Naples Chamber to host ‘Sales Tax Updates’ at Wake Up, Naples! on September 13

Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Wake Up, Naples! event ‘Sales Tax updates’ with Amy Patterson, Collier County Manager, and Jamie French, Collier County Growth Management Department Head, on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, from 7:30am to 9am at Arthrex. The event is sponsored by United Way of Collier County and the Keys, and the program will begin promptly at 8am.

Patterson and French will discuss the status of the sales tax surcharge, the attainable housing policy, and land acquisition.

Amy Patterson has dedicated herself to public service in Collier County for more than two decades. She has served as Deputy County Manager since May 2021, was named Acting County Manager a year later, and in June 2022, was unanimously selected as County Manager.

Born and raised in Naples, Patterson began her career in Collier County Government in 2000 as a job-bank employee in the Growth Management Department. She worked diligently, gaining valuable experience serving as Fiscal/Impact Fee Analyst, Impact Fee Coordinator, and Director of Capital Project Planning, Impact Fees & Program Management.

As Deputy County Manager, Patterson was responsible for oversight of the daily operations of the County agency. As County Manager, Patterson oversees a net adopted budget of $1.8 billion and 2,164 employees. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management, belongs to several professional organizations, and is a frequent guest lecturer throughout the community, the state, and around the country. Patterson is focused on managing county operations with maximum efficiency, transparency, and accountability. She is the first woman to serve as County Manager in Collier County.

Jamie French joined Collier County Government in 2003 and currently serves as the Department Head of the Growth Management Community Development Department. French is responsible for the oversight and direction of the County’s current and future land use planning, regulatory functions, economic development, environmental monitoring, code compliance, resiliency, and housing policy, while providing a multitude of short and long-term recovery missions post-disaster. French is responsible for the department's seven divisions, which comprise nearly 400 full-time and contract staff members with an annual budget of over $140 million.

As a Native South Floridian, French and his family have resided in Collier County for over 40 years. Professionally, French has a master’s degree in business administration, more than 30 years of leadership experience in local government and the private industry and holds certifications in Six Sigma and Regulatory Policy. He is a Certified Public Manager, Certified Floodplain Manager, and FEMA Incident Command Systems Instructor. Since 2004, French and his team have provided recovery support to every tropical weather event that has impacted Collier County. Under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, in 2018, French was deployed to the Florida Panhandle to work with Federal and State partners during the assessment and recovery of Hurricane Michael.

French is an alum of the Growing Associates in Naples (GAIN 2009, now Associate Leadership Collier), Leadership Collier (LC 2012), the First Vice Chairman of the Leadership Collier Class of 2018, and the Chairman of the Leadership Collier Class of 2019. He has received the 2014 Excellence in Public Service Award, the 2015 Distinguished Leadership Collier Alumni Award, Paul Harris Award, and he currently serves on the Leadership Collier Foundation Board.

The cost to attend is $35 for members and $45 for future members or walk-ins. Registration is encouraged. Register online at napleschamber.org

The series sponsors are Sunshine Ace Hardware, Andrew Hill Investment Advisors, Naples Airport Authority, One Digital, Coleman Taylor Klaus Doupé Diaz & Torrez Attorneys at Law, Verizon, and Prestige Insurance Consultants, Inc.

About the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce

Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization of more than 1,000 active members that works to strengthen the local economy and promote the business community. The Chamber accomplishes this through public policy and business advocacy, leadership programs, executive business forums and sessions, and enhanced member benefits and services. The Chamber is dedicated to cultivating economic opportunity for all. For more information, call (239) 262-6376 or visit www.napleschamber.org