Residents urge protections for wetlands, complain about cruise‑ship views and pickleball noise at Planning Board

Several Marco Island residents used the public‑comment period to raise separate but locally important concerns.

Lisa Foster, a Marco Island resident, urged the board to treat the land‑use filing as an amendment to an existing PUD rather than a new PUD and cited "Florida Statute 125.01055," saying the Live Local Act can be used in ways that permit development on wetlands under 10 acres. "I would hope that we would look into the provisions to protect those wetlands," Foster said, adding that density increases on a barrier island pose evacuation and safety concerns.

Ron Hattendorf, who lives at Angler's Cove, said a five‑story cruise ship regularly blocks his view and nearby condo views and that cruise ships "do nothing for the island" because passengers disembark and spend in Collier County rather than Marco Island. He said he sent a letter to the board documenting his concerns and planned to raise the topic at a future Rosemarina meeting.

Rich Vonna, who gave his address as 1541 San Marco Road, urged the board to reconsider the city's "unlimited" green recreational zone designations after persistent pickleball play generated continuous noise near private homes. Vonna described the sport's repeating impact sound as "completely unique" and said he found a commercially available sound‑deadenening wall that reduced noise by about 50 percent in his trial. He asked the planning board to appoint a subcommittee to create standards for pickleball to limit neighborhood noise impacts.

Board members heard the comments and thanked the speakers. The remarks raised zoning and public‑safety questions members said the board and staff would consider as appropriate in future agenda items.