1. COLLIER COUNTY: What do government employees earn?
An online searchable database includes salary and job title information for county employees. At the top of the pay scale, when looking at base salary, is County Manager Amy Patterson with an annual salary of $270,000.
She’s followed by County Attorney Jeffrey Klatzkow, at $244,606; Deputy County Attorney Scott Teach, at $223,006; Deputy County Manager Edward Finn, at $209,475; and Public Utilities Administration Department Head Gursel Yilmaz, at $199,946.
But base pay doesn’t mean those employees were the top earners. When sorting by gross earnings, which includes overtime and other extra compensation, the top five earners for the 2024 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, were:
County officials said most of the overtime came from EMS employees regularly exceeding 40 hours a week due to their 24-hours-on, 48-hours-off shift rotation, triggering overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act. – Mickenzie Hannon/USA TODAY Network-Florida
2. 8 YEARS LATER: Cape Coral man arrested for DUI manslaughter
Eight years after a motorcycle crash left a Cape Coral woman dead, authorities say an exhaustive probe led to the arrest of the driver.
Pavel Naranjo Jr., 39, of Cape Coral, faces charges of DUI manslaughter; operating a motor vehicle with a revoked license causing death; driving while his license was suspended with knowledge; no motorcycle endorsement; and DUI.
On July 19, 2017, Fort Myers Police responded to a single motorcycle crash on Summerlin Road that resulted in the death of passenger Angela Tresenriter, 44.
Police said Naranjo sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized at the time. According to police, charges were formally filed against Naranjo on July 15 in connection with the crash. According to police, evidence gathered during the investigation indicated that impairment was a contributing factor. Police did not immediately disclose Naranjo’s blood-alcohol content.
Police arrested Naranjo July 14. He is next due in court Aug. 18 for his arraignment. – Tomas Rodriguez/USA TODAY Network-Florida
3. TICKS: Which states are the most infested; why is one of them Florida?
Be careful where you walk. Emergency room visits related to tick bites have spiked in 2025, reaching their highest point nationwide in five years, according to the CDC’s Tick Bite Data Tracker.
The CDC reported that by July 6 that the number of emergency department visits for tick bites had already exceeded nearly 10 years of July records, with 92 visits per 100,000 reported across the nation. Children ages 0 to 9 and people over the age of 70 were the most victims.
On July 15, pest control company Terminex put out its own list of the Top 25 Most Tick-Infested U.S. States, reflecting the areas with the greatest risk of tick-borne illnesses. Florida came in at No. 2, behind California. – C. A. Bridges/USA TODAY Network-Florida
This article originally appeared on Marco Eagle: 3 To Know: Collier employee pay; arrest comes 8 years later and Florida #2 for ticks
Reporting by Marco Eagle / Marco Eagle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
