Council Appoints Seventh Member, Selects City Manager

Marco Island City Council filled a vacant council seat, selected interim City Manager Dr. Casey Lucius as its choice for city manager, and agreed to make nightly beach reports available to the public during a wide-ranging meeting Monday night.

The first major item on the agenda was the appointment of a new council member to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Erik Brechnitz. Council members were told Tony Oliverio had withdrawn his name from consideration, leaving seven applicants: John Aguis, Dr. Rich Blonna, Christopher Boehringer, Anthony Costantino, Kevin Dohm, Chris Ricci, and Rick Woodworth.

Chair Darrin Palumbo explained that nominations would be made by motion and second, followed by discussion and a vote. Council member Deb Henry immediately nominated Dohm, and Council member Bonita Schwan seconded the motion. Vice Chair Rene Champagne and Schwan then said they also had planned to nominate Dohm.

Council member Tamara Goehler nominated Rick Woodworth, with a second from Council member Stephen Gray. No members of the public were signed up to speak on the appointment, and there was no council discussion of the nominees.

The vote to appoint Dohm passed 4-2, with Gray and Goehler opposed. Dohm was then seated, bringing the council back to seven members.

Council also heard a report from the Beach and Coastal Advisory Committee, presented by Chris Ricci. He said the city is seeing increased activity on the beach, along with ongoing issues related to trash, beach cleanups, and wildlife protection. Ricci said volunteers continue to find items such as large fishing hooks, straws, and piles of trash during beach cleanups at South Beach and other areas. He also discussed burrowing owls and concerns about the threat rat poison can pose to the population.

Champagne said enforcement of the city’s shark-fishing ordinance has improved nighttime conditions on the beach. He also raised concerns about lights from beachfront condominiums during sea turtle nesting season.

Schwan said residents have asked for more information about what police and code enforcement officers are seeing on the beach at night. She later requested council consensus to have the Marco Island Police Department post its nightly beach reports for public review.

Lucius proposed that the reports be posted on the Police Department’s website instead of on social media. Council voted to move forward with making the reports public when they are generated, which is currently daily.

Council also received a second-quarter financial report from Carol McDermott of the city’s Finance Department. McDermott said the city is in a stable position at midyear, though interest revenue is weaker than expected and overall revenue is lower than at the same point last year.

Champagne asked about the city’s audit. McDermott said she does not expect major improvement in auditors’ observations about the city’s lack of internal controls, but said the city is further along than it was last year and expects to meet the June 30 deadline. She said more work remains to improve transparency and tighten financial procedures.

During the city manager’s report, Lucius said the city has hired a new public information officer to help get information out to the community.

Council also voted unanimously to terminate an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation and return a $1.7 million grant for the West Winterberry Bridge project. Officials said the grant had been sought before the COVID-19 pandemic, and bids came in about $5 million higher than the funding available.

Gabriel presented several options for addressing noise from outdoor racquet sports, including citywide regulations, case-by-case reviews for specific locations, objective noise standards specific to racquet sports, operational limits, setbacks, and requiring mitigation measures such as sound panels.

Schwan said the city should consider citywide rules to prevent future conflicts between residents and outdoor pickleball courts. She said some locations may not be appropriate for outdoor courts at all, particularly near sensitive uses such as medical facilities. Henry said she believed the discussion was premature because the city has recently spent money on sound mitigation at the racquet center and should first determine whether those measures are effective.

Council then discussed the broader challenge of balancing pickleball’s growing popularity with the concerns of nearby residents affected by court noise. It was noted that communities across the country are facing similar conflicts and often begin with less expensive measures, such as sound panels, before moving to stricter steps, such as requiring quiet paddles and balls. In many cases, communities ultimately conclude that the only effective solution is to move the facilities indoors.

In the end, council agreed to wait for additional information, including the outcome of a Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, and reports on the effectiveness of the recent sound mitigation measures.

One of the largest decisions of the night came when council discussed the next steps in the city manager search. Diana Snover, HR Director, said four candidates had been interviewed during a workshop and that council could select a candidate, after which background checks and an employment contract would be prepared for future approval.

Champagne then made a motion to select Lucius, and Schwan seconded it. A spreadsheet was then presented showing council members’ ratings of the interviewees.

Council discussed the city’s ongoing financial challenges and whether another candidate, Kevin Greenville, might have the financial background the city needs. Palumbo said Greenville could be an excellent assistant city manager but argued strongly in favor of Lucius for the top role.

The motion to select Lucius passed unanimously. A contract will be prepared and brought back to council for consideration at a future meeting.

Council also agreed to reconsider the replacement of the Winterberry beach boardwalk, which had been approved at a previous meeting. Gray said he had since learned the boardwalk was built in 2017 and questioned whether repair might be more appropriate than full replacement.

Palumbo said the project may qualify for full replacement funding through Tourist Development Council (TDC) money and said he liked the idea of using those funds for a new boardwalk. Henry and Schwan also supported reconsideration. The issue will return at the next meeting. Council also briefly discussed the possibility of seeking TDC funding for beach bathrooms.

Council also considered whether to send a potential sign ordinance change to the Planning Board for review. The issue centered on the proliferation of signs during campaign season. The proposal to send the issue to the Planning Board failed 4-3, meaning no further review will move forward at this time.

Near the end of the meeting, Schwan raised concerns about council members hitting “reply all” to emails sent to the full council. She said Champagne and Palumbo had recently done so after she was previously criticized for doing the same. The discussion appeared to highlight ongoing concerns about council communications and the need to avoid potential Sunshine Law violations.

Goehler closed by thanking everyone who applied for the vacant council seat, saying the applicants showed courage and a willingness to serve the community.