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Naples council vows to oppose House Bill 4005 and seeks legal and lobbying options
Summary
Council members expressed unified opposition to HB 4005, a state bill that would change how the Naples Airport Authority is constituted and selected; the council directed the city attorney and hired lobbyists to pursue legal review and advocacy while cautioning against informal private negotiations.
The Naples City Council on Dec. 3 resolved to oppose proposed state legislation (HB 4005) that would alter the Naples Airport Authority’s composition and selection method and potentially transfer appointing power away from the city.
City Attorney Matthew McConnell summarized the measure and warned that the bill would change the authority from an appointed body to a structure that includes county voting and election elements, and would prescribe qualifications for members. Council members uniformly voiced strong opposition, with several describing the proposal as a threat to home‑rule authority and urging an aggressive defense.
Council discussion focused on strategy: a majority supported using the city’s hired outside counsel and lobbyists to try to stop the bill in Tallahassee. Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison urged the council not to authorize any council member or staff to negotiate or make concessions that would undercut the city’s legal position; he said any such negotiations must be fully documented and conducted in the sunshine or through authorized channels. Some council members said they would consider narrowly targeted technical changes only if defeat of the bill becomes impossible, but several others rejected negotiation outright and insisted on litigation and lobbying to preserve appointment authority.
Mayor Theresa Heitman said the council’s position is to object to the bill in its entirety. City Attorney McConnell and the council’s lobbyists will continue outreach in Tallahassee and report back to council; the city also engaged outside counsel to prepare legal options in case the bill advances.
Council members emphasized they wanted clear, timely updates from the city attorney and lobbyists about options and potential concessions, but reiterated the council’s primary objective remains defeating the legislation.
Council did not take a formal vote on a specific negotiated position at the meeting; instead members established direction for staff, counsel and the city’s lobbyists to pursue legal and legislative options and to report back.
