EYEONCITRUS.COM

Vince Cautero, who is Citrus County Administrator Brad Thorpe's choice to replace reassigned County Development Services Director Gary Maidhof, comes to the county with a controversial history behind him.

According to Naples News andSouthwest Florida Online, Cautero had to resign from his Collier County post in Southwest Florida following controversy over a golf course.

"Vince Cautero, Collier’s development czar, resigned that year (1997) after a county audit revealed that employees of his department who failed to collect $2.4 million in impact fees from golf courses had gotten free rounds of golf," according to Naples News. (Story here)

Southwest Florida Online alleges that when Cautero was in Hendry County as the county planner, he was not licensed by the state as a building official, but gave "marching orders" to Building and Zoning director Bob Bott. (Story here)

The publication says that Cautero does have certification from the American Planning Association as a planner. "To become a certified planner, APA members must meet certain education and experience requirements and pass a written examination, given twice a year, in May and November. Cautero has been a member of the Association since 1986," the publication says.

Southwest Florida Online also quotes Collier County Commissioner Frank Halas as saying Cautero was the "darling of the developers." The commissioner accused Cautero of bending or ignoring rules to allow developers to get their wishes.

Cautero also served as Community Development Director for Marco Island before resigning and going to Hendry County. He told Marco Eagle News that his annual salary at his new job in Hendry County would be $95,000, compared to the $84,978 he made with the city. (Story here)

"Community Development Director Vince Cautero left his post Aug. 4 (2006)  for a similar one in Hendry County in order to qualify for a better pension from the state retirement plan," Marco Eagle News says.

Prior to leaving for Collier County, Cautero served as Citrus County Development Services director for the county from 1990-95. Prior to serving as the director of Citrus County’s Development Services, Cautero had served variously as the county’s Planning Director, chief of Comprehensive planning and Planner II.

Presently, a five-member panel of "senior Citrus County managers", including County Administrator Brad Thorpe, has now picked Cautero as the top candidate for Development Services Director after interviews with the final dozen candidates, and Cautero will now go before county commission on Sept. 14 for confirmation.

Cautero has a master’s degree in Urban Planning with a specialization in Land Use and Environmental Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.