McLeod Announces Run for County Commissioner

Former City of Naples councilwoman, Michelle McLeod, has announced her candidacy to run for the District 4 Collier County Commission seat.

Through her decades of service on community boards and four years in public office, McLeod’s accomplishments are numerous.  On Council, she helped lead the efforts on three significant landmark projects: the development of Baker Park, the reconstruction of the Naples City Dock and the construction of the city’s Emergency Operations Center… all designed and completed under budget during her term.  McLeod also led the charge on initiatives and policies related to the “complete streets” model and Blue Zone principles that helped move Naples from being 73rd in the nation the year before she entered office to being the #1 healthiest and happiest community in the country.

McLeod’s other work through her community service has focused on issues related to mental health, women’s initiatives, housing solutions, and employment and leadership advancement opportunities.

As a native Floridian who has lived and worked, both in the public and private sector, in the City of Naples for more than 25 years, McLeod not only brings a unique historic perspective to the table, but also an in-depth knowledge of city and county issues ranging from comprehensive planning, zoning and land use regulations to financial planning and economic sustainability.

As a county commissioner, McLeod’s number one priority will be in adhering to the county’s growth management plan and land development codes while protecting individual property rights.  Collier County is limited in the amount of areas left for development and McLeod’s main focus will be on achieving self-sustaining, environmentally protected, healthy, walkable communities.

In addition, McLeod is committed to working with the county’s senior leadership team to grow the county’s budgetary reserves and pay down its debt. McLeod is also passionate about protecting and managing water resources and its infrastructure, improving communications between the city and the county, and developing housing solutions for the county’s working citizens.

McLeod prides herself as one who bases her decisions on community input and evidence-based data. “It is important to me to work with residents and businesses to uncover needs and desires,” McLeod stated, “I love this community: the people, the environment, its values. I will continue to make smart decisions for our community to keep Collier County one of the most desirable places to enjoy life.”

Michelle McLeod is a third generation Floridian, raised in Fort Myers.  She holds a bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana and a master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Florida Gulf Coast University.  McLeod is also a graduate of Leadership Collier, Class 2014 and Leadership Florida, Class XXXVI.  Her over 30-year business career has been in hotel management and banking.

For more information:

Contact: Michelle McLeod

Email: michelle@mcleodforcommissioner.com