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CCLAAC Minutes 10/01/2025 (Draft) October 1, 2025 1 MINUTES OF THE CONSERVATION COLLIER LAND ACQUISITION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Naples, Florida, October 1, 2025 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Advisory Committee in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 9:00A.M. in REGULAR SESSION at the Growth Management Department Building, 2800 North Horseshoe Drive, Naples Florida with the following members present: CHAIR: Michele Lenhard VICE CHAIR: Ron Clark Gary Bromley (via Zoom) Rhys Watkins John Courtright Nick Pearson Austin Howell Oriany Brito Christopher Satter ALSO PRESENT: Summer Araque, Environmental Supervisor, Conservation Collier Melissa Hennig, Environmental Specialist, I Jennifer Belpedio, Real Property Management Sally Ashkar, Assistant County Attorney Matthew Denison, Environmental Manager Kathlene Drew, Administrative Support Specialist, II October 1, 2025 2 1. Roll Call Chair Lenhard called the meeting to order at 9:08AM. Roll call was taken and a quorum was established with 8 Members present. A. Approval of CCLAAC Members attending the meeting remotely Mr. Howell moved to allow Mr. Bromley to attend the meeting remotely due to an extraordinary circumstance. Second by Mr. Pearson. Carried unanimously 8 – 0. Mr. Bromley joined the meeting at 9:30am 2. Approval of Agenda Mr. Howell moved to approve the Agenda. Second by Mr. Clark. Carried unanimously 8 – 0. 3. Approval of the September 3, 2025 Meeting Minutes Mr. Howell moved to approve the minutes of the September 3, 2025 meeting as presented. Second by Ms. Brito. Carried unanimously 8– 0. 4. Old Business A. Acquisition Updates - Current Acquisition Status report updated monthly in advance of CCLAAC meeting provided as part of meeting packet and under Acquisition News at www.conservationcollier.com for information purposes. The report will be updated monthly (last updated 9/18/25) including parcels the County has acquired to date, offers made by the County, pending acquisitions and those properties where the owner withdrew the application. Ms. Hennig presented the PowerPoint “Conservation Collier Acquisition Update – October 1, 2025” for information purposes: She noted: • Closed: Symphony and Williams Farm. • Upcoming – Golden Land Partners – closing scheduled for 10/22/25. • Approved by BCC: HK Investments, Van Cleef, Wildflowerz and Wilson. • Upcoming ICSR’s - 2 for Symphony, 1 in North Belle Meade, 1 in the area of Williams Farm and 1 in the I75 area. • Target Protection Mailing Area – letters to be sent out starting this week. • New appraisals being ordered for 18 properties. • The Program has acquired 6,651.48 acres and manages 28 Preserves. Purchasing Policy Ms. Araque noted the revised purchasing policy was approved by the Board of County Commissioners and when the document is legally finalized, she will forward it to the Committee for their records. B. Everglades Outpost Mr. Denison provided the update noting Staff investigated the issues raised at the prior meeting regarding the property being partially or completely encumbered by conservation easements. There is a conservation easement along northerly side of the northwest parcel. It comprises 0.4 acres and abuts the canal, however the entire parcel is not encumbered by the easement. Ms. Belpedio reported as of yesterday, negotiations are on hold as another entity may be interested in purchasing the property. The County may revisit the acquisition in the future if the sale does not come to fruition. October 1, 2025 3 Ms. Araque noted it would be beneficial to rank the property since it has been reviewed by the Committee and consideration of the acquisition by the County may be activated in the future. Speaker Brad Cornell, Audubon of Florida and Audubon of the Western Everglades noted the property is mainly comprised of mangroves, subject to flooding and has low potential for development. He recommends the property be placed on the C-List. If it does move forward, any appraisal conducted for the parcel should take into consideration the environmental characteristics of the property and its low potential for development. Mr. Courtright moved to place the property on the C-List. Second by Mr. Clark. Carried unanimously 8 – 0. The Committee noted the acquisition would not meet the goals of the Program. Mr. Bromley joined the meeting and a quorum of 9 was present 5. New Business A. Re-ranking of Active Acquisition List B-category properties 1. NGGE Scrub Cycle 12 TPMA Sept a. McIntosh Family Trust Ms. Hennig presented “Initial Criteria Screening Report - McIntosh Trust” last updated 10/1/25 noting the property is 2.73 acres in size, located on 50th Ave Ne, has a score of 209 of 400 and is 2/3 wetland. Staff recommends the property be placed on the C-List for acquisition as it is no longer part of a Target Protection Mailing Area, is isolated and contains a small amount of acreage. Speaker Brad Cornell, Audubon of Florida and Audubon of the Western Everglades supports acquisition of the property as it is an asset for future stormwater management given the historic flooding in the area during extreme rain events. He expressed concern the Target Protection Mailing Area was eliminated for the area. Staff noted they support the area for target protection mailing however for 2 years following its designation, no applications were received, however its status may be revisited in the future. During Committee discussions it was noted parcels in this area provide opportunities for transient movement of wildlife and denning habitat. Mr. Bromley left the meeting and a quorum of 8 was present Mr. Clark moved to place the property on the B-List for acquisition. Second by Mr. Satter. Motion carried 7 “yes” – 1 “no.” Mr. Watkins voted “no.” 2. North Belle Meade TPMA a. Sarry Trust Ms. Hennig presented “Initial Criteria Screening Report - Sarry Trust” last updated 10/1/25 noting the property is 13.3 acres in size, located on Blackburn Road, adjacent to I75, has a score October 1, 2025 4 of 186 of 400. It is a seasonal wetland, surrounded by conservation easements and Staff recommends the property be placed on the A-List for Acquisition Speaker Brad Cornell, Audubon of Florida and Audubon of the Western Everglades noted the property is in a Target Protection Mailing Area, surrounded by conservation easements and provides linkage to the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and Picayune Strand. He recommends the property be placed on the A-List for acquisition. Mr. Courtright moved to place the property on the A-List for acquisition. Second by Mr. Pearson. Carried unanimously 8 – 0. 6. Subcommittee Reports A. Lands Evaluation & Management – Chair, Ron Clark – Next Meeting 10/1/2025 Directly after the CCLAAC Meeting. Mr. Clark noted proposed Management Plans will be discussed at the meeting. B. Outreach – Chair, John Courtright – Last meeting April 23, 2025 No update necessary. C. Ordinance Policy and Rules – Chair, Michele Lenhard - Last meeting December 18, 2023 No update necessary. 7. Coordinator Communications A. Miscellaneous 1. New Website Overview Mr. Denison provided an overview of the new Collier County Government website noting work by Staff is ongoing to ensure the necessary parties have access to Conservations Collier’s One Drive platform. Speaker Brad Cornell, Audubon of Florida and Audubon of the Western Everglades expressed concern about the user friendliness of the site and wants to ensure the public has easy access to documents. Mr. Denison presented an update of a new website under construction which will provide access to a vast amount of information on Conservation Collier including links to each preserve, the amenities available, management plans, location, its characteristics, etc. There will also be information available on the individual purchases by the Program including timing, costs, financial data, etc. It is anticipated to be live in December. B. Upcoming events Ms. Araque highlighted the following events: 1. Sunflower Viewing October 8-12 at Pepper Ranch 2. Florida Panther Festival November 1 at Zoo C. BCC Items Related to Conservation Collier Ms. Hennig provided the following updates: 1. Previously Heard a. 9/09/2025: No Items on BCC Agenda October 1, 2025 5 b. 9/23/2025: 2026 FWC Youth Hunt Memorandum of Agreement; Resolution Amending Resolution No. 2007-300 the Purchasing Policy for Conservation Collier. 3. Upcoming a. 10/14/2025: Rails to Trails corridor property. b. 10/28/2025: No Items on BCC Agenda 8. Chair/Committee Member Comments Chair Lenhard noted Members should be aware during the Board of County Commissioners budget meetings, the idea of sending the Programs funding option back to the voters was discussed. Staff noted the language contained in the ballots following the initial referendum are in the form of straw polls and not binding on the Board of County Commissioners. Even with a favorable vote by the public, they have the option of not annually funding the program. 9. Public General Comments Brad Cornell Brad Cornell, Audubon of Florida and Audubon of the Western Everglades noted when the funding option appears on the ballot, it requires a campaign to educate the public on the program and encouraging them to vote to continue its funding. He expressed concern on the activity being undertaken by the County as it is time consuming and costly for the various groups supporting the Program. 10. Staff Comments Ms. Araque reported at the November meeting, the Office of Management & Budget will address the Committee on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget and other financial matters involving the Program. 11. Next Meeting – November 5, 2025 There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 10:42AM. Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Advisory Committee _________________________________ Michele Lenhard, Chair These minutes approved by the Committee on________________ as presented_______ or as amended ___________.