Incumbent Burt Saunders and challengers Frank Roberts and Floyd “Tag” Yarnell, all attorneys, and John C. Johnson, a retired entrepreneur, are the candidates to be the next commissioner for Collier Commission District 3.
Residents of District 3 who are registered Republicans on July 22 will choose among them in a closed primary election on August 20. The winner will face No Party Affiliation challenger Richard Conover in the general election in November.
In this post, you will find the following information to help you learn about the candidates:
In Their Own Words:
- Commission District 3 Candidates’ websites
- Commission District 3 Candidates’ social media pages
- Collier Commission District 3 Candidate Forums
- Responses to my Sparker’s Soapbox candidate questionnaire
- Responses to Collier County Republican Executive Committee (CCREC) candidate questionnaire
Analysis:
This post is a work in progress. More information and analysis may be added in the weeks ahead. Check back often for updates.
Candidate Websites
Visit the candidates’ websites to learn what they want you to know about them. Do they share their biographical information, education, career history, and prior involvement with the community? Do they have the qualifications you think it takes to do the job? Are the issues that are important to them the ones you want your commissioner to focus on? What AREN’T they telling you that you want to know?
Here are the candidates’ websites:
John C. Johnson: electjohncjohnson.com
John C. Johnson would like to change things in Naples “so the working class can afford to live here,” according to his website. Specifically, he wants to change “the permitting process, affordable housing, rent assistance, in favor of opening dispensary, [and] will not vote to change the no kill policy at the humane society.”
Frank Roberts: frankaroberts.com
Frank Roberts represents “a New Generation of Leadership.” According to his website, his “core values” are “Focus on the Family; Individual Liberty & Personal Duty; Small, Limited, & Fiscally-Responsible Government, at all levels; Authentically Pro-Life ‘From Womb to Tomb;’ and Slow & Responsible Limited Development.”
Burt Saunders: burtsaundersforcollier.com
Burt Saunders, a Collier County resident since 1982,” has served with common-sense and transparent leadership, delivering proven results for our community,” according to his website. “As a former County Attorney, State Representative, and State Senator, Saunders brings decades of proven public service experience to our County Commission. He is running for re-election to continue making Collier the best place to raise a family and start a business.”
Floyd “Tag” Yarnell: yarnellforcollier.com
“Tag Yarnell is a Constitutional Conservative who will make decisions based on his faith and reverence to America’s founding principles,” according to his website. His priorities are “Lower Taxes; Protecting Individual Liberties and Property Rights; Protecting Our Natural Resources; Enhancing Infrastructure to Meet Our Growing Needs; and Supporting Our First Responders.”
Candidate Social Media
Candidates generally update their Facebook pages more frequently than their websites. There, you may find posts about their recent activities and endorsements.
- Johnson — facebook.com/john.c.johnson.777 (personal page)
- Roberts — profile.php?id=61552206383709
- Saunders — facebook.com/burtsaundersforcolliercounty
- Yarnell — facebook.com/YarnellforCollier
Candidate Forums
The candidates participated in a forum on May 8 co-hosted by Greater Naples Leadership and Collier Citizens Council on behalf of a coalition of local community organizations.
In it, they shared their views on the use of the county’s Conservation Collier trust fund and tourist (“bed”) tax, reintroducing the one-cent sales surtax, opportunities to improve water quality and address the county’s mental health challenges, the county’s form of government, and more. Over 90 minutes, their positions on issues, strengths and weaknesses, similarities, and differences became apparent.
I summarized what I learned from the candidates’ opening and closing remarks and responses to the questions in an earlier post, District 3 County Commissioner Forum, Sparker’s Soapbox, 5/16/24.
Watch the forum recording on the Collier County government website.
In addition, two other Forums were held that provided further opportunities to hear from the candidates in person.
- Candidate Forum – Women’s Republican Club of Naples, Federated — 4/20/24
- Candidate Forum – Florida Citizens Alliance — 5/16/24
Sparker’s Soapbox Questionnaires
The candidates responded to my questionnaire asking about their age, background, work experience, community involvement, and several matters of county policy. Here are links to the completed questionnaires and a chart I prepared that compares and summarizes the responses:
On the questionnaires, these responses were of note:
The most important issue facing the County (Question #5)
For Saunders and Yarnell, the most important issue is managing growth and addressing the need for affordable housing. Saunders also mentioned protecting the environment; Yarnell also mentioned improving infrastructure and traffic management. Roberts emphasized these issues in the context of their effect on families.
Johnson said the most important issue is the budget.
A past BCC policy decision you disagreed with (Question #6)
- Johnson: Not extending the one-cent sales surcharge. See Voters Won’t Be Asked to Renew a 1% Sales Tax to Pay for Capital Projects in Collier County, Naples Daily News, 12/18/23
- Roberts: Zoning that allowed storage units in residential areas. See Commissioner Faces Uphill Battle in Attempt to Temporarily Ban Storage Projects in Parts of East Naples, Naples Daily News, 9/26/22
- Saunders: Taking funds from Conservation Collier for other budget purposes. See Conservation Collier and the County Budget: the Decision, Sparker’s Soapbox, 9/22/23
- Yarnell: The mask mandate. See Collier County’s New Mask Order, Sparker’s Soapbox, 10/25/20
Addressing the affordable housing shortage (Question #7)
Johnson said the county should build condos and sell them to workers; all others said the county should not directly participate in the marketplace.
Saunders and Roberts favored providing incentives to increase supply. Saunders also endorsed a public/private partnership in which the county would provide land for an affordable housing project.
Yarnell, on the other hand, favors an entirely free market approach. “Tax dollars should not go towards subsidized housing,” he said.
CCREC Questionnaires
Three of the four candidates responded to a 46-point questionnaire from the Collier County Republican Executive Committee (CCREC). Nearly half the questions asked for the candidates’ views on matters of U.S. constitutional law.
Saunders said in an email that since it was unlikely that he would be endorsed by the CCREC, “I do not want to waste your time or mine” in completing the questionnaire. Instead he outlined some of the projects and community programs he has been involved with over the past several years.
Several of the CCREC’s questions asked about policy issues that have in the past divided or currently divide the community. Of note:
- All three respondents said they support the current county ordinance declaring Collier County a “Bill of Rights” sanctuary county, which Saunders opposed in a 4-1 vote last year. (Question #7) The three also said they “will champion an ordinance declaring Collier County a sanctuary county for the unborn.” (Question #8)
- “Reduced reliance on federal dollars makes us less prone to federal coercion,” Roberts said. “However, this needs done responsibly in order to avoid budgetary shortfalls, which could result in tax increases.” On the other hand, Yarnell said that “Florida is a donor state to federal projects. Money not coming to Collier County would simply get sent to other cities in other states. However, if the funding included mandates that compromise our conservative values, then I would support declining those specific funds.” (Question #9)
- Yarnell and Roberts both would “champion” a policy of “zero” tax increases by holding to the roll back millage rate for the next three years. (Question #10). Johnson declined to answer, saying he needed more information. On the other hand, doing so “will be a disaster for this community,” Saunders said in the May 8 candidate forum. “We all said we need more infrastructure, we need more of this, we need more of that. Well, you can’t continually cut the millage rate to the rollback millage rate year after year after year and accomplish that. It’s impossible. You can’t put $53 million back into Conservation Collier as you’re cutting taxes. Those things just don’t add up.”
Endorsements
None of the candidates lists any endorsements on his website, and the CCREC did not endorse a candidate in this race because no candidate received the required number of votes.
Saunders has been endorsed by the Southwest Florida Professional Firefighters and Paramedics and by Collier County Citizens Values PAC (CCCVPAC). He expects the endorsement to be listed on his website soon.
The absence of formal endorsements makes reviewing campaign contributions received by the candidates even more important.
Analysis: Campaign Finance
Candidate Campaign Treasurer Reports of contributions and expenditures are available on the Collier County Supervisor of Elections website.
Here is a summary of the candidates’ filings to date:
I reviewed each candidate’s contributions and expenditures. Of note:
- All but one candidate has raised significantly more money than they have spent to date. Johnson is funding his campaign largely with his own money.
- Roberts has the greatest number of contributions.
- Saunders and Yarnell, who received significantly more of the $1,000 maximum contributions, have also significantly outspent the others.
- Saunders received $1,000 contributions from several prominent community members, including Arthrex CEO Reinhold Schmieding, former U.S. Congressman Francis Rooney, and former State Representative and former State Board of Education Chair Thomas Grady. He also received $1,000 from the Collier County Medical Society, Deangelis Diamond Construction, and land development attorney Richard Yovanovich.
- Yarnell received $500 from Collier Citizens for Responsible Government and $250 from Marine Industries Promoting Access to Citizens (MIPAC), both at 1103 Hays Street, Tallahassee, FL. He is the only candidate with contributions from political committees.
- Roberts received nearly half ($6,000) of his contributions from donors from or affiliated with Ave Maria, a community founded in 2005 by Catholic philanthropist Tom Monaghan. His expenditures include a $200 event fee to Action for Life, an organization that “promotes, upholds, and supports the sanctity of life from conception to natural death,” and he is opposes proposed Florida Amendment 4, which would limit government interference in abortion.
In Conclusion
I hope you find in this post all the information you need to make an informed choice between the candidates to be Collier County’s next commissioner from District 3. Thanks for taking the time to be an informed voter!
Catch Up on What You Missed
These are several posts about the upcoming elections you might have missed:
- Florida’s Primary Election Process: a Primer Post, 2/6/24
- Collier County’s August Elections: What’s on the Ballot and How to Prepare, 5/19/24
- Collier School Board Election and Candidates, 6/11/24
Read all my posts about the 2024 elections here.