Board approves February Conservation Collier list after debate over $2.5 million Lucarelli parcel in urban area

The Collier County Board of County Commissioners approved the February 2025 Conservation Collier active acquisition list and directed staff to pursue appraisals and due diligence on the recommended A-category projects, including a contested five-acre parcel nominated by the owner, commissioners said (meeting date not specified).

An earlier motion to approve the list while excluding the single contested parcel — known in staff materials as the Lucarelli property — failed on a 2–3 vote. After further discussion and public comment, the board approved the full list by a subsequent motion; staff will proceed with appraisals and negotiations.

Commissioner Hall led the objection to including the Lucarelli parcel, saying the site is a roughly five-acre wooded lot in an urbanized pocket (identified by staff as near Livingston and Immokalee roads and part of Willoughby Acres/Palm River area) and that he did not see conservation value sufficient to justify an estimated $2.5 million purchase price. Hall noted a longstanding code enforcement case concerning exotic vegetation on the property dating to 2018 and said the owner has explored subdivision and development options. Jamie French, Growth Management department head, told commissioners the property had appeared before the special magistrate multiple times and that the owner had requested continuances; French advised that if the county purchased the parcel before the code case was resolved, the code obligations would transfer to the county.

Brad Cornell of Audubon Western Everglades acknowledged the parcel’s urban context but urged the county to consider the property’s role in stormwater storage and nature-based solutions, arguing restored wetlands can attenuate floodwater and cleanse runoff. Commissioners also debated whether the parcel sits within the Palm River watershed and whether it contributed to ponding during past hurricane events; staff said the site is in an area subject to ponding (AH floodplain for ponding) rather than coastal surge.

Throughout the discussion commissioners raised these options: (1) exclude the parcel from the A list and leave it off the active pursuit list; (2) place the parcel on the B list to re-evaluate within a year (noting the risk it could be sold in the interim); or (3) proceed now with appraisals and make any future offer contingent on the owner resolving code enforcement or accepting negotiation terms that assign remediation responsibility. Several commissioners said they would expect “aggressive negotiation” if staff were to pursue a purchase.

The board’s approval authorizes only appraisals and due diligence; no purchase price was established and any sale would return to the board for final action. Staff recommended, and commissioners accepted, that if negotiations proceed the county seek terms that address the outstanding code case and exotic vegetation removal before closing or that require the owner to resolve the issues as a condition of sale.