NAPLES - WHO MOVED YOUR CHEESE?

For decades, Naples residents believed they controlled their community through local elections, public meetings, and City Council. Increasingly, that is no longer true.

A steady stream of state laws has stripped away local control. Tallahassee now dictates much of what can and cannot be done in our city—from regulating 5G towers to limiting how Naples manages growth and development. Now even authority over our City land leased to the City of Naples Municipal Airport, has been diminished by the passage of HB 4005. Local democracy has been taken away, one law at a time.

With help from these actions Naples is changing. Neighborhoods are giving way to transient occupancy and tourism-driven development. Residents who came for a small-town, elegant quality of life are watching that character be challenged by their own legislators.

With Home Rule neutered City Council is often left trying to minimize impacts rather than shape the future. State preemption, special interests, and development pressures have rewritten the rules preventing local decisions by those elected by you. The issue is no longer about unbridled vs. managed growth. It is about whether locals or State government have control.

As evidenced by the Vision Surveys and those with campaign platforms they elect, residents believe an equitable balance between economic vitality and quality of life can exist. A City Vision and Comprehensive Plan ensure it. But the ability for residents to decide where that line is drawn has been fiercely challenged over the last 5 years by the State and developers and special interests emboldened by the State actions.

Why wouldn’t developers and special interests be giddy about the future – the State has their back.

The hard truth is that if residents disengage completely, others will make decisions for them. Engagement begins with demanding that local officials defend your values.at home; empty promises that fade after the election must not stand. Even with reduced authority, Council appoints key boards, establishes priorities, sets budgets, litigates when necessary, and negotiates with other governments. Elections have consequences so residents must stay engaged.

City Council still matters. We consistently see Heitmann, Blankenship and Krol, in particular, demonstrate a resident first agenda on the dais. Six Council members that include Barton, Kramer and Penniman have shown their commitment to defend the City against HB 4005.

However newly elected Councilman Schultz who campaigned on defense of home rule and a “residents first agenda” stands out. He has said legally defending against HB 4005 and the taking of our largest City asset is “too expensive” and “no one cares.”

Schultz votes repeatedly against legally defending control of the management of this City land and has claimed from the dais that those who support the House Bill say they “can buy the County election” (of Airport Commissioners). One wonders why this elected official would not simply defend against that.

The next two weeks will reveal whether Naples City Council is prepared to fight for Home Rule or surrender it. Council meets again in mediation with the Airport in an effort to gain agreement that preserving a city-centric management model with a dependent NAA board should continue.

We will witness either Council’s defeat in responding to the most egregious taking of local authority by the State with the passage of House Bill 4005 or see a historic response to this over-reach rooted in political power by taking the issue to task in court and fighting for your rights.

Council’s response will determine whether this latest unprecedented state overreach is challenged or simply accepted as the new reality.

The stakes extend far beyond who appoints airport commissioners, or an updated lease with fair rent. At issue is whether Naples will defend the principle of home rule and the right of residents to govern their own community, or quietly accept the final erosion of local control. Stay tuned.

Any update on action taken by Council over HB 4005 will be included in our next issue.

Council has concluded their season and will be on summer break until mid-August. The next Naples Watch issue will report on the actions of Council over this past season, their voting record, progress on priorities, and issues ranging from “Cars on Fifth” to the Comprehensive Plan update.

Naples Watch is a resident opinion paper. We have chosen to remain anonymous to keep the focus on the issues rather than personalities. Information shared is fact based and verifiable.

Our opinions are rooted in the idea that we are a fabric of neighborhoods with unique challenges but shared values and goals that should be upheld. The neighborhoods together represent a cohesive town unlike any other, governed by our City Vision that reflects the interests of its’ residents. Worth defending. . .