Proposal for City of Marco Island

I am here to request a question be placed on our next voting ballot so our Marco Island residents have the opportunity to give their feedback. 

The question is:Would you agree to have a very small percentage of your taxes go to funding the purchase of vacant lots with endangered tortoise burrows for preservation by the City of Marco Island? 

An example of how this type of question played out for the benefit of all is Laguna Beach, California in the early 1990s. The residents were asked if they agreed to have a small percentage of their property taxes go to the purchase of Laguna Canyon, a wilderness area between the beach and the major highway to the east. If it wasn’t purchased by the residents, it would have been sold and fully developed. 80% of voters said yes on the ballot, and it has been forever saved for the enjoyment of people, flora and fauna. Let me say that again 80% agreed to use their tax dollars to preserve the land, a forever win for the environment and all residents, visitors, animals and flora! 

Now, let me transition to the reality of Marco Island, 2024… 

Recently, as an example, the lot at the corner of Kirk Terrace and Caxambas Drive was sold and will be developed for a large home. There had been 60 tortoise burrows on the property which have now been destroyed. Let me say that again, 60 tortoise burrows were lost due to one property being sold for another house on Marco Island, when there are still many lots available to build which do not have tortoises on the property. 

The tortoises from this lot were moved approximately 100 miles away to an inland site with a slightly different climate, vegetation and social conditions. 

Sellers and buyers are lulled into complacency, assuming the move is no big deal for the tortoises. That is not the case! According to several biologists I have spoken to, the move is extraordinarily stressful for the tortoises. Many do not habituate, they wander in agitation, and their longevity is compromised. They are only monitored on a yearly basis, and a lot can go wrong in that time. The young and older tortoises are detrimentally affected the most. 

Keeping the tortoises in their current habitat allows them the best chance of survival…. and we the residents here will not lose the joy of their presence. 

Conservation Collier has provided some relief for our habitat loss, but that organization has the entire county to address for conservation, so we must step up if we want to see conservation a priority here. 

It really is our responsibility and privilege to protect this endangered species, and it is truly now or never to do so… just drive by Kirk and Caxambas for a major dose of reality. 

In summary, I am asking the city to include a question on this year’s ballot for the residents to decide if they agree to a small portion of their taxes be utilized to purchase endangered gopher tortoises properties for their habitat conservation. 

The benefit for all our residents is maintaining the unique and special character of our island, including the endangered species of gopher tortoises for us and future generations to see and appreciate. 

Thank you for your time and I respectfully ask for your consideration on this issue for the next voting ballot for residents.