Dear Chairman and Council Members,
The Marco Island Civic Association (MICA) submits this memorandum in advance of the County-Marco workshop scheduled for August 27, 2026, at 1:00 PM on Marco Island, and urges the City Council to take an active and well-prepared role in response to Collier County’s proposal to shift destination marketing functions supported by Tourist Development Tax revenues to a nonprofit entity.
MICA understands that this workshop is intended to address the proposed nonprofit tourism structure, funding, responsibilities, and related County-Marco issues. MICA believes the workshop must provide a real opportunity for the City, MICA, and the public to review the actual specifics of any proposal before any final position is taken, and well before any County Commission hearing or vote.
In a recent communication with a MICA director regarding MICA’s role in this process, Commissioner LoCastro stated that Marco’s “meaningful voice” should “primarily be the elected City Council members and City Manager,” and that if the voice of MICA and residents wants to be heard, the “first and deepest dive” should be through those City officials. MICA does not agree that its role should be limited in that manner.
MICA is one of the largest civic associations in the State of Florida and exists to represent Marco Island residents directly. It is neither fair nor reasonable to suggest that MICA should merely speak through others while the proposed governing board would grant direct voting seats to hotel interests, dining and entertainment interests, attractions and event interests, arts and culture interests, tourism-related businesses, short-term rental interests, and general business and professional sectors such as legal, banking, insurance, real estate, and accounting.
If those interests are entitled to direct board representation, then denying direct representation to both the City of Marco Island and MICA is plainly unfair. In its current form, the proposal would give direct membership to a wide range of private and tourism-adjacent interests while denying direct membership to the City of Marco Island itself and to the island’s principal resident civic organization. MICA believes that result is fundamentally unfair to Marco Island and its residents.
MICA absolutely believes it should be represented on any final governing board. MICA also believes the City of Marco Island must be directly represented. MICA wants to work cooperatively with the City’s elected leadership to secure fairness for both the City and MICA, and most importantly for Marco Island residents, taxpayers, and voters. Cooperation with City leadership should not mean exclusion of MICA. It should mean that both the City and MICA are recognized as necessary voices in any structure that will allocate and govern public tourism dollars affecting Marco Island.
MICA is not opposed to lawful tourism promotion. However, as presently structured, this proposal raises serious concerns about representation, transparency, accountability, and fairness. In its current form, MICA will not support it.
MICA respectfully asks the City Council to take the following positions at and before the upcoming workshop:
- The City should place this matter on its agenda in advance of the workshop so Council can publicly discuss and formulate its position.
- The City should attend the August 27, 2026, workshop with a clear expectation that the County be prepared to present and discuss the actual specifics of the proposal, rather than defer those specifics until a later County Commission hearing.
- The City should make clear that, in its current form, the proposal should not be supported and that support should be withheld unless appropriate conditions and protections are satisfied.
- The City should request that, as a condition of any future support, Marco Island receive three guaranteed seats on the governing board: one appointed by the City of Marco Island, one appointed by MICA, and one at-large seat for a Marco Island business owner who both operates a business on Marco and lives on Marco year-round.
- The City should request full public release, sufficiently in advance of any final decision, of all proposed governing documents and supporting materials, including the bylaws, articles, funding agreement, procurement rules, conflict policies, reserve policies, meeting access rules, records retention requirements, and any analysis, data, recommendations, presentations, or other materials expected to be provided to the County Commissioners. Marco residents, taxpayers, and voters deserve that information as soon as it is available and long before any County Commission hearing or vote.
- The City should request that any final funding agreement require open meetings, advance notice, agendas, minutes, public access to records, independent audits, and clear inspection rights, and should evaluate with counsel whether the final structure preserves lawful public accountability and adequate public control.
Marco Island should not be expected to bear the impacts of tourism without meaningful influence over how public tourism dollars are allocated and governed. The August 27, 2026, County-Marco workshop is an important opportunity for the City Council to make that point clearly and forcefully.
Respectfully submitted,
Board of Directors
Marco Island Civic Association
