The Naples City Council race is shaping up to be an intriguing election to watch in early 2024.  

In addition to incumbent Mayor Teresa Heitmann being challenged by council member Ted Blankenship and former council member Gary Price, three Council seats are up for grabs to lead the largest municipality in Collier County.  

Beth Petrunoff

Council member Beth Petrunoff may make it even more interesting if she vacates her seat next week in the middle of her four-year term. Petrunoff recently informed City Manager Jay Boodheshwar of her intention to step down because of the personal nature of the state’s new financial disclosure mandates for elected officials.  

City officials plan to discuss the matter during the Council meeting scheduled for Dec. 18. Boodheshwar put the item on the new business section of the meeting’s agenda.  

“As you may be aware, Mrs. Beth Petrunoff has communicated her intent to resign her position as City Council member before the completion of her current term and before the end of 2023. Article 2, Section 2.3 of the city charter addresses the timing and options for filling vacancies in the office of mayor or City Council members,” the agenda item reads in part.   

The city charter states that a Council vacancy shall be filled by a special election for the unexpired term within 60 days unless the vacancy occurs within a year of a general election for city officers. In this case, the city’s general election is already scheduled for March 19, so a special election will not be necessary. Council does have an option, though, to fill the vacated seat until that election.  

Boodheshwar points out that five more regular meetings—one special meeting, two Council workshops and a Community Redevelopment Agency meeting—are scheduled before the March 19 general election.  

There’s still a chance, though, that Petrunoff will not resign. “I hope that there’s a path for me to stay. I really do,” she said, noting that she loves serving on Council and its various boards.  

The only issue is a new requirement from the state. Form 6—Full and Public Disclosure of Financial Interests—required by the Florida Commission on Ethics reveals a lot of personal information to people, Petrunoff said, and she doesn’t feel comfortable doing it.  

“They’ve got this new disclosure requirement, so the game has changed for elected municipal officials,” she said. “This disclosure has some pretty onerous and personal requirements that you have to submit and it becomes a public record that anybody can just get over the internet worldwide. It includes listing every bank account, every mutual fund, every financial asset that you have—your tangible things, your pearl necklace and your wedding ring—basically the value of the stuff in your house.”  

City Council election  

The race for the three open City Council seats already guarantees that the board will see two newcomers. Because Blankenship is running for mayor, he cannot seek reelection to his Council seat, which has its four-year term up in March. Council member Paul Perry’s term also expires in March, and he has chosen not to seek reelection for another four years.  

Paul Perry

“I’m not planning on running for that seat,” Perry said, noting that he might be interested in running to complete the remaining two years of Petrunoff’s term, though.  

“I’m intrigued by the prospects of a two-year term,” he said.  

The reason Perry was planning to step down is because he and his wife are looking forward to enjoying some retirement time together.   

“Our schedules are just nuts,” he said. “We want to do some traveling.”  

Vice Mayor Mike McCabe is the third Council member whose seat is up in 2024. He is expected to seek reelection but, as of Thursday, had not filed the necessary paperwork with the city clerk’s office. The filing deadline is in January.  

Three citizens have committed to seeking a seat on Council in the March election. Former council member Linda Penniman filed her candidacy forms on Wednesday and appointed a campaign treasurer. 

Ironically, Penniman was the last Council member to resign in the middle of a term, resulting in a special election. Council member Ray Christman was elected to office during a special election in April 2019 to replace Penniman, who resigned in January 2019 to spend more time with her husband, who was diagnosed with a rare health condition.  

Penniman, an active leader in Collier County environmental, governmental and community affairs, was elected to Council terms in 2014 and 2018. She served two years as vice mayor and was a member of the city’s Planning Advisory Board.  

Two other candidates—Bill Kramer and Tony Perez-Benitoa—also are seeking a seat on Council. Both are political newcomers but longtime residents of Naples.  

Kramer was the head football coach at Naples High School for 22 seasons, winning 216 games and two state championships before retiring in 2019. Perez is an accomplished family law attorney who also has served as a high school soccer and football coach.

The Naples City Council, which includes the mayor, consists of seven nonpartisan members elected at large to four-year terms. Early voting for the March 19 general election will be March 9-16. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is March 7.