A PLAN FOR PROTECTING THE COLLIER COUNTY SHORELINE

By Dave Trecker

What’s our most valuable asset?

Most people would say it’s our shoreline, with its beaches and bays and inlets. A focal point for tourism, it sets Collier County apart; visitors always head straight for the beach. And it provides a weekend destination for the rest of us.

Plus it has financial value. The coastline is a growth magnet for new businesses and new residents, drawing not only from our northern states, but from countries around the world. And it adds immeasurably to the value of our homes.

There’s no question the shoreline is very important. It’s also very vulnerable.

Like much of the rest of Florida, the Collier coast is flat, threatened by sea-level rise and fierce tidal storms. Hurricanes are on the rise, with Category 4 and 5 storms projected to increase in frequency by up to 87% by the end of the century. But you don’t have to wait until 2100 to see the impact. Experts say we could have as many as 180 tidal floods a year by 2045.

The Naples area is particularly exposed. An analysis by CoreLogic estimates a storm reconstruction cost of $43 billion, one of the highest in the nation. And we continue to build along the shoreline, putting more luxury high rises in harm’s way – the most recent example being One Naples at the foot of Vanderbilt Beach Road, now up for county approval.

Short-term measures to deal with the threat are few and far between. Coastal Zone Management shores up eroded beaches with frequent truck hauls, bringing quarry sand to repair the most badly damaged areas. Rocketing flood insurance rates discourage some coastal building. Otherwise little is being done. No zoning changes, no mandated elevation of shoreline structures, no surcharges to discourage coastal building, no steps to elevate roadways or protect infrastructure.

And you can’t blame our local officials. They have a limited budget and immediate problems to deal with, not the least of which is the COVID-19 pandemic. Coastal resiliency is well down the priority list.

But it’s not being ignored. Fortunately something is being done about it. A far-reaching plan is being developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to strengthen our beaches and protect inland property. Driving the project is Gary McAlpin, head of CZM. Sensing the coastline’s vulnerability, McAlpin worked with USACE for nearly ten years to secure funding for a feasibility study.

That study went public in August 2020. Incorporating stakeholder input, the plan will be finalized for review by the USACE chief in 2021 and subsequently sent to Washington DC for approval by numerous committees and eventually by Congress. Funding authorization for engineering and permitting would then be sought. With a comprehensive design in hand, USACE would seek federal money to implement Phase 1.

What does the plan entail? It’s a fifty-year, multi-stage blueprint for safeguarding the shore, with an overall cost in the billions. The plan calls for the U.S. government to foot 65% of the bill and Collier County 35%.

Phase 1 would involve massive beach strengthening – increasing beach width to 150 feet and building dune heights to 10-14 feet – and large-scale protective plantings. Sand would come from offshore dredging.

That would be accompanied by selective hardening with seawalls, groins and surge barriers, as well as elevating and flood-proofing critical infrastructure.

A unique feature of the project is hydraulic isolation and protection of six separate coastline areas. That means taking a number of small bites, each providing standalone protection.

To the USACE’s credit, the plan aims to use taxpayer money wisely. Resiliency measures are proposed only if they’re cost effective. Some areas are candidates for beach buildup and hardening, while others fare best from elevating and flood-proofing buildings.

McAlpin points out the USACE feasibility plan is just that, a plan. Buy-in from stakeholders is essential. Certain elements of the plan may be adopted and others changed. It will be an interactive process. And it will take time to wind its way through the government bureaucracy. Competing with other proposals for the same money, the project will require vigorous lobbying by our Congressional delegation.

While the USACE proposal is our best bet at this time, it could be scuttled for any number of reasons. If so, the county would have to come up with its own design and, importantly, find the money to pay for it.

One thing is certain. We must protect our shoreline and start to plan for it now. The risks are real. Sea-level rise, coastal storms and hurricanes aren’t going to go away.

Dave Trecker is chairman of the county’s Coastal Advisory Committee and a long-standing member of Collier Citizens Council.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has bestowed its highest honor, the Eagle Award, on Nick and Linda Penniman, long-time supporters of the environment and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida at its annual meeting. The award was presented by Van Williams, president of the Conservancy’s board of directors.

“It is our honor and pleasure to support this couple, recognizing how much they’ve contributed to Collier County and the Conservancy over the years,” Mr. Williams said. “It’s their integrity, dedication and unwavering commitment to what we do and what needs to be done here in the county.”

Each year, the Conservancy presents its prestigious Eagle Awards to individuals and organizations that provide outstanding leadership on environmental causes, shepherd philanthropic initiatives and participate in grassroots activism.

“Linda and I do what we do not for the recognition, but because of the work that needs to be done,” said Nick Penniman. “This award was truly special to us because it was given to us jointly, recognizing the work that we do together. There’s no other place in the region where you have as many environmental issues to address. We truly believe the Conservancy is the most effective organization in the country as their work is urgently important to the development of Southwest Florida. It’s a great honor and very satisfying for us to be involved.”

Nick Penniman retired in 1999 as publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Currently on the Conservancy’s board of directors, he served as board chair from 1995-1997, and led the Saving Southwest Florida campaign to build the Conservancy campus for two years. For the Conservancy’s 50th anniversary in 2014, he published “Nature’s Steward: A History of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.” He is a former member of both the Coastal Advisory Community and the Environmental Advisory Committee for Collier County. His second book, “A Toxic Inconvenience: Red Tide and Blue-Green Algae on Florida’s Coast,” was published late last year.

Linda Penniman served on the Naples City Council from 2014 -2019, championing the environment and serving on a special taskforce for The Conservancy, chair of the Collier County Waterkeeper and aiding the city of Naples Planning Advisory Board, Coastal Advisory Committee and other organizations.

To learn more about the Conservancy, visit www.conservancy.org. ¦

There are options

Is it in the best interests of Collier County resident/tax payers to split  the Collier County Sheriff’s Office into five separately organized,  managed, administered, operated and funded Public Safety organizations, with five separate training and operation’s protocols, and five separate personnel compensation and benefit programs?

Is five separate Collier County EMS Medical Response organizations better than one coordinated comprehensive countywide responder?

Currently there are five separate Collier County Fire Agencies (down from ten a few years ago). Marco Island, Naples, and the unincorporated county with Immokalee Fire, North Collier Fire  (comprising North Naples and Big Corkscrew), and Greater Naples Fire (comprising East Naples, Golden Gate, Isles of Capri, County operated station, and Ochopee under a management agreement).

The Fire Commissioners stated to the public for those previous Fire Agency consolidations that they were going to both provide better service and save tax payer money.

Although some are dangerous, fortunately fewer than 2% of responses are coded fires. While 86% are coded medical responses, service calls, and good intention calls. The remainder are coded false alarms, and other non-fire calls.

Thus Fire Agencies are mostly in the medical response business.

All Fire Agencies could implement further cooperation in operating protocols, training, and other support functions that could save money.

Another option is Immokalee, Greater Naples, and North Collier Fire Commissioners could continue to further provide better service and save tax payer money, by consolidating into two, or even one Fire Agency for the entire unincorporated County, as supported by 63.7% of those voting and passed by a majority in 51 of 53 county precincts, to that March 2016 ballot question.

Marvin Easton

Naples

Short Term Home Rentals

Following the April 9 BCC meeting, the Collier Citizens Council communicated to each Commissioner its opposition to the March 26 resolution for blanket enforcement of a 6 month minimal rental period within unincorporated Collier County.

Short term rentals are a complex issue with many apparent and unforeseen outcomes – economic, financial, social and human. Accordingly, this issue warrants deliberation and external assistance (consultants) to estimate all consequences from a wide range of regulatory options.

The relevant TDC packet, ignored by all except dissenting Commissioner McDaniel, provides prudent advice from county counsel for more information, including stakeholder input throughout a long term investigatory process of a “difficult and complex issue, whose current breadth raises numerous hypothetical legal issues…”

Further, we emphasized these compelling considerations

1. Creates a regulatory hodgepodge ranging from no time regulations on Marco Island to 30 days in the City of Naples to 180 days in unincorporated Collier, overruling the self-governance of innumerable HOAs and Condo Associations.
2. Impacts negatively economic projections for our pending Sports Complex, creating another competitive disadvantage when teams consider all available Florida venues.
3. Affects negatively affordable housing, especially for seniors and the economically disadvantaged when home-sharing for 6 months is too long.
4. Impacts negatively TDT collections and  impairs TDT budgets.
5. Six (6) month leases will morph to 6 months + 1 day to avoid any TDT taxation, reducing collections of $9 Million annually from realtors and homeowners.
6. Imposes inequity and taxpayers /property owners will circumvent enforcement because of perceptions of bias and unequal enforcement within the entire county including municipalities.
7. Instituting good governance requires reflection when listening to individual emotional appeals or else bad policy is the usual result.

Ian McKeag

Collier Citizens Council