Former Collier County commissioner takes post helping hurricane recovery

Former Collier County Commissioner and former Naples City Council member Penny Taylor has been named the first-ever disaster relief resource coordinator for the Naples Senior Center, where she will assist local seniors with recovery efforts post Hurricane Ian. 

The position is being funded through the Collier Community Foundation, according to a statement. 

As the disaster relief resource coordinator, Taylor will work with seniors and connect them with the community resources they need to rebuild their lives, particularly those living in low-income areas of Collier County, the release states. 

“Penny’s experience chairing the Collier County Commission during two major disasters, once during Hurricane Irma and again during the Covid pandemic, uniquely positions her to collaborate and facilitate recovery strategies for seniors in need of immediate help,” says Naples Senior Center President and CEO Jaclynn Faffer says in the statement. 

Taylor, a local photographer who has lived in the community for over 40 years, brings more than two decades of public service to Naples Senior Center, including 10 years on the Naples City Council and two terms as a Collier County commissioner. 

“I am excited for this opportunity to join Naples Senior Center,” Taylor says in the statement. “I know the territory and I know the players. I have proven my ability to bring people together to get important things done. My responsibilities with Naples Senior Center offer me the opportunity to move from setting policy to practical implementation to help residents.”

The disaster relief resource coordinator position is being created in collaboration with the Collier Community Foundation through its reactivated Collier Comes Together Hurricane Fund, which benefits Southwest Florida nonprofit relief efforts and programs to get funds where they are most needed, quickly and efficiently at no administrative cost.