There is a good amount of discussion regarding increasing taxes and/or cutting services these day's. I have read several articles about how this area is trying to attract more tourists as a means to drive more business revenue. Additionally we are trying to diversify our business and economic foundation by attracting new industries. These are definitely positive initiatives and we should continue to work hard to bring this change about. Yet we do face some significant challenges and people are concerned about the economy.
When it comes to Marco Island and Collier County, I believe we have some incredible assets to help us meet these challenges and emerge a stronger and more vibrant community.
Our state and local area is among the top locations for second home purchases. About half of the vacant housing stock is used seasonally or occasionally for recreational purposes.
Did you know that Florida received the highest annualized net migration in the country between 1995 and 2008? The natural beauty, incredible location right on the Gulf of Mexico and fantastic climate remain a magnet for people to move here.
My thought is that we need to take three short term and three longer term actions to move our local economy forward.
The short term actions are:
1.) Support and maintain our existing base of permanent residents. An example of this is to develop and implement a VIPR card, with which local residents can save 10% on all purchases for all participating businesses. Imagine going into your Collier County Publix or Winn Dixie and saving 10% because you are a year round resident.
2.) Build our base of permanent residents. An example of this would be for Collier County to offer a financial incentive (such as Homestead plus) for part time residents to become permanent full time residents.
3.) Continue our efforts to attract more guests. In addition to current promotional efforts to attract tourists, a new idea would be to offer tourists staying in Collier County, a financial incentive to stay one more night. This would result in a significant financial/revenue benefit on guests who have already decided to come here.
With regards to the longer term, my recommendation would be to focus on the following:
1.) Allow non-US citizens to live here year round if they own property and/or a business in Collier County. Establish a test program with the Federal Government to measure the positive impact upon the community.
2.) Develop incentives for environmentally friendly cost saving initiatives. We already have some good examples by local hotels, lets build upon those efforts and share the success stories (including the financial benefits gained).
3.) Attract more diversified industry to our economy. Some excellent work has been started by the Collier County Economic Development Council, we must encourage and accelerate this.
We can make this great community even better. The time to start is now!Labels: Collier County, Economy, Marco Island, Naples, Services, Taxes
