Sparker's Digest - July 9, 2025
Sparker's Digest - July 9, 2025
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
Ramping Up
Collier Boulevard Boating Park (951 boat ramp) is nearing completion and set to reopen before fall after major renovations. The $1.27 million project includes a new seawall, boat ramp structures, ADA-compliant features, and parking lot repaving. (Naples Daily News, 7/2/25)($)
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Collier County Public Schools News
CCPS Earns “A” Rating for 2024-2025 School Year
CCPS is the only district in Southwest Florida to earn an “A” rating from the Florida Department of Education, and one of only 28 Florida districts rated as an “A”. It moved up to sixth in the state from seventh last year (out of 67 school districts). (CCPS News Release, 7/7/25; Naples Daily News, 7/8/25)($)
CCPS Students Outperform State in 20 of 21 Assessed Areas
CCPS student achievement ranked second statewide for 7th-Grade Math (30 points higher than the state average), fifth for combined Grades 3-8 Math, fourth for combined 6-8 Math, and fifth for Algebra I. (CCPS 2025 Spring Assessment Brief, 6/26/25)
Florida Government News: Immigrant Detention Centers
State Is Selecting Vendors for Construction of Camp Blanding’s ICE Detention Site, DeSantis Says
Camp Blanding currently serves as a Florida National Guard training base. (News4Jax, 7/7/25)
State Fights Bid to Halt Detention Center
As Florida rushed to open a detention center for undocumented immigrants in the Everglades, attorneys for the state Monday argued a judge should reject an attempt by environmental groups to halt the project dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz.' (News Service of Florida via News4JAX, 7/1/25)
A Day After Grand Opening, Flooding Concerns Grow at ‘Alligator Alcatraz'
During and since President Donald Trump's visit on Tuesday, there were already reports of flooding inside the facility, despite what the head of Florida’s Emergency Management said. (NBC Miami, 7/2/25)
Trump, DeSantis Join Forces to Unveil 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Hosted in a heavy-duty white tent swarming with Secret Service, Trump and DeSantis spoke alongside Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, gubernatorial hopeful Rep. Byron Donalds, and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. (The Floridian, 7/1/25)
Seminole Tribe of Florida Joins Opposition to 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Florida's largest federally-recognized tribe has come out in opposition of the state's immigration processing center in the Everglades. There are 15 remaining traditional Miccosukee and Seminole villages in Big Cypress, as well as several ceremonial grounds, burial grounds and gathering sites within the preserve. (USA Today Network - FL via Tallahassee Democrat, 7/2/25)($)
'Alligator Alcatraz' location: Early Plans for Site Were to Create World’s Largest Airport
The jetport's initial development and subsequent opposition led to the creation of Big Cypress National Preserve and Friends of the Everglades. (Naples Daily News, 6/30/25)($)
Florida Government News: Vetoes
DeSantis Vetoes Bill Aimed at Limiting Corruption in Office
Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill intended to, among other things, limit state and local officials from using their official authority or influence to solicit campaign contributions. CS/HB 1445 passed with a single “no” vote in the Republican-controlled Legislature. (Florida Phoenix, 7/2/25)
DeSantis Cuts Recurring State Funding for Florida Public Media
In an 11th-hour and unexpected move, Gov. Ron DeSantis cut close to $6 million in recurring funding to the state’s public radio and public television stations. The cuts come as the U.S. Senate is considering clawing back $1.1 billion in approved Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding, an essential source of support for the 1,500 local public radio and television stations across the country. (WGCU, 7/1/25)
Despite Vetoes, SW Florida Awarded Millions for Projects, Programs
While some of the projects Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and other local delegates championed didn't get funded, many did, including a total of nearly $4 million in matching funds for three Collier County public health and safety projects. The city of Naples received a total of $4.8 million for four public projects, with the city of Marco Island getting $1.125 million for two projects. (Naples Daily News, 7/8/25)($)
Other Florida Government News
DeSantis Touts Improvement in Florida School Grades, with No Districts Earning a D or F
"Seventy-one percent of all graded schools are now earning either an A or a B grade," DeSantis said. "This exceeds our performance last year, in which 64% of schools earned an A or a B grade." (Central Florida Public Media via WUSF, 7/7/25)
Students' Scores on Florida Tests Show Benchmark Improvements. National Indicators Aren't as Promising
"If we truly want to have the world-class education systems we should have here in Florida, then we've got to look a little broader than just the state assessments,” Florida Education Association president Andrew Spar said. The National Assessment of Educational Progress puts Florida in the bottom half of the country for math and reading, but better in science and writing. Florida’s SAT scores are dropping as well, according to the Tampa Bay Times. (WUSF, 7/7/25)
Florida’s Higher Ed Makeover: Attacks, Resistance and All-Out War — with DeSantis Leading the Charge
Gov. Ron DeSantis has been leading the charge to reframe universities and college campuses across Florida by promoting an expansive brand of conservatism. The results have been dramatic and controversial. (Florida Trident, 7/7/25)
Ag Commissioner Wilton Simpson Warns Floridians Not to ‘Take the Bait’ in Subscription-Oriented Phishing Scams
The fraudulent emails often appear as if they’re coming from popular subscription services — Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and other web-based platforms — and use scare tactics, like claiming a user’s account has been locked or payment failed. (Florida Politics, 7/7/25)
Florida Adopts Revised Plans to Improve Water Quality
As required by Florida's Clean Waterways Act, the Department of Environmental Protection has adopted updated plans to reduce pollution in Florida's rivers, springs, and estuaries. (WUFT, 7/2/25)
2026 Election News: In the Governor Race
Byron Donalds’ Plans for Governing Florida (If Elected)
The congressman, who would be the first Black GOP governor since Reconstruction, is the frontrunner to succeed Ron DeSantis. In an interview, he says he would not shift policy much. (Miami Herald via Governing, 7/1/25)
Firms Belonging to Wife of Rep. Donalds Grabbed Millions in Charter School Contracts
Materials filed with Florida’s Auditor General show how in recent years the nonprofit Optima Foundation [now the Education Freedom Foundation] lost multiple contracts with its signature “classical academies” over what the schools allege were faulty accounting practices, and still more contracts that switched over to for-profit companies [Erika] Donalds owns herself. (Florida Bulldog, 6/29/25)
2026 Election News: Attorney General Race
'Alligator Alcatraz' A Political Boost for Ag Uthmeier, Florida Politicos Say
"That guy's got a future, huh? Good job, James," President Donald Trump said about James Uthmeier at the detention facility's opening. While not an outright endorsement, political watchers say the comments will help introduce Uthmeier to Republican voters. (WFSU, 7/3/25)
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