The Marco Island borrowing survived its recount by the same single vote that carried it on election night, and the county's second unofficial count now stands at 2,259 to 2,258

Marco Island's 23 million dollar borrowing survived Friday's recount by the same single vote that carried it on election night, according to the second unofficial results Collier County has now published.

The county's reporting page, stamped 21 August at 3.59 in the afternoon, gives the City of Marco Island Referendum as 2,259 votes for the bonds and 2,258 against, on 4,517 ballots cast on the question and all three participating precincts reporting. On election night the same page had it at 2,257 to 2,256 on 4,513 ballots. Four further ballots were counted between the two states of the count, two for each side, and the one vote margin held.

A margin of one on 4,517 ballots is about two hundredths of one percent. Florida law requires the canvassing board to order a machine recount when a ballot measure is decided by less than half of one percent, and the county's notice of 19 August scheduled the machine recount for half past one on Friday, the second unofficial results and the manual recount determination for half past three, and a manual recount for half past four.

Gulf Coast News reported that the hand count was carried out and that the result held. The outlet quoted the Collier County Supervisor of Elections on the point of running it at all:

It's important for people to trust the process and know that every vote really does count, that it was counted accurately. And the results are the results.

The county has published no third set of figures and no post recount release of its own.

The detailed rows show how narrow the result was built. On election day the question lost, 759 against to 523 for. In early voting it lost again, 724 to 489. Taken together, the ballots cast in person went against the borrowing by 471 votes. The mail ballots ran the other way by 472, 1,247 for against 775 against. That single vote of difference between the two blocks is the result.

What the vote authorises is unchanged. Resolution 26-21, adopted by the council on 4 May, permits up to 23,000,000 dollars of general obligation bonds in one or more series, payable from the full faith, credit and unlimited ad valorem taxing power of the city, with a maturity capped at 20 years from the date each series is issued, to finance transportation improvements including bridge replacements and roadway work. The city put the cost of the full amount at 48.72 dollars a year on 500,000 dollars of assessed value, 73.08 dollars on 750,000 and 97.44 dollars on a million, a uniform 0.0974 mills against an operating rate of 1.2670 mills.

None of that is on a tax bill yet. The resolution requires a further authorising resolution before any bond is issued, which leaves the interest rate, the size of the first series and the debt millage to the council.

The canvassing board is scheduled to certify the primary at nine o'clock on Wednesday, 26 August, at the Supervisor of Elections office at 3750 Enterprise Ave in Naples. The meeting is open to the public.