This newsletter contains links to pages and documents on the LWVCC website: .
Before opening these links, please ensure that you are logged in to www.lwvcolliercounty.org.
| Luncheon and General Meeting
April 14, 11:30-1:30
Tiburon Golf Club
| Creating a Plastic-Free Florida
through
Community Action and Advocacy
presented by
Maggie Winchester-Weiler
Conservation Program Manager
Ocean Conservancy
Maggie Winchester-Weiler is a scientist and educator specializing in conservation and physiology of marine wildlife and is the Florida Conservation Program Manager for Ocean Conservancy. Based in Miami, Maggie coordinates stakeholders, governments and youth to advocate for policies that maintain or improve the health of the ocean and locally, Biscayne Bay. Leveraging her scientific background, she informs research and public awareness campaigns to improve water quality and reduce marine debris statewide. A formal and informal educator of 9 years, she manages the youth empowerment and plastic reduction program, Plastic Free Cities, across Florida.
REGISTER
Registration and payment must be made online by April 8 @ 12:00 PM
If you are bringing one or more guests, please be sure to register them when you register yourself.
Walk-ins will be seated in order of arrival on a space-available basis
Late registration/walk-in price will be strictly enforced
| Join fellow members for LWVCC's 50th Annual Meeting at the Tiburon Golf Club, 2620 Tiburon Drive, Naples to review the accomplishments of the past year, vote on the 2025-26 program and budget, and elect new officers and board members. A link to the Annual Meeting Packet & Addendum have been sent to all members via email. Please read before the meeting.
Annual meeting registration is free and is in addition to registration for the luncheon and general meeting.
REGISTER FOR ANNUAL MEETING
| Message from the President
|
LWVCC President
Diane Preston Moore
April is the traditional season of new beginnings, and this year, it marks a transition on several levels for our League.
While April 1 is the beginning of LWVCC’s new fiscal year, today, following our merger, we enter the fiscal year as a single 501c3 entity. Thank you to the 60+ members who were present at the March General Meeting and voted in favor of the merger and Bylaws amendments required as a result of the merger. A special “thank you” goes to Ellen Hannan, whose dedication and hard work were instrumental in ensuring that the merger made sense and that we had legal guidance as we navigated the merger process. Having just one entity will streamline our League processes, setting us up for greater operational efficiency in the years ahead.
April marks a second, bittersweet transition as many of our seasonal members begin packing up their homes in SWFL and heading north for summer. We will miss them here in Collier County! While we’ll continue to host a number of events and volunteer opportunities over the next few months, many of our previously in-person meetings will shift to Zoom to ensure that more members may participate. Be sure to keep an eye on the Update for information about both virtual and in-person events over the summer.
Finally, please be sure to attend our Annual Meeting on April 14, as we vote in a new Board and officers. As LWVCC president, I want to express my gratitude for the honor and privilege of leading this exceptional organization as we continue our mission to empower voters and defend democracy.
In League,
Diane | LWVCC Celebrates 50 Years
| On February 27th, the Collier County Board of County Commissioners declared the day as League of Women Voters of Collier County Day in recognition of our 50th Anniversary. This date coincided with Celebrate the League, our fundraising dinner which was held at the Club at Olde Cypress for 132 guests.
The evening began with a silent auction, cork pull, and cocktail hour. Dinner and guest speaker Tony Ridgway followed. Ridgway reminisced over his own past 50 plus years in Collier County and the changes he has seen. The audience thoroughly enjoyed his presentation.
There were eight LWVCC Past Presidents in attendance (Janet Hoffman, Jeannette Boucher, Pat Plummer, Charlotte Nycklemoe, Diana Walsh, Kathleen Slebodnik, Sandy Parker, Becky Newell) and they were recognized with a gift of our appreciation. Our longest member, Linda Denning, was also in attendance and recognized.
The History Committee, comprised of Diana Walsh, Beth Van Damme and Libbie Bramson, reviewed our history over the past 50 years and created a banner with highlights that will be shared in many ways, along with a display of scrapbooks, awards, and other memorabilia. As part of their review, the committee surveyed members. See below for responses.
The event raised record proceeds of $20,800, which will go toward developing younger voters, a priority of the LWVCC. Susan Sonnenschein and Craig Olson chaired the silent auction. We also announced that the Educational Endowment Fund reached $50,000, thanks to Suzanne Low. |
Education Committee
Nancy Chism, Pat Plummer, Co-Chairs
As the new League year begins, the Education Committee is turning its focus to the Education Ambassadors, a coalition with the American Association of University Women-Greater Naples Chapter and the Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida.
Current Education Committee members or others in LWVCC can participate by becoming “Members on Call,” helping to contact Collier County School Board members or attending their meetings as needed. In this way, we all can stay in touch with education issues through a minimal time commitment, but with the strength of three organizations. Contact Nancy Chism or Pat Plummer for details.
We will celebrate our past year and launch our new direction at a special lunch gathering on Wednesday, April 16 at 12 noon at the Collier Community Foundation. Please note that the time is different than our usual meeting time. |
Environmental Affairs Committe
Lynn Martin, Patti Forkan, Co-Chairs
At our March EA Committee meeting, Judy Hushon, LWVFL Natural Resource Chair and an EA Committee member gave us an overview of the proposed Florida legislation as of the end of March. We are three weeks into the Florida Legislature for 2025. Some bills are moving while others seem to be on hold by committee chairs.
Bills 492/1175/1142 deal with wetlands mitigation banking and allow banking to occur in different watersheds from where the development and destruction of wetlands is occurring. We oppose this bill.
There are good bills relating to converting septic to sewers with grant money attached. There are also good bills dealing with stormwater management. It appears likely that the effort two years ago to keep the public off private beaches will be reversed. The public will again be allowed on the beaches below the high-water mark if these bills pass.
Bills 50/371 call for a Florida Hub for applied research and innovation at USF College of Marine Science to design guidelines for green and grey infrastructure increasing coastal resilience.
There are bills to require disclosure of prior flooding during the sale of houses and condos.
Bills 80/209 will keep golf courses and hotels out of state parks.
Bills 585/832 call for reusing phosphate mining waste as infill and are not good bills because this waste contains radon and phosphate.
Bills 565/1822 broadly preempt regulation of auxiliary containers (plastic boxes, etc.).
Bills 1000/7001 by the government deal with site specific information for location of threatened and endangered species. This is not a problem unless this information becomes public.
Bills 1118/943/1209 will further weaken growth management protections in favor of more rapid development approvals. If agricultural land is adjacent to urban areas, it is possible to develop it. It has been amended, which made it a bit better, but it is still a bad development bill. | 
Development & Outreach Committee
Teresa Stohs, Chair
Committee Year-End Report
Thanks again to each of you who helped make Celebrate the League a huge success. I've heard many people laud our speaker, Tony Ridgway. He seemed to set the perfect tone.
Our Past Presidents and our longest-serving member appreciated the recognition. The meal was delicious, and the decorations set the tone. The silent auction was well-received. And overall, everyone seemed to have a great time.
We have had some big wins this year. Our event netted $20,800--an all-time high. We were able to announce that the Endowment is now over $50,000. We raised $10,800 in our Voter Appeal and received $26,582 in unsolicited donations.
As you know, our fiscal year runs from April 1 - March 31st each year. So, no April Fools, but we begin anew on April 1.
We've made several important decisions for this new year:
- First, Susan Sonnenschein and I will co-chair this committee next year. Susan has done exceptional work chairing the silent auction for the past three years. She and I work well together, so I am very much looking forward to co-chairing this committee with her. Congratulations Susan!
- Next year we have decided NOT to have a Celebrate the League dinner. Celebrate the League was created to be flexible enough to change formats. It has been our goal for this event to be friend raising and fundraising. But it is an awful lot of work for us with low ROI. We will be evaluating other ways to friend raise/fund raise this new year.
|
Membership Committee
Beth VanDamme, Chair
Welcome New Members!
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our newest members:
|
| xxxxx |
|
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| |
Harriet Berneman
|
|
| |
Jacqueline Chizever |
|
| |
Marilyn Faught |
|
| |
Tom Felke |
|
| |
Yvett Hazel |
|
| |
Sandra Jones |
|
| |
Lisa Mcnichol |
|
| |
Mary Lee Turk |
|
| |
Marianne Troy |
|
We’re excited to have you join our community!
|
|
And the winner is...
Congratulations to Teresa Stohs, our March Raffle Winner. Remember, every member who brings a first-time, non-member friend to a general meeting will be entered into a drawing for a fun prize. Last year we had 33 members bring first-time non-member guests to our meetings with a third joining the League.
|
The Strong Ties that Bond Us – Part One
| As part of our 50th Anniversary research, we contacted random LWVCC members to learn 1) why they joined the League 2) what they like most about it. We found regardless of diverse backgrounds and length of membership, there are strong ties that bond us!
The following are some responses to Why did you join the League?
- “I saw how respected the League was in my community and wanted to be part of it.”
- “After meeting a few members and seeing their passion for voting rights and education, I knew I wanted to be part of this organization.”
-
“It provides a non-partisan message about what is happening locally, statewide and nationally. Clear messaging helps voters make informed votes. I wanted to be part of that.”
-
“I joined to be with well informed, civic minded people engaged in thoughtful conversation about important issues.”
-
“A close friend and colleague in Washington DC once said if you ever get the chance to join the League, you should do it. I did and she was right!”
-
“I wanted to influence the political process, not just talk about it, and make a difference, in an apolitical way. I am interested in policy, not politics.”
-
“After I retired, I was looking for a place whose mission concerns bettering the lives of vulnerable people.”
-
“The League is active in promoting democracy and protecting our rights. I completely align with the priorities of the LWV.”
Watch for What You Like Most About the League in the May Voter. Your answers make us proud to be members of LWVCC.
| League News From Across the Country
| National League News
For more information, visit LWV.org.
State League News
For more information, visit LWVFL.org.
| Please refer to the LWVCC Weekly Update for a complete list of upcoming events or visit the LWVCC website: lwvcolliercounty.org.
Members should log in to ensure they see members-only events and registration options. | Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in Government. We influence public policy through education and advocacy. Our goal is to empower citizens to take an active role in shaping better communities worldwide. The League of Women Voters of Collier County does not support or endorse any candidate or political party.
League of Women Voters of Collier County
P.O. Box 9883, Naples, FL 34101
Sent by lwvcc@lwvcolliercounty.org
| You received this message from the mailing list of League of Women Voters of Collier County.
If you would prefer not to receive these emails in the future, go to the opt-out page and modify your privacy settings.
You can also request to be removed from our database completely.
| |