What’s the Deal With the Tech Bro Taking on a Threatened Florida Bird?

Found almost exclusively in the scrub and scrubby flatwoods of Florida, the Florida scrub jay is the only bird species endemic to the Sunshine State — meaning, it lives nowhere else on Earth. It’s been described as a “true Florida native.”

The small blue-and-gray birds are considered homebodies; they don’t migrate and rarely move more than a few miles from where they hatched. Fewer than 9,300 remain in the wild, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Since 1987, the species has been federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

But while the bird has survived decades of habitat loss and overdevelopment, it’s now up against a new threat: a Florida “tech” bro who wants to build a home in its habitat.

In 2024, Michael Colosi, a 32-year-old from New Jersey, bought a five-acre plot in the Gulf city of Punta Gorda in Charlotte County, where he plans to build a house. Rather than pay what his attorneys say would top $140,000 in conservation fees — required because the land falls within designated Florida scrub jay habitat — Colosi is suing Charlotte County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He’s doing so with the pro bono backing of attorneys from the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), which bills itself as a law firm that “defends Americans from government overreach and abuse.” (The group has notably received hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from Exxon Mobil).

“In Charlotte County, Florida, the difference between building your forever home and surrendering your rights comes down to a bird, a patch of land smaller than an IMAX screen, and a six-figure government ransom,” reads a page on PLF’s website about Colosi’s case.

Colosi argues that the Florida scrub jay doesn’t deserve protection under the Endangered Species Act because the birds exist in only one state. If the court agrees with this argument, legal protections could not only be dissolved for the scrub jay, but for more than 1,200 imperiled species across the U.S. that only exist in one state — including the Florida Panther.

So who exactly is Michael Colosi?

Described by PLF as a “young, self-made tech entrepreneur who recently moved to Florida,” Colosi appears to have actually put down roots in Florida around 2022. Public records suggest he has a deep frustration with regulations. This also isn’t his first time going to court after trying to build a home and running into environmental barriers.

He does not appear to have granted any interviews for stories about his case; in fact, Craig Pittman wrote in his piece for the Florida Phoenix, “I tried several times to get Colosi to talk to me about all this, but with no luck.” In a post on his law firm’s site, the “young, self-made tech entrepreneur” is quoted as saying “So many other people affected by this who are incapable of fighting back (sic).”

“I’m not someone who is going to back down from a fight, even if it takes ten years,” he said in the post, which called him “Mike.” “I’m confident we’ll win. So, let’s go.”

Colosi barely exists online — aside from a LinkedIn profile that appears to belong to him.

Under the name “Michael C.,” the profile says he graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Systems Security/Information Assurance, as well as an Associate of Science degree in Information Technology. Its photo shows a tanned man with a goatee who appears to be AI-generated — a far cry from the lanky, pale, bespectacled man shown in photos released by the Pacific Legal Foundation.

He appears to have arrived in Florida around January 2022 and registered his cybersecurity company, called Spectre Intelligence, as a limited liability company (LLC) in St. Petersburg, Florida. According to a Yelp page for the company, Spectre Intelligence was founded in 2017 in Austin, Texas, as a “private investigation and cybersecurity firm” before moving to Naples, Florida, where it provided cybersecurity and IT services. In February 2024, the company was dissolved, according to state records. In a filing, Colosi cited the reason for the dissolution as “REGULATORY BURDEN AND COST OF LLC FILINGS.”

In December 2022, Colosi and his brother, Ryan Colosi, bought a plot of land in Ave Maria — a master-planned, faith-based community created by the founder of Domino’s Pizza near Naples, Florida — for $10,496. Over the next several years, they built a two-story home on the land with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a three-car garage. The home is currently listed for sale at nearly $650,000 and is also available to rent for $4,800 per month.

In June 2023, Colosi bought more land — this time near the Esplanade Golf & Country Club of Naples, a private golf course and club surrounded by houses. He paid roughly $70,000 for 9.5 acres of scrubby, undeveloped swamp land nestled between the club and other development. In March 2024, he paid $130,000 for another swath of land in Punta Gorda.

In 2023, Colosi launched his first legal fight as a Florida resident, claiming that his property near the Esplanade Golf & Country Club of Naples is “landlocked.”

In May of that year, he sent a cease-and-desist email to James Ward, district manager of the Flow Way Community Development District — a special taxing district that serves the Esplanade Golf & Country Club of Naples. In the email, Colosi demanded that the district rescind a trespass warning issued against him (though it’s unclear when or why the warning was issued).

He also asked the district to grant him a “written exclusive right” to travel across a property he identified and threatened legal action.

“Jim, per our discussion this morning where you unnecessarily and without cause and purpose denied our access to private land we intend to visit,” Colosi wrote. “Your behavior and tone were unacceptable, and it’s clear you seek to deny us good faith and lawful access to property we intend to travel to.”

Ward pushed back, reiterating that Colosi was not permitted to enter district-owned property. He also noted that the property Colosi identified is owned by the Flow Way Community Development District and “is federal and state protected wetlands, of which access is not permitted.”

“With that said, I am assuming your real question is use of the dirt roadway based on the map you sent in your original email. That particular dirt roadway is not owned by the Flow Way CCD, and for access to that roadway you would need to contact the owner of the dirt road.”

Months later, an attorney for the Esplanade Golf & Country Club sent Colosi a separate warning: any entry onto the club’s property would be considered trespassing.

The attorney, Steven Adamczyak, also noted that Colosi had previously offered to sell his lot to the club for “roughly 325% of its appraised value,” an offer that “was not well received.”

“The Club disagrees with our assertion that you have any right to traverse the Club’s property, let alone destroy its vegetation, and has maintained that position since receiving your original demand,” the letter reads. It remains unclear what Adamczyak meant by “destroy its vegetation;” he did not respond to a request for comment.

After months of back-and-forth, Colosi filed a lawsuit in December 2025 against Flow Way Community Development District, the Esplanade Golf & Country Club of Naples, and the Quarry Community Development District. He argues that his property is landlocked and that he has no legal road access. He’s asking the court to grant a “statutory way of necessity,” a type of easement that would allow him to cross neighboring land to reach a public road.

The defendants have since moved to dismiss the case, arguing Colosi failed to provide key facts showing the property is truly landlocked and is seeking relief beyond what Florida law allows.

“Florida courts require a claimant seeking a way of necessity to plead facts demonstrating the absence of any reasonable or practicable access and not merely assert that access is unavailable to Plaintiff,” reads Flow Way Community Development District’s motion to dismiss filed on January 28. The case is ongoing, with a hearing about the motion to dismiss scheduled for May 18.

Colosi’s attorneys in the battle against the bird, Frank Garrison, Mark Miller, and Johanna Talcott, did not respond to New Times‘ request for comment via email. New Times was unable to reach Colosi himself for comment.

In the law firm post, he said: “I don’t think the county genuinely believes the environment will be destroyed because I build a house. This is really about the money. Not the bird.”