OCTOBER LUNCHEON & GENERAL MEETING
October 13 @ 11:30-1:30
Tiburon Golf Club
Freedom of the Press
presented by
Bob Orr
Naples Press Club
We are excited to welcome Bob Orr, a former broadcast news reporter and news anchor from CBS News in Washington; he has over 40 years of experience in the industry. Mr. Orr will address us on the numerous problems facing the media today, including the challenge to freedom of the press and its implications for our democracy.
| REGISTRATION & MORE INFORMATION
MEMBERS MUST LOG IN FIRST TO RECEIVE MEMBER PRICE
If you are bringing one or more guests, please be sure to register them when you register yourself.
Registration and payment must be made online by
Tuesday, October 7 @ 12:00 PM
Walk-ins will be seated in order of arrival on a space available basis
Late registration/walk in price will be strictly enforced
Let's Grow Together! Bring a Friend to Our General Meetings | MONTHLY MEETING FEE INCREASE
Our monthly luncheon meetings provide both an educational speaker program and an opportunity for current members to gather and renew acquaintances. These meetings are also a popular way to attract new members to the Collier league to introduce new entrants to the voting structures and issues in Florida which, in many cases, are very different from the “up north” experience. For those reasons, LWVCC has subsidized the cost of our monthly general member meetings for the past decade or more.
Our per-member charge has been a constant $34.00 for the past three years, despite the increased costs faced by our vendor. After careful consideration by your board of all aspects of our meetings, we believe the current venue is most suitable to the needs of the membership and provides the best value we can secure. However, the contract costs have risen annually for several years while our member charge has not kept pace. Additionally, as discussed at our Annual Meeting in April, the net dues we receive per person have declined substantially due to the new pricing structure from the LWVUS. Our revenues are declining while our costs are rising.
Thus, beginning October 2025, we will be instituting a new charge of $40.00 per member or member guest registered by the member by the registration deadline (still an approximately $10 subsidy, requiring website login to qualify) and $50.00 for non-members who register themselves and at the door for all walk-ins. |
All members are asked to participate in LWV Collier’s October 4 Day of Action by sending emails or calling our state legislators. Our message is simple: SAY NO TO MID-DECADE RE-DISTRICTING.
Florida families expect their elected leaders to focus on the kitchen table issues affecting voters’ daily lives, not to divert millions in taxpayer dollars to a rushed and unnecessary redistricting process.
Florida voters overwhelmingly supported the Fair Districts Amendments in 2010 and sent a clear message to elected officials: district maps should be drawn fairly. Partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional in Florida. Maps must not be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor any political party of incumbent.
Redrawing congressional districts in 2025, on partisan grounds, without new Census data, defies the will of the people and undermines the Florida State Constitution. Contact information for Collier elected officials:
Senator Kathleen Passidomo.Kathleen@flsenate.gov 239-417-6205
D-81 Representative Yvette.Benarroch@flhouse.gov 239-417-6200
D-82 Rep. Lauren Melo Lauren.Melo@flhouse.gov 239-417-6270
D-80 Rep. Adam Botana Adam.Botana@flhouse.gov (239) 949-6279
In addition to contacting these legislators on Saturday, October 4, tell your family, friends and neighbors about this issue and ask them to speak up too – it’s time to let our voices be heard, loud and clear: No Mid-decade Re-districting in Florida!
We’ve drafted suggested text for emails/calls and provided background material and graphs on of partisan gerrymandering.
If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Martin lynnsmartin14@gmail.com 917-513-6600 or Laura Hansen Reynolds laura9hansen@gmail.com 202-714-0249.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHANGE
The Board of Directors announces a change in the Board composition. Yvonne Hill has resigned as a director. The Governance Committee nominated and, at its October meeting, the Board approved Liz Smith Mao to fill the vacancy. We thank Yvonne for her service to the Board, and we welcome Liz Smith Mao as a director. | YOUR LETTERS MATTER!
On behalf of the Environmental Affairs Committee and the LWVCC Board, we want to shout out a big THANK YOU! to those of you who took the time to contact the Collier County Commissioners in support of The Conservation Collier Program’s current funding level (a millage rate of .2096). According to the Audubon of the Western Everglades, the commissioners received 800 emails, of which- 90% supported Conservation Collier! Because of your successful advocacy, and the presence of supporters at the budget hearing The Program will be fully funded this year. However, we must be ever vigilant! You reminded our local government that voters overwhelmingly approved Conservation Collier in 2002, 2006, and again in 2020. Collier citizens are willing to invest in protecting our water, wildlife, and natural areas. Thanks to you the Commissioners heard unequivocally, that preserving our most critical landscapes matters greatly to Collier citizens. Since its inception, The Program has acquired and preserved over 6,400 acres of vital land, including key wetlands, aquifer recharge zones, and treasured public preserves like the Gordon River Greenway, Otter Mound Preserve, Pepper Ranch, and Freedom Park. These lands are essential to the long-term sustainability of our region’s environment, our sense of place and quality of life. Your actions demonstrate the power of the League’s commitment to the environment and its ongoing mission: to educate voters and protect democracy. Thank you, Leaguers—we are proud to stand among you in support of Conservation Collier’s mission: to acquire and preserve vital and significantly threatened natural lands, forest, upland, and wetland communities located in Collier County, for the benefit of present and future generations. | |
The Communications Team recently began a video series titled “Civics Unplugged” posted on all of LWVCC’s social media sites. The goal of these short reels is to educate viewers on the basics of national and local civics, such as Branches of Government, Voting Rights, Constitutional Amendments, City Council, and more.
We will be posting these 1-minute videos approximately once a week on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube. As always, the more “clicks” on the postings we get, the more engagement we will see in our community! So please make sure you check-in to our social media to view, like, comment, and share our reels.
| The League of Women Voters of Lee County (LWVLee) invites members and the public to an update on Florida Redistricting, October 4, 2025, 11:15am to 12:15pm in person at the Collaboratory, 2031 Jackson Street, Fort Myers.
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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| October 4 @ 10:00 |
Redistricting Day of Action |
| October 13 @ 11:30-1:30 |
Luncheon & General Meeting |
| October 23 @ 2:00-4:00 |
Movies that Matter Panel Discussion
Free for All |
| October 30 @ 2:00-4:00 |
Movies that Matter
Change Not Charity |
| November 4 @ 4:00-6:00 |
Empty Bowls Paint & Sip |
| November 6 @ 2:00 |
Movies that Matter
Facing Fear |
Visit the LWVCC Calendar for event details
| ONLINE REIMBURSEMENT FORM IS NOW AVAILABLE
Board members, committee chairs, and others who need to submit reimbursement requests can now do so via our Submit Online Forms page. | UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Check our Event Calendar for meeting locations and more information. LWVCC committee meetings are for members and their invited guests unless stated otherwise, members should log in to the website to register to get the Zoom links for committee meetings and other events. | Plastics Task Force Meeting
October 2 @ 3:30-5:00
Zoom
| Environmental Affairs Committee Meeting
October 9 @10:00-11:30
Collier Community Foundation
Registration required for Zoom link
Guest speaker will be Eve Samples, the Executive Director of Friends of the Everglades. As you know from the news, a detention center has been built in the Big Cypress Preserve, part of the Everglades. Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biodiversity and Earth Justice have sued alleging that the required environmental review wasn’t undertaken. Eve will update us on the status of the lawsuit, the detention center and other activities of Friends of the Everglades. | Gun Violence Prevention Subcommittee Meeting
October 15 @10:00-11:00
Zoom
| Juvenile Justice Committee Meeting
October 24 @10:00-12:00
Finemark Bank | Board Meeting
November 5 @ 9:30-12:00
Moorings Park Board Room | Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in Government. We influence public policy through education and advocacy. Our goal is to empower citizens to take an active role in shaping better communities worldwide. The League of Women Voters of Collier County does not support or endorse any candidate or political party.
| League of Women Voters of Collier County
P.O. Box 9883Naples, FL 34101
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