Collier commissioners rush deeply flawed ordinance
Ronald Reagan famously said to Mikhail Gorbachev about facts presented as evidence: “Trust, but verify.” Sadly, the Board of Collier County Commissioners neglected to follow his recommendations on April 11, when they passed a deeply flawed and redundant county ordinance, as well as an equally symbolic non-binding resolution, without verifying any sources. Both proposals were attacks on public health, vaccine integrity, the scientific method, the federal government, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. The stated reason for bringing them forth was that "many people" had complained about the Collier County mandates for masks and vaccination during the worst of the COVID-19 epidemic. When pressed, the proposals’ drafter updated this to “1,000-1,500 people,” without documentation. Since Collier County had 375,752 residents in 2020, at most this would only be 0.00004 percent of residents.
The reasons presented as to why the county needed these was that "individual freedom and liberty" were compromised by the mandates that the prior county commission made for the common good of the county residents, and that passing them would fulfill a campaign promise. These reasons can be debated.
The U.S. Constitution Preamble begins, “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union…,” and later adds to "promote the general Welfare…” It does not state, “I form this government for my own benefit and wishes, and answer to none of my fellow citizens,” to paraphrase the rationale behind the resolution and ordinance.
As presented originally, both proposals would severely restrict public health mandates with regards to masking during a contagious epidemic, and penalize businesses that will not hire or retain the unvaccinated individuals. Cogent arguments against the premises of the resolution and the ordinance were presented by local community members, whose facts and credentials can easily be verified. These included several physicians and scientists with experience in scientific research, in the medical technology industry, and on the boards of public medical companies, plus the Collier County Medical Society and the League of Women Voters, to name a few.
Most of the presenters testifying in favor of the ordinance and resolution were not Collier County or Southwest Florida residents. An easy data search verifies this. Much of their testimony was anecdotal and not verifiable. Minimal diligent research reveals that several who have previously expressed these opinions have had their premises questioned and invalidated.
The list of all the speakers is available in the transcript of the April 11 meeting, which can be obtained for those who wish to investigate the comments and credentials of any or all of the speakers on both sides, including this writer.Despite urging from a majority of the speakers to investigate and evaluate the conflicting positions, the board pressed ahead, making changes in session that could not be reviewed or challenged by the citizens of Collier County before the resolution and the ordinance were passed.
Disturbed by the vote, many of the speakers against the ordinance and resolution have since presented evidence to the commissioners that calls the opinions and statements of many pro-issue speakers into question. These were available to the commissioners before they brought up these items and voted on them.
It is to be hoped that the Board of County Commissioners will withdraw these items until they can perform due diligence on all the positions presented. If and before this ordinance and this resolution should ever even be considered for a second vote by the commissioners, the referendum on an issue of critical public health magnitude should be held by the voters to ensure agreement by the other 99.996 percent of Collier residents.
Michael F. Finkel, M.D., of Naples practiced adult and child neurology for 40 years, including Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic appointments. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, a Fellow of the Florida Society of Neurology, and a retired member of the Child Neurology Society.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Collier commissioners rush deeply flawed ordinance
