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BCC Minutes 03/01/2022 W 1 MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MARCO ISLAND CITY COUNCIL JOINT MEETING Naples, Florida, March 1, 2022 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Collier County Board of County Commissioners and the Marco Island City Council, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 9 a.m. in JOINT WORKSHOP SESSION at Administrative Building “F,” 3rd Floor, Collier County Government Complex, Naples, Florida, with the following members present: Collier County Board of County Commissioners: Chairman: William L. McDaniel Jr. Rick LoCastro Andy Solis Burt Saunders (Telephonic) Penny Taylor City of Marco Island Council: Chairman: Erik Brechnitz Vice-Chair: Jared Grifoni Councilor: Becky Irwin Councilor: Claire Babrowski Councilor: Greg Folley Councilor: Joe Rola Councilor: Rich Blonna ALSO PRESENT: Mark Isackson, County Manager Amy Patterson, Deputy County Manager Jeffrey Klatzkow, County Attorney Barry Williams, Parks & Recreation Director Michael McNees, City Manager Dan Smith, Director of Community Affairs, Marco Island Chris Byrne, Marco Island Fire Chief Melissa Hennig, Regional Manager, Parks & Recreation Trinity Scott, Department Head, Transportation Mgt. Services 2 Any persons in need of the verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of the video recording from the Collier County Communications and Customer Relations Department or view online. Call to Order BCC Chairman McDaniel called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. 1. Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. BCC Chairman McDaniel asked for a moment of silence and a special prayer for the people of Ukraine. County Manager Mark Isackson said that he was asked to arrange joint meetings of Naples City Council and the Marco Island City Council with the Board of County Commissioners. This is the first meeting. BCC Chairman McDaniel welcomed everyone, noting that communication is the key to success. If we’re not communicating, we’re not working together. [Commissioners and Councilors introduced themselves.] BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro, whose District includes Marco Island, thanked everyone for coming to the joint meeting. He said this will be a team effort because they all have a stake and need to join forces. He said he will come to a City Council meeting to speak so residents can see the work their County Commissioner does. Commissioners want councilors to reach out to them so they can work together for the best positive outcomes and to share information on issues they’ve been working on separately, such as the beach mat and crosswalk, so everyone knows they’re working together. Council Chairman Brechnitz said that communication is important and a joint meeting would be good to hold annually. BCC Chairman McDaniel said that although they’re elected by different districts, everyone represents the interests of Marco Island and can address City Council. 2. Workshop Topics 2.1 Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island Project Continued Cooperation Council Chairman Brechnitz said that he wanted to show a video that describes the project and provides a good overview of what we’re thinking about doing. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that they had another meeting here on Friday to talk about Tigertail. What we’re doing is bringing all the interested parties, the stakeholders, the decision makers, and others who have a stake in Tigertail under one roof so there aren’t five or six different groups telling different stories about what’s going to happen there and what’s not being done. It was a very successful meeting and brought everyone up to speed about what’s being done and what can be done. The video really gives an overview about the situation and some of the deterioration at Tiger Tail Lagoon and what we’re taking action on. Friday was the third of many meetings. VIDEO PLAYS: “Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island Ecosystem Restoration Project” detailed the critical ecosystem and how it’s in jeopardy after Hurricane Irma damaged it in 2017. 3 Council Chairman Brechnitz noted that Tigertail Beach and the County Park there have about a half a million visitors per year. [Commissioner Solis joined the meeting at 9:13 a.m.] Council Chairman Brechnitz said that Marco Island Hideaway Beach Tax District has paid for all the engineering for this project, more than $550,000. The City intends to dredge the northern part of that Sand Dollar Island spit. Sand Dollar Island has grown by 15 acres over the years. The City asked the Federal Environmental Protection Agency to restore it to pre-Irma condition, which will take about $2 million. The Hideaway Tax District, which is the footprint of Hideaway Beach, decided to pay for most of it. Over the last 15 years, residents have paid over $15 million in taxes to pay for land that doesn’t belong to them. What we’re looking for is County support for this project. The Florida DEP issued its permit but says that we must have permission to take 15 acres out to make Sand Dollar Island higher so over- wash doesn’t occur. We hope to be under construction by turtle season on Nov. 1. BCC Chairman McDaniel asked what the County could do to assist. Council Chairman Brechnitz said that a letter in support to the EPA and pay for part of the dredging. Even if the County decides tourist tax dollars are not appropriate for this project, we will do it anyway. But we think it’s appropriate because half a million visitors come to that County Park each year and clearly it promotes tourism. Commissioner Taylor asked if Marco Island expects to receive a decision soon from the EPA. Council Chairman Brechnitz said that they’re close to decisions being made and are optimistic they will be favorable. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that they have the County’s support. He noted that permits have come back for various edits and main edits have been completed. Council Chairman Brechnitz said that annual operating costs are associated with the project, such as shorebird and seagrass monitoring, and they will be obligations of the permit. The wading shorebirds will not be there if it turns into a mud flat and it will turn into a mudflat if we don’t do this project. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that if Hideaway pays for it, it will make an exponential positive change. What the County does will be extra help. He noted the lagoon has narrowed because of the spit and tidal flow has greatly deteriorated. Environmental groups that came to the meeting contended Tigertail hasn’t deteriorated but has morphed and changed and they count the number of birds out there. Although they’re supportive of the project, they’re not supportive about the number of acres being removed. There is concern that birds nesting there would disappear. Nature groups believe nature should take its course. We want to assist Tigertail Lagoon to ensure it’s available for visitors for the next 50 years. We don’t want the Audubon Society and the Conservancy to complain that we’re doing something wrong. We want them to be a partner, to move forward methodically and ensure they always have input. The Audubon Society thought we could find balance. Council Chairman Brechnitz said that the video highlights that the ecosystems are connected. One of 4 the reasons Collier Creek keeps getting filled up is due to Sand Dollar Island. When we take 15 acres out, it will benefit Collier Creek. We are a co-permittee on the Collier Creek dredging project. That permit was filed, and no one spoke to Marco Island about it. The only reason we found out is we read it in one of the state publications. We’re anxious to sit down with the County because there are issues with that dredging project. Councilman Blonna said that he runs on that beach in the middle of the lagoon daily and the need is more immediate than ever. The City needs County support. There were two storms in September and the beach probably lost more than 20 more feet since then. One complaint was the sand trap, removing sand at the end of the island and redepositing it. They complained it wasn’t compatible with the middle lagoon, but scientists found that wasn’t true and it could be used to shore up dunes in the middle of the island. That’s important. Most of the work going on over the past decade and the cost of the permits is being borne by Hideaway Beach residents. Their generosity is keeping this project alive. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that this meeting isn’t to garner County support. The City has that. More could have been done by the County, but that’s the past. We will see what we can add. We need to make sure all parties are at the table and there’s a consensus, so no one says we’re doing the wrong thing. We’re prepared to move forward to see what the County can add. We need to ensure regular maintenance is in the plan. Hideaway Beach didn’t have that before. It needs constant attention. We need to see what the state will approve with the permits and go from there. Council Chairman Brechnitz said that the water flushing effect from the tidal floor improves everything. The Hideaway Beach Taxing District understands this isn’t their last project and we’ll have to do this again. BCC Chairman McDaniel asked if the County Manager’s Office could write a letter of support to bring before the BCC for the next meeting? Deputy Manager Patterson said they could do that. Councilwoman Irwin said that there was no lagoon there when she was growing up. She noticed it was raked recently, but the beach part tends to fill in with water. She wanted to know what the County intends to do to keep that area maintained. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that the County has been monitoring the water for bacteria levels and the County can’t watch it get murky and not get concerned. The County needs to get a baseline during a time when there isn’t a storm that flushes it. The County wants to ensure water stays at safe levels and didn’t like the trend. The spit debate on Friday mostly involved the Audubon Society, which is not fully supportive due to birds being affected. Mr. Williams said that maintenance at Tigertail Lagoon is two-fold. The Parks Division is actively removing trash twice daily, seven days a week and it’s increased to three times a day during holidays. They remove trash at sunset, a critical time to get it off the beach, and they work closely with Marco Island City staff. There’s congestion at the parks and vehicles are allowed in, so they can park and then pay during holidays and that’s helping with vehicles lined up outside Tigertail. The beach and mudflat are managed by Coastal Zone Management. They routinely rake the beach and mudflat, which collect vegetation from the tides that come in. It’s hard packed and is like plowing a field, but that loosens it up. 5 Councilman Blonna asked Mr. Williams about the viability of the park as a recreational facility. At one point, it was very vital, with a lot of canoers, kayakers and paddle boarders. The concession stand did well with food sales, but since then, everything dried up. You can’t kayak there. He tried. What has been the economic impact to the County Parks & Rec program as a result of that? Mr. Williams said that the City knows Tigertail Lagoon and the County follows it on its social media, which shows a mixed reaction for people’s experiences there. There are still people on the lagoon, but probably not many experienced kayakers. There are a lot of tourists who have a good experience and see the lagoon as a safe place. It depends on who is using it, in terms of their experience and satisfaction. Tourists have come back in droves. There’s a pent-up demand for recreation, especially in Southwest Florida, so it continues to get strong usage and is at overfill capacity this time of year. We have to close two or three times a day to allow people to exit to provide more parking capacity. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro noted that the County monitors the use of the park through parking lot occupancy numbers. The County has to close it a lot, so it’s being used. He commended Linda Colombo and Friends of Tigertail, which were in the video. Their volunteers do an amazing job doing regular trash pickups. The County switched concessionaires and the concessionaire has struggled at times, but not because it’s Tigertail. It’s due to the frustrations and challenges all restaurants are experiencing with keeping employees. Friends of Tigertail also donated benches and alerted the County about what needs to be repaired. They’ve been a great partner and have done a lot of work. BCC Chairman McDaniel said the County will work on the letter of support. 2.2 Caxambas Park Rezoning Update City Manager Mike McNees said that the boat ramp at Caxambas Park is of interest to both the County and City. There’s been a lot of discussion on the County Commission level regarding how to manage activities, in addition to boat ramps. The City is very appreciative of the County’s work managing activities there because it’s a very busy place on a very congested part of the island. What we want to do today is address the zoning issues there because it’s zoned as a park and many activities there aren’t allowed in that zoning. We need a strategy. It’s not the city’s intention to harm businesses or to take away something that’s been very valuable to the community and the economy, but we don’t want to ignore the City zoning code. As the City, we’re in an awkward position. In addition to zoning, a site plan was adopted in conjunction with the construction of the Coast Guard Auxiliary building that’s also not being adhered to, and we don’t want to ignore that. What we’re hoping to do is reconcile these conflicts so we’re obeying our zoning code and the activities we want to occur there are happening. We were under the belief that a rezone petition or a site plan amendment process would be forthcoming to address this, but we haven’t gotten anywhere with that. So we’re here today to determine a strategy and discuss how to resolve these issues. Commissioner Taylor asked if he meant that Marco City Council and the City leadership hadn’t gotten there yet. Mr. McNees said that’s something the County has to put into process. It’s the County’s park and the City doesn’t want to dictate how to reconcile that. The City wants to support the County, but the City has underlying zoning codes. We don’t want to be put in the position of having to ignore that. Mr. Williams said that the County has had multiple meetings with City staff on this issue and Dan 6 Smith made clear what the steps are for the County to follow, so the County hired a consultant, Q GradyMinor & Associates, to work with the County on the rezoning and parking situation at Caxambas. When the Community Center was built, we intended to remove the Old Coast Guard Auxiliary building, so there are some opportunities for the site. We are pursuing a rezoning and understand the implications. There are some implications for a rezoning that could possibly restrict commercial use at that facility, so we appreciate the Council and the Commission and how they’ve managed this process in terms of trying to protect commercial users of the ramp versus the public recreational need. We have been working with the City and had a pre-app meeting. As our consultant works on the necessary documentation, they’ll be re-approaching the City about the rezoning and the site development changes at Caxambas. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that the confusion is because the average citizen on Marco Island thinks this is all brand new in the City, which creates an unfair expectation of the County. It’s always been zoned that way, so maybe our predecessors looked the other way, or it wasn’t a top priority. He noted that the addition of a dockmaster there provided more oversight, as did controlling permitting. He recently received an email from a resident who wrote earlier, in October 2021, saying his condo community was concerned about the boat ramp and management of traffic at the park. His recent email said they were happy to see far less traffic and better management and oversight. He asked the City Council to continue to be patient as they work to resolve the situation. Council Chairman Brechnitz said that they don’t want to continue to ignore zoning laws. He asked what the timeline was. Mr. Williams said that rezoning typically is a six- to nine-month process, from start to finish, and the clock has started. The important thing was to hire a consultant who knows the City’s regulations and we have that with Q GradyMinor. We hope to complete it by next season, Jan. 1, 2023. Through Mr. Isackson, we can provide a PMP for the project to give you more transparency. Commissioner Solis asked what type of uses aren’t allowed there under that zoning. Mr. Williams said that commercial use has been at Caxambas for at least 20 years, but Marco Island incorporated as a City and began to develop land-use regulations, so this is catching up with us. Mr. Smith can answer that. Mr. Smith said that commercial uses are allowed at the park as an accessory use, which is about one vendor. What’s occurred since 2020 under his review is mostly commercial businesses. The majority of passenger parking is for those commercial businesses, so the rezoning, if approved, would alleviate some of those issues. But there are also vendor permits. That’s how the City controls different uses and vendors there. They must apply for a vendor permit every year. That’s the only way to control the number of businesses there. We have the same problem at some of our other marinas, but those are in the C5 zone. This is zoned Park, and you’d have to move to Community Facility. Commissioner Solis noted that issue involves what the County has been struggling with, commercial uses at the boat ramp. Council Chairman Brechnitz noted that it used to be a gas station and bait shop for most of that period but has since changed. 7 Mr. Smith said that as new development happens, that’s usually where they pick up on land-uses that are occurring. In this case, it was the Coast Guard Auxiliary building being built. Otherwise, it would have been under the radar. Once it once it came to his attention, we had to meet current codes. There was a lot of filling in there for additional parking that wasn’t necessarily approved, so we’re trying to clean that up and bring it up to code. Commissioner Taylor asked if she understood correctly that the City is comfortable with the situation as it is, but the County needs to make sure it’s complementary to the underlying zone. Is that correct? Mr. Smith said it was not. To allow those activities there, a rezoning would be needed for some activities. That doesn’t necessarily mean City Planning staff will recommend approval, it just means they have to go through those process and it will be brought before the Planning Board and City Council for review and approval. Councilman Blonna said that he’d been exploring this issue and spoke to a private marina on the island. He asked him to walk him through what would happen if a jet ski vendor wanted to launch from his marina. The private marina said they’d have to file for a vendor and see if there were any non-compete clauses that wouldn’t allow that vendor. Once that vendor is allowed, they would have to see how many jet skis they had, how many tourists and users would be on a tour. Then they’d have to approximate how many vehicles that tour would accommodate to ensure the parking lot would be able to accommodate those vehicles. That’s for one vendor. We have five jet ski vendors with five, six, 10 jet skis. You’re conceivably looking at 60 parking spots just for jet ski vendors. We don’t have that. As a kayaker, he has a personal interest in being shut out of that facility because of safety issues on the ramp, which have been addressed. We can launch safely now, but parking is a big problem. Conforming to the same standards that private marinas conform to won’t work. We need to find a middle ground. Jet ski operators, kayak tour operators and fishing tour operators are our citizens. They live on Marco and they’ve made a viable living operating that way for years. I think Commissioner is trying to find a comfortable middle ground and Dan Smith is trying to defend our zoning. I don’t know what the solution is. Mr. Smith said that there is an issue with the DEP and filling in of some detention that must be resolved. He brought it to staff's attention because the DEP permit was done in 2008. Since then, those detention areas were filled in. It’s not just a Marco Island issue, it’s a state issue. BCC Chairman McDaniel asked if this could be addressed during the rezoning or the SDP. Mr. Smith said it could. Councilwoman Irwin asked if there were future plans to add boat ramps with access to backwater areas or other Collier County areas that aren’t accessible now. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that they are exploring potential locations that will allow access. He’s had communications with several kayakers about that. Barry Williams can give a report on that. Mr. Williams said that they rake that beach and mudflat twice a month. There is a Site Development Plan and the rezoning will be more complicated. Regarding additional boat trailer parking or use of commercial, part of the strategy the BCC directed staff to pursue, and some of those components we’re looking at, are restrictions on the boat ramps. They also asked us to look at for additional property for an 8 expansion. Stakeholders identified a collection of properties. The BCC approved a Parks Master Plan in 2018 and it reiterated the need for additional boat-trailer parking. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that there also have been complaints about potholes. Council Vice Chair Grifoni said that when going through the rezoning, they need to keep in mind that commercial use was always there, and to consider local business owners and their livelihoods. Councilman Folley noted there was a large increase in jet ski businesses at the Chamber of Commerce from 2020-2021. BCC Chairman McDaniel said that was caused by the East Coast shutdown, which had a balloon effect. Collier County didn’t shut down and they came here. Council Chairman Brechnitz said that longtime users will tell you there were three or four prior to 2019 and now there are 10-12. Councilwoman Irwin said that she collected data on homestead applications and last year there were 500. There were 100 before that and it’s exploded. Marco Island and its year-round population are growing. Councilman Rola noted that there were 180 permits last year issued for boat ramps. That park can’t handle that load. What is the county going to do to control the park? Commissioner Taylor said that the County can learn from the City because that’s Council’s and City staff’s backyard. She’s already asked the County Attorney if they could consider non-compete agreements for jet skis and boats. Clearly, the jet ski business is growing, and Miami is on the front line. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro noted that permits aren’t priced the same anymore. There also was no dockmaster or oversight before. We shut down people coming there with expired or no permits. Now the second permit is priced more than the first and the third is priced higher than the second. There are options for control. Mr. Williams agreed a lot could be done and said the County is still collecting data on users and considering limiting the number of permits. The County is looking at long-term strategies and capacity, where users can park, whether there is enough capacity. There’s now active management of those two locations versus a less-active management style. The County is beginning to collect data on who is using commercial permits, who they are and making sure they provided proof of insurance. We’re trying to get a handle on the number of commercial users there and to look at long-term strategies. The rezoning process will be very useful because as we go through that process, we must define what the City’s capacity is for commercial providers and where can they park. Commissioner Solis asked if this were on County land, where the LDC would apply, wouldn’t the County be doing its own parking analysis to determine if parking is sufficient? By not requiring commercial operators to go through that analysis, that’s another way we’re kind of subsidizing commercial companies and allowing them to operate for less money and fewer requirements than other commercial operators. BCC Chairman McDaniel said that the parking issue was getting pushed and the vacant lot was once used for overflow parking, but that was exacerbated by the Coast Guard Auxiliary building. When 9 construction started, it was roped off and limited parking. A parking analysis needs to be done because the County needs to be consistent with applying the LDC. He called 180 permits a good number and said they found that with good management practices they can control it there. Public opinion from constituents will be important moving forward. Permits will be site specific, not countywide and the County will monitor parking usage. He noted that parking fees for non- residents were increased, which led to increased free parking for residents. Commercial users were abusing the free parking. Step-by-step, it’s moving forward. Councilman Blonna said that many operators came down to Collier when there were bans on certain fishing catches in Lee and other counties. He wondered whether part of the parking analysis will look at the number of out-of-county commercial permits. Maybe they could put a limit on out-of-county permit users at the boat ramps, not completely shut them down, but reduce the number. BCC Chairman McDaniel said that striking a balance is what Commissioner Taylor was talking about, a preference for locals. Commissioner Taylor asked County Attorney Jeff Klatzkow if he could opine on limiting non- residents. County Attorney Klatzkow said that they can’t discriminate against non-residents, but you can charge them more because residents are paying taxes. There must be some logic behind it. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that one of the things the County is exploring for next year is marina- specific permits. That will help us understand the numbers. There aren’t 180 people operating out of Caxambas. Council Chairman Brechnitz asked if the County had considered raising prices. If this were a private business, raising prices increases demand. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that was done, it did affect demand, but the County was delinquent in raising prices. Council Vice Chair Grifoni asked if the County had surveyed permit holders to determine what parks they utilized. BCC Chairman McDaniel said that they did a presentation two meetings ago that included the list of all permits, where they’re from and the park they operate out of. Council Vice Chair Grifoni asked how many permit users utilized Caxambas. Ms. Hennig said that there were 46 permits primarily for Caxambas, a total of 22 operators. Others were for Caxambas and Goodland. There was a total of 175 permits. Councilman Grifoni asked about the 22 operators and whether they were local. Ms. Hennig said a small percentage, about 10%-15%, were from out of the County. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that the County probably should have been raising prices by about 10% yearly so it wouldn’t hurt as much. Commissioners have now barred businesses from using the 10 Caxambas address as their business address so they can determine where operators come from. Commissioner Taylor complimented Councilors on Marco Island and its beautiful view. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that he wanted to provide an update on the beach mats installed in the County parking lot at Marco South Beach that will help people with strollers and wheelchairs. The County put in a permit asking for 139 feet and it was rejected by the state. Other stakeholders are Fish and Wildlife and the turtle groups. The state approved 100 feet, allowing the County to keep the first 50 feet of the mat year-round on that strip. That was unexpected because the County was originally told the entire mat had to be removed during turtle season. But the first 50 feet isn’t in the turtle area. We want that extra 39 feet, which is rolled up now, and it looks like we’re in the final stages of approval. He asked Mr. Williams if the County received final approval yet. Mr. Williams said not yet, but the state provided comments on the permit modification and accepted our plan. They’re looking for a 30- day window for this to close. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that the 39 extra feet are important because it gets people in wheelchairs, people with strollers and people who have a hard time walking in soft sand much closer to the water. The area from the little boardwalk by Sunset Grill to the water is a large stretch of very soft sand. He thanked Councilman Foley for reaching out to him and said they’ve been partnering to work on the crosswalk between the County parking lot and the County beach mat area, which he calls Deadman’s Curve, where cars drive very quickly. Disabled people, dads with strollers and people who have a hard time walking will use the crosswalk more frequently, so that’s an issue. The County’s engineering company looked at that area and is considering doing something like what the JW Marriott has so people will stop for the crosswalk. He said that he’s proud of the changes made at the entrance to Marco Island, the S.S. Jolley Bridge, where there were piles of concrete because it was being used as a preconstruction staging area. People are now sitting and fishing there. He asked Councilors to make it known that the policy is not that it could never be a staging area, just in certain cases. He approved it for use as a staging area for Marco Yacht Club’s project and is working with County staff on that because it made sense as a staging area. If the back end of Marco Island were used, there would have been 1,000 trucks going through Marco Island daily to get to the yacht club, so that was unique situation. He’s heard from many seawall companies that say that they’re using it as a staging area without permission. We want to keep that the way it is and find alternatives. He spoke with Mike McNees about citizen complaints about trash on the beaches, especially behind hotels and condos, and then talked to hotel leadership. Marco Island staff also said they’d get the word out to them. He hasn’t received complaints since then. He cited concern about Bald Eagle Drive in season, with cars parked along the grass due to the number of restaurants. He heard permits were approved for restaurants and asked the City to take a closer look at that area because it eventually could cause safety issues with emergency vehicles not being able to get through quickly. Council Chairman Brechnitz said they were well aware of the situation. Commissioner Solis said that he spoke to Council about the County’s Mental Health Strategic Plan and 11 spoke with Councilman Blanna at length. The County has committed $25 million of its surtax funds to building a mental-health facility so the County won’t have to use the jail as a mental-health facility. This is a nationwide situation. We have an opportunity to do it differently. We’re in the process of coming up with the design and selecting contractors to build it. We’ve selected the property. He wants to come back to the City Council and again urge the City to be part of this process. It will be an asset for the county. He was asked by colleagues to talk to the other municipalities. It’s essential because we found that with funding, especially federal funding, when there is a buy-in from all local governments involved, the ability to attract grant money from the federal government is exponentially better. We’re moving forward and committed a certain percentage of surtax funds. He suggested the City consider doing the same thing, but not necessarily tax money because that can only be used for bricks and mortar. This affects our veterans, our workforce and public safety. We have an opportunity to do something different, more fiscally responsible, something to enhance public safety. I’m hoping City Council will join us so we can be a model for the rest of the counties and the state. BCC Chairman McDaniel said that he was in Washington, D.C., at an HSS meeting and was asked about the County’s Mental-Health Strategic Plan. He later found that the County didn’t have a plan. He commended Commissioner Solis for orchestrating one and noted that it will guide everyone regarding collaboration. Commissioner Solis said that there will be a mental-health workshop in June to look at the progress. BCC Chairman McDaniel asked how Marco Island was doing with its ambulance service. Fire Chief Chris Byrne said that he continues to work with Chief (Tabatha) Butcher at Collier County EMS to monitor call load and availability. It’s getting busier and busier and call volume is increasing. The City is continuing to look at the ALS it provides from paramedics on its fire engines and what their capabilities are. They continue to work with the medical director on those possible expansions. BCC Chairman McDaniel asked how the County could assist. Chief Byrne said that the asset they’re looking into expanding is the seasonal ambulance. As the City gets busier, the time frame needs to expand. BCC Chairman McDaniel asked if cannabis dispensaries being allowed in the City ever came to fruition. He noted they were controversial and wanted to know what the City learned from their experience. Council Chairman Brechnitz said that City Council passed that, but no one applied yet. BCC Vice-Chair LoCastro said that he, Commission Chairman McDaniel and Commissioner Saunders just returned from Tallahassee. The County is in the running for a state veterans nursing home and they met with Sen. Passidomo, Representatives Melo and Rommel, the state veteran senior leaders who decide where state veteran nursing homes go. It’s going to be recommended to Gov. DeSantis that Collier County be the next county to get a nursing home. It could be announced as early as Aug. 1 and could take five years for construction. It would be a nursing home VA center. They know that if they pick Collier County, they will have an amazing team and the money will be well invested. 12 Commissioner Saunders thanked everyone for meeting today and hoped this would be an annual meeting. He apologized for having to call in due to a cold. Councilman Folley asked how many beds the VA home would have. Commissioner Saunders said that it’s typically 125 beds. Commissioner Taylor said that Sen. Kathleen Passidomo has been a champion on this issue and Commissioner Saunders, a former senator, is working with her. Councilor Babrowski said that she appreciated the invitation to the meeting and the investment of time to keep their strong partnership going. She commended Commissioners and the County on the intensity they’re bringing to workforce housing discussions. The farther south you go, the worse it gets. She hoped they would find a solution to help residents. Councilor Irwin thanked everyone for the meeting, calling it helpful. She agreed workforce housing is a big issue on Marco Island. Council Vice Chair Grifoni said that these meetings are helpful because they get a result. He noted the past meetings, such as Goodland Drive, were successful. Having them more frequently than every two years is a positive thing. He asked if they could hold one on Marco Island so residents could speak, meet them and ask questions. Council Chairman Brechnitz said that it would be great to hold the next meeting on Marco Island. He noted that the City has two major capital projects going on now, the largest they’ve ever had. The state- of-the-art firehouse will be hardened to withstand hurricanes, so it can be used as a command center for staff. They’re renovating Veterans Park and added a state-of-the-art bandshell. Construction should be completed in mid-July. A donor gave $1 million to help with park amenities, the bandshell and programing. An assisted-living facility is being built on the NCH campus and NCH agreed to fully rebuild the Marco Island Urgent Care Center. Councilor Folley agreed these meetings are a good way to get action and move forward. He wanted the County to be aware that the City has maintained the millage-rate rollback as property values continue to climb, keeping the homestead taxes flat for the past four or five years. They’ve also started a project to look at their ordinances to eliminate those that are redundant, irrelevant, nonsensical or not needed. Councilor Rolla thanked everyone for the knowledge he gained today and said he’d continue to stay in touch with Commission Commissioner Solis about mental-health facilities. There was a time in this country where we had mental-health facilities, in the 1950s. They disappeared and mental health became a prison-type problem. It’s time we took a fresh look at it and turned back the clock. He said that Ms. Hennig provided him with a County spreadsheet last year that contained useful permit information and he wants to request an updated version. He also asked for a copy of the County permit presentation. BCC Chairman McDaniel said that the presentation is all available online. It’s part of the agenda for the Feb. 22 BCC meeting. Councilor Rolla also asked about independent traffic studies in the County. BCC Chairman McDaniel said it's difficult to determine the impacts a project may have. Trinity Scott, Transportation Services Department Head, can explain how the County manages traffic-impact studies. Ms. Scott said that the County has traffic-impact statement guidelines. They are prepared by the developments' representatives and provided to the County for staff review. For more intricate and detailed studies, the County hires an independent third-party reviewer, as well. We have a pre- application meeting with them ahead of time to ensure that the County agrees with the inputs they're putting in, so we will know we're OK with the outputs. I'm not going to say we don't have traffic- impact studies that don't ever come in and say additional improvements are necessary. We do. Typically, those come down to operational-type improvements. Usually, a developer will scale back their development to where they're not tripping those very large improvements. Councilor Blonna thanked everyone for the ability to sit down and talk about issues. He noted that he campaigned for improved recreation and thanked the County for its help with Tigertail and Caxambas. He appreciated the County's support for Conservation Collier and the acquisition of parcels on Marco Island. Land is getting scarce, and they need to preserve it for wildlife, turtles and others. He thanked Ms. Hennig and Conservation Collier for their time discussing issues with him. Councilor Folley thanked Commissioner LoCastro for his help on the crosswalk. Councilor Irwin said that they're working with an initiative, 10,000 Trees in 10 Years, to reforest Marco Island and are working on a partnership with Naples Botanical Garden. We hope to do that at low-cost, possibly no cost, to residents. We're working with the Beautification Committee and are engaging local experts. BCC Chairman McDaniel noted that the County has had enormous success working with Naples Botanical Garden. 3. Public Comments None 4. Adjourn There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the Chairman at 11:08 a.m. rFR • ATTECT Collier Co 4'•r• of Co 'ty o •ners CRYSTA <4.. KINZEti •CLERK ' e . �r lark Attest as "-' ores William L. McDaniel, Jr., Chairman SianOt 0n1y These minutes were appro onaed 1a a0z2 as presented, or as amended 13