For years the city of Marco Island has celebrated Independence Day with fireworks, but that tradition was paused in 2020 after City Council failed to pass a motion to sign a contract with a fireworks company.
Former councilors Charlette Roman, Larry Honig and Howard Reed voted in May of last year against the motion citing coronavirus-related concerns such as requesting barely-open businesses to donate money for the event and unmanageable crowds which could have spread the virus. Former Councilor Victor Rios and councilors Erik Brechnitz and Jared Grifoni voted in favor, resulting in a tie.
A motion can only pass when adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of council members present and voting at the meeting.
Marco Island City Council on Monday unanimously approved documents that estimate it will cost the city approximately $22.9 million to replace Fire Station 50 and renovate Veterans Community Park.
The city would spend $12.5 million to replace the fire station with a new station and an emergency center, and $10.4 million to renovate the park.
The new fire station will be approximately 22,366 square feet with administrative offices, meeting rooms, sleeping quarters and bays for the equipment, according to a city staff report.
Miguel Carballo, fleet and facilities manager with the city, said the fire station and emergency center will include a fueling station, the IT department, a community training center and a training tower. The project will also include renovating pavement and landscaping across the City Hall campus.
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Marco Island City Council postponed on Monday the approval of the plan for a $8.8 million project that includes building a 32-foot star-shaped bandshell at Veterans Community Park.
City Council Chairman Jared Grifoni said councilors voted unanimously to continue the discussion on April 19 because the total amount that the city is expected to pay for the project was not available. City Council selected a construction manager at risk method so the citizens would know exactly how much the project was going to cost. And if there was any overruns in that cost, that would be (paid) by the contractor and not the taxpayers, Grifoni said Tuesday.
Rios turned himself into the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Department of Corrections on Friday and has since been released upon posting a $30,000 bond, according to the release. FDLE said the case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 20th Judicial Circuit.
City Councilor Erik Brechnitz, who was chairman of the City Council at the time of the alleged incident, said he is unhappy to learn what Rios is accused of. I m saddened by it, but I really have to assume that he is innocent until proven guilty, Brechnitz said.
How the investigation started
In 2019, Fleming filed a complaint April 26 with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation claiming that Rios engaged in a fraudulent scheme of ballot-forging during the condo s election in March.