Welcome to Sparker's Digest, a weekly roundup of news for Collier County voters, with a focus on state and local government. It’s produced by Sparker’s Soapbox publisher Sandy Parker, whose mission is to facilitate and encourage informed voting in Collier County and across Florida.

Collier County Government News

1. Collier Sets Max Millage Rate in Preparation for Budget Hearings

The county is working on a tentative $2.217 billion net budget based on a millage-neutral approach, meaning the tax rate will remain the same as this fiscal year, but revenues will increase due to an increase in property values. The county will hold two public hearings on the 2025-26 budget at 5:05 p.m. Sept. 4 and 18 in the third-floor boardroom in the W. Harmon Turner building, Building F, at the County Government Center Complex, 3301 E. Tamiami Trail, Naples. (Gulfshore Business, 7/11/25)

2. Collier County Offers $8.5 Million for Waterfront Property Next to Everglades Airpark

While the county commission has yet to decide on the purchase of the property, there have been some internal discussions by staff about its potential uses, including for workforce housing. (Naples Daily News, 7/24/25)($)

3. North Collier Fire Starts Ambulance Service with OK from the County

A collaboration with Collier County leadership to provide the ambulance service is a result of increased demand for EMS; a statewide shortage of firefighters, emergency medical technicians/paramedics; and long-term commitment to the community, according to the fire department. The journey toward providing transport services began in the early 1970s when Collier County Government first requested the district's participation in 911 transport services. (Naples Daily News, 7/23/24($); FOX4Now, 7/24/25)

Collier Mosquito Control District News

4. Unpacking This Year’s Saltmarsh Mosquito Explosion

This summer’s mosquito explosion wasn’t just bad luck, it was a perfect storm of timing, weather, and biology. The swarms are overwhelming and relentless, making life miserable for residents. Our response? Repeated larvicide applications in local areas where mosquitoes are actively breeding, paired with ongoing adulticide treatments to knock down the current wave. (CMCD, 7/29/25)

5. Fighting Mosquitoes While Preserving Organic Standards

We sometimes hear concerns about how mosquito control, especially aerial treatments, might affect organic farming practices. To protect the integrity of certified organic farms in Collier County, we carefully track their locations and establish exclusion zones to prevent the application of synthetic control materials above these sensitive areas. (CMCD, 7/22/25)

City of Naples Government News

6. Canceled Again: Naples Mayor’s DUI Case Delayed for Sixth Time Since Arrest

Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann's next court appearance is now set for August 27. (FOX4Now, 7/28/25)

City of Marco Island Government News

7. Marco Island Sets Cap for Property Tax Rate That Would Be Highest Increase Since '08

After eight years of property tax rollbacks, City Council voted 4-3 July 21 to set the property tax rate cap at 1.6680, up from the current rate of 1.24. The final decision on the tax rate will be made in September, with the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. (Naples Daily News, 7/22/25)($)

8. Marco Island Says No Speeding on Sidewalks, Sets Limit for Wheeled Devices, Bicycles Too

Marco Island cyclists, whether on electric bikes or traditional bicycles, along with scooters, hoverboards, Segways and any other wheeled mode of transportation, now must follow a 12-mile per hour speed limit if riding on a sidewalk, City Council decided July 21. (Naples Daily News, 7/23/25)($)

9. Florida DOGE Is Knocking on Marco Island's Door, Looking for Documents, Waste

As Gov. Ron DeSantis loudly points to larger communities such as Gainesville and Broward County as targets of the Florida Department of Government Efficiency, Marco Island and other Southwest Florida cities are quietly being questioned as well. (Naples Daily News, 7/24/25)($)

Florida Government News: Immigration

10. DeSantis: 'Aggressive Processing', More Deportation Flights Coming to Everglades Detention Center; 100 Detainees Deported Out of U.S. So Far

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that deportation flights by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security out of the Everglades detention center have begun, with about 100 detainees transferred out of the country. "I think you're going to see the cadence on these flights start to pick up." (WGCU, 7/25/25)

11. Weeks After Opening, Alligator Alcatraz to Begin On-Site Legal Services, State Says

Addressing one of the biggest criticisms lobbed at Florida’s new immigration detention center in the Everglades, a senior DeSantis administration official said Friday that there should be on-site legal representation for Alligator Alcatraz detainees by Monday. (Miami Herald, 7/25/25)

12. 'Alligator Alcatraz' Immigrant Detainees Are Held Without Charges and Barred from Legal Access, Lawyers Say

But Nicholas Meros, an attorney representing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said video-conference rooms had been set up so detainees can talk to attorneys, and in-person meetings between detainees and attorneys had started. (Associated Press via NBC News, 7/28/25)

13. Judge Presses for Clarity at Alligator Alcatraz Detention Site

A U.S. district judge on Monday pushed state and federal officials to provide a copy of an intergovernmental agreement showing “who’s running the show” at an Everglades immigrant-detention center, calling the situation “urgent” as at least 100 detainees have been deported amid legal wrangling over the remote facility. (News Service of Florida via Naples Daily News, 7/28/25)($)

14. FEMA to Distribute $608 Million to States to Build Migrant Detention Facilities

A new “Detention Support Grant Program” for the construction of new migrant detention facilities is launching almost a month after the opening of Florida's migrant detention facility in the Everglades. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday the state will begin requesting reimbursement from the federal government. (Miami Herald, 7/28/25)

Florida Government News: Redistricting

15. DeSantis Considers New Florida Congressional Map, Potential to Help Republicans Gain Seats

DeSantis, who successfully vetoed a previous congressional map drawn by the Legislature a couple of years ago, stated that the shifting population within Florida since the 2020 census has left the state “malapportioned.” His comments come just a week after the Florida Supreme Court upheld the state’s current congressional map, which the governor’s office ultimately drew after his veto. (Florida’s Voice, 7/24/25)

16. DeSantis May Call Special Session to Redraw Congressional Districts Before Next Census

The remarks come as Texas is engaged in a highly unusual redistricting session years before the next U.S. census in 2030. President Donald Trump has also said he wants four other GOP-held states to join Texas in redrawing U.S. House district lines to help Republicans keep control of the chamber after the 2026 midterm elections. (Tallahassee Democrat, 7/24/25)

Florida Government News: Other

17. James Uthmeier Joins 17 Attorneys General in Legal Fight for Public Prayer in High School Sports

Uthmeier and his colleagues argue that an earlier case brought by the Cambridge Christian School against the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) “was wrongfully decided, fundamentally ahistorical and unjustifiably hostile to religion.” (Florida Politics, 7/22/25)

18. DCF, AHCA Leaders Reappointed by DeSantis Amid Scrutiny Over $10M Donation

[The reappointed leaders] came under scrutiny earlier this year from a House committee investigating a $10 million payment from Centene, a Medicaid vendor, to a charity with ties to First Lady Casey DeSantis. The payment was a “donation” that was part of a $67 million settlement with the state concerning overpayments. (USA Today Network via Tallahassee Democrat, 7/23/25)

2026 Election News: In the Governor's Race

19. Poll: Florida Republicans Split Between Casey DeSantis, Byron Donalds for Governor

The poll, conducted by the University of North Florida, shows that she is slightly ahead of U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds among registered Republican voters. But her lead — 32% support compared to his 29% support — is within the margin of error. (Miami Herald, 7/24/25)

20. Former DeSantis Pollster Critiques Methodology of Poll with Casey DeSantis Ahead of Byron Donalds ‘Dead Wrong’

“The obvious problem with UNF’s methodology is that they are forecasting the results of a primary election using voters who do not vote in primary elections. In a state where the turnout for midterm primaries is less than half of the November general election, conflating registered voters with primary voters is a big mistake,” the memo reads. (Florida Politics, 7/26/25)

21. Florida Democratic Governor Primary Shaken Up by Abortion Fight

David Jolly is the only major Democrat running for Florida governor next year. But he’s still facing attacks and scrutiny about his Republican past over a key issue threatening party unity: abortion rights. Supporters point to his turnaround on abortion rights and say the attacks are counterproductive. (Politico, 7/23/25)

2026 Election News: In the Attorney General Race

22. Florida’s New Attorney General, a DeSantis Appointee, Is Making Waves

“You do a very good job,” Mr. Trump told [AG Uthmeier ] during a visit to the [detention] center early this month. The comments quieted some of the chatter that Mr. Uthmeier could draw a primary challenger, but he remains vulnerable because of his involvement with the financial transactions of a charity tied to Casey DeSantis, the state’s first lady. (New York Times, 7/28/25)