2020 Past Events
February: Tamara Pigott
Next to our climate and beautiful beaches being the biggest attractions in Southwest Florida, it is important to remember that the hotels that tourists stay in also play a large role in what area they will visit. Interestingly enough from 2009 until recently new hotel units were not being built or renovated. During the downturn tourism took a hit now with multiple new hotels being built in the area what will the tourism trends look like? How will out-dated hotels and inns in the area affect this trend?
January: Dennis Pearlman
As the New Year 2020 begins and the political cycle is now in full swing, your retirement plan and financial well-being is surely to be impacted. How will you and your money be affected? What are the Presidential Candidates proposals? Now that the Secure Act has been signed into law, how will it impact your nest egg?Retirement Plan Advisor Dennis Pearlman brings a wealth of experience to the table as an active business adviser for several retirement plans and as a political consultant for several local elected officials.
2019 Past Events
December: Nikki Fried
During the Commissioner for Agriculture race Nikki Fried campaigned on expanding access to medical marijuana, growing industrial hemp, supporting Florida Farmers, and balancing environmental and consumer protections. Since taking office what strides has Commissioner Nikki Fried made on advancing her platform? Will Florida make medical marijuana more accessible? What is being done about industrial hemp?
November: Matt Caldwell M-CORES
Whether it was the road you drove to work today, the highway you took on vacation, or the road that passes through your neighborhood, roads affect every person in every walk of life. Turnpikes and roads may not be something that we think about regularly, but they have an effect on the economy, our quality of life, and the environment. On May 17, 2019 Governor DeSantis signed the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance (M-CORES) program into law. The program is intended to address issues such as hurricane evacuation, traffic mitigation, water and sewer connectivity, etc. What else will this program address? How will this program affect your way of life?
October: Dr. Susan A. MacManus Political Trends and 2020 Observations
It seems as though the 2016 and 2018 election cycle was just yesterday, but the 2020 election cycle is just around the corner. With the presidential election in mind and the various polls predicting its outcome we must also keep in mind what the polls predicted last election and the actual results. Will 2020 be any different? Where are the political trends leading us? Join us for an evening discussion on political trends and observations from 2020 polling research!
September: Meet the New County Commissioner
On August 2nd, Raymond Sandelli was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to the District 3 seat of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners, vacated due to the death of Larry Kiker. Commissioners serve as the vital leadership within county government from setting land use policy to approving the budget of the county. How have his first two months in office gone and what does he bring to the job from his professional career and military service? What plans does he have for the future of Lee County?
June: Dave Harner, Doug Busbee, and Roland Ottolini
What’s Lee County doing about flood prone areas and what should be done? Between August 25th and September 10th, 2017, Lee County experienced two historic flooding events back to back. This one-two punch put areas previously thought to be ‘high ground’ underwater and caused everyone to reevaluate their flood risks. In response, Lee County has commissioned a study to evaluate options to improve stormwater management and provide recommendations to the Lee County BOCC on ways to mitigate flooding risks.
April: Jaime Weisinger
In Florida one of the driving forces of our economy is agriculture. Recently, agriculture has taken a bad wrap in the state with different groups blaming it for the environmental issues. Along with people blaming agriculture for environmental issues there is often disputes over organic vs. GMOS produce. It is especially important for the people of Florida to be educated on such an important factor of our economy and learn the threats that face our agriculture industry.
March: Dr. Steven Camarota
Immigration is a hot topic across our nation … from the Dream Act to “building the wall” – there are many opinions on both sides of the aisle. Along with many opinions there are also a lot of myths that surround immigration. It is important to separate the myths from the facts. Join us for an evening discussion to decipher these myths from facts and the effect of immigration policies on the state of the economy
February: Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle
Since the 2000 landmark election of Bush v. Gore, Florida has been the epicenter of voting irregularities. Why is it that some counties execute voting procedures without error, while others do not? Will Florida be on the front page of the news during the next election, or will we finally have it right? With all the confusion surrounding voting irregularities, Tommy Doyle will join us in a discussion regarding voting.
January: Sheriff Carmine Marceno
There’s a new sheriff in town, and we were honored to have Sheriff Marceno join us for an overview presentation about what’s happening in the County and what the Sheriff’s department is doing to keep crime at a minimum and the citizens of Lee County safe.
