As a beach runner and kayaker I am in daily contact with our waterways. Our intricate system of canals is our island’s lifeline, our water highway that weaves through it to provide access to the Gulf and San Marco River for our boaters and paddlers. Our canals also provide scenic vistas for our walkers, runners, and cyclists. Whether you live on the water or on a landlocked lot like my wife and myself, the health of our waterways is as essential as the quality of the air you breathe. Our canals make our island unique.
As little as four years ago our waterways were in peril and declared impaired with excess Nitrogen levels by the State of Florida. They needed to be cleaned up and the City Council and City of Marco Island stepped up devised a plan to do just that. The plan worked and Nitrogen levels have been dropping ever since. We should be off the impaired list within a year.
The job isn’t over however and we must be ever vigilant in our monitoring efforts. Recent water sampling trends show that the life-giving oxygen levels in our waterways has been dropping. We must monitor this closely and be prepared to shift our water quality efforts to deal with this threat. We need to understand how an upgrade to an Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) facility could help us in this effort to increase our oxygen levels in our waterways. I support this effort as well as studying the Benthic Mats and Algal Blooms that pop up in canals across our island. Knowing more about these occurrences can help us manage them.
If re-elected, I will continue to work with the Waterways Advisory Committee (WAC) and the City departments involved to stay informed about threats to our waterways. I will also continue to support funding the projects we need to improve the health of our waterways.
Our beautiful sandy beach, stretching from the Sand Dollar Spit on Tiger Tail to South Beach is wide and clean and home to sea turtles, dolphins, burrowing owls, migratory birds and many other species. Our beachfront hotels, condos, and resorts are second to none and our beach-related tourist industry is the lifeblood of our local economy. All of this is built on a fragile ecosystem that must be protected. As the City Council Liaison to our Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee (BACRAC) I monitor issues related to the health and safety of our beach and coastal uplands and report this information to the City Council.
When Hurricane Irma and the many storms that followed destroyed the beach, breached the dunes, and deposited hundreds of thousands of liters of sand in Tiger Tail lagoon I supported efforts to remedy the situation. The storms literally turned the beautiful Tiger Tail lagoon into a mud flat, making it unusable for residents and visitors. Facing opposition from residents who simply want to let nature take its course and destroy this area I have voted to support ongoing restoration activities. I also support all research efforts to study the problem and propose innovative ways to combat beach erosion. I have recently established a relationship with the Naples Botanical Garden to develop a multi-level beach vegetation replenishment plan.
Lastly, I have fought the Collier County TDC, the Coast Guard, and the Army Corps of Engineers for funding to dredge and properly mark Big Marco/Capri Pass. For years this gateway to our island has been neglected by County, State, and Federal Agencies and our main channel and markers have deteriorated to the point of being unsafe to navigate. I fought to get the money to dredge and correctly mark the channel with Atons. If elected I will continue this fight.
Accomplishments
- Voted to implement the recommendations for clean water that came out of the Nutrient Source Evaluation and Assessment (Dr Harper) study.
- Got County and Federal agencies to work together to address the dredging and channel marking needs of Big Marco/Capri Pass.
- Presented Water Quality Workshop to prepare residents for the Harper Study.
- Voted in favor of the City Manager’s matrix approach to managing the Harper study recommendations.
- Voted in favor of a vacuum sweeper and other strategies to clean our waterways.
- Voted to get the ACUNE sea level rise presentation on the City Council Agenda.
- Voted to fully fund (through the budget and one cents sales tax revenue) the Stormwater Management Program that improves our system of culverts, catch basins, drains, and retention capability.
- Voted to strengthen our Fertilizer Ordinance.
- Voted in favor of the revised Sea Turtle Lighting Ordinance.
- Supported the continued funding of the Gopher Tortoise Study being conducted by Audubon Western Everglades.
- Voted in favor of funding hydrology studies and project to increase water flow in our canals.
- Voted in favor of the Tigertail lagoon Restoration Plan and spoke in favor of it several times before the City Council.
- Met with the project and construction engineers during the restoration project to tour the area and get updates on the progress.
- Walked the beach every week during the project to view the work and speak to residents on the beach.
- Working with Naples Botanical Gardens to develop a multi-level beach plant community restoration project.
If Re-elected I will:
- Continue to support the recommendations for clean water that came out of the Nutrient Source Evaluation and Assessment study that still apply as we work our way out of Nitrogen impairment and face new clean water issues.
- Continue to support the City Manager’s matrix approach to managing the Harper study recommendations that still apply as we work our way out of Nitrogen impairment and face new clean water issues.
- Continue to vote to fully fund the Stormwater Management Program despite the absence of the one cents sales tax revenue.
- Continue to support all efforts to strengthen and enforce our Fertilizer Ordinance.
- Support all educational activities related to the Sea Turtle Lighting Ordinance.
- Support the continued funding of the Gopher Tortoise Study being conducted by Audubon Western Everglades.
- Continue to support funding hydrology studies that help us understand how to increase water flow in our canals.
- Continue to support funding an ongoing Tiger Tail lagoon Restoration Plan.
- Continue to work with the Naples Botanical Gardens to develop a multi-level beach plant community restoration project.
- Continue to serve as the City Council liaison to the Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee (BACRAC).
8/7/23 Update on Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Storm Risk Study. https://youtu.be/DRWWtk4CsYY
In this video I describe my anger at the Army Corps of Engineers for ignoring the needs of Marco Islanders in their plans to harden the Collier County shoreline against coastal storms. I also call the City Council to advocate for more protection from storms for Marco Islanders.
9/19/22 Support for the Tigertail Restoration Project https://youtu.be/gCe4pV83pAc
In this video clip I describe why I supported the Tigertail Restoration Project. I discuss my background research on the project complete with walking the entire lagoon with members of Audubon Western Everglades.
9/19/22 Visit to the Crystal River Restoration Project https://youtu.be/Xg7yX157w_s
In this video I describe my visit to the Crystal River Restoration Project. This seven year project removed all of the sediment from the canals in the Crystal River and King’s Bay area. The project removed excess Nitrogen and Phosphorus from the waterways and replanted seagrass. I wanted to see if it could be replicated on Marco Island.
9/06/22 Support for the Continued Analysis of Reuse Water https://youtu.be/hWBByuQeSOU
In this video I support the Waterways Advisory Committee, Clean Marco Waters LLC, and Councilor Rola, in their desire to issue an RFI to vendors for information regarding innovative techniques to clean up our reuse water.
4/4/22 Advocating for Dredging Big Marco Pass https://youtu.be/XVOOXo8ZGY8
In this video clip I present my White Paper on Dredging Big Marco Pass to the City Council. In it I explain the problems with shoaling and the need to take action to keep the pass open to all boat traffic.
2/22/22 Support for Sea Turtle Ordinance https://youtu.be/iq2bHIjuCGQ
In this video clip I give my full support to the Sea Turtle Ordinance and thank those involved for their hard work in crafting the document.
11/01/21 Concerns About Caxambas Park Commercial Use https://youtu.be/Yml-Gd-0j_g
In this video I express my concerns for the continued unrestricted commercial use of Caxambas Park and boat ramp. As an avid kayaker who launches out of Caxambas several times each month, I am well aware of the safety and traffic hazards posed by heavy use of the park during peak hours.
5/17/2021 Support for the ACUNE Sea Level Rise Analysis Tool https://youtu.be/jPa2kLh4ers
In this video clip I discuss a meeting I attended with the Resiliency Coalition where Dr. Michael Savarese from FGCU presented the ACUNE system for helping cities measure sea level rise. ACUNE stands for ADAPTATION OF COASTAL, URBAN and NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS ACUNE is a powerful computer program that answers such questions as, “ Will the sea level rise reach my property?”. ACUNE inputs the best climate, hurricane, ecological, and economic data and outputs the impact.
2/01/2021 Water Quality Workshop https://youtu.be/nsRzuMXV5ZE
In this video I describe the Water Quality Workshop I was preparing to present to the citizens of Marco Island. The workshop was designed to prepare folks for the release of the Dr. Harper study that analyzed our Nitrogen impaired water quality.
White Papers Supporting Clean Water
- White Paper: Update on USACE Collier County Coastal Storm Risk Feasibility Study 8/7/23 https://marcoisland.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=5161f061-e885-4958-92d0-a03029ecb9f0.pdf?
- In this White Paper I describe my outrage over the US Army Corps of Engineers lack of attention to protecting marco Island’s beaches and waterways.
- White Paper Request for Information (RFI) on Reuse Water 9/6/22
https://marcoisland.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=c38ec0ce-40dc-48e3-9233-7794c8c83288.pdf
- In this White Paper I explain why it is important to continue to study ways to improve the quality of our reuse water and keep harmful nitrogen and phosphorus out of our waterways.
- Dredging Big Marco/Capri Pass 4/4/22
https://marcoisland.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=bd5dc840-43c4-479f-aca5-7d919c3d3237.pdf
- In this White Paper I describe the problems associated with shoaling in the mouth of the San Marco River in Big Marco/Capri pass and why we need to get county, state, and federal agencies to work together to develop a plan to keep this vital pass open and safe.
- Water Quality Update 2/01/21
https://marcoisland.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=dc08ba7d-1152-4724-a3cd-2e6dce55fe9f.pdf
- In this White Paper I give an overview of our water quality problems and how to fix them.