KATHERINE ALBERS

Collier County Property Appraiser Abe Skinner has defended the lowered value, and an independent consultant hired by the Daily News found the appraisal process was “appropriate in this situation.” A politic

Collier County voters will not get the chance to vote on consolidating fire and EMS services under the Collier County Sheriff's Office this year.

Immokalee will get the final say on its master plan. The Collier County commissioners voted unanimously to hold a reconsideration hearing for the master plan amendment next month in Immokalee.

Airline ticket prices in Fort Myers rose the most of any domestic airport between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the fourth quarter of 2011, says a report released last month by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation ...

The 2012 Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) flood zone maps went into effect Wednesday for insurance purposes for all areas, including unincorporated Collier County, Immokalee and the cities of Naples, Marc

The goal is lofty, considering DAS was only able to place 384 cats with families during the 52 weeks in fiscal 2011. The outcome is not usually good for cats who come into DAS.

Collier County commissioners have attended or will attend a $125 per person lunch with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, a $500 Leadership Marco program, the $125 per person Myra Daniels gala and a $180 per person Temple Shalom Gala. ...

The alternatives to the current proposal will add an estimated $85,000 to $720,000 and could delay the project from 60 days to more than a year.

Collier County is going to dip into its reserves to hire an attorney to defend the executive director of the Collier County Airport Authority and the director of the Immokalee Regional Airport in a lawsuit brought forth by one of ...

Tuesday, the Collier County Commission will decide whether to join the Florida Association of Counties as a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Medicaid unfunded mandate.

Deaths from drowning for children age 5 or younger in Florida are more than double the national average and are higher than any other state in the nation, according to the Florida Department of Health. More than two-thirds of those ...

Tuesday, members of the Collier County Parks and Recreation Department, the zoo, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Conservation Collier and others met to talk about alternatives to the current plan to remove the pond.

Collier County candidates have filed their first quarterly campaign reports for 2012, detailing the money their campaigns received. Donations from individuals make up the bulk of the fundraising, but businesses are lining up behind candidates as well.

But, at the 11th hour, Chamberlain got some good news — Brock will be making a payment to DeAngelis Diamond, the general contractor for the project, Chamberlain and Commission Chairman Fred Coyle said Thursd

If Commissioner Tom Henning made a mistake, he plans to own up to it.

Collier County Commissioners voted 4 -1 Tuesday to approve up to $25,000 to be spent from the unincorporated area municipal services taxing district general fund to hire an outside firm to provide a cost-benefit analysis of Ave Maria and determine ...

Vann Ellison, chief executive officer of St. Matthew’s House, said rumors his organization would add a detox center or expand the soup kitchen are false. “Those rumors are blatantly dishonest,” he said. “We

The Collier County Clerk's Office says it has a good reason for not paying the remaining balance on the Marco Island Executive Airport Taxiway project.

Collier County commissioners, acting in their role as the board of directors of the Bayshore Community Redevelopment Agency, are scheduled Tuesday to discuss the termination of David Jackson's contract as the agency's executive director.

Collier County Youth Services Librarian Pamela Moore ordered nine more copies of "The Hunger Games" in January to accommodate interest in the book.

Do you love the Hunger Games? Are you excited about Friday's movie premiere?

David Jeskie has formed a political action committee called Stop Commissioners Receiving and Wasting Everyone's Dollars. The Collier County Supervisor of Elections Office confirmed that Jeskie registered his political action committee on Feb. 28. His first target is Commissioner Jim ...

Lundin, who is running as a Democrat, proposed during public comments that Collier County should think about developing what he calls I-Panave — the Immokalee National Park of Vegetables.

Tuesday, Collier commissioners are expected to discuss whether they want voters to decide if the red light cameras stay at several county intersections beyond the first year of a new 10-year contract. With the decision pending, the Daily News asked ...

Drivers who run red-lights in Collier County can expect to keep receiving camera-issued citations for the next decade. The Collier County Commissioners voted 3 to 2 to approve a new contract with American Traffic Solutions, the Arizona-based camera vendor. Commissioners ...

State transportation officials have given the green light to a new traffic signal at U.S. 41 and Southwest Boulevard, the site of a fatal pedestrian crash last month.

Soon, the fees developers pay to maintain roads may also be used for bus shelters, bicycle paths and other modes of transportation.The county is going to evaluate the transition from a roads-based impact fee to a mobility fee. The change ...

Soon, the fees developers pay to maintain roads may also be used for bus shelters, bicycle paths and other modes of transportation.The county is going to evaluate the transition from a roads-based impact fee to a mobility fee. The change ...

Collier County commissioners are expected in February to consider ways that county government can make it more advantageous for investors to purchase dilapidated properties and get code violations fixed.

Stuck in the middle is Frank Dethiefesn, who said he was doing what he was contracted to do when his company relocated the appraiser's office from adjacent to the government complex in East Naples to a new location on Radio ...

It was the $100 million question and it was answered around 4:10 p.m. when the foundation that sponsors the annual Naples Winter Wine Festival surpassed that grand total for money raised for Collier children's charities since 2001.

At Sandi and Tom Moran's North Naples home, the theme was "Where the Magic Begins" and guests were treated to magical plates of food from Executive Chef Rick Tramonto and Partner John Folse of Restaurant R'evolution in New Orleans.

The developer of a major community northeast of Naples is putting plans to expand by more than 1,000 homes on hold until next month.

When it comes to running for office in Collier County, campaigning for County Commission requires big money. And in the last three months of the year, Commissioner Tom Henning came out on top.

Collier County commission Tom Henning will hold a town hall meeting with the residents of Immokalee to get their input on the proposed Immokalee Area Master Plan.

Commission Chairman Fred Coyle on Tuesday asked his fellow commissioners if they would like the Florida Commission on Ethics to make a decision as to whether Henning could vote on the master plan. “The Immokalee Master Plan is going to ...

The airport has video of Fletcher leaving his aircraft running unattended on the airport grounds, Curry said. In a separate incident, Curry said the airport has a video of a plane, owned by Fletcher, taking off from the runway while ...

Collier County homeowners will have the opportunity to see if Collier's new flood plain maps mean more insurance for them. The county staff will host two public meetings to give the public a chance to review the finalized flood insurance ...

Santa may have come and gone, but one of his elves made sure Habitat for Humanity of Collier County had a very happy new year.

Domestic Animal Services has spent more than $8,500 in the last three years to give 41 animals a second chance at life. Although statistics for fiscal 2011 have not been released, Townsend said DAS has budgeted $8,000 to help animals ...

A new year may bring a new vision for economic development in Collier County. The Collier County Economic Development Council announced plans in September to close its doors, around the time a strategic plan was released. Collier County government and ...

This year, the county issued 7,040 red light citations from January through September. County Spokesman John Torre said the citation figures for the fourth quarter of 2011 will not be ready until January.

Here's what financial disclosure forms show for city officials in Naples, Marco Island and Bonita Springs.

One of Southwest Florida's sheriffs is a millionaire. The other appears to be moonlighting, at least at first blush. Those were some of the revelations in Collier and Lee county officials' 2011 financial disclosure forms when the Daily News recently ...

How much are they worth? Here is a recap about financial disclosure forms filed by our elected commissioners and School Board leaders in Collier and Lee counties.

Immokalee is not letting its master plan go down without a fight. And if one commissioner can’t vote, the Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency is hoping to change the mind of the one commissioner who voted no.

Community members and Commissioner Donna Fiala have become increasingly vocal about getting a traffic light on U.S. 41 East at the entrance to Eagle Lakes Community Park.

Perhaps the North Naples fire department could be running EMS services for the rest of Collier County. The Collier Commissioners are ready to talk about it. They voted 4 to 1 on Tuesday to hold a workshop

The Collier County Commissioners will not be reinstating Isles of Capri Fire Chief Emilio Rodriguez.

Commissioners Jim Coletta and Donna Fiala have asked that commissioners have a discussion Tuesday to consider the possibility of a workshop in January between the commissioners, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the fire chiefs of North Naples Fire Department, the ...