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| Luncheon and General Meeting
January 12 , 11:30-1:30
Tiburon Golf Club |
More Than Just Wine: How NCF Is Transforming Early Childhood Education In Collier County
Join us on January 12th to hear from Maria Jimenez-Lara, CEO of the Naples Children’s Foundation, who will tell us more about what NCF does with the money raised by the Naples Winter Wine Festival.
Ms. Jimenez-Lara will explain how NCF turns the extraordinary success of the Wine Festival into life-changing resources for children in Collier County. She will talk about NCF’s efforts to fill in gaps in early childhood education and will report on the results of a study commissioned by NCF and the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce on early education, which identified key challenges related to the availability and affordability of early learning programs in the county. We will learn why NCF is not just about wine -- it’s about driving meaningful change for the children of Collier County.
You will not want to miss this presentation!
MORE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION
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, January 6, 12:00 P.M.
Walk-ins will be seated in order of arrival on a space available basis
Late registration/walk in price will be strictly enforced
| Message from the President
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LWVCC President
Teresa Stohs
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The year 2025 ended with a flurry of activities—not just those holiday-related.
LWVCC made two trips to Tallahassee to speak out again Mid-Decade Redistricting. The Congressional Redistricting committee refused to hear from those in attendance at either meeting. At this time, no further meetings have been set.
Let’s talk about 2026. As seen in this issue of The Voter, the LWVFL has set their Legislative Priorities for the year, and they center around voting. The LWVCC Board of Directors will be setting our 3-year Strategic Plan into action upon approval in January/February. It will focus on Voter Services activities and actions. As we work to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy, your help and commitment is more important than ever. Please sign up to help at some of our Tabling Events—The Voter Services Committee is doing an excellent job helping voters check their registration and request Vote by Mail ballots.
I want to thank ALL LWVCC members for their support. A few months ago, I wrote about volunteering each week for the League. Have you been talking to younger voters about the importance of voting? Have you had a chance to help out at a tabling event? Have you supported our social media push by liking our posts and sharing them with others? There are many, many quick and easy ways to support the LWVCC. We appreciate each effort and each of you.
 | Why Say No to Redistricting |
- Partisan gerrymandering is illegal in Florida. Section 20 of our state Constitution states: “In establishing congressional district boundaries, no apportionment plan or individual district shall be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent."
- The U.S Constitution requires reapportionment every 10 years following a national Census. After the most recent Census, Florida was assigned 28 Congressional seats. There has not been a new Census conducted since 2020, and Florida has not been assigned any new seats beyond its current 28.
- There is no active court order requiring the Florida Legislature to redraw the current map. Although the current Congressional map is not one that the League of Women Voters of Florida supported when it was proposed and passed, it was ultimately upheld by the court system, and there is no legal order that necessitates it being redrawn at this time.
- Redistricting is incredibly expensive to taxpayers. Previous redistricting cycles have cost Floridians millions in taxpayer dollars for staff, consultant, and attorney time, not to mention opportunity costs in terms of misplaced focus and productivity.
- Florida residents expect their elected leaders to focus on the kitchen table issues affecting voters' daily lives – not diverting millions in taxpayer dollars to a rushed and unconstitutional redistricting process.
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League of Women Voters of Florida
2026 Legislative Plan
| For the 2026 Florida Legislative Session, the primary focus for our State league and the 29 local leagues is on all election law issues. Bills are being filed now and will continue to be filed after the session begins on January 13. The primary issues are:
- Mid-decade redistricting: Advocate against this clearly unconstitutional action. Advocate for compliance with the state Constitution’s Fair District Standards, passed in 2010. Partisan gerrymandering is illegal in Florida. Section 20 of our state Constitution states: “In establishing congressional district boundaries, no apportionment plan or individual district shall be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent."
- Voter registration: Advocate for status quo and against any changes that would require in-person documentation of citizenship. Additionally, support the Association of SOEs request to:
- Clear up any confusion about new DL/ID numbers to be updated in voter registration records as well as DHSMV records
- Specify that when an inactive voter is verified to have signed a petition, this voter must be deemed active by virtue of this activity
- Vote-by-mail: Advocate for status quo and against any changes that would reduce access to VBM (as presented in the 2025 legislative session). Additionally, support the Association of SOEs request to “add affirmative notation on certificate envelope to act as a continuing request for VBM provided that the personal identifying information of the voter has previously been provided and verified and the ballot is approved for tabulation."
- In-person voting: Advocate for status quo and against any changes that would hinder voting, especially bills that would reduce the identification types a voter can use or reduce early voting time periods. Additionally, monitor any bills related to guns at polling locations.
- Restoration of Rights Database: Advocate for bills that make it easier for returning citizens to determine if their right to vote has been restored.
- National Popular Vote: Advocate for a bill, if it is introduced.
- Florida Voting Rights Act: Advocate for a bill, if it is introduced.
- Closing the write-in candidate loophole: Advocate for a bill, if it is introduced. (In 2025, LWVFL promoted such a bill.)
- Open Primary Election System: Advocate for a bill, if it is introduced.
In prior years, LWVFL has had four areas of legislative priorities, the first of which was always Voting Rights and Election Reform. For 2025, the other three areas were Education, Reproductive Health and Justice, and Gun Violence Prevention. More information is available on the LWVFL website. | Ever want to learn more, but you don’t have the time to leave work or the house for a meeting? Just don’t want to fight the traffic? Or maybe you need to watch on your own time? Hot Topics is for you. Along with the New Year come new ideas, and you will be seeing a few of them roll out. Hot Topics is just one.
Our Zoom Guru, Patricia Rodilosso, will be staffing these sessions with a wide variety of speakers. We will kick off with Voter Services 101 on January 14 presented by Voter Services sub-committee chairs. This is a re-do of the live training presented in November. It is important because we have MANY tabling events scheduled soon and really need volunteers.
Voter Services 101 will be followed by the Digital Democracy Project and Property Taxes—Behind the Curtain. If you have suggestions for speakers or topics, please contact Teresa Stohs at president@lwvcolliercounty.org. All Hot Topics will be placed on YouTube for easy access on demand.
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Voter Services Committee
Laura Hansen Reynolds, Administrative Coordinator
Helping Naples residents get ready for the
February 3 City Council Election!
By Christmas, Voter Services volunteers will have set up Voter Registration Check/Re-request of Vote-by-Mail ballots at eight various community events. In January, we will also have tables at four Candidate Forums, including the League+GNL forum on January 13. On December 15, when the qualification window closed, eight qualified candidates were running for three open, at-large city council seats.
Candidate Forum
Patricia Aiken O’Neill is working with our partner, Greater Naples Leadership (GNL), planning the League’s City Council Candidate Forum. The Forum will take place on Tuesday, January 13 at 5:00 p.m. in the City Council chambers, across from City Hall. The Forum will also be telecast live on the City’s website at:
https://www.naplesgov.com/citymanager/page/public-meetings-agendas
CIVICS Unplugged Videos
During December, Jen Lapham produced new CIVICS unplugged video shorts about the US Citizenship Test, Redistricting in Florida, and Registering to Vote in Collier County. We’ve still had the most engagement on TikTok where we have over 1,400 Followers and almost 3,000 Likes. Jen also organized a diverse group of members to participate in a fun “Join us!” video that was posted to our league’s social media accounts.
VOTE411
Our VOTE411 online voter guide site has been populated with the upcoming City Council race. Candidate Questions were edited and invitations emailed to eight candidates. We plan to publish the online guide by January 1. Stacy Vermylen and Jen Lapham are helping design marketing activities to promote Vote411 to city voters. You can visit VOTE411.org and see the candidates’ profiles with their answers to issue questions. If you don’t live in city limits, use the Central Library address (650 Central Ave, Naples, FL 34102) to view the online voter guide. Please encourage your friends, relatives and neighbors to visit VOTE411.org and learn about the City Council election.
Canvassing Board
In open public meetings, the Canvassing Board conducts the Logic and Accuracy test of ballot processing and voting machines, reviews Vote-by-Mail (VBM) and provisional ballots, certifies the official results of the election, and observes the manual audit of precinct/race.
For this City Council Election, the Canvassing Board will be comprised of Patricia Rambosk (City Clerk), Teresa Heitmann (Mayor) and Christine Greider (Senior Judge). Our league will send up to five volunteers to observe each Canvassing Board meeting to be sure Florida Election Laws are followed as every qualified ballot that can be counted will be counted in a fair, transparent fashion.
On January 27, 2026, the Board will meet for the Logic and Accuracy (L&A) Test. The Supervisor of Elections staff prepares a test deck of ballots, with predetermined results. For the L&A testing, ballot scanning and counting machines process every type of ballot (in person, Vote-by-Mail and disability adaptation), under the careful watch of the Canvassing Board, LWVCC volunteers, and the general public. The votes are then tabulated and when the test meets the 100% accuracy requirement, the Canvassing Board will officially authorize the election and direct the SOE staff to begin processing VBM ballots as they arrive.
Watch our league’s Weekly Update email for details on volunteering for the Canvassing Board observations. In addition to the L&A test, there will be two more meetings to canvass VBM signature checks and provisional ballots. Last, the Canvassing Board meets to observe the required manual audit of the election, completing the entire election cycle.
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Juvenile Justice Committee
Libbie Bramson, Chair
Focus on Juvenile Justice
In a recent television interview with Michelle Obama, she reminded viewers that our most valuable resource is our children. They are our future. Traditionally, society focuses on actions to ensure kids’ safety and best futures. During extraordinary times, it is more important than ever to not lose this focus.
Consequently, in Fall, 2025, Juvenile Justice had speakers from two Collier County non-partisan foundational organizations, whose raison d’etre is intertwined with youth.
- In October, Vincent Keeys, President of the NAACP Collier Count spoke about his organization’s long-term, deep commitment to youth and its many ongoing programs to help kids attain their full potential.
- In November, Dr. Rachel Dawes and Eric Maya from Collier County Public Schools (CCPS) spoke about chronic absenteeism (truancy).
Across the U.S., this complex issue is the primary predictor of lack of academic achievement and whether a child is likely to become involved with Law Enforcement. In 2023-2024, CCPS had the lowest truancy among Florida’s K – 12 public schools. It takes an entire community to combat chronic absenteeism. Key supports include: 1) an actively engaged teen court judge who uses restorative practices and individualized plans to create a supportive environment; 2) community partners for counseling and therapy services for students and their families; 3) school attendance specialists and social workers; 4) supportive Sheriff and Police Departments. Dr. Dawes is also responsible for school safety initiatives and threat assessments.
Our next meeting features Jessica Liria, from David Lawrence Center. DLC is likewise a Collier County foundational organization dedicated to providing exceptional, life-saving and life-changing behavioral health care to patients of all ages. Jessica will discuss programs for youth and their families. All interested Leaguers and their guests are invited.
Date: January 23, 2026, Time: 10:00 AM.
Place: Finemark Bank Waterside
RSVP on the January Event Calendar. |
Gun Violence Subcommittee
At our October 2025 Gun Violence Prevention Subcommittee meeting, our speaker was JJ Janflone.
JJ is the Culture and Public Health Partnerships Manager and Producer for Red, Blue, and Brady. Among her many duties, JJ manages This Is Our Lane, amplifying healthcare professionals’ voices and training providers to address firearms safety, secure storage, and risk reduction with patients.
JJ did an excellent presentation about gun violence among the elderly and their caregivers. Many seniors, some of whom have dementia, forget they have a loaded gun in the house. Also, confronted with the loss of a spouse or declining health, a significant number use their gun to take their life. Interestingly, caregivers also commit suicide by gun due to their exhaustion, burning out, and despair over caring for a loved one.
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Environmental Affairs Committee
Lynn Martin, Patti Forkan, Co-Chairs
Shane Duff, President of Cypress Cove Land Keepers. was our speaker at the November EA committee meeting.
Cypress Cove Land Keepers, has officially sold the Gore Nature Education Center to Conservation Collier. The Center will become Conservation Collier’s very first community outreach and education hub. This is a tremendous step forward—one that will ensure the Center continues to thrive and reach even more members of our community under their stewardship.
Shane discussed the history of the Cypress Cove Landkeepers, the transaction with Conservation Collier and the future for the Gore Nature Center. The founding of Cypress Cove Landkeepers and its dedication to land preservation was influenced by the passion of Naples-based environmentalist Dr. Robert H. Gore III. Dr. Gore devoted his life to protecting untamed areas for future generations.
In 2017, Conservation Collier acquired 170 acres of his preserve, which is named the Dr. Robert H. Gore III Preserve. Shortly after, Cypress Cove Landkeepers acquired Dr. Gore’s original 10-acre parcel and home, which has been restored and has been operated for six years as the Gore Nature Center. Shane described the renovation of the historic home during COVID, highlighting the efforts to maintain its original architectural style while creating a safe and educational space. This year, Cypress Cove Landkeepers arranged for the transition/sale of the center to Conservation Collier. Shane discussed the successful sale to Conservation Collier, ensuring it would remain an education center. He highlighted the collaboration with Conservation Collier, including trail connections and invasive removal efforts. He also mentioned their focus on acquiring nearby properties to expand the preserve.
At our January meeting, Bridget Washburn, Executive Director and Brad Cornell, Policy Director of Audubon Western Everglades will discuss their programs and especially their new initiative to promote biodiversity and native plants. |
Education Ambassadors
The Education Ambassadors (EA) are a partnership of LWVCC with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida (IASWF), all non-profit organizations that support public education in Collier County. EA also works closely with the Education Action Team of the LWVFL and Families for Strong Public Schools, which provides research and background on public school issues in Florida. Learn more about EA.
EA representatives meet with Collier County Public Schools (CCPS) Superintendent Ricciardelli and her staff to support policies important to our schools and contact School Board members by email or by speaking at School Board meetings.
Two current issues are Impact Fees and Co-Location with charter schools:
- EA spoke at the Collier County Commissioners meeting to support increasing impact fees that developers pay to fund new schools and other county needs driven by new development. The Commissioners voted to send the impact fee information out for public comment and will vote on January 13, 2026.
View the CCPS position on impact fees.
- At a CCPS School board meeting, members expressed concerns about the new law enabling charter schools to Co-Locate in any “underused” public school space, with transportation, utilities, and other expenses of the space paid by the district. Families for Strong Public Schools works closely with EA and has additional information available on this issue.
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Membership Committee
Beth VanDamme, Chair
Welcome New Members!
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our newest member:
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Kate Gass
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| We are excited to have you join our community! |
| League News From Across the Country
| National League News
For more information, visit LWV.org.
State League News
For more information, visit LWVFL.org.
| Please refer to the LWVCC Weekly Update for a complete list of upcoming events or visit the LWVCC website: lwvcolliercounty.org.
Members should log in to ensure they see members-only events and registration options. | 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 9883, Naples, FL 34101
Sent by lwvcc@lwvcolliercounty.org
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