City Council quick roundup: votes on easements, beach access reconstruction, pensions, pensions and appointments

City Council on April 16 approved a series of measures on the consent and regular agendas, including a vacation of utility and drainage easements for a private storage development, a variance for an existing boat lift in the Moorings, a labor contract for firefighters, pension ordinance changes, and a $2.59 million contract to rebuild 30 beach accesses damaged by Hurricane Ian. Council also confirmed several appointments to advisory boards.

Key votes (roll call names follow each item where recorded):

- Easement vacation for Jetport Motor Suites (Agenda item 9a). Council approved a resolution vacating public utility and drainage easements on property at 3106 North Horseshoe Drive to allow development of the Jetport Motor Suites project; staff said the easements being vacated do not contain city‑owned utilities and that letters of no objection had been received from utilities. Motion to approve the resolution carried unanimously: Ray Christman, Bill Barton, Bill Kramer, Beth Petronoff, Linda Peneman, Vice Mayor Hutchison and Mayor Heitman — all voted yes.

- Planning Advisory Board and other appointments (Agenda 10b). City council recommended county appointment of Joseph Burke to the Collier County Coastal Advisory Committee and appointed Christopher Shukart to the Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board. Council also filled four vacancies on the Planning Advisory Board by ranking ballots and certified the results: Regular members appointed (three‑year terms commencing May 1, 2025) — Gregory Fowler, Scott Schultz, Patrick Coughlin and Daniel Barone; alternate appointed to a partial term — Gary Cooper. The PAB ballots were certified by council vote.

- Naples Beach Club (Agenda 12a). Council approved Amendment No. 4 to Site Plan Petition 19‑SP‑8 (see separate full article). Vote: unanimous.

- Variance to allow a boat lift to encroach (Agenda 12b, Petition 25‑V‑1). Council approved a variance permitting a boat lift and a 27‑foot vessel to encroach up to 13 feet into a required side yard at 1950 Gulf Shore Boulevard North (Palm Bay Villas condominium slip). Planning staff noted the structure has existed for decades but original permit documents could not be located, so the matter was handled as a variance; adjacent owner provided a letter of support. Motion by Council member Petronoff, second by Council member Kramer; vote recorded as unanimous: Christman, Petronoff, Barton, Kramer, Peneman, Vice Mayor Hutchison and Mayor Heitman — all yes.

- Firefighters collective bargaining agreement (Agenda 14a). Council approved a three‑year labor contract with Professional Firefighters of Naples, IAFF Local 2174, for Oct. 1, 2024 – Sept. 30, 2027. The tentative agreement was ratified by bargaining unit members on April 1 and includes step‑plan adjustments and pension contribution changes. Motion carried unanimously.

- Contract to rebuild 30 public beach accesses (Agenda 14b). Council approved a contractor services agreement with Infinite Construction LLC for $2,591,323.96, plus a city‑controlled contingency of $259,132, to reconstruct 30 public beach access points damaged by Hurricane Ian. Staff described a phased schedule coordinated with seawall and other shoreline projects; council vote was unanimous.

- Pension ordinance amendments (Agenda 16a & 16b). Council gave final approval to ordinance amendments for the general employee retirement system and the police officers pension system. Changes include adjustments to normal retirement dates, final average compensation calculations, cost‑of‑living adjustments and increased member contribution rates. Staff included impact statements by the actuary (Foster & Foster) and a Naples business impact estimate in the packet. Motions to approve passed unanimously.

Why it matters: The package of approvals includes both technical land‑use actions that clear the way for private development (easement vacation) and city actions that address repair of hurricane damage, personnel costs and retirement plan structure. Several items will require follow‑up work — permits, right‑of‑way agreements and construction management — and staff said they will coordinate scheduling to limit disruption for beach users while reconstructing damaged accesses.

Full vote records: where the clerk read roll call, votes were unanimous (all yes) on the items above. For technical details, permit conditions and follow‑up steps, see the Planning and Public Works staff memos attached to the city agenda.