Our team has the experience to advise and guide you to feel empowered to make sound financial decisions. No matter what comes your way, we imagine solutions to turn your possibilities into a plan—for you and your family for generations to come.
When it comes to financial decisions, is your voice heard?
While the proportion of women who defer investment decisions to their spouses remains stubbornly high (51%), there has been progress in the number of women who lead on financial decisions (26%, up from 21% in 2018). Women who take the lead have found a variety of ways to make a positive impact on the world beyond charitable giving.
Do you know and understand your financial plan?
No matter your stage in life, financial planning is essential for women. It is important to be involved and know what you have in place in terms of financial and estate planning. If more women are involved in financial planning conversations, their valuesbased approach could make an even greater positive impact on themselves, their loved ones and the world.
How do you balance your own financial well-being with the pursuit of a more meaningful life?
The report shows that most women recognize the power of financial engagement—92% believe involvement in long-term financial planning can enable them to make greater impact in the world, and 8 in 10 women believe they can pursue a more meaningful life without sacrificing their own financial well-being. The highlights from our propriety Women’s research range from relationships, money, financial empowerment to investing in yourself. These tips and tools, without jargon or complexity, will help begin, or continue, your financial journey.
Contact Amy West and Tanya Cutrone to start the conversation.
Financial decision-making is easier when you have when you have The Matina Group on your side. Our team is here for you with planning-based solutions to help you confidently take charge of your financial world. To us, it’s about helping you feel empowered to make important decisions about today’s opportunities and challenges—and tomorrow’s.
*Source: UBS, Own Your Worth: Women, wealth and the path to financial independence, 2020.
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NEWS BITES P. 14
ICYMI! Top stories from Gulfshore Business Daily
TRENDLINE P. 18
SWFL sees influx of skilled citizens
SPACES P. 20
Fort Myers retirement community’s stunning new Tribby Arts Center
MAKERS P. 26
Tranquility and connection via sustainable jewelry
APRIL 2023
ENTREPRENEURSHIP P. 30
Architect Jordan Parrott’s recipe for entrepreneurial success
ECONOMIC COMMENTARY P. 36
Two economic views of sustainability
I’m Soren Christensen, Founder of Advanced Wealth Advisors. My colleague Annette White and I are honored to be recognized as the Best Financial Advisory Firm in the Gulfshore Business Best of Business awards for the third year in a row. As fiduciaries, we always put your interest first. Let’s meet to ensure you feel confident about your financial present and future.
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...with the peace of mind that comes with award-winning short-term or long-term healthcare solutions should you need it.
At Cypress Cove, you can choose from spacious apartment home or villa in a variety of floor plans to suit any lifestyle. Having fantastic culinary experiences, classes, clubs and activities right on campus makes it easy to customize your daily calendar. And with the added security of on-site health care available if you should ever need it, you can live each day in the way that’s most fulfilling to you.
Do you know the word “querencia”? It’s a concept, not a concrete noun, and my Spanish is un poco rusty, but as I understand it, it’s basically an emotional attachment to and feeling of spiritual connection with a specific place. A sense of home, but not just where you happen to live— where you belong.
Since Hurricane Ian, many of the locals who were displaced or affected have been in a quasi-holding pattern. Waiting for power to be restored, waiting for insurance companies to make decisions, waiting for contractors to obtain materials and find available time … waiting. Many lost their homes. Many lost their livelihoods. Businesses shuttered, and while some have reopened, others closed permanently.
The waiting has obviously been hard for everyone, but perhaps especially so for those on Fort Myers Beach, because of the existential question—What kind of community will this be?—whose answer is becoming clearer by the day. This was never a gleaming playground for wealthy sophisticates; Fort Myers Beach was comfortably ramshackle and homey and Spring Break-y in ways that nearby Naples was not. Now, investors watch rubble being cleared away and see golden opportunities for beachfront property that could house dazzling (and pricey) developments, while insurance agents see homes that building codes would prohibit from being restored to the way they were, even if the owners could afford it. And many can’t.
There’s no shame in selling out and moving, especially since some have few other options, but each one who leaves also removes a small piece of the community that was here. Sure, they may become millionaires in the process, but is the money really a substitute for feeling lost and displaced? David Dorsey’s feature “The Price of Rebuilding” on p. 38 digs into the rising price tags and seismic upheaval facing Fort Myers Beach in Ian’s wake. It’s a story of tough decisions, of rebuilding and strength and community and feeling like you have a place in the world.
The Fort Myers Beach of the future won’t— can’t—look the same as it did before the storm, but locals such as developer Joe Orlandini are dedicated to preserving and maintaining as much of its distinctive charm, its sense of place, as possible.
A sense of place is strong throughout this issue, from the sustainable jewelry of Statement Peace (p. 26)—which founder Jessica Lee started by scrounging and scavenging wood here in Naples—to the local inspirations of our 2023 Health Care Heroes (p. 62) to an ode to the runaway growth of pickleball (p. 54). I’ve wanted to learn the game since moving here. But first there was COVID-19, then there was a natural disaster, then sprinkle in work and life, and it just hasn’t happened yet. This feature leaves me no excuses about where to start, and there’s no better place for it than here.
I’m glad to be at home in Southwest Florida. It’s where I belong.
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MAKERS / ENTREPRENEURSHIP / ECONOMIC COMMENTARY
[ MAKERS ]
MAKING A STATEMENT
Tranquility and connection via sustainable jewelry
p_26
By Justin PaprockiThe Bonita Springs Fire Department closed a $6 million deal with the owners of Big Hickory Waterfront Grille & Marina to purchase the property that served as a restaurant for Bonita Beach visitors for decades. The property also includes a commercial center with a Bonita Springs Fire Department substation. Both buildings suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Ian.
After calculating that it would take much more than $200,000 to get Big Hickory Waterfront Grille back to the way it once was, the decision was made to sell the property to the Bonita Springs Fire Department, which bought the property for full asking price along with cleanup fees.
In 2016, the department started searching for a place on Big Hickory Island to put a fire station in order to reduce its response times, and acquired a 99-year lease for the substation. Having the substation near the water has proven to be effective in terms of serving the community, as the department has had access to one boat slip on the property.
London Bay Development has selected interior design firms for three model residences in Grandview Beach, its 11-story tower currently under construction on Estero Island. The models by Romanza Interior Design and Clive Daniel Home will feature various styles while showcasing the panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico and Estero Bay, and the project is on target for occupancy in summer 2023.
A new outdoor town center with homes, shopping, dining and entertainment is planned for Cape Coral. A developer is ready to begin work on a 131-acre outdoor town center called Coral Grove next door to Bubba’s Roadhouse and Saloon in northwest Cape Coral.
The project will be built in phases; plans are filed with the city currently for the master infrastructure and the first luxury apartment community. Plans for retail, restaurants and more are expected to be submitted later this year.
Margaritaville Resort’s leaders decided to make its topping off ceremony a larger event for the community, recognizing beach businesses that have reopened despite the devastation of Hurricane Ian.
During the event, Jacki Liszak, president of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce, read off a list of 64 businesses that have reopened. “I’m confident that our island will rebuild,” she says.
Although the 254-room resort’s foundation and concrete walls weathered the storm well, the company lost all interior progress to the storm, setting the project back about three months. Robert Kisabeth, the chief operating officer of Margaritaville’s ownership entity TPI Hospitality, said the resort is hoping to open by the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ian.
The Dock at Crayton Cove reopened at the end of 2022 after Hurricane Ian caused extensive damage to the restaurant on Naples Bay. With almost 5 feet of flooding inside the restaurant, it took more than two months for owner Dan Groom and his team to renovate the entire restaurant from the inside of the kitchen to the outside landscaping.
“We used it as an opportunity, since we had to do so much work to get the restaurant back open, to upgrade the space—renovate the bathrooms, renovate the inside of the restaurant and we completely renovated the kitchen,” Groom says.
It was emotional for the staff to see parts of the restaurant—a piece of Naples’ history for almost 50 years—that were unsalvageable. However, Groom continues to see the silver lining in the renovations by looking to the future. He is thankful for how supportive his staff was in the aftermath of the storm with its collective all-hands-on-deck mentality to complete cleanup as quickly as possible.
Naples Airport supports 5,454 jobs and generates a total economic impact of $781 million annually, according to a study from the Florida Department of Transportation.
The 2022 Florida Aviation Economic Impact Study—which used the 2021 calendar year to quantify $336 billion in economic impact associated with more than 125 public-use airports, 11 military installations, off-airport air cargo services and aviation-reliant industries in the state— shows a 77% increase from the agency’s previous valuation of Naples Airport’s annual economic impact of more than $440 million in 2019.
Collier County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the 44-acre Orange Blossom Ranch Planned Development project directly east of Palmetto Ridge High School, on the north side of Oil Well Road.
Denver-based developer Quarterra sought to change zoning from solely commercial to mixed-use to accommodate up to 400 housing units on 17 acres next to a grocery store-anchored shopping center under construction.
At a December planning commission meeting, the developer proposed to make 10% of the planned units income restricted to 120% of the county’s average median income. By request of the planning commission, a proposal to lower the cap to 100% of the county’s $98,000 average median income for a family of four was made to county commissioners, which would put monthly rent at about $2,200 for a two-bedroom.
[
COLLIER COUNTY]The 23rd annual Naples Winter Wine Festival raised a record-breaking amount of nearly $26 million from the live auction in February at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburon, and just over $600,000 through its online auction. The 50 luxurious auction lots included rare collections of some of the world’s most sought-after wines, exotic travel adventures, limited-edition cars and unique experiences. Every dollar raised under the auction tent funds the festival’s founding organization, Naples Children & Education Foundation, which seeks to transform the lives of underprivileged and at-risk children.
This year’s bids bring the total amount raised for NCEF to about $269 million since the wine festival’s inception in 2001. The proceeds support more than 50 community nonprofit organizations that have provided more than 300,000 local children with services and resources.
Samantha Roesler; Gulfshore Business; Collier County Planning Commission; Tim Aten
By Justin Paprocki
It’s more than just sunshine and beaches that are attracting people to Florida. Lightcast, a labor market analytics firm, ranked the state No. 1 in its annual Talent Attraction Scorecard, a system that looks at net migration, job creation, education level, skilled workers and other factors from 2017-2021.
Florida had an influx of residents over that time period—in addition to an increase not just in jobs overall, but in skilled jobs (positions that require postsecondary education or significant experience). Southwest Florida was a prime driver of some of Florida’s growth, as well. Lee County ranked 12th among large counties (population 100,000-plus) in the country, Collier County ranked 42nd and Charlotte came in at 72nd (out of 609 counties).
By Aisling Swift
When residents of Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers decided to build an arts center, they wanted to ensure all their needs were covered, from the quilters group to musicians, artists and photographers.
What resulted—a collaboration among Christopher J. Lee Architects of North Fort Myers, Wegman Design Group of Naples, Gates Construction of Bonita Springs and others—was just what residents envisioned: Tribby Arts Center, named after Maggie Tribby, 96, the donor who kicked off the fundraising campaign.
“Residents had different pockets of studios around the campus,” Shell Point Director of Operations Adam Hinds says, adding that the state-of-theart center provides a central location. “We had no intention of building an arts center, but we said, ‘Sure, but you need to fund it.’ The majority came from Maggie Tribby.”
Hinds adds, “The interior designer and architect did a great job of taking residents’ input, then putting their finishes on, and Lori Wegman ensured the art center’s interior design was consistent with our campus.”
The $25 million, 44,000-square-foot center on 11.4 acres opened in 2021. It features a grand entrance surrounded by palms, a spacious atrium lobby with kinetic sculptures and a plaque listing donors, an indoor-outdoor cafe, art galleries for residents, regional and national artists, a gift shop, practice rooms and studios for painting, crafts, quilting, pottery, glass work, matting art and photography. The lobby leads to Connie Brown Hall, a 400-seat the-
Shell Point Director of Operations
Adam Hinds says the interior designer and architect did a great job taking residents’ input when designing the Tribby Arts Center.
ater with dressing rooms and a loading bay designed by TSG Design Solutions that’s used for the Shell Point Fine & Performing Arts Series and Academy of Lifelong Learning lectures.
“We hired an acoustic consultant to make sure it was right,” Hinds says of Gainesville-based Siebein Acoustic, adding that Southwest Florida Symphony, Gulfshore Ballet, chamber and theater groups perform there.
The project won the Grand Aurora
Award from the Florida Homebuilders Association and the Southeast Building Conference for architecture and interior design innovations for commercial projects over 20,000 square feet.
The stunning exterior features a contemporary, geometric design, with whites, grays and wood accents. Outside, an English sculpture garden designed by Stantec is dotted with figurative sculptures, includ-
The $25 million center includes contemporary, geometric design and won the Grand Aurora Award for architecture and interior design innovations.
ing Maggie Tribby and her dog on a bench and a seated man reading a newspaper. Parts of the building’s lower level sustained water damage during Hurricane Ian, but repairs were completed in January.
All resident groups provided input to a design team. For example, quilters wanted bigger cabinets, others wanted lockers or open cubby holes, artists wanted lots of light and display areas, while photographers wanted no light
for their darkroom, studio and digital graphics space.
Even avid readers got a carpeted literary lounge with cozy pale blue and green chairs, shelves filled with books donated by residents and resident authors and an extensive art book collection. The relaxing space features hanging billowy white lights resembling sea urchins, and industrial white ceilings with oak planks.
The interior design features neutrals—grays, whites, blacks and touches of oak throughout. Flooring ranges from gray carpeting to wide-plank floors and a custom-designed, spar-
kling terrazzo pattern in the grand lobby. That pattern was inspired by two multicolored kinetic sculptures Seattle artist Andrew Carson created for the lobby; they also can be viewed from a glass balcony above.
Unusual contemporary lighting choices abound, such as cloudlike lights in the lobby and Hollywood lights encircled by stainless steel in dressing rooms. There are four galleries, nine studios, practice rooms, ensemble rooms and conference rooms.
Soundproof glass and acoustic walls ensure musicians in other studios can’t hear each other while prac-
ticing or performing, while spacious windows and high industrial white ceilings provide art studios with lots of light. The pottery and glass studios feature kilns, and all art studios offer lots of work space, storage and display shelves.
There’s also a ballet studio with a padded floor, storage under benches and a back door for easy entry during performances. It’s also used for yoga and other resident-life activities.
Resident Curator Marge Lee, one of numerous volunteers, retired from an interpretive museum planning career where she last worked
with curators to tell the story of exhibits. She used her skills to help the design team and set up exhibits. Slat-walls ensure shows can easily be switched out and installed.
“This is fabulous,” Lee says, noting that the lobby reflects the area, with clouds, trees and rivers. “The residents had a unique opportunity. We met with separate members of art groups, so these studios really reflect what our residents wanted.”
Designers incorporated clouds, trees and rivers in the lobby decor to represent SWFL, and made sure to reflect what the arts groups wanted when designing each studio.
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By Justin Paprocki
Statement Peace is, as founder Jessica Lee likes to say, a vibe. It’s also a line of sustainable wooden jewelry and other apparel that’s grown into a lifestyle brand in stores worldwide. But at the heart it is a company that conveys a sense of tranquility, peace and positivity that the owner hopes can resonate with people. “Statement Peace is about connection,” she says.
Lee used to work in the hospitality industry, but she never found the 9-to-5 life very appealing. She had an artistic side and had gotten into found-object art. She would literally dumpster dive in Naples to come up with furniture and scraps of good-quality wood; she’d take it home, and after some sanding and sawing and manipulating, would turn it into wall art. “When I create, I’m happy,” she says.
She saw a business venture in sustainable jewelry and art pieces, but she needed to figure out a better business model. She was investing too much time in production at first, spend-
IT’S A VIBE Statement Peace, founded by Jessica Lee, is a line of sustainable wooden jewelry and other apparel that’s grown into a lifestyle brand. It conveys a sense of tranquility, peace and positivity that Lee hopes can resonate with people.
Jessica Lee attributes her success to the authenticity of the brand and her jewelry. Five years after starting Statement Peace, she’s now in 2,000 retailers and considering starting her own brick-and-mortar stores.
ing hours handcrafting pieces. Then, with the help of a CO2 laser, she found a way to mass-produce pieces while still giving the product itself some individuality.
She built the business through retailers. During COVID-19, she started doing trade shows, and through in-person or online connections—especially third-party marketplaces that connect independent producers to independent retailers—started to get her products in stores worldwide. She sells at local farmers markets on occasion,
and is surprised by the number of people who recognize her products from stores.
Five years after starting, she’s now in 2,000 retailers and considering establishing Statement Peace brick-and-mortar stores. Part of her success she attributes to the authenticity of the brand and her jewelry; that the positive energy put into a piece will resonate with whoever ends up wearing it. “It’s about being authentic, showing up as the real you,” she says. “People want to support real.”
By Artis Henderson
Jordan Parrott believes the field of architecture weds two very different perspectives—artistry and engineering. “You have an experimental, highly conceptual side and a side that’s purely efficient,” Parrott says. “The task of an architect is to marry these two. We need a balanced approach with good conceptual design and practicality.” Since launching his own architecture firm, PAR Design, in 2021, he’s added a third perspective into the mix—entrepreneurship.
Parrott got his balanced approach with an undergraduate degree that focused on the artistic side of architecture and a graduate degree that specialized in the practical. He spent time between his undergrad and grad experiences doing custom millwork for high-end Italian cabinetry. After earning his graduate degree, he worked for David Corban Architects in Naples, as well as MHK Architecture and Planning in downtown Fort Myers.
Jordan Parrott, owner of PAR Design, believes the field of architecture weds two very different perspectives, artistry and engineering. After opening his own firm he has added a third persepctive, entrepreneurship.
Like many entrepreneurs, he eventually reached a point at which he realized that he had enough know-how to go into business for himself. On the architectural side, he was solid. For the firms where he worked, he’d handled everything from a $10 million country club renovation to custom homes to 25,000-square-foot warehouses. “I felt confident that I could manage any architectural project,” Parrott says.
On the more practical side, he was also learning important lessons about choosing clients and managing budgets. “It got to the point where my direct report would bring me a project and I’d say, ‘We’re not going to make any money on this.’ I could size up projects and determine which ones would be lucrative.”
With an undergraduate degree that focused on the artistic side of architecture and a graduate degree that focused on the pratical, Jordan Parrott brings versatility to the business.
Reaching that point was crucial to Parrott. He calls it “the traditional entrepreneurial attitude—the feeling that I could do it better.” That was the moment when he decided to make the leap to being his own boss. The only thing he needed was a patron, a “big fish” client who would give him enough work for his new architecture firm to gain traction. And he got it. He signed with a client who wanted him to design a large office building, and he knew that the fee would be enough to sustain him for a year. “That was my foundational project,” he says.
Today, Parrott credits his success to multiple elements—experience, knowledge, an entrepreneurial mindset and a large project that helped jumpstart his business. These are all key for entrepre-
The cutting-edge technology, unparalleled capabilities and breadth of research make FGCU an award-winning university dedicated to the sustainability of Southwest Florida.
Rachel Bales BS in Marine Science, ‘18 Biologist, Collier County Mosquito Control
Multiple elements went into Jordan Parrott’s success—experience, knowledge, an entrepreneurial mindset and a large project that helped jumpstart his business.
neurs, he said. So is being brave. “You have to take the risk, take the leap of faith. Once you make the decision and put in your resignation letter, it’s go time.”
Parrott’s strongest piece of advice for other entrepreneurs is one that’s not heeded enough, but he insists that it’s crucial. “Answer your phone,” he says. “Be available to your clients. At the end of the day, that’s what we’re here for.”
“A
Lee Health congratulates its winners of the Gulfshore Business Healthcare Heroes Award!
true hero will do anything in his power to help others.”Nichole Shimko Nurse Jonathan Witenko
By Victor V. Claar
There are lots of corny old jokes about disagreement among economists. Here’s one: If you took all the economists in the world and lined them up, holding hands, they still wouldn’t reach a conclusion.
A groaner, for sure. I didn’t say these are good jokes.
There’s another about someone hoping to find an economist with only one hand. Because economists tell you one thing and then hedge by saying, “but on the other hand …”
Jokes aside, most economists actually agree about lots of things. For example, in a recent survey conducted periodically by the American Economic Association, nearly 100% of economists agreed in principle with
the following statement: “Tariffs and import quotas usually reduce general economic welfare.” Stated another way, economists agree trade is good.
Yet almost no one consults us about things we agree about. Instead, most questions we get are about where we disagree.
For instance, there are multiple schools of economic thought in the branch of study known as macroeconomics. This is the field that zooms out and looks less at firm and consumer decision-making and more at how fiscal policy, set by Congress and the president, and monetary policy, governed by the Federal Reserve, may or may not guide the economy to happy outcomes regarding the gross domes-
tic product, inflation and unemployment. Economists get asked for our opinions on macro policy all the time, yet we can’t agree.
Keynesian economists think that through activist policies—such as deficit spending or interest rates—the economy can be masterfully played like a video game. Classicals and monetarists think such meddling distorts the decision-making environment for each of us in a way that reduces economic growth over time.
Sustainability is another sphere of economics in which economists disagree. And in this case, it’s not disagreement about which tools or policies will deliver best on our shared goals. Instead, the disagreement lies
in the goal itself, because there are two views of sustainability in economics.
Nobel laureate Robert Solow, in a clever presentation from 1991, traces the dividing line between these two views. One perspective, which is frequently referred to as “ecological economics,” wants to make sure the next generation receives at least the same provision of natural resources as its predecessor. An admirable goal.
But another view suggests that if we care about future generations, then our goal should be to make sure we bequeath the next generation with sufficient productive resources so they may flourish even more than we did. Often referred to as “environmental economics,” this view suggests it’s acceptable to consume some natural resources today
provided we replace them—through human ingenuity, invention and innovation—with other productive resources such as human and physical capital. In this view, then, it’s OK to consume some of today’s natural resources as long as future humanity can live leaner, cleaner and greener in exchange.
I am convinced most of today’s disagreements about sustainability result from disagreements about which view of sustainability we are talking about. I haven’t yet met anyone who doesn’t care about the planet. Instead, we argue over sustainability policies because we have different views of what we mean by sustainability in the first place. You probably won’t believe this, but I have been around long enough to witness ecological and environmental econo-
mists each weep openly for the planet because they think the other group has the wrong view of sustainability.
Sustainability arguments can be rancorous. But until we arrive at a shared vision of sustainability—or at least acknowledge which vision we have in mind when we discuss policy—it’s going to be difficult to arrive at any consensus regarding policy. You can’t agree on policy if you don’t first agree on which goalpost you are aiming for.
Victor V. Claar is an associate professor of economics at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lutgert College of Business. He is the George Gibbs Center for Economic Prosperity adjunct director at the James Madison Institute and a Freedom & Virtue Institute board member.
While ecological and environmental economists all care deeply about the planet, each has a different view of sustainability, making it difficult to come to a consensus regarding policy.
AFTER THE HURRICANE, FORT MYERS BEACH FACES A RESHAPED—AND MORE EXPENSIVE—FUTURE
BY DAVID DORSEY
First days and now six months after the forces of Mother Nature destroyed much of Fort Myers Beach, the forces of human nature began and continue churning to reshape it.
A 1954, three-bedroom, two-bath, landlocked home on Bayview Avenue that sold for $545,000 in April 2021 sold again in January for $500,000. At first glance, that’s an 8% depreciation in value. But upon further review, Hurricane Ian destroyed that house, leaving only splintered wood in its wake.
Raw land on the beach is selling after the storm at prices close to what undamaged homes were selling for before it.
A $500,000 lot, plus about $500,000 to build a 2,000-square-foot home at $250 per square foot, means million-dollar homes are going to become the norm on the island. In 2022, only during March, May and December did the average price of a Fort Myers Beach home eclipse the $1 million mark.
Money and change are coming to this 7-mile-long island, real estate experts are saying, and that change was already in the works before the storm formed.
What had been a town of about 5,600 residents will require a new real estate financial stratosphere for the future, whether people like it or not. The financial realities of adhering to modern, hurricane-resistant building codes do not match the past. They do not match the desires of those who grew up eating ice cream cones from the vanished Dairy Queen at Times Square or those who enjoyed rum runners and date nights at the
Margaritaville Resort construction project’s concrete-block walls survived the storm, but all the interior work had to be redone, setting the project back by at least three months.
wood-frame Cottage bar and restaurant, a beachfront site that listed for sale at $16 million.
Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm that struck Sept. 28, 2022, inflicted the worstcase scenario on the town’s citizens, who lost their iconic fishing pier and many landmark restaurants and shops to the 155-mile-an-hour-plus winds and more than 12 feet of storm surge. Of the 159 confirmed deaths from the storm, 14 died on the island.
The storm also accelerated an ongoing scenario for real estate developers and investors. What mostly had been a Spring Break destination with cheap T-shirt and flip-flop shops suddenly shifted to a “blank canvas” on which to rebuild the island into a luxury tourist destination.
Times Square, the town’s most iconic area, and one with seven different property owners near the northern end of the island at the base of Matanzas Pass Bridge, still lies in ruins and uncertainty over what will become of it next.
The adjacent 254-room Margaritaville Resort construction project’s concrete-block walls survived the storm just fine. All the interior work had to be gutted and redone, setting the project back by at least three months. But it could be finished as soon as the first anniversary of Ian, and it will be the first of what are expected to be many grandiose projects to open.
“Margaritaville is going to be nice,” says Randy Thibaut, founder of LSI Companies, a land brokerage firm. “But it’s not going to be the lion.”
Hundreds of wood frame and older beachfront structures up and down the island didn’t stand a chance against the storm surge. They were splintered apart, some of them washing away into Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
Some of that old-school charm washed away with it, said Joe Orlandini, a Fort Myers Beach builder and developer and owner of Orlandini Development. He spent the first weeks after the storm helping neighboring business owners recover signage and belongings that had floated elsewhere.
“I think we’ll see things built back much differently because of the way the older buildings were built,” Orlandini says. “The difficult part is, I really enjoyed that cottage-y, oldbeach charm. The Shamrock and the Cottage and the Junkanoo and Times Square. It’s not going to be the same. It’s unfortunate. I’m going to miss it. It’s going to be hard to see it go. But we’ll have to deal with transitioning into building buildings that can withstand a situation like this again. We’re not going to be able to have the old cottages we had; ground-level bars that were small and quaint.”
Anita Cereceda, elected the town’s first mayor in 1995 and a second-generation business owner on the island, lost three businesses to the storm but remains determined to reopen her shop at Santini Plaza on the southern
end of the island. The fate of her other two stores remains uncertain.
“The Pier Peddler, my folks opened in 1985,” she says. “On December 31, we would have celebrated 38 years in business. Local Color, I opened in 2003. Both of those stores were just wiped away. They literally crumbled to nothing. There is nothing to salvage. The rebuilding of Times Square will probably be virtually impossible.”
Cereceda’s mid-island home was made from two 1926 fishing shacks. It will be restored, she said, because the estimates fell south of the 50% rule. According to FEMA guidelines, if the repair costs of a property exceed 50% of the market value prior to sustaining the damage, the property must be brought up to current floodplain management standards.
“They were brought in by a barge,” she says of her home’s walls. “They were planted on my property. The house, structurally, is sound. It’s all wood. But right now, it’s completely gutted.”
While Cereceda knows she can rebuild, so many others remain in limbo, she said.
“It’s very fluid,” she says. “It’s fluid for a number of reasons. The residents, if they’re in a condo, they’re likely waiting for electrical and elevator repairs. That seems to be a common denominator. I’m hearing they could be delayed for up to a year from now.
“Then there are the single-family homeowners. They’re having the un-
Joe Orlandini, a Fort Myers Beach builder and developer, thinks things will be built back differently in order to avoid this happening again, meaning some of the old-school charm may be lost.
Hurricane Ian wrecked much of Fort Myers Beach, but it did not ruin the real estate market. If anything, it accelerated what already had been booming.
Nelson Taylor, vice president of market research for land brokerage firm LSI Companies, looked at the data from Lee County Property Appraiser’s Office and came to one conclusion: It’s too soon to make any conclusions on the beach real estate scene.
“The same thing was going on before the hurricane,” Taylor says. “You can have a $4.5 million home. Next door, there’s a 1970, single-story, 1,200-square-foot home selling for $400,000. The numbers are never going to align, because you’re not talking about a singular use, where everything is the same.
“We don’t have sufficient data yet to assess the change.”
There were 425 homes that closed on Fort Myers Beach in 2022 (including the only one that sold in October), totaling about $400.8 million and averaging about $943,058 per home.
But a look at the top 25 home listings in mid-February showed prices ranging from $1.9 million to $9.9 million. And the top 25 land listings ranged from $1.7 million to $4.5 million.
Prices are on the move on the beach, and they are trending upward.
Here’s a month-by-month look at the number of homes sold, the average price and the total price from January 2022 through January 2023.
fortunate experience of not getting results from the insurance companies. They get $200,000 from their insurance company, but it costs $350,000 to rebuild their home.”
Some are finding a solution to that problem, she said, by taking the insurance payoff and selling their property, then moving somewhere else.
“And then they can live happily ever after,” Cereceda says. “But it’s very sad to see them go. When people can’t afford to replace their home, what happens is it gets demolished. Something completely different gets rebuilt. And it changes the character of the town. It was going to change anyway.”
About five years before Hurricane Ian struck, Tom Torgerson, the CEO of TPI Hospitality, began looking to install a Margaritaville Resort on what had been a decaying strip shopping center.
TPI assembled seven acres, some of it beachfront, and in August 2021 partnered with Stonehill Strategic Capital on a $104 million construction loan. Although Margaritaville has yet to announce room rates, the expense surely means the end of $300 room nights on Fort Myers Beach.
Before the hurricane, the news of a new Margaritaville-branded resort brought wealthier eyeballs to Fort Myers Beach as property investors. Now the area is expected to attract the top 10% of money earners.
“It took Tom Torgerson five years to get what he wanted,” says Terry Schad of the John R. Woods Property Group’s Gulf Coast team. Schad has been brokering Fort Myers Beach properties for more than 40 years now. He thought he had seen it all, until Ian hit. “Tom is just great for the community. He’s going to be the first out of the ground. That’s going to help us all.”
Even before the hurricane, the news of a new Margaritaville-branded resort brought wealthier eyeballs to Fort Myers Beach as property investors, said Dennis Wagaman of Current Coastal Realty. He called it the ripple effect.
“We were already on a trajectory of redevelopment and appreciation,” Wagaman says. “Margaritaville brought our flip-flop and T-shirt place a new level of awareness. I was getting folks from across the country that we’ve never heard from before. I’ve been getting calls from all sorts of investors. That has elevated us to a new level of awareness.”
Fort Myers Beach won’t be the next Naples, Schad said, but it won’t be like it used to be either. He recalled selling a house in 1988 for $65,000, then helping the buyer flip it two years later for $90,000, which was $5,000 above the asking price. The thrilled seller from back then might be pained to learn the same property now would sell for $750,000.
“The top 10% of money earners will be looking at Fort Myers Beach,” Schad says, “instead of Naples, where you’re dealing with the top 1% of money earners. People are [believing] that Fort Myers Beach is going to be one of the nicest beaches in
all of Florida. Because of newness. It’s depressing right now. But someday, it’s going to be gorgeous.”
That said, the current state of the market is a bit chaotic.
“Right now, just to buy a home, you’re talking $450,000 for a small lot,” Schad says. “Water lots, you can’t find one for $600,000. Now, I’m going to say $700,000. I’m still getting the calls. People are trying to scam people. People who are buying right now, they are investors. And they are paying the high dollar. They’re buying to fix up the homes and sell them. Just to redo a home right now, it’s going to take a year. And it’s going to take three years to build one.”
Alex King, a Realtor with Current Coast Realty, sold a condominium on the north end of the island for $686,000 in 2021. He had the same condo under contract this February for $880,000.
“I listed it for $100,000 more than the highest price paid last year during high season,” King says. “Four other [real estate agents] are begging me to find another one. You can’t occupy it until September, and it still has drywall that hasn’t been fixed yet.
“People have to remember the demand was there before. We’ve already been discovered. During COVID, it was on steroids.”
Not everyone is selling. Jay Highley’s house won’t change much. It’s elevated by more than 10 feet from ground level and not far from the beach, fronting a ca-
Hurricane Ian was a terrible disaster for Southwest Florida, there’s no disputing that. But every disaster also presents an opportunity: The landscape is wiped clean and everything has the potential to be rebuilt better to replace what was lost, whether the disaster was a hurricane, earthquake, fire or flood.
But what constitutes “better?”
There are always different interpretations. After past disasters, people recognized the possibility of new starts … but there’s also the strong urge to restore exactly what was in place before. Southwest Floridians are hardly unique in considering dramatically different paths after Ian.
The dilemma can be traced back as far as the great fire of Rome in the year 64. After the fire destroyed two-thirds of the city, Rome was rebuilt with fire protection in mind. New building codes (yes, they had them then) required solid walls without wood or combustible material. Buildings could not share walls; each had to have its own as a fire precaution. Streets were laid out according to a regular plan, with broad, measured thoroughfares and height restrictions—and some people complained because they liked the old, narrow winding streets that shaded them from the sun.
After the Great Fire of London dev-
astated the city in 1666, architects, including the renowned Christopher Wren, drew up plans for a new, rational London of broad streets and modern architecture. However, Londoners were in such a rush to rebuild that they ignored the plans and proposals and tried to restore what went before, including medieval streets and rickety tenements. One of the only vestiges of the more sweeping proposals was a new St. Paul’s Cathedral designed by Wren, which stands to this day.
Closer in time and nature to Southwest Florida’s ordeal was the experience of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. That cataclysmic storm overtopped the levees protecting the below-sea level city, which was almost completely flooded, especially wiping out poorer neighborhoods.
Would the old, funky, “laissez les bons temps rouler” New Orleans prevail or would it be a more structured, protected city? Or would it even be rebuilt at all?
Architect and urban planner Frederic Schwartz, who was hired by the New Orleans City Planning Commission, saw the opportunity for a new city rising from the flood.
“The planning of cities in the face of disaster (natural and political) must reach beyond the Band-Aid of short-
term recovery,” he wrote in an essay on the project. “Disaster offers a unique opportunity to rethink the planning and politics of our metro-regional areas—it is a chance to redefine our cities and to reassert values of environmental care and social justice, of community building and especially of helping the poor with programs for quality, affordable and sustainable housing.”
Schwartz died in 2014, never seeing his vision fully implemented.
Several broad plans made a determined effort to maximize community participation in the rebuilding. However, renewal was complicated by racial tensions, corruption (former Mayor Ray Nagin was convicted of charges of fraud, bribery and money
laundering and is serving a 10-year sentence to this day) and the sheer scope of the task.
“They ended up with an uneven recovery,” said David Hammer, a journalist with the New Orleans Times-Picayune and currently with 4WWL TV in New Orleans. Hammer has been covering the story for 16 years.
Ultimately, $116 billion was poured into New Orleans by federal, state and local governments, Hammer said. However, “no amount of money can overcome faulty processes and bureaucratic entanglements,” he says. After disaster strikes, “there will be pressure to do this as fast as possible. But doing it in as smart a way as possible is really more important in the long run. The problems in New Orleans came from being in a rush.”
The recovery effort has continued to this very day. For example, it was not until last May that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finally handed the state a fully completed Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System of floodgates and improved levees. Problems of race and class remain, with one study last year finding that poorer homeowners received less in grants to rebuild than wealthier residents.
In contrast, one of America’s most successful disaster rebuilding and recovery efforts occurred in Greensburg, Kansas, where on May 4, 2007, an EF-5 tornado swept into the small town of 1,400 people, virtually wiping it off the landscape, killing 12 and destroying 95% of the housing.
The town’s council, meeting in a parking lot, decided that when they rebuilt they would do it in the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly way possible. That decision led to increased federal and state support.
Today, Greensburg is completely rebuilt. It gets all its energy from a wind farm. Its public buildings are state-of-the-art in energy efficiency and the town makes use of everything from low-flow toilets to drought-resistant landscaping that uses minimal water. Now with a population of 900, it is considered a world-class example of successful disaster recovery.
“For the most part, everyone who
wanted to return has done so; it’s all done,” Mayor Matt Christenson says. “We’re 100% on renewable energy since 2008. It’s worked out great. It’s very stable.”
There was some tension between residents who wanted to formulate a master plan and those who wanted to rebuild their homes and businesses immediately, Christenson recalled. But the town officials chose not to impose mandates on residents. Instead, they used education and persuasion to convince residents to go the new route and accept some of the higher costs involved. Ultimately, they all agreed.
Christenson also acknowledged that the town was lucky in that it didn’t have to drastically rezone anywhere and could rebuild neighborhoods where they were, in contrast to Southwest Florida coastal areas that are still in flood zones. That made the recovery process easier in Greensburg.
By and large, Greensburg got through its ordeal by plugging ahead, according to Christenson. It took three months just to clear the debris. There are still some lots that remain vacant. As in Southwest Florida, affordable housing is a challenge.
“There are good days and bad days,” Christenson says of the years since the tornado.
For Southwest Floridians, he advises: “Just know that you’re not alone; keep working at it and if you keep plugging away, you’ll get through it.”
nal with Estero Bay access. He paid just under $400,000 for it in May 2012. All the front siding will need to be redone, but the house otherwise survived the storm just fine, he said.
The damaged house next door provides another glimpse of how real estate prices are surging since Hurricane Ian hit.
Highley bought it for $750,000 in January and plans on turning it into a rental property. His next-door neighbor didn’t want to stay there and endure the growing pains that are sure to come with the ongoing rebirth of the beach. The house, like Highley’s, needs exterior repairs and has canal access.
“We’re committed to the beach,” Highley says. “We will refresh the look. But there won’t be a McMansion here.”
Nick Nigh lives off Madison Court, near the middle of the island. There won’t be a “McMansion” there, either. The part-time resident from near Toledo, Ohio, intends to stay. “We had very little damage,” Nigh says. “We consider ourselves so lucky.”
In this case, “lucky” means needing to replace some ridge vents on the roof, some shingles, some siding and the electrical panels and meter. Nigh’s home was without electricity from Sept. 28 until mid-December. From then, and continuing into February, the phone rang with calls from would-be buyers of his home, which is near the beach but not on a canal. He paid $585,000 for it in 2018. He could have gotten more than that now.
“I’ve had so many calls,” Nigh says. “Probably a hundred calls from people
Despite the horrific damage Hurricane Ian brought to Fort Myers Beach businesses and homes, properties are selling for thousands more than they were before the storm.
wanting to buy it. One of them asked me, ‘Can I ask you why you don’t want to sell?’ Because I don’t want to. Even if I took $2 million for it, where else could I get something like this for that kind of money?”
Four houses down, Nigh’s neighbor Alison Hourigan also plans to stay. She and her husband Mark paid a mere $80,000 for the house in 1988. They remodeled and put it on concrete pilings in 1990. The four homes just across the street, fronting the beach, were destroyed. Until they get rebuilt, she has a clear view of the Gulf of Mexico. She’s not going anywhere. Not even for a million dollars.
“Everything is solid wood,” Hourigan says. “We didn’t get much damage other than drywall—and part of the floor caved in. The water came up to the second floor, and waves were coming over the house.”
That damage hasn’t deterred the phone calls.
“We get phone calls all the time still,” Hourigan says. “Unsolicited calls. Lots of people. I don’t even know how they get your phone number. My husband is an avid paddleboarder and windsurfer. We love it here.”
Hourigan, however, knows the landscape of her beloved beach will be changing soon forever, starting with the four lots across the street. She recalled the days of her two sons being young, playing on the beach and playing youth baseball games at a nearby park.
“It was like we had our own little community,” she says. “Now, everything is going rental. Everyone is selling their house, and they’re becoming rentals.”
Orlandini is embracing the change, though he hopes that includes restoring some of the charm. His company builds some of the multimillion-dollar homes on the island. He wants those who rebuild to pay tribute to the way things were—and he can control some of that, because he bought a Times Square parcel for $1.3 million.
“I think we’re going to come out of this in a positive way,” Orlandini says. “There’s a lot of fear in the community, in people selling out and big corporations coming in, and losing the charm of the island. It’s going to be very hard for that to happen, because we have a land development code that’s already in place.”
Fort Myers Beach incorporated in 1995 as a response to the Lee County government allowing DiamondHead Beach Resort’s 16-story height, which went against the wishes of the beach citizens at the time. Those land development codes will be put to the test now. Because with soaring property values and insurance costs will come the desire for developers to pack in more density to get the bang for their bucks.
Newly elected Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers said he’s open to amending the height restrictions, but it has yet to go on the town council agenda.
“I would certainly say that it’s not going to be a beach full of DiamondHeads, at least not for as long as I’m involved,” he says.
But Allers and Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt, in separate interviews, each suggest-
ed looking at increasing height and density on a case-by-case basis.
“All the developers I speak with relating to small and medium-sized hotels— because of the costs involved, they’re going to need additional density,” Atterholt says. “I think the council understands that. In return for that density, there’s going to be a request for some type of public benefit. Every redeveloper needs to rethink about how additional density impacts traffic.”
Ideas to ease traffic while boosting density include building pedestrian walkways over streets and starting boat ferries; moving people along the beach but not on the roads.
The town’s government also will be tested by finances as it rebuilds the tax base. And by the need for building permits. In 2021, the town issued 1,894 permits. In 2022, it issued 2,243 permits, including 900 after the hurricane. In just the first five weeks of 2023, the town has already issued 1,040 permits.
“They’re going to have to be able to permit a lot of permits,” says Matt Noble, the former principal planner for the town. “There’s going to be a lot of people who want to build quickly. They’re going to have to be a permit machine and get the permits out in a timely manner.”
In the conference room of LSI Companies, a Southwest Florida land brokerage firm, founder Randy Thibaut and his son,
Joe Orlandini's company builds some of the multimillion-dollar homes on the island. While knowing some things will be different, he wants those who rebuild to pay tribute to the way things were.
Anita Cereceda, former Fort Myers Beach mayor, will restore her damaged home, but she knows of many others selling their homes and leaving the area.
CEO Justin Thibaut, held court regarding the future of Fort Myers Beach real estate.
Some of that picture remains cloudy, but it will start to get clearer in the weeks ahead. Closings will start to accelerate in April, they said, because six full months have passed since Hurricane Ian. It takes that long for insurance adjusters to examine the properties and for homeowners to decide how they want to proceed. It also takes that long for sellers to emerge.
“Vultures come in,” Randy Thibaut says. “It’s a different kind of vulture. It’s not vultures looking for the steal; it’s a vulture looking to get its hands on anything. It’s now going to be a luxury destination.”
Justin Thibaut put it this way: “A lot where a home has been demolished or will be demolished is selling for more than a home on the beach was previously selling for. There’s no way, whether you want to or not, to stop it.”
The “old fishing village” that began at Fort Myers Beach cannot be replicated. But the former residents who cannot afford to stay in their own properties won’t be leaving empty-handed, either.
“This is creating millionaires out of the people who are selling their properties,” Justin Thibaut says. “The event was devastating. But if these folks are smart, they can make a significant amount of money.”
That said, the expectations of the sellers have gotten out of control, Randy Thibaut said.
“Sellers don’t know how much things are worth,” Thibaut says. “So what hap-
pens is, their listing agent says, ‘Name the sky.’ Because they don’t want to lose the listing. People are afraid to list too low, because they don’t want to miss out.”
In the first four months after the hurricane, there were 142 properties that sold for a combined $120 million, Realtor Alex King said. That’s an average of $845,000, which falls in line with typical beach property values over the previous 12 months.
But looking at listings in mid-February told another tale, and it fell in line with what Randy Thibaut said. Nelson Taylor, the vice president of market research for LSI Companies, pulled the data. It’s deceptive, because the new listings do not match the recent price histories of deals that closed.
The top 25 lot listings, just for the raw land on Fort Myers Beach, ranged from $1.7 to $4.5 million. The top 25 home listings on Fort Myers Beach ranged from $1.95 to $9.99 million. The home priced at just under $10 million sold in March 2022 for $4.35 million, property records show. It’s priced 129% higher, less than a year later and less than six months after Ian.
“That energy is going to unfold over the next six months,” Randy Thibaut says. “There’s a lot of rumors and a lot of numbers being thrown out there that makes people think their properties are worth a lot more than they are. The places that got hit the hardest have the most interest. There’s a boom on what got hit the hardest. Let’s see what closes.”
PICKLEBALL CONTINUES ITS MASSIVE GROWTH, ESPECIALLY IN SWFL
BY JUSTIN PAPROCKI
In mid-April, thousands of visitors will descend upon the Pickleball Capital of the World.
The 64-court Naples Pickleball Center in East Naples Community Park will host about 2,800 professional pickleball players during the Minto US Open Pickleball Championships. About 34,000 spectators will attend during the seven-day stretch. Hotel stays, restaurant visits and other entertainment ventures during their time here will generate an estimated $13 million economic impact for Collier County.
It’s one of the top pickleball destinations in the world, but it wasn’t that long ago that this so-called pickleball capital was just a worn-down skate park and underused tennis courts.
If anything, the transformation is indicative of just how quickly this quirky-sounding sport has caught on. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country. About 4.8 million people played in 2021, according to a report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. That’s up about 15% from 2020.
Its success makes sense. The sport is fairly easy to pick up—think of it as a mix of tennis and ping-pong—and all you need is a racquet and a little hand-eye coordination. It’s easier on the joints than tennis, less costly than golf and able to be
played outside, which is a plus during a pandemic. But it’s gone beyond just a leisure activity; it’s becoming a big business.
There are the professional circuits where pro pickleball players travel the world to compete. Investors such as Tom Brady and LeBron James have put big money into Major League Pickleball, which features 12 teams nationwide including the Florida Smash, proudly representing the Sunshine State. Locally, Naples Pickleball Center owner Bob Strommen is investing in a team in the new National Pickleball League, a 50-and-older league that will host tournaments across the country starting in June.
But if you can’t make it to a match, just turn on your TV. Pickleball tournaments are broadcast live on major networks; the US Open’s finals will be on CBS Sports. Even the Tennis Channel has started showing pickleball matches. If that doesn’t slake your appetite for the game, you can head to a Chicken N Pickle or Camp Pickleball, two TopGolf-esque restaurant chains that feature food, drink and pickleball courts. And if you missed the two-hour “sports comedy” special “Pickled” on CBS, you can find it on Paramount Plus. "I see people playing pickleball in commercials now,” says Terri Graham, one of the founders of the US
Naples pickleball pioneer Jim Ludwig helped organize the US Open, serves as an ambassador for USA Pickleball, founded the nonprofit Pickleball for All that teaches kids and adults the game and has started organizing pro pickleball tournaments nationwide.
Open who previously worked for 20 years in the sporting goods industry. “It’s mind-boggling what’s happening. I’ve never seen growth like this in any sport."
When Graham and her partner Chris Evon proposed in 2015 that East Naples Community Park host a pickleball tournament, even they didn’t envision this future. And pickleball is showing no signs of slowing down.
To a degree, what happened in Naples has become the gold standard for pickleball. East Naples Community Park had just nine permanent pickleball courts when the first tournament was held in 2016. It drew about 2,000 spectators. But over a five-year stretch, the county invested more than $5 million in the facility, including $750,000 for a shade structure over several of the courts. A new visitors center and pro shop opened last year. Recently, the county set aside $670,000 of its tourism tax revenues for renovations to the courts and surrounding area. Aside from the tournament, the courts are open to the public year-round, hosting upwards of 13,000 visitors annually, county officials say. The title of Pickleball Capital of the World draws tourism, as vacationers make the park a focal point of their vacation. At times the courts are crowded with as many as 500 pickleball fans either playing or waiting to play—most frequently in
the mornings, when a membership fee is required to play.
Graham remarks that the renovations are needed to “keep up with the Joneses.” Florida is a hotbed for pickleball, and other areas have established premier pickleball facilities. The Villages has been called the “Mecca of Pickleball” due to 200plus courts throughout town. But Graham gives credit to the Collier County Commissioners for jumping on the pickleball trend early and not looking back. She references the line from Field of Dreams when she talks about pickleball in Naples: If you build it, they will come. “I give a lot of credit to the county,” Graham says. “They built the best facility in the world here in Naples."
Other parks and private communities throughout Southwest Florida have rushed to set aside space for pickleball. Veterans Community Park in Naples has 14 courts that are often packed in-season. In Fort Myers, eight new courts are scheduled to open in Rutenberg Park this spring. In Cape Coral, city leaders set aside money from a $60 million parks and recreation bond to create courts at multiple parks. And don’t forget the PicklePlex. In 2019, the facility opened on land at Florida SouthWestern State University’s Charlotte Campus, after a group of volunteers raised about $700,000.
Aside from the tournament at East Naples Community Park, the courts are open to the public year-round, hosting upward of 13,000 visitors annually, according to county officials.
The 16 courts have hosted professional tournaments; organizers estimate that it’s had $10 million in economic impact since opening.
Even with new courts still cropping up (not to mention the tennis courts that also double as pickleball courts), demand seems to be outpacing supply. “There just aren’t enough courts,” Graham says.
Brian McCarthy had run into a similar problem. The Sarasota resident and his wife Valerie were avid players, but spent too much time fighting early-morning crowds or waiting out late-afternoon showers to get much playing time. So, he did something about it. He’s started The Pickleball Club, a business that aims to invest $180 million in 15 membership-based indoor pickleball facilities across Florida, including locations in Fort Myers and Bonita Springs. Each will have about 14 courts equipped with an in-house camera system so players and instructors can record and analyze play at a later time. Overall, it will have a country club feel with a cafe and pro shop and plenty of space to socialize. “We want to be the Disney World of pickleball,” he says with a laugh.
McCarthy, a former rear admiral in the U.S. Navy and commercial real estate developer, first got serious about the venture in 2021. He saw the growth potential and started looking for ways to invest. Outdoor courts were cropping up left and right, but he felt quality indoor facilities were lacking. Once The Pickleball Club
is established in the Sunshine State, he plans on venturing out to other areas of the country. "If you can catch a trend as it's going up the curve, that's where you want to be," he says.
Pickleball proponents are betting on an upward trend for quite some time. Part of the reason is its expanding appeal beyond its core demographic. Yes, the most dedicated players remain baby boomers. But more than three-fourths of casual players are under 54—and the fastest growing demographic is under the age of 24.
"It will be a long way until it slows down," says Naples pickleball pioneer Jim Ludwig. If a Naples Pickleball Hall of Fame ever came to be, Ludwig would be right there with Graham and Evon. He’s helped organize the US Open, serves as an ambassador for USA Pickleball, founded the nonprofit Pickleball for All that teaches kids and adults the game and has started organizing pro pickleball tournaments nationwide. The Atlantic City Pickleball Open Indoor Championships last September had more than 800 participants, similar to the US Open’s first draw. He sees growth coming in cold-weather areas that don’t have many indoor facilities yet; his tournaments are held in convention centers. "In a convention center the space is easy to find and the weather is guaranteed," he says.
He points to another number: 22.6 million. That’s the number of people who play tennis. There’s already crossover—about
Terri Graham and Chris Evon co-founded the US Open when they proposed in 2015 that East Naples Community Park host a pickleball tournament. Even they didn’t envision how quickly it would gain popularity.
How would you describe this sport?
It’s sort of like mini-tennis. Or maybe big ping-pong. You play on a court similar to tennis but smaller, with a paddle that’s larger than a ping-pong paddle, while hitting a plastic ball the size of an orange.
After a family dog, of course. The origin of the sport is attributed to three families who vacationed off the coast of Washington state in the mid-’60s. They made it up to keep the kids entertained during one summer, and called it pickleball, after a dog named Pickles.
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association tracks annually the number of people who play sports in the U.S. Its 2022 report put the number of pickleball players at 4.8 million, double the number of players five years ago. For compar-
ison, about 3.5 million people play racquetball. More than 22 million people play tennis.
You can find public courts all over Southwest Florida from Marco Island up to North Port. At some facilities, you may have to pay to play. For example, at East Naples Community Park, a $50 annual membership will get you access to play between 8 a.m.-noon and 5-8 p.m. Midday play is free. USA Pickleball keeps track of courts nationwide at places2play.org.
Slow down; you’ll need some practice. But the top players can make a living off pickleball. Tournament winnings can only net you only a few thousand, so most top players also teach and have corporate sponsors to earn money, as well.
one-third of pickleball players also play tennis, including many pro pickleballers. So, if tennis is the upper bound, then pickleball is just getting started, he said.
Much has been made of the tennis vs. pickleball rivalry. Stories in publications including The New York Times and Washington Post have detailed turf battles across the country over the pickleball takeover of some tennis courts. Ludwig sees some of the same in private communities in Southwest Florida—tensions that surface when decisions have to be made that devote resources to the up-and-coming sport. But the game is becoming more established, he said, and some residents are starting to view pickleball courts as a needed amenity on par with golf or tennis.
For decades, Naples was known for its golf and tennis. Now, Ludwig said, it’s pickleball, too. "Pickleball is taking over,” he says. “It's the future."
It's often said that not all heroes wear capes. And when it comes to health care, not all heroes wear scrubs. While the list of this year’s Health Care Heroes does include doctors and nurses, it also features administrators, hospice providers and technology specialists.
During the pandemic and in the wake of Hurricane Ian, care providers in Lee and Collier counties constantly demonstrated their unparalleled commitment to health and safety. But these Health Care Heroes were recognized by their peers for their exceptional courage and compassion, as well as for their inspiration and innovation. These are their stories.
NCH Physicians Group, Naples
Providing Health Care Everywhere
Whether he was volunteering for the Red Cross or serving at clinics for underserved communities in his native Ecuador, Jose Valle Giler has always been a helper. In his work and his athletic pursuits, he’s always been a fighter. Those two traits both came to the forefront when, while visiting Mercato, he came upon someone who had collapsed after suffering a heart attack. Jumping in without hesitation to begin resuscitation efforts, Giler performed CPR until the paramedics arrived on the scene. Once the person was admitted to NCH, he continued to provide care while the patient was recovering in the intensive care unit.
In his role as an ICU physician, Giler also helped on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing compassionate care for COVID patients and often serving as a comforting, reassuring presence for many people in their most vulnerable hours. Finally, in addition to his medical heroism, Giler is also a hero at home to his family, as he has stepped up to care for his three children since his wife’s passing in 2022.
Hurricane Hustle
As the nurse manager of Golisano Children’s Hospital’s Transport Team, Nichole “Niki” Shimko oversees the day-to-day operations of transporting pediatric patients to that facility— the region’s only children’s hospital. But when the aftermath of Hurricane Ian left Golisano Children’s Hospital with no water pressure, Shimko was tasked with evacuating all of the facility’s patients to other hospitals across the state of Florida. Of the 80 children needing to be transported, 61 were neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) babies, some of whom weighed less than a pound.
Shimko left her family immediately after the hurricane and began orchestrating a fleet of ambulances and medical helicopters—including the addition of makeshift helicopter landing pads—to help safely transport the children. She then stayed at the hospital for 36 hours to ensure all of the patients had been transported to where they needed to go. Once the water pressure was restored at the hospital, Shimko then organized the return of all the pediatric patients to the facility. As she greeted each tiny patient as they arrived back at Golisano Children’s Hospital, it was the children’s grateful families who called Shimko a “miracle worker,” a “life saver” and a “hero.”
Stepping Stone Kids Therapy
As the founder of Stepping Stone Kids Therapy, Christine Biscardi helps provide ABA, OT and Speech services to children with Autism and other disabilities. Beginning with one facility, Biscardi’s passion for helping improve the lives of children and families across the region has led to five additional Stepping Stone Kids Therapy clinics throughout Southwest Florida. In addition, she is currently in the process of opening SSkids Academy, a fully accredited school for children ages 6 through 12.
But the growth of her clinics hasn’t been easy, as Biscardi persevered through a fight with breast cancer. Even as she and her family endured difficult times during her treatments and a double mastectomy, Biscardi never wavered from fulfilling her dream of opening a safe space for kids to come for the services they need to thrive.
Biscardi’s compassion and heroism also extend to her staff and clients. Most recently, she promoted a GoFundMe campaign for some staff and clients who lost everything due to Hurricane Ian. That campaign raised a total of $6,400 in just a few weeks' time.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of telehealth was considered primarily for rural populations that lacked nearby access to medical care. Since then, however, telehealth has proven to be beneficial to everyone. And in Southwest Florida, Jonathan Witenko has been instrumental in developing and improving access to care for any at-risk individual who lacks access to health care.
By designing and implementing the Lee Health Telehealth Services system, Witenko has helped create a valuable, vital safety net that provides health care monitoring services to vulnerable patient populations. That includes patients who lack transportation, patients with disability mobility challenges and those who may simply lack the technology needed to access telehealth services.
Witenko recognized the importance of telehealth services when the Lee Health program quickly ramped up to aid vulnerable populations during the pandemic. His work allowed health care professionals to safely monitor atrisk patients with serious conditions while also protecting the health of first-line responders at hospitals and clinics who were overwhelmed with in-person urgent care visits and emerging conditions. Witenko’s work to expand telehealth during the pandemic helped contain the possible spread of COVID-19 while also providing vital health care services to those who needed it most.
Avow Hospice
Hospice Hero
Though she spent much of her life as a real estate professional, Glenna Hayhoe's true passion was nursing. After volunteering at a local hospital, at age 52 she put her real estate career aside to take classes to become an LPN. From there, it was Hayhoe’s passion for caring for those at the end of life that led her and her husband Bruce to find volunteers and funding to establish the first hospice in Naples in 1983.
Because of Glenna’s spirit and resilience, Avow Hospice is the longest-serving and only nonprofit hospice in Collier County, offering palliative care and grief support for children and adults. Today, at 91 years old, Hayhoe still volunteers at Avow, sitting at the front desk, hugging a patient’s family member or wheeling the cookie cart through the hospice house. And, as Avow celebrates its 40th anniversary, Hayhoe continues to motivate volunteers to be caring and compassionate while also inspiring staff. She continues to give families respite or makes sure a patient isn’t alone. She listens to their stories, reads them their favorite book, helps with their pets and more, all with a hospice heart.
NCH Healthcare System
Stressbuster
As a cardiologist, Dr. Sajan Rao is trained to recognize the symptoms and signs of illness. But when he recognized the strain that practicing medicine was taking on his fellow NCH physicians, he stepped forward and initiated the NCH Physician Wellness Committee. Rao’s efforts, along with those of his fellow physician committee members, focused on fighting burnout, improving connection and streamlining workflow. Their goal is to make practicing medicine less about overcoming obstacles and more about holding the hand of the patient and actually delivering care. The work of Rao’s committee had made tangible differences to improve the lives of the physician workforce at NCH, the lives of their patients and the community to which they deliver care.
The work of Rao’s Physician Wellness Committee was especially timely in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The extreme strain of the pandemic left most health care workers burned out, professionally and personally, and many considered leaving the profession entirely. Through the volunteer steps taken by Rao and the committee, NCH was able to keep its health care heroes in the workforce and the community so that they could continue delivering the highest quality care.
As President and CEO of Hope Healthcare since 1991, Samira Beckwith has grown the not-forprofit into a model of health care for the future by bridging hospice with other long-term care programs. Under Beckwith’s leadership, Hope has evolved from a hospice provider serving 100 patients a day to a nationally acclaimed organization with more than 900 employees and over 1,000 volunteers. Providing innovative programs such as Hope Hospice, Hope Palliative Care, Hope PACE, Hope Parkinson Program and Hope Kids Care, the organization now serves more than 3,000 people daily across five Florida counties.
Most recently, Beckwith was instrumental in preparation and recovery efforts during Hurricane Ian. She guided the team through evacuations prior to the storm and offered shelter to staff members, those in Hope’s care and their loved ones. People in Hope’s care who lost their homes were able to remain at Hope Care Centers with access to medical care, food and supplies. Staff members affected by the storm were also offered shelter, food and showers. Additionally, clothing and household items were provided to those in need through the Hope Chest resale stores, and no-cost Ian support groups were offered to the Hope staff and community.
Working as a rehabilitation specialist for 22 years, Angela Puchalla has come to understand the limits of traditional injury rehab treatments. But, in her role as Head of Rehabilitation for Matterhorn Fit, she works to rehabilitate injuries faster than traditional methods, while also addressing the compensation patterns and neurological breakdowns that can lead to further injury. Focusing on Matterhorn Fit's seamless integration between rehabilitation and performance at the highest level, Puchalla has successfully treated more than 60 professional athletes, 11 Olympians and thousands of active individuals in Southwest Florida, many in as little as two weeks.
“Angie approaches pain, injuries and movement dysfunction from a neurological level,” says Ryan Vesce, Co-founder and CEO of Matterhorn Fit. “Once she identifies the root cause of someone’s problem, she applies our neurological rehabilitation process to help retrain and reconnect brain patterns. Equally as impressive as her clinical results, Angie has a real passion for helping people of all ages and levels. She has been a tremendous asset to both the growth and culture of our team."
‘The right care in the right place at the right time’
Joe Velderman, Vice President of Innovation at Cypress Living, believes that innovation is the key to successful aging services. To deliver that innovation to the company’s Cypress at Home in-home services agency and the Cypress Cove luxury retirement community, Velderman often says, “We want to provide the right data to the right caregiver so that they can provide the right care in the right place at the right time.”
When COVID-19 forced Cypress Living to accelerate its existing telemedicine program, Velderman and the Cypress team quickly embraced robotic technology. That led to the introduction of a pair of telemedicine carts, as well as several next-generation, remote-controlled “doctor on wheels” robots that operate independently without a nurse to guide them through the skilled nursing facility. Velderman also helped outfit the telemedicine program for Cypress at Home providers via iPads and Teams. In addition, a fresh-salad-on-demand robot was added for the employee break room. Many of the practices Velderman developed during the pandemic have been improved and are still being used today, and as a result of Velderman’s efforts, Cypress Living was recognized with the Innovation Award by LeadingAge Florida in 2022.
Keeping Kids Close to Home
Lee Health and the Golisano Children's Clinic in Naples have been steadfast leaders and innovators in the Southwest Florida community. Their goal? To keep children and families together by providing world-class care right here in our own backyard.
The facility’s new Chemo Immersion room is the only one of its kind in the state of Florida and one of just a few in the United States. A child dealing with cancer is difficult enough, but having to separate them from their siblings and parents to receive the treatment they need is even harder. By creating a safe, comfortable experience for children going through treatment close to home in Naples, the Chemo Immersion room will help ease the burden on families and make a life-changing difference for patients during a scary, uncertain time.
In addition, with a goal of keeping health care providers, families and our communities safe. Lee Health and Golisano Children’s Hospital now open their facilities for continued treatment and have added services such as mental health care for students and families stuck at home. While these programs were developed during the pandemic, they have proven especially vital in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
Lee Health
Your blood pressure and oxygen level say a lot about your overall health, and most patients must visit a doctor’s office to have those readings taken by a medical professional. But now, thanks to Lee Health’s Remote Patient Monitoring program, patients can have their vital signs assessed without leaving home.
“The goal is to keep you safe in your home and allow management of your condition,” says Virtual Health Medical Director Dr. Zsolt Kulcsar. “[Patients] get a kit delivered to their home, and the kit will be able to collect vital signs with what we call biometric data. What our nurses will do is check every single day, pick up the subtle changes early, be able to intervene early and potentially keep you safe in your home.”
The program, which focuses on patients with heart failure, COPD and high blood pressure, collects data from patients daily and records it in their medical records. That allows an individual’s entire care team, including cardiologists, lung specialists and primary care doctors, to access the information and work together to make changes to help patients manage their chronic conditions from home instead of the doctor’s office.
Lee
For years, cancer patients often traveled from Southwest Florida to Tampa, Miami, Orlando or Jacksonville for treatments. Doing so meant hours on the road and weeks in hotels in pursuit of world-class cancer care. However, since 2019, the team of radiation oncologists at Advocate Radiation Oncology has been offering the same level of treatment in Southwest Florida. Opening with one location in Port Charlotte, Advocate has grown to six locations across the region and thousands of patients have been successfully treated without having to leave town.
While Advocate uses the newest, state-ofthe-art technology to help reduce side effects and minimize negative impacts on patients’ daily lives, the clinic isn’t resting on its laurels, according to Dr. Arie Dosoretz, managing partner at Advocate Radiation Oncology.
“[We] are preparing to launch a next-level proton therapy center in Estero. Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation that uses proton beams to target tumors and cancer cells more precisely, improving outcomes in combination with reduced toxicity and side effects,” he says. “Again, this will keep patients close to home and eliminate the need to travel for medical treatments."
Owning a business requires a constant balance of commitments, both personal and professional. That’s because you, your family and your business are intrinsically connected.
We partner with business owners like you to find the right balance by taking the time to understand your goals and objectives. This partnership allows us to design customized strategies to achieve your vision.
Preparing for the unexpected
When you’re busy taking care of business demands, it’s easy to overlook your personal financial goals. Although business and personal financial planning are different, it’s important for you to understand how and where they connect, so that you can better prepare for the future.
That preparation also includes managing uncertainty, which plays a key role in running a successful business, yet isn’t always easy to do. Unexpected conflicts can arise at any time—that’s why we work together with you and your advisors to help you better navigate what may unfold. By being proactive and preparing for life’s uncertainties, you can remain confident that your goals and your business continue moving in the direction you want them to.
Some areas of focus:
• Investments and retirement planning
• Contingency planning
• Estate and wealth transfer planning*
• Business continuity/succession planning
• Buy-sell planning*
Our team will guide you through a tailored planning process and introduce additional resources as needed to fit your unique goals and circumstances before determining a course of action.
Fifth Third Private Bank is here to help.
Craig Watson Senior Vice President Managing Director, Fifth Third
Bank Wealth & Asset Management craig.watson@53.com
Teamwork is integral to the way Moran Wealth Management® serves its clients. Chairman, CEO and CIO, Tom Moran, has gathered a remarkable group of over 35 professionals dedicated to putting their clients’ best interests first with strategic guidance tailored to their specific needs. Our practice is a fullservice wealth advisory firm, focused on delivering outstanding, personalized client service while utilizing over 30 proprietary strategies to diversify investment portfolios.
We operate in a unique niche in the private wealth management market, with over $4 billion in assets under management. We have the presence to offer the services of any large institution while providing the highest level of personal attention. Our clientele includes a select group of successful individuals and their families seeking to build generational wealth, as well as corporations, executives, fiduciaries, non-profit organizations, and family offices looking to grow and protect their assets.
“It always begins with gaining a deep understanding of what’s specifically important to each client,” says Tom. “We are acutely aware of the unique concerns of each individual, family, and institution we advise. This is one way we make the entire process more satisfying and enjoyable.”
Perhaps it’s time for an independent review of your financial strategy. The fee-only, 100% employee-owned fiduciary has been serving families in Naples and beyond for more than 30 years. Call 239-920-4440 or visit moranwm.com today and find out how their extraordinary team of advisors can help you achieve a diverse portfolio, strategically managed to care for your family now and in the future.
Since 1990 Tom Moran AIF®, Chairman, CEO and CIO has been helping families in Naples make important investment decisions. Over his 30-plus years in SWFL he’s built a local team of over 35 professionals dedicated to providing focused strategies and world-class service.
For over 40 years, Ciccarelli Advisory Services has been helping families meet their lifelong goals by creating comprehensive, customized financial plans that work throughout every stage of life. Our highest priority is designing a plan that reflects your family’s unique journey, paying special attention to your priorities and vision, empowering you to achieve continual financial wellness. Your family will benefit from the insight and wisdom of our highly experienced team who provides the personalized service you deserve. We understand your family because we are a family. And, with the best interests of your family at heart, we will serve as your financial advocate providing guidance and execution—today, tomorrow and for generations to come.
We put family first, and that’s a value that can be more rewarding than any financial investment. We focus on planning for the whole family and use a comprehensive approach to help achieve financial security for you and future generations. So, instead of taking time thinking about money, you’re simply savoring the moment. And that’s the real value we bring.
When it comes to your money, you want to invest with someone that will invest in you. Conrad Siegel is an independent fiduciary. We provide straight-forward, objective advice so we can make the best decisions together. Our fee structure is 100% transparent with no hidden costs. We even limit the number of clients we work with so we can provide personalized attention to each person we work with.
Our team makes our firm unique — just ask any of our clients. Each plan we deliver is supported by research conducted by people who know each client’s unique situation.
We grew our firm around exceptionally skilled, caring people with a no-nonsense approach to investing. We can’t wait to get to know you!
Recognition from rating services are no guarantee of future investment success. Working with a highly rated advisor does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor or by any client nor are they representative of any one client’s evaluation. Generally, ratings, rankings and recognition are base on information prepared and submitted by the advisor. Unless otherwise noted no fee was paid for consideration of any ranking or award. This award was received on 10/4/2022 by CNBC. Award information and criteria can be found at conradsiegel.com/csia-disclosure.
All investment advisory services are provided through Conrad Siegel Investment Advisors, Inc., a fee-for-service investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission which operates in a fiduciary capacity for its clients. Criteria for the awards can be found at www.conradsiegel.com/csia-disclosure
We are proud to welcome Michael T. Schneider, CWS and James A. Bitonte to Florida’s Key Private Bank team
Michael T. Schneider leads the Florida Key Private Bank team as Market President. He has more than 30 years of wealth and investment management experience, including 14 years with Key in Ohio. He leads a dynamic team of wealth professionals creating meaningful and comprehensive relationships with fulltime and seasonal clients in Florida.
James A. Bitonte has transitioned from Key Private Bank’s Cincinnati market to the Florida team as SVP and Senior Portfolio Strategist with 26 years of experience serving institutional and high-net-worth clients. His extensive fiduciary knowledge enables him to deliver superior advice to his clients with consistent execution of their financial goals.
Key Private Bank, a leading wealth management institution with $48 billion in assets under management, provides financial planning, investment, trust and banking solutions for individuals, families, and institutions, and serves Florida clients through offices in Collier, Lee, and Palm Beach counties.
No matter the journey, it is important to have a team navigating with you. And our team just got deeper.
Community is everything to Leandro Soler. An active community member who works with Naples SCORE, FGCU Small Business Development Center, and others, Leo has direct experience with the unique needs and goals of local businesses. Nothing brings him more satisfaction than helping businesses grow—something he does every day at Wintrust Banking Center.
“To me, community banking is all about being there for our local businesses,” said Soler. “Seeing small businesses start growing is the most rewarding part of our work.”
With a robust selection of products and services, Leo sets customers up for success through tailored lending solutions. Building your own business? Reach out today to see how we can help!
Business owners today seek competitive advantages in all areas of their industry. Offering employees affordable, convenient healthcare is at the top of the list. Nuesana Health & Wellness introduces a new healthcare program for both businesses and individuals that provides convenient, mobile wellness and primary care at an attainable price.
Albert Arguelles, Co-owner of Nuesana Health & Wellness, explains, “we found that companies struggle with administration, affordability, and differentiating their benefits offering from competitors when retaining and attracting top talent.” For a low monthly membership, Nuesana provides concierge primary care, wellness exams, lab draws, prescriptions, and preventative medicine—all in the convenience of your office or home, saving hours commuting to doctor appointments and waiting in medical offices.
Nuesana’s program is flexible and can be offered as a full healthcare plan as an alternative to traditional insurance or as an enhancement to a company’s existing traditional healthcare plan. “It’s all about options and convenience,” adds Arguelles. “There is no one size fits all anymore when it comes to healthcare, and we found that by offering owners and employees options they appreciate the opportunity to choose what’s most important to them and their family.”
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By Katiuska Carrillo, Samantha Roesler
What Southwest Floridians should know about SECURE 2.0
By Harriet HeithausThe jigsaw puzzle that is the SECURE 2.0 bill passed by Congress could change the way you save for retirement, or the way your company handles its retirement benefits. But not all the pieces have arrived to make sense of it.
The bill has a slew of incentives that haven’t had rules established for them, warned tax adviser Raymond Kidwell, CEO of Kidwell & Associates in Bonita Springs and Fort Myers. “There’s not language written at the IRS on how all of this is going to take place and when all this happens,” Kidwell points out. “Things like where the employers are allowed to make retirement plan matches based on the student loan payments—that’s freakin’ awesome, but what are the details?”
The components of the bill go to the Internal Revenue Service for interpretation, and the rules they set up come back to Congress for approval and potential tweaks, he said.
There will be plenty of rules to write, too. SECURE—Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement—has components that touch nearly every type of retirement savings plan. Further, it has provisions for both the saver and the administrator.
What pieces of SECURE 2.0 might most affect Southwest Floridians?
For Soren Christensen, owner of Advanced Wealth Advisors in Naples and Fort Myers, one of its best features is the change in ages that trigger
a required minimum distribution, or RMD—money retirees are obliged to start spending from their retirement plans each year.
“Before the SECURE Act 1.0 (in 2019), the RMD was 70 ½. SECURE 1.0 pushed that age to 72, and my clients were pretty happy about that because, regardless of political beliefs, people don’t want to pay any more taxes than they need to,” says Christensen. “The new act is going to push it to 73 in 2023 and, even more important, to 75 in 2033. It’s going to Brian Tietz
help people who don’t need to tap into those retirement funds to save longer.
I can’t tell you the stress clients have at the end of the year to make sure they get their RMD done,” he says.
Financial services firm Edward D. Jones has an automatic reminder set for its clients. Still, Christensen said, just the thought of the 50% tax penalty for those who don’t take their RMD is “pretty onerous.” Congress apparently agreed: SECURE 2.0 lowers the penalty to 25% for those who miss their RMD deadline. For those who make up the tardy expenditure,
Soren Christensen Owner of Advanced Wealth Advisors
that penalty will be reduced to 10%, he said.
“This part is more advantageous for women because, first of all, they live longer, so they need more money to live than men,” says Coralia Boudreaux, an analyst with Edward D. Jones in Naples. “Statistically, they cannot save for retirement because maybe they’re taking time out of the workforce to take care of their kids. Also, because we all know many women aren’t paid as much as men for doing the same job, for these two reasons I think it’s hard for women to save for retirement. If we’re looking at women’s retirement accounts, I think women will really benefit from the age increase to 75 in the future.”
She also thinks women could benefit from the catch-up contribution allowance in their later working years. Between ages 60 and 63, employees with a retirement plan will be able to sock away as much as $10,000 a year into it, a $9,000 increase in permitted catch-up contributions. For those un-
Coralia Boudreaux, analyst with Edward D. Jones, believes the RMD age increase will be more advantageous for women for multiple reasons, including longevity and taking time out to raise children.
able to contribute much in their earlier earning years, it’s a clear boon.
On the other hand, Kidwell, as an employer, sees 2.0 shoals to navigate for small business owners. Under SECURE 2.0, any retirement savings plan initiated by an employer after it goes into effect is obliged to begin matching employee savings at 3% and up to 10%. (The employee may put as much as 15% in the account, however, and if the employer so chooses, the company can match that.)
“Even at 10%, if you have 10 employees putting in 10%, that’s 100% (of a salary), and they come pretty quickly to the end of their budget,” he says.
There’s a relief valve for companies adding a retirement plan to their array of benefits in 2023: They’ll get 100% tax credit for the first year’s administrative costs, ratcheting that down by 25% each successive year. Depending their calculations, however, some companies may be rushing to create their benefit program before the new provisions take effect.
By Katiuska Carrillo, Samantha Roesler
The Bonita Estero Rail Trail project could transform a 12-mile portion of the Seminole Gulf Railway into a recreational biking trail stretching from northern Collier County to Alico Road in Lee County. Friends of the Bonita Estero Rail Trail, in partnership with nonprofit Trust for Public Land, continue to push for the project.
The concept of acquiring the Seminole Gulfowned rail—which has been unused for about 15 years and runs through Bonita Springs and Estero—and transforming it into a public trail has gained attention in the community since Friends of the Bonita Estero Rail Trail was established in September. The group now has more than 2,000 members.
“Our goal is to have over 5,000 members by the end of the year, and we certainly are on track to do that,” says Deb Orton, president and co-founder.
The trail would become part of the statewide Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Program as part of the southwest corridor. The Metropolitan Planning Organization is completing a feasibility study, which was slated to be finished and presented in March, to receive funding from the state.
In Florida alone, there are more than 65 railto-trail projects, the first being the St. Mark’s Trail completed in 1988 in Tallahassee. The nearest completed project to Lee County is the Legacy Trail in Sarasota County, which opened
last year to the public.
Project Manager Ned Baier with Volkert Engineering said the Legacy Trail is a good example of what can be accomplished in Lee County, as Sarasota County had to buy abandoned rail lines from Seminole Gulf to build its almost 20-mile trail. “[The Legacy Trail] has kind of been the prototype for us to follow, and is kind of the vision we have for this project,” he says.
If the rail is successfully acquired from Seminole Gulf and the state grants funding for the SUN Trail Program, that money would cover design and capital construction costs. However, each municipality involved would be responsible for maintenance, landscaping and amenity costs.
“Longer term, it makes some sense to have Lee County as the operator and maintainer of the trail because, ultimately, this will be a countywide project, but we don’t know when that’s going to happen,” says Metropolitan Planning Organization Director Don Scott.
The agency is confident the project will qualify for state funding, considering it was successful in receiving grants for similar projects, such as the John Yarbrough Linear Park and the $7 million overpass over Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers. “The MPO has been very aggressive, supportive, and I’m sure they would have success in this project,” Baier says.
Friends of the Bonita Estero Rail Trail have Christina
Friends of the Bonita Estero Rail Trail President and Co-founder Deb Orton says its goal is to have more than 5,000 members in favor of the project by the end of the year.
successfully obtained endorsements from homeowner association communities in the area including Pelican Landing, Pelican Sound and Riverwoods Plantation. However, residents of The Vines community in Estero are reluctant to support trail plans because the design involves bisecting their gated community.
Although there are a lot of unanswered questions, Village of Estero Vice Mayor Jon McLain said there are some real advantages to purchasing the rail trail corridor. “I will give 100% to make sure that this is serving all the folks in Estero and not disadvantaging others,” McLain said.
While local cyclists have been advocating for it, the project also caught the attention of St. Louis-based law firm Lewis Rice. It prompted two of the firm’s attorneys to host public information meetings in Estero for landowners adjacent to the former railroad right-of-way.
Attorney Lindsay Brinton sought to inform landowners about the railroad conversion and explain their rights to compensation once the conversion begins.
“We anticipate that once the deal is done and the terms are negotiated that they will have to seek federal approval,” Brinton says. “They will then seek federal approval through [The National Trails System Act], and the Trails Act will then allow them the authority to sell this line to the trail group.”
The law grants the federal government authority to turn abandoned railroad rights-of-way into a nationwide system of recreational trails, but not without compensation to adjacent landowners.
Brinton said federal law will come into play and preempt state law property rights, entitling landowners to compensation. “There are about 300 landowners along this 12-mile strip of railroad right-of-way. So anyone who holds land under this right-of-way that acquired its property before the date of taking, which has not yet occurred, is eligible to make a claim for compensation,” she says.
With many steps still needed before a design is agreed upon, it is expected this project will take five years to complete if progress continues with Seminole Gulf.
Windward El Jobean Owner LLC purchased the vacant commercial land at 4170 El Jobean Road in Port Charlotte from Heise Port Charlotte Property LLC for $675,000. Lane Boy of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the seller.
COLLIER COUNTY
Coffee Club Holdings LLC purchased a retail store at 589 Fifth Ave. S. in Naples from Scotia Properties LLC for $6 million. The property last sold in 2011 for $2.25 million.
JHB-1 Property Management LLLP purchased a retail store at 725 Bald Eagle Drive on Marco Island from ABC Liquors Inc. for $4,317,000. The property last sold in 2017 for $1.12 million.
BLU Investments of Naples LLC purchased a 6,500-square-foot manufacturing plant at 271 Commercial Blvd. in Naples from Closet Company Inc. for $2.2 million. The property last sold in 1994 for $275,000.
Marlin Raydiant Fort Myers Propco LLC purchased a 38,417-squarefoot assisted living facility at 991 Pondella Road in North Fort Myers from OHI Asset (FL) Fort Myers LLC for $11,834,596. The property last sold in 2021 for $11,362,966.
Real Estate Holdings & Development Company LLC purchased the property at 1401 SW Pine Island Road in Cape Coral from GNS Holdings LLC for $26 million. The property last sold in 2020 for $1.84 million.
McDowell Acquisitions LLC purchased 3501 Evans Ave. in Fort Myers from Bernard J. DeWolfe, trustee, for $600,001. Gary Tasman and Shawn Stoneburner of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the seller.
GVW Property Holdings LLC purchased an 11,868-square-foot retail shopping center at 16431 Corporate Commerce Way in Fort Myers from CS Holdings-Alico LLC for $8.1 million.
Shivam Sakhyam LLC purchased the 27-room Comfort Inn & Suites Airport hotel at 10081 Intercom Drive in Fort Myers from Vinod and Pushpa Patel for $6,231,000. The property last sold in 2009 for $3.7 million.
Gazania LLC purchased 2.13 acres at 4550, 4551 and 4568 Tilton Court in Fort Myers from Huminvgrp Property Management LLC for $886,000. Jeff Forsythe, CCIM, of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the seller, and Steven Weisberg of RARCO Investment Properties represented the buyer.
Alico News LLC purchased a 41,818-squarefoot industrial space at 17341 Alico Center Road, Suite A, in Fort Myers from Beachbrain Holdings LLC for $340,000. Andrew Bauman, CCIM, and Trisha Arnold with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the buyer and seller.
Innovative Construction
Pros LLC leased a 1,500-square-foot office space at 660 Charlotte St. in Punta Gorda from Charlotte Street Holdings LLC. Abigail Kesslak, ACP, Michael J. Frye, CCIM, and Kelly Sanders with RE/MAX Realty Group represented the lessor.
H&R Block Eastern Enterprises Inc. leased 1,125 square feet of office space at 1951 S. McCall Road, suites I and J, in Englewood from Palm Plaza Partners LLC. Gary Tasman and Hanna Ray of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the lessee.
BMO Harris Ban NA leased a 10,027-squarefoot space in the SunTrust Building, 801 Laurel Oak Drive, Suite 600, in North Naples from American National Insurance Company. Thomas Webb, CCIM, MSRE, and
Michael Mahan of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessor, and Jonathan Kepple of Diversified Real Estate Group represented the lessee.
Naples Homes and Rentals Inc. leased 2,476 square feet of office space at 963 Trail Terrace in Naples from Devoe Family Limited Partnership II. Patrick Fraley, CCIM, and Lauren A. Griswold
of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor and lessee.
Calida Ventures LLC leased a 1,952-squarefoot restaurant at 2934 Tamiami Trail E. in East Naples from Voigt’s Service Center Inc. Bill Young and Biagio Bernardo of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessor and lessee.
Legacy Family Doctors LLC leased 1,914 square feet of office space at 671 Goodlette-Frank Road N., Suite 110, in Naples from CL Naples I LLC. Clint L. Sherwood, CCIM, and Lauren A. Griswold of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor, and Ryan Paiva of Welsh Cos. represented the lessee.
Natbank National Association leased 4,393 square feet of retail space at 401 Fifth Ave. S., Suite 401, in Naples from 405 Fifth Avenue South Holdings LLC. Tara Stokes of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor, and Lee Billinkoff of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the lessee.
Ameriprise Holdings
Inc. leased 1,633 square feet of office space at 5811 Pelican Bay Blvd., Suite 306, in North Naples from PB Building 5811 LLC. Gary Tasman and Shawn Stoneburner of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the lessee.
Lezama P.A. dba
Everglades Eyecare leased 1,620 square feet of retail space at 14690 Tamiami Trail, Suite 8, in North Naples from Aces of Naples LLC. Clint L. Sherwood, CCIM, and
Lauren L. Griswold of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor, and Jared Vandersluis of Carr represented the lessee.
The Augusterra Group LLC leased 1,470 square feet of retail space at 765 Fifth Ave. S, Suite 799, in Naples from Nighthawk Group 765 LLC. Rob Carroll, CCIM, MAI, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor, and Jonathan Kepple of Diversified Real Estate Group represented the lessee.
Salty Blue Adventures LLC leased 1,438 square feet of retail space at 100 10th St. N., Suite 110, in Naples from Walbro Inc. Tara L. Stokes of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor and lessee.
LEE COUNTY
R & K Lee Co. leased a 20,266-square-foot space in the Mid-Metro Industrial Park, 6201 Arc Way, in Fort Myers from Commercial Properties Associates LLP. Adam Bornhorst, Derek
Bornhorst, SIOR, CCIM, Bob Johnston, SIOR, and Jerry Messonnier, SIOR, of Lee & Associates NaplesFort Myers represented the lessor, and Jacklyn Rogers of RE/MAX Trend represented the lessee.
Pacifica Engineering Service LLC leased a 2,400-square-foot space at 6835 International Center Blvd., Suite 1, in Fort Myers from Flex SWFL LLC. Abigail Kesslak, ACP, Michael J. Frye, CCIM, and Pam Wittenauer-Bratton, CCIM, with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the lessor, and Alexis North with LSI Companies represented the lessor.
Lake Erie Roofing & Construction Inc. leased 1,850 square feet of office space at 1513 Cape Coral Parkway in Cape Coral from Coral Equity Group LLC. Gary Tasman and Gretchen Smith of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the lessor.
By James Raia
The 2023 BMW X7 is the fifth edition of the manufacturer’s largest and most expensive sport utility vehicle. It’s a seven-passenger, three-row family hauler available in two trim levels. Both are luxurious, ideally showcasing the German carmaker at its best.
Announced in 2014 and unveiled in 2018, the public debut of the BMW X7 began in 2019 in the xDrive40i and M60i trims. The xDrive40i is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter, inline-six-cylinder engine with 375 horsepower and 383 foot-pounds of torque. The M60i has a turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 rated at 523 horsepower and 553 foot-pounds of torque. Both engines feature an eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension. It gives the BMW its soft, smooth ride, more reminiscent of a top-line BMW sedan.
As its top-line SUV, the German carmaker packs an overload of standard equipment into the X7 xDrive40i. The smooth drive, city driving to highway speeds, is complemented by simulated leather upholstery (BMW’s sensation) to multi-contour heated front seats with multiple power adjustments. The steering wheel and armrests are also heatable and there’s a four-zone automatic climate control. A more detailed front end, a new dashboard configuration with a giant digital display, BMW’s top-line infotainment system and driver-assistance technology are also new.
A power dual-section tailgate, panoramic sunroof, roof rails, remote start, 14.9inch infotainment screen, head-up display, wireless device charging and customizable ambient cabin lighting enhance the BMW’s upscale collection of important functional equipment and convenient features. It all adds up to further represent SUV luxury.
Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a Wi-Fi hotspot, satellite radio, a 10-speaker stereo and multiple USB ports are state-of-the-art. Available infotainment features include an infotainment gesture control, a dashcam, a 16-speaker Harman Kardon surround-sound stereo and a 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround-sound stereo.
Acceleration: 0-60 mph, 5.8 seconds
Airbags: 7
Fuel economy: 121 mpg city, 25 mpg hwy
Horsepower: 375
Manufacturer’s
Suggested Retail Price: $77,850
Manufacturer’s website: bmwusa.com
Price as tested: $95,745
Warranty:
Bumper to bumper, 4 years/50,000 miles; Powertrain, 4 years/50,000 miles; Corrosion, 12 years/unlimited mileage; Roadside Assistance, 4 years/unlimited miles
BMW’s forte throughout its lineup is safety. The X7 has everything: forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, front and rear parking sensors and automatic high beams.
With its overall large presence, the X7 does four things small. The front grille is split into two small grilles, giving the BMW the appearance of having two nostrils. And the start-stop button and small shifter don’t fit the car. The start-stop button is oddly positioned,
snug and tucked behind the steering wheel. The clear shift lever is likewise petite and hard to locate at first.
BMW likely shrank the shifter to offer a bigger area for cupholders hidden behind a handsome, wood-like sliding cover. But once revealed, the cupholders aren’t particularly impressive. And there’s not a lot of space for the phone charger, either. Most important, the X7 only offers 12.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the upright rearmost seats. It’s the smallest area among luxury large SUV competitors.
The ride persona of BMWs is often
the carmaker’s most polarizing trait (other than the pricing structure). Enthusiasts praise the stiff ride, detractors are aghast.
What the X7 does best is satisfy brand enthusiasts with its in-charge dynamics. But the SUV may also attract buyers new to BMW with its soft but simultaneously powerful way.
For BMW buyers, it’s a worthy price to pay, and likely with little hesitation. For the potential new buyers the carmaker hopes to attract, the X7’s price, reaching toward six figures, may be a deal breaker.
By James Raia
The benefits of proper sleep aren’t disputed, but determining what defines appropriate sleep and how to achieve it are subjects of vociferous discussion by experts who don’t always agree. As a result, the business of sleep is eye-opening.
According to the American Sleep Apnea Association in Washington, D.C., more than 50 million Americans are diagnosed with one or more of 80 different sleep disorders every year.
Further, as many as 30 million people in the country suffer from various intermittent sleep problems every year.
The effects of insufficient sleep have been highlighted in numerous medical studies. Healthy women who delayed their normal bedtime by 1.5 hours showed endothelial dysfunction (non-obstructive coronary artery disease), the American Thoracic Society, headquartered in New York, reported in a detailed study released in January. Columbia University Medical Center, also located in New York, recently announced a finding that delaying sleep by as little as one or two hours damages vascular health and could lead to cardiovascular disease.
In Southwest Florida, sleep experts such as Dr. Monica O. Woodward, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center in Naples, help patients in many areas—daytime sleepiness to breathing disorders, and insomnia to arrhythmic (irregular heartbeat) sleep. Lee Health is one of several such health care organizations that specialize in children’s sleep issues, from disrupted sleep to behavioral problems, narcolepsy to restless leg syndrome. Beyond medical expertise, wearable products touted to help sleep issues are becoming increasingly popular.
Three Finnish entrepreneurs, all with scientific expertise
and interest in wellness, collaborated and introduced Oura in 2015. The titanium-made sleep ring debuted after a Kickstarter campaign, joining the barrage of wearables, products that monitor various patterns and assist users in their quests to achieve a better night’s sleep.
Oura rings, boosted by the testimonials of celebrities, surpassed 1 million in sales in 2022. The bands track collected data about a user’s body, activity and sleep using optical heart-rate monitoring. The results are downloaded to an accompanying app via Bluetooth and given three scores: sleep, activity and readiness. The ring also includes two sensors that measure skin temperature, respiratory rate (how many breaths you take per minute), heart rate and heart rate variability. The Oura ring uses the data points to track sleep and physical activity.
Like the Oura ring, TouchPoints purportedly reduce stress, increase focus, improve sleep and enhance performance. Worn as a pair inside wristbands, pockets or socks on opposite sides of the body, the gentle alternating vibrations shift from “fight or flight” stress reaction to a calm response. Ideally used 30 minutes before bedtime, TouchPoints have a built-in timer.
According to its literature, TouchPoints help with the two most common sleep issues: difficulty falling asleep at night, and going back to sleep after waking at 2 a.m. TouchPoint users have reported significant results, including those with autism, ADHD and PTSD.
“Whether it’s a working professional wanting to stay focused, a student using them to reduce test anxiety, a speaker using them to improve performance, a parent using them
to calm a child’s tantrum or anyone who needs to be able to fall asleep without struggle, it’s really amazing to see the difference these make in people’s lives,” says Amy Serin, Ph.D., the TouchPoints inventor and a stress expert and neuropsychologist in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Kokoon Nightbuds are lightweight headphones packed with sleep technology. They can play soothing sounds to help users sleep or can be used as Bluetooth headphones to stream audio from a mobile phone. An optional optical heart rate monitor, built into one earpiece, tracks sleep patterns.
Nightbuds are marketed to stay firmly in place. They come with a stretchy headband and soft prongs on the silicone earpieces. The Nightbuds app features an array of white noise options, nature sounds, meditations and abstract music.
Wearable products said to help sleep issues are becoming increasingly
popular. According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, more than 50 million Americans are diagnosed with one or more of 80 different sleep disorders each year.
By Artis Henderson
Kissimmee sits just south of Orlando, and with roughly 80,000 yearround residents, the town is no backwater hamlet. Its history dates to the late 1800s, when it was a small trading post founded by settlers on the banks of Lake Tohopekaliga. Like many Florida towns, it prospered during the land boom of the early 1900s. By the 1920s, Kissimmee had switched its focus to cattle ranching, citrus orchards and sugarcane. By the 1950s the little town had reinvented itself again, this time as a snowbird haven. Today, Kissimmee is often overshadowed by nearby Orlando and the theme parks in its vicinity. But the town is worth its own weekend away, with plenty of heart-thumping activities to keep an entire family engaged.
Dating back to the 1800s as a small trading post, Kissimmee switched to cattle ranching, citrus orchards and sugarcane. By the 1950s it turned into a snowbird haven.
Kissimmee’s Old Town is an ode to Old Florida with shops, dining and activities inspired by yesteryear. The 18-acre outdoor complex is perfect for strolling. Grab a pina colada at the Tiki Station (5770 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee; 704.712.2279) or stop by El Borrego (5770 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee; 407.507.6011; elborregofl. com) for chef-inspired dishes from the Yucatan Peninsula. The nightlife hotspot Sun on the Beach (5770 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee; 407.397.0207) features live music and dancing. And don’t miss the hot rods and muscle cars in Old Town’s weekly classic car show and cruise.
Kissimmee’s Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament (4510 West Vine St., Kissimmee; 407.396.2900; medievaltimes.com) is legendary throughout the state. Guests enter a replica of an 11th-century castle for a fast-paced dinner theater experience unlike anything else in the area. For two hours, knights joust and swordfight in the arena and fans are treated to dramatic displays of horsemanship and falconry. Dinner is classic tavern fare—baked chicken, roast potatoes—and the fun continues after the show in the Hall of Arms, when members of the court mingle with the crowd. Raise a goblet to the queen and be prepared for a hoarse throat from all the cheering.
Kissimmee's shops, dining and activities are inspired by yesteryear, from its weekly classic car show to the Medieval Times dinner theater.
The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center (6000 West Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee; 407.586.0000; marriott.com) offers more than a luxurious place to sleep. The beautifully outfitted indoor space feels like a visit to a botanical garden with its carefully selected palm trees and tropical plants. There’s a fitness center, plus a full-service salon and spa—don’t miss the warm coconut milk body treatment. The resort also offers a three-acre water park with seven water slides and a surfing simulator plus a lazy river for relaxing. With on-site restaurants that include a steakhouse, a top-notch seafood venue and a Mediterranean-inspired eatery, there’s no reason to leave—not even for a big theme park nearby.
The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center offers more than a luxurious place to sleep. It also boasts a salon and spa, fitness center, water park and on-site restaurants.
On April 26, 1928, the Tamiami Trail opened—and the impossible became possible.
Since the development of the automobile, power players in South Florida had sought ways to connect the coasts via major roads as a means to promote tourism and spur economic growth. All that stood in their way was hundreds of miles of swampy terrain.
In 1915, meetings among state transportation officials and representatives from Tampa, Miami and Fort Myers began putting the dream on paper. Planners went through several iterations of routes, including one that would have sent the road more inland through La Belle. But powerful interests farther south won out.
The project was stymied by heavy rains, sweltering heat and engineering complications. At one point the state ran out of money to complete the east-west portion of the project. Along came wealthy landholder Barron Collier, who offered a compromise: He’d fund the project as long as the state created a new county in his name. Hence, Collier County was carved out of Lee County, and the Tamiami Trail cut through Collier’s land on its way to Miami.
Pictured are four unidentified men at the border of Dade and Collier counties on the day the Tamiami Trail opened to traffic. The 275-mile road was met with much fanfare—and it helped spur the growth we now see in Southwest Florida. It served as the major connector of the coasts in South Florida until Alligator Alley opened in 1968.
“Striving
(239) 591-2803
4513 Executive Drive, Naples, FL 34119
(1/2 mile East of I-75 off Immokalee Road by Quail Creek/Longshore Lakes)
Accepting Medicare and most commercial insurance plans
Medical Education
GEORGE ARCOS, DO
661 Goodlette Frank Road, Suite 103
Naples, FL 34102
• D.O. New York College of Osteopathic Medicine/NYIT, 1983
Board Certification & Advanced Training
• Board Certified in Pain Medicine by American Osteopathic of Board of Anesthesiology
• University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, Bioethics Fellowship
• University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey, Anesthesiology Residency
• United States Air Force, Homestead, Florida, two-year Fellowship in Pain Management
Medical Education
• University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, 2006
SCOTT FUCHS, DO
Physicians Regional Medical Center
8340 Collier Blvd., Suite 307 Naples, FL 34114
Board Certification & Advanced Training
• Double Board Certified by American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Subspecialty of Pain Medicine
• Medical College of Virginia, Pain Medicine Fellowship, Richmond, VA
• Temple University, Residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Philadelphia, PA
Medical Education
• M.D. University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia, 1996
ZDENKO KORUNDA, MD
4513 Executive Drive
Naples, FL 34119
Board Certification and Advanced Training
• Board Certified in Pain Medicine by American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, Pain Management Fellowship
• Cleveland Clinic Health System, Cleveland, OH, Internal Medicine Residency
• Castle Connolly’s National Top Doctors, 2012-2022
BY THE
Back and Neck pain
Leg and Arm pain
Joint pain
Spinal Stenosis, Lumbar & Cervical
Facet Syndrome
Osteoarthritis
Herniated Discs
Tendonitis and Bursitis
Neuropathy
Cancer pain
Shingles
Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Pain
Fibromyalgia
Headaches
Degenerative Disc Disease
Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty
Spinal Cord Stimulation
Epidural and Facet Injections
Radiofrequency Ablation
Joint Injections
Non-surgical Sports Medicine
Regenerative Medicine and Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy
Physical Therapy
State-of-the-Art MRI Imaging
SI Joint Infusion
Vertiflex
And more
Please visit our website at www.korundaPMC.com
to deliver the highest quality of comprehensive care for those suffering with chronic or acute pain.”
