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| THE COMMISSIONER’S REPORT |
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RICK LOCASTRO
Collier County Commissioner
District 1
3nd Edition
January 27, 2021 |
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| This regularly released Commissioner’s Report will update citizens regarding projects, events, news, and timely information regarding programs, services, and initiatives… and how we are working hard to work for YOU!
As your Collier County District 1 Commissioner, it’s my goal to ensure constituents are informed about things taking place in District 1… and also around ALL of Collier County… and you always have access to me. |
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| “Working To Exceed Your Expectations Every Day”! |
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| I’ve met with many and have received a multitude of calls and emails from citizens expressing their frustration for their inability to reserve a time for a vaccine appointment. Rest assured…I hear you…your concerns have not fallen on deaf ears; we’ve been working closely with the Department of Health (who is taking directions from the State to implement the operation) to address your valid concerns and make much needed improvements.
Although Eventbrite is currently the system the Department of Health is using, a new improved State appointment system will be coming soon. |
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| The Florida Department of Health in Collier County has begun to send notifications to those who are eligible for their second dose of the Moderna vaccine. There are designated days/times for second doses. Please DO NOT schedule more appointments than you need. The DOH is allocated a set amount of second dose vaccine for those who received the first dose. |
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| CONTACT NUMBERS AND WEBSITES |
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| COLLIER AREA TRANSIT VISIT |
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| Last week, I was proud to sit with the leadership team from our Public Transit Authority in their main building… and have them tell me I’m the ONLY Commissioner ever to do so. We had a VERY productive meeting about the different ways we can improve… and also ensure we are spending taxpayer dollars wisely, while meeting the needs of our community who use (or can use) public transportation. I was impressed with the team & our discussion…we talked about improvements and upgrades we can make!
The Collier Area Transit (CAT) has a huge mission and responsibility in our community… Exciting things are coming… |
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| CAT is well represented in District 1… But there are always improvements we can make… AND WE ARE! |
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| GROWTH MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT TOUR |
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| I also met with a multitude of County workers and teams responsible for lift stations, flood zones, code enforcement, permitting, and a myriad of other critical issues across our community.
This was also the first time they’ve seen a Commissioner in their offices… but more importantly for me to dive into the issues with them to figure out where we are doing great things… where we must improve… and where we can work better as a team to improve services to our citizens.
These are amazing people working behind the scenes on missions critical to our quality of life. Flush your toilet and if nothing happens—trust me you care about lift stations! We are leading the way in several areas…But, we had deep discussions where we can increase our sense of urgency, customer service, and attention to detail to improve District 1 and ALL of Collier County. |
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| We are about to flip the switch on an amazing new lift station in East Naples which will increase service, capability, & most importantly redundancy in the event of a failure. This new lift station in East Naples is state of the art, on budget, and on time… the way ALL of our projects should be! Unfortunately we have several that aren’t—WE ARE CORRECTING THAT ! |
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Lift stations… The BEFORE & AFTER
Top photo is a 1980s station we are about to take down and replace with a much needed larger & heavy duty system seen below! |
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EAST NAPLES CIVIC ASSOCIATION LUNCHEON
GUEST SPEAKER |
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| Honored to be invited to speak to the East Naples Civic Association at the Lely Players Club for their 1st “in person” meeting in quite some time. I was introduced by Donna Fiala as she passed the baton. I appreciated the opportunity to share my views and assessment of District 1… all of Collier County… and the focus areas and enthusiasm I’m proud to bring to the seat. I presented an update on a myriad of issues from Covid, environmental issues, development… and my pledge to be a strong, prepared, influential, and accessible full-time Commissioner serving ALL of District 1… and more. I look forward to working with the East Naples Civic Association as they relaunch their organization and not only add to their membership… but hopefully most of all… stay influential and involved in our community! |
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| Great having an “in person” meeting with my fellow American Legion Post 404 fellow veterans! We had a good crowd and an informative briefing from Collier County Veteran Services Coordinators Ruben Martinez & Oscar Gomez. There are many benefits veterans qualify for that they aren’t even aware of… these two pros work hard to ensure our local veterans get the benefits they deserve. If you are a veteran and would like to reach their office call (239) 252-8387. |
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| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BOARD MEETING |
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| Habitat for Humanity of Collier County is another organization with significant involvement and investment in our community. They AREN’T the answer for everything concerning affordable housing… but they ARE a piece of the puzzle. Understanding their mission and working with them properly on the right projects is my focus. Also, as the newly selected Chair for our County’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee… I look forward to working with them and many others in our community to ensure we have “housing that’s affordable“ where needed… and it’s done right. |
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DOMESTIC ANIMAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD
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Honored to be identified tonight by the Board as, once again, the only County Commissioner to EVER attend any DAS meetings… thank you! Board discussed the multitude of “unenforced” citations written by DAS… I have the same concerns. If we have violators in the County who are getting citations (retail or residential) there should be consequences & we need to ensure corrective action. We haven’t done a very good job of that… BUT we are about to! Board officers elected:
- Jim Rich (Chairman)
- Sarah Baeckler-Davis (Vice Chairman)
- Dr. Mike Gordon (Secretary)
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ISLES OF CAPRI WATER/ SEWER
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| This is another piece of paradise in District 1… but has many needs & long-standing neglected requirements. I recently had conversations with County & State officials to learn more about water, sewage, & drainage issues… and also septic to sewer conversions for our District & County. Shocked to hear District 1 has left millions of dollars of grant money on the table over the years that could have been used for septic to sewer design, culvert work, and a host of other water improvements. As the saying goes… if you don’t ask you don’t receive… and we’ve not asked. UGH. Lots of good information passed to me that we are now aggressively pursuing. |
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MEETING WITH MARCO CITY COUNCIL
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| I’ve reached out to the Marco City Council to open up regularly scheduled meetings between myself, their members, & the City Manager. There’s no reason why the County Commissioner & City Council shouldn’t be conversing regularly over the myriad of responsibilities, issues, and opportunities that intersect the County & City….and they hadn’t been. Tigertail, Caxambas, beach restoration, and even water issues on Isles of Capri are ALL areas the County & City should be working together on. It takes a TEAM approach to actually get things done… rather than just talking about it or kicking the can. We aren’t doing that anymore! I’m proud to say our first official formal meeting will be on Mon, Feb 22… and open to the public. We will discuss Tigertail options, water/environmental issues, & several needs on Isles of Capri that both the City & County are responsible for together. We can’t make progress for our citizens if we don’t dialogue together… we finally will be! |
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MARCO YMCA PICKLEBALL COMPLEX GRAND OPENING
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Excited to see another amazing facility in District 1 for the enjoyment of our community!!!
Enjoyed the grand opening of the amazing new pickleball courts opened at YMCA of South Collier. Players of all ages will certainly enjoy playing on these 9 new full-sized pickleball courts! |
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| COFFEE WITH THE COMMISSIONER |
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| Great event with East Naples Lely citizens at the Players Club for complementary coffee and danish as we held a two hour Townhall conversation with a fantastic turnout of residents.
Interested in having me come speak to your organization or group in person or via Zoom video? Let me know!
I always welcome the opportunity to meet new people and discuss why I ran for County Commissioner, my assessment of things thus far, our focus areas, and most of all to hear from residents themselves, answer questions, and get their feedback. |
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Thank you for your trust & confidence…
We’re working to exceed your expectations every day! |
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-Rick
Collier County Commissioner, District 1
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