As Collier County government’s needs grow, it plans to spend $3.84 million to purchase 15 office suites near the government complex in East Naples to satisfy employee and space needs.
Without discussion, the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 25 approved the purchase of 15 office condominiums at 2671 Airport Road S., in Court Plaza III to accommodate the Community & Human Services Division. The division, which provides comprehensive services, such as prescriptions and assistance, veterans services and manages affordable housing opportunities, already occupies the second floor, six office suites in the 18-unit building.
“This acquisition will provide the county with greater control over its office space, improve operational efficiency and generate cost savings,” county Property Acquisition Specialist Grant Cox wrote in a written recommendation to commissioners. “Purchasing the majority of the building will help reduce future rental costs.”
The county has about 2,100 full-time and part-time employees. The space is expected to meet CHS’s needs for the next 20 years and will provide additional office space for CHS as leases for current tenants expire, Cox wrote, noting there will be an immediate savings of about $108,000 yearly in rental costs that CHS pays.
“Over time, the purchase strengthens the county’s financial position by reducing reliance on external leases, securing a long-term asset and yielding significant cost savings that support operational sustainability,” Cox wrote, noting the acquisition will support the co-location of all housing, human and veteran services — providing residents with easy access to services in a single, convenient location.
Court Plaza III is an 18,600-square-foot office condominium building, with 16,000 square feet of office space, and sits on 1.17 acres, with 76 parking spaces. It was built in 1993 and renovated in 2021, according to a real estate listing that sought $3.55 million for Connecticut-based Bigi & Bigi LLC’s 14 office condo units. Cox’s recommendation said the total acquisition won’t exceed $3.579 million, which includes two appraisals, an inspection, title policy, recording and search fees and closing costs.
The building is centrally located and is near the jail, courthouse and County Clerk’s Office.
The 15th space is owned by attorney Joseph D. Stewart, who will sell it for $290,000, but will remain in three third-floor offices and pay CHS $1,686.53 monthly for condominium association and monthly reserve fees. Another unit is occupied by tenants from two other units who have no formal lease, so the county Real Property Division will work with them to vacate or formalize a lease.
The county will seek two appraisals and purchase the offices for the agreed-upon price or the average value of the appraisals, if it’s lower. Closing will occur 180 days from the signed agreement.
Four other tenants lease 5,638 square feet of space, the state Office of Juvenile Justice, Collier County Counseling, attorney James Chandler and attorney Lisa Mead. They’re leasing four offices on the first floor and two on the third and will pay CHS $155,178.12 yearly for monthly leases that increase 3% yearly under their lease terms. CHS plans to purchase about 11,674 square feet of the condo space.
The county also has purchased land to satisfy service needs.
On Election Day 2014, it closed on a 1.84-acre former electrical company’s headquarters, paying an investment group $3.33 million and spending $2.2 million more for interior design and construction to build the 15,716-square-foot office for the Supervisor of Elections, which houses all the administrative offices. Elections equipment is stored in an adjacent two-story, 14,746-square-foot precast concrete warehouse. The purchase consolidated employees into one building.
To accommodate continuing growth in eastern Collier, the county used 7.73 acres it owned to build Heritage Bay Government Services Center, a contemporary, state-of-the-art, one-stop shop that allows residents to handle all government needs, including building permits, utility payments, driver licenses, hunting and fishing licenses, concealed weapon permits, property and business tax payments, property and court needs, early voting and others. The 22,780-square-foot center at 15450 Collier Blvd., just north of the Immokalee Road intersection, opened in August 2023 and was built for $300,000 below the $11.7 million budget. It can withstand 180 mph winds and is designed to open a day after a major hurricane to provide much-needed services.
