In the space of a few days, three different City bodies gave residents three different reasons for concern. The City Council chose not to enforce an ordinance governing advisory committee attendance. The Audit Advisory Committee and City Council reviewed serious, unresolved deficiencies without asking the hard questions those findings warranted. And the Planning Board nearly heard a major rezoning request through a public notice process one of its own members identified as legally deficient.

None of these are minor matters. Taken together, they reveal a pattern of weak oversight, inconsistent enforcement and avoidable mistakes. Marco Island can do better, but only if its leaders are willing to acknowledge what is not working and insist that it be fixed.

City Council: An Ordinance That Became Optional

At the recent Council meeting, City Manager Casey Lucius asked the City Council to make an exception for Council candidate Chris Ricci and allow him to attend an Audit Advisory Committee meeting, even though the attendance requirements in the City ordinance indicated that he should have been removed from the committee months earlier. When the issue was raised, Lucius and City Attorney Alan Gabriel advised the Council that enforcement of the ordinance was within its discretion. A majority of Council members then agreed to set the ordinance aside.

The ordinance states that an advisory committee member who misses three or more meetings in a 12-month period automatically vacates the position. We have these rules for good reasons. An ordinance is not a suggestion or an internal guideline that can be set aside when it becomes inconvenient. It is a law formally adopted by the City, and it remains in effect until the Council changes it through the proper public process.

City officials may have believed they were acting reasonably, but good intentions do not replace legal authority. This event was a striking example of how casually this Council treats the rules that are supposed to bind it.

A resident who spoke during public comment made the point directly: The City Manager does not have the authority to suspend the law. The Charter requires the City Manager to faithfully execute the City’s laws, ordinances, resolutions and acts of Council. Faithful execution should mean applying those laws consistently, not deciding when they should or should not count.

The resident also noted that Chair Darrin Palumbo took an oath that included the promise, “I solemnly swear that I will, in all respects, observe the provisions of the Charter and the Ordinances of the City of Marco Island.”

Because Ricci is now running for City Council alongside Palumbo, the issue is especially sensitive. Both had an obligation to respect the ordinance and ensure that the rules were applied fairly, and both chose to ignore the rules.

Marco Island cannot have one set of rules for ordinary residents and another for those with political connections.

Audit Advisory Committee and Special City Council Meeting: Soft Questions, Serious Findings

At the Audit Advisory Committee and City Council workshop, the City’s auditors delivered a clean opinion. While that is positive, the discussion should not have ended there.

A clean opinion means the financial statements were fairly presented. It does not mean the internal controls, staffing, procedures and accounting systems that produced those statements are functioning as they should.

As happened last year, the audit identified material weaknesses and a significant number of adjusting entries. Those findings deserved more than tepid questions and general assurances. They required direct questioning about why the same problems continue, what resources are missing, who is responsible for correcting them and when residents can expect them to be resolved.

I am not criticizing Finance Director Carol McDermott or the employees who worked under difficult conditions to complete the audit. Nor am I blaming the volunteer members of the Audit Advisory Committee. My concern is that the City has not treated these repeat deficiencies with the urgency they deserve or provided the Finance Department with all the staffing, expertise and procedures necessary to correct them.

The City appears to be moving in the right direction, but the auditor indicated that some issues may not be fully resolved until after the 2027 fiscal year. That is a long time for material weaknesses to remain open.

Planning Board: A Major Rezoning Nearly Heard on Faulty Notice

The Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort is seeking to make a major expansion that would more than double its rooms. During the July 10, 2026 Planning Board meeting, before the board could consider the Hilton’s request, board member Brad Henson raised concerns about an error in the public notice. Arguing that the notice was legally insufficient, he suggested that the hearing should perhaps be postponed until proper notice had been provided.

City staff, the City Attorney, and the attorney for the Hilton then scrambled to sort out the problem during the meeting. While Chair Jason Bailey initially hesitated given that the room was full of representatives and residents who had gathered for the hearing, the Board ultimately agreed to reschedule.

Henson then raised a broader concern: The City’s pilot program using an alternative to traditional newspaper notices may be illegal in its current form, and should be reexamined.

A rezoning request of this magnitude should begin on solid legal and procedural footing. It nearly did not. It was further remarkable that the problem was identified by a Planning Board member and not by City staff or the City Attorney prior to the hearing.

Public noticing is important. It protects the public’s right to know what government is considering doing, and gives residents a fair opportunity to participate. The City needs to pay more attention to this duty, and get it right.

The Troubling Pattern

Although these events involved different issues and different City bodies, they share a common thread: The safeguards meant to prevent mistakes are not working as they should, and the officials responsible for enforcing them must determine how to keep this pattern from repeating.

Mistakes happen in any organization. What matters is whether leaders acknowledge them honestly, correct them promptly and take steps to prevent them from happening again. When officials instead minimize mistakes, disregard rules or repeatedly show poor judgment, public confidence in local government is damaged.

Our laws and ordinances exist in part to keep government fair, transparent and accountable. When City leaders treat them as optional, residents are justified in asking whether the same approach will be taken on other important matters.

That is why these concerns should not be dismissed as arising from the small group of residents who pays careful attention and asks difficult questions. Facing facts and working to solve problems is not negative. It is responsible leadership. Too often, hard questions are dismissed as negativity in an effort to silence people who are paying attention and believe problems can and should be solved.

I am not running to keep things the same. I am running to make them better by identifying what is not working, explaining why it matters and offering practical solutions. The goal is not criticism for its own sake. It is to address problems before they become more costly, disruptive and difficult to correct. That requires accountability, clear-eyed leadership and responsible problem-solving.

A $23 Million Request Requires Stronger Financial Controls

The concerns raised in these three meetings matter even more because the City is now asking residents to approve $23 million in new debt.

Rules were broken. Repeat audit deficiencies were minimized. A major rezoning hearing nearly moved forward despite a flawed public notice. Each of these failures weakens public trust. Now residents are being asked to trust the City to manage millions of dollars in debt, grants and infrastructure spending.

On Aug. 18, 2026, Marco Island voters will decide whether to authorize a $23 million general obligation bond for a 10-year infrastructure plan.

The plan includes replacing the Caxambas Bridge at an estimated cost of $12 million. Two anticipated FDOT grants of $3.75 million each would leave the City responsible for approximately $4.5 million. It also includes replacing the Goldenrod Bridge at an estimated cost of $10 million, with a projected City share of $6.25 million after grant funding.

The proposal would provide another $1.5 million to repair three additional bridges, $7.2 million to address 36 lane miles of overdue roadway paving and $3.5 million for continued paving over the following seven years.

These are legitimate infrastructure needs, but the projects depend on the same financial functions cited in two consecutive audits: tracking capital assets and accounting for grant revenue.

Before approving new debt, residents deserve clear answers. Does the City have the staffing, systems and oversight needed to manage these projects properly? How will the money, grants and assets be tracked? What safeguards will prevent today’s weaknesses from becoming tomorrow’s audit findings?

Asking these questions is not opposition to needed infrastructure. It is the promotion of responsible oversight. The City is asking residents to make a substantial financial commitment, and residents have every right to expect transparency, competence and accountability in return.

Why This Matters in November

These issues extend beyond any single ordinance, audit finding or public notice. Together, they show why Marco Island needs leaders who will follow the rules, ask difficult questions and address problems before they become more costly.

There are problems that need solving, and I am eager to solve them. I am running to help restore public trust, strengthen oversight and ensure that Marco Island’s government is prepared to manage both its immediate responsibilities and the major challenges ahead. Marco Island is home. Let’s protect our future.

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