contest.
Republican lawmakers nation- many say stems from former President
wide have introduced hundreds of bills
Naples Daily News - 03/23/2021
The new terminal at the Marco Island Executive Airport, photographed on March 1.
PHOTOS BY ALEX DRIEHAUS/NAPLES DAILY NEWS
Collier files $1.2M lawsuit over
new Marco airport terminal
Omar Rodríguez Ortiz
Marco Eagle
USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA
Collier County has sued a contractor
over the delayed completion of the Mar-
co Island Executive Airport terminal
building that opened earlier this month.
The lawsuit filed March 17 in Collier
Circuit Court against West Construction
and its insurance company Philadelphia
Indemnity demands $1.2 million plus
other costs and fees.
“Despite being responsible for plan-
ning, organization, supervision, man-
agement, control and coordination of
work performed on the project, West
continually failed to satisfy these re-
sponsibilities in breach of the agree-
ment,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit alleges other contract vi-
olations like failing to protect internet
and sanitary utilities during construc-
tion, failing to maintain permits neces-
sary for the work, and “attempting to
manipulate the schedule and the pro-
ject’s critical path to obtain additional
time to achieve substantial completion
and, in turn, limit exposure to liquidated
damages.”
The lawsuit alleges that West Con-
struction and Philadelphia Indemnity
have failed to pay liquidated damages
allegedly owed to the county.
“Collier County does not comment on
pending litigation,” wrote county com-
munity liaison Connie Deane in an
email Monday.
West Construction and Philadelphia
Indemnity did not immediately respond
to requests for comment Monday about
the lawsuit.
Collier, contractor keep tight lid
The Florida-based contractor West
Construction received a notice to pro-
ceed with the construction of the termi-
nal on April 30, 2018, and was required
to achieve substantial completion in
320 calendar days, according to the law-
March 23, 2021 9:55 am (GMT -4:00)
“The things in this bill are meant to
Donald Trump’s defeat last November.
The new $9.5 million terminal, which includes this lobby, opened its doors to
the public on March 8 after almost two years of delays. Collier County is suing
over the tardiness.
suit.
Substantial completion is the date
when construction is sufficiently com-
plete so the county can utilize the build-
ing for its intended use. The lawsuits
states West Construction achieved sub-
stantial completion on Jan. 22.
Thaddeus Cohen, who oversees the
airport as growth management depart-
ment head with Collier County, said pri-
or to the lawsuit being filed that the
county had difficulties in finishing the
project on time, but he declined to go
into detail about the reasons for the de-
lay.
“Clearly this has taken longer than
what the contract documents have for
completion,” Cohen said March 2.
The contract with West Construction
states the county will suffer a financial
loss if the contractor fails to complete
the project on time, and that the county
is entitled to assess $3,645 in liquidated
damages for each calendar day until
substantial completion is achieved.
increase election security, without sup-
Cohen also declined to go into detail
about the contractor’s performance
and said his focus was to finish the
project.
“I’m not in a position to discuss ei-
ther our position as to the contractor’s
performance. That will be adjudicated
on a later date,” Cohen said.
Cohen said the county provided
communications to West Construction
“to have the contractor understand the
importance of being able to move this
project forward.”
Matthew West, vice president of
West Construction, declined an inter-
view request last week.
“We are currently in discussions
with the county and at this time have
no other comment,” West wrote in an
email March 19.
Cohen said the county will do a self-
assessment, which will include the
evaluation of the performance of
See AIRPORT , Page 4A
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Page : A03
Estero teenager Casey Bishop
competing on this season of
“American Idol.”
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS
‘American
Idol’: Case
Bishop
moves to
next roun
Charles Runnells
Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA
Casey Bishop moved to th
round of “American Idol” on
after singing a fiery version
American folk song “House of
ing Sun.”
After her performance, the
teen’s voice cracked with emo
she talked about how well h
had gone.
“That was awesome,” the
teenager said to the TV camera
definitely went better than I exp
Bishop was one of five singe
peting in the rock genre for S
Genre Challenge, where singers
ed their own song and genre.
the five rock singers, including
now go to Monday’s Hollywoo
Duets Challenge.
Bishop, 16, said Sunday’s sh
an important moment for her —
cially after last month when
Luke Bryan predicted she’d be t
ner this season.
“So for my first audition, the
comments were so surprisin
Bishop, a sophomore at Fort
Center for the Arts at Cypre
High School. “If I make it
(Sunday), it will definitely reas
that my last audition was not
dent. This means everything.”
The judges didn’t make an
vised comments about Bisho
formance, but host Ryan Seacr
this to say: “Casey may have
that her first audition was n
dent.”
Bishop dreams of becoming
fessional rock ‘n’ roll singer, a
hopes the show helps make th
true.
“‘Idol’ is an awesome place t
she told The News-Press and
ples Daily News last week. “I ju
much exposure. Millions of peo
saw my audition.
“I think ‘Idol’ is definitely
good jumpstart.”
She discovered rock music a
mom showed her the Fleetwo
song “Dreams.” Now she ador
ley Crüe, The Pretty Reckless,
Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, Ae
and ’90s grunge bands such as
na and Alice in Chains.
“I just became totally obsess
rock music,” she said last week
“American Idol” airs at 8 p.m
days and Mondays on ABC
more about the sho
abc.com/shows/american-idol
 VID-19 pandemic.
Naples Daily News - 03/23/2021
The lobby of the new terminal at the Marco Island Executive Airport,
photographed a week before its March 8 opening.
PHOTOS BY ALEX DRIEHAUS/NAPLES DAILY NEWS
Airport
Continued from Page 3A
county employees, to prevent long de-
lays in other county projects.
He said he is hopeful that the compa-
ny in charge of the apron improve-
ments, Quality Enterprises USA, will
finish in April.
“We are focusing on trying to meet a
completion date so that we can have a
ribbon cutting in mid April. The issues
as to how we got to where we are, it will
be something that we will point to in the
future,” Cohen said.
Marco Island airport expands
The new $9.5 million terminal
opened its doors to the public on March
8 after almost two years of delays.
The two-story, 16,000-square-foot
terminal was built to make the airport
compliant with Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration safety regulations, said
Andrew Bennett, interim executive air-
port manager with Collier County.
“The primary objective of the project
is pertaining to safety to allow more
room for aircraft to maneuver in and
out, while also addressing capacity
needs to accommodate a greater num-
ber of aircraft during the peak season
months,” Bennett said.
A second phase costing an additional
$3.7 million is underway to improve the
airport’s apron where aircrafts are
parked. The old 4,500-square-foot ter-
minal built in the 1970s was demolished
earlier this month to make room for the
new apron space.
Bennett said the terminal includes
features such as pilot and passenger
lounges, flight planning stations, rental
car concessions, airport administrative
offices and office space for flight schools
and other companies.
The first phase also included con-
struction of new parking spaces, land-
scaping, lighting and stormwater reten-
tion features.
County Commissioner Rick LoCas-
tro, who represents Marco and sur-
rounding communities, said the up-
grades increase the airport’s capability
and safety.
“I’m not happy with the late delivery
of the final product, but I’m glad once we
pulled the team together and provided
tighter oversight we were able to ensure
the job was finished,” LoCastro said last
Friday.
Tenants settle in at new terminal
Alan Davis, president of Career Flight
March 23, 2021 9:55 am (GMT -4:00)
employees arrived, according to the them wi
sheriff ’s office. cording
Deputies located the van traveling An in
Page : A04
south on Interstate 75 and engaged in a continu
pursuit that terminated at the Broward office.
County line, according to the sheriff 's
Suspect arrested i
death of Lehigh Ac
Stacey Henson
Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marce-
no announced the arrest of a man in
the death of a 1-year-old Lehigh Acres
boy.
He said with the help of the U.S.
Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force, depu-
ties arrested Rolando Olivarez, 30, of Lee Coun
Lehigh Acres, on Sunday in the blunt regional U
force trauma death of the child. He did Forced ar
not release the child’s name or specify on Sunda
the injuries other than to say he had death of
head injuries. LEE COUNTY
Deputies responded to a call on
Sept. 17 in the 700 block of Homer Ave-
nue where the child was unresponsive. “I’m tr
The child was taken to Lehigh Regional this desp
Hospital and then transferred to Tam- said at a
pa General, where he was declared the arrest
dead. Olivare
The sheriff ’s office opened the in- County d
The old terminal at the Marco Island vestigation immediately. glary, lar
Executive Airport, photographed on “It quickly became clear that the in- fenses, ac
March 1. Its replacement cost $9.5 juries the infant sustained were suspi- ords.
milion. cious and non- accidental,” Marceno He is
said. murder
Marceno said Olivarez was an ac- $500,000
quaintance and caretaker of the child. is April 19
Davis Fogarty
Training and Aircraft Rental, said his
flight school students now have a big-
ger and quieter space to study.
“It was always so noisy in the old of-
fice because the airplanes would park
right outside our office. You had to put
ear protection on and off sometimes,”
Davis said.
Davis also said the improvements
will make the airport safer.
“It makes it a safer environment be-
cause the building is further away
from the runway,” Davis said.
Jim Fogarty, owner of the flight Registered nurse Candy Russell gives a shot of the
school Fogarty Flying, said the con- Tuten during a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Univ
struction of the terminal took longer Ga., on March 16. MICHAEL HOLAHAN/THE AUGUSTA CHRON
than expected but that he likes the fi-
nal product. He said he now has dou-
ble the space office he had in the old
terminal. Virus
“It took a long time but as you can A total
see it is a beautiful terminal,” Fogarty Continued from Page 1A
said. in Flori
Fogarty said the expansion will in- reported administering another positiv
crease his school’s business and im- 1,078,602 vaccine doses, compared to
prove aircraft traffic flow at the airport. 1,207,836 the week before that. In all, since t
Davis said he has never had so Florida reported it has administered
many flight students outside summer, 8,186,888 doses.
and 32
when high school students are out of Across Florida, cases fell in 38 from th
school. counties, with the best declines in
He attributes the business to the Palm Beach, Brevard and St. Lucie Hopkin
airport expansion and COVID-19. He counties. shows.
said many adults are taking flight In Florida, 487 people were reported
classes to buy and fly their own planes dead of COVID-19 in the week ending 29,818,
instead of flying in commercial flights. Sunday. In the week before that, 572
“It seems like things are picking up,” people were reported dead.
tested
Davis said. A total of 2,008,349 people in Flori- people
da have tested positive for the corona-
Contact Omar at omar.rodriguezor- virus since the pandemic began, and shows. In
tiz@naplesnews.com. 32,742 people have died from the dis- people ha
ease, Johns Hopkins University data people ha
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