Recently surfaced emails reveal a heated, and at times profane, exchange between Naples Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison and Rep. Yvette Benarroch over property tax policy and legislation affecting the Naples Airport Authority.

The September email chain shows Hutchison unloading on Benarroch after a vote in favor of measures to cut property taxes and strip city officials of their power to appoint members to the Naples Airport Authority, in favor of an open election. Rep. Adam Botana, the sponsor of the airport authority bill, formally filed the measure in late October for the upcoming Legislative Session.

In his late-night message on Sept. 15, Hutchison accused Benarroch of offering a “bullshit” response on property taxes, demanding she take a harder line against anything he viewed as “defunding” police and fire services. He also threatened to “ensure” she faced political fallout if she supported the controversial airport bill.

“I will not tolerate such a weak-ass commitment!” Hutchison wrote. “Suck it up and stand strong for our first responders.” He went on to call Benarroch “nothing short of an embarrassment” for voting to advance a local bill that would replace appointed airport authority members with elected ones.

Benarroch responded the next morning with a sharply worded rebuke, calling Hutchison’s email “highly inappropriate and unbecoming of an elected official.”

“I will not tolerate this kind of disrespect,” Benarroch wrote. “Referring to my position as ‘embarrassing,’ using profanity, and issuing threats is not the way public servants should communicate with one another.”

Hutchison’s first emails suggest he believed the city was blindsided by legislative action over airport governance, and he accused Benarroch and other members of the Collier legislative delegation of trampling on home rule.

Benarroch defended her vote on the airport authority legislation, saying the state has oversight authority over airports and that moving to elected seats would enhance accountability. She also emphasized that police, fire and other essential services remain a priority in property tax discussions.

She further noted that her office had attempted to meet with Hutchison but had not received a response and said she had been traveling for legislative work while caring for her hospitalized mother.

The emails underscore ongoing tension between Naples leaders and state lawmakers, who have frequently clashed over airport policy, local authority, and the Legislature’s expanding role in local governance.

When reached for comment, Benarroch told Florida Politics that elected officials must be able to disagree without abandoning professionalism or civility.

“It is completely inappropriate for any elected official to use profanity or make threats to influence a vote,” Benarroch said. “I cannot be intimidated. I was elected to serve the people of District 81, and I hold myself to high ethical standards.”

“On a personal level, the tone and language used toward me were deeply disrespectful and far outside what is acceptable in public service,” she said. “I do not believe that message would have been sent to many others, and that is exactly why character and standards of conduct matter.”

Hutchison defended his choice of words and stance on the legislative proposals during an interview with Florida Politics. He believes Benarroch and other members of the Collier legislative delegation are advancing measures that would “negatively impact the safety” of Naples and Collier County residents.

He argued that reducing property taxes without identifying replacement revenues would amount to “defunding” police, fire, and other essential services. He said the proposed shift in governance of the Naples Airport Authority would worsen what he described as an escalating pattern of safety incidents and inadequate oversight at the municipal airport.

“If the legislation’s approved, you’re going to get more of the same,” Hutchison said. “The moneyed interests, the ones that don’t want flights over their residences and the ones that want continued escalation in flight operations, are going to win out.”

Hutchison said those stakes justified the forceful tone of his September email to Benarroch.

“As this was being discussed, Representative Benarroch and the rest of the legislative delegation have been made aware that we have concerns,” Hutchison said. “When it comes to the safety of our residents, I’m not going to play nice. I’m not going to be soft and gentle; I’m going to make sure to get your attention, and I believe I appropriately got the attention of Representative Benarroch.”

“That’s why I took that tone,” he said. “I would do it again. I don’t believe I was overly emphatic; I believe it was the right tone for the right message and the right cause.”
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/765674-emails-show-naples-vice-mayor-berated-yvette-benarroch-in-profanity-laced-dispute-over-taxes-and-airport-bill/