there every
day pounding the pavement. So I'd rather have less board members
really doing something than a whole bunch of people adding it to
their résumé and they just sort of chew the fat a little bit and then
they all leave.
And what I understand -- I went to the -- they were doing board
meetings once a month, and it seemed like there was so much on the
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to-do list for DAS, and then we heard, "Oh, they reduced meetings.
Now they're once a quarter."
I mean, I could have made the argument that they should meet
once a week, at that time, with all the things that were happening. So
I appreciate anything you can do to really continue to jump in there
and take charge and then give us an assessment, you know, in August
when we reconvene to talk about all these things, we have a new
ordinance, and also your assessment of the board, your ideas. And
between now and then, you can meet with any of us as well if you
think there's that need there, but thank you.
MS. McLEAN: Thank you, Commissioner. I appreciate that.
And I am happy to come and present those numbers. It's actually
something that Jamie and the County Manager and I were talking
about this week so you do have a full understanding about what's
going on at DAS and how it's growing and how we're combating the
things that everybody's bringing up in terms of our population and
then that increase in animals coming into the shelter. So I would be
happy to do that.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yeah.
MR. MILLER: All right. Ewa.
MS. FRONT: Mr. Chair, would I have permission from you to
ask a legal question that could put some of these issues in
perspective?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Anything that puts the County
Attorney on the spot is authorized.
MS. FRONT: Yeah, I appreciate it.
So we do have a Florida Statute that clearly specified what is
animal abuse, what is animal neglect. Each case is very well
described and also describes that, in those cases we can take -- or
Sheriff's Department, obviously, can take the animal away.
How would that relate to the ordinances that we are currently
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working? Are we kind of doubling the work that's been done
already? Can we not go by Florida Statute, or do we need our county
ordinance to kind of repeat the same -- whatever is already said in
Florida Statute? Which to my understanding, it's very clear and
concise.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Mr. Klatzkow?
MR. KLATZKOW: We follow Florida Statutes.
MS. FRONT: So meaning in many of those cases --
MR. KLATZKOW: If you put that language in the ordinance, it
would be redundant, and the real issue is where they amend
one -- where they amend the statute, we don't necessarily have
to -- we're going to have to amend the ordinance to conform.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Let's go ahead with your
comments.
MS. FRONT: Okay, yes.
So good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the Board.
Commissioners, my name is Ewa Front.
The recent animal cruelty arrest highlights the urgent need for
more fully staffed animal enforcement officers to ensure timely
inspections and revised ordinances that make such appalling crimes
impossible in our community. Thank you to Commissioner LoCastro
for following up along the way on this particular case.
Next slide, please.
Collier County taxpayers are projected to spend nearly $10
million on animal welfare this year. It's time to work together and
address the root causes to ensure our investments lead to effective
solutions.
Next slide.
DAS stray animal numbers are climbing fast. Last year, there
were 427 animals taken in. Same period this year, April 2025, 518
animals taken in. That's 20 percent over -- increase for the same
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period within just one year.
Next slide, please.
Sadly, the house of horrors was not new to the law enforcement
when it comes to animal welfare.
Next -- oh, that's okay.
A notice to appear was issued based on violation of Florida
Statute which requires that each dog or cat must be accompanied by a
current official certificate of veterinary inspection while being
offered for sale within the state of Florida. Can we make the job of
our law enforcement easier and not allow breeding licenses to anyone
with previous convictions of this sort?
Next slide, please.
A similar complaint with our county was filed for supplying sick
cats in December 2024 for the same resident. Sadly, I believe that
that complaint was not followed by our Code Enforcement, or
whoever was responsible. It was just closed.
Next slide, please.
It is clear that current fines are too low to be a deterrent. For
instance, in the Marco Island animal cruelty case involving dozens of
neglected animals, the fine was just reportedly over $100 and paid
promptly. This allows backyard breeders to easily absorb penalties
as a minor cost of doing business.
Next slide, please.
The profit from the sale of just one animal can be 15, 35 times
larger than the entire fine. Maybe we should be charging the fine for
each neglected animal in the household and not per visit. In this case,
the fine would amount to over $6,000.
Next slide, please.
A full county shelter means the heavy financial responsibility
for animal welfare falls directly into small donation-funded rescues,
stretching their resources thin.
July 8, 2025
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Next slide, please.
Message from Gardens of Florida animal rescues, rescue license
fees should be high enough to discourage amateur breeders and high
enough that someone thinks long and hard before doing this and high
enough to ensure they have the resources to provide the proper
humane living conditions for animals. The regular unannounced
inspections, unannounced, are absolutely crucial to make sure the
animals are not neglected.
Next slide, please.
Backyard breeding isn't just an animal welfare issue. It's a
massive financial drain on our community, offering zero
return -- benefits in return.
Next slide, please.
It takes immense courage for residents to report concerns about
their neighbors, especially when fearing retaliation.
Our law enforcement must honor that courage by conducting
timely investigations into community claims. We must provide the
necessary legal tools to ensure complaints are not closed as
unfounded without proper investigations or follow-up. Failing to do
so erodes public trust and leaves critical issues unaddressed.
Next slide, please.
We need a system that ensures claims are never closed without
proper investigations. Irresponsible pet owners should be fined based
on affidavits or video evidence holding them accountable and
deterring neglect and disregard for our county's regulations. So I
guess I just don't understand why sometimes we have a claim and
then we just leave a door hanger on the door and never follow up and
close those cases.
Next slide, please.
Fines don't cover costs. Drain on the resources. When
significant community resources are deployed for cases involving
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animals running loose, neglected medical needs, or incidents
spanning over multiple months and visits, the current fines are
alarmingly insufficient. In this case, we have multiple visits and only
$15 fine was issued that apparently was not paid. So it's outstanding,
and the case is closed. Fails to recover intervention cost, placing a
heavy uncompensated burden on our community. We must increase
those fines to recoup our costs.
We must be unapologetic in punishing animal crimes. Law
abiding members of our community like you and I should not be
carrying the costs for those who break our laws.
And thank you for your help and involvement.
MR. MILLER: Your next and final speaker on this item is
Victoria Redstall.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Just for the Board's information, I
made a deal with Victoria that if she would speak a little more
slowly, she could have a couple extra minutes.
MS. REDSTALL: Oh, thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Does -- any objection?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I object, but that's okay.
MS. REDSTALL: Charming. I will speak slowly.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. Just two extra minutes.
MS. REDSTALL: Thank you. Okay.
Well, I think there's a bigger picture here, and the root of the
problem is I have gone out to places where they're doing this
backyard breeding. I've even spoken to some of the people who are
doing it, and they don't speak the language. And from my
research -- and only my opinion and my research, a lot of these
people who are doing the background breeding and they're hobby
breeders are illegal aliens.
Now, we are lucky enough in our Collier County to have the
most wonderful Sheriff's Department, and they have a program called
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the 287(g) program. And with the help of Commissioner Kowal,
who was a sheriff, I was wondering if we could talk to the Sheriff's
Department about this, bringing this program into places like
Immokalee where there are so many backyard breeders, hobby
breeders that are illegal aliens.
So it's not about the fines and the chips and the that and how
much to fine, which I think Commissioner Hall was perfectly correct
in saying the fines should be 10 times more than they are, but let's go
after the root of the problem. If they're illegal aliens, can the Sheriff's
Department have a task force to go out and get these illegal aliens
with the 287(g) program, throw them out of our country? We have
Alligator Alcatraz right here on our doorstep. That fell into our laps.
Let's use this program, get them out. There's no questions, they
broke into the country once, we forgave them. They can work for
people in the fields. They're good people. They --
MR. MILLER: Slow down.
MS. REDSTALL: Sorry. I got excited, I'm sorry.
These are -- they broke into the country for good reason. There
are a lot of illegal aliens, but they work hard. They pay their taxes.
They're good people, and they live in Immokalee, and they're
wonderful people, and I know them, too. We're not talking about
those illegal aliens. Nobody -- ICE doesn't want to take them. The
287(g) program, I don't believe, want to take them.
It's when you commit another crime as serious as
taking -- breeding -- from our precious four-legged friends and
breeding them so they run the streets, so they're used for bait in
dogfights, so they are sold for them to earn money and, again, not pay
taxes or speak the language.
I believe if we use our 287(g) program, it would benefit
everyone. It will reduce the amount of dogs and cats in the DAS. I
didn't realize DAS people were here. I hope to speak to them,
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because they are wonderful people at the DAS and Humane Society.
It would reduce, because from what I know with statistics, it's over
25 percent of the hobby breeders, that those dogs and cats go to the
DAS, which are overloaded because they're such good people. They
don't want to kill these animals, and they don't.
So what I'm thinking is if we go with the bigger picture, which
is really the root of the problem, get a task force to go in, get these
illegal aliens out, turn them over to ICE, put them in Alligator
Alcatraz, and then take our precious dogs that have bred and bred and
bred, and then I will help and find homes for those dogs, which I'm
actually doing now anyway. I'm doing that with the Lee County
DAS, who is nothing like the wonderful Collier County DAS.
I'm helping save those dogs, Ms. Patterson. We know that. I'm
helping to save those dogs. And I've placed them in six homes in
three months. So I am doing that.
So let me help and volunteer. I don't need to get paid for it. I
want to help our precious four-legged friends, including cats, and let's
use our 287(g) program -- oh, my gosh. I've got a minute and 47
seconds. I can talk -- this is great. I'll go even slower.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: You're also invited to speak less.
MS. REDSTALL: I will. Sorry. I would love to even help the
Sheriff's Department. I'd love to meet with our friend, Sheriff Kevin
Rambosk, and sit down with him or Colonel Bloom and with
Commissioner Kowal or not, without me. But if you could speak
with our Sheriff's Department and see if we can use the 287(g)
program in Immokalee, in the streets of Immokalee, and not just with
hobby breeders, with those who breed them for dogfighting, with
those who neglect them. Neglect means abuse. Abuse is also
neglect.
Anybody who has them tied up outside a house, if they're an
illegal alien, get their arses out of here. And arses is spelled with an
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R, so I didn't swear; a-r-s-e-s, arses.
So I've got some time here. Fifty-eight seconds left. Please let's
use our 287(g) program.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MS. REDSTALL: And that's all I have to say.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MS. REDSTALL: Thank you, everybody, Commissioners.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
All right. Commissioner Kowal, that's a tough act to follow.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I know. My name was brought
up there a couple times.
But if I could just comment, just to shed some light on the
287(g) program. Typically that program kicks in after somebody's
already committed a crime here in the States. It's not -- the
investigative part of that is not implemented at this point to go out
and seek, but if we have a strong ordinance, and those things get to
those points -- and, Mr. Kepp -- and just for the information -- the
Board, there is a cruelty statute in the state of Florida. It's 828.12,
which --
(Audience speaking.)
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: No, I know, but if you read the
verbiage, in the first paragraph is the misdemeanor of the first degree,
which is up to one year, $5,000 fine, it does -- it does -- and/or
undernourished, under-sheltered, things like that, so there is -- there
is language in the statute that meets neglect; it's just titled "cruelty."
So I think it's something that could be implemented with the right
people and the right sheriffs which articulate the statute itself.
But that -- if that gets to that point and we have a strong
ordinance that we can enforce, then it would get people caught up in
the system, and then, as the fine lady here said, you know, maybe it
would take that next step where they could, you know, bring
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in -- change hats and look at this. But just going out and picking
people up off the streets, the 287(g) program will not suffice at this
point, so just to clarify on that.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I wanted to call Mr. French
forward. A lot of things have been said here. He's been on the front
lines of this, especially in the last few months, and I want to -- I
expected he probably had comments on some things he heard and to
put all of this into a tighter package, if you could make some
comments or -- of some of the things that you heard, if you have
comment, or, you know, to have you give some of your final
thoughts.
MR. FRENCH: So thank you, Commissioner. Again, for the
record, Jamie French.
We are not in -- staff is not in disagreement with the fines. I've
stated this to the DAS advisory board as much as to this -- to this
body.
If I can hit you in the wallet, you'll pay attention to me.
Unfortunately, the better we can make that ordinance and to create a
fine that is going to be able to really count -- your heart, if I can touch
your heart, I'll get your attention. I like that better, sir.
And I would tell you, though, I can't comment by, you know,
respectfully, a frequent passerby that might have a comment on a
case. We have to protect our evidence. And so if it appears that a
code may have been -- or a case may have been closed, we may have
done that on purpose. We may have, because what you didn't see is
that we had something else going that landed a warrant which led to a
criminal investigation which led to a -- just a whole slew of other
charges that no one would have ever expected. And so we do have to
work a little stealth at times on these investigations because we're not
trying to make the paper; we're just trying to do the right thing.
July 8, 2025
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And what occurred on Marco Island, there was a lot of workings
behind the scene on that one. We worked that case for a very, very
long time, and it was on multiple locations. It just wasn't in -- they're
both in your district, by the way, but it was -- it involved multiple
properties.
And then we had to go with the County Attorney's Office's
help -- and Ron Tomasko in Jeff's office is phenomenal. We had to
go beg a judge.
And so we agree that some of that language like not giving a
48-hour notice, all we have to do is insert the word "may." We may
give you a 48-hour notice, but then again, we have to use good
discretion to where if we show up at 5 o'clock and you're feeding
your family or bathing your child, we have to use discretion to say,
"Okay, I'll come back. I'll be back here. What's a good time for you?
And I'll be back at 9 o'clock."
So we need to have good staff, well-educated staff, a good
ordinance. We've already got a very compassionate and motivated
community. We couldn't ask for more. But some of the work that
we're doing, we just need your continued support, and please hold us
accountable.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We're going
to -- obviously, we're going to continue this item to the first meeting
in August, I believe. And there are three ordinances that are going to
be addressed, and I would ask staff to really have everything ready to
go at that point. You've heard from Tom Kepp and some of the other
animal activists, some of the recommendations they've put in writing
in terms of amendments to these ordinances, so I would really
implore you to have everything ready to go at that point.
In addition, at some point -- and it doesn't have to be that first
meeting in August, but I do want to see the -- see us redraft the rules
dealing with the DAS advisory board, because it's not a very effective
July 8, 2025
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board right now. And if that's something that could be brought back
to us in that first meeting in August, fine. But if you need more time,
that's certainly understandable.
And then one other issue is it seems to me that we charge
adoption fees, and the adoption fees certainly don't cover the costs
that we incur. It probably costs more to collect an adoption fee than
the fee itself. And I'm suggesting that we waive adoption fees.
Not -- you know, not waive adoption fees for 30 days, but just waive
adoption fees period. Now, we can always go back and re-implement
them. But from my understanding, that may help actually facilitate
more adoptions, which is a lot better than collecting a small adoption
fee.
So I'd like to make a motion for us to consider waiving adoption
fees. I don't know the Board would go along with that now or if you
need more discussion.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: In giving consideration to it, I
would like to see what the fees are in relationship to the revenue for
DAS at large first.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: So let's bring that back the first
meeting in August.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Certainly. Because if we
start -- if we start tightening up on the actual fines and assist Code
with the penalization for the bad actors, that may be an offset there
that we can easily remedy and help good people get homes for our
pets.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So that would be in
addition to the continuance of this ordinance to bring back the other
ordinances with it. Those ordinances need to be advertised, so I don't
know if you're prepared to advertise the other two ordinances.
MR. KLATZKOW: It's really just one ordinance, domestic
animals ordinance. There are many different parts to it.
July 8, 2025
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. So you'd be prepared --
MR. KLATZKOW: Crystal's made it very easy for to us
advertise just --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So you can advertise all
that we need to have advertised so we can have final decisions?
MR. KLATZKOW: Oh, you'll have it -- well, do you want
to -- this is probably going to take two bites at the apple, these
changes. Do you want to request to advertise all these changes, or
just you want to be able to adopt them?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm not sure I understand. So are
you saying that we have to have another meeting to decide whether
we're going to advertise?
MR. KLATZKOW: There are going to be substantial changes, I
understand, initiated by staff, to the ordinance. The Board hasn't seen
that yet. I can set this up two ways. I can advertise it and you can
make your decision, or I can do a request to advertise. The Board's
prerogative.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I would prefer advertising what
you have, and then we can make changes as we go along if we need
to.
MR. KLATZKOW: Well, as soon as staff get me it, we'll
advertise it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That's just me being a little
frustrated because it's been so long since we've been talking about
this.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Well, it was my understanding that
we needed to make changes to two other ordinances as well as this
one.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Right. And that's what we're
talking about.
COMMISSIONER HALL: We can advertise the two other
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ordinances and then knock them all out at the same time.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Right. That's what I was asking.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: We're not advertising -- all
we're doing is advertising that we're going to change the ordinances.
We're not advertising the proposed changes. So it would -- and I
understand your frustration. The glacial speed of government drives
me up the wall, but the reality is I -- don't you think it's prudent that
we get the adjustments done, get --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: You're right.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: -- then advertise the changes,
and then tweak whatever comes from the community once we get it?
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So, Mr. Klatzkow, then,
the motion would be to continue the -- this hobby breeders ordinance
for final decision-making on our first meeting in August and to
advertise that we're going to discuss the other two ordinances, at that
first meeting, at which point in time we may direct you to advertise
an ordinance to come back at our second meeting in August or first
meeting in September.
MR. KLATZKOW: Okay.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Does that sound right?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yep.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And add to that the changes to the
DAS advisory board ordinance that we would discuss advertising that
as well. Is that clear?
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Clear as mud.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Then I'll make that as a motion.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'll second it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We have a motion and second.
Any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All in favor, signify by saying aye.
July 8, 2025
Page 189
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And then you'll bring back the
issue of the waiving of --
MS. PATTERSON: Yes.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- adoption fees.
MS. PATTERSON: I was going to get clarification on that.
You want some analysis on the fee structure which will be -- some of
that will be part of what we're bringing back --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Correct.
MS. PATTERSON: -- against what we are charging for
adoptions, or what we're -- the revenue generated by adoptions.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: With those recommendations
coming from the magistrate with regard to the fee structure.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And then the fee structure as
far as adoptions goes, I need to see -- I need to see that in relationship
to the aggregate revenue for DAS.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir. And also just a reminder that we
can run special programs. So if you all wanted to do a summer -- a
waiver of adoption fees, we can do those short-term. We did that last
year. A lot of people are -- you know, have kids for the summer and
are interested in getting pets. And so, if you'd like to do something
like that short-term to help --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Well, if we're going to do that, we
need to do that now.
July 8, 2025
Page 190
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: So is there any objection to the
short-term waiver of adoption fees?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: No. We can do it, yeah, we
can do it. Yeah, I'm fine.
MS. PATTERSON: We have a lot of -- we have a lot of cats. It
might generate a little interest in getting some of our kitties adopted.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Let's waive adoption fees until our
first meeting in September.
MS. PATTERSON: Very good.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
MS. PATTERSON: And we'll be back with that analysis.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right.
MS. PATTERSON: Thank you. I'm confused, and I actually
don't even know where we are in the agenda anymore.
Item #5A
2025 HURRICANE SEASON READINESS UPDATE –
PRESENTED
MS. PATTERSON: I believe that is going to bring us back to
our Item 5A, which is going to be a brief presentation on the 2025
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hurricane season readiness with Mr. Summers and company.
MR. SUMMERS: Commissioners, good afternoon. For the
record, Dan Summers, director of Emergency Management.
And I heard loud and clear the word "brief," but I do have a lot
of information to pass along to you. Trinity Scott and Kari and
Marshal are also going to tag team with me here just a little bit.
Our Emergency Management team you know well, and I think I
share that team discussion with you to know and reinforce that when
we go into hurricane mode, we're one team, we're one voice, and we
thank you for the support that you have given us in the Emergency
Operations Center to work with all of our partner agencies. And
you've heard me say many times, and it's -- I think it's important to
reinforce that what we do here is certainly a team engagement.
Before we get into the forecast for this year, you-all have stated,
and I think it warrants a quick repeat, and that is a couple things
before the forecast, the real safety rules that we need to remind folks
about.
Remember, even a low category storm can provide significant
storm surge that can be deadly. Your evacuation zone, which we
have all posted on our website -- and we have the graphics here as
well.
Your family evacuation plan, the director of the Hurricane
Center said, "Why don't you practice that plan and cut your time in
half and see how that plan works out for you?" Because time is
certainly the enemy in an evacuation planning effort.
We like the concept of use a half a tank of gas to evacuate and a
half a tank of gas to get back home. That's a good planning tool for
you to use for destination. We don't need you to evacuate just far
enough from storm surge. And as we say, we want you to hide from
the wind and run from the water.
Alert Collier, our official results, we -- official alerts, excuse me,
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continues -- that program continues to work exceptionally well. We
have tweaked that a little bit for this hurricane season to help
eliminate some of the redundant tornado warnings that come out from
both the National Weather Service and are echoed by our system. So
we don't have that over-warning burnout just a little bit. So we have
made some software tweaks there.
If you rely on oxygen, electricity, or are transportation
dependent, please make sure that you register with our office.
Remember your insurance is your first line of defense, your
homeowner's policy, your renters insurance, business interruption.
Hopefully, fingers crossed, the insurance market might begin to
stabilize a little bit, but insurance is certainly very important. Know
your levels of coverage.
Stock your emergency kit. Five to seven days we ask you to be
prepared for. We have continued to add a few hours to that in light of
some of the more aggressive storms that we have had in the last
couple of years.
Sandbags and floodproofing have become quite the discussion,
especially doing some residential floodproofing. Remember, these
type of things may, in your jurisdiction, require a permit. The other
component with this floodproofing is not something that if you
floodproof your home that we're recommending that you stay in your
home. If you have to floodproof for storm surge, you don't need to
be building a fort around your house where you can't get out or where
rescue may be difficult. So floodproofing is not something that you
want to do and think that you are going to stay in your home. If you
have to floodproof, you need to evacuate.
Generator safety, we can't say enough about that. Fortunately,
we're seeing changes in new generator -- new generators now having
CO sensors on them to help reduce the chances of carbon monoxide
poisoning.
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Stay informed through the county Emergency Management,
county Emergency Operations Center, our website, our Alert Collier,
our 311. John Mullins team partners with us on all of our
communications activities, and we are putting out those updates and
news releases as fast as that information becomes available, and our
social media page is -- we're monitoring that, putting updates out
there, and we think we're your most accurate source of local
information.
On your property, again, don't hesitate to document your current
conditions. If you do get -- if you have a significant impact by the
storm, you want to document, and as folks have heard me say in our
Emergency Operations Center, you want to document till it hurts.
The seasonal forecast is here. We all know that it only takes one
storm to change your day or to change your life. I don't know
anybody in this room that has this particular name or has a name of
the storm, so we can't point fingers at anybody this season, but we'll
keep an eye on that.
Where we have come from last year. I want to thank you again.
We've enclosed the east bay at the emergency services center that
now gives you a real logistics support center to improve the quality of
our supplies and material. During Hurricane Ian, we trans-loaded 63
tractor trailer loads of commodities at that location. Now we can do
it in dry conditions, so we appreciate that.
We've improved the workstation capability at the EOC. We've
expanded our GIS capability, and we were just recertified as a storm
ready community. That is helpful as well for some of our community
rating system activities. So it means that we're following all the best
practices that NOAA has provided to us.
Additional capabilities, we now have the capability in
partnership with the Department of Health to refill oxygen bottles at
the special-needs shelter to take some of that burden off of rental
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equipment and potential oxygen shortages.
We've added towable diesel and unleaded fuel tenders to our
capability.
In a partnership with Collier Air Transit, we have built out a
second mass casualty ambulance bus.
A legislative initiative that we kind of won the lottery on was
three new weather monitoring observation stations and new gap radar
capability on Gulf Shore Boulevard at the highest point in Collier
County.
So now when -- we had some radar deficiencies from
Homestead. We now have improved that radar capability here.
We continue to partner -- have a great partnership with Collier
schools. We've done a very thorough testing of the on-site generator
at Palmetto Ridge, and we've also activated a separate
communications network for shelter-to-shelter and shelter-to-EOC
communications.
We have our AshBritt standby contract in place not only for
support services but for debris. We're working on a few additional
expanded contracted services. We have two vendors now about to
come to you under contract so that we can move -- have some
additional contract resources to move supplies and equipment from
the emergency services center to shelters and back. Demobilization
is also quite a challenge for us.
And we're monitoring very closely the contracts that Florida
Division of Emergency Management has in place, and we feel
comfortable that we'll get a good level of support again this year from
the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
We continue to stress the importance of partnership with our
nonprofits. We've continued to enjoy a great working relationship
with the Collier Community Foundation, the recovery support that
they have provided, and also help to kick off our Collier Strong,
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which is the volunteer agencies coming together as one business unit
so we can leverage the support of our non-profits and the volunteer
agencies who can help many, many people in recovery.
Our public outreach is as strong as we can possibly do with the
personnel that we have. We've done special mailings to all of our
special-needs clients. We have outreach platforms, and we have
taken advantage of an opportunity to speak to a host of groups, as
well as we host a lot of groups at the Emergency Operations Center.
Our preparedness this year will really kind of focus on -- as we
do, we take any other disaster event and what other communities
have experienced and look at best practices. We are refining a lot of
our business process in the EOC to streamline our briefing times,
which can sometimes get a little bit chaotic. We're going to try to
centralize that to one briefing a day.
We're expanding discussion of our emergency support functions
into eight lifelines so that we can give you a better dashboard of the
status and the recovery process. And right now we're doing a lot of
roundtable discussions with community partners. We have found a
lot of success in small group emergency planning sessions where we
analyze capabilities and limitations as opposed to just sitting down
and watching one big forecast in an exercise.
We think this will strengthen our lifeline response. We think it
will improve our agency coordination across the board and enhance
our readiness engagement during response and recovery.
Our lifelines are really important. I think we introduced this to
you-all last hurricane season. We continue to refine this so that we
can keep our community posted on these lifelines: Safety,
communications, transportation, water, infrastructure, energy, et
cetera. And so again, we had 18 emergency support functions, and
we're going to boil that information down into these eight lifelines.
This is real important, FEMA. As you know, whether you're
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calling it FEMA 2.0 or FEMA federal review or the potential
dissolution of FEMA, here's what we know so far. And again, a lot
of this is subject to change.
We know that FEMA can always find ways to improve. I'm in
my 43rd year of working with FEMA on various projects and
engagements, so I know the rulebook pretty well, and we know that
all disasters are federally funded, state supported, and locally
executed. And I can't stress that enough. And you-all have
supported us quite well in that local execution.
We know that there will be some listening sessions going on
with FEMA. And fortunately, Kevin Guthrie, the Florida Division of
Emergency Management director, is on the FEMA review panel, so I
think we have a strong voice there, and I know as these FEMA
reviews come forward, I would like to certainly participate and would
encourage some key county staff to participate in those listening
sessions, because there are potentially millions of dollars on the line
here associated with future disaster reimbursements.
We know that -- we expect to see a larger state-led support in
disaster recovery as opposed to a federally led recovery. This is
going to be very difficult for a lot of rural counties. I think we've
enough bandwidth right now to do what we can do at the local level
with state support.
The next one is a biggie, and that is that we expect the feds to
hold the 75 percent/25 percent cost share. In previous major
disasters, we have had increase in federal share of reimbursements,
but the word -- the tea leaves, as we understand it right now, is that
the cost share will not exceed 75 percent --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Now, in the past --
MR. SUMMERS: -- at the federal level.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: In the past it's been 90 percent,
hasn't it?
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MR. SUMMERS: It has varied from time to time based on
impact per capita, and the President has that authority, but we have
been told that right now to not expect anything greater than a 75
percent cost share.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: To put that in perspective, I think
with Hurricane Irma our debris removal was somewhere in the
neighborhood of $100 million.
MR. SUMMERS: That's correct.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And so that 15 percent --
MR. SUMMERS: Right.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- becomes serious.
MR. SUMMERS: Now, what we -- what -- you know, hope is
not a strategy, right? But we do think that we'll continue to see the
State of Florida work closely with the counties in that 25 percent state
or local. Now, how that's going to shake out this hurricane season or
next year, I can't predict that. We know that the State of Florida has
been extremely helpful in part of that 25 percent balance, but how
that's going to shake out this year, I would be remiss to even take a
guess.
We also know that there are plans for no extensions in the
disaster declaration period. That means that there's not an
opportunity to take a disaster declaration and carry out emergency
measures for a full year. FEMA will likely put a sunset on that
disaster declaration with maybe only 90 days to execute or commit
the bulk of the work and/or the bulk of the reimbursement in a shorter
period of time.
Category G, beaches and recreation. We have been
told -- although I've not seen this in writing yet. We have been told
that FEMA will no longer support Category G reimbursement to
beaches and recreational facilities. FEMA staff that would -- the
Disaster Survivor Assistance, DSA program, if you remember, the
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FEMA folks that went out into the community went door to door,
checked on health, safety, and welfare and FEMA registration. We
had a very successful engagement with the FEMA DSA folks that
have been here in the past. That program has been completely
scrubbed.
So there will be no outreach from FEMA and the -- especially in
the rural areas, and whether the state picks that up by contract
resources or not, we're not really sure. But again, outreach to the
disaster survivor right now looks like it's going to take a much bigger
posture as being a remote -- or a virtual engagement.
Local responsibility for recovery centers. If you recall, we
opened up disaster recovery centers in conjunction with FEMA and
the state. FEMA will no longer support a disaster recovery center.
The terminology that they're recommending is that the county and the
state partner and put together a MARC, which is a Multi-Agency
Resource Center, which means that we're going to have to pull
county, municipal, and non-profit resources together in some capacity
to aid disaster survivors. We will be counting on those nonprofit
agencies also to assist with non -- with FEMA registration.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Don't we already do that?
MR. SUMMERS: We do that, but we do that with federal
support. Now the federal support to run the DSA is gone. So instead
of the -- instead of us turning a location over to FEMA, FEMA
bringing everyone together, managing the data, the IT, the
coordination and the security of that site, now it's going to fall back
on us. The state may help us, but we expect if they do, it's not going
to be open for a month or two months. It will be open for a week or
two weeks.
We also expect -- like I said, the virtual platform will be most
important for folks, and accelerated timelines for reimbursement.
FEMA is going to look for the bills for reimbursement, get in, get
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out -- get in, pay, and close out disasters much faster.
The thresholds associated with the disaster declaration within
the state threshold means that with -- let's say a storm hits multiple
counties. In order to kick in that threshold for a presidentially
declared disaster, we're talking about $35 million worth of damage.
We expect FEMA to raise those thresholds after October. So right
now it's going to hold, but after October the threshold for disaster
declaration will change.
Florida's recovery obligation calculation, which is essentially a
preaudit process that we have worked with the Florida Division of
Emergency Management with, a very comprehensive program. Ian
Barnwell and his team have worked really hard, Chris Johnson, to
basically demonstrate to the state how strong we are in all of our
reimbursement preaudit process. It's been a pilot program. FEMA
has adopted it, and Collier County is one of the top 10 counties in the
state that has met this sort of preaudit function in order to expedite
the reimbursement of federal funds. This may allow us to start
receiving a percentage of -- a percentage of federal funds following a
disaster within 90 days, which is really remarkable and really was
intended -- well, it's intended statewide but will certainly help a lot of
the rural counties that are fiscally constrained that have had multiple
disaster hits. And again, that's been a big team effort to meet
those -- sort of a preaudit review.
We are a little bit concerned about neighborhoods that may have
difficulty in registering with FEMA, since it looks like this is all
going to have to be telephonic or by the Internet, and we're kicking
around the idea that we want to acquire some Internet -- satellite
Internet kits to put in certain areas of the community. We all know
that when we have Internet failure, it really impacts day-to-day
operations from banking and communications, so we're kicking that
idea around to be able to deploy those kits to certain locations to
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make sure our residents can communicate.
And finally, understand that we remain committed. We work
hard in this environment every day with our team and with our
partners, and we're looking at making good investments.
We'll also know that some of the FEMA passthrough money that
has come to my office to purchase supplies and equipment, like
generators and cots and those sort of things, we're expecting in
October from -- on the federal side to have a pretty substantial cut in
those passthrough funds.
And finally, if we can be of assistance to any community, we are
always happy to come out and discuss and present and be of
assistance.
So I'll stop right there and see if you have any questions or
concerns.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Thank you, sir.
Mr. Summers, I just had two questions. When you were talking
about several different areas where FEMA support might be thinning
or disappearing, you said a couple times, "But we don't know if the
state's going to pick that up." Is that -- could that also be said for
Category G? Have you heard anything at all that the state would be
reimbursing us or that would be our new avenue to pursue
reimbursement, or you haven't heard anything? Because that's a big
number for us.
MR. SUMMERS: It is a big number, and it's frightening. And I
think the -- and again, I can only share with you what has been
watercooler conversation or speculation.
It might be that there could be special appropriations made to
the Corps of Engineers, maybe special appropriations made to DEP,
but that's only speculation at this point. So is there an opportunity to
farm out that reimbursement? That's possible. We don't like that,
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because again, you're having to take manpower. If you're working on
several categories of reimbursement, why can't you work on it all and
have a one-stop shop?
If we have to go -- and this kind of goes -- this kind of
goes -- just tells you how old I am, I guess, about civil preparedness.
When you needed that reimbursement many years ago, you had to go
to four or five different federal agencies and work through an entirely
new process.
So FEMA taking away recreation and beaches means that we've
got to go and start a -- potentially start a new application process if
there is a state or federal partner that is going to work the
reimbursement. We don't know. I'll just be real candid with you; we
don't the rules of that game yet.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: My second question is, after
several of the storms that we had last year, one of the takeaways in
the EOC was that in some of the workstations, you know, we had sort
of seat fillers and then in some of the other workstations we had
decision-makers.
In your conversations with a lot of the key people, as you had in
this presentation here, has that been a key point that you've stressed
to folks that, "Hey, you know, you've got a workstation here in the
EOC, and it's not a matter of just putting a warm body here to answer
the phone." When sitting right next to them with a very similar
organization, they've got a person there that's pushing the buttons,
knows who to talk to and all of that. Has that been part of the
training? Do you think we're going to see a better manning of the
EOC? And the EOC's manned awesomely, perfectly except for a
couple of those key things. Do you foresee some improvement based
on your renewed training and conversations with several
organizations?
MR. SUMMERS: Absolutely. And I think that's one of the
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benefits that we're having with the smaller group discussions. We're
managing those expectations. We have an ongoing training
curriculum anyway for the software application for incident
management. FEMA provides us that curriculum, and we do an
awful lot of that training.
So we're in the incident management side, we're on the business
process side, and then, of course, knowing who your partners are,
knowing their capability and limitations is really a big part of what
this exercise discussion's going to be like for the fall.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Well, we're lucky. In the back
here, unless I'm misidentifying, is Representative Benarroch back
there, right? So we've got an awesome representative in Tallahassee.
So as some of these things start shifting from federal at FEMA,
maybe to state, I mean, I have no doubt that Representative
Benarroch is going to be up there with both ears open keeping us, you
know, informed, and if something's going to shift over to the state,
we certainly will hear about it, you know, right away. And I know
you two are probably connected at the hip, no question.
MR. SUMMERS: She's going to join us for a tour here in a
couple weeks, so we're going to have some quality time.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Excellent. Excellent. So
thank you, ma'am, for all you're doing up in Tallahassee to keep a
watchful eye for us, because there are big numbers that we're getting
from FEMA, and if that gets shut off, I hope there's some other
opportunities to go after some, you know, state help, and it's not
going to just all fall back on us, but we'll -- I guess we'll wait and see.
MR. SUMMERS: We're watching this close.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yeah, thank you, sir.
MR. SUMMERS: Really close.
Commissioners, thank you. And I think -- oh, go ahead.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
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COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah, you're not going to get
away that quick.
MR. SUMMERS: Yes, sir.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And similarly to what
Commissioner LoCastro was talking about on the MARC thing, let us
know. I mean, because I've been to our EOC, and I've watched it in
action. And short of the FEMA people being over there, you're
already tied in. Your organizations, our organizations are already
communicating, talking all the way through. And so I think with
minimal adjustments you're going to be able to easily manage that
MARC withdrawal of FEMA, but on the same token, I want to hear
that if you need more assets, if you need more workstations, if you
need more things along those lines, as you're -- as you're looking at
that reduction of FEMA coming out of your world, let us know so
that we can help make the provisions and keep that in line.
MR. SUMMERS: Absolutely. And again, we look at it in kind
of a phased approach. What can we do local, but we also have to
remember a lot of our folks engaged locally could be a -- have
been -- could be impacted. We've got mutual aid resources. We're
expecting the state to have expanded contracted capability. And it's
something that we're putting -- taking a look at future contracting.
So the good news here is that we have a great working
relationship with the non-profits, and we're very confident that they
will do their very best to partner with us.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: The other question I had for
you just -- I had two -- it was one light, two questions,
Mr. Chair -- and that was, do we have a shelter specific for folks that
have developmental disadvantages or just those that have specific
medical needs?
MR. SUMMERS: So there are new statutes that have addressed
that just this year in Florida Statute 252. Working with the Florida
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Department of Health, we had a conference call as well with
Dr. Ricciardelli just a couple of weeks ago, and she is working with
us primarily to use a couple of our high school locations in order to
have some separate space set aside for that support.
So the answer is yes, we're working on the logistics side of that.
We also are bringing those clients into our special-needs registry
database so that we make sure that we're managing their care. As we
said, it's the lifeboat, not the love boat.
But developmental disability has been added. Clarity has been
added to the statute, and we're on it in terms of identifying space and
finding some of the resources that may be necessary even outside of
the special-needs shelter to support those individuals. Right now
we're working with Dr. Ricciardelli's team on identifying additional
space.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And it's premature right now,
but just for the record, thank you, Representative. There -- Goodwill
of Southwest Florida, we're building a great big facility up off of
Ortiz in Fort Myers, and a portion of that will be designated
specifically for folks with developmental disadvantages.
MR. SUMMERS: Excellent.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So even working with, you
know, neighboring counties and communities, those assets are going
to, in fact, be available.
MR. SUMMERS: And we also know, too, that in many, many
cases either with a caregiver -- or these folks are generally
self-sufficient during the day in some cases. But our shelter
registration process will help assist -- I don't want to say screen, but
help point those folks in the right direction.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I want to thank you also and your
staff. I know we're in good hands with you guys --
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MR. SUMMERS: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- no matter what comes our way.
I will say there were a couple points that you made that I think
are worth noting again. FEMA -- you said there's no support for
Category G or beach recreation restoration, which is another reason
why the sixth penny makes sense, because we're getting to a point
we're not going to be able to rely on state and federal funding for a lot
of these --
MR. SUMMERS: It's possible.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- that have been along the way for
us.
And the other one was the 75 percent maximum reimbursement.
I know that it's been different percentages over the years, but
75 percent is probably the lowest it would have been when you put it
all together over the years. And so our reserves are going to be very
significant if we have another major issue like a Hurricane Irma,
which is likely over a period of time.
MR. SUMMERS: But let me give you a little bit of -- a little
reassurance there. The fact that FEMA has endorsed this Florida
recovery obligation calculation score -- and again, I think about cash
flow, and I think about the position that the senior team is in where it
has taken, in some cases, you know, close to a year to get these big
reimbursements. Now what we -- under this obligation and the
scoring that we have, this process that we have, we can start
beginning receiving cash back. So part of this is -- and I'm not saying
it will make us whole, but what -- my goal is to try to make sure that
we get cash back in the bank as quickly as possible.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm just pointing out that we can't
rely on the federal funding as we have in the past.
Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Thank you, Chairman.
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I just -- I Chat GPT'd --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Quit.
COMMISSIONER HALL: -- for the state budget that just
passed.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That is the devil.
COMMISSIONER HALL: And it's -- you know, whether it's
right or wrong, what it said was there was 500 million in reserves for
storm resilience --
MR. SUMMERS: Good.
COMMISSIONER HALL: -- or for storm recovery. An
additional 170 million for the resilient Florida program through the
DEP and then another 10 million for re-sheltering, you know, people
that are without a houses. So just for what it's worth, in light of the
FEMA cutbacks, the state looks like they have --
MR. SUMMERS: Paying attention.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Yeah.
MR. SUMMERS: Absolutely. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Do we have any registered
speakers?
MR. MILLER: I'm over here. I'm fixing what Dan broke.
MR. SUMMERS: I broke it. I got excited. Again, thank you
for the support and --
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
Do we need a motion to accept the report or just move on?
All right. Let's move on, then.
MR. SUMMERS: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We're going to have to take a court
reporter break here. Are you ready for a little break?
THE COURT REPORTER: (Nods head.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Will 13 minutes be enough?
THE COURT REPORTER: (Nods head.)
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: 4:45.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I hear brownies are coming.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We'll break until 4:45.
(A recess was had from 4:31 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.)
MS. PATTERSON: Chair, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right.
MS. PATTERSON: All right. So we've told everybody that
remains that they have three minutes to finish their items.
Item #15B
STAFF PROJECT UPDATES
MS. PATTERSON: But we are going to talk about mosquito
control really quickly, which actually I was planning on talking to
you about under 15B, staff project updates, but we're going to do this
so we can get our Mosquito Control partners out of here.
We received correspondence last week about Collier County is
experiencing a very heavy salt marsh mosquito season. While we can
treat -- the Mosquito Control can treat most of the county,
communities such as Copeland, Plantation Island, and Everglades
City fall outside of Collier Mosquito Control District's boundaries.
They have received numerous requests for service from the residents
of these areas, but because they're outside of the boundary, they're not
able to treat there.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
indicated that they could provide emergency authorization to treat
these areas under a mutual aid agreement. The Mosquito Control
District would cover the cost of these treatments and not seek
reimbursement.
I believe that Commissioner McDaniel, whose district that is,
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and Commissioner LoCastro's, has received correspondence
similarly.
So to move forward, FDACS requires the county to submit a
request for aid for these areas to Collier Mosquito Control District. It
can be done -- we have a way to do that. And we have a mutual aid
agreement that would be signed by the county and the Mosquito
Control District after the request for aid is received.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: So you need a motion to --
MS. PATTERSON: Allow me to submit the request for mutual
aid.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Motion to approve.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Second.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro made the
motion, and Commissioner McDaniel seconded it. All in favor,
signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And if we have any registered
speakers, it's too late.
MS. PATTERSON: I don't think -- Mosquito Control, if you
have anything to add.
(No response.)
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I just wanted to say one brief
thing.
So I've been -- maybe we all have, but I'm talking to Mosquito
Control. Just through email, when big things have popped up, thank
you so much for being so responsive, so professional to the citizens
in my district, and I'm sure the others. It's -- like I always say, it's
July 8, 2025
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noticed and appreciated. John and Patrick, you know, you guys
chimed in instantaneously -- citizens really appreciated that -- with all
the right wording.
And so I'm thankful for you covering these areas that sort of fall
outside of the map that need a little bit of special approval. And your
correspondence with those citizens was spot on and very
professional. Thank you, sir -- sirs.
MR. LINN: FYI, we can turn around in 24 hours, and we'll do
the mission right away.
MS. PATTERSON: Thank you very much. We'll get that right
over to you.
Item #11F
RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT A SPEND-DOWN PLAN WITH
AVAILABLE FUNDS FROM THE INFRASTRUCTURE SALES
SURTAX REVENUE. (JOHN DUNNUCK, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR - FACILITIES & REDEVELOPMENT) - MOTION TO
APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL; SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS – APPROVED
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Ms. Patterson, you want
to go to 11F?
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir, which is not you.
Mr. DeLony is anxious to get to the podium, however, Mr.
Dunnuck is going to the podium because, why? Mr. DeLony says
that Mr. Dunnuck is my favorite. I don't know.
MR. DUNNUCK: Well -- and I'll tie this back in together. The
reason we're here today is because of Mr. DeLony.
Back in November/December, we presented in front of the
surtax subcommittee, and the vice chair here, along with the other
July 8, 2025
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recommendations, rejected the idea for the Medical Examiner to
move forward using the surtax subcommittee money mainly because
they didn't see a plan. They were afraid longer term, if we didn't
have a spend-down plan for the additional interest that was created,
that we were going to get all these one-off projects, and they had no
review and no time to work through that.
So following their recommendation, we took back to the
subcommittee last month a recommendation for five projects, and we
think it kind of covers all elements of what we're trying to achieve
here at the county.
The first one is the reimbursement of Station 21 which is set to
close later this month. It's record time. I give kudos to the staff
because we're actually purchasing this property in under 60 days, it's
at appraised value, and we're going to be able to reimburse the
General Fund with the surtax subcommittee if the Board approves
this plan.
Secondarily, with the Vanderbilt Beach extension, they had set
aside money to have a line of credit, basically, to bond 25 years'
worth of funding to finish that project as necessary. With this extra
interest income, we will actually save the county $15 million in
interest payments to have available as part of that project.
The third is the jury room, which -- hand in hand, the courtroom
expansion -- there's two courtrooms being expanded currently over at
the courthouse, but there wasn't a jury space -- funding for the jury
space. So working with the Clerk's Office, we found it necessary.
We believe we should be finishing that project in tandem with the
courtroom, so we're recommending $2 million.
The jail three project roof project is finalizing all the roof
renovations that we needed to do that were necessary. We finished
one and two, and we recommend finishing three.
And finally, $15 million for the chiller plant, the lines
July 8, 2025
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underground. When the project was -- actually gone through the
surtax -- because that was actually one of the projects was to replace
the chiller system here on the campus, the funding wasn't enough to
do the entire project. So we moved forward with the chiller system,
which is going to go live in the next month, but we don't have the
money for the chiller line.
So we're recommending, consistent with what the voters asked
for, to finish building the underground and creating a redundancy on
this campus as well, because some of the chiller lines actually don't
work in a circle pattern.
So we're recommending approval of this plan moving forward.
Obviously, plans can change, but we think this is a good path forward
how we spend the additional money.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Mr. Dunnuck, I like everything
you've said with the exception of the jury room. I'm not so sure that
we should go forward with that. What is the -- what's the rationale
for that? I mean --
MR. DUNNUCK: I could give you a rationale, but she would
love to.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: No. Sit back down. All right. We
need a motion to --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'll make a motion for
approval. Geez.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We have a motion and a second.
All in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
July 8, 2025
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(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
MR. DUNNUCK: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: She actually got up out of her
chair.
Item #11G
RECOMMENDATION THAT THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS, AS THE EX OFFICIO GOVERNING BOARD
OF THE COLLIER COUNTY WATER-SEWER DISTRICT,
APPROVE THE NORTHEAST INTERIM FACILITIES PROGRAM
AND ASSOCIATED RESOURCING STRATEGY PROVIDING
THE CAPACITY TO EXECUTE THE PROGRAM, AUTHORIZE
STAFF TO INCLUDE THE RECOMMENDED FULL TIME
EQUIVALENTS, VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE
PROGRAM AND THE REQUIREMENTS FOR OPERATION OF
THE GOLDEN GATE WATER RECLAMATION PLANT IN THE
PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR
2026 BUDGET, AND APPROVE THE NECESSARY BUDGET
AMENDMENT TO THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 ADOPTED
BUDGET. (JIM DELONY, INTERIM DEPARTMENT HEAD -
PUBLIC UTILITIES) - MOTION TO APPROVE BY
COMMISSIONER HALL; SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER
MCDANIEL – APPROVED
MS. PATTERSON: Commissioners, that brings us to Item 11G.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay.
MS. PATTERSON: This is a recommendation that the Board of
County Commissioners, as the ex-officio governing board of the
Collier County Water/Sewer District, approve the northeast interim
July 8, 2025
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facilities program and associated resourcing strategy providing the
capacity to execute the program, authorize staff to include the
recommended full-time equivalent vehicles and equipment for the
program, and the requirements for operation of the Golden Gate
Water Reclamation Plant in the Public Utilities' department proposed
Fiscal Year 2026 budget, and approve the necessary budget
amendment to the Fiscal Year 2025 adopted budget.
Mr. Jim DeLony, your interim department head of Public
Utilities, is here to present or answer questions at your pleasure.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Before Mr. DeLony gets into his
presentation, I know he's got a very detailed one --
MR. DeLONY: I do.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- or a lengthy one, but I believe
we've heard a lot of this material. And unless there's some questions
from the Commission, I don't know that it's necessary to have a
presentation.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I'm well briefed.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'm well briefed.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Then we just -- I think you just
need a motion to approve.
MR. DeLONY: I do, sir.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'll make a motion.
COMMISSIONER HALL: So moved.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion from
Commissioner Hall, a second from Commissioner McDaniel. All in
favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
July 8, 2025
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
MR. DeLONY: Thank you, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you.
MR. DeLONY: Thank you, Commissioners.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Great presentation.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Get 'er done.
Item #13A
RESOLUTION 2025-143: RECOMMENDATION TO APPOINT
TWO COMMISSIONERS AS REGULAR MEMBERS, THREE
COMMISSIONERS AS ALTERNATE MEMBERS, AND
RATIFICATION OF APPOINTED CITIZEN MEMBER AND
ALTERNATE CITIZEN MEMBER FOR A ONE-YEAR PERIOD
ON THE VALUE ADJUSTMENT BOARD. (DEREK JOHNSSEN,
CLERK'S FINANCE DIRECTOR) - MOTION TO APPROVE AS
PRESENTED AND TO APPOINT COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS
AS CHAIR AND COMMISSIONER HALL AS CO-CHAIR BY
COMMISSIONER LOCASTRO; SECONDED BY
COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL – ADOPTED
MS. PATTERSON: Commissioners, that brings us to Item 13.
Item 13A is a recommendation to appoint two commissioners as
regular members, three commissioners as alternate members, and
ratification of appointed citizen member and alternate citizen member
for a one-year period on the Value Adjustment Board.
Mr. Derek Johnssen, clerk's finance director, is here to help
make the appointments.
MR. JOHNSSEN: And speak for the jury room.
July 8, 2025
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So we have some
statutory issues here, so if you'll tell us what we need to do, we can
get that done.
MR. JOHNSSEN: Certainly. Thank you, County Manager.
Derek Johnssen, clerk's finance director, before you as
administrator to the Value Adjustment Board process.
Today I would ask you to approve 13A as it's presented, but we
do need appointment of two commissioners to serve on that, and we
do need to indicate who will be the chair amongst the two.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I have been -- I think
typically I've been on that. I don't mind doing it again.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I don't mind doing it. I haven't
been, but I don't want to chair it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I'll chair it, unless
somebody else wants to be on it.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: I did it and done it.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I make a motion that
Commissioner Saunders chair it and Commissioner Hall be the
deputy.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Second.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. And then the rest of us
need to be alternates?
MR. JOHNSSEN: Yes, I would ask that we declare the rest to
be alternates just in case.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Part of the motion would be the
rest of the commissioners would be alternates.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Just in case I'm on Majorca.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And the second's okay with
that, too.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So we have a motion and
second. All in favor, signify by saying aye.
July 8, 2025
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COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
MR. JOHNSSEN: Thank you, Commissioners.
Item #11H
RECOMMENDATION TO PROVIDE DIRECTION TO STAFF TO
ADVERTISE AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE COLLIER
COUNTY PARKING, STORAGE AND USE OF VEHICLE
CONTROL ORDINANCE CODIFIED IN THE CODE OF LAWS
AND ORDINANCES TO PROVIDE LIMITATIONS ON THE
PARKING AND/OR STORING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR
VEHICLES AND COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT IN
RESIDENTIAL AREAS INCLUDING THE ESTATES ZONING
DISTRICT - MOTION TO WITHDRAW THIS ITEM FROM
FURTHER CONSIDERATION BY COMMISSIONER
MCDANIEL; SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HALL –
APPROVED; FOLLOW-UP RELATED COMMENTS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS TO STAFF BY COMMISSIONER
MCDANIEL; DISCUSSED – CONSENSUS
MS. PATTERSON: Commissioners, in my glee that we had
reached the end of the agenda, I actually passed by Item 11H,
formerly 16K5. This is a recommendation to provide direction to
staff to advertise an ordinance to amend the Collier County parking,
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storage, and use of vehicle control ordinance codified in the Land
Development -- or I'm sorry -- codified in the Code of Laws and
Ordinances to provide limitations on the parking and/or storing of
commercial motor vehicles and commercial equipment in residential
areas including the Estates zoning district. This move was made at
Commissioner McDaniel's request.
And thank you, Mr. Bosi, for coming in and reminding me.
So with that, Commissioners.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I wouldn't have let you forget.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes, sir. Thank you.
I'd like to make a motion to put this to bed, that we not explore
the parking ordinance any further.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I'll second it.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. So that everybody
that's -- all two people that are watching can breathe, we're -- if
we -- and then -- and if I may, I'd like to make some policy
recommendations and see if our board concurs to give direction to
our staff. I have four ideas that I'd like to propose.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and a
second to basically withdraw this item from further consideration. If
there's no further discussion on that, then I'll call for the question. All
in favor, signify by saying aye.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Aye.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Aye.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously.
July 8, 2025
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Then you have some policy recommendations.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah, a couple of things. And
just a brief background, we have an enormous amount of impropriety
taking place in Golden Gate Estates. A lot of folks are taking
advantage of the home-based business laws, regulations. Collier
County has not yet adopted or adapted its home-based business
ordinance to conform with the state statute.
Mr. Klatzkow was sending me drafts last week. I was busy and
didn't get them back to him in time, so they -- that didn't get loaded
up on today's agenda. It will come forward on the August 8th, I think
is our next meeting -- at our first meeting in August.
MS. PATTERSON: I believe it's August 12th.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. Whatever date that is,
that ordinance will come forward for, similarly, a vote to advertise
and go forward with it once -- assuming it meets the Board's
approval.
In the meantime, I'd like to make four recommendations. One
having to do -- it's commonplace -- common knowledge the Inner
Web, people are talking about it, that if Code Enforcement shows up
on your property, all you have to do is tell them to get off your
property, and they leave. In the event that that transpires, I would
like for Code to immediately pursue a warrant to go back and do
further investigation. That hasn't always been the case, but I would
like that to become more common practice.
Number two, when a citation is issued, there is -- I call it a grace
period. The proper term, I think, is a period to cure, and that's
somewhere around 30 days from the date -- depending on the severity
of the violation, you've got a period of time to cure. Folks are taking
advantage of us on a regular basis expressing hardship, doing this,
doing that, get another extension, get another extension, so on.
At the end -- so what I'd like to propose as a policy adjustment is
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that at the end of the expiration of the first period of cure or period to
take care of the citation, if it isn't taken care of, I want a notice sent to
the lender of the owner of the property that a code violation has
transpired. Every single mortgage that I know of on the planet has
default language in it that requires a borrower to adhere to all federal,
state, and local laws, and the goal here is to get assistance for our
Code Enforcement to get compliance when someone has -- has
a -- has a -- has an infraction.
My third suggestion is education. When someone applies
for -- I think they're called business -- I used to call them business
licenses, but now they're called business tax receipts. Same thing.
When someone applies for a business tax receipt, I want an easy read
what you can and can't do with the property given to the person that's
applied for that license.
We have people coming in here prominently from other areas of
our community that move into the woods. They think they can do
anything that they want. They can't do anything that they want.
They have to adhere to our zoning codes. And if education is begun
at the inception of the business tax receipt, then we have an
opportunity to curtail some of these poor activities.
And then my fourth suggestion is we delineate some land
somewhere. And in my brain, my thoughts are is we have a lot of
land that we're not currently using, a lot right now, in the resource
recovery park area, and I'd like to designate some acreage for parking
of commercial motor vehicles and do it for a fee. I would -- I would
like to explore that just to see if, in fact, we can remedy some of this
stacking of commercial motor vehicles that is showing up. The
fellow who owns a dump truck company, a site clearing company,
and then his buddy has to park his truck, and then there's an on-road
truck, and then there's a whole bunch of other vehicles that show up,
and repairs are going on and everything else.
July 8, 2025
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So there have -- I'm told that there have been other communities
that have designated a parking lot, if you will, specifically for a fee
for commercial motor vehicular parking.
And those are my four suggestions of policy that I'd like to
throw out to staff if you fellows can -- agree.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Mr. Chairman, I've got a question.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: What if the kids inherit the house,
and there is no mortgage?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Now, I want you to
understand, there is no panacea. We're not going to catch everybody.
We're not going to catch everything. If there is no mortgage, then we
certainly don't have a lender to be notifying them. We still need to
take the steps that we normally do.
Mr. French and I talked yesterday that we may -- there is other
provisions that are coming with this. We talked about yesterday if
there is a violation with two confirmed complainants that are verified,
then we can shorten that period to cure and bring that -- bring
that -- that certification. That person that's been issued a citation, we
can bring them to the magistrate within 10 days.
And so those are some of the other things that we're going to do
shortening up that time frame from the -- from the notice of violation.
So again, Commissioner Hall, there are certainly some folks that
don't have a mortgage, and that -- in that instance, but there
are -- most people, in fact, do. And what I'm looking for here is just
to offer our Code some assistance with another pressure point from a
homeowner to bring them into compliance.
COMMISSIONER HALL: I like it.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. It looks like
everybody's --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Did you write that all down?
July 8, 2025
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CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm not sure if everybody's nodding
off or if we're in agreement.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Agreement.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We're in agreement, okay.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Let's carry on. I'm ready.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Anything else?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Not on that.
MR. IANDIMARINO: Commissioner, thank you. For the
record, Tom Iandimarino, director of Code Enforcement.
As far as the more warrants, absolutely, we are pursuing that.
We have started doing that already. You've seen it with our animal.
We have also performed a few warrants on some code inspections.
It's a civil process, so there is some -- a little bit of competent
substantial evidence we have to go through. We get it. We follow
the process. Oftentimes they want warrants immediately, but
sometimes it takes us a little bit of time to get everything. But when
we do, we follow through, and we're going with that.
As far as the notice to lenders, I understand what you're looking
for. I think that's a simple process that we can build within
CityView, and I do believe that Code actually did something similar
to that back during the time of the foreclosure crisis back in '07/'08.
It had limited success because I think there was just so much
happening, so many foreclosures out there. I think it was a challenge
to -- you know, with one lender having thousands and thousands of
foreclosures, we were just a stack in the pile, but I think there is some
benefit to it, and we will definitely pursue that.
As far as the business tax receipt, you know, I do believe that
every property has to get a zoning verification letter in order to get a
BTR. I may be -- if I'm --
MR. FRENCH: We'll work with the Tax Collector.
MR. IANDIMARINO: But we'll work with the Tax Collector
July 8, 2025
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on how that works from there.
And as far as the industrial land, I think that's -- as far as Code,
if you can get people to move off of their property and take their
vehicles, I think something like that would definitely benefit those
who are in -- not necessarily in the Estates as well, but those who are
looking for parking and they live elsewhere in a residential area,
Golden Gate City or --
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: We had an issue --
MR. IANDIMARINO: You know, there's definitely some
support there.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Excuse me. I didn't mean
to --
MR. IANDIMARINO: Yeah, sorry, sir. But I think that's a
great idea.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: That's two good ideas I've had
today.
The -- Ave Maria had a significant commercial motor vehicular
parking issue, folks that owned on-road trucks were bringing
their -- that live in Estero were parking their truck in the street at Ave
Maria and then driving to Estero to their home and then leaving the
trucks sit in front of people's houses in Ave Maria. So I think -- I
think that if we explored that, that may be a huge relief valve to assist
with some of this.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Anything else on that
issue?
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: No, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Ms. Patterson, I think
that takes us to public comments.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
Item #15A
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PUBLIC COMMENTS ON GENERAL TOPICS NOT ON THE
CURRENT OR FUTURE AGENDA BY INDIVIDUALS NOT
ALREADY HEARD DURING PREVIOUS PUBLIC COMMENTS
IN THIS MEETING
MS. PATTERSON: Item 15A, public comments on general
topics not on the current or future agenda by individuals not already
heard during previous public comments in this meeting.
MR. MILLER: We have none.
Item #15C
STAFF AND COMMISSION GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS
MS. PATTERSON: Very good. That brings us to Item 15C,
staff and commission general communications. I have nothing.
County Attorney.
MR. KLATZKOW: I also have nothing.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Commissioner Kowal.
COMMISSIONER KOWAL: Thank you, Chairman.
I'd just like to say I came into this meeting -- it's the first time
we had a full day's worth of work in a while. I appreciate that. I
enjoy it.
But there were some things coming into this meeting I was
thinking, you know, there was some items on here that we weren't
going to probably get unanimous votes on, but I think every item we
had we had a unanimous vote on, and I think it was through the
process of talking it out, the process of listening to each other and
finding an answer for a solution. And we moved through it. And,
you know, we got through a lot of things that I thought may have
been a little harder to get through, but we got through it, and I think
July 8, 2025
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that just shows that -- you know, the ability for us all to be able to
communicate up here in the dais.
And I'd like to say my prayers go out to the people in Texas with
that tragedy with the flooding there is just horrendous. I couldn't
even imagine.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Amen.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Hall.
COMMISSIONER HALL: Thank you, Chairman.
I mentioned it earlier, I am going to bring back a full report for
us to talk about. We have 43 different advisory committees, and out
of those maybe three of them or four of them actually participate with
us in any advice category. I've still got some things that I want to
find out like what the cost -- I know what the man-hours are, and
it's -- for us to just host these things is overwhelming.
So I'd like to talk about -- there's ones that are -- we have to keep
because they're mandated by the state; affordable housing, tourism,
four or five others, but the rest of them are discretionary.
There's 16 of them that have to do with some kind of funding.
Some of those can be combined, just like what we did in Immokalee.
Bayshore could be combined as well.
But I'll bring -- I'll bring that forth for full discussion. I just
wanted to give you the heads-up that that's coming, and I would
really like to see us streamline that to get out of the advisory -- the
non-advisory category.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right.
Commissioner McDaniel.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. On that note, on the
advisory committees, that previous ordinance that I was talking about
for adapting our home-based business ordinance to match the state
statute, I'd like to move that over to -- as we're voting on it -- I mean,
all we're going to do in August is vote to advertise it and then bring it
July 8, 2025
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back and through the process. But we do have the East of 951
Horizon Study Committee that's wrapping up. They're going to come
to us here within -- probably in August with the position points from
that committee's work, and then they're going to move into the GMP
and reopen up the Golden Gate Estates Growth Management Plan
rural, Golden Gate Estates rural, and review things within the Golden
Gate Master Plan.
And that ordinance with regard to home-based businesses will
be a nice public venue for that group to -- to get public input on it just
so that we're ultimately ending up with a good ordinance.
Secondly -- secondly -- this is more important than that
one -- but the Everglades Airpark is a very contentious issue. You
know, we have a study going on internally about its use and revenues
and so on and so forth. There is a 52-acre piece of property next door
to it that has been for sale for a millennia. And we made a
nonbinding Letter of Intent offer six months ago, eight months ago,
somewhere in there. They rejected it.
They now have come back with another nonbinding offer to us,
and staff would like to pursue that to see if it can be run to ground.
There's an opportunity for a Conservation Collier contribution.
There's an opportunity for a Parks contribution because of a potential
of a boat ramp facility. There's an opportunity for housing even
though it is in a Coastal High Hazard Area and/or a potential for
hangars.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yes, sir. It sounds good.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Carry on. So I would like to
give direction to staff to pursue the negotiations on that property, see
if they can work to an end where they're happy, and then bring it back
to this board for further approval.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I think we're -- it looks
like everybody's in agreement to have staff take a look at it.
July 8, 2025
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MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sure.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Ms. Patterson, with regard to
the airpark, when do we think we might get a presentation on the
analysis of the money and all the things that we talked about, the
homework assignments? Is it --
MS. PATTERSON: Trinity is saying the second meeting in
August.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay. All right. That's all I
need. So that was one thing that I just wrote down as an extra, just
piggybacking on that.
Just two quick comments. I think one of the -- and I'll
piggyback a little bit on Commissioner Kowal's comment about how
we had a cohesive vote on everything. I think kudos really goes out
to the staff. You know, one the things we said to you, Ms. Patterson,
when you took the job is anything that you could do to -- I don't want
to say improve, but -- I will say "improve" the staff's feedback to us,
information, prepping us for the meetings, I just -- I just know from
my own experience when I first became a commissioner and now, it's
night and day as far as the detail that we get, the accessibility to the
staff, their sense of urgency responding to us.
And then, you know, before every commissioner meeting, the
day prior, all of us are in here pounding the pavement with the staff.
And I really think what makes these meetings so cohesive isn't that
we're just rubber stamping votes and agreeing with each other, but it's
preparation. I can remember back in 2001 [sic] when I was first
elected, there were times where you had commissioners up here that
were blindsiding each other at the meetings with PowerPoint
briefings and things we hadn't seen, and those days are long gone,
and I think we're seeing the fruit of that.
But thanks to the staff who are in the room now and who are
July 8, 2025
Page 227
listening. The things that you are doing to get us ready for these
meetings, you see how they're paying big dividends. We're asking
tough questions in our office and getting the answers we need or
sending you back to the -- you know, the homework
assignment -- with a homework assignment so that when we come in
here, we feel fully ready and briefed.
And sometimes, you know, Jim, although I know you sat back
there all day, sometimes we don't need to see the PowerPoint
presentation because we've done such a deep dive.
And lastly, I want to put Representative Benarroch on
the -- under the spotlight again for a positive reason. Several of us
were at a public meeting last night, and she was giving an overview
of her full-time job, as she said, up in Tallahassee, and her feedback
and takeaway to the citizens who were at this meeting is that as a
freshman representative, she really has brought an unprecedented
amount of millions of dollars to her district, our district, and she was
outlining it in all the areas. And I just think -- I know how difficult
that is to do as a freshman and even your own colleagues who were
junior representatives there, Lauren and Congressman Donalds and
others that were there really had a lot of praise for your leadership in
your first year.
So thank you for all the investment you've brought back to our
county. It's really appreciated, and we're lucky to have you up there
in Tallahassee.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I will -- are you --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I will ditto those comments. Ms.
Benarroch did a great job for us, and I know she will continue to.
I've saved the last -- the best news for the last in terms of, at
least, my position.
There were eight -- or nine, I'm sorry -- nine nursing home
July 8, 2025
Page 228
projects that were submitted to the Federal Department of Veterans
Affairs for grants for the 2025/2026 cycle. I am very pleased to say
that the list is out. We are No. 1 in terms of the new nursing homes
out of the nine that applied. We are actually No. 1 on the list for new
funding.
And I'd like for Mr. Mullins to come up because we've been
waiting for this for a long time, and this is certainly a major
announcement in terms of that project that's important to all of us.
And perhaps you could give a little bit of an explanation as to what
the priority list means in terms of funding, but the news is very
positive.
MR. MULLINS: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
For the record, John Mullins, your director of Communications,
Government, and Public Affairs.
And the eye chart that is being adjusted before you is the actual
VA State Home Construction Grant Priority List for FY '25 hot off
the presses. We just received it at about 12:35 today during the lunch
break.
I've already had two impromptu phone calls with FDVA, who is
just as excited as we are about this. This is the reasonable degree of
certainty that this project will move forward, which is a trigger in the
MOA for some things to occur which we have been planning on at
the Board's direction, and updating the MOA, the property
description, legal description, the access to escrowed funds, and the
transfer of the $10 million of surplus surtax funds that are still in our
coffers that will be going to the state.
So as the Chair pointed out, there are two facilities at the top
there that you may look at and go, "How did a 1.4 get ahead of us at
1.3?" Just so you know, those are two carryover items from FY '24.
So the good news is some funding comes with it. So when you look
at the other arrow on the right side, by the time they get to us at
July 8, 2025
Page 229
No. 5, they will have spent $155 million after they have funded our
project.
Given the continuing resolution for FY '25 that was passed by
Congress, they have the authority for that fiscal year to spend
$171 million. So they will be able to cover us in our entirety at
No. 5; however, that number is a little misleading, because about
$27 million followed those first two projects from FY '24. So they
have plenty of funds to reach us.
The other stuff that's ahead of us there, the 1.1 B and 1.1 D,
those are remedying life-safety issues in existing facilities. Those
always come first, so they should be ahead of us. But we are the first
new construction program for FY '25, and I think you'll see a lot
more action in the coming months as we move forward to actually get
underway.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: On the second page of that listing
from the federal department, there are eight other nursing homes that
were listed that are scheduled to be financed, but they are way down
the list, and there's not enough money for those other facilities. But
there's -- there's a couple in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
North Dakota. So there's a lot of other -- there was a lot of
competition.
And kudos to you, John, for -- and our staff for participating in
all those meetings. I know I participated in several of them with you.
But you were at all of them, and it really made a difference.
MR. MULLINS: Well, you know, I appreciate that, but let's be
100 percent clear. If it had not been for the Board finding the perfect
location for this facility and the voters approving $30 million to cover
the state's share of construction, we would not be standing here today.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: There is that also.
MR. MULLINS: Yes.
COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And then there's that.
July 8, 2025
Page 230
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. I don't have -- I do
know that I have -- well, I do have one or two other little items that
are somewhat insignificant in comparison.
But with what's happening with tourism in the country, I'd like
to have a quarterly report, if that's okay with the Commission --
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- on just where things are
standing, because, you know, we have a lot of indebtedness. We've
bonded some tourist taxes. We have a lot of projects. And it's got to
have an impact on what we're seeing. And so I'd like to see some
quarterly reports on that.
And then in terms of some new state legislation, there was a
new -- a bill that repealed some legislation dealing with beach access
and the customary use of communities to be able to make sure that
the public had access. That old legislation really made it very
difficult to establish customary use so that we -- so communities
could ensure that the beaches were open. That legislation was
repealed in this past session.
And so I'd like to have the County Attorney and our staff give us
a little bit of a report on what that means. Are we having any
problems with beach access being cut off? We did have problems in
the past, and we reacted very strongly to that, but if we're having
those issues, the law has changed in our favor -- or in the public's
favor, if you will.
MS. PATTERSON: Yes, sir.
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Other than that, I
have -- I have nothing else.
Anything else for the good of the order?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Then we are adjourned.
July 8, 2025
Page 231
*******
****Commissioner McDaniel moved, seconded by Commissioner
LoCastro, and carried that the following items under the consent and
summary agendas be approved and/or adopted****
Item #16A1
RESOLUTION 2025-130: FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE
PRIVATE ROADWAY AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS, AND
ACCEPTANCE OF THE PLAT DEDICATIONS, FOR THE FINAL
PLAT OF ABACO POINTE, APPLICATION NUMBER
PL20180001040, AND AUTHORIZE THE RELEASE OF THE
MAINTENANCE SECURITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $285,639.29
Item #16A2
FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE POTABLE WATER UTILITY
FACILITIES FOR AUDUBON COUNTRY CLUB
MAINTENANCE, PL20250004881- THIS FINAL ACCEPTANCE
IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH COLLIER COUNTY, ORDINANCE
NO. 2004-31, AS AMENDED
Item #16A3
FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE POTABLE WATER AND SEWER
UTILITY FACILITIES FOR COUNTRYSIDE GOLF & COUNTRY
CLUB CLUBHOUSE EXPANSION PHASE 1 & 2, PL20250005008
- REVIEW AND INSPECTION FEES IN THE AMOUNT OF $114
WERE PAID UNDER THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION, SDPA
PL20240010449, AND DEPOSITED IN PLANNING FUND (1014)
July 8, 2025
Page 232
Item #16A4
RESOLUTION 2025-131: DESIGNATING THE DEVELOPMENT
REVIEW DIVISION AS THE RESPONSIBLE DIVISION TO
REVIEW PLATS AND REPLATS AND DESIGNATING
ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY TO THE COUNTY
MANAGER, DEPUTY COUNTY MANAGER, COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD, DEVELOPMENT
REVIEW DIRECTOR AND/OR ZONING DIVISION DIRECTOR
TO ADMINISTRATIVELY APPROVE, APPROVE WITH
CONDITIONS, OR DENY PROPOSED SUBDIVISION PLATS OR
REPLATS INCLUDING THE SIGNING OF PLATS AND
CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS IN
ACCORDANCE WITH UPDATES TO FLORIDA STATUTE
177.071, ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
Item #16A5
RECORDING THE PLAT OF SKYSAIL – PHASE THREE
(APPLICATION NUMBER PL20220006065), APPROVAL OF THE
STANDARD FORM CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE
AGREEMENT, AND APPROVAL OF THE PERFORMANCE
SECURITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $5,134,986.29 – THE PROJECT
COST IS $4,668,169.35 (ESTIMATED) TO BE BORNE BY THE
DEVELOPER
Item #16A6
RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE FOR RECORDING THE
MINOR PLAT OF ABRAHAM ACRES, APPLICATION NUMBER
July 8, 2025
Page 233
PL2025000393
Item #16A7
RELEASE OF TWO CODE ENFORCEMENT LIENS WITH AN
ACCRUED VALUE OF $654,250, FOR A REDUCED PAYMENT
OF $5,760.90, IN THE CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
TITLED BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS V. KIRILL
GUMINSKIY, CASE NOS. CESD20190002150 AND
CENA20190002191 RELATING TO PROPERTY LOCATED AT
3315 16TH AVE SE, FOLIO NO. 40992120100, COLLIER
COUNTY, FLORIDA – THE RECOMMENDED PAYMENT OF
$5,760.90 IS BASED ON TEN PERCENT OF THE COLLIER
COUNTY PROPERTY APPRAISER’S ASSESSED VALUE OF
$57,609 AND MEETS THE CRITERIA OUTLINED IN
RESOLUTION 2023-90
Item #16A8
RELEASE OF A CODE ENFORCEMENT LIEN WITH AN
ACCRUED VALUE OF $470,850 FOR A REDUCED PAYMENT
OF $27,007, IN THE CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTION TITLED
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS VS. VERONICA
TRESSLER, BARBARA DETHLOFF, AND ELIZABETH LUCKY,
IN CODE ENFORCEMENT BOARD CASE NO.
CEROW20150023031, RELATING TO THE PROPERTY
LOCATED AT 231 WILLOUGHBY DR., COLLIER COUNTY,
FLORIDA - THE RECOMMENDED PAYMENT OF $27,007 IS
TEN PERCENT OF THE COLLIER COUNTY PROPERTY
APPRAISER'S ASSESSED PROPERTY VALUE OF $270,070 AND
MEETS THE CRITERIA OUTLINED IN RESOLUTION 2023-90.
July 8, 2025
Page 234
THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO KNOWN VIOLATIONS ON THE
PROPERTY
Item #16A9
THE PEPPER RANCH PRESERVE VOLUNTEER CAMP HOST
AGREEMENT - THE FISCAL IMPACTS ARE A NET POSITIVE
IMPACT FOR THE COUNTY. ACTUAL COSTS WOULD
INCLUDE COST OF T-SHIRTS AND ELECTRICITY FOR THE
RV PAD WHERE THE CAMPGROUND HOST WILL RESIDE
Item #16A10
A REVENUE GENERATING AGREEMENT WITH TEXAS
TONY’S BBQ SHACK INC., FOR “NORTH COLLIER
REGIONAL PARK FOOD SERVICES” RELATED TO
INVITATION TO NEGOTIATE NO. 25-8360 - THE PARK IS A
PRIME LOCATION FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN TO GATHER
AND ENJOY BEAUTIFUL SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. THE PARK
IS GENERALLY OPEN MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY FROM 6
A.M. TO 10 P.M. AND IT HAS BEEN WITHOUT A FOOD
VENDOR SINCE 2021
Item #16A11
THE CHAIRMAN TO SIGN THE GRANT AGREEMENT (L2301)
BETWEEN THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (FDEP) AND COLLIER
COUNTY FOR THE COLLIER COUNTY PARKS AND
RECREATION ATHLETIC COURTS RESURFACING PROJECT
AND AUTHORIZE THE NECESSARY BUDGET
July 8, 2025
Page 235
AMENDMENTS
Item #16B1
A LEASE EXTENSION AGREEMENT WITH COLLIER PLAZA,
LLC, EXTENDING THE CURRENT LEASE FOR THE UTILITY
BILLING AND CUSTOMER SERVICE SATELLITE OFFICE
LOCATED AT 11985 COLLIER BOULEVARD, SUITE 7, FOR AN
ADDITIONAL FIVE YEARS BEYOND THE CURRENT
EXPIRATION DATE OF DECEMBER 31, 2025 - THE PROPOSED
LEASE RATE OF APPROXIMATELY $26.06 PER SQ. FT. IS
CONSISTENT WITH CURRENT MARKET RATES FOR
COMPARABLE PROPERTIES IN THE AREA, ENSURING THE
LEASE REMAINS COMPETITIVE AND FISCALLY
RESPONSIBLE
Item #16B2
RESOLUTION 2025-132: THE SUBMITTAL OF THE LOCAL
GOVERNMENT FUNDING REQUEST (LGFR) BEACH
PROJECT APPLICATIONS TO THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (FDEP) FOR FISCAL YEAR
2026-2027, AND TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING
THE COUNTY’S APPLICATIONS TO FDEP, AND MAKE A
FINDING THAT THESE ITEMS PROMOTE TOURISM. THIS
ACTION MAINTAINS THE COUNTY'S ELIGIBILITY FOR
STATE COST SHARE FUNDING FOR FUTURE
RENOURISHMENT PROJECTS - THE EVALUATION WAS
COMPLETED FOR THE COUNTY’S COASTAL PROTECTION
PROJECTS: SOUTH MARCO ISLAND, COLLIER BEACH
RENOURISHMENT PROJECTS, AND THE COUNTY’S INLET
July 8, 2025
Page 236
PROJECTS: WIGGINS PASS AND DOCTORS PASS. APTIM
COMPLETED THE APPLICATIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
COUNTY
Item #16B3
RESOLUTION 2025-133: RESOLUTION SUPERSEDING
RESOLUTION NUMBER 13-257 TO REVISE THE COUNTY’S
ACCESS MANAGEMENT POLICY, ADD NEW ROADWAY
SEGMENTS TO THE ACCESS MANAGEMENT
CLASSIFICATION TABLES, AND DIRECT THE COUNTY
MANAGER, OR HER DESIGNEE, TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR
THE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK, ENFORCE THE
ADOPTED CRITERIA, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AS
NEEDED
Item #16B4
THE CHAIRMAN TO SIGN AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT
WITH AVE MARIA STEWARDSHIP COMMUNITY DISTRICT
PROVIDING FOR THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
SERVICES FOR THE STREETLIGHTS WITHIN THE PUBLIC
RIGHT OF-WAY (PERMIT NO. PRROW2022084185301).
ESTIMATED FISCAL IMPACT: $0.00 - THE DISTRICT SHALL
HAVE THE RIGHT AND OBLIGATION TO OPERATE,
MAINTAIN, REPAIR, AND REPLACE THE STREETLIGHTS AT
ITS SOLE COST AND EXPENSE OF THE DISTRICT
Item #16B5
SIX (6) SUBORDINATION OF COUNTY UTILITY INTERESTS
July 8, 2025
Page 237
("SUBORDINATION AGREEMENT") AS REQUESTED BY THE
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (FDOT) TO
COMPLY WITH FDOT EASEMENT REQUIREMENTS - PER
FDOT, IT IS THEIR STANDARD POLICY TO GET
SUBORDINATIONS TO ANY UTILITY INTERESTS IN LANDS
THAT HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED BY FDOT AS A
MAINTENANCE DONATION
Item #16B6
BUDGET AMENDMENTS IN VARIOUS ROAD, BRIDGE &
STORMWATER MAINTENANCE COST CENTERS TO
RECOGNIZE REVENUES RECEIVED FROM TRAFFIC
ACCIDENT REIMBURSEMENTS FROM INSURANCE
COMPANIES AND AUCTION PROCEEDS IN THE AMOUNT OF
$170,178.04 (ROAD & BRIDGE ADMINISTRATION FUND
163620); $25,388.87 (LANDSCAPE OPERATIONS FUND
163647); $23,172.84 (MEDIAN MAINTENANCE FUND 60265);
AND $13,074.10 (LANDSCAPING PROJECT FUND 31112) -
THESE REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED YEAR-ROUND
Item #16B7
TO REPEAL THE PRIOR DEVELOPER AGREEMENT AND
AMENDMENT WITH HOGAN FARMS LLC, (DEVELOPER)
AND APPROVE A DEVELOPER AGREEMENT WITH HOGAN
FARMS LLC, (DEVELOPER) THAT RESERVES CAPACITY
WITHIN THE TRANSPORTATION CONCURRENCY SYSTEM
IN EXCHANGE FOR DONATED LAND TO THE COUNTY FOR
THE FUTURE WIDENING OF IMMOKALEE ROAD; ALLOW
THE OPTION FOR THE DEVELOPER TO EXCAVATE THE
July 8, 2025
Page 238
POND SITE DURING THEIR SITE DEVELOPMENT;
DISTRIBUTE THE FILL TO THE ADJACENT COLLIER
COUNTY PUBLIC UTILITIES SITE; A COST SHARING AND
REIMBURSEMENT PLAN AND CONTINUE THE
COMMITMENT TO SWAP LAND TO ACCOMMODATE
INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS AT CAMP KEAIS ROAD
AND IMMOKALEE ROAD. (THIS IS A COMPANION TO ITEM
16.C.2) - HOGANFARMS LLC WILL ALSO ASSIST WITH A
PROPERTY EXCHANGE TO FACILITATE FUTURE
REALIGNMENT OF CAMP KEAIS ROAD AND IMMOKALEE
ROAD
Item #16B8
COMMIT TO MAINTENANCE OF NEW LANDSCAPING AT
THE I-75 AT SR 951 INTERCHANGE AND CONFIRM THE
COUNTY’S COMMITMENT TO ONGOING MAINTENANCE OF
THE REPLACEMENT LANDSCAPING AT THE I-75 AT PINE
RIDGE INTERCHANGE AND TO SUPPORT THE
COLLABORATION WITH THE NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN
- THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH THE NAPLES
BOTANICAL GARDEN, THE PROJECT OBJECTIVE IS TO
UTILIZE LOW-MAINTENANCE PLANT MATERIAL THAT CAN
ADAPT TO LIMITED WATER RESOURCES, POOR SOIL, AND
HOT TEMPERATURES IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT
Item #16C1
AWARD INVITATION TO BID NO. 24- 8279R TO H2O
INNOVATION USA, INC., FOR NORTH COUNTY REGIONAL
WATER TREATMENT PLANT NANOFILTRATION SYSTEM
July 8, 2025
Page 239
UPGRADES PROJECT IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,142,788,
APPROVE AN OWNER’S ALLOWANCE OF $50,000, AND
AUTHORIZE THE CHAIRMAN TO SIGN THE ATTACHED
AGREEMENT. (PROJECT NUMBER 71057) - THE SCOPE OF
THIS PROJECT PROVIDES FOR PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF
THE MEMBRANES AND ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT THAT
HAVE REACHED THEIR USEFUL LIFE. THE PROJECT
PROVIDES AN ADDITIONAL SEVEN YEARS OF SERVICE
LIFE TO THE NANOFILTRATION SYSTEM
Item #16C2
AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN HOGAN
FARMS, LLC, (LANDOWNER) AND THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA, ACTING
EX-OFFICIO AS THE GOVERNING BOARD OF THE COLLIER
COUNTY WATER SEWER DISTRICT (CCWSD) FOR THE
EXCLUSIVE PROVISION OF PROVIDING POTABLE WATER,
WASTEWATER AND IRRIGATION QUALITY WATER
SERVICES WITHIN THE BRIGHTSHORE STEWARDSHIP
RECEIVING AREA (SRA) DEVELOPMENT F/K/A HOGAN
ISLAND VILLAGE. (THIS IS A COMPANION TO ITEM 16.B.7) -
REVENUES FROM RESIDENTIAL WATER AND SEWER
IMPACT FEES AT BUILDOUT ARE ESTIMATED TO BE $17
MILLION AT CURRENTLY APPROVED RATES. IMPACT FEES
WILL ACCRUE IN THE WATER AND SEWER IMPACT FEE
FUNDS (4011 AND 4013, RESPECTIVELY)
Item #16D1
EXECUTE THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN
July 8, 2025
Page 240
DEVELOPMENT GRANT AGREEMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF
$731,570 FOR THE ESG-RUSH (RAPID UNSHELTERED
SURVIVOR HOUSING) GRANT; (2) THE NECESSARY BUDGET
AMENDMENT; (3) THE COUNTY MANAGER TO EXECUTE
THE ASSOCIATED FUTURE SF 425S REQUIRED AT GRANT
CLOSEOUT; (4) AUTHORIZE TRANSMITTAL OF THE
EXECUTED GRANT AGREEMENT AND FUTURE SF 425S.
(HOUSING GRANTS FUND 1835) - THE ADMINISTRATIVE
PORTION OF THIS ADDITIONAL FUNDING WILL BE LIMITED
TO $54,867.75 (7.5%) AND THE BALANCE OF $676,702.25
(92.50%) WILL BE ALLOCATED TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE.
THE MATCH REQUIREMENT FOR THIS ESG4RREFUNDING
HAS BEEN WAIVED BY HUD
Item #16D2
RESOLUTION 2025-134: (1) THE SUBMISSION OF THE
REQUIRED ANNUAL PLANNING DOCUMENTS FOR THE PY
2025 ONE-YEAR ACTION PLAN TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD) TO
CONTINUE RECEIVING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
BLOCK GRANT, HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS AND
EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANTS PROGRAMS
ENTITLEMENT FUNDS, INCLUDING THE REPROGRAMMING
OF PRIOR YEAR FUNDS AND ESTIMATED PROGRAM
INCOME; (2) THE REQUIRED BUDGET AMENDMENTS IN
THE AMOUNT OF $3,831,052.01 FOR THE HUD PY 2025-2026
BUDGET; (3) THE ATTACHED RESOLUTION; (4) THE
CHAIRMAN TO SIGN THE REQUIRED SF 424S APPLICATIONS
FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE, CERTIFICATIONS AND
ASSURANCES UPON ARRIVAL; (5) AUTHORIZE THE
July 8, 2025
Page 241
COUNTY MANAGER TO EXECUTE ANY ASSOCIATED SF
425’S AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR
GRANT CLOSEOUT; (6) AUTHORIZE TRANSMITTAL OF THE
PY2025 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN AND PLANNING
DOCUMENTS TO HUD. (HOUSING GRANT FUND 1835, HOME
GRANT FUND 1848 AND HOUSING MATCH FUND 1836)
Item #16D3
RESOLUTION 2025-135: (1) A SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT
TO COLLIER COUNTY’S U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING
AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD) 2021-2025
CONSOLIDATED PLAN AND THE 2021-2022 ANNUAL ACTION
PLAN TO ACCEPT AN ADDITIONAL ALLOCATION FROM
HUD IN THE AMOUNT OF $4,105.00 FOR THE HOME-
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN PROGRAM TO ASSIST
INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES FROM HUD’S DESIGNATED
QUALIFYING POPULATIONS; (2) REALLOCATE HOME–
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS TO ELIGIBLE
ACTIVITIES; (3) THE CHAIRMAN TO EXECUTE THE HOME-
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDING AGREEMENT FOR THE
ADDITIONAL ALLOCATION; (4) THE NECESSARY BUDGET
AMENDMENTS; (5) THE COUNTY MANAGER TO EXECUTE
THE ASSOCIATED FUTURE SF 425S REQUIRED AT GRANT
CLOSEOUT; (6) TRANSMITTAL OF THE SUBSTANTIAL
AMENDMENT, EXECUTED FUNDING AGREEMENT AND
FUTURE SF 425S. (HOUSING GRANTS FUND 1835)
Item #16D4
THE CHAIRMAN TO SIGN THE LEAD AGENCY PARTNERSHIP
July 8, 2025
Page 242
AGREEMENT FOR HOMELESS MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION SERVICES (HMIS) BETWEEN SWFL
REGIONAL COALITION TO END HOMELESSNESS AND
COLLIER COUNTY, WHICH SUPPORTS THE ACCESS TO AND
USE OF THE LEAD AGENCY’S COMMUNITY RESOURCE
NETWORK - THE AGREEMENT MAY BE TERMINATED WITH
30 DAYS ADVANCE WRITTEN NOTICE BY EITHER PARTY
Item #16D5
AGREEMENT BETWEEN COLLIER COUNTY SHERIFF’S
OFFICE (CCSO) AND COLLIER COUNTY TO MANAGE AND
HOST THE YEARS TWO AND THREE, CORPORATION FOR
NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE DAY OF SERVICE
EVENTS TO BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER OF 2025 AND 2026 IN
THE AMOUNT OF $347,836 - FUNDING IS WITHIN THE
HOUSING GRANTS FUND (1835), PROJECT 33887
Item #16D6
SIGN THE THIRD AMENDMENT BETWEEN THE COLLIER
COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND COLLIER COUNTY TO
UPDATE LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT THE AGREEMENT AS
REQUIRED BY THE GRANTOR AGENCY. (FUND 1850 AND
1852) - RESOLUTION NO. 2021-136 FURTHER AUTHORIZED
THE COUNTY TO EXECUTE FORMAL AGREEMENTS TO
IMPLEMENT THE FLORIDA PLAN
Item #16D7
A BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR THE FLORIDA OPIOID
July 8, 2025
Page 243
SETTLEMENT FUNDS TO TRANSFER EXISTING FUNDS
FROM THE COLLIER COUNTY SENIORS FUND (1806)
PROJECTS NO. 44059 AND NO. 44085 TO THE OPIOID
REGIONAL ABATEMENT GRANT FUND (1850) PROJECT NO.
44059 AND THE OPIOID CITY/COUNTY GRANT FUND (1852)
PROJECT NO. 44085 IN THE AMOUNTS OF $3,857,643.09 AND
$921,562.89 RESPECTIVELY. (FUNDS 1850 AND 1852)
Item #16D8
SECOND AMENDMENT BETWEEN THE DAVID LAWRENCE
MENTAL HEALTH CENTER AND COLLIER COUNTY TO
UPDATE LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT THE AGREEMENT AS
REQUIRED BY THE GRANTOR AGENCY. (FUND 1850 AND
1852)
Item #16D9
AN AFTER-THE-FACT ACCEPTANCE OF ROUND 2 FUNDING
FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CYBERSECURITY GRANT
PROGRAM THROUGH THE STATE OF FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR COLLIER
COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT UPGRADES
RELATED TO THE P25 800MHZ RADIO SYSTEM AND
AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY MANAGER OR DESIGNEE TO
EXECUTE ANY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO ACCEPT THE
AWARD IN AN ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF $103,320 - DUE TO
INABILITY TO GET THE GRANT AGREEMENT TO THE
BOARD PRIOR TO THIS DATE, THE PUBLIC SAFETY
DIVISION DEEMED IT NECESSARY TO UTILIZE COLLIER
COUNTY CMA 5330 WHICH AUTHORIZES THE COUNTY
July 8, 2025
Page 244
MANAGER TO APPROVE AND SIGN THE GRANT AWARD
DOCUMENTATION WITH A SUBSEQUENT BOARD ACTION
AT THE JULY 8, 2025, BOARD MEETING
Item #16E1
THE ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT PREPARED BY THE
PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION FOR VARIOUS
COUNTY DIVISIONS’ AFTER-THE-FACT PURCHASES
REQUIRING BOARD APPROVAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH
PROCUREMENT ORDINANCE NO. 2017-08, AS AMENDED,
AND THE PROCUREMENT MANUAL IN THE AMOUNT OF
$7,820.52 - IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCUREMENT
MANUAL, THOSE PURCHASES MADE NOT IN
CONFORMANCE WITH THE ORDINANCE, POLICY,
PROCEDURE, OR CONTRACT TERMS REQUIRE AN AFTER-
THE-FACT FORM REPORTED TO THE COUNTY MANAGER
AND THE BOARD
Item #16E2
AWARD INVITATION TO BID (“ITB”) NO. 24-8301 “MEDIUM
DUTY TOWING & TRANSPORT SERVICES” TO PROMPT
WRECKER SERVICE AND SALES, INC., D/B/A PROMPT
TOWING SERVICE ("PROMPT TOWING SERVICE"), AND
AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR TO SIGN THE ATTACHED
AGREEMENT
Item #16E3
AWARD INVITATION TO BID (“ITB”) NO. 24-8302, “HEAVY
July 8, 2025
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DUTY TOWING & TRANSPORT SERVICES,” TO PROMPT
WRECKER SERVICE AND SALES, INC., D/B/A PROMPT
TOWING SERVICE ("PROMPT TOWING SERVICE"), AND
AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR TO SIGN THE ATTACHED
AGREEMENT
Item #16E4
AWARD INVITATION TO BID NO. 24-8305, “AUTOMOTIVE &
EQUIPMENT BATTERIES,” TO BATTERY USA, INC., FOR THE
PURCHASE OF AUTOMOTIVE AND EQUIPMENT BATTERIES
TO SUPPORT COUNTY OPERATIONS AND AUTHORIZE THE
CHAIR TO SIGN THE ATTACHED AGREEMENT
Item #16F1
RECOGNIZE AND APPROPRIATE REVENUE TO FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT DIVISION COST CENTERS IN THE AMOUNT
OF $362,429 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 AND AUTHORIZE ALL
NECESSARY BUDGET AMENDMENTS - FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT BUDGETED $355,000 IN SPECIAL SERVICE
REVENUE FOR MAINTENANCE SERVICES AND $60,000 IN
OTHER REVENUE IN COST CENTER 122240 FOR FY25
Item #16F2
THE SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE LEASE AGREEMENT
WITH COLLIER MOSQUITO CONTROL DISTRICT,
ALLOWING COLLIER MOSQUITO CONTROL DISTRICT TO
CONTINUE THE OPERATION OF RADIO COMMUNICATION
EQUIPMENT PREVIOUSLY INSTALLED ON THE COUNTY-
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OWNED COMMUNICATIONS TOWER AT 2901 COUNTY BARN
ROAD, NAPLES, FL 34112
Item #16F3
RATIFY ADMINISTRATIVELY APPROVED CHANGE ORDER
NO. 1, ADDING 10 DAYS TO THE PROJECT TIME AND
UTILIZING $36,380 OF THE OWNER’S ALLOWANCE FOR
PURCHASE ORDER NO. 4500230829 UNDER AGREEMENT
NO. 21-7919-ST WITH DEANGELIS DIAMOND
CONSTRUCTION, LLC, FOR CONSTRUCTION SERVICES FOR
THE COLLIER COUNTY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTER,
AND AUTHORIZE THE CHAIRMAN TO SIGN THE ATTACHED
CHANGE ORDER. (PROJECT NO. 50239) - CHANGE ORDER
NO. 1 EXTENDS THE SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION DATE BY
10 DAYS, MOVING IT TO DECEMBER 26, 2026, AND
AUTHORIZES THE USE OF $36,380 FROM THE OWNER’S
CONTINGENCY, LEAVING A REMAINING BALANCE OF
$1,210,026 FOR FUTURE WORK UNDER WORK DIRECTIVE #1
Item #16F4
RESOLUTION 2025-136: RESOLUTION FIXING SEPTEMBER 4,
2025, 5:05 P.M., IN THE THIRD FLOOR BOARD ROOM, 3299
EAST TAMIAMI TRAIL, NAPLES, FLORIDA, AS THE DATE,
TIME AND PLACE FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR
APPROVING THE SPECIAL ASSESSMENT (NON-AD
VALOREM ASSESSMENT) TO BE LEVIED AGAINST THE
PROPERTIES WITHIN THE PELICAN BAY MUNICIPAL
SERVICE TAXING AND BENEFIT UNIT FOR MAINTENANCE
OF THE WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, BEAUTIFICATION
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OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES AND MEDIAN AREAS AND
MAINTENANCE OF CONSERVATION OR PRESERVE AREAS,
MANAGEMENT OF THE DREDGING AND MAINTENANCE
ACTIVITIES FOR CLAM PASS FOR THE PURPOSE OF
ENHANCING THE HEALTH OF THE AFFECTED MANGROVE
FOREST AND ESTABLISHMENT OF CAPITAL RESERVE
FUNDS FOR AMBIENT NOISE MANAGEMENT,
MAINTENANCE OF CONSERVATION OR PRESERVE AREAS,
INCLUDING THE RESTORATION OF THE MANGROVE
FOREST, U.S. 41 BERM, STREET SIGNAGE REPLACEMENTS
WITHIN THE MEDIAN AREAS, LANDSCAPING
IMPROVEMENTS TO U.S. 41 ENTRANCES AND BEACH
RENOURISHMENT, ALL WITHIN THE PELICAN BAY
MUNICIPAL SERVICE TAXING AND BENEFIT UNIT
Item #16F5
RATIFY ADMINISTRATIVELY APPROVED CHANGE ORDER
NO. 1 FOR A 90-DAY TIME EXTENSION FOR THE “COLLIER
COUNTY FIRE AND EMS STATION 74” PROJECT UNDER
AGREEMENT NO. 23-8105 WITH RYCON CONSTRUCTION
INC. (PROJECT NO. 55212) - GRANT REVENUE FROM THE
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES IN THE
AMOUNT OF $3,646,613.00 HAS ALREADY BEEN
RECOGNIZED WITHIN THE SPECIALIZED GRANT FUND
(1831)
Item #16F6
AWARD INVITATION TO BID NO. 24-8288, “GROUNDS
MAINTENANCE – COUNTY FACILITIES,” ZONES 1, 2, AND 3
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TO MAINSCAPE, INC., AS PRIMARY VENDOR; SUPERIOR
LANDSCAPING & LAWN SERVICE, INC., AS SECONDARY
VENDOR FOR ZONE 1; AND TO AWARD INVITATION TO BID
NO. 24-8288S, “GROUNDS MAINTENANCE – COUNTY
FACILITIES – SUPPLEMENTAL,” FOR ZONE 4 TO
MAINSCAPE, INC., AS PRIMARY VENDOR, AND TO A&M
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE, LLC, AS SECONDARY VENDOR,
AND AUTHORIZE THE CHAIRMAN TO SIGN THE ATTACHED
AGREEMENTS
Item #16F7
THE THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE LICENSE AGREEMENT
WITH AMERICAN TOWERS LLC, A DELAWARE LIMITED
LIABILITY COMPANY, IN ORDER TO AUTHORIZE COLLIER
COUNTY TO MODIFY PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATION
EQUIPMENT ON A COMMUNICATIONS TOWER PREVIOUSLY
INSTALLED AT THE NORTH COLLIER FIRE AND RESCUE
STATION 10 LOCATED ON 13240 IMMOKALEE RD, NAPLES,
FL 34120
Item #16F8
THE USE OF A BLENDED STUDENT GENERATION RATE
(SGR) OF 0.016 FOR SCHOOL IMPACT FEE CALCULATIONS
FOR THE TEALE PROJECT, BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF AN
ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL IMPACT FEE STUDY SUBMITTED
BY THE TEALE GOLDEN GATE, LLC, (DEVELOPER), IN
ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 74-204 OF THE COLLIER
COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCES AND TO AUTHORIZE THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
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Page 249
TO EXECUTE A DEVELOPER AGREEMENT BETWEEN
COLLIER COUNTY AND THE DEVELOPER, WHICH
ESTABLISHES THE APPLICATION OF THE BLENDED SGR
AND A POST-OCCUPANCY MONITORING AND
RECONCILIATION PROCESS TO VERIFY ACTUAL STUDENT
GENERATION AND ENSURE SCHOOL IMPACT FEES
COLLECTED ARE PROPORTIONATE TO THE
DEVELOPMENT’S IMPACT
Item #16F9
BUDGET AMENDMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $206,000
WITHIN PELICAN BAY IRRIGATION & LANDSCAPE CAPITAL
FUND (3041) FROM PELICAN BAY - LAKE BANK
ENHANCEMENTS/SWALE RESTORATION PROJECT (51026)
TO PB DRAINAGE/PIPE MAINTENANCE (50307) TO SUPPORT
CURRENT PRIORITY NEEDS - THE TRANSFER OF ASSETS
WAS MEMORIALIZED IN CURRENT AND FUTURE BUDGET
DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE TO RESOLUTION 2019-140
Item #16F10
A LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR THE LIMITED USE OF
COUNTY-OWNED PROPERTY BY DEANGELIS DIAMOND
CONSTRUCTION, LLC, FOR THE PURPOSE OF
CONSTRUCTION STORAGE, PARKING, AND JOB SITE
TRAILER AREA FOR THE GATE GOLF COURSE PROJECT -
THE AGREEMENT AUTHORIZES USE OF THE SITE
THROUGH JULY 31, 2026, WITH AN EARLY TERMINATION
CLAUSE AVAILABLE TO THE COUNTY. KEY TERMS
INCLUDE A MONTHLY RENTAL FEE OF $600.00, REQUIRED
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LIABILITY INSURANCE, AND INDEMNITY PROVISIONS
Item #1611
TWO AFTER-THE-FACT PAYMENTS, ONE IN THE AMOUNT
OF $111,949 TO AMERESCO, INC., FOR THE DAS BUILDING 5
HVAC INSTALLATION AND THE OTHER IN THE AMOUNT OF
$80,587 TO UNITED MECHANICAL, LLC, FOR THE CHILLER
REPLACEMENT AT THE GOLDEN GATE ESTATES LIBRARY
UNDER MULTI-CONTRACTOR AGREEMENT NO. 23-8123,
HVAC REPLACEMENT AND INSTALLATION SERVICES, AND
FIND THE EXPENDITURES HAVE A VALID PUBLIC PURPOSE.
(PROJECT NO. 50145 AND NO. 52162)
Item #16F12
RESOLUTION 2025-137: RESOLUTION APPROVING
AMENDMENTS (APPROPRIATING GRANTS, DONATIONS,
CONTRIBUTIONS OR INSURANCE PROCEEDS) TO THE
FISCAL YEAR 2024-25 ADOPTED BUDGET. (THE BUDGET
AMENDMENTS IN THE ATTACHED RESOLUTION HAVE
BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS VIA SEPARATE EXECUTIVE
SUMMARIES)
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 IN THE
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Page 251
AMOUNT OF $35,995,104.74 WERE DRAWN FOR THE
PERIODS BETWEEN JUNE 12, 2025, AND JUNE 25, 2025,
PURSUANT TO FLORIDA STATUTE 136.06
Item #16J2
VALID PUBLIC PURPOSE FOR INVOICES PAYABLE AND
PURCHASING CARD TRANSACTIONS AS OF JULY 02, 2025 -
THE PUBLIC PURPOSE AS SUPPLIED BY COUNTY STAFF
WAS ALSO ADDED FOR THE PURCHASING CARD
TRANSACTIONS
Item #16J3
AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT FOR ELECTION SERVICES
FOR THE NOVEMBER 25, 2025, CITY OF EVERGLADES CITY
GENERAL ELECTION - IN ACCORDANCE WITH PAST
PRACTICE, THE ATTACHED INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT
IDENTIFIES THE EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES THAT WILL BE
PROVIDED TO CONDUCT THE NOVEMBER 25, 2025, CITY OF
EVERGLADES CITY GENERAL ELECTION, AND THE
RESPECTIVE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE
PARTIES
Item #16K1
RESOLUTION 2025-138: REAPPOINT JOHN MELTON AS A
MEMBER TO THE BUILDING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS
AND APPEALS
Item #16K2
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RESOLUTION 2025-139: A RESOLUTION TO CORRECT A
SCRIVENER'S ERROR IN THE PROJECT NUMBER IN
RESOLUTION NO. 24-234 AUTHORIZING A CONDEMNATION
PROJECT FOR THE WEST GOODLETTE-FRANK ROAD AREA
STORMWATER IMPROVEMENT PROJECT PHASE 2, PROJECT
NO. 60142
Item #16K3
A STIPULATED FINAL JUDGMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF
$55,000 PLUS $13,646 IN STATUTORY ATTORNEY AND
EXPERTS’ FEES AND COSTS FOR THE TAKING OF PARCEL
1315FEE REQUIRED FOR THE VANDERBILT BEACH ROAD
EXTENSION PROJECT NO. 60249 - THE COUNTY’S
APPRAISER ESTIMATED FULL COMPENSATION AT $35,100
INCLUDING SEVERANCE DAMAGES. THE PROPERTY
OWNER’S INITIAL DEMAND WAS $75,200 PLUS ATTORNEY’S
FEES AND EXPERT FEES AND COSTS. THE PARTIES
PARTICIPATED IN INFORMAL NEGOTIATIONS AND
REACHED AN AGREEMENT
Item #16K4
A STIPULATED FINAL JUDGMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF
$55,000 PLUS $13,410 IN STATUTORY ATTORNEY AND
EXPERTS’ FEES AND COSTS FOR THE TAKING OF PARCEL
1317FEE REQUIRED FOR THE VANDERBILT BEACH ROAD
EXTENSION PROJECT NO. 6024 - THE COUNTY’S APPRAISER
ESTIMATED FULL COMPENSATION AT $35,100 INCLUDING
SEVERANCE DAMAGES. THE PROPERTY OWNER’S INITIAL
DEMAND WAS $75,200 PLUS ATTORNEY’S FEES AND
July 8, 2025
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EXPERT FEES AND COSTS. THE PARTIES PARTICIPATED IN
INFORMAL NEGOTIATIONS AND REACHED AN
AGREEMENT
Item #16K5 – Moved to Item #11H (Per Agenda Change Sheet)
Item #16L1
THE ATTACHED LEASE AGREEMENT WITH SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA WORKFORCE BOARD TO CONTINUE LEASING
OFFICE SPACE FOR THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT
AGENCY STAFF IN IMMOKALEE
Item #16L2
FOUR MEMBERS OF THE BAYSHORE GATEWAY TRIANGLE
LOCAL REDEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD, ONE
MEMBER OF THE BAYSHORE BEAUTIFICATION MUNICIPAL
SERVICE TAXING UNIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND FOUR
MEMBERS OF THE IMMOKALEE COMMUNITY
REDEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD TO ATTEND THE
FLORIDA REDEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION 2025 ANNUAL
CONFERENCE; AUTHORIZE PAYMENT OF THE ASSOCIATED
REGISTRATION, LODGING, TRAVEL AND PER DIEM COSTS
FROM THE CRA TRUST FUNDS (FUNDS 1020/1025); AND
DECLARE THE TRAINING RECEIVED BY THE BOARD
MEMBERS AS SERVING A VALID PUBLIC PURPOSE
Item #17A
RESOLUTION 2025-140: RESOLUTION APPROVING
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AMENDMENTS (APPROPRIATING CARRY FORWARD,
TRANSFERS, AND SUPPLEMENTAL REVENUE) TO THE
FISCAL YEAR 2024-25 ADOPTED BUDGET. (THE BUDGET
AMENDMENTS IN THE ATTACHED RESOLUTION HAVE
BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS VIA SEPARATE EXECUTIVE
SUMMARIES.)
July 8, 2025
Page 255
There being no further business for the good of the County, the
meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 5:18 p.m.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS/EX
OFFICIO GOVERNING BOARD(S) OF
SPECIAL DISTRICTS UNDER ITS CONTROL
___________________________________
BURT SAUNDERS, CHAIRMAN
ATTEST
CRYSTAL K. KINZEL, CLERK
These minutes approved by the Board on ____________, as
presented ______________ or as corrected _____________.
TRANSCRIPT PREPARED ON BEHALF OF FORT MYERS
COURT REPORTING BY TERRI L. LEWIS, REGISTERED
PROFESSIONAL COURT REPORTER, FPR-C, AND NOTARY
PUBLIC.