The region’s growth, development and infrastructure needs continued to occupy county government in February. In city government, Terry Hutchison, Linda Penniman and Gary Price won seats on the Naples City Council; Naples City Manager Bill Moss announced his retirement; and Marco City Manager Lee Niblock was placed on leave after being accused of battery.
In the Collier County Public Schools, the District collaborated closely with the Sheriff’s Office following the Parkland shootings; a record four-year graduation rate was announced; Kelly Lichter and Erika Donalds won’t run for re-election to the School Board; and another candidate filed to challenge Board chairman Roy Terry.
Board of County Commissioners
Managing growth and development
- Plan for theater, shops, apartments along Bayshore in East Naples advances. The county has been trying to sell the site for years to a developer who would build an opera house and some mix of homes and stores. Naples Daily News
- Related editorial: What is Collier commissioners’ Bayshore vision? A recent BCC discussion featured several “startling” comments by Commissioner Fiala and “errant” support by Commissioners Saunders and McDaniel for including Sugden Park in the project. Naples Daily News
- Developer accused of filling North Naples wetlands agrees to pay $350,000. Lodge/Abbott Investments Associates LLC was caught filling in more than an acre of wetlands to build a condo tower in its Kalea Bay high-rise complex. Naples Daily News
- Brent Batten: Survey projects even more rapid growth for Collier County. Population is growing 13 percent a year and is projected to grow nearly 18 percent for the next few years. Naples Daily News
- Editorial: Action needed now to prevent the next affordable housing crisis. Commissioners voted 4–1 to consider the worthy next steps presented by staff and housing advisers. Naples Daily News
- Commentary: Rural Lands restudy lacks citizen stakeholders. Decisions will be made that will have consequences — taxes for new roads and infrastructure, more traffic congestion, loss of wildlife and sensitive lands, and availability of water. By Bonnie Michaels, Collier County League of Women Voters, via Naples Daily News
Maintaining and repairing infrastructure
- BCC advances proposed new stormwater utility program to create dedicated funding source for unincorporated Collier County. The County currently supports stormwater projects with property taxes, but a stormwater utility, if adopted later this year, would shift the costs to all properties. BCC Meeting 2/13/18
- Related editorial: Projects, Collier stormwater utility are issues to watch. Annual residential rates would likely range from $57 to $184 depending on the size of the property and how much work commissioners want to accomplish. Naples Daily News
- Vanderbilt Drive utilities work in N. Naples delayed further; residents irked. Crews have run into a slew of problems since tearing up the road and finding out some of the pipes underneath, which date to the 1960s, were in worse condition and have been more difficult to replace than previously thought. Naples Daily News
Other BCC news
- Mental health red flags missed leading up to school shooting. Commissioner Andy Solis wants a strategic plan for how to deal with mental health as the county grows. WINKnews.com
- Editorial kudo: Commissioners wisely declined ordinance making it a crime to knowingly hire an unlicensed contractor. They identified enforcement problems it would create and other flaws in the proposed ordinance. Naples Daily News
City of Naples
Council elections
- Real estate industry spent at least $15K to back Naples Council candidates. In this ultra-wealthy city where the council has the final say on projects valued sometimes in the tens of millions, real estate gave more than other industries, including hospitality, financial services and the legal community. Naples Daily News
- Low-income River Park neighborhood got little attention in Council race. Asked about the neighborhood, candidates differed on an approach to improvements but agreed the area has been overlooked. Naples Daily News
- Council members Linda Penniman, Gary Price, Terry Hutchison sworn into office. Naples voters elected them to the City Council on Feb. 6. Naples Daily News
- Voter turnout for Council election was low, as expected, at 25 percent. By comparison, turnout for the March 2016 city election, which featured both a mayoral race and a presidential preference primary, was 49 percent. Naples Daily News
- Editorial: Tuesday’s winners will help lead Naples through next challenges. Managing debt, hurricane hardening, sales tax, council salaries, pier beer/wine, building height, managing traffic, and stormwater are issues for the new City Council to address. Naples Daily News
- Editorial: Naples election, right results but the correct process? We suggest the vote should be the genesis of a discussion of whether the process of filling council seats still works today or is outdated. Naples Daily News
Other City news
- City Manager Bill Moss to retire early next year. The timeline should allow the City Council to have a plan in place to find his successor. Naples Daily News
- Editorial: Decisions about Councilman Saad not surprising. We urge the City Council to further the debate on creating a local ethics panel. Naples Daily News
- Naples pier repairs progressing slowly. Given the extent of the repairs and the fact that there’s no start date for the construction, the Pier won’t reopen until August at the earliest. Naples Daily News
City of Marco Island
- City Manager Lee Niblock put on paid leave after battery allegation. Niblock denied the allegation but asked for a leave of absence until the investigation is closed. Naples Daily News
- Related editorial: Right call, difficult time, for Marco manager’s leave. Firing him without cause could have opened the city up to paying severance under his contract. But why was there a 10-day time lapse between the allegation being lodged and council members, Marco Island employees and citizens knowing? Naples Daily News
- Marco Council discusses Fire Station 51. Over-budget plan to rebuild condemned fire station means taking funds from other city projects. Marco Eagle
- Editorial: Marco Island has a certain path forward on ambulance. County Manager Leo Ochs outlined three possible scenarios to help islanders reach their goal of safe-transport to an off-island hospital as quickly as medically safe. Naples Daily News
- Related editorial: Marco leaders should fill in the blank sooner than later. They continue pushing forward with efforts to get permission to set up the city’s own ambulance service through its fire department but have yet to determine its cost or how to pay for it. Naples Daily News
- Editorial kick to Marco City Council for initially approving 5–2 an ordinance that started out as a way to stop businesses along the beach from using plastic straws. What ensued is what Councilman Howard Reed correctly called “government totally out of control.” Naples Daily News
- State scheduling 951 improvements. The Florida Department of Transportation is moving forward on plans to repave the roller coaster ride between the Jolley Bridge and the Fiddlers Creek intersection. Coastal Breeze
Collier County Public Schools
Response to the Parkland shootings
- Collier Sheriff, Superintendent announce enhanced safety plan. There will be an increased level of law enforcement visibility in addition to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office safety plan that is in place throughout the school year. CCPS
- Superintendent addresses safety concerns, delayed communication. She urged the public to refrain from spreading inaccurate information and reinforced the message of the district’s new Keep Collier Safe initiative: “Don’t spread it. Report it.” Naples Daily News
- Copycat threats to Collier schools surged after Parkland shooting attack. Four of the threats resulted in arrests, and three led to students being taken into protective custody. Naples Daily News
- Brent Batten: Collier had deputies in schools long before today’s security threats. The Sheriff’s Youth Relations Deputies program, dating to 1977, was among the first of its kind in the state, if not the nation. Naples Daily News
Other CCPS news
- 2016–17 graduation rate was 88.2%, up 15.7 percentage points since 2010–11. It’s the highest four-year graduation rate in the District’s history. CCPS News Release
- Charter schools fear losing revenue from public district. School Board Chairman Roy Terry and Vice Chairman Stephanie Lucarelli assured charter advocates the board would not ask the schools to return the funding, no matter the outcome of the challenge to HB 7069, which mandated the payments. Naples Daily News
- School Board sets two hurricane makeup days for 2019–20. The Board also moved the proposed first day of classes from Aug. 14 to Aug. 13 and made Sept. 30 a day off to observe Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Naples Daily News
- New School Board candidate Darlene Alvarez launches bid for Roy Terry’s seat. Darlene Alvarez, 41, is a sales consultant at payroll company Paychex, an adjunct marketing professor at Keiser University in Fort Myers and a mother of four children who attended or currently attend a Collier County public school. Naples Daily News
- Erika Donalds won’t seek re-election to School Board. Donalds, who has served on the board since 2014 and was its vice chairman from 2016–17, said she decided not to run so she can spend more time with her family. Naples Daily News
- Kelly Lichter won’t run for re-election to School Board. Lichter, who has served on the board since 2014, said she was dismayed by the “hatred and vitriol” she said she has been subjected to as a board member. Naples Daily News
That does it for February’s local news. Stay tuned for my state news round-up in my next post.
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