More Collier County Media Stories

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Some residents upset with move to build affordable housing in Golden Gate Estates

GOLDEN GATE ESTATES, Fla. – Collier County Commissioners approved a developer to build affordable housing on a part of the Golden Gate Golf Course, but many in the community said they are not happy with this decision. Rural Neighborhoods was selected by Collier County Commissioners to build 350 affordable housing units on 25 acres of the 167-acre golf course. President of Rural Neighborhoods Steven Kirk said the development is designed to house senior and essential workers.

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Collier commissioners approve proposed changes to rural growth plan

A Collier County rural growth plan whose proposed changes have been more than a decade in the making cleared another important hurdle Tuesday when county commissioners advanced the plan to a review by state officials. Commissioners voted 4-1 to transmit the modified plan, which covers a large portion of the county’s interior where farmland, preserves and panther habitat intersect, to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and other agencies. Commissioner Penny Taylor voted against doing so.

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Editorial: Rural lands plan represents reasonable compromise in eastern Collier County

When compromise is the order of the day, no one is going to get everything they want. And when Collier County commissioners meet today, assuming Eta doesn’t interfere, compromise will be in order. It’s a compromise years in the making, as property owners, advocates for the environment and government planners have responded to a state order issued in 2002 that directed the county to better plan for and manage growth in the eastern part of the county.

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Struggling financially during the coronavirus pandemic? Collier reopens portals for aid

Collier County residents and businesses struggling financially during the ongoing pandemic are getting a second chance to apply for federal coronavirus relief funds the county received earlier this year. The county on Monday reopened its application process for nonprofits, hospitals, nursing homes, community health providers and public safety providers and will take those applications through noon on Oct. 26.

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CollierCARES reopens applications for households and small businesses

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – More CARES Act funding for families or businesses struggling to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic is available today, Oct. 19. Families and small businesses who are struggling to make ends meet are getting a second chance to apply for financial relief. Collier County is rolling out more than $67 million as the coronavirus relief fund.

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CollierCARES reopens applications individual, families, businesses affected by pandemic

CollierCARES is reopening applications to both individual and family households, as well as small businesses that need assistance from impacts by the pandemic. Applications for both assistance programs reopen 8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19 and close at noon Monday, Nov. 2. Qualified applicants must apply online at CollierFLCARES.com.

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Golden Gate golf course project hits rough patch at Collier commission

A proposed golf course and entertainment venue, part of an effort by Collier County to redevelop a county-owned golf course in Golden Gate, has hit a rough patch.
Commissioners last year bought the 167-acre golf course at the intersection of Collier Boulevard and Golden Gate Parkway for $29 million. Plans for the site include workforce housing and golf. A future veterans’ nursing home has also been discussed as a possibility.

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CollierCARES Offers $15M for one-time payments of childcare, electricity, mortgage and rent

Full-time Collier County residents behind on certain basic living payments due to the economic challenges presented by COVID-19 may qualify for one-time emergency assistance through the county’s CollierCARES Individual Assistance program. Applications for childcare, electricity, mortgage, and rent assistance opened on Monday, August 17, and close on Monday, August 31, at noon. Qualified applicants must apply online at www.CollierFLCARES.com.

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CollierCARES Relief Funding available to licensed childcare providers

Licensed Collier County childcare providers, and county parks and recreation programs have an opportunity to apply for COVID-19 relief funding through the CollierCARES program. The application portal for licensed childcare providers opened on Monday, August 10, and closes at noon on Monday, August 24, 2020. Applicants should apply online at www.CollierFLCARES.com.

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$5 million up for grabs for licensed child care providers, county park programs through CollierCARES

Starting Monday, licensed child care providers and county park programs can apply for relief through CollierCARES, and $5 million is up for grabs. The money available is on a first-come, first-qualified basis. For information on how to apply, visit the CollierCARES website HERE. The application deadline is Monday, Aug. 24.

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CollierCARES relief funding available to Collier licensed childcare providers

Licensed Collier County childcare providers, and county parks and recreation programs, have an opportunity to apply for COVID-19 relief funding through the CollierCARES program. The application portal for licensed childcare providers opened August 10 and closes at noon on Monday, August 24. Applicants should apply online at www.CollierFLCARES.com.

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Collier CARES funds to help people financially impacted by COVID-19

Many restaurants are back open and so are many retail stores across the country, but that doesn’t mean small business owners have recovered financially from losses over the last few months due to coronavirus restrictions forcing them to close.

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$5 million up for grabs for licensed child care providers and county park programs through Collier Cares

Starting Monday, licensed child care providers and county park programs can apply for relief through Collier Cares, and $5 million is up for grabs. The money available is on a first-come, first qualified basis.

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Collier County to offer financial relief to those affected by COVID-19

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – Collier County has budgeted $67 million for coronavirus relief throughout the county. Through the CollierCARES act Collier County plans to help nonprofits, health and public safety agencies, individuals, and business that have been financially impacted by COVID-19. Individuals can apply for assistance with past-due rent, mortgage, and childcare. Applications for nonprofits and community health and public safety providers opens at 8 a.m. Monday, July 27, and closes at noon on Monday, August 10.

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Collier leaders sign off on proposed allocations for more than $67 million in coronavirus aid

Collier County leaders on Tuesday signed off on proposed allocations for more than $67 million in federal coronavirus aid with large chunks flowing toward individual assistance, small business grants and help for nonprofits, healthcare and community providers.

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Plans for workforce housing on Golden Gate golf course property move forward

Plans for workforce housing on a Collier County-owned golf course property in Golden Gate are taking shape. Commissioners this week picked a not-for-profit affordable housing developer to help the county build hundreds of homes for essential workers and seniors on a portion of a 167-acre Golden Gate golf course property the county bought last year.

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Collier commissioners approve 642-acre rural village near Golden Gate Estates

Collier County commissioners Tuesday approved the latest in a number of proposed rural villages as eastward expansion into the county’s less urban interior continues.

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Nonprofit developer awarded affordable housing project in Golden Gate

Affordable housing is hard to come by, especially in Collier County. Now professionals such as teachers, police officers and nurses are one step closer to finding a place where they can actually afford to live.

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Rent and mortgage assistance available to those affected by COVID-19 in Collier

The Collier County Community and Human Services Division, in partnership with the United Way of Collier County and the Keys, will be providing more than $1.4M for rent or mortgage assistance to qualifying households impacted by COVID-19. Funding is provided through the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG-CV) and the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program (SHIP). The ESG-CV funds are available for residents in need of short-term rental assistance and the SHIP funds will provide both shortterm rental assistance and mortgage assistance, financial counseling, or foreclosure prevention for households who have lost employment or income during the Coronavirus pandemic.

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Trouble paying rent or mortgage due to coronavirus crisis? Collier program aims to help

With the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak still rippling across Florida and the rest of the country, some Collier County residents could soon get help paying their rent or mortgage. County officials last week announced a $1.4 million rental and mortgage assistance program, funded through a combination of state and federal dollars and to be administered with the help of the United Way of Collier County and the Keys.

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Collier County offers rent, mortgage assistance

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – The United Way and The Collier County Community and Human Services Division are providing more than $1.4 million for rent or mortgage assistance for those impacted by the coronavirus. The Emergency Solutions Grant is available for residents in need of short-term rental assistance and the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program provides both short-term rental and mortgage, financial counseling, or foreclosure prevention.

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Money available for renters and homeowners in Collier County

Renters and homeowners in Collier County who need financial assistance can apply for part of $1.4 million to help them get back on their feet. The county teamed up with the United Way of the Keys to receive the money and help those affected most by the pandemic. Michelle Mejia works at Trattoria Abruzzo Italian Restaurant and said no one was prepared to be out of a job for this long.

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FL Star and SHIP grants open doors for new home buyers

FL Star, developer of Arrowhead Reserve and single-family homes in Golden Gate Estates, is opening the doors for low and moderate income buyers with SHIP grants. SHIP, which stands for State Housing Initiatives Partnership, is a program where lenders, builders, nonprofit groups and real estate agents collaborate to offer down payment and closing cost assistance to first-time home buyers with low incomes. The program is designed to promote affordable housing in Collier County.

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Public and Private Solutions to Affordable Housing

The Florida Planning and Zoning Association (FPZA) Calusa Chapter hosted a panel to discuss Public and Private Solutions to Affordable Housing on Friday, January 24, 2020. The panel took place as a two-hour luncheon offering two AICP Continuing Maintenance credits. Panelists included two affordable housing developers: Don D. Patterson, President and CEO of REVA Development Corporation and Bonnie Schnell of the Cape Coral Housing Development Corporation, as well as two public-sector housing affordability specialists: Amy Yearsley Thomas, AICP, Housing Coordinator for the City of Cape Coral and Cormac Giblin, AICP, Housing, Grant Development, and Operations Manager for Collier County.

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Collier County Affordable housing

Collier County gets $7.8M in state funding to aid planned affordable housing project

Collier County’s effort to bolster the local stock of affordable housing is getting a boost from state officials. The Florida Housing Finance Corporation’s board of directors unanimously awarded Collier $7.8 million to fund affordable housing, county officials announced in a news release. The award marks the first time in more than a decade that the county has received state funding for affordable housing development.

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Collier commissioners OK North Naples housing development that includes affordable units

Despite pushback from neighbors, Collier County commissioners on Tuesday approved a North Naples housing development that will include affordable units, marking a step toward the county’s goal of providing more such homes. Builder Stock Development has been asking for rezoning and an amendment to the county’s growth management plan to allow for up to 304 multi-family rental units on 35 acres at the southeast corner of Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Livingston Road.

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Opinion: Collier County needs more affordable housing options

There is an affordable housing solution that can be good for all residents. In Southwest Florida, it’s clear that “one size fits all” developments are the only housing option. Gated communities are the only style available. These style communities have kept our working class out of the affordable housing equation.

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Housing Affordability in Collier County

Mary Waller, a longtime member of the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® who has received all sorts of recognition throughout the years, speaks from a special perspective when it comes to the subject of housing affordability in Collier County. She brings to the discussion three years of experience on the county’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, and she loyally attended its meetings for three years before that, combining her real estate insights with her passion for volunteerism.

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Arthrex: Collier County needs to do more to provide affordable workforce housing

When it comes to providing affordable housing for workers, the “status quo” isn’t working in Collier County. That’s the message David Bumpous, a top executive for Arthrex, one of the county’s largest employers, delivered to county commissioners Tuesday. Bumpous, Arthrex’s senior director of operations, made a brief presentation about the medical device manufacturer’s growth, but it wasn’t all positive news.

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Collier Commission moves ahead with 78-unit affordable housing project

A new affordable housing project could soon be coming to Collier County. Collier County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved moving forward with a proposal by McDowell Housing Partners, LLC, to build a 78-unit rental development on 5 acres on Santa Barbara Boulevard between Radio Road and Davis Boulevard.

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