County to Purchase 2,200 - Acre Reserve Amidst Conservation Cuts

Despite previously taking millions of dollars from the Conservation Collier Trusts, the Collier County Commission moved forward with large conservation land purchases during their meeting on Tuesday, April 22. 

The Commission approved the purchase of Williams Reserve in Immokalee at a purchase price of nearly $20.1 million for the 2,247 acres of farmland and slough.  

“We have long sought the acquisition of that slough area,” said County Commissioner Bill McDaniel. “That’s a huge basin of highly environmentally sensitive land,” McDaniel said.  

The purchase decision, with 5-2 approval, did not come easily following discussion of soil and groundwater contaminants that would require remediation, including the likelihood of contaminants that would be discovered later and not remediated by the seller prior to the County’s purchase, county staff advised.  

Due to these concerns, Commissioners Burt Saunders and Dan Kowal voted no to approve the purchase. 

County staff also recommended cancelling the sale due to that risk, said Trinity Scott, head of Collier’s transportation department.  

County plans for the property remain undecided but include affordable housing in a northern portion described as “the boot” due to its geographic shape, said Scott. The slough could be restored to improve water quality in and out of Lake Trafford, which runs into Corkscrew Sanctuary and CREWS lands, said McDaniel.  

The county tested 50 spots, with four-inch circumferences, in areas that were likely to contain contaminants due to fueling, vehicle activity, and contaminant storage, said Community Development Director James French. Between 25 percent and 50 percent of those test spots were positive for contaminants, staff estimated.  

The property owners, the Williams family, agreed to restore those areas, which include not only the initial four-inch test area but also the plume around each identified contaminated area. These discovered contaminants include hydrocarbons, lead, and arsenic, County staff said. Contaminants were found in the agricultural areas but not in the area planned for the affordable housing, said Scott.  

Later, when the County does create a site development plan, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection may require further remediation of the site, Scott advised. 

“The scab of the Golden Gate property is still a little bit soft,” said Commissioner Chris Hall. 

The Golden Gate Golf Course property purchase was discovered to require more contamination remediation costs than initially estimated, Hall said. 

County partners, including South Florida Water Management District and Audubon of Western Everglades, support the purchase of Williams Reserve to improve water quality, staff advised. 

During public comment, Cliff Donenfeld warned the Commission of another 11,000-acre property, dubbed the Green Heart of the Everglades, purchased by the state for $30 million from the Collier family that is still in the courts due to cancer-causing wood preservative contaminants there.  

Clerk of Court and Comptroller Crystal Kinzel also expressed a warning to the Commission.  

“I see the red flags also,” Kinzel said. “It does concern me as a comptroller,” Kinzel said.  

“The benefits outweigh the risks,” said McDaniel, who motioned for approval with a second by Hall. 

Other Conservation Collier Updates 

Collier County Commission voted to take up to $53 million out of the Conservation Collier trust funds in fall 2023 to allow for the money’s use on general expenses instead. Saunders was the only Commissioner who voted against taking the money at that time. This money has still not been returned, nor has the Commission committed to return it. 

When the Commission did not vote to purchase conservation land in the past, they then used that as the reason to spend the money elsewhere. Conservation Collier funds were collected by the County based on a voter referendum specific to voters’ desire to conserve property. 

“Conservation Collier’s role in Collier County has some purposes that no other agency is going to pursue,” said Brad Cornell of Audubon Florida and Audubon Western Everglades.  

Cornell remains a dedicated advocate for Conservation Collier during each Commission meeting. 

Commission approved, 4-1, with Hall opposed, to purchase 65 acres called Edwards Trust and 20 acres called Golden Land, which are adjacent to each other and to Picayune Strand State Forest. The combined cost is approximately $490,000 to purchase with $100,000 in initial maintenance for the first five years, followed by $12,000 annual maintenance in the years to follow, advised Jaime Cook, Collier County’s director of development. The properties are not easily accessible and would not likely be developed, County staff advised. The benefit to purchase includes opportunity for restoration and wildfire risk reduction in an area in the western Everglades, said Cornell, echoing County staff recommendation.  

Commission approved in a narrow 3-2 vote to purchase five acres for $2.5 million in an urban area located off Immokalee Road near Livingston Road and near Palm River and Willoughby Acres developments. The property, dubbed the Lucarelli property, owned by Angelo and Gail Lucarelli, has been in the midst of code enforcement violations since 2018 due to invasive plant species not managed within 250 feet of neighboring development, County staff advised. Hall and Kowal opposed the purchase. 

Hall had pulled these above conservation land items off the consent agenda, which would have allowed a vote without discussion.  

Commission’s approval to move forward does not yet mean the sales are final. Closing is likely to occur in the future, but at times such purchase agreements fall through. 

Other conservation lands approved for purchase included Hendrix House, a 17.6-acre property at a cost of $502,000, adjacent to the Miller Canal wildlife crossing under I-75 leading to Picayune Strand State Forest. 

E-Bike Safety Ordinance Passes 

The Commission unanimously (5-0) passed an ordinance to regulate electric bicycles. The ordinance prohibits the fastest, class three category of e-bikes from being operated in public by youth under age 16. A speed limit is to be implemented of 15 miles per hour on sidewalks and shared-use paths, according to the ordinance. Class three e-bike riders must operate in bike lanes only, which is the lane alongside motor vehicles, due to their capabilities of traveling at speeds in excess of 20 miles per hour and often much faster, staff said. Enforcement of the ordinance, in particular speed limits, would be difficult, so the ordinance was not recommended by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, according to County staff overview. 

Public Speaks on Dogs and Domestic Animal Services 

Several members of the public, including volunteers with Collier County Domestic Animals Services from Marco Island, Golden Gate Estates, and Immokalee, noted that there are neighborhoods with stray dogs living and mating. They noted that DAS does not pay officers enough to hire the staff they need. DAS has weakened, they said, because it has been moved under code enforcement, where there are not any board members with specific animal service backgrounds, public speakers criticized. Further, the DAS facilities were not properly updated to provide adequate, humane space for large dogs and for allowing dogs outside access, DAS volunteers aid. People are often not held responsible for their animals with unpaid fines, critics said.  

Collier County Supports DOGE  

Commissioner Hall recommended that Commissioners express support of DOGE, Department of Government Efficiency, as implemented by Governor Ron DeSantis and initiated by President Donald Trump by executive order in January. The Commission agreed, approving unanimously, 5-0, a resolution to support DOGE. 

“We were doing DOGE when DOGE wasn’t cool and we’re in our third year now,” said Hall.  

Expanding Building to Land Ratios at Sierra Meadows and Assisted Living Facilities 

Commission allowed for an increase in the ratio of building area to land area in Sierra Meadows, which is located at Rattlesnake Hammock and Collier Boulevard in southeastern Naples. FAR, floor area ratio, is currently between .45 and .5 and the request was to increase the building area and thus the FAR on the property to .6. Because this request is common for assisted living facilities, McDaniel recommended the County change the Land Development Code to automatically allow this FAR of .6 for assisted living facilities in the future. The building is likely to include a popular coffee shop.  

Immokalee Senior Housing Plans Decrease, Church to Expand 

An eight-acre residential mixed-use planned unit development in Immokalee on 11th Street North, south of Lake Trafford Road, is decreasing plans for 119 units to 30 units and a church with a community center. The Commission approved the request unanimously, 5-0.  

Other Discussions 

- Commissioners discussed allowing veterans and military artifacts to be temporarily added to the Collier County Museum until a future veterans complex is developed.  

- McDaniel suggested commercial parking be limited to one vehicle per residential property in Golden Gate Estates and other residential areas in Collier.