Litzan Prepares for Life’s Next Chapter

Marco Island’s longtime City Clerk, Laura Litzen, is retiring after 24 years with the city. Over the course of her employment, Litzan was there for the island’s many changes during a period of major growth.

Many folks joke that it was Herb Savage who originally welcomed the Caloosahatchee Indians to Marco Island. The affable architect for the Mackle Brothers and the Deltona Corporation was often seen as a wealth of historical information about Marco Island and its development during the ‘60s as “Modern-Day” Marco Island began to take shape.

Twenty-five years ago, the city reached another milestone, when by the slimmest of margins, citizens voted to become a stand-alone community by incorporating as the City of Marco Island. Only 17 cities have incorporated since that date, which includes the following: Westlake (2016); Estero (2014); Grant-Valkaria (2006); Loxahatchee Groves (2006); Cutler Bay (2005); West Park (2005); Doral (2003); Miami Gardens (2003); Palmetto Bay (2002); Miami Lakes (2000); Southwest Ranches (2000); Bonita Springs (1999); Marathon (1999); Palm Coast (1999); Islamorada, Village of Islands (1997); Marco Island (1997); and Sunny Isles Beach (1997).

On Friday April 1, 2022, the city’s longest serving employee, City Clerk Laura Litzan will pick up her coffee mug, the same one she brought into the former Fire Station 50, and will walk out of City Hall after serving the citizens of Marco Island for 24 years. 

The former Fire Station 50 (at the corner of Heathwood and San Marco Road) served as the first temporary home of the fledgling city administrative staff. There they stayed until such time as they moved into temporary quarters in the SunTrust Building (at the corner of Bald Eagle and Collier Boulevard).

Both Bill Moss, the first permanent City Manager and Litzan walked into their temporary quarters in 1998, which consisted of a couple of closets at the old fire station and began the process of creating the City of Marco Island.

Since then, she has been privy to many of the ongoing battles and successes during her time with the city. Litzan has become a wealth of knowledge for both city administrators as well as elected officials, helping to walk them through their learning processes. They could choose to either accept her guidance or proceed along a learning exercise of their own. 

Litzan grew up just north of the City of Detroit, where she met her husband John, who worked in the construction trades throughout the Detroit area. They married in 1978 and upon John’s retirement in 1997 they moved to Marco Island. John Litzan passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer in 2021.

Litzan reflected proudly on the successes of the city, which she speaks of always as a “collaborative effort” by all the players on the city team, both elected and appointed. When asked what she saw as the most significant, she pointed to the continued improvements in the city’s emergency response to natural disasters such as hurricanes, the latest being Hurricane Irma in 2017.

“The city staff really had a seamless response to the needs of our citizens and the rapid restoration of services. It is what the citizens don’t see that is so spectacular,” said Litzan. 

She also proudly pointed out the construction of the new Fire Headquarters Building and Emergency Operations Center. “When this facility is brought online and the citizens can see its benefits first-hand, they will be very proud of the planning which has gone into its creation,” said Litzan.

Another plus in the visionary planning for the community came with the purchase of the present-day City Hall facility, which was the former Barnett Bank building. 

Litzan also mentioned the purchase of the water utility from Florida Water Services (FWS) and not losing it to another entity that was pursuing the acquisition of FWS assets.

When Laura Litzan walks out the front doors of City Hall on April 1, she’ll do so with the knowledge that she has been part of the “solutions” for many of the issues confronting a new city and the residents who have the courage to take on the awaiting challenges.

Litzan will spend the next couple of months settling into her new condominium outside Detroit, which is close to her family. She will plan for travel and time off as she prepares for the next chapter in her life, surrounded by family and friends.