EXPLORING SWFL’S FOOD TRUCK
REVOLUTION
EXPLORING SWFL’S FOOD TRUCK REVOLUTION
[ PLUS ]
Since 1926, Seacoast Bank has maintained a reputation for integrity and stability with a commitment to relationship banking, community outreach, and added value service. Seacoast Bank’s Commercial Bankers share your passion for offering the right products with personalized service and are dedicated to finding the right solutions that meet your evolving needs. We offer solutions for all stages of your business to help you manage, grow and transform — from checking and financing to liquidity management, Treasury Services and more.
Jason.Brewer@SeacoastBank.com
Patti.Byers@SeacoastBank.com
Janis.Wiebel@SeacoastBank.com
Mike.Kozak@SeacoastBank.com
Jason Brewer Southwest Florida Market President
Janis Wiebel Commercial Banker
Successes and speed bumps in SWFL’s thriving food truck industry p 40
Scientists’ concerns about Hurricane Ian’s long-term effects on local ecology
p 56
Recognizing great places to work in Southwest Florida
NEWS BITES P. 14
ICYMI! Top stories from Gulfshore Business Daily
TRENDLINES P. 18
Analyzing Hurricane Ian’s effects on SWFL businesses
SPACES P. 20
Inside the uplifting, expertly designed Baker Senior Center Naples
MAKERS P. 26
Steve Nagy’s versatility fuels Functional Artwork
JUNE 2023
ENTREPRENEURSHIP P. 32
Norman Lutz on taking your time
ECONOMIC COMMENTARY P. 36
Good intentions vs. unintended consequences
JUNE 2023
AVIATION P. 118
Why business aviation is taking off
LEGAL P. 122
Planning for a federal phase-out of noncompete clauses
ECONOMY P. 126
In Ian’s wake, many local residents are relocating inland
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE P. 128
Top sales in Charlotte, Collier and Lee counties
NEW & EXPANDING P. 130
Top leases in Charlotte, Collier and Lee counties
HORSEPOWER P. 134
Mercedes’ new EQE-ualizer
WELLNESS P. 136
Making moves for mindfulness
WEEKEND GETAWAY P. 138
Just west of Key West, Dry Tortugas National Park offers plenty of adventure
BACKSTORY P. 144
Everglades’ time in the sun
Our family-owned business has been providing career opportunities and adding economic value to our local economy since 1958. This stability and long-term sustained growth has been due in large part to the outstanding team we have maintained and the core values to which we hold each other accountable. These values serve as our guiding principles for how we treat our customers, interact with one another, and conduct ourselves at work. These Core Values were inspired by our company’s founders, Anne and Don Q Wynn, and we continue to live and work by them daily.
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It’s summertime in Southwest Florida, and that means it’s easier for locals to get out and enjoy the area’s amenities. Whether it’s taking advantage of a quick-turn weekend at a fabulous nearby stay or something as simple as reacquainting with what’s right here in our own backyard—a lot can change in a season. And these days, the odds are better that wherever you are, the balmy Gulf breezes are also carrying the scent of something savory cooking nearby—food trucks have blown up in a big way on the local dining landscape.
David Dorsey sank his teeth into the growing phenomenon with a tour of what’s new at Celebration Park and conversations with several of these independent mobile chefs; as he details in “Restaurants to Go” on page 40, it’s not difficult to explain the appeal. Patrons get convenience, freshness and a wide variety of culinary choices from familiar favorites to wildly inventive creations, while the owners get autonomy and higher profit margins (with lower startup costs) than traditional restaurants. All it takes is four wheels and a dream … and a fair amount of expensive equipment and supplies, and tireless dedication, and the right concept, and luck, and ideally a perfect balance of culinary skill and entrepreneurial savvy. It’s a demanding calling, but for those with the right skills and dedication, it can be extremely rewarding.
Job satisfaction is especially on our minds this month, as we’re pleased to present the Best Places to Work in Southwest Florida 2023. From banks to law offices to construction firms, these companies are at the top of their respective fields, and truly shine in the extra efforts they ex-
pend to train, retain, motivate and compensate their employees. It’s interesting to see several of the honorees cite their offices’ policies for remote work, hybrid scheduling, compressed work weeks and ample PTO; in the post-pandemic workplace, it seems many employees are eager for the opportunity to better align their labor with their lifestyle and forge a more optimal work/life balance. Not every day can be a picnic, but the companies you’ll read about on page 68 are dedicated to proving that every job is better when you love where you work.
So much of what we all love about where we live depends on the beautiful, vibrant Gulf, which makes its continued health critical for the entire region and beyond. And that gives extra importance to the data collected and being analyzed by a team of scientists from Florida Gulf Coast University in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. The storm did more than cause in excess of $100 billion in damage to homes, businesses, property and infrastructure onshore; it reshaped beaches, raked up silt and sediment from the ocean floor and carried runoff and contaminants out to sea. The effects can be devastating to sea and land life alike—such as exacerbating red tide outbreaks. Artis Henderson spoke with the scientists before they set off, and shares some of their hopes and fears in “Monitoring Coastal Ecosystems” on page 56.
And with a new hurricane season already upon us, we should all be ready. If you don’t yet have a copy of the 2023 WINK News Hurricane Guide, I urge you to pick one up at local retailers, such as Publix, for expert advice on getting prepared for whatever storms might be headed this way. Here’s hoping for a quiet summer overall, starting with a beautiful month ahead.
HEIDI RAMBO CENTRELLA EDITOR IN CHIEF
At Christopher Alan Homes, we believe that happy employees result in happy homeowners. That’s why it means so much to us to have earned the recognition as one of Southwest Florida’s best places to work; our team members feel valued and respected, so they go the extra mile for every person who chooses us as their homebuilder.
If you seek work that allows you to pursue excellence and continuous improvement, where you are empowered, challenged, and maintain a sense of purpose every day, Christopher Alan Homes may be a great fit for you! We offer competitive compensation and as a privately owned company, we don’t answer to shareholders; instead, we chart our own path to greatness through the collaborative efforts of our team.
Check out christopheralanhomes.com/careers to learn more.
Check out christopheralanhomes.com/careers to learn more.
Scotlynn is very different compared to other employers. At other jobs I’ve had in the past, I felt like I couldn’t be my full self. At Scotlynn, I come in every single day knowing my book of business belongs to me and I get to run it the way I feel. It is very empowering, and I love it.
- Jeff Merton, Logistics Account Manager
[ MAKERS ]
PRACTICALITY THAT POPS Steve Nagy’s versatility fuels Functional Artwork p_26
By Justin Paprocki
A long-defunct freight train station in Fort Myers was demolished to make way for a 420-unit, six-story apartment complex at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Seaboard Street. Almost all of the materials from the 16,000-square-foot building, which was built in 1930, will be recycled.
Jerry Miller, co-owner of the property, will be developing the apartment complex with the site being prepared for construction over the next few months. Vertical construction is expected to start in June or July.
LEE
Surgical Healing Arts Center and Metro Alliance Surgery Center are combining for a $14 million construction project in south Fort Myers. Stevens Construction broke ground on a 20,764-square-foot medical office building and surgery center at 6201 Alliance Lane.
For about the last decade, Dr. Moses Shieh, founder of the practice, has been planning to expand it. He specializes in bariatric surgeries such as gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgeries, which reduce the size of a patient’s stomach and help them lose weight.
The new surgery center should be ready in the first quarter of 2024, and it will have a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, which promotes faster healing. The second floor will house Metro Alliance Surgery Center, which will have three operating rooms, a procedure room and two overnight beds.
Heads Up! LLC proposed an amusement tower on city-owned property at the corner of Hendry Street and Edwards Drive in downtown Fort Myers. Standing at 131 feet, the proposed tower seats 16 people for five- or 10-minute rides all the way to the top. Passengers can enjoy drinks while experiencing unique views of downtown and its waterfront.
The aerobar, along with other versions of the product, are manufactured by Paris-based company Aerophile. The tower would be built to withstand 200 mph winds. With any winds above 40 mph or lightning within 20 miles, operation of the ride stops.
An estimated 15 to 20 jobs will come with the proposed project and will cost $4 million to build, funded by the developer. Fort Myers City Council voted to table the item for now.
COUNTY ]
St. Peter Claver Place Apartments have been planned for seven years and celebrated the groundbreaking of the affordable housing project in April. The apartments will open in two phases, with phase one having 136 units and opening by the end of the year and phase two having 78 units, making for a total of 214 units.
The apartments will be at 3681 Michigan Ave., in Fort Myers, just north of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Residents must qualify depending on their financial status, making between 30% and 60% of the city’s average median income. For 2022, that was $83,200, with qualifying salaries based on last year’s numbers being annual incomes between $25,000 and $50,000. Rents will fall between $600 and $1,300 per month.
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COLLIER COUNTY
Naples entrepreneur Rebecca Maddox publicly launched Rebecca’s Wine Bar in April, the first of two eponymous ventures she recently built on Bayshore Drive across from her Celebration Park and Three60 Market.
The new modern wine bar fronting Bayshore is open to the public with an actual bar, a charcuterie room and a Three60 Wine shop. A companion project, a private members-only social club named The Maddox, will open in October on the shared open-air campus at 2955 Bayshore Drive in East Naples.
This appointment marks the conductor’s first titled position in the U.S. In addition to his role at Artis–Naples, Shelley will remain music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada, and principal associate conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he has held since 2015.
Naples Beach Club, in partnership with Hart Howerton architectural firm, presented a preliminary design concept for multiple buildings across what will be a Four Seasons resort at the site of the demolished Naples Beach Hotel. The Athens Group, which owns luxury hotels across the country, purchased the property in 2021 for more than $362 million, with Naples Beach Club still owning 10 acres on the east side of Gulf Shore Boulevard North.
There are three separate buildings up for review. The northernmost building is proposed to be a six-story multifamily mixed-use structure, the center building is planned for a three-story commercial structure with a single-story food and beverage location and the southernmost building will be a two-story clubhouse. Underneath the property will be a below-ground garage.
Construction will begin this summer to convert an existing hotel on U.S. 41 into a Compass Hotel by Margaritaville, which is targeted to open in December.
The location at 4805 Tamiami Trail N. in the Park Shore area of Naples will be the first all-suite hotel in the Compass portfolio. The property, intended to have a boutique hotel look and feel, will feature 120 fully equipped suites in a paradisical setting inspired by “Margaritaville,” Jimmy Buffett’s hit song about frozen concoctions and lost shakers of salt.
“The Compass Hotel Naples is replacing the Staybridge Suites Naples, said Kelly Basham, regional director at TPI Hospitality, the Minnesota-based developer and hotel management company that also is behind the Margaritaville Resort under construction on Fort Myers Beach.
“There will be no structural changes to the existing hotel, however, many cosmetic changes bringing on a new, fresh feel to the area.”
FGCU’s Regional Economic Research Institute set out to find an answer by combing through Florida Department of Revenue taxable sales data for the five-county area. The institute’s report compared data from October 2022 (the first full month after the storm made landfall) to October 2021. Overall, taxable sales increased 16%, largely caused by the massive recovery effort. Car dealerships and other automotive businesses drove much of the increase. Seeing the steepest decline was the hotel industry, which fell almost 30%.
When seniors walk into the new 30,000-square-foot Baker Senior Center Naples, its inviting, expansive hallways, soft color palette and colorful artwork inspire peace.
After nine years in a 12,000-square-foot leased space on Castello Drive, the center had grown from 80 members to 1,400, limiting capacity and programs and prompting plans for a new building. In 2019, philanthropists Patty and Jay Baker kicked off a $30 million capital campaign with $5 million, eventually contributing $12 million. The $15 million complex is paid for, and the remaining funds cover operating expenses.
Construction began in November 2021 and the two-story white building, located at 6200 Autumn Oakes Lane on 13.7 acres south of Immokalee Road, opened in February. It was a team effort by architect Renée Zepeda of Stofft Cooney Architects, general contractor Norm Gentry of Build LLC, Josie Presar Interior Design and project manager Dwight Thomas, of WCI Communities, who ensured it came in within budget.
“Renée has a real expertise in designing for seniors,” says Jaclynn Faffer, center president. “Everything was designed with her input. The team met every other week to go over everything from the ground up.”
Zepeda said that overcrowded spaces cause stress, so it’s important that a building reduces that because seniors often deal with stress. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide abundant light. “It was important to have a space that was open, bright, happy and crisp, with natural light, because that elevates
INVITING CENTER Construction of the new 30,000-square-foot Baker Senior Center Naples at 6200 Autumn Oaks Lane began in November 2021 and opened in February.
the spirit and our connectivity to nature,” Zepeda says. “It’s important to have ample spaces like wide hallways for seniors, who may have walkers, wheelchairs or large groups coming to an event.”
As seniors enter, there’s a reception area to swipe membership cards. It’s $60 yearly to participate in activities, socialize or chat in a cafe, where volunteers serve coffee.
Wide-plank luxury vinyl tile and white-tiered pilasters lead toward a
CENTER MEMBERSHIP For $60 a year, seniors can access the center to socialize and participate in many activities, including arts and gardening, yoga and concerts.
welcoming sky-blue wall at the end of the hall, where a donor plaque will be hung. Members’ artwork hangs on each side on invisible wires and can easily be changed. Texturized, nonslip LVT plank flooring in varying styles creates ambiance for each space, all named for donors.
“When you come into a building, you want a sense of arrival and a procession of spaces that will guide you to different areas and make it intuitive and easy to find the places
where you’re going,” Zepeda says of the building, whose exterior features wide white columns and a covered drop-off entry.
Zepeda chose sky blue to bring nature inside. The previous building had a more intense blue.
“You have to use a blue that won’t turn into too much of a gray. We stay away from greens, because as you get older many seniors develop macular degeneration, which causes green to look gray,” she explains. “When I pick
SPECIFIC DESIGN Details were chosen with seniors in mind. Even the colors used were intentional since many seniors develop macular degeneration, which can change how colors are seen.
colors for seniors, I use glasses with yellow tint to ensure I’m picking the right colors.”
Members socialize while sipping coffee in the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Cyber Café, which features calming blue tiered tiles, a kitchen, counter and tables connected to a hallway and patio that provide openness and light. Donated paintings hang in hallways, where a “Missing Man Table” is set to honor POWs and MIAs.
In the library, light LVT wood floors complement wood storage drawers and shelves lined with books. Blue easy chairs and white tables invite members to sit and read.
A tech room features computers and monitors for teaching.
Three large meeting rooms, used for activities such as yoga and concerts, can be opened into one for big events. A baby grand piano sits in a corner, surrounded by white chairs, while members practice Tai Chi next door. Acoustic tiles ensure noise doesn’t travel.
In the Art & Gardening Room, a patio features high and low plant beds so seniors can garden, even in wheelchairs. A mud room offers a sink to fill up watering cans or clean up. Seventeen women, the Needlework Group, sit at tables crocheting, knitting and chatting as one creates
a bear in the bright, north-facing room. Joanne Mandeville, 80, the county’s first female deputy, has been a member for years.
“I love it,” Mandeville says of the spacious building, which provides socialization, a free Wednesday lunch and entertainment. “More people are coming from various areas and I’m meeting more people. It’s almost double the number who used to come.”
The first floor also offers a food pantry, while the second floor is dedicated to administration, dementia, respite, mental health counseling and case-management services. Future plans include a meditation garden and walking trails.
By Justin Paprocki
It’s art, but it’s also a chandelier. It’s art, but it’s also a dresser. Steve Nagy’s creations are a mix of creativity and practicality.
“It’s all art,” he says. “But most of my art serves a purpose.”
Nagy’s Functional Artwork has become a staple in the Shirley Street Art Galleria in the Naples Art District. He says he likes to create pieces that you can’t find in any store, such as that blue chandelier made from four pieces of carved foam that resembles a raindrop splashing. Or the dresser that has tree branches for legs.
He works in wood, foam, glass and metal. He’s learned to work with all materials because each has its limitations. He lets the idea dictate the material, not the other way around.
Nagy works mostly with clients to create custom pieces, getting together to exchange ideas before he goes to work in his studio. The goal: Create something that’s never been made before. “That’s why I do this, that’s what challenges me,” he says. “I like creating things that you can’t just go find a video on YouTube about how to make it.”
Steve Nagy’s art is blended with practicality. All of his creations are art, but most of it also serves a functional purpose.
ONE OF A KIND
Steve Nagy mainly works with clients on custom pieces, and his goal is to create something that has never been made before.
His career has had some twists and turns: The Naples native started out as an engineer, then he became a therapist. Then he started house painting and doing tile work. That led to him doing antique furniture repair, and about 15 years ago, he started creating his own pieces.
Now that he’s got a firm grasp of the materials, he likes to push himself to new heights. He once had a conversation with a client who remarked about the need to “keep up with the Joneses” when it came to design trends. “Keeping up with the Joneses?” he responded in his usual affable manner. “I’m the guy who makes the Joneses jealous.” functionalartwork.com
Some clients seek out Steve Nagy for pieces that will keep them up with the Joneses, but his response to that is, “I’m the guy who makes the Joneses jealous.”
When Norman Lutz launched Iron Ridge Insurance Services in Fort Myers 12 years ago, he was in for more than a few sleepless nights. “It was very stressful,” he admits. “You should see my driver’s license photo from then compared to today.” Despite the stress, the decision to make the leap into owning his own business is one Lutz has never regretted.
Lutz spent the first half of his career as a paramedic and the second half working in the insurance industry, first as a salesman and then climbing the ranks at a major agency until he reached the VP’s office. At 50, he was on track to make senior vice president. Then one morning he woke up and decided he didn’t want to work for somebody else.
After that revelation, Lutz sat down with his family and discussed it. Together, he and his wife decided that she would take a traditional job that would give the family a safety net—steady income and health benefits. It was a decision that was key to Lutz’s ability to start his own business. That way, when he saw an opportunity to launch an insurance firm in Fort Myers, he was able to seize it.
“I have an entrepreneur friend who would not agree with my advice,” Lutz says, “but I think
UNCONVENTIONAL LEAP Norman Lutz spent the first half of his career as a paramedic and the second half working in the insurance industry. He was on track to becoming senior vice president when he took a leap and launched Iron Ridge Insurance Services.
At Suffolk, we believe that when caring, ambitious people come together, anything is possible. We’re honored to be nominated as a Best Place to Work in Southwest Florida and to help curious, innovative builders achieve their career dreams.
it’s important for anybody wanting to start a business to have a safety net first. You can’t live in a constant state of angst, wondering if you’re going to make it or not.”
A financial safety net provides breathing room, Lutz said. It lets entrepreneurs focus on their endeavors without worrying whether the household bills will get paid.
His other piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to gather as much life experience as they can before starting their own business. “The greatest education I could
have had was being a paramedic. That’s where I learned critical decision-making,” Lutz says. “A lot of that has carried over into what I do now, and it’s what gives me the confidence to do the things I do today.”
Sometimes this confidence has meant going against commonly accepted business practices. “In some ways, I’ve looked at the conventional wisdom of how to run a business and done the opposite—and I’ve been successful,” he says. One example: “Before I started my business, people told me, ‘You need to drive
your employees hard. They should come in early and stay late.’” But Lutz decided against that. Instead, he recognized that employees who have control over their time and who are given time off ultimately work harder. That’s led to a happier, more productive work environment for everyone, and Lutz’s business has seen enormous success over the last decade because of it.
“I’ve never done things the conventional way,” Lutz says. And that includes not rushing into entrepreneurship.
After Hurricane Ian, Southwest Floridians began learning about a federal real estate requirement most of us didn’t need to know about before: the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 50% rule. The rule is intended to make sure that after a natural disaster strikes, any repairs to or replacement of existing structures render the area’s stock of real estate more resistant to future events.
The rule applies to more than 21,000 communities nationwide that have entered into agreements with federal authorities to locally adopt and enforce a floodplain management program, which is intended to reduce future flood risk in designated Special Flood Hazard Areas, or SFHAs.
Local governments such as ours face strong incentives to establish and follow their respective floodplain
management programs. Since the enaction of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973—occasioned by Hurricane Agnes in 1972—FEMA now possesses the authority to issue insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP, only in communities that have adopted flood plain management programs.
Stated simply, property owners in areas designated as SFHAs can’t purchase flood insurance through the NFIP unless local officials comply by designing and enforcing floodplain management programs. This includes the regulations governing new development and repair to existing structures following a disaster, which brings us to the 50% requirement.
According to FEMA, if the estimated cost to repair a damaged structure in an SFHA exceeds 50% of the struc-
ture’s estimated market value before the repair, then the structure cannot be repaired. And, of course, any new construction replacing it is subject to current codes and requirements.
An example from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General is useful. Suppose following a natural disaster, the value of a damaged structure before any repair is estimated to be $100,000, while repairing the structure would cost $75,000. According to the 50% rule, the structure cannot be repaired.
Of course, the rule is intended to reduce future flood risk in SFHAs. But, as any good economist should ask, do the intended benefits of the rule outweigh its likely costs? And the answer to that critical question remains unclear.
One likely unintended consequence of the 50% rule is even greater
and faster gentrification in affected areas—a phenomenon in which individuals with more financial resources acquire properties from current residents with fewer. Recent Florida-based research appearing in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management suggests hurricanes displace low-income residents over time. Wealthier individuals are better positioned to navigate the 50% rule realities than low-income residents, for whom their damaged property was their sole dwelling.
Speculators can make offers to distressed residents that seem like salvation following a storm that leaves many either homeless or forbidden by the 50% rule from repairing their existing homes. The problem is likely compounded if a structure deemed
“substantially damaged,” and thereby ineligible for repair, is a multifamily structure such as an apartment building. If the apartment building cannot be lawfully repaired, it could be purchased for redevelopment as either single-family structures or commercial use. And the 50% rule is mute on where such displaced families should go. The rule cares more about the resilience of structures than it does about the prospects of working families.
At a time when all of Southwest Florida claims to be desperate for “more affordable housing,” the 50% rule seems to work squarely against that goal.
Its other obvious costs lie in administration and compliance. Ian roared through at the end of September 2022, yet affected property owners
are still working to understand what the rule is and how it affects them. In fact, I served as a panelist at a lunch event, hosted by the Chamber of Southwest Florida, at the end of March 2023. Its topic: “The 50% Rule Facts.” Residents are still struggling to be compliant, and so are local authorities who must answer to FEMA. Good intentions often have unintended consequences. And the 50% rule seems full of them.
Victor V. Claar is associate professor of economics in the Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University. He serves as the George Gibbs Center for Economic Prosperity at the James Madison Institute adjunct director, and chairs the Freedom & Virtue Institute board.
While the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 50% rule is intended to reduce future flood risks, there are consequences, such as displacing low-income residents over time.
BY DAVID DORSEY
RESTAURANTS TO GO
AVACATIONER WALKS UP AND DOWN THE GREEN CARPET, BEHOLDING THE SCENE IN FRONT OF HIM. THERE ARE FOUR FOOD OPTIONS FLANKING THE NORTH AND FIVE FLANKING THE SOUTH SIDE OF CELEBRATION PARK IN NAPLES, A PIONEER IN THE BURGEONING SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FOOD TRUCK SCENE.
These are restaurants on wheels, and Tony Murgo— wearing a T-shirt, shorts and a University of Rhode Island Rams baseball cap—is hungry while visiting from Newport, where he hasn’t seen anything like this.
“They’ve got a lot of choices here,” Murgo says. “You can get whatever you want, and then you can go up to the bar and get a beer.”
That’s because at Celebration Park, 2880 Becca Ave., one of several adjacent parking lots leads to the green walkway, which leads to the trucks, which leads to the bar facing Haldeman Creek.
Murgo walks past the trucks on the left. They’re named Gyros2Go (Greek), Mega Sabor (Mexican), Dragonfly (Asian fusion) and Maine Shack (lobster rolls). He walks past the trucks on the right: Islands Seafood, Gigi Gourmet (burgers), Jimmy P’s Wagyu Hot Dogs, Say Cheese (grilled cheese sandwiches and mac and cheese) and J. Paul’s One Bite And You’ll Be Hooked! (Pittsburgh-style sandwiches).
Murgo settles on the Classic Mac, with three cheeses and Panko breadcrumbs, for $11.22. The prices range from about that to as much as $24 for the Jamaican-style grilled snapper over shrimp-fried rice at Islands Seafood.
“We make an effort to have a variety,” says Kathleen Lewis, events manager for Celebration Park, which was founded by owner Rebecca Maddox five years ago. “I personally love it. Even before I was working here, I loved coming here. It’s a must-see place in Naples. It’s not just a restaurant; it’s an experience.”
It’s an experience that’s starting to take off across the region. Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers and south Fort Myers each have different food truck park concepts in the planning and construction stages, with most of them slated to open before the end of this year. A decade ago, the region hardly had any food trucks at all, let alone food truck parks.
Aspiring mobile restaurateurs can buy all the ingredients in the world, but to run a successful food truck business they all need their most important ingredient: the truck itself.
Celebration Park, a pioneer in the SWFL food truck scene, is said to be a must-see place in Naples. Located at 2880 Becca Ave., its food trucks lead to a bar that faces Haldeman Creek.
Scott Sopher opened one of the first food trucks in Southwest Florida. He worked as a chef at various area restaurants, but left his job in 2010 to open The Nosh Truck.
In 2010, Scott Sopher, originally from Philadelphia, did what many other food truck operators do: He left his job. Sopher had been a chef at various area restaurants during the preceding decade after moving from Asheville, North Carolina. But now he needed a truck.
“2008 to 2010 was when the idea started coming around,” Sopher says of food trucks taking off in the Miami area. That’s about when he paid $13,000 for a 1995 GMC P3500 truck. He emblazoned the sides of it with his logo and name: “The Nosh Truck,” one of the first food trucks in Southwest Florida.
“I bought it over in West Palm,” Sopher says. “It was actually already a food truck. It was sitting outside of a trucking yard. They were serving chicken. It didn’t move; it was just the place they kept it. I bought it over there used. It was still licensed.
“Nowadays, I see some used food trucks going for $30,000, $40,000, that are not as good as what I got for $13,000 back in the day. But that was back in the day. Everything’s kind of relative.”
Ozzy Acosta, owner of the Mambo Sandwich Co., had been a cook for 17 years across the state, including in Hollywood, Florida and later in Immokalee. He earned a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts and restaurant management from Johnson & Wales and decided to start his own food truck. He bought a tiny, 8-by6-foot trailer and started serving Cuban
fusion food. He marinates pork for 24 hours, then roasts it for six hours before selling it out of the trailer.
“We outgrew it in six months,” says Acosta, who then upgraded to a trailer 8 feet by 10 feet wide. He spent about $50,000 on the trailer and outfitting it with cooking equipment.
“It’s fully equipped,” he says. “It’s just me and my wife. A family affair. Every once in a while, somebody will help us. We’re going to have to get into an even bigger trailer, because we’ve outgrown this one.”
Howard Hilton left his job cooking meals at various assisted living facilities last August and started “Skew U,” a food truck specializing in skewers—steak, shrimp and/or chicken on a stick. It has proven quite popular, but Hilton needed a truck, or in his case, a trailer. Fully outfitted with kitchen equipment, his cost about $35,000.
Erika Fernandez-Barrabi and her husband Anibal Barrabi paid about $15,000 for their food trailer and another $15,000 to fill it with a cooking range, fire suppression hood, two burners, work tables and a refrigerator.
Together, they operate Tiny Bites, which is based in Cape Coral and also has made a lot of trips to Punta Gorda since opening in 2020. Their food fuses Korean, Cuban and Mexican flavors.
“You have to have a lot of discipline,” she says of making the business work. “Because when people expect you to be
someplace at a certain time, your window must be open. You have your early birds who are waiting for you to be there. You have to have a passion. Don’t just cook to cook. It shows through your food.”
Once a food truck owner has a vehicle, he or she needs a place to sell the food.
The forthcoming trend of food truck parks are but one option. Farmers markets, the parking lots—with permission— of busy corporations and other businesses such as breweries and medical marijuana dispensaries are proving to be typical sites, as are gated communities— again, with permission.
The gated community/food truck trend took off in 2020 after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic kind of blew it up,” Sopher says. “I think between the pandemic and the hurricane, a lot of restaurants had to close. Or a lot of people lost their jobs and moved to food trucks. Both for the same reasons; they were cheaper to operate. It’s one of the best ways to get back up and running.
“All the food trucks were going to gated communities, because no one was leaving their houses. All of the sudden, there was a need for food trucks, because they weren’t going to restaurants.”
Hilton said most of his business so far has been in various communities.
“We do Babcock Ranch,” he says. “I just did Calusa Palms this week. Laguna Lakes. There are so many communities, it’s hard to keep track of them all. Everybody has a different day of the week.
As the Fort Myers Brewing Co. celebrated its 10th birthday, it did so with about five times as many food trucks on hand in 2023 as it had in 2013.
Back then, it had two: The Nosh Truck and King Karl’s.
“Rob and I knew we wanted to have food trucks on our site,” says Jen Whyte, co-owner of the brewery with her husband, Rob Whyte. “That we needed food, and we didn’t want to own the food. The food trucks were a natural solution to that.
“At the time, we didn’t know how few food trucks there were in the area.”
The Nosh Truck, owned by Scott Sopher, sold out of food at the brewery’s grand opening. Eventually, Sopher couldn’t keep up with the demand at the brewery, which enlisted more food trucks. It showed the natural synergy that exists between the two businesses.
Many microbreweries don’t have the expertise to provide food, and they don’t want to learn how. Food trucks are looking for a stream of customers. By inviting the food trucks, both businesses reap the rewards.
“It’s been incredible,” Jen Whyte says of the evolution of the food truck business across Southwest Florida. “The people who opened their trucks, they’re living their dreams. For some of them, it determines whether they want to get into the restaurant world.”
Sopher later tweaked his menu and devised the Pad Thai burger.
Fort Myers Brewing Co. has always had food trucks on its site and owners want to keep it that way. The brewery needs food and the trucks need customers, making it a win-win for both businesses.
It became his truck’s biggest seller, and it became so popular, the brewery ended up making Wednesdays “burger night” after more food trucks began flocking there.
Mambo Sandwich Co. owner Ozzy Acosta cooks and serves Cuban fusion food and said the brewery remains his go-to spot to find business.
“We bounce around,” Acosta says. “We do weddings, festivals, Taste of the Town, Bacon Jam, concerts at the Luminary in downtown Fort Myers. Gulf Coast Hospital, Golisano, Cape Coral, the cancer center. Word of mouth. People will call us.
“But our biggest spot is the brewery.”
The Fort Myers Brewing Co. plans to build a new headquarters. When they do, the Whytes do not plan on turning it into their own kitchen.
“We’re sticking with the food trucks,” Jen Whyte says. “Because it’s a great relationship. It allows us to have a variety of cuisine. You can come out every day of the week and have something different.”
Some are Mondays, some are Tuesdays. Everybody just picks a different day of the week, and that’s the night they have food trucks.”
Once a food trucker gets rolling and finds a routine, it’s tough to divert from that, said A.J. Bordelon, who owns Viet Yum with his wife, Christina. Since the end of 2019, they have been cooking Vietnamese fusion cuisine; a tribute to A.J.’s mother, who is Vietnamese.
“Breweries, private events, public events,” A.J. Bordelon says. “You identify the coordinator. If they’re willing to host food trucks, then you’re pretty much a go. We’re at a place in our operations with the truck right now where we’re not actively trying to get new accounts. A lot of it is just going back to existing locations. In our first year, it was just scouting out where food trucks were already.”
Different municipalities have different codes and rules and laws for food truck operators. Some of them are yet to be written, with the concept still growing.
A.J. Bordelon, owner of Viet Yum, cooks Vietnamese fusion cuisine as a tribute to his mother. Choosing this cuisine wasn't just to honor his culture; it also made his food truck stand out.
The city of Cape Coral, for example, enacted a new law April 25 that had been voted upon in January. It made life more challenging for food truck operators, as now they must move their vehicle and equipment by the end of each night, display hours with notarized permission from each location’s property owner, draw power from a portable generator only, not park on grass and keep all vending items inside the vehicle.
Food trucks in Cape Coral are also forbidden from providing seating, tables or furniture, using permanent water or wastewater connections and selling alcohol. Exemptions are made for special events.
Bonita Springs has a similar ordinance.
The Lee County government has only a few regulations that were adopted Jan. 18, 2022, by the Lee Board of County Commissioners. There are just six of them, such as not allowing operation on undeveloped lots, mitigating safety hazards and not blocking street rights-ofway and landscape buffers.
The Cape Coral and Bonita Springs regulations will put a dent into how food truckers operate, Hilton said.
“That’s going to put a big toll on the food trucks in Cape Coral,” Hilton says. “There’s five or six food trucks on Del Prado, and that’s where they are. They never moved.”
Now, they have to.
The Bordelons didn’t choose Vietnamese cuisine just because of the heritage behind it. They realized no one else in the
market was cooking that kind of food. It set them apart, which helped … and, for a time, also hurt.
“It was interesting, because we’re an Asian food truck,” Bordelon says. “So there was a little bit of a stigma attached to us. There was a little bit of resistance to us.”
Hilton went with skewers for the same reason; no one else seemed to specialize in them.
“It’s easy to eat, and it’s walk-around food,” Hilton says. “You don’t have to have a table to sit down and eat. And kids are really picky with food in general. But when it comes to the idea of food on a stick, they like that. Whether it’s corn dogs or steak or shrimp, they just love it. And then they get to play with the stick afterward.”
The rise of food trucks has various entrepreneurs across Southwest Florida looking to cash in on it, with Maddox the first to do so at Celebration Park.
Rooftop at Riverside is taking shape at 27333 Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs, where owner Chris Magnus is excited about the possibilities. Like Celebration Park, there will be space for up to eight food trucks. But there will be a two-story bar, from which diners can survey the scene below and around them, with views of treetops, a park and Old 41.
“I think that the concept is taking off, because you have the ability to have several kitchens in one place,” Magnus says. “Your customers have the choice for
what they’re in the mood for. If everybody wants something different, everyone can get what they want. It’s great for family, for friends and business meetings.”
Adding amenities to the mix draws more people, which makes it a winning combination for both the food truck owners and the venue owners, Magnus said.
John Mann and Matthew Baum agree. They are the owners and creators of Backyard Social, another food truck park that will be at the busy northwest corner of Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway. It should open sometime this summer, with eight food trucks clustered around a concrete-block building that will be full of entertainment and games to draw people there, just north of the Twin Peaks restaurant.
“We will be the ultimate food truck location,” Mann says. “We’ve got a 10,000-square-foot, open-air building.”
Backyard Social will have tabletop shuffleboard, three lanes of dartboards with a camera-tracking system and more.
“We’ll have four lanes of duck-pin bowling,” Baum says. “It’s 30 feet instead of 90 feet. The ball you hold in your hand has no holes in it. It’s more conducive to adults and a night out without having to get into the hoopla of renting shoes and renting a lane and finding the right bowling ball.”
There are pros and cons for food truck owners to operate at food truck parks, several owners said. The pros include having easy access to propane gas and electricity and customers.
“I love it, because we treat it like a restaurant,” says Oran Townsend, owner of Islands Seafood at Celebration Park. He’s a native of Jamaica and
When Fort Myers Brewing Co. celebrated its grand opening in 2013, it had two food trucks. Ten years later, it celebrated its anniversary with almost five times as many food trucks.
Mad Brunch
Concept: Burgers, wraps, sandwiches, etc.
Owner: Maddie Balassie
Where to find: MadBrunch.com and on Facebook at Mad Brunch Southwest Florida
Celebration Park
Concept:
A congregation of eight different food trucks, all of which have put on the brakes for extended stays. Entering this summer, the trucks are: Gyros 2 Go (Greek), Mega Sabor (Mexican), Dragonfly (Asian fusion), Maine Shack (lobster rolls), Islands Seafood, Gigi Gourmet (burgers), Say Cheese (grilled cheese sandwiches and mac and cheese), J. Paul’s (pizza and sandwiches)
Owner: Rebecca Maddox
Where to find:
2880 Becca Ave., Naples
Beau’s BBQ
Concept: Barbecue ribs, brisket and pulled pork
Owner: Tyler Goguen
Where to find: beausbbqfl.com
King’s Tacos & Burritos
Concept:
Assortment of burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, etc.
Owner: Tomas Ronquillo
Where to find:
On Facebook at King’s Tacooos and Burritooos
Mambo! Sandwich Co.
Concept:
Cuban fusion. Recent menu had quesadillas, Cuban sandwiches, chicken sandwiches and the Bariga Buster Burrito (overstuffed burrito with roasted pork or chicken with rice, beans and more)
Owner:
Ozzy Acosta
Where to find: Facebook at MAMBO
Skew U
Concept:
Pork, chicken, steak, shrimp, etc., on a skewer. Recent menu had parmesan-crusted chicken, lemon garlic shrimp, marinated steak and meatballs
Owner: Howard Hilton
Where to find: Facebook at Skew U Food Truck
Concept:
Fusion food with Korean, Cuban and Mexican flavor. Recent menu had crunchy Korean BBQ tacos, twisted elote (Mexican street corn with a twist) and Cuban sandwich
Owner:
Erica Fernandez-Barrabi and Anibal Barrabi
Where to find:
Facebook at Tiny Bites Good Eats
Concept:
Korean fusion cuisine. Recent menu had a Banh Mi bowl, Vietnamese curry and char siu wok-fired chicken thighs
Owner:
A.J. and Christina Bordelon
Where to find: VietYumFood.com and Facebook at Viet Yum
Concept:
Fusion food. Recent menu had New Orleans shrimp and grits, Southern comfort stack (fried green tomatoes, pulled pork, corn bread) and the Big Irish (corned beef with onions and Swiss on a toasted hoagie)
Owner: Jeremy Playford
Where to find:
Facebook at Wicked Streatery
Coming soon: Rooftops at Riverside: 27333 Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs. There will be an anchor building to host eight food trucks, with a rooftop bar overlooking Old 41 and the adjacent park.
Backyard Social: 16371 Corporate Commerce Way in south Fort Myers, at the northwest corner of Ben Hill Griffin Road and Alico Road. There will be an anchor building to host eight food trucks with a bar and various outdoor games, activities and entertainment.
For food truck owners, working from a food truck park has perks such as easy access to propane gas, electricity and customers. But on the flip side, they have to pay venue fees and work on a fixed schedule.
a culinary graduate of the Runaway Bar Heart Hotel and Training Institute in St. Ann, Jamaica. “It’s an open environment. The food is as good as anything cooked up in a restaurant. But I don’t have to worry about paying servers.”
The cons include having to pay fees to the venue owners that can cut into profit margins, and having more of a fixed schedule, which was a reason why many owners left their day jobs to begin with.
“There are certain people who want to work when they want and make their own schedule,” Mann says. “This is much more along the lines of a brick-and-mortar restaurant operator. It’s a lot more demanding in terms of schedule and time. But as you talk to these people, it can be a lot more lucrative.”
Mann and Baum make for a perfect match in that Mann has a lot of business experience, and Baum has a lot of restaurant experience.
Successful food truck owners must master both the cooking and the business side, or they won’t last long, Sopher said.
Food truck profit margins can be 30%, a lot more than at restaurants, he said, but that’s after the owner has figured out what he or she is doing.
“A restaurant is going to be 10% and under,” Sopher says. “Maybe there are some other ones that are doing better. Obviously, a food truck is pretty appealing. You get a much higher profit margin. But if someone is not doing it right— if someone hires someone to run a truck for them—they’re not going to make the money they want to make. The whole model is designed to be owner and operator. It’s not really meant for other people to run it.
In order to have a successful food truck, the owners must have both the cooking and the business sense down or they won't last very long, says Scott Sopher.
“The challenges are having to go and get your product. Even if the truck isn’t out seven days a week, you’re working seven days a week. You’re working full time. Most truckers I know spend a day to go and shop. You’ve got to go to three or four places to pick up things.”
Sopher used Gordon Foods Service off Colonial Boulevard.
“We bought all our ground beef from them,” he says. “When I outsourced from other places, my customers knew. Other places, it may have been cheaper, but the product wasn’t very consistent.”
Hilton sources most of his food from the Restaurant Depot. During each trip, he’ll buy about 40 pounds of chicken and 13-14 pounds of steak. That will cost him between $300 and $400, but it will yield him $3,000 worth of sales. The typical take from serving dinners for three hours in a gated community is about $750, minus expenses.
But it’s not as easy as it sounds.
“There’s a ton of trucks,” Hilton says. “Lee County is saturated in trucks. There are hundreds of them. But if you look online, every day, people are selling them. Because they didn’t realize it’s a ton of work.”
Acosta loves not being locked into a 9-to-5 job. But again, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
“I work 24/7,” Acosta says. “I always tell people, thank God for my wife. Typically, honestly, it’s 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. It never really stops. You’ve got to buy the food. You’ve got to prep. Then there’s the things you don’t think about. Oil changes. Flat tires. Then there’s the administrative side of it; figuring out your cal-
endar. It’s all on Facebook and Instagram.
“For the most part, it’s somewhere in the $250 to $350 an hour of revenue. If you’re in that range, it’s good. It’s profitable. But just in gas alone, you’re spending at least $40 a day for the truck and the generators.”
Bordelon from Viet Yum had a background in banking as a branch manager prior to starting the food truck. That helped, he said.
“We do see a lot of new food trucks opening,” Bordelon said. “But we also see a fair amount of food trucks closing. The recipe for success seems to be a mix of business experience and food experience. If you can’t run your business, you can have great food, but you can go out of business in six months. But if you really have good business sense, but you have no idea how to run a stove, you won’t develop enough of a following.”
Sopher, the food truck pioneer, no longer has his. The Nosh Truck bit the dust during Hurricane Ian, as the Sept. 28 storm washed out the transmission. Sopher tried repairing it to no avail. And then he decided to move onward to a different opportunity after serving food in the truck for about 13 years.
“Do I miss it?” Sopher says. “There are certain things about it that I miss. But I do not miss the heat. It’s insane how hot it gets in those trucks. I’ll be 50 this year. Standing in the truck in the middle of the summer, pumping out the hamburgers, it’s hard.
“I’m hearing how people are leaving their jobs to start food trucks. They think they’re only going to work on weekends and make tons of money. They’re mistaken. It is a brutal business.”
SCIENTISTS’ CONCERNS ABOUT HURRICANE IAN’S LONG-TERM EFFECTS ON LOCAL ECOLOGY
BY ARTIS HENDERSON
On a clear and sunny Tuesday morning in March, Adam Catasus stands on the deck of the Weatherbird II, the 120-foot research vessel that will take him and his crew out to the Gulf of Mexico for the week. He’s wearing black nylon pants, a pair of rubber XTRATUF boots, a faded Dive Rite hat and a pale blue sun shirt from the Master Bait & Tackle Shop in Bonita. Sunglasses hang around his neck, and his hair whips around his tanned face. He looks like a man who spends a lot of time on—and in—the water. Catasus is a research scientist at Florida Gulf Coast University and the chief scientist on this trip. He’s dedicated his life to studying the Gulf, and he’ll be leading a crew of 12 on a seven-day voyage with a single goal in mind: to figure out just how much damage Hurricane Ian did to the offshore ecosystem.
“When the hurricane hit, it stirred everything up on the bottom, a lot of stuff that usually doesn’t get moved,” Catasus says. “I say ‘stuff’ because there’s no other good word for it—nutrients, contaminants, everything in the sediment since the last big storm. That was Irma, five years ago. Ian came in with its 50-foot waves and ripped the bottom up, stirring five years’ worth of stuff in 24 hours. Now we want to see how the benthic environment”—that is, whatever is at the bottom of a body of water—“has changed.”
This expedition is his third week-long trip in the wake of the storm. The first took place in October, just three weeks after Ian devastated Southwest Florida. The second occurred in January. This will be the final leg of the threepart fact-finding mission. The funding for these voyages came from a disaster grant from the National Science Foundation. When it comes to science research, “a lot of times natural disasters grease the wheels,” Catasus says.
Adam Catasus, a research scientist at Florida Gulf Coast University, is leading a crew of 12 on a seven-day voyage to learn how much damage Hurricane Ian did to the offshore ecosystem.
The Weatherbird II will start its voyage in St. Petersburg, where it’s moored at the docks of the Florida Institute of Oceanography, and follow the coastline south to Marco Island, pausing to take water and sediment samples at 20 passes along the way. The team will pull samples from the water column and send a team of divers to the bottom to obtain sediment. The research vessel will also travel 90 miles offshore to investigate the state of the west Florida shelf, a flat carbonate shelf that extends nearly 100 miles into the Gulf. The research team will collect material to use in their analyses back at the lab, where they’ll measure for nitrogen, phosphorous and microplastics. They’ll also look for organic contaminants that don’t belong in the ocean: oil, gasoline and the chemicals used in building materials. “There was a 10- to 20-foot storm surge,” Catasus says. “A lot of stuff got pulled into the Gulf. We don’t have a way of knowing how many cars ended up in the water or how many boats ended up sinking, but we can collect water to measure for contaminants that are associated with vehicles and vessels.”
It’s a slow process, one that will take months, but at the end of it Catasus and the other researchers involved with the expedition intend to publish research papers that detail the damage done to the Gulf. It’s too early to say what the findings will reveal about Ian’s impact on the ecosystem, though Catasus is concerned. Already, a red tide bloom is raging off the coast, and researchers suspect that Ian is to blame.
In the wake of Hurricane Ian, scientists at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota turned to satellite images to see what was happening in the
Gulf. Like Catasus and his team, the Mote scientists also benefited from a catastrophe grant from the National Science Foundation. What they found was disturbing: Plumes of dark brown water were emptying into the Gulf of Mexico from estuaries along the southwest coast of Florida, turning the coastal waters brown and making the coastline look bruised. The plumes were created by the heavy rainfall that had fallen inland and was now traveling to the Gulf through rivers, creeks and streams. By the time the rainfall reached the coast, it carried a massive load of nutrients, dissolved organic matter, algae, bacteria and sediment.
Cynthia Heil, a senior scientist at Mote Marine, was one of the researchers to see the dark plumes along Florida’s coast. “Hurricane Ian was unprecedented in terms of the path of its rainfall,” Heil says. “The rain that fell on central Florida eventually brought watershed nutrients to the coastal environment. Now we’re measuring the effect to our ecosystems of those legacy nutrients.”
Legacy nutrients are those found at the bottom of Lake Okeechobee, mostly from fertilizer runoff. These nutrients have remained in place for years, locked into the sediment. Though normal amounts of rain wash nutrients into the Gulf on a regular basis—this is a known concern, one scientists have studied for years—the major rain event caused by Hurricane Ian forced those legacy nutrients to be washed into the Gulf, as well. “It was a double hit,” Heil says.
This double dose of excess nutrients and sediment may spell disaster for the fragile Gulf. Nutrients support the growth of harmful algal blooms, which lead to red tide. They also encourage bacteria growth, which causes oxygen depletion. And the increased sediment in the
coastal environment chokes off sunlight and kills seagrasses. The biome has been struggling with the day-to-day nutrient problem for decades, but a double hit of nutrients is staggering. The Gulf may never bounce back.
The fiberglass deck of the Weatherbird II has been hosed clean in anticipation of the vessel’s upcoming voyage. Twenty-one black plastic tubs filled with equipment and supplies are stacked on the deck, plus a dozen Igloo coolers. Three of the ship’s crew unload groceries from a pickup truck.
“I reorganized the bottom snack cabinet,” one woman calls out. “There’s a bunch of cake mix under there.”
“There’s what?” a bearded man says. “Cake mix.”
“Cake?”
“With sprinkles.”
They bring the groceries through the boat’s metal door, the one that leads to the galley, the berths and the head. This particular expedition has five working crew members employed by the Florida Institute of Oceanography, plus 12 scientists—Catasus, three FGCU graduate students, seven FGCU undergraduate students and Eric Milbrandt, director of the marine laboratory at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. Most of the scientific team are certified divers, and many have their scientific diver certification from the American Academy of Underwater Scientists, a course offered at FGCU. Twenty-two dive tanks are on their way to the boat, plus a variety of other equipment. While Catasus watches, a scientist from
Hurricane Ian forced a double dose of nutrients and sediment into the Gulf, which can cause red tide and oxygen depletion and can cut off sunlight to sea grasses.
The Weatherbird II will start its voyage in St. Petersburg, where it’s docked at the Florida Institute of Oceanography, and follow the coastline south to Marco Island, pausing to take water and sediment samples at 20 passes along the way.
USF pushes a metal rolling cart over to the edge of the boat and starts unloading scientific gear—tubing, straps and a machine that measures turbidity.
“I put in 80- to 100-hour work weeks,” Catasus tells me. “People say I’m weird. They tell me I should do less, but I love it. What else am I going to do with my time? I’d just be out diving anyway. If I’m going to go offshore, I might as well be productive.”
Catasus has been exploring these waters most of his life. He’s studied the organisms in them and the ecosystems that contain them. He’s monitored the coastal environment after every hurricane that’s blown through in the last 10 years. But he’s never seen a storm to compare to Ian.
Collier County was in the middle of a major beach renourishment project last September when Ian came ashore. That project has been put on hold in the wake of the storm, and the county’s Coastal Zone Management team has redirected its efforts to building an emergency berm to protect the vulnerable structures along the shore that were left exposed when the beaches’ dunes washed away. “Essentially, we’re building a dune along the high side of the beach, then we’ll come back next fall and winter to put additional sand to build the rest of the beach down toward the water,” says Andy Miller, manager of the Coastal Zone Management Section. Construction on the project will last into late May and early June if all goes according to plan, Miller says.
What people call the “beach” in Southwest Florida starts at the dune line at the high part of the beach and extends 1,000 or more feet into the water. The sand is constantly shifting,
Andy Miller, manager of the Coastal Zone Management Section, and his team keep wildlife, including sea turtles, in mind while conducting beach renourishment projects.
moving from the dry beach—the land above the high-water line—to the stretch of beach that sits underwater. “Typically in the summer months some of the sand that went offshore will find its way back to the dry beach as the waves help push it back,” says Miller. “Hopefully, that will happen this summer. If not, we’ll come back next year and do a proper renourishment of the hardest hit beaches.”
Miller and his team have more than people in mind when they consider the urgency of their project. They’re also weighing the needs of local wildlife, especially endangered sea turtles. Typically, turtles bury their nests in the high part of the dune. Now that so much sand has shifted to the water, the dunes are lower than they’d normally be. This means sea turtle nests will be at greater risk for flooding this season unless new sand can be trucked in. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to get our dune project built before then and provide them a little additional nesting area,” Miller says. “But we’ve got to work fast.”
Some good news: The local sea turtle population fared better in the storm than expected. Of the 1,045 loggerhead sea turtle nests laid during the 2022 sea turtle nesting season, only 40 were lost to Hurricane Ian. Fourteen of those 40 nests had already hatched; scientists just hadn’t had time to dig them up and excavate them before the storm. Which means 26 nests in total were washed away by the flooding from the hurricane. A sad number, but not a devastating loss, said Maura Kraus, principal environmental specialist for Collier County.
“It could have been much worse.”
On Fort Myers Beach, it was similarly good news. The sea turtle monitoring group Turtle
Time documented 109 nests during the 2022 season. Only five nests were affected by the storm, and because Hurricane Ian came late in the turtle nesting season, it’s possible that some of the turtles in those nests had already hatched and were simply washed out to sea— where they were destined to go anyway. “Had the hurricane occurred in July, the loss would have been significant,” says Eve Haverfield, Turtle Time’s founder and director.
Sea turtle nesting season in Southwest Florida runs May to November, neatly overlapping with hurricane season. This might spell calamity for the already endangered species, but sea turtles have developed an evolutionary strategy to mitigate the threat from dangerous storms: females lay multiple nests throughout the season. A storm may occur earlier in the summer and wash away a clutch of eggs, but eggs laid later in the summer still have a shot at survival.
“You have to step back and think that sea turtles have been in existence for millions of years,” says Collier County’s Miller. “They’ve been dealing with storms all that time, and they’re pretty resilient. This is Mother Nature at work. Unfortunately, it’s not her best work— but it’s still part of what she does.”
For the gopher tortoise, things weren’t so lucky. The federally protected species spends much of its life in burrows under sandy soil. When flood waters swept across Southwest Florida, many of the tortoises drowned. Those that survived emerged to find that the vegetation had been wiped out, and they had no food source.
“A lot of them died, and many are very ill,” says Nora Demers, associate professor of biology at FGCU and member of the Gopher Tortoise
Council. She points to the fact that gopher tortoises are a keystone species, meaning other species in the ecosystem depend on them. In this case, gopher tortoise burrows provide shelter for a number of other animals, including snakes, frogs and rodents. With many of the tortoises gone, the ecosystem as a whole will suffer. “Long-term, it’s very problematic,” Demers says.
On the deck of the Weatherbird II, I asked Catasus about the red tide bloom that’s affecting the Gulf. My mother lives on Fort Myers Beach in one of the few houses left standing, and every time I call, she has to put down the phone and cough. “This red tide is killing me,” she says.
Catasus told me that studying red tide is difficult. The blooms move, and it’s difficult to pin down the factors that make the naturally occurring algae explode into something that kills sea life and leaves beachgoers gasping. But scientists know that algal blooms respond to excess nutrients in the water, and the upland rainfall from Ian caused a double dose of nutrients to flow into the Gulf. So, it makes sense that the red tide offshore is the likely result of Ian. Similarly, the 2018 red tide bloom was probably exacerbated by hurricanes Irma and Maria, scientists believe.
As for the effects of the chemicals and pollutants from everything that got washed into the Gulf, Catasus doesn’t have an answer yet. But he’s hopeful about the long-term outcomes. “The Gulf is insanely resilient,” he says.
It’s also insanely fragile. That’s why he and his team are setting off on their expedition; not just to study the effects of Hurricane Ian. “But so we can come up with a plan to fix it.”
Maura Kraus, principal environmental specialist for Collier County, says the number of local turtle nests lost due to Hurricane Ian could have been much worse. Of the 1,045 loggerhead sea turtle nests laid, only 26 were washed away.
A law office and a logistics company. A wealth management firm and a nonprofit agency. What ties them all together? They’re all among this year’s Best Places to Work in Southwest Florida.
While every company has its own culture and every firm has a unique focus, all of these businesses go above and beyond in caring for not only their customers and clients, but their employees, as well. And aside from sharing a geographic place, the survey results show that all of these employers also share high marks for how they manage their workplace.
To be considered as one of the Best Places to Work in Southwest Florida, local companies pay a fee to apply to the Best Companies Group, or BCG, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, an independent research firm focused on identifying and recognizing great places to work. BCG then administers a two-part survey—one for employers that details company policies, practices, benefits and demographics, and another for employees that includes an in-depth set of 77 statements they are asked to respond to on a scale of 1 through 5. This section of the survey also includes two open-ended questions and seven demographic questions.
The information collected is analyzed by BCG to determine the Best Places to Work in Southwest Florida. Gulfshore Business does not participate in the survey or selection process.
To be eligible, any publicly or privately held business, government or nonprofit entity must have facilities or operations in Southwest Florida and a minimum of 15 full-time or part-time employees working in the region or reporting to a local regional office. Each enterprise must be in business for a minimum of one year. To find out more about the process, or to apply, please go to BestPlacesToWorkSWFL.com.
Now that you know how they were selected, please join us in saluting the 20 workplaces that have been named the Best Places to Work in Southwest Florida in 2023. Did your company make the list? Turn the page to find out!
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: vilesandbeckman.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1995
CEO: Marcus Viles, Managing Partner
Michael Beckman, Managing Partner
INDUSTRY: Legal
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 35
Viles & Beckman LLC is a comprehensive, fullservice Florida personal injury law firm. While the firm supports its clients through their most challenging life events by fighting and advocating for all of their needs as if they were members of its own family, the approach is also “family first” when it comes to its staff.
“We put families first, and we care for one another, and our clients, as we would our own families. Wellness in our personal lives, and safety and security for our families, is the cornerstone for our happiness,” a company spokesperson says. “Those are the guiding steps in everything we do.”
The vision for Viles & Beckman is to be a bastion of advocacy, generosity and going the extra mile to change lives in the communities it serves. And as the firm works to provide its clients with an exceptional, personalized experience, it also relies on the contributions of its entire staff to make that happen. The Viles & Beckman work environment is built around creating an enjoyable culture, with handson community involvement and benefits including competitive performance-based salary, unlimited paid time off, vacation time, holidays, 401(k) with matching, telemedicine, on-demand counseling, employee recognition programs and more.
“One of our employees said, ‘This is definitely a no-one-gets-left-behind environment. When you are struggling in something, the amount of resources offered to help us be—and do—better is amazing,’” the spokesperson says. “We are team players. That’s why our slogan is ‘Our Family Fighting for Yours.’”
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: : ironridgeus.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 2011
CEO: Norman Lutz
INDUSTRY: Insurance (Non-Health care)
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 18
As a boutique property and casualty insurance agency based in Fort Myers, Iron Ridge Insurance is focused on providing its clients with the best possible coverage and customer service. But, with a four-day workweek, the company is equally dedicated to the well-being of its employees and the community.
“What sets us apart is our commitment to our employees and our community. We have a strong company culture that values collaboration, innovation and mutual support,” a company spokesperson says. “We believe that our employees are our greatest asset, and we strive to provide a work environment that fosters personal and professional growth. Our four-day workweek allows our employees to enjoy a better work-life balance while still meeting the needs of our clients.”
Iron Ridge also offers employee education, paid benefits and a hybrid work schedule that allows its employees to work from home or inoffice, depending on their preferences and job responsibilities. That flexible approach helps to promote a healthy work-life balance and fosters a positive work environment. The company also gives back to the community through its Iron Give program, an annual celebration that allows each team member to donate $500 to the charitable nonprofit of their choice.
For its commitment to its employees and community, Iron Ridge has previously been named among the Best Places to Work in SWFL and was the Winner of SWFL Inc's Small Business of the Year Award in 2022. “These awards reflect our dedication to cultivating a positive and mutually beneficial atmosphere that benefits both our employees and our clients,” the spokesperson says.
HEADQUARTERS: Canfield, Ohio
WEBSITE: hbkcpa.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1949
CEO: Christopher Allegretti
INDUSTRY: Accounting
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 76
Though HBK is an Ohio-based financial services firm with offices in Fort Myers and Naples, the company knows that its employees go beyond the numbers. In fact, the company’s motto, “Working Together Sets Us Apart,” expresses its team members’ commitment to each other. According to HBK’s Florida Principal-In-Charge, Michael DeLuca, CPA, MBA, that defines how team members rely on each other, share expertise and collaborate to deliver holistic financial services that address their clients’ specific needs and goals.
“The foundation for that kind of commitment is serving others over self, and a purpose greater than us. We believe this produces superior results for our clients, which is tremendously gratifying for all of us,” DeLuca says. “We know our people perform at their best—and are most productive—when they enjoy a balance between their work and their personal lives.”
In addition to being one of the first firms in America to offer open leave time, HBK also offers flexible work schedules and provides an atmosphere of mutual respect, open communication and encouraging camaraderie.
Community engagement is also an important part of the HBK culture. The company serves its communities and supports charities under the banner of HBK Cares, a corporate initiative. Each office commits to programs in its area that meet the needs of the community and compel the people in that office.
“We encourage our team to be active stewards for our communities at large, not just our clients, and provide them the financial and other resources they need to stay involved,” DeLuca says.
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: stevensbuilds.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 2003
CEO: Mark Stevens
INDUSTRY: Construction
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 66
Based in Fort Myers with offices in Sarasota and Orlando, Stevens Construction emphasizes guiding its clients through the entire development and construction process so that it can provide superior construction, save time and money and create the best construction experience possible. And the company also uses that same care in building its workforce.
“Our mission statement is to ‘Identify, Hire and Retain the Very Best People.’ The main priority of our company is to keep our very best team members fulfilled,” a company spokesperson says. “Delivering 100% of our projects via construction management, our projects are carefully selected to ensure the success of our clients while providing growth opportunities for our team members.”
In addition to fostering its employees’ professional growth, Stevens Construction also assists in times of crisis. After Hurricane Ian, every team member was provided an immediate cash bonus and time off to ensure they had a safe place to live. The company’s special projects team even helped team members with any demolition needed to begin the rebuilding process of their homes—at no cost.
On top of supporting its clients and employees, Stevens Construction works to build a stronger community. In the past year, the company has donated more than $40,000 and 1,000 hours to local charities.
“We also provide our team members with a paid day off to work at a charity of their choice,” the spokesperson says. “With 78% of our team members residing in Southwest Florida, we are committed to contributing to our community.”
HEADQUARTERS: Naples
WEBSITE: deangelisdiamond.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1996
CEO: David Diamond
INDUSTRY: Construction
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 104
DeAngelis Diamond Construction is an innovative, award-winning construction management firm whose goal is to build a better future together with its team members, clients and communities. Having completed more than $4 billion of construction projects since its inception in 1996, the company cites its employees as the driving force of its success.
“It is truly our people, who are consistently unleashing their peak performance, that make us who we are and give us the ability to reach new heights,” a company spokesperson says. “By supporting them, DeAngelis Diamond understands we’re supporting our own success— and because of this, we strive to make sure our benefits and perks are top-notch.”
To encourage its employees’ personal and professional growth, the company offers a variety of programs, including DeAngelis Diamond Academy courses, the DeAngelis Diamond Leadership Institute, a tuition/ educational reimbursement program, free LinkedIn Learning access and the DD Wealth Builder program, a generous 401(k) match so that team members can share in the company’s success. In addition to paid time off, the company also provides its employees two paid days off to dedicate to volunteering in the community and a paid day off for their birthday, as well as maternity and paternity leave for new parents.
“We aim to build a healthy working environment that rewards our team members. And to encourage current team members to refer other talented individuals, we offer a generous referral bonus as an incentive to bring in more top-performing talent,” the spokesperson says. “Our people are what make us successful.”
HEADQUARTERS: Naples
WEBSITE: mckenneyhomecare.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 2012
CEO: Michele McKenney
INDUSTRY: Health Care (Provider)
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 19
Established by sisters Michele McKenney and Patrice Magrath, McKenney Home Care has been providing exceptional, private-duty home care services for 10 years in South Florida. The company is driven by a passion for maximizing the quality of life of its clients and their families by providing compassionate and competent care.
“We understand that to succeed in today’s ever-changing environment we must be agile, smart and flexible,” the company’s website states. “Our future is dependent on our ability to understand today’s environment and adapt to tomorrow’s culture, as well as the ever-changing needs of the health care industry. We understand our employees’ wants and needs, providing them flexibility with their schedules to accommodate a work-life balance. We are enormously proud of our caregivers and the work they do.”
McKenney Home Care employees are provided competitive pay and overtime pay, W-2 status and Workmen’s Comp coverage, bi-weekly pay and direct deposit, plus access to health care and other benefits. In addition, as the company provides care across all of Southwest Florida, employees are also offered flexible schedules close to home, travel/mileage reimbursement, five holidays with time-and-a-half pay, paid time off, employee training and referral and a caregiver app to reduce paperwork requirements.
“The expectation of excellence brings out the best in all of us. Each employee of McKenney Home Care is responsible, considerate and sincere,” according to the company’s website. “We encourage feedback and welcome insight so we can continue to deliver the best customer service to all internal and external customers.”
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: midlandtrust.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1994
CEO: Dave Owens
INDUSTRY: Financial Services (Other)
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 57
Providing administration for retirement plans invested in alternative assets since 1994, Midland Trust has grown its business by serving investors who want to use retirement funds to buy assets other than stocks and bonds. While real estate IRAs and 1031 exchanges remain a vibrant part of the business, growth has come with investors interested in hedge funds, private stock offerings, angel investing and REITs. In addition, Midland has been employee-owned since 2019, meaning current and future employees benefit from the company’s success and growth.
Alongside ownership, Midland Trust's culture of employee recognition is unique. “One of our five company goals is ‘Develop and appreciate our employees.’ We constantly look to people’s strengths to create opportunities for them to grow and develop,” a company spokesperson says.
Midland Trust employees donate and volunteer time in their community through its Midland Serves program. While the firm aims to make a difference in the lives of people who live in its communities and in the environment, there’s also time for relaxation, too. “Together, we play sports, eat, go to social events, baseball games and other outings. We have even thrown an axe or two.”
Between employee ownership and recognition, the Midland culture translates to employees who like where they work. Looking at the big picture, one employee says, “Great culture, co-workers and leadership team—a very caring and fun place to work!” And the company spokesperson summed it up with an expression used throughout the company: “People make Midland.”
HEADQUARTERS: Sanibel
WEBSITE: sancapbank.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 2003
CEO: Kyle DeCicco
INDUSTRY: Banking
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 108
Chartered on Sanibel Island in 2003, Sanibel Captiva Community Bank began as a locally owned community bank serving the residents and businesses of Sanibel and Captiva islands. Twenty years later, the bank has eight locations throughout Lee County, total assets of more than $765 million and more than 15,000 accounts. But the bank’s biggest asset is its workforce.
“We’ve created an environment where our employees are invested in us—literally. When bank shares become available, our board and executive management believe it’s important to offer those shares to employees,” says Kyle DeCicco, president and CEO. “For five consecutive years, we’ve rewarded employees with a substantial midyear bonus— in addition to year-end bonuses—to show our appreciation for their dedication, hard work and contributions to the bank’s success.”
Beyond shares and bonuses, SanCap also invests in a workplace culture focused on keeping employees motivated and excited about the bank’s success, so that they can make a positive contribution to the bank family and their community, even in the most difficult of times.
“After Hurricane Ian, we ran daily boat trips to the islands, helping employees and customers bring essential supplies to start the recovery process,” DeCicco says. “For our employees displaced from their homes after the storm, we secured housing for them and made a financial commitment to help in that difficult time. Three of our locations were closed indefinitely due to storm damage, affecting 21 employees. We found roles for each one, resulting in no layoffs. We’re a family and that’s what you do for family.”
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: scotlynn.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 2010
CEO: Ryan Carter
INDUSTRY: Transportation
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 250
One of the largest logistics companies in Florida, Scotlynn USA operates a state-ofthe-art fleet of refrigerated tractor-trailers while also providing freight brokerage services to assist clients in shipping time-sensitive products all across North America. While company President Ryan Carter says Scotlynn’s success is built on the success of its clients, he believes it’s fueled by its skilled staff.
“To be successful at Scotlynn, it's not one particular type of person. I think that's what makes it special. You can have various backgrounds, various experiences, various education levels to be successful here. It is for people that work hard, are dedicated and really want to see themselves achieving and hitting goals,” says Carter. “And if you have those things and a willingness to learn, we can really set you up well. We'll give you the ingredients, you bake the cake.”
As Scotlynn utilizes proprietary logistics management software to match carriers and prices with the customers’ requirements, the company also strives to match the needs of its employees. In addition to providing a variety of benefits and evaluating its benefit package yearly, Scotlynn equipped its headquarters complex with a gym, a basketball court, a walking trail and a cafeteria with indoor and outdoor eating areas. The company also hosts regular mobile health events on-site such as dental services, mobile dermatologists, chiropractors, personal trainers and massages. For the convenience of its employees, Scotlynn even provides concierge services including a mobile car wash, dry cleaning and barber services.
HEADQUARTERS: Bonita Springs
WEBSITE: sunshineace.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1958
CEO: Michael Wynn
INDUSTRY: Retail EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 306
Sunshine Ace Hardware is a third-generation, family-owned chain of 11 hardware stores incorporating specialty gift shops, and has been in business for more than 60 years. Owned and operated by the Wynn family, the company also strives to treat each of its employees as an extended member of the family.
“It has been a part of our family values for over 80 years to put our people first. I often tell our associates that the highest authority in the company is not me, it is not their supervisor, it is not anyone with the last name Wynn—it is our core values. We all answer to them and are accountable to them,” says President Michael Wynn. “This is an incredible way to empower our people and assure them of their importance to our company.”
The Wynn family also supports Sunshine’s employees through its family foundation, which has provided more than $250,000 to help team members recover from natural disasters, medical expenses, excessive housing expenses and more. After Hurricane Ian, the company paid out almost $150,000 to help 28 associates rebuild. In addition, craftsmen from its handyman business were sent to the homes of associates to make repairs, and an attorney was retained to assist in dealing with insurance companies for property damage claims.
“Our philosophy has always been to first take care of the team, who will take care of the customers. They, in turn, will take care of the business,” Wynn says.
HEADQUARTERS: Naples
WEBSITE: flynaples.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1969
CEO: Christopher A. Rozansky
INDUSTRY: Hospitality/Travel/Tourism
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 124
The City of Naples Airport Authority was established by the Florida State Legislature in 1969 to serve as an independent governmental unit charged with the operation, development and improvement of the Naples Airport. In 2022, the airport served as the first and last impression of Naples for more than 200,000 residents and visitors, while being an engaged, responsive partner to the community. And it’s also a great place for careers to take off.
“We provide employee development programs so that we can promote from within. That can include tuition reimbursement, sending people to conferences and workshops or simply educational programs that allow someone to learn new skills,” an airport spokesperson says. “Our culture for employees is professional and performance-driven, while also being very fun and family-oriented. Employees are regularly treated to catered lunch, off-site events and employee awards.”
True to its employee commitment, the Airport Authority also provides flexible scheduling, hybrid, work-from-home opportunities and compressed work weeks to allow employees an extra day off each week in the summer. The airport also provides loans to employees undergoing hardships, and after Hurricane Ian, provided money to team members who needed help repairing or rebuilding their homes. In addition, employees are currently receiving a special housing stipend to help with the sudden spike in rent since the hurricane.
“We do everything we can to make life work for people. Our goal is to improve the lives of the people who already work here,” the spokesperson says. “We truly care about our employees, their families and their futures.”
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: wcgfl.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1946
CEO: Fred Edman
INDUSTRY: Construction
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 59
Over the past 77 years, Wright Construction Group has worked to cultivate an environment and culture that is warm, caring, family-oriented and focused on treating clients with respect and care, while providing them with quality products. That same culture has led many employees to stay with the company for more than 20 years.
“Everything we do is built around the tenets of safety, quality, timeliness and value. They may not be flashy, but they are rock-solid construction, and it’s what we work to deliver every day,” a company spokesperson says. “That’s the foundation of our company culture. Using this foundation, we’re now focused on creating future leaders who can continue successfully providing Southwest Florida with quality construction.”
Part of what Wright Construction does is enhance Southwest Florida’s ever-expanding infrastructure. Better roads, bridges, marine structures, environmental management facilities and streetscapes create more opportunities for growth while also improving the overall quality of life. But the company is also driven to do what’s best for its employees, too.
“Our executive team leads by example. They are each servants at heart. In addition to that, we have a highly talented and formidable team of building and civil construction professionals that is unrivaled in the region,” the spokesperson says. “‘Wright from the start’ is the promise that guides us into delivering beyond expectations. Not because we’re compelled by market forces or any elaborate economic equation, but because it’s the right thing to do. Resource-efficient structures and infrastructure ultimately benefits everyone who lives and works in Southwest Florida.”
HEADQUARTERS: Estero
WEBSITE: suffolk.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1982
CEO: John Fish
INDUSTRY: Construction
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 98
Founded in 1982, Suffolk is a privately held construction management services company with 10 offices across the U.S., and its people are who provide the local knowledge and resources.
“I often say we don't build buildings; we build people. And the more successful we are at building people, the better success we’ll achieve in our industry,” says Suffolk CEO John Fish. “Often, people assume this is a purely physical business—it’s brick and mortar in many aspects—but I would say the antithesis. I think it's really the soft skills that make a difference. The sense of empathy, the sense of compassion, the sense of caring.”
Rather than hiring based on perceived “culture fit,” Suffolk focuses on “values match,” seeking individuals who complement the company. That philosophy provides diverse perspectives and a look at the whole person. Add in the company’s informal “no jerk" policy, and Suffolk employees build camaraderie and uplift each other, creating an environment where everyone feels they belong.
Suffolk employees share a common proclivity to take on challenges head-on, explore new ways to solve problems and, most importantly, put people first. By focusing on a culture of caring, Suffolk prioritizes employee support, both in and out of work. When answering the question, “Is there anything unique or unusual about this company that makes it a best place to work?” a Suffolk employee responded, “I've never worked for a place that cares so much about the people.”
HEADQUARTERS: Bonita Springs
WEBSITE: e2companies.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 2009
CEO: James Richmond
INDUSTRY: Utilities
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 47
Based in Bonita Springs, e2Companies is the provider of the first Virtual Utility, a utilitygrade network designed for the end user that delivers energy autonomy, providing clients with full visibility and control with a turnkey, integrated solution. Though the company targets commercial and industrial clients who use a lot of power, the firm also understands its power comes from the strength of its workforce.
While e2 provides its clients with autonomy over how their energy needs are met and managed, it also provides its employees with career autonomy, as well, in the form of eHappy Days, two weeks off per year, and unlimited paid time off. In addition, e2 launched “e2 for Good,” which is the company’s commitment to donating time and volunteers while supporting local charities. e2 employees work together as a team with a “work hard, play hard” attitude, but they also work in a relaxed environment, with surprise donuts, pizza or catered lunches throughout the year, potluck holiday celebrations and after-work activities.
“We seek to be the guide on the path to zero carbon emissions, and to be a part of the transition is a wonderful opportunity for our employees. We’ve set out to attract the highest talent with years of experience in their fields, or bright minds who’ve recently graduated from college,” says Chairman Jeanne Richmond. “As our company grows, we stay true to our original culture, providing extended time off for employees to be with family around the holidays, recognizing the need for work-life balance for all.”
HEADQUARTERS: Memphis, Tennessee
WEBSITE: firsthorizon.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1864
CEO: D. Bryan Jordan
INDUSTRY: Banking
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 140
Providing banking, insurance, fixed-income investments, mortgage, credit and financial planning, the First Horizon story is about enduring relationships with clients, associates and communities. Established in 1864, the financial services firm has also supported for decades a work culture encouraging a balance between work and home.
“Each and every day, we strive to create a great place for associates to work, build stronger communities and positively contribute to society overall. We believe that to achieve our goals, we must empower our associates to achieve theirs,” a First Horizon spokesperson says. “It is critical that we invest in talent, provide competitive benefits and rewards, offer development programs and opportunities and communicate effectively. We understand the challenges of life and are dedicated to helping our associates embrace both work and personal responsibilities.”
Part of First Horizon’s investment in its workforce is the firm’s long-standing pledge to diversity and inclusion. Today, the bank continues to refine and elevate its DEI strategy and priorities and leans in on one of its shared values, “elevating equity.” Equity is about accessibility, opportunity, fairness and action, the company spokesperson said, and First Horizon values how its associates see the world.
“We want to build a culture that encourages our associates to put their thoughts into action and aspire toward what’s next. Bringing together diverse people, ideas and perspectives helps us open up opportunities and builds a more inclusive and equitable world,” the spokesperson says. “We are dedicated to fostering a connected workforce where everyone feels a sense of belonging.”
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: dorceylaw.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 2007
CEO: Joshua O. Dorcey INDUSTRY: Legal
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 30
The Dorcey Law Firm provides comprehensive services in estate planning, asset protection and wealth transfer in order to help clients preserve their wealth and pass it down to future generations. With deep roots in Fort Myers, the firm sees itself as a servant of the community and is committed to meeting the needs of its clients and team members.
The firm also places a high value on treating its team members like family. Understanding that its team members are essential to its success, the Dorcey Law Firm provides them with a range of benefits that reflect this value. These include a choice of four Aetna health plans, Aetna dental and vision, 401(k) with a percentage company match, paid time off, flex days for remote work and an annual weekend office retreat for employees and their families.
“Our core values are integrity, professionalism, competence, respect, teamwork and a desire for greatness. These values are reflected in every aspect of the firm's operations and are evident in the way we treat clients and team members,” a firm spokesperson says. “We believe that our clients become family, and strive to make team members feel the same way.”
The Dorcey Law Firm believes that by working together, it can accomplish its clients' goals and ensure that its team members are happy and fulfilled. The firm's motto, "We are Team Dorcey and we are a family," is a testament to this belief and reflects the firm's commitment to its clients and team members alike.
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: christopheralanhomes.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 2017
CEO: Ian Schmoyer
INDUSTRY: Construction
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 106
Christopher Alan Homes is the largest privately held home builder in Southwest Florida. The company is driven by a commitment to providing homeowners with the highest quality homes at attainable prices, and its success is due to the hard work of its team members.
“Building a house is one of the few big things left that is still primarily done by hand. It’s an extremely personal process,” says Ian Schmoyer, president and CEO. “Success for us is not just measured financially. It means being able to do things to help … our team, our homeowners and our community. Without a community and helping others, none of us would ever get anywhere.”
Christopher Alan Homes recognizes the importance of having a good work-life balance for its team. To support its employee community, the company fosters a culture that couples a positive, collaborative work environment with engaging team-building activities and outings: family picnics, outings at Topgolf, paintball tournaments, 5K runs, holiday celebrations, regular office socials and more. In addition, the company’s culture committee plans regular volunteer days to give back to the community, and all employees receive a competitive amount of paid time off, as well as a competitive benefits program, including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, life and disability offerings and home-purchase discounts.
“We want our team to feel appreciated and love coming to work every day,” Schmoyer says. “Having an engaged team directly impacts having satisfied customers—people who are proud to choose Christopher Alan Homes as their homebuilder.”
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: habitat4humanity.org
YEAR FOUNDED: 1982
CEO: Becky Lucas
INDUSTRY: Nonprofit (Other)
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 89
Since 1982, the mission of Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties has been to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope. It’s a mission that the employees live out every day.
“From the perspective of a long-term Habitat volunteer, I have witnessed a team driven by the vision to create a world where everyone has a decent place to live,” says board member Vicki Cooper. “When an organization thrives on open and ongoing two-way communication, challenges its team to create new and innovative practices, embraces the concept of upward mobility and acts upon it and offers opportunities for staff development and education, then, when issues arise, this team collaboratively will find the best solution.”
According to a spokesperson, the foundation of Habitat’s culture rests on its core values of integrity, teamwork and mission focus. Employees are reminded of these values in the weekly newsletter by the CEO, and employees who exemplify these values are recognized throughout the year. In addition, Habitat employees participate in monthly peer-to-peer recognition, and honor each other through written submissions for annual core value awards.
“No matter the role an employee plays at Habitat, a clear line is drawn from a job function to organizational impact,” the spokesperson says. “Habitat employees do what they love, with people they love, while finding their personal purpose within the mission. This mission-driven culture fosters employees who authentically work for a greater purpose, as well as care for each other.”
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: stormsmart.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 1996
CEO: Scot Burris
INDUSTRY: Manufacturing
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 350
As one of the largest manufacturers and installers of hurricane screens, shutters and panels, Storm Smart Building Systems works to help Southwest Florida residents protect their homes from storm damage. But in the wake of Hurricane Ian, the company was more focused on protecting its employees.
“Our top priority is our employees, their families and the community. Before and after Hurricane Ian, our employees came together to help each other and the community. Many employees even worked helping others through the evening prior to the storm,” a company spokesperson says. “Once the storm cleared, team members were encouraged to handle their family first, and then they banded together to help each other and the community. For employees who were in need, we provided hurricane relief grants [and] interestfree loans and assisted with transitional housing.”
Beyond helping its own after catastrophes, Storm Smart also focuses on training and promoting people from within. That culture allows associates to cross-train to gain an understanding of the entire end-to-end process. But the company is also happy to reward the team members for their hard work.
“Because our business is demanding, we focus on engaging our associates and rewarding them for their hard work. We show our appreciation monthly and weekly through cookouts, on-site ice cream socials, monthly birthday and anniversary parties and more,” the spokesperson says. “We realize that our associates spend a great deal of their week away from their own families, and we want to provide an atmosphere that welcomes and rewards them.”
HEADQUARTERS: Fort Myers
WEBSITE: osswf.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 2000
CEO:
Justin Blohm, Chief Administrative Officer
Bob Cunniff, Chief Operating Officer
Denice Veatch, Chief Financial Officer
INDUSTRY: Health care (Provider)
EMPLOYEES IN SWFL: 161
Orthopedic Specialists of SW Florida was established in 2000 to provide very specialized orthopedic care for the Fort Myers area with all aspects of orthopedics under one roof. Focusing on sports medicine, foot and ankle, adult reconstruction, hip, knee, hand and upper extremity, spine, pain management and trauma, Orthopedic Specialists is now the largest private orthopedic practice in Southwest Florida. But that growth wouldn’t have been possible without the team that supports the physicians.
“Making sure our staff is appreciated is the key to success,” says founding partner Charles Springer, MD. “If you take care of your people, your people will take care of your business.”
While Orthopedic Associates helps neighbors, family, friends and community members get back to doing the things they love, it also cares for its support staff with a variety of amenities. That includes a very competitive benefit package, regular visits from food trucks on-site, employee recognition programs, an employee council so the staff can work together on improvements and several lunches throughout the year. In addition, to better serve its patients and staff, Orthopedic Associates is currently building a new medical office and state-of-the-art ambulatory surgical center.
“It’s been our great pleasure to serve the residents of Southwest Florida for over 23 years. The tremendous growth of our practice is a testament to the dedicated physicians and staff who strive to provide superior care to our patients,” Springer says. “We appreciate the trust our patients place in us and look forward to growing in response to the community’s needs.”
Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers boasts an ideal environment for taking your education to a higher level.
FGCU also is one of the best values in higher education. Tuition hasn’t changed for nine years. Qualifying graduate students have access to:
• Tuition waiver support
FGCU offers diverse graduate programs led by world-class faculty on campus, online or in hybrid formats to fit your lifestyle. Choose from 26 master’s and 7 doctoral degrees or 17 certificate programs. Apply now: fgcu.edu/graduateadmissions
• Graduate studies scholarships
• Graduate assistantships
• FGCU Foundation scholarships
• Graduate student financial aid
FGCU’s College of Education has 100% graduate employment— and many alumni stay in Florida to teach the next generation of students in our communities.
Joshua Fortin MS in History, ‘17 Babcock Neighborhood SchoolDonate today and support FGCU and give back to the community: FGCU.edu/impact
Florida SouthWestern State College graduates make up the backbone of the Southwest Florida workforce, so FSW’s programs stay current with the needs and trends of employers in the community.
Now, with grant opportunities through the Lee County Economic Development Office’s American Rescue Plan Act and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Grant at FSW, local employees may be eligible to elevate their careers with
is the equivalent of supporting over
micro credentials in finance and accounting, information technology, business development, and insurance and risk management at little to no cost.
Move forward to employment, career advancement, or further a degree with a College Credit Certificate from FSW!
To learn about eligibility requirements for these grant programs, email us at opportunity@fsw.edu.
6,590 JOBS.
6,590 JOBS.
Learn More About Our Impact on SWFL
NO MORE NONCOMPETES Planning for a federal phase-out of noncompete clauses
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By John Guerra
By Bill Wasinger
The pandemic made almost every business change the way it operates. But for many executives, COVID-19 also changed the way they travel to conduct business. And the aviation industry in Southwest Florida is still growing to deal with those changes.
“The guys that have always flown first class, they could probably not buy an airplane, but they can certainly charter one a couple times a year. During COVID, that was their only option; to do a fractional share or to do a charter in order to travel,” says Joseph McCabe, owner and founder of Naples Jet Sales. “The people who have always traveled in their lives, they want to keep that mobility, and COVID-19 was the push for those individuals who could probably afford to break into the aviation world to do so. And demand absolutely skyrocketed on the preowned (aircraft) market.”
While McCabe noted that the market for business aircraft leveled out once supply increased, there are still plenty of companies
The pre-owned aircraft market took off during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many business executives were purchasing or chartering planes for business travel.
and executives who have decided purchasing their own plane makes sense. However, given that purchasing a used aircraft is more complex than buying a used car, aviation-focused financing is a growing niche, as well.
“The U.S. controls about 65% of the business jets around the world, and Florida is now the fourth or fifth largest (business jet) market in the United States. Naples is one of the 10 busiest business jet airports in the country,” says Jim Crowley, managing director of Cogent Bank’s new Business Aviation Finance division. “We just think there's a tremendous untapped marketplace. There was this thought process that [Cogent] developed that I'm going to call a ‘boutique approach’ to aviation lending. With what's going on at the airport in Naples and up the coast, we think our products, expertise and ability to execute gives us the chance to be a dynamic, new entrant into that market.”
The increased demand for business aircraft also has created a greater
need for private pilots. Though pandemic-related furloughs temporarily eased the nation’s ongoing pilot shortage, as air travel has returned to normal, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need for more than 18,000 new pilots a year for the next 10 years. That demand has created another business boom for Southwest Florida’s flight training schools. For Fort Myers-based Paragon Flight Training, that increase has led to expanded facilities, additional staff and the purchase of 50 new planes over the next five years.
“We started in 2006 focusing on the recreational pilot, like the local business owner that wanted to learn to fly—maybe fly to Jacksonville, to Key West. Maybe do it for business, maybe do it for pleasure, but that was really the core of our business,” says Paragon Flight Training President Chris Schoensee. “The pilot shortage has been a long time coming. But we
started seeing this uptick in people who want to be commercial pilots. Now, approximately 45% of our business is commercial pilot training for people who want to be airline pilots or private jet pilots. And as the commercial pilot market has grown and there's more demand, you're seeing more and more people invest in the sector more significantly because
there's money to be made and there's plenty of students to go around.”
Although many flight schools cater to foreign students, Paragon’s focus has traditionally been on the domestic market, with most of its clients coming from the Northeast and Midwest, Schoensee said. But along with greater demand for flight training, he’s also noted a big increase in clients hailing from Southwest Florida.
“More and more of our students are coming from the 239 area code. Maybe 12% of our clients are local now, which is unheard of for the kind of numbers we’re doing,” Schoensee says. “It's becoming more and more local … a lot more than what I thought it would be for 2023.”
For those businesses or executives who aren’t buying their own planes or flying themselves, chartering a plane is still an option. And as flying charter has grown in popularity, more travelers are taking the opportunity to mix business with pleasure.
“During COVID, it was the year of the Zoom call. It was the year of remote work. Now businesses are finding out that, while that's OK, it's not the same as an in-person meeting,” says Stephen Myers, executive vice president with Naples-based private jet charter company Elite Jets. “Due to COVID, our society has been moving more toward what’s called ‘bleisure,’ a mixture of business and leisure. People are going for business, but they're also taking a day on the front [or] the back and doing leisure stuff, as well. It's always kind of been part of it, but it's almost all the time now.”
As commercial air carriers still struggle to reach pre-COVID-19
traffic levels, McCabe believes more companies and executives ultimately will turn toward private aviation for their business travel. And that will likely spur additional expansion in the aviation industry across Southwest Florida.
“Definitely, it's happening. You're going to have all those ancillary types of businesses related to aviation support and maintenance coming around. I see it getting better, more professional, with better airplanes and less impact on everybody,” McCabe says. “What Naples and Florida have, with regard to private aviation as a convenience, is something a lot of people are recognizing."
With flying charter growing in popularity, more travelers are taking the opportunity to mix business with leisure by taking time at the beginning or end of a business trip for themselves.
Designed to ensure businesses maintain their position in the marketplace, noncompete agreements prevent former staff members from taking their skills out the door to a competitor. The agreements are often welded to nondisclosure agreements, which are designed to prevent those employees from carrying trade secrets to competitors.
The Federal Trade Commission on Jan. 5 announced its intention to write new rules that will prohibit noncompete clauses for independent contractors and anyone who works for an employer, whether paid or unpaid. Three states and the District of Columbia already ban them; five states have banned them for low-income workers.
Noncompete clauses affect professionals of all kinds: C-suite workers, salon employees, warehouse staff,
physicians, boat mechanics, horse trainers—even tradespeople, and especially salespeople.
According to the Biden administration, noncompete clauses hinder innovation by preventing would-be entrepreneurs from launching new businesses. They also hurt companies by preventing them from hiring qualified people with valuable knowledge. The FTC says employees in a relaxed job market could realize a collective $300 billion in higher wages.
Federal rule changes can take years to go into effect, but in the meantime, businesses must prepare for a time when they can no longer rely on noncompete agreements. That means writing stronger nondisclosure agreements to protect proprietary data and other information that gives companies a competitive edge.
Southwest Florida labor lawyers say it’s probably a good idea to review your company’s noncompete contracts now, rather than later.
Garrett McIntyre, of the McIntyre Law Firm in Fort Myers, has litigated noncompete agreements for both businesses and employees.
“Under Florida law, the employer can oftentimes enforce noncompete agreements, as long as they are reasonable with regard to time and geography,” McIntyre says.
Courts have also ruled that a company must “protect a genuine business interest” in that agreement, not everything under the sun.
“There’s a rule of thumb: The more specialized a profession, the more you get paid, the more the court will Brian Tietz;
be willing to be restrictive for that employee to compete,” McIntyre told Gulfshore Business. “The CEO of a Florida corporation, for instance, would be restricted by all that he knows and all the relationships he’s built in the sugar industry. There will be a tight restriction in his noncompete clause.”
Software and IT companies especially rely on noncompete agreements, but virtual workplaces can make such agreements unenforceable. The internet erases geographic boundaries; employers should write noncompete agreements that define their digital neighborhood or virtual marketplace.
“I have clients in IT—some of them want to tell employees in their noncompete clauses, ‘You can’t open an office within 50 miles of our office locations,’” McIntyre says. “But employees open ‘virtual offices’ which are little
more than websites, so it’s difficult to pinpoint their location. They win clients and business through those virtual offices and send workers to client sites near their former employer’s office.”
Though noncompete clauses are different from nondisclosure agreements, the two are inextricably linked. Companies spend years training and educating employees in their intellectual property re: processes, sales techniques or secret manufacturing processes. Employers will be left trying to protect information with confidentiality protections and similar arrangements.
“That’s a lot of time and investment,” McIntyre says. “Suddenly the employee says, ‘Thank you very much,’ then quits and opens a competing business four doors away.”
Garrett McIntyre, of McIntyre Law firm said many employers include clauses in noncompetes restricting employees from opening up their own shop within a certain distance, but ‘virtual offices’ can be a loophole.
Otto Immel, a labor attorney with Quarles in Naples, said companies should educate workers on their noncompete rules as they are on-boarded, or hired.
Protect the data in advance. Employers should consider which administrative or staff positions access the most sensitive proprietary information. Those are the people who can destroy your competitive edge should they break their noncompete pacts and join a competitor, he said.
“Employers can bring (noncompete) policies and confidentiality obligations to the employees’ attention,” Immel says. “For departing employees, in particular, the best practice is to obtain written acknowledgment of these obligations and to account for all company devices assigned to the departing employee.”
He suggests restricting or prohibiting access to confidential information; prohibiting the use of personal email or cloud-based file-transfer sites on company devices, including Gmail, Google Drive and Dropbox; and banning removable storage devices like thumb drives.
Companies can discover who’s breaking noncompete agreements before the worker goes out the door.
Otto Immel, a labor attorney with Quarles in Naples, suggests employers restrict or prohibit access to confidential information and to educate workers of their noncompete rules when they are on-boarded, or hired.
For instance, one company monitors employee activity on company-owned computers, smartphones, iPads and other devices to see if workers are breaking noncompetes.
Administrators should run forensic checks on employee devices based on the propriety of the information they access—customer contact lists, chemical formulas, details of affinity programs and other competitive data.
“Forensic specialists can quickly identify any mass data transfers and attempted cover-ups,” Immel says.
Here’s a basic clue: If an employee searches the internet for jobs at a rival company or emails a competing firm to set up a job interview, that employee is likely about to violate his or her noncompete agreement. That’s a good point to take the employee aside and remind him or her of the penalty for breaking the agreement.
The loss of noncompetes will benefit both companies and their employees, the FTC says. Workers will be free to obtain higher paying jobs, and
businesses will have the right to hire trained workers without paying damages to a previous employer.
But how will companies protect their proprietary information? In the absence of honest employees who adhere to their nondisclosure agreements, companies can secure IT systems and deploy automated alerts for unauthorized transfer of proprietary information.
The danger of losing one’s best workers to competitors will grow once the FTC bans noncompete agreements. Companies in the same marketplace could enter bidding wars over the same skilled workers— or risk suffering a brain drain.
“First of all, I would not hit the panic button just yet,” Immel says. “There is still a long way to go before the proposed rule would be in place. Employment agreements that include long-term incentives to remain might make sense. Planning for how not to lose the [employee] in the first place might be better than having an agreement to enforce in court.”
McIntyre agrees. “It’s hard to tell as we sit here what might take the place of traditional noncompetes,” he says. “On the NDAs fitting the bill question, I think there will be a lot of litigation to test the proposed new rules, should they go into effect.”
In Hurricane Ian’s wake, many local residents are relocating inland
By John GuerraHurricane Ian destroyed Fort Myers’ sense of place. Landmarks erased, the shrimp fleet destroyed, homeowners still without shelter. It’s the perfect recipe for population micro-migration, which occurs when potential migrants estimate the costs and benefits of moving to alternate locations.
According to population studies, home-buying statistics and local real estate agents, several population shifts seem to be taking hold in Southwest Florida’s coastal and inland communities. 1
Seniors left to stare at the remnants of their former homes move off the beach to other locations, perhaps to other states to be near their adult children. They seek the stability and comfort of children and grandchildren as they try to find a home out of hurricane range.
Real estate agents such as Jenna Scharf and Christian Zaloum have seen an influx of clients moving to inland communities, some temporarily while they rebuild, some permanently.
inland to communities beyond the storm surge zone.
3
As former residents leave the destruction behind, new arrivals fill the void, buying homes sold by those who are leaving. They often come from the Northeast or Midwest. Many are baby boomers who own businesses up there or have sold them and cashed in.
The first thing to remember: Much of coastal Lee County is in flux. In Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and other places, people are still trying to find basic shelter, some housing stock has been condemned and many homes are still under repair.
owners inland, where they can buy homes with higher elevations and lower property insurance rates.
“The storm created a lot of concern; it was a wake-up call for Southwest Florida residents,” Scharf says. “Right away, residents began moving inland where there’s a lower risk of flooding and property insurance— which is based on elevation—is a lot less expensive.”
A number of coastal residents began asking Scharf immediately after the storm about purchasing a home in inland Lee County, in such places as Marina Bay, Pelican Preserve, Plantation, the Treeline Corridor and Babcock Ranch.
“They are safe areas, some close to the airport, and people can purchase a 3-bedroom, 2-bath single-family home for $500,000 to $600,000,” she says.
2
Residents of Naples, Fort Myers Beach and other Gulf Coast neighborhoods who survived Ian remain in Florida, but move
Jenna Scharf, a real estate agent with Treeline Realty Corp., helps clients buy and sell homes in Fort Myers and other locations in Lee County. She said Hurricane Ian sent Fort Myers, Captiva and Sanibel Island home-
Babcock Ranch, which boasts its 440-acre solar panel farm, pointed out in the days after Ian that its community never lost power.
For those with wealth, the exodus from Fort Myers Beach, Captiva and Sanibel Island is more temporary, Scharf said. “I hear from coastal residents who want to rent or purchase inland for the short-term as they rehabilitate their Sanibel Island property,” she says.
Once their Sanibel home is finished, they can rent out the inland home as an income property. “A lot of people, especially Sanibel residents, have the cash to buy it, then rent it out.”
Analysis by Today’s Homeowner, a housing industry consulting company, aligns with what Lee County real estate agents are seeing. The organization, citing the U.S. Census Bureau’s 1-year American Community Survey, found that Florida had a net migration of 87,154 baby boomers, many of whom moved to Cape Coral, Naples, Sarasota and other Southwest Florida destinations.
“More so than ever before, Port Charlotte is the oldest per capita,” says Christian Zaloum of Sotheby’s International Realty. “Due to price increases up north, we’re getting phone calls from people who are just discovering this area.”
Older couples bring proceeds from selling their northern homes, supplemented with Social Security income, and seek lower-priced homes so they can have their place in the sun. The number of available homes in Ian-ravaged Fort Myers is up, way up. According to Rocket Homes, which tracks housing markets, there were 1,139 homes for sale in Fort Myers in January. In February, the number rose to 1,553—an increase of 36.3%.
But younger families are also moving to the area, arriving from New York, Wisconsin and other Midwest states. They also are wary of living too close to the beach, Scharf said. “They are more aware of the flooding and the risk, and want communities where the risks are lower—and want to avoid places like the Private Island Park area, Fort Myers Beach, Captiva and Pine Island. No matter what, private equity firms are hiring real estate agents to help them close in those very places.
“A lot of the units are being bought up by investors. They are buying empty lots and paying for prime real estate,” she says.
Zaloum also hears from residents who want to move away from the coast.
“Residents of Naples, Fort Myers Beach, the Fort Myers area are looking to move inland from those areas,” he says. “At Lakewood Ranch, we had a big sales meeting and one of the big
points of topic was the pipeline of new buyers coming in from Naples and Fort Myers.”
Rising interest rates have slowed sales in inland communities. Those who buy inland (and everywhere else) are not eager to sell the home they bought at 3% for a home for which they’ll spend 7% interest on the loan.
And, like everywhere else, Lakewood Ranch, Panther Preserve and other planned communities are getting pricier. The communities are more accessible to people who don’t have to worry about interest rates.
“We do have a lot of cash buyers in Sarasota and Manatee counties,” Zaloum says. “You’re looking at a million-dollar-plus range. Even the small models can start at $1.1 million.”
As hurricanes clear out older homes and buildings, private equity and individually wealthy investors move in, driving prices up. The coast, it seems, is now for the mega-wealthy.
Prices are going up, way up, according to Randy Thibault of LSI Companies. During the recent “Market Trends of Southwest Florida” convention, he told attendees that lots in the path of Ian’s worst destruction— Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel—are going for $3 million to $5 million.
Inland, however, home prices are more attainable: $400,000 median price to $1 million for those with the means. Lee County home prices were up 5.3% in February 2023, compared to last year, according to Redfin.
Alegria Canyon LLC purchased a 20,000-square-foot industrial building at 18105 Paulson Drive in Port Charlotte from Guava Properties for $4.1 million. Chase Mayhugh, SIOR, CCIM, and Justin Ankey of Mayhugh Commercial Advisors represented the buyer.
D.R. Horton Inc. purchased a 5.58acre residential property at 2127 Royal Tern Circle in Punta Gorda from Heritage Lake Park Community Development District for $1.6 million. Hunter Ward, CCIM, of LSI Companies Inc. represented the buyer and seller.
COLLIER COUNTY
FF Holdings Florida LLC purchased 6,400 square feet of commercial space at 6108 Janes Lane in North Naples from Saranac LLC for $2,399,000. Christine McManus, CCIM, SIOR, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the seller, and Gayle Satcher of William Raveis Real Estate represented the buyer.
11290 Tamiami LLC purchased 1.52 acres on U.S. 41 at 11290 Tamiami Trail E. in east Naples from Lawrence Thompson Family Trust for $930,000. Bill Young and Biagio Bernardo of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the buyer and seller.
CDH Enterprises LLC purchased the 0.34-acre Maria’s Marina at 18540 and 18550 San Carlos Blvd., on Fort Myers Beach from Maria G. Stevens for $1.3 million. Michael Mahan of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the buyer, and Dan Kolinski of ERA Cape Realty represented the seller.
LEE COUNTY
CHS 14500 Fort Myers LLC purchased a 3,170-square-foot building on 12.6 acres at 14500 Global Parkway in south Fort Myers for $8,358,976. The property last sold in 2022 for $1,289,999.
Savona of SW Florida LLC purchased a 4.46-acre commercial property at 801 SW Pine Island Road and
800/8008 SW Second Terrace in Cape Coral from Northwest Cape Partners LLC for $1.6 million. Justin Thibaut, CCIM, and Christi Pritchett, CCIM, of LSI Companies Inc. represented the seller, and Kimberly Daugherty of Trinity Commercial Group represented the buyer.
Liberty Group of Brainerd LLC purchased 14,256 square feet of commercial space at 4530 Arnold Ave. in Naples from Gilray Inc. for $3.8 million. Christine McManus, CCIM, SIOR, William V. Gonnering, CCIM, SIOR, and Shawn McManus of Investment Properties Corp. represented the buyer and seller.
Cargo Court LLC purchased 16,680 square feet of commercial space at 28731 S. Cargo Court in Bonita Springs from J.A. McKinney Properties for $3.2 million. Christine McManus, CCIM, SIOR, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the buyer and seller.
Properties of S&O
LLC purchased 4.73 acres at 1651 Ortiz Ave. in Fort Myers from Jamey S. Liddell for $925,000. Chase Mayhugh, SIOR, CCIM, and Bryan Burchers of Mayhugh Commercial Advisors represented the seller.
FS Properties
Sana Abuogab, trustee of the 601 Homestead Road S Land Trust, purchased 23 acres of residential property at 601 Homestead Road in Lehigh Acres from Arrowhead Investments of Southwest Florida LLC for $1,315,000. Hunter Ward, CCIM, of LSI Companies Inc. represented the buyer and seller.
Andrea RE LLC purchased a 19,410-square-foot warehouse at 2177 Andrea Lane in Fort Myers from Afterglow Capital Management LLC for $2.4 million. Chase Mayhugh, SIOR, CCIM, and Justin Ankney of Mayhugh Commercial Advisors represented the seller.
16141 Old US 41 LLC purchased a 4,440-square-foot industrial building at 16141 Old U.S. 41 in Fort Myers from Gyorgy Pzaota for $775,000. Fred Kermani, CCIM, AIA, of CRE Consultants represented the seller, and Annalisa Xioutas of Keller Williams Realty represented the buyer.
LLC purchased a 12,000-square-foot industrial building at 5810 Corporation Circle in Fort Myers from Industrial Flex Investors LLC for $1,874,500. Chase Mayhugh, SIOR, CCIM, and Bryan Burchers of Mayhugh Commercial Advisors represented the seller.
Coral Hospitality LLC
leased a 3,223-square-foot space at Galleria Plaza, 9180 Galleria Court, Suite 600, in North Naples from Heart Partners LLC. Matt Stepan, CCIM, and Jeffrey Clapper of Premier Commercial Inc. represented the lessor and lessee.
COUNTY
Wilmington Trust N.A. leased 3,847 square feet of office space at 850 Park Shore Drive, Suite 100, in Naples from Trianon Cos. Gary Tasman and Shawn Stoneburner of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the lessee.
Collier County Child Advocacy Council Inc. leased a 3,306-squarefoot space at 5405 Park Central Court in North Naples from Biffy Ho LLLP. Matt Stepan, CCIM, and Jeffrey Clapper of Premier Commercial Inc. represented the lessor and lessee.
Gerry McGovern leased a 2,350-squarefoot industrial space at 4227 Enterprise Ave., Unit E, in Naples from 4227 Enterprise Ave. Ltd. Bill Young and Biagio Bernardo of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessor and lessee.
Luca Italian Leather Inc. leased 2,062 square feet of retail space at 300 Fifth Ave. S., Suite 103, in Naples from M-P Realty LLC. Tara L. Stokes of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor and lessee.
Security Capital Ventures leased a 1,785-square-foot space at 6621 Willow Park Drive, Suite 4, in North Naples from The KeyCare of Florida LLC. Matt Stepan, CCIM, and Jeffrey Clapper of Premier Commercial Inc. represented the lessor, and W.T. Pearson of Pearson Commercial Real Estate Services LLC represented the lessee.
J. Miller Insurance Group Inc./Peo Partners Inc. leased 1,560 square feet of office space at 5679 Naples Blvd. in North Naples from Majestic West Inc. Patrick Fraley, CCIM, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor and lessee.
Naples Health & Wellness LLC leased 1,499 square feet of office space at 11181 Health Park Blvd., Suite 2240, in North Naples from Farley White CHP LLC. Clint L. Sherwood, CCIM, and Tara L. Stokes of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor, and Patty McClimans of SVN Commercial represented the lessee.
Nicolet National Bank leased a 5,672-square-foot office space in the 1100 on 5th building, 1100 Fifth Ave. S., Suite 105, in Naples from 1100 5th Ave LLC. Dave Wallace, CCIM, SIOR, and David Wallace of CRE Consultants represented the lessor and lessee.
Concentra Health Services Inc. leased a 9,381-square-foot space at 4429 Cleveland Ave., Suite 110, in Fort Myers from Alta Center LLC. Adam Bornhorst, Derek Bornhorst, SIOR, CCIM, Bob Johnston, SIOR, and Jerry Messonnier, SIOR, of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessee, and Daniel Rice of Colliers International/ Orlando represented the lessor.
LEE COUNTY
Lansing Building Products LLC leased 66,017 square feet of industrial space at 9381 Laredo Ave. in Fort Myers from EastGroup Properties LP. Gary Tasman and Shawn Stoneburner of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the lessor.
Cotton Commercial USA Inc. leased an 18,750-square-foot industrial space in Jetport Interstate Commerce Park, 14241 Jetport Road, Unit 4, in Fort Myers from Swan FM LLC. Adam Bornhorst, Derek
Bornhorst, SIOR, CCIM, Bob Johnston, SIOR, and Jerry Messonnier, SIOR, of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessor, and Ron Roberson, SIOR, of Caldwell Brokerage Co. represented the lessee.
Black & Veatch Corp. leased a 5,045-squarefoot office space in Fairfax Center, 4210 Metro Parkway, Suite 200, in Fort Myers from WCP Fairfax LLC.
Randal Mercer of CRE Consultants represented the lessor, and JLL represented the lessee.
Bentley Roofing LLC leased a 2,370-squarefoot space in Interstate Court Industrial Condominiums, 7900 Interstate Court, Unit D, in North Fort Myers from 7900 Interstate LLC. Jose Pastor of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessor and lessee.
Barbara M. PizzolatoP.A. leased 1,735 square feet of office space at 8660 College Parkway, Unit 400, in Fort Myers from J&J Real Estate Properties. Gary Tasman and Hanna Smith of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the lessor and lessee.
AFC Electric Inc. leased a 1,670-square-foot space at 9001 Highland Woods Blvd., Suite 3, in Bonita Springs from Highland Building Partners LLC. Michael Mahan of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessee, and Matt Stepan, CCIM, and Jeff Clapper of Premier Commercial Inc. represented the lessor.
Davies Duke PLLC leased a 1,008-square-foot office space in Beachway Professional Center, 3301 Bonita Beach Road SW, Suite 110, in Bonita Springs from Klinger Properties B LLC. Dave Wallace, CCIM, SIOR, and David Wallace of CRE Consultants represented the lessor, and Jay Crandall of Crandall Commercial Group represented the lessee.
With the addition of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE lineup, the German manufacturer approaching its centenary now offers more than 30 vehicles. They’re all named with numbers and letters and acronyms practically requiring code-breaking expertise. The EQE series is arriving this year, one year after the debut of the EQS, the carmaker’s first all-electric sedan available in the United States.
The reviewed EQE 500 4Matic is the mid-level of three available trims. It has two motors, increased horsepower and all-wheel-drive. Like its siblings, it’s a smaller version of the EQS. But smaller, by definition, doesn’t mean small. The EQE 500 is a spacious luxury sedan, handsomely styled inside and outside. It’s marketed with seating for five, but like many mid-size sedans, the rear seating area is comfortable for two adults, a tight fit for three.
The fully variable all-wheel-drive (with torque shift) transmission has a top speed of 130 mph. The EQE 500 is smooth-driving and quiet at all speeds. It accelerates briskly, without the commonplace EV whine.
The interior, well-designed and constructed with high-grade materials and 64-color variable ambient trim lighting, has a handsome, futuristic appeal. The dash is dominated by a 12.3-inch instrument cluster and a 12.8-inch central touchscreen. Clever use of curved paneling and plenty of compartment space belie the sedan’s exterior dimensions. The trunk has 15 cubic feet of space, impressive for the segment.
The shifting mechanism is reminiscent of the “three-on-the-tree” transmissions of yesteryear. There’s “Hey Mercedes” voice activation. The 15-speaker Burmester sound system is top-notch.
Mercedes-Benz reports the EQE 500, with 170 kW of DC fast-charging, will recharge from 10% to 80% in 32 minutes.
Top-line technology is a Mercedes-Benz strength. The EQE 500 is available with numerous trim levels and packages with lofty titles. The Pinnacle Trim Level features the Air Balance Package ($3,050) and USB-C Package, Head-Up Display, MBUX Aug-
Acceleration: 0-60 mph, 4.6 seconds
Airbags: 10
Electric motor: 90.6-kWh lithium-ion battery
Range: 305 miles
Horsepower: 402
Manufacturer’s
Suggested Retail Price: $85,900
Manufacturer’s website: mbusa.com
Price as tested: $99,470
Warranty: Bumper to bumper, 4 years/50,000 miles; Powertrain, 5 years/60,000 miles; Corrosion, 4 years/50,000 miles; Roadside Assistance, 4 years/50,000 miles; Electric battery, 10 years, 155,000 miles; Roadside Maintenance, 2 years/20,000 miles
mented Reality for Navigation, Active Ambient Lighting and Four-Zone Climate Control.
The Driver Assistance Package ($1,250) features Active Distance Assist Distronic, Active Lane Change Assist, Active Steering Assist w/HandsOff Warning, Active Blind Spot Assist and Active Lane Keeping Assist. Wireless smartphone charging pad, in-dash navigation, power front seats with heat and automatic high-beam headlamps also are included.
If more is better, there’s Active Speed Limit Assist, Active Emergency Stop
Assist, Evasive Maneuver Support, Extended Restart in Stop-and-Go Traffic and Route-based Speed Adaptation.
Three more packages add more than a dozen extra items, heated rear seats to upgraded exterior trims, a star pattern grille and an exterior symbol projection feature for night visibility and safety.
In only a few years, the electric luxury sedan segment has grown into a keen competition. The new Mercedes-Benz’s rivals include the Porsche Taycan, Tesla Model S, Audi e-tron GT, Lucid Air and BMW i4. All are worthy,
with the German brands sharing the group’s longevity honors. The EQE 500 and the Lucid Air are newbies, both distinguishing themselves in short order.
The new Mercedes-Benz has much to praise. Its only downfall? The sloping roofline limits rear-window visibility with three rear-seat headrests further hampering the view.
With all of its engine strengths, edgy look and EV status, the subpar rearview vision isn’t a deal-breaker. The EQE 500 offers refined driving. It’s a noteworthy newcomer ready to give its veteran competition a stiff challenge.
With a decade or two of leeway, “living in the moment” had its first moment 1,600 years ago. Some historical scholars believe Buddha invented the practice of “sati” or the “moment-to-moment awareness of present events.” It would take another 1,300 years for mindfulness to find its way to the Western world.
John Kabat-Zinn, a professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, studied Buddhism while at the university’s Institute of Technology. He used his expertise to open the school’s Stress Reduction Clinic in 1979 and taught a program called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
A decade later, Kabat-Zinn authored the book Full Catastrophe Living. It brought international acclaim to mindfulness. Sub-titled “Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness,” the work details mind-body medicine and the interconnections between physical and mental health. The book was revised in 2013 and is
viewed as a milestone in the global expansion of mindfulness practices.
Much has happened since the professor’s book was published. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national public health agency in Atlanta, reported in 2018 that meditation was the fastest-growing health trend in the United States. Mindfulness tenets are components of some forms of meditation.
The Mayo Clinic, the 160-year-old nonprofit academic medical center headquartered in Minnesota, serves four regions of the country, including Jacksonville. Like other prominent medical facilities, it recognizes and embraces the practice of mindfulness. It details four major components: Paying Attention, Living in the Moment, Accepting Yourself and Focusing on Breathing.
Angela Tarquini-Sanders, owner and founder of Mindful Mindz in Naples, offers individual and group workshops on mindfulness. The program includes developing skills to, as she says on her website, “man-
age the constant mind chatter and create space for peace, calm and a new perspective; effectively manage stress and anxiety; notice how your thoughts and feelings affect your present moment experience; focus your mind for greater clarity and increased productivity.” Tarquini-Sanders’ teachings reflect a general mindfulness concept: Experiencing one’s environment at a slower pace is essential to wellness.
Kabat-Zinn’s video series, available on YouTube and posted on the Mindful Mindz platform, stresses common misconceptions: “I bend over backward not to try mindfulness as a commodity,” says Kabat-Zinn. “The more mindfulness is on peoples’ lists, the more it is in the media and in some sense touted and hyped, the more I have to work overtime to kind of remind people, this isn’t some kind of dime store gimmick or the newest fad.”
The author and former professor stresses that mindfulness is a “deep, profound way, a disciplined shifting
Caloosahatchee Mindfulness
941.888.0116
calooshatcheemindfulness16@gmail.com caloosahatcheemindfulness.org
Metta Mindfulness
Lotus Blossom Clinic
6710 Winkler Road, Suite 2, Fort Myers 239.839.7300
jmaggie.stevens@gmail.com mettamindfulness.com
Mindful Mindz
Naples
610.804.2035
angelasanders@mindfulmindz.com mindfulmindz.com
Mindful Therapeutics
10621 Airport-Pulling Road #7, Naples 239.784.1080 mindfultherapeuticsllc@gmail.com mindfultherapeuticsllc.com
Open Mind Zen
1250 Tamiami Trail N., Naples 239.919.7484 info@openmindzennaples.com openmindzennaples.com (Relocation to Estero pending)
The Mindful Health Foundation 865 91st Ave., Naples 239.434.6596 admissions@themindfulhealth.com mindfulhealthfoundation.com
Angela Tarquini-Sanders, owner and founder of Mindful Mindz in Naples, believes experiencing one’s environment at a slower pace is essential to wellness.
of a way of being. It’s a major challenge to undertake an authentic mindfulness practice.”
The Mayo Clinic’s guidelines for mindfulness include exercises and concise applications.
Sensory awareness—experiencing and appreciating touch, sound, sight, smell and taste—is often taken for granted. Mindfulness slows down the daily grind to enjoy life, with practices including nonjudgment to trust, acceptance to letting go, patience to nonstriving and gratitude to generosity.
Maggie Stevens of Metta Mindfulness in Fort Myers teaches a variety of mindfulness workshops. The company’s website describes mindfulness as “clear seeing, loving awareness or paying attention in a friendly way without judgment. Mindfulness is being curious about what is present in one’s body, mind, emotions and environment.”
Kabat-Zinn, more than 45 years into his mindfulness journey, succinctly states, “When it’s all said and done, it’s really a love affair with life, with yourself and with your possibilities. In that way, no one can take it away from you. Your experience is your own.”
JUST WEST OF KEY WEST, DRY TORTUGAS
NATIONAL PARK OFFERS PLENTY OF ADVENTURE
By Artis HendersonJuan Ponce de Leon put the Tortugas on the map in 1513 when he and his crew stopped to capture sea turtles for their larders. Hence the name “tortugas,” which means turtles in Spanish. The islands sit at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, roughly between the Florida peninsula and Cuba. After they were folded into the newly formed United States, they became a strategic naval base. Work on Fort Jefferson began in 1846, and U.S. Navy ships filled the deep-water harbor around the islands to protect the shipping lanes that passed through the Gulf on their way to the Mississippi River. At one time, as many as 2,000 soldiers and their families lived on the Tortugas. But the corrosive effects of salt air and the ongoing devastation of hurricanes made the fort costly to maintain, and it grew less essential after the Civil War. The fort was transformed into a national monument in 1935 and a national park in 1992.
The Tortugas, once part of the U.S., were first used as a naval base that housed 2,000 soldiers and their families before becoming a national monument, and then a national park.
The Dry Tortugas National Park (305.242.7700; nps.gov) is only accessible by boat and seaplane. Visitors can take their own boat to the islands, though a permit is required. Charter boats can be booked out of Key West, and regular seaplane service—also out of Key West—ferries passengers to the islands for morning, afternoon and day trips. But the most popular way to reach the Dry Tortugas is via the Yankee Ferry (800.634.0939; drytortugas.com), a 250-seat ferry boat that runs day trips to the islands. The ferry leaves Key West each morning at 8 a.m. and returns at 5:30 p.m. Lunch and a breakfast snack are provided, along with free snorkeling equipment and a tour of Fort Jefferson.
The only way to get to the Dry Tortugas is by boat or seaplane. Those planning a visit can book a charter boat, ferry or seaplane, or take their own boat with the proper permit.
The Dry Tortugas are a dream for history buffs and naturalists alike. In addition to its military history, Fort Jefferson also served as a prison that housed one of the most famous criminals in American history: Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, who was tied to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The islands were also a favorite fishing spot for Ernest Hemingway. For nature enthusiasts, the waters off the Dry Tortugas have some of the best snorkeling in Florida. The depth is shallow—just five to 15 feet—so it’s perfect for seeing vibrant coral and bright tropical fish. The islands are also a major birding destination, and the annual spring migration is on the bucket list for many birders. John Audubon himself famously visited the Tortugas in 1832.
The Dry Tortugas are an unforgettable getaway with breathtaking views that even appealed to historical figures Ernest Hemingway and John Audubon.
Though the National Park Service runs a small gift shop with plenty of water and snacks, it’s best to bring the essentials. Most importantly, sunscreen and plenty of sun protection. The Dry Tortugas are hot
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The first county seat in Collier County wasn’t Naples. It was a tiny fishing village called Everglades.
It’s now known as Everglades City, but before Southwest Florida’s population started booming, Everglades was the center of county operations. In 1923, the southern half of Lee County was carved off into a new county named after its largest landholder—Barron Collier—after he offered to help fund the Tamiami Trail. Everglades was incorporated soon after.
In 1928, a two-story courthouse (pictured) was built in Neoclassical Revival style. State Route 29 was built, connecting the city to the Tamiami Trail five miles north. Just a few years previous, the town only had a few families living there. But it started to grow. In 1950, the population topped out at more than 600 residents.
Hurricane Donna hit Collier County hard in 1960—and Everglades was possibly hit the worst. The county courthouse sheltered about 200 people, who took refuge on the second floor during the storm. But the first floor was flooded with waist-high water, destroying many of the county’s documents.
Two years later, the Florida Legislature officially moved the county seat to Naples, which was already becoming a more bustling population center. The heyday of Everglades City had come and gone. But the courthouse still stands; it serves as City Hall and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
