ABSTRACT
Collier County, Florida, has recovered from some early environmental missteps to become one of the most nature-friendly jurisdictions in the United States. Collier County lies on the Gulf Coast, surrounding the City of Naples. Its natural features have been under constant threat since the 19th century, when plume hunters there killed tropical birds to supply colorful feathers for hat decorations popular at the time. The land that is preserved as Collier-Seminole State Park was once owned by Barron Collier, a wealthy advertising tycoon who bought more than one million acres of southwest Florida in the early part of the 20th century. To avoid future environmental disasters, Collier County planners considered ways of preserving natural areas for their ecosystem services while respecting private property rights. The transfer of development rights (TDR) program applies Special Treatment (ST) regulations to critical natural resources, such as barrier islands, mangroves, marshes, beaches, and other types of environmentally sensitive land.
