Everglades City Council can’t stop Collier County from buying 53 acres of prime waterfront property in town and taking it off the tax rolls, but it is trying to have a say in what is built there and wants the county to pay the city.
If the county uses its taxpayer-supported land-buying program, Conservation Collier, it needs Everglades City Council’s permission. With that in mind, the city council voted June 9 to OK the use of funds with several restrictions:
“We cannot tell anyone that they can’t buy a piece of property in Everglades City, or tell anyone they can’t sell it to somebody,” Mayor Howie Grimm said during the special city council meeting.
Collier County Commissioner Bill McDaniel, whose District 5 includes Everglades City, attended online. He didn’t make any promises but said he would take the city’s concerns back to the board of commissioners.
What is Collier County buying, when, how much, and what does it want with the land?
Collier County has a deal with Naples-based EC Land Holdings LLC to buy the six parcels next to its Everglades Airpark for $6.9 million. County records show EC Land Holdings LLC purchased the property in 2023 for $4.5 million and has had it on the market for two years.
EC Land Holdings lists only its manager, Naples attorney Carlo Zampogna, in Sunbiz documents. Zampogna is listed on the sale documents as well. Greg Jarrett, who said he is a former investor on the 2023 purchase but is no longer financially involved attended the city council meeting by video. He said he is an adviser on the property ownership.
Known as The Everglades Outpost Property, the site has been bought and sold a couple of times over the past several decades and nothing has been built on it. After almost six years of conversations and offers from Collier County, the current deal has been signed by the seller, according to a document presented to Collier commissioners.
Conceptual designs show a public boat ramp, an expanded Everglades City Airpark with more hangars and airplane tie-down areas. It also envisions up to 50 residential units, both workforce-priced housing and at-market housing, McDaniel said.
The Collier County Board of Commissioners still must vote on the purchase and funding. The conversation was tabled at the county’s May and June meetings so that McDaniel could attend the Everglades City Council meeting at the request of mayor Grimm who told commissioners in a letter that the community wanted an explanation for the county’s expenditure.
Crystal Kinzel, Collier County clerk of Circuit Court and comptroller, expressed her concern for the purchase in her June 2 online newsletter titled The Clerk’s Report. She questioned the purchase when no definitive uses have been determined.
“It is unclear how $3M from Conservation Collier would be used as a funding source when the proposed uses delineated above do not include conservation,” Kinzel wrote. “Opportunities for private sector purchase and development of this property should be considered. This is similar to the Board’s recent decision to entertain private uses of the former hotel site at Port of the Islands, rather than immediately proceeding with affordable housing on the site.”
McDaniel on Tuesday listened to city council members and Everglades City residents say they don’t want a boat ramp, especially because it likely would compete with privately owned ramps in the town of 350 people.
“I welcome the input, especially the input that we’ve gotten this evening from the community with things to things to look at and give consideration to,” he said. “If we can figure out how to do it and not do a boat ramp or not have as large of a boat ramp, I’m down with that.”
McDaniel offered to try to get 50% of the taxes to the city and said if a boat ramp isn’t needed, that is something for the county to consider.
The deal between Collier County and EC Land Holdings is scheduled to close on July 20.
Collier County doesn’t need to use Conservation Collier money, McDaniel said
At least some of the funding for the purchase could come from the county’s taxpayer-supported land-buying program, Conservation Collier, if parts of the property are preserved, and protected from development.
McDaniel told Everglades City Council members that the county has enough money in its Parks & Recreation fund to pay the entire purchase amount without using Conservation Collier money.
“We don’t have to have the council’s approval,” McDaniel said. “We have another bucket of money. We can use parks impact fees to make this acquisition. I’d certainly like to do it with positive head nods coming.”
With an annual budget of $31.8 million, Everglades City relies heavily on tourism. The city can swell to about 3,000 people during the winter season. It is expected to collect $925,456 in property taxes this fiscal year. At 6.6558
Collier County property taxes fell 6% in 2026, according to Property Appraiser’s Office. And with voters deciding in November whether to almost eliminate some property taxes, $8,000 a year could mean a lot for Everglades City.
Should voters approve a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to cut property taxes statewide, it will not apply to this year’s taxes. Any changes to state law would not take effect until Jan. 1, 2027.
Appraisals give Collier County a better deal on land
LSI Companies, a Southwest Florida-based commercial real estate company, marketed the property, located off South Copeland Drive. The six parcels were originally listed for $9.5 million marketed as “the next regional waterfront development in South Florida” that “has all the makings of a trophy hospitality asset.”
Collier County in June 2025 offered $8.5 million. Since then, with two appraisals in hand, the county lowered its offer to the accepted $6.9 million.
In 2000, the county approved plans for development that included multifamily residences, a hotel, a ship store and a marina, along with a clubhouse, and other shops and restaurants. The project broke ground and began construction, but then stalled shortly after getting started.
“I think this piece of property is zoned for up to 96 units. We’re proposing substantially less than that to reduce the impact on the residents of the community,” McDaniel said.
As for the taxes, McDaniel said he was going to ask his fellow commissioners to agree to pay Everglades City 50% of the current ad valorem taxes. “I don’t know if I could pull off 100%, but I’ll certainly give it a whirl.”
This article originally appeared on Marco Eagle: Land deal in Everglades City – Council doesn’t want a county boat ramp
Reporting by J. Kyle Foster, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Marco Eagle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By J. Kyle Foster, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
