I have had the pleasure of living on Marco since 2013. I especially enjoy the dog park which allows so many people and their dogs to have a place to meet and talk. Talking has lost its way to text, …

Thank you to Councilor Champagne, Councilor Henry, Councilor Palumbo, and Councilor Schwan for approving the millage rate at 1.2670 for the upcoming fiscal year. I do not envy the courage it took to …

Globally, the population of older adults is projected to reach 1.5 billion by 2050, universally shifting socioeconomic, cultural and healthcare systems in the process.  This October 1st, …

Clean Marco Waters, LLC is a local citizens' advocacy group dedicated to restoring, preserving, and protecting Marco Island’s canals, marine ecosystems and habitats.  We recently sampled the …

Mr. Shaw’s column on vaccinations and Secretary Kennedy made a very important point. Vaccinations have saved millions of lives and prevented human suffering for many years. As a child, I dreaded …

I am writing to call attention to the proposed private club to be established on Gulf Shore Drive/Vanderbilt Beach. The club's applications for conditional use and rezoning have already been …

"And the big fool says to push on..." It is not enough that we had to put up with charges of a "Material weakness and Designated weakness" stated in our annual audit, along with a laundry list of …

Some of our City Councilors have tied themselves in knots. To get elected, they signed pledges not to raise taxes - without first understanding the crumbling condition of our infrastructure, which …

Marco Island residents are facing an extraordinary fiscal proposal: a 51% increase in city revenue for Fiscal Year 2026. This includes a $10.5 million increase in property tax revenue and a newly …

Some scholars (Foreign Affairs: 8/17/2025) argue that partial peace settlements - like Korea in the 1950s, Berlin in the 1970s, or Cyprus in the 1970s - prove wars can be frozen even if they are not …

Mr. Shaw’s column on President Trump's efforts to bring peace to Russia and Ukraine was antagonistic and disappointing.  It did not camouflage Mr. Shaw’s consistent “Trump Derangement …

Look out, Jake Tapper, you have major competition from Brad Shaw.Even Mr. Shaw was hesitant about writing about the Alaska Summit before the details were even out. Yet he quoted John Bolton and …

Over the last eight years Marco Island’s operating budget grew from $25.5M in FY2017 to $31.9M in FY 2025, an increase of $6.5M over eight years, the equivalent of a 2.4% average annual growth …

Over the past few months, the Marco Island City Council has had four open-to-the-public Budget Workshops with detailed presentations by each City Department on their operating and capital needs. As …

As the heat of summer continues, so does the heat build among residents of our fair isle as they try to understand the issues simmering at City Hall while attempting to find facts hidden by …

The Council Chairman found the Auditors letter in the audit document that claimed material weaknesses in the internal controls by the auditors. I assume that the chairman confronted the City Manager …

At both the recent budget workshop and regular City Council meeting, I raised serious concerns about the City’s failure to provide the legally required Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and the lack …

I am very disappointed in Marco Island City Council’s vote to limit the speed of all bicycles on Marco Island to 12 mph. This was in direct opposition to MIPD’s recommendation of a 15 mph speed …

Residents of Marco Island deserve transparency, especially regarding our city’s financial health. Unfortunately, the 2024 audit process - under City Manager Mike McNees - has been anything …

On October 7, 2022, the City of Marco Island issued a Request for Information (RFI) related to the best value technology methods to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus in the Marco Island Wastewater …