Limit Collier commission meetings to issues that really matter

The actions of the Board of County Commissioners in Collier continue to be perplexing in content, in purpose, and in jurisdiction. The March 28 meeting brought past and present actions into vivid public display.Previously, an ordinance requiring renters to be given adequate notice was struck because "it interferes with private business." In reality, the private sector solution here was that given adequate notice of rent increases that might not be affordable, the renter could choose another business that was more accommodating to the budget.Then the chair of the Affordable Housing Committee was dismissed, with the assertion by one commissioner that private business can provide affordable housing better than under rules and guidelines from a government entity. Private business has not taken up this responsibility in the decades that I have lived in Collier County.And on March 28, the Board of County Commissioners spent several hours on an ordinance titled a “Health Freedom Bill of Rights.” The hypotheses behind the proposal as written were full of contradictions. It has misreadings of state and federal constitutions, misunderstandings of international law, neglect of current state law proposals that allow the state Legislature to nullify county ordinances that the gerrymandered majority objects to, and misrepresentations of the concepts of public health versus individual rights. The proposal began by saying that "many residents" have complained that their rights are being violated by the federal government and the World Health Organization, limiting the individual’s health care freedoms and right. No numbers of “concerned individuals" are mentioned, and no data as to the significance of the numbers of alleged complainers. This can only be proven by a countywide referendum, which should be held before proceeding further.Then the proposal asserted that the federal and state health agencies have demonstrated a clear inability to be truthful, transparent and consistent in protecting the citizens of Collier County. This is partially correct: The egregious policies and statements of the governor and the Florida surgeon general have no backing in science or reality.Then the proposal claimed that the constitutional rights of Collier County citizens were violated through discrimination based on vaccine status. Again, no reproducible data were presented, and it again appears that an unreported number of testimonials are the source of this claim.Then the ordinance claims that the U.S. and state constitutions are no longer being upheld, and that Collier County citizens are harmed because of these alleged constitutional violations. The following justifications for this claim about the constitutional violations are justified by questionable interpretations of the documents.Then the ordinance claims that the WHO has power over U.S. and state law. This is utterly wrong and without foundation.Finally, the individual rights that we are guaranteed are stated to be given by a higher power entity. Only the human writers of the constitutions and their amendments have created the rights that have been voted upon by national and state legislatures. There are no religious backings to U.S. laws, which are based on ethics.Public health decisions should be based on science, period, not unfounded claims or testimonial comments. The proposed ordinance neglected the fact that there are public health and public safety decisions, necessary for the common good, that overrule interpretations of individual freedoms. Among these are requirements for different licenses to drive the various vehicle types, certified instruction and licensing to fly passenger airplanes, requirements to observe speed limits, restrictions on impaired driving or flying, restrictions for getting married if one partner has syphilis, or untreated HIV, and restrictions denying refusal of treatment for tuberculosis, to name but a few of the commonly understood laws that protect the public.Fortunately, commissioners Bill McDaniel and Rick LoCastro recognized the flagrant flaws in the document and refused to proceed without changes. The revised proposed ordinance will still be considered at the next Board of County Commissioners meeting, even though the county attorney told the board that it is symbolic and without any legal basis. So more hours will be spent on ideological theater.Everyone is entitled to their opinions in our country, but not to their own unverified data. Commissioners, begin the process with the referendum by the Collier County citizens if you believe that it is necessary to find out if a majority really believe that their health rights are violated before going further with an ordinance of no consequence.Then limit future meetings to issues that really matter to Collier County citizens. Enforce ordinances that have already been debated and passed. Show us some real action on the affordable housing crisis. Work with neighboring counties to lobby our legislative representatives to address the problem of excessive fertilizer north of Lake Okeechobee and to restore the natural flow of the lake waters south to the Gulf. Concentrate on projecting ongoing and future traffic needs for the county. I am certain that my fellow county citizens can suggest more projects for concentration instead of needless dogmatic theater.

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: Limit Collier commission meetings to issues that really matter