Fellow Naples Citizens,
My name is Chris Hall. Like each of you, Collier County is my home. My wife Dot and I came across beautiful Naples many years ago in our travels. We were immediately drawn to the quaint city scape, natural beauty, and enduring character that is Naples. Almost immediately, we began making friends and setting roots in this one-of-a-kind community.
After decades in business, Dot and I decided to make Naples our permanent home nearly ten years ago. Today, we are proud members at our local church, active golfers, and proud supporters of several Southwest Florida charities and philanthropic efforts.
Naples has changed immensely over the years, and population growth has brought about many new faces, new businesses and unfortunately… new challenges.
Recently, our local headlines have been plagued by constant issues regarding traffic, infrastructure and most crucially, the environment. Admittedly, not being much of a “political” person, but always accused of being overly curious, I began to question what might be causing these issues and who might be best suited to address them.
Simple research began to uncover the facts. Collier County was seeing unprecedented levels of population growth, fueled by entirely unchecked development and often egregious incentives - at local taxpayers’ expense. When I began talking to county officials, the response was shocking. It was as if I was speaking a foreign language - no one seemed to understand the correlation between our recent issues and the recent increase in population. Are officials at the county level really this oblivious, or worse, are they blatantly ignoring the issues to satisfy some sort of outside influence?
Follow The Money
Further research found that nearly fifty percent of political capital contributed to Collier County and Naples Municipal candidates between 2016 and 2020 came from individuals or entities with ties to large-scale real estate developers. Even worse, nearly a third of money was contributed from out-of-town entities with no local presence in Naples or Collier County.
Citizens Are Waking Up
By the time my own personal research had led me to the conclusion that pay-to-play real estate developers had corruptly taken control of the local political landscape, I realized many others were waking up to the true problems our community was facing.
Local civic groups and community activists across Naples were working tirelessly to uncover the massive number of backroom deals being made at the municipal level. This led to major political upsets in the 2020 and 2022 municipal elections. The message received from voters was abundantly clear; “Keeping Naples Great” was a major priority for Naples citizens, and elected officials who believed otherwise were not welcome here.
The Risk Now Lies At The County Level
Ousted Naples officials Reg Buxton and Michelle McLoud have refocused their disruptive efforts at the county level in an effort to claim political power in the upcoming August primary election. Meanwhile, out-of-town donors and special interest groups have begun funneling significant political dollars toward the county races.
Despite the fact that a recent study concluded that 4 out 5 Collier County voters feel that unchecked development possesses the biggest risk to Collier County’s environment and future, out-of-town developers continue to infiltrate our political process in an effort to fundamentally redefine and redevelop our community.
Why Am I Running?
The decision for me to run for public office was not an easy one. As previously mentioned, I have never been much of a political individual. However, the recent missteps by our elected officials have gone too far.
Being elected at the local level means representing the beliefs, efforts, and values of those who elected you, not out-of-town interest groups looking to redefine the community.
I love Collier County and all of its beauty. I cannot simply stand by and watch a class of career politicians sell out our community in exchange for political capital.
Why am I the right person for the job?
The answer is easy: my only responsibility is to you, the people who call Collier County home.
Through years of hard work and dedication, Dot and I are blessed to have been financially successful. I do not need this job - I want this job because I want to fight for you.
I will never sell political favors or take money from those whose interests contradict what our citizens want. You have my word.
In Closing
I love this community more than words can explain. I want to see Naples be protected and represented by someone whose beliefs align with its citizens.
As Commissioner - and currently as a candidate - my phone will always be on, and my door will always be open. Do not ever hesitate to reach out.
I hope you will consider helping us spread the word and help us build a citizen-fueled victory in August.
Your Neighbor,
Chris Hall
Candidate for Collier County Commissioner Dist. 2