Welcome to the latest edition of my Naples City Council newsletter.
I want to share with you my perspectives on the issues that have come before Naples – and City Council – in the last three months. And what a time it has been! The rise of coronavirus pandemic, an economic recession, and the most significant period of social unrest in 50 years, all coinciding with the election of a new Mayor and three new members of City Council.
On June 18, City Council began its summer recess and will reconvene on August 10 for what promises to be a very busy late summer and fall cycle of meetings. This is a good moment to step back, reflect on the activity of recent months and offer a preview of the future.
All things today begin with the COVID-19 pandemic. So let’s start there, with a look at how the coronavirus has impacted Naples and Collier County.
The Pandemic and Naples
The most important concerns associated with the coronavirus are public health and economic impacts. Are we protecting people to the maximum extent feasible while also doing everything we can to safely reopen the economy?
As we know, after weeks of making seemingly steady progress against the virus, the situation badly worsened in Florida beginning in early June. Southwest Florida did not escape this fate. For example, between June 1 and July 11 the total number of COVID cases in Collier County grew from 1,514 to 5,777 – more than 4,000 cases in little more than a month.
We are now in the most serious and uncertain period of time since the pandemic began. Most public health experts believe that the increase in cases in Florida, including this region, will continue at current pace for at least another 2-3 weeks, likely longer. Increases in hospitalizations and deaths are sure to follow.
Lee County hospital officials report capacity for ICU beds now at 90% and Collier County officials believe that similar constraints will be felt here if current trends continue for another month.
For regular updates on the pandemic in Florida and Collier County, I encourage you to visit the following websites:
- State Department of Health at floridahealthcovid19.com for data on COVID cases statewide and by county
- Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) at ahca.myflorida.com for data on hospitalizations
- Florida Covid Action at floridacovidaction.com – a comprehensive website of COVID data created by Rebekah Jones, former chief data scientist at the Florida Department of Health
What the Business Community is Saying
The impact of the virus on our regional business community has been especially felt by the hospitality industry. Here is a sample of what I have heard from individuals I have personally talked with who operate businesses in that industry:
- “We are glad to be open even with limited capacity. The ability to provide outdoor dining is essential.”
- “This summer season is even weaker than it would otherwise be because of the absence of European visitors.”
- “If we are not back to ‘normal’ by Thanksgiving in time for the next ‘season’, many restaurants will not be able to survive.”
- “There are too many restaurants that are not observing the rules around seating capacity and physical distancing. Some still do not even consistently make their own employees wear masks. This is penalizing those of us who are doing the right thing. Government needs to enforce these rules.”
It is interesting to note that there is a rising view in the business community that clear, consistent and fair requirements for wearing masks are a good public health practice and good for business. On July 8, for example, the Collier County Tourism Development Council passed a resolution requesting the County Board of Commissioners to consider a mask order. This came in the context of reports from the hospitality industry that people are now looking to visit communities where they will feel comfortable that they are safe.
What Actions are Needed?
Medical and public health experts widely agree that wearing a mask – along with observing proper social distancing and avoiding large gatherings – are the single most important actions that can be taken to limit the spread of the virus.
Public officials need to consistently and strongly send this message. In the absence of better voluntary compliance, we increase the chances that mask mandates may be required. Over 20 Governors have taken action on this at a statewide level. In Florida, a number of cities and counties – including St. Petersburg, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Palm Beach County, Sanibel and Ft. Myers Beach – have now moved forward in the absence of an overall state directive.
The Collier County Medical Society is circulating a petition among its members to support a face mask covering ordinance. As of July 13, over 200 members have signed it.
In the face of this surge in the coronavirus, I believe that local action is needed to require face covering in indoor buildings that are open to the public. But to be effective, this needs to be a joint, coordinated effort by the City of Naples and Collier County so that the rules and guidelines are consistent across the county. To do so will protect our health and help save jobs.
In this context, it is disappointing that the Collier County Commission, at its meeting on July 14, voted 3-2 not to adopt a mask ordinance. While I disagree with some of the specific elements of this ordinance as proposed, I support the adoption by the County and City of Naples of a reasonable set of requirements around mask wear in the face of ever-escalating COVID case loads and hospitalizations locally. In my opinion, the threat posed by the virus will not go away soon. Local government needs to identify, in the face of State government inaction, reasonable measures to help keep citizens safe including requirements around mask wear.
Social Protests in Naples
The nationwide movement of social protests that occurred after the murder of George Floyd impacted Collier County and Naples as it did many other communities across America. There have been at least a half dozen protest marches in the last six weeks organized by Black Lives Matter and other groups.
Most of these demonstrations and marches took place in the City of Naples, along Fifth Avenue or at Cambier Park. All have been peaceful, though with high emotion. There have but been limited problems and no property damage or other illegal actions by protestors.
We do not know what further protests may occur in the months ahead. For now, however, we should take a moment to recognize and support those who have been exercising their rights in a responsible way. And we should also thank our Naples Police Department who, along with the Collier County Sheriff’s Department, have dealt with these marches in a patient and skillful way, avoiding confrontation and conflict.
Beyond the Pandemic – Recent Actions by Council
In the midst of the pandemic, City Council has still had to focus on other matters critical to our town’s future. Many of these were important issues in the recent election campaign and in my campaign a year ago.
Here is a short recap of what has been accomplished:
1. Ethics reform: On April 15, Council voted unanimously to refer the Ethics Naples referendum to the August 18 general primary ballot. This came after two years (!) of resistance and lawsuits by the prior Mayor and Council.
It is now up to the voters to decide. Please vote “Yes” on August 18 to allow us to move forward with a new and better ethics code for the City of Naples. For more information on this referendum and the ethics issue generally, visit ethicsnaples.org.
2. Making the Environment Priority #1: The new City Council has made clear that its top priority is to address environmental issues facing the City, many of which have gone unattended for too long.
This currently includes two major areas of focus:
• Implementing our Stormwater Management Master Plan. In 2018, City Council approved an updated Stormwater Management Master Plan which contained over 73 recommeded projects and programs involving estimated costs of more than $70 million to be carried out over the next decade. One of the major reasons why I ran for Council was the need to take this study off the shelf and begin to implement it. I believe the new Council will make this a priority, as we discussed and agreed to at our May 14 meeting.
As one example, Council directed staff to provide recommendations and cost estimates to accelerate basin assessments, which are critical initial steps to determining stormwater management improvements within designated areas of the City. Two basin assessments have been completed – Basin Three (Old Naples between 5th Avenue South and 3rd Avenue North) and Basin Five (US-41 to Goodlette-Frank Road between Creech Road and 7th Avenue North). Two additional basins, including Basin Four (Port Royal and Aqualane Shores) will now be added to our short-term action plan.
As another example, Council on June 3 took a series of actions to move forward the Gulf Shore Boulevard Beach Outfall Removal project, a long-delayed initiative to protect Naples Beach, improve water quality, and better manage stormwater for a significant area of Naples.
As part of these actions, Council directed staff to demonstrate the water quality improvements that would occur with this project and to evaluate the feasibility of constructing an alternative pump station contiguous to the Naples Beach Hotel that might allow for Phases One and Two of this project to be consolidated. Also, Council directed staff to evaluate key roadway design elements for the project – including the location of the stormwater infrastructure, location of a new water main, and selection of appropriate gutters – in order to minimize impact on adjacent properties and public ROW while carrying out the project in a cost-effective manner.
The results of this analysis will be shared with Council in September. I am hopeful that we can then reach final decisions on this project to allow it proceed to final design and begin construction in the spring of 2021.
• Accelerating Stormwater Lakes Clean-up and Restoration: On May 11, Council also reached consensus to use funding that will be received from Collier County through the special 1% sales tax initiative for purposes of lake clean-up and restoration. This will provide as much as $25 million over five years to be used (along with other funds) to design and implement improvement projects on some 20 lakes that serve as critical stormwater retention and filtering facilities.
The City’s network of lakes has long been a neglected component of our water quality and flood management system. Staff recently prepared an updated work plan that prioritizes lakes for attention. As a result of the discusson at the May 11 meeting, Council directed that first priority be given to the design of improvements for Spring Lake and East Lake, located just south of the Fifth Avenue business district, and for Swan Lake, located in the Park Shore area.
3. Fixing our Land Development Code: The 2019 City Visioning Process yielded one priority above all others: we need to maintain the “small town look, feel, charm and character” of Naples. To many residents, these features were being lost to new development that was often too tall, too dense, and generally out of scale to the historic built environment of our town.
It is the city’s land development code – our zoning, subdivision regulations, density limits, rules around parking, and the like – that guide what developers can and can’t do. Too often, these rules have been modified or interpreted in ways that are not consistent with what was envisioned a generation ago.
I believe the current City Council is determined to change that and take actions that will make sure our development code protects the small-town character of Naples. This was the primary goal I advocated when I first ran for Council in 2019 and I look forward to working with my fellow Councilors to accomplish this in the months ahead.
Action has already begun. Council acted to reform the process by which developers can receive variances relating to their projects, creating a system where such variances (formerly know as “site plans with deviations”) are provided only in rare but deserved circumstances.
And on June 17, Council passed a “zoning in progress” which notified the public that there were pending changes being considered to ordinances regarding height restrictions and parking. We also had workshop discussions on the so-called “ D” Downtown density regulations governing the core commercial areas of the city and the “density bonus” rules in place for the same area, which allow developers to pay for the right to build residential projects at a higher density than permitted by our code.
Other issues still to be considered are rules around planned developments (minimum 5 acre “PDs”), maximum lot coverage and other matters. By the time this process is concluded, hopefully by the end of this year, we can have in place a land development code and related ordinances that guide future development in ways that protect and enhance our residential neighborhoods. Clarifying, tightening, and enforcing our codes and ordinances is of benefit to all.
Looking Ahead – What Else is on the Horizon?
When Council returns to session on August 10, the most important immediate task will be to pass a budget and Capital Improvement Plan for the coming fiscal year beginning October 1. Council took a preliminary step in this process when it approved on June 17 a maximum millage rate of 1.15 for the coming year. This is a rollback from the current 1.18 rate and recognizes the current economic uncertainty that the pandemic poses for residents and businesses.
Council also received a series of presentations in May and June from city departments regarding their suggested priorities for the coming year. In August and September, these discussions will continue and we will have updated information about the impact of the economic recession on our tax base. There will be public budget hearings on September 2 and 16 providing an opportunity for residents to voice their views on spending priorities.
This will be a challenging year to develop a budget. We need to take into account the immediate and longer-term impacts of the recession while trying to find ways to carry out many, long-delayed projects that are needed, particularly in the environmental area. Fortunately, the city has significant reserves and little debt, providing flexibility in this low interest rate environment to prudently address our needs.
I hope you will share your views on the city budget in person at budget hearings this fall or through letters and emails to Council. You can find the schedule for all upcoming Council meetings on the City website (naplesgov.com/calendar). And remember, the agenda for each Council meeting is published seven days before the meeting itself and available at the same site.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this update with you. Stay safe and have a good summer. I look forward to talking with you again when Council reconvenes.
Best wishes,
Ray Christman
Naples City Council
735 8th Street North
Naples, Florida 34102
239-213-1035
rchristman@naplesgov.com