Commissioners Consider Land Acquisition Recommendations from Conservation Collier

In 2020, over 75% of voters approved renewing the tax for the Conservation Collier program. This program lets the county collect a mill property tax increase for ten years to buy new land for preservation and fund amenities at existing preserves. To date, the tax brings in about $26 million a year.

This program was front and center at the Board of County Commissioners Meeting on Tuesday, January 25, as staff presented a three-tiered “A, B and C” list of properties for the board to consider. While there were two Marco properties on the “A” list, it was the Marco property on the “B” list that commanded much of the commissioner’s attention. The Agua Colina parcel on Indian Hill Road “has the highest ranked ecological score on Marco,” according to Brad Cornell, Policy Director of Audubon of the Western Everglades. Cornell, Meredith Budd from the Florida Wildlife Federation and Marco Island City Councilor Rich Blonna were on hand in support of moving this parcel from the B list to the A list. Councilor Blonna specifically pointed out that Agua Colina is a “multi-decade learning laboratory because not only is it prime habitat for Gopher Tortoises and other species, it sits on 3,000 years of archeological and historic ruins… it is rich for being a prime environmental and archeological site.” He notes that it is within viewing distance of Otter Mound and “would make a nice four-part parcel for anyone that is interested in history and archeology – they could spend a day there.” He also notes that permits for new home builds have been pouring into Marco and “now is the right time to buy this property.” Commissioner Solis floated that due to the archeological finds on the property, a buyer may be scared off a purchase because of the cost of removing or relocating the finds. Commissioner LoCastro pointed out that if someone wants a property and money is no object, this won’t cause a problem” and that commissioners shouldn’t look at a “maybe no one will buy it" scenario when considering whether to purchase land. LoCastro is in full agreement that the Agua Colina property should be included on the A list. Also in attendance and lending support was Brittany Piersma, a familiar face on Marco. Piersma is a field biologist for Audubon of the Western Everglades (AWE) who spends “at least 75% of my time” on Marco. She spoke to the biological importance of the Agua Colina property, explaining that Gopher tortoises are a “keystone” species, meaning they provide habitat to other species within their burrows.

Math was a big part of their discussion as commissioners were figuring out how much of the 26 million dollars would be available for acquisition and what would be put back into the management fund. This conversation was in part for commissioners to decide whether to move any of the B parcels to the A list. Normally 25% of the available amount is put into the management fund for future acquisition use – in this case about $12 million. That leaves about $14 million for parcel acquisition which would cover the A list. The debate centered on the fact that while staff presented an estimate on the cost of purchasing the parcels, the actual cost is still to be determined once appraisals and negotiations with landowners are made. So instead of limiting the amount available, commissioners voted 4-1 to allow for a straight out purchase of the lands with the remaining portion going into the management fund. This does not mean the board is committed to overspending or that they are buying all the properties. The vote just allows for consideration of the parcels once staff brings the pricing to them, at which time they will select which to move forward and purchase.

The second motion, which passed 3-2, centered on getting pricing for both the A and B list. The Agua Colina parcel, along with another B parcel in Big Hammock, were what incentivized commissioners to include the B list in its pricing request and came on the heels of their discussion on how much money they could potentially spend. Commissioner Taylor and Commissioner Solis’ dissenting vote was due to an issue with the third parcel on that B list – a former landfill – and its potential for pollution. Commissioner McDaniel noted that this step is getting pricing only, and not a vote to purchase.

In other news, one public comment speaker received praise from commissioners for her eloquent presentation. Jayne Kim, a volunteer with Domestic Animal Services (DAS), acted as spokesperson for the organization as well SNIP Collier, For the Love of Cats, Camp Many Paws, Volunteer Services for Animals, QT Kittens, Naples Cat Alliance, Animal Compassion Project, Hopeful Hearts Rescue, Inc. and Animal Task Force of Southwest Florida. Through Kim, these organizations voiced their strong opposition to a takeover of DAS by the Humane Society of Naples. While a collaboration between the two was initially discussed, the Humane Society of Naples presented a takeover plan, something LoCastro noted and brought to the other commissioners’ attention during a previous BCC meeting. During this meeting, commissioners thanked LoCastro for bringing that to the forefront and re-upped their commitment to supporting that the two agencies work together but still remain separate – with no takeover.