MIAAOR Honors America’s 250 and New Leadership Team at Annual Luncheon

The ballroom of the Hilton Beach Resort and Spa on Marco Island was festooned in red, white, and blue last week, with stalls draped in American flags and attendants dressed as colonial soldiers and the Statue of Liberty.

It was no political rally, however, but the joint trade show between the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors (MIAAOR) and the Realtor Support Network for its annual Affiliate Trade Show and General Membership Luncheon, celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary.

Held on September 29, the event drew around 30 vendors from businesses across the city, all decked out in unabashed Americana, creating a festive atmosphere for the over 100 realtors in attendance as they enjoyed a buffet featuring “Tastes of the Americas.” According to MIAAOR, the event gives members an opportunity to strengthen relationships with the businesses and professionals who support the local real estate community.

During the event, MIAAOR recognized current CEO Kandy Sweeney with a dedication and a bouquet of flowers in honor of her commitment to the organization and announced the slate for its 2027 leadership team.

“Marco Island is especially blessed to have Kandy in this position,” said MIAAOR 2026 President Jacki Strategos. “Her passion for our members, our Association, and our industry is evident in everything she does.”

Taking over for Strategos as the 2027 President is Laurie Kocak of Premiere Plus Realty, with William Moran as President-Elect, also of Premiere Plus, and Stacy Witthoff from John R. Wood Properties as Secretary.

The newly elected slate of directors also includes Kyle Grucci, Marv Needles, Jack Winnik, and Peter Huy as one-year term directors; Angelica Andrews, Lindsey O’Connell, and Chris Sullivan as two-year term directors; and Catherine Clausen, Shamus Jones, and Mary Jo O’Regan as three-year term directors, respectively, representing a variety of realty firms from across the island.

The program also included the presentation of MIAAOR’s Silver Dollar Awards, which recognize realtors who achieved the highest number of transactions and dollar volume sales during the first two quarters of 2026.

Jim Prange of Premier Sotheby’s received the award for first place in most sides sold during the first quarter of this year and for dollar volume in the second quarter.

Carla Masse of Sunrizon Realty received the prize for dollar volume sales in the first quarter, while Pat Wilkins of RE/MAX Alliance Group received recognition for the most sides sold in the second quarter.

Several sales teams also received awards for their achievements, including Bartos Group from Premiere Plus, the Michelle Thomas Team from Premier Sotheby’s, the Needles Group of John R. Wood, and the Chris Sullivan Team of RE/MAX Alliance Group, among the island’s top performers.

Crystal Kinzel, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for Collier County, was a guest speaker at the event. She discussed the state’s proposed tax amendment on the November ballot, which would sharply curtail tax income for county governments statewide.

She outlined several issues for residents and local governments to consider and how they would affect the local real estate market, including the role property taxes currently play in funding local services and what alternative revenue sources could replace them if property taxes were significantly reduced or eliminated. Kinzel emphasized that a strong tax base was ultimately what she believed made the county an attractive place to live, as long as the government had funds for expected services and upkeep.

“If you’re truly looking for a cut, you probably should have planned that a little differently than just a massive cut across the board, a one-size-fits-all for every county in the state of Florida,” Kinzel said. 

“It’s not worth that $100 or $200 on my tax bills when we have such a beautiful community, and I do like to go to the libraries,” she added, noting that libraries and other services would likely be among those impacted by the tax revenue cuts.

The event concluded with a prize drawing, with gifts offered by the affiliate vendors present, drawing straws to present items for realtors at the show.