Collier County commissioners voted Jan. 13 to declare a state of emergency for 34 private roads considered impassable. All five commissioners supported the decision. The declaration allows county staff to seek an Attorney General Opinion on whether $1.5 million in public funds can be used to fix the roadways.
Vice Chair Bill McDaniel Jr. made the motion. The proclamation declares portions of those roads a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of residents in unincorporated areas. An ad hoc committee made up of representatives from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, local fire districts, and Collier Emergency Medical Services found 73 roads were impassable, with 34 included under a pending contract.
The committee ranked Della Drive and Markley Avenue in Golden Gate Estates and Sunnygrove Road in East Naples as the worst. McDaniel’s district includes Immokalee and Golden Gate Estates, where many of the roads are located…