Letters to the Editor, Aug. 16
Marco Island condo owners beware!
The Aug. 23 home regulation ballot initiative on Marco Island is bad for Marco Island residents. There is nothing to prevent this bill from being extended to condos and subject them to the same onerous rules if it passes.
Ridiculous rules such as posting evacuation plans inside each bedroom, restricting children over 12 years old from sleeping on a pullout couch, and subjecting your home to unannounced inspections by city inspectors.
We can learn a lot by taking a quick trip down memory lane when a similar rental registration ordinance was put into place in 2015. That ordinance originally did not include condos either, but guess what? With the stroke of a brush, in a single City Council meeting, four councilors voted to opt in condos. That’s how easy it was then and that’s how easy it will be again.
The Take Back Marco PAC is hoping voters don’t remember that. One of the leaders of “Take Back Marco” is former city councilor Amadeo Petricca. He has been pushing this referendum and was one of the four councilors who voted to include condos in the 2015 ordinance.
A wise man once said, “Those who don’t know their history, are doomed to repeat it” and “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Let’s stop this bait and switch, big government ordinance and work together for a commonsense solution. Vote 'No' on Aug 23.
Lauren Johnston, Marco Island
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Short-term rental referendum
Being a member of the Take Back Marco PAC I heard many comments for and against our referendum that is on the primary ballot for Aug. 23. There are two councilors, Grifoni and Irwin who voted to NOT to put the referendum on the ballot.
And there are two councilors who voted to put the referendum on the ballot, only because the referendum met the requirements to be on the ballot. But publicly Councilman Brechnitz stated at Citizens for a Better Marco meeting that he is voting No on his ballot. I guess his position is that daily and weekly rentals are okay in the RFS1 – RFS4 zoned districts instead of him enforcing the land development code.
Hideaway Beach rental rules states “Member/owner may lease their property not more than once in a 12 months period, and for a period of not less than 30 days.” “The Lessee is required to provide the necessary information to the general manager for Hideaway Beach Association to obtain a credit and criminal background report as part of the application process and sign a form authorizing Hideaway Beach Association to conduct same at the association’s discretion.”
“Each home or condominium unit (single-family residence) is allowed a maximum of two adults and their dependent children.”
Councilman Folley’s Cape Marco’s Veracruz Policy – condominium, the residence maybe rented for a period of a minimum of 90 consecutive days one time per year.
Amadeo Petricca, Marco Island
Support Daija Hinojosa
I am writing to you today to tell you why I have chosen to Vote for Daija Hinojosa as Collier County Commissioner, District 4.
I have known Daija now for more than a year. During that time, she has shown me true kindness, immense commitment, passionate loyalty, unbreakable faith, and morals. She believes this is her calling and radiates this belief to all that meet her.
The biggest part for me, she’s shows up! She shows up to everything, local events, candidate forms, workshop, commissioner and school board meetings, all of it!
She is present and makes the time to put her community first.
I write this today in hopes that my words might inspire someone to take the time to meet Daija and learn for themselves who she is, and what she stands for. This is the only way to know that whomever you are voting for will, like Daija, Vote with integrity, faith, and principles.
April Holland, Marco Island
According to the Constitution …
There is a popular belief that the USA is a Christian nation. That is true in the sense that majority of the population are Christian. However, that has no relevance in the debate about how the country will be governed.
The U.S. Constitution is the governing document and there is no mention of Christianity in the Constitution. In addition, the Constitution specifically stated that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,” Christianity or otherwise. In short, the Constitution forbids governing our country as a Christian nation.
According to the Constitution, the USA is a multicultural representative democracy.
Mukhtar Ali, Marco Island