Page 27 - LIN_December 2022

JEFF LYTLE

LATEST IN

IAN STRING OF

EXTREMES

ne of my past supervising editors at the Naples Daily News once There are extremes in population density. Glaring examples are in our
Osaid Florida is a state of extremes. The term stuck with me. own backyard, with Naples and Miami on either side of 1.5 million acres
STATE OF EXTREMES. of plant and animal wildlife in the Everglades. Density is a byproduct of
development, which can overwhelm one place while a neighboring area
Colleen Conant, my boss in the 1990s who came to Naples from yearns for a share.
Colorado, made the comment in the context of water. Our area either
had too much of it, in the form of summer rains, runoff, and flash Development demands workforce, which can be flush in boom times
floods, or not enough of it to wet lawns and golf courses in dry winters, or gone when things go bust. The record shows the construction indus-
she observed. try was rescued during the crash of 2008 by three major non-profit
The conundrum, if memory serves correctly, helped drive the public projects at the Conservancy, Golisano Children’s Museum, and Naples
conversation about deep-well injection to store rainwater underground Botanical Garden.
until it is needed. Local governments’ commitment to infrastructure to keep pace with
EXTREMES. development can show signs of stress. An extreme example came a few
decades ago when, amid a burst of growth, no new roads were built for
The notion hit home with a vengeance when Hurricane Ian smashed three full years in Collier County. The result was extreme gridlock at
into Southwest Florida. Not only were Ian’s winds extreme, but Ian’s rush hours.
storm surge packed a punch that we had often been warned about but
had never seen in such magnitude. Ian’s eye was extremely large. Average temperatures present extremes, either sweltering in summer or
too cold for crops in winter.
EXTREME.
Extreme demand for something as simple as arts and crafts festivals
and concerts in downtown Naples has led to calls for a moratorium on
new permits.
...Florida is a state of extremes. With respect
Our average ages show extreme statistical swings. Collier’s appeal to
“ to water for example, our area either has
too much of it, in the form of summer rains, income tax-conscious retirees shows in our percentage of 65-and-older
runoff, and flash floods, or not enough of it people, at 33 percent, far outnumbering children, at 4 percent.
to wet lawns and golf courses in dry winters. ” Local extremes in ethnic diversity, meanwhile, are lacking.
— COLLEEN CONANT Voter turnout percentages can swing from lows in the 20s to highs in
the 90s.
There was damage to match, tossing boats like toys and carrying cars Extreme politics rears up in data from the January 6 insurrection at the
as if they were boats on streets turned into rivers. There was extreme U.S. Capitol. Florida, with 14 residents charged with violence, ranked
damage inside homes, out of the public eye. second, behind Texas with 15 and New York with 11, according to
Even the lack of damage in communities only 10 miles away to the east Forbes Magazine.
was extreme, in contrast. Disparities in flooding could be even more EXTREMES.
close by, where higher, newer subdivisions abut older, lower ones. They can be good, too. Consider today’s pace of local performing arts,
Examples abound beyond storms. There are extremes at both ends with at least five major theater launches, expansions, and rebuilds
of the wealth spectrum, as many people enjoy a surplus while others under way. Several are within walking distance of each other down-
struggle to scrape by. It is no coincidence that statistics for annual town, where there used to be none.
income—including dividends and interest—exceed totals for annual An extreme celebration every year is the Naples Winter Wine Festival,
wages, with so many low-paying service industry jobs. which attracts vintners, chefs and philanthropists from around the
An extreme public health situation, the pandemic, sparked an exodus world for a singular, focused mission—uplifting the education, health
from the North that stressed our already tight and expensive housing and welfare of Collier children. Since 2001 the event has raised $245
market. million, making it a top festival in the world.

Life in Naples December 2022 27