Gulfshore Business July 2025

SCHOOLS, GOVERNMENTS FOLLOW RENAMING MANDATE

WAVES OF TOURISM

The ebbs and flows of season are cause for optimism

[ PLUS ]

INNOVATING LANDSCAPES BY GOING NATIVE

NCH - Naples Comprehensive Health

Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) is an Advanced Community Healthcare System™ serving Southwest Florida with premier routine, critical, and specialty care. NCH is recognized as one of Healthgrades America’s Top 50 Hospitals which puts it in the top 1% in the nation for clinical excellence. As the largest provider network in Collier County with urgent care centers, diagnostic facilities, and two hospitals, NCH is always advancing the quality of care near you. Visit www.NCHmd.org.

Since his arrival, Paul Hiltz, FACHE has spearheaded transformative changes at Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH), emphasizing top-quality care for our community. Under his leadership, NCH has earned national recognition as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for 2025 by Healthgrades—placing NCH in the top 1% of hospitals nationwide.

As one of only five Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Centers in Florida—and the only one in Southwest Florida— NCH Wingard Stroke Center continues to set the standard in specialized care. Additionally, the NCH Rooney Heart Institute has received the distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons for excellence in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), placing NCH among the nation’s elite in heart care.

NCH’s dedication to providing state-of-the-art treatment is demonstrated through key collaborations with market leaders like Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Northwestern Medicine and Encompass. These partnerships ensure that Southwest Florida residents receive specialized care closer to home.

With over 750 physicians and medical facilities in dozens of locations throughout Southwest Florida, NCH continues to advance healthcare. Guided by its Pathway to Excellence® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, NCH is committed to enhancing quality patient care, safety, and innovation.

NCH remains steadfast in helping everyone live a longer, happier and healthier life while growing and serving the region with pride.

Paul Hiltz, FACHE, President and CEO

QORVAL

A Continued Legacy

James R. “Jim” Malone, 1942-2021 Founder and Chairman Emeritus QORVAL Partners LLC

Their tag line reads “Grow it. Fix it. Exit.”—but it’s more than a punchy saying, it’s a philosophy borne of one man’s vision for helping boards, owners, and management teams to transform their businesses. Founded in 1996 by business transformation and turnaround expert and six-time Fortune 500 CEO, James R. “Jim” Malone, (1942-2021), QORVAL Partners is a Florida-based business consulting and advisory firm providing CEO services and business performance improvement services. Jim founded the company on the basis of his “core values” which is where the name “QORVAL” is derived; he was a legendary leader in Southwest Florida, an advisor to two presidential administrations, and one of the original creators of the Naples Winter Wine Festival.

Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP joined Jim and QORVAL in 2011 with the stipulation that Jim would mentor him and build upon his prior C-level experience. Paul worked alongside Jim for years and in 2020 was named CEO & Managing Partner. He has extensive experience in CEO, COO, CRO

(Chief Restructuring Officer) and president roles across in more than 90 engagements in more than 40 industries ranging from defense, construction, energy, infrastructure to pharma, healthcare, real estate and manufacturing. QORVAL’s team members have completed hundreds of successful projects over 29 years. As Paul puts it, “our immediate focus has always been to help people going through often intertwined business and personal challenges; as you can imagine after working on so many situations over nearly thirty years, our network of contacts and resources is immense.”

Capabilities

QORVAL has menu-driven capabilities to support client challenges and specific needs in order to improve your organization:

• Capital Advisory

• Early-Stage Growth Counsel

• Management Consulting and Advisory

• Profitability and EBITDA Improvement

• Turnaround/Transformation/Restructuring

• LEAN/5S/KPI/Operational Excellence Support

• Interim CEO/Transformational Leadership/CRO Services

• Leadership Development and Coaching

• Private Equity Operational Management

• Governance and Board Support

• Organizational Crisis Counsel

• Investigations and Special Services

QORVAL and its team are members of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), The Institute of Management Consultants, American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), The Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), The Institute for Management Consultants, The Association of Merger and Acquisition Advisors, and a founding member of the Tampa chapter of the Private Directors Association.

Connecting Outreach

We welcome any connections and look forward to any productive conversations where we can help people and add value.

4851 Tamiami Trail North - Suite #200 Naples, Florida 34103 USA Office (239) 588-0008 qorval.com helpmybusiness@qorval.com

Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP CEO & Managing Partner QORVAL Partners LLC

Riding the Tourist Waves

By Brian Tietz

PUBLISHER Carin Keane

PRESIDENT Jim Schwartzel

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Heidi Rambo Centrella

Managing Editor Kaitlin Regan

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Senior Editors Tim Aten, David Dorsey, Therese McDevitt, Nancy Semon, Evan Williams

Copy Editor Steve Gill

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John Guerra, Artis Henderson, Justin Paprocki, Melanie Pefinis, James Raia

ART

Creative Directors Scott Glick, Jerry Pomales

Photo Editor Mary Rich

ADVERTISING

Associate Publisher Tess Woods

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CIRCULATION

Director of Audience Development Kerri Nolan

PRODUCTION

Production Manager Martha Leavitt

ADMINISTRATION

Advertising Services Manager Subscriptions & Distribution

Kathleen Hill

READER SERVICES

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STATE OF UNCERTAINTY

If there’s one word that sums up this past season in Southwest Florida, it’s “change.”

Tourism here remains on a journey of sorts — still recovering from past hurricanes while trying to adapt and readapt to an economy that can’t seem to make up its mind. Visitor patterns shifted. Traveler behavior evolved. Some months brought tailwinds; others, turbulence.

In David Dorsey’s annual look back at the trends and takeaways of the previous busy months (page 34), the numbers tell a mixed story.

There were familiar high points: strong spring travel numbers to attractions such as the new Great Wolf Lodge in Collier County, brisk boating business and packed stadiums for Major League Baseballs’ spring training games. But there also were signs of strain, such as a marked drop in the totals of Canadian visitors, uneven tourist tax revenue across Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties and fewer passengers flying into Southwest Florida International Airport compared to last year.

Punta Gorda Airport, though, told a different tale — one of rapid growth, thanks in large part to Allegiant Air’s expanded service. Passenger counts there jumped significantly each month from January through April.

Lee County continues to feel the long-term effects of Hurricane Ian, given that despite the progress made over the intervening years there are roughly 2,500 hotel rooms still offline. That represents a significant constraint in a market built to a large degree on hospitality.

There have also been curveballs from Washington. Tariffs and other economic uncertainties are among the causes experts assign to those unusually low numbers of Canadian tour-

ists, and the change I alluded to even applies to maps. On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. The Florida government followed suit in April, with a new law requiring all state agencies and public schools to adopt the name, starting July 1. Read John Guerra’s breakdown of what’s next on page 26. For counties such as ours, the change may seem like a technicality. But it’s an alteration that soon will appear practically everywhere — on maps, tourism brochures and official communications. Charter captains and resort managers may not change how they operate, but it’s one more shift in a season already full of them.

Still, one thing hasn’t changed: Southwest Florida’s appeal. Whether visitors come for the beaches, the ballparks or the beautiful waters of the Gulf — whatever we call it — this region continues to deliver the experiences that keep people coming back. And that’s to everyone’s benefit.

HEIDI RAMBO CENTRELLA EDITOR IN CHIEF

In the239

SPOT

FLAVOR

By Evan Williams

Tunes make the taste of Music Spirits tequila p_18

Alico transformation

Fort Myers agriculture and land management company Alico Inc. has largely left the citrus industry due to the disease called greening that has decimated Florida citrus crops in recent years. With its last major citrus harvest complete in April, Alico is completing its transformation into a diversified land management company, with a focus on other forms of agriculture and land management operations. The company’s prospects in the next five years include $335 million to $380 million in residential and commercial real estate development, CEO John Kiernan told investors.

Spo t News

“Workforce development drives economic development and prosperity. Investing in human capital is the best way to prepare students to be good members of their community.”

—

Coming next month

Southwest Florida’s vibrant growth is mirrored in its thriving local business scene. For the 13th year, Gulfshore Business readers have cast their votes for the area’s top businesses. Join us next month as we reveal the results across 30 categories — featuring the winner and two finalists in each.

COLLIER COUNTY / LEE COUNTY / CHARLOTTE COUNTY

Aysegul Timur, president of Florida Gulf Coast University

LEE COUNTY

NEW TESLA SERVICE CENTER

Tesla Inc. opened its nearly 45,000-square-foot regional service and sales center at 4555 Radio Road in East Naples. Although the electric car company has operated a showroom at Waterside Shops in North Naples since December 2016, the service center is its first in Collier County. The Radio Road location features an indoor service area with 20 bays, plus a showroom and office space. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday; service hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Financial hardship

Traditional poverty measures significantly undercounted the number of Collier County households living in financial hardship, according to new data from United Way of Collier and the Keys and its research partner United for ALICE. In 2023, 10% of Collier households lived in poverty, but the State of ALICE in Florida report shows 33% were considered ALICE, or asset-limited, income-constrained, employed. Combined, 43% of Collier households fell below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival in 2023. ALICE households bring in less than the basic costs of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and technology, plus taxes. However, their income is above the Federal Poverty Level, so they often don’t qualify for assistance. In 2023, a family of four in the county needed $90,360 to cover essentials, more than three times the Federal Poverty Level of $30,000.

AI assistant

City of Fort Myers has adopted a new digital assistant — OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise — at an annual cost of $72,000. Designed to support city staff across a wide range of tasks, the AI tool is expected to significantly boost productivity. With 150 users averaging $35 per hour, the city conservatively estimates that the technology could deliver $42,000 in weekly productivity gains.

COLLIER COUNTY

COLLIER COUNTY

LEE COUNTY

Public Safety Center expansion Spo t News

MEDICATION ROOM EXPANSION

Neighborhood Health Clinic opened its expanded Medication Room at its location near Goodlette-Frank Road and Central Avenue in Naples. The 1,850-square-foot space was constructed for $500,000. Equipped with updated technology and increased storage capacity, the expanded space allows for a larger inventory of nonnarcotic formulary medications. This enables the nonprofit clinic to fill prescriptions immediately, helping to ensure compliance and minimizing delays in treatment. The expansion also consolidates medication dispensary operations into one dedicated space, improving volunteer coordination, volunteer physician consultations and direct patient support. The nonprofit delivers medical care to low-income, working but uninsured Collier County adults using a professional volunteer staff, and is funded by private philanthropy.

Energy grid upgrades

Just before the start of hurricane season, Lee County unveiled a $38.5 million expansion to its rebranded Public Safety Center. Formerly known as the Emergency Operations Center at 2675 Ortiz Ave. in Fort Myers, the Center expanded with a 36,873-squarefoot, two-story addition. When activated for an emergency, such as a hurricane or other disaster, the Public Safety Center will be staffed with key personnel from first responder agencies, emergency relief organizations, county departments, municipalities, utility companies and other essential agencies. Funding for the expansion came from a federal program, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and from state appropriation funds with support from Lee County’s legislative division.

Florida Power & Light announced plans for major energy grid upgrades in Lee and Collier counties in 2025 as part of its effort to reduce outages and boost storm resilience. In Lee County, company officials said upgrades include strengthening five main power lines serving critical facilities, inspecting or trimming 855 miles of power lines and inspecting more than 6,400 power poles. In Collier County, plans call for 11 undergrounding projects through the Storm Secure Underground Program, strengthening 11 main power lines, trimming 566 miles of power lines and inspecting more than 3,200 poles. FPL also plans to install seven smart devices in Collier to help detect outages and reroute power automatically.

COLLIER COUNTY / LEE COUNTY / CHARLOTTE COUNTY

COLLIER COUNTY

WINK Warns. You’re Ready.

Zach Maloch Meteorologist

Matt Devitt, Chief Meteorologist

SPACES

ON WITH THE SHOW

By Melanie Pefinis

The spotlight was on Moore and Spence Architects when the firm got involved in renovating the historic complex known as the Arcade theatre complex or the Bradford Block. At the time, over 20 years ago, this famous downtown Fort Myers landmark housed the Florida Repertory Theatre and other retail and commercial entities.

The complex had already gone through many iterations since Harvie Heitman first constructed the buildings at the turn of the last century. Throughout its long life, it has seen attempts at modernization, conflicting style choices and the destruction of authentic detailing from the building’s heyday.

When Moore and Spence began its decades-long connection to the building’s reformation back in 1998, little did the company know what would be unearthed. During excavation, discoveries revealed a history lesson worthy of Our Town, one of the plays Florida Repertory Theatre performed in its inaugural season that year.

David Moore, chief architect on the project, remembers the challenges of renovating the iconic complex. “We mostly worked on Heitman Building on the east end of the Bradford Block. It had been a Sears at one time,” he recalls. “It was obvi-

Bringing original style back to the Arcade complex

Craig P. Hildebrand

Now known as the Arcade theatre complex in downtown Fort Myers, this historic site has seen many renditions in its almost 125-year history. It sits on 1.6 acres and spans about 11,400 square feet.

ous they wanted to cover up old elements to modernize the structure.”

Excavation showed numerous windows had been closed off, skylights had been covered completely, entire sections had been reconfigured and in the 1970s, metal panels had been erected, hiding intricate details.

“These large metal wall panels were installed over the existing walls, I guess in an attempt to modernize,” Moore says. “When we saw what was underneath, we wanted to return the building to its original elements. There have been many attempts to make it contemporary.”

The structure initially was constructed as multiple buildings, and saw numerous additions and renovations during its roughly 125-year history. It takes up an entire city block bordering First Street to the south, Bay Street to the north, Franklin Street to the east and Hendry Street to the west, covering roughly 1.6 acres with structural dimensions of approximately 11,409 square feet.

Moore’s 2002 drafts and drawings were submitted to the state historical restoration award and won. They were applauded for creating elements to convey features of the original building.

“We only had black-and-white photos to go by; we planned our drawings on what we could comprehend from old pictures,” Moore explains. But photos can only reveal so much. Once walls were removed, the team was surprised to find intricately styled cast metal columns.

“We had believed this had to be wood detailing. We based our designs on that,” Moore says. Recognizing the craftsmanship of these metal structures, he soon learned the antiquated equipment required to craft such pieces was obsolete. A

Craig P. Hildebrand

metal sculptor was brought in to devise a casting process that would enable a prototype to be formed. From this, his artisans could fashion facade pieces made of steel to match the originals.

Excavations continued through the years. In one stage of Moore’s process, a demolition revealed original bricks had been chiseled away or pounded out of supporting walls. “We brought a European stone mason who sourced period brick to match the original features and walls. There was scaffolding around the entire building,” he says. The mason worked brick by brick to restore all the damage and the original cornice. “He used old, reclaimed brick of a similar period.”

Through all these iterations, Florida Repertory Theatre continued to thrive. Arts were flourishing in downtown, and the company required an orchestra pit to accommodate its musicians.

“When the theater realized it needed to add an orchestra pit, we started that excavation. We were surprised when we found old seawalls and stairways underneath that had originally led down to the water. It was another thing we had to work around.”

Eventually, Florida Repertory Theatre purchased the complex in June 2019. Now owners of the space they have called home for so long, the company performs in a structure that shines in all its historical beauty, sitting center stage in the downtown arts district.

One hundred and twenty years ago, Harvie Heitman began a legacy with the Heitman Building, the Bradford Hotel and all the businesses that have called this complex home. This grand structure, now returned to its original glory, honors the history of Fort Myers, our town. And the play of Southwest Florida life continues.

When Moore and Spence Architects began renovations in 1998, they didn’t anticipate the history they would uncover — from hidden skylights and metal panels to underground stairways and old seawalls.

MAKERS

THE SOUND AND THE FLAVOR

By Evan Williams

When Fort Myers husbandand-wife entrepreneurs Chris and Geri Andrews debuted their long-planned tequila company in May 2024, they called it Music Spirits LLC. Their dedication to the title runs deeply through the brand and its Música tequilas. It’s part of the manufacturing process where their agaveand-water spirits are made in Jalisco, Mexico, before being imported to the United States.

During the fermenting and aging stages, workers play music that is believed to enhance the final product, or what the couple call “the Mozart effect.” That doesn’t mean they only play Mozart; any kind of melody — whether blues, rock, reggae, house, techno or mariachi — might go into the mix.

“The music sound vibrates the liquid and excites it in a certain way,” Chris Andrews says. “Same thing when it’s aging in

Tunes make the taste of Music Spirits tequila

Agave used in Music Spirits’ tequila is grown and harvested in Jalisco, Mexico. The plant’s core is shredded to extract its sweet juice, which is then fermented and distilled into tequila.

the barrels … It’s a little subjective. We’re one of maybe a dozen brands that use this method.”

His love of music is personal, as Andrews, 63, was a musician and record producer for several decades. After graduating with an engineering degree from Michigan State University, he gravitated toward techno, house and electronic dance music. His experience includes working with Detroit electronic music pioneer Kevin Saunderson as an engineer on Inner City’s hit debut album Paradise (1989).

The couple’s tequila was its own hit after it debuted last May in Florida and Michigan, where the couple grew up. They moved here four years ago.

Now their products have garnered 21 awards for both taste and unique glass bottle design. The major ones are two double gold medals for their Reposado, one at the 2025 Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America Access Live tasting competition, the leading national event for the alcohol beverage industry; and another at the 2024 SIP World Spirits Competition.

Workers play music during fermenting and aging in a process called “the Mozart effect.” The sound vibrates the liquid and excites it, says cofounder Chris Andrews.

Chris and Geri Andrews; Getty

Forbes magazine writes, “Their Reposado is aged to perfection, offering a refined balance of the agave’s natural sweetness and the rich complexity of the oak aging.”

The company’s other offerings include a limited-edition Blues Reserva Añejo — a flavor made exclusively to the blues. Andrews said he will probably create editions inspired by jazz, rock and other forms of music.

Moving forward, Chris and Geri are intent on protecting the heritage behind their product and the brand’s boutique, craft approach. “It really is a living brand that we hope to have fun with,” Andrews says.

Meanwhile, they support music education through Save the Music, a national nonprofit that partners with public school districts to provide resources for teachers and school leaders.

EMPLOYMENT INERTIA

By Justin Paprocki

Remember the Great Resignation?

It may feel like a distant memory now, but during the height of the pandemic, it seemed as though everyone was leaving their jobs. In reality, the movement began gaining momentum in early 2021, as voluntary resignation rates began to climb — eventually reaching a record high in March 2022, when 4.5 million individuals chose to leave their positions. This trend began to taper off in mid-2023, with June marking a return to more typical resignation levels.

Today, we find ourselves in a markedly different phase. Rather than exiting the workforce, employees appear to be staying put. In fact, quit rates have now dipped slightly below pre-pandemic norms, signaling a shift in sentiment and behavior across the labor market.

TRE NDLINES

Quiet quitting the Great Resignation

3,370 3,095

2.3 2.1 2.7 2.8 2.4 2.1 2 3,359.5 3,513.4 2,988.5 3,965.6 4,216.1 3,682.9 3,266.6 3,258

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

ECONOMIC COMMENTARY

A DOCUMENTED SUCCESS

Foreign labor fuels Southwest Florida’s seasonal economy

President Donald Trump’s administration, consistent with its campaign promise to tighten the United States’ southern border, has embarked on what the president promised to be “the biggest deportation of undocumented immigrants in American history.” Meanwhile, Florida has enacted some of the strictest laws in the U.S., promising to levy large fines on state employers that hire undocumented immigrants.

A Florida visitor, snowbird or resident may wonder what the effect of this shift in immigration enforcement might mean for a seasonal economy that relies, in part, on foreign labor; however, the foreign labor that fuels much of Southwest Florida’s economy, particularly the hospitality industry, is not undocumented.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data hub, 39 hospitality industry employers in Collier County hired 661 foreign guest workers for the 2025 season, which runs from November through mid-May. On average, they will work 45 hours per week for 34 weeks. The

By Michael Collins

majority of these workers, 86% of the total, will work in food preparation and serving, primarily in private clubs in Collier County, but also in local resort hotels and restaurants. The remaining guest foreign workers will work in personal care and service occupations (6%), such as spas within private clubs and resorts, as well as in housekeeping (6%) at resort hotels. A handful, just 2%, will work in administrative and supervisory roles within the hospitality industry.

The wages earned by these workers will exceed $18 million and support a staggering $90 million-plus in incremental revenue for their employers. In

turn, the additional revenue will generate $5.4 million in additional sales tax revenue for the state and $1.8 million in tax revenue for Collier County — a total of $7.2 million in taxes.

Despite popular misperceptions, hiring guest foreign workers is not a ploy by hospitality employers to lower labor costs and does not displace domestic workers. The government requires guest foreign workers to be paid prevailing, competitive wage rates, and employers must demonstrate that attempts to recruit and hire local domestic workers were unsuccessful. International hospitality workers in Collier earn on average $17.16 per hour, not including gratuities or commissions. Federal law requires that the employer and employee pay all applicable FICA, income and state employment taxes — in other words, the cost to employ these workers does not come at a discount.

Hospitality employers said the incremental cost of hiring international workers runs $4,000 to $5,000 per person, which includes fees paid to Immigration Services and the State Depart-

ment and travel and transportation costs, legal fees and housing subsidies. The H-2B Visa program permits employers to hire international nonagricultural labor or service workers on a temporary basis. Each year, Congress establishes a cap on the number of workers that can be hired through this program — for this fiscal year, it is 66,000 workers nationwide.

In Collier, workers usually arrive in October and leave in late May, with over 60% returning from one season to the next. Employers said the biggest challenge is securing temporary hous-

ing for them, which is typically subsidized by the employer.

Any local resident, snowbird or regular visitor recognizes tourism’s influence on Southwest Florida, particularly during peak season. Traffic and restaurant wait times are just two indicators. Many private clubs, resort hotels and restaurants would be unable to operate efficiently or at full capacity during this time if not for guest foreign workers, because the local workforce is unable to fill all the seasonal jobs. Not having international workers could potentially cost our local economy over

During tourist season, Southwest Florida relies on foreign guest workers, whose labor contributes more than $90 million to the local economy and generates more than $7 million in tax revenue.

$90 million, by a conservative estimate, and our state and county governments over $7 million in tax revenues.

Consequently, we should be thankful foreign workers are willing to come here, spending several months away from their families each year to allow us to share in the fruits of their labor. The H-2B Visa program is a win-win proposition.

—Michael Collins, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Resort & Hospitality Management in the Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University.

LEGISLATION

WHAT’S IN A GULF?

Schools, local businesses follow watery renaming mandate

On the same day he took the oath of office, President Donald Trump — in Executive Order 14172 — ordered the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. The Florida Legislature quickly followed suit, filing two bills requiring the name change on state documents, including educational materials in public schools.

On April 15, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Bill 549 into law, which now requires state agencies to update their materials to reflect the new federal designation. The companion bill requires all instructional materials and library media collections in public schools to adopt the name change after July 1.

This will have to be accomplished even as the Internet continues to designate the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico. But Florida classroom standards require first graders to refer to a map in the classroom and name their town, their state and the body of water off the coast, a Collier County Schools official said.

“Currently, within Florida’s K-2 Social Studies standards, the Gulf of Mexico is referenced in the geography strand under the benchmark [standards],” Collier Schools Chief Communication Officer Chad Oliver says. “This benchmark requires

By John Guerra

Chad Oliver Collier County Public Schools chief communication officer

first graders to locate on maps and globes their local community, Florida, the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.”

Though the bill requires school districts to adopt or purchase instructional materials to include the Gulf of America this year, Collier schools aren’t scheduled to obtain new K-12 social studies materials until 2027-2028, Oliver said.

In the meantime, the school district would provide supplemental materials to teachers that use the Gulf of America designation.

Collier, Lee, Charlotte counties border ‘Gulf of America’

The new law also creates a new wrinkle for Collier, Lee and other Southwest Florida counties that suddenly find the Gulf of America on their borders. These county governments,

which engage in inter-governmental communications with state agencies, will follow suit when communicating with Tallahassee.

Collier County spokesman John Mullins said the new law doesn’t require the expensive proposition of changing the text on existing documents, but only those state documents after July 1, 2025.

If Lee, Sarasota, Collier or another coastal county files documents pertaining to a new seawall with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, for instance, that document — digital or otherwise — will refer to the “Gulf of America” rather than “Mexico.”

“This will have a negligible fiscal impact on our county operations under the Board of County Commissioners and will only require placement in/on future documents that may contain that reference,” Mullins says. “As a political subdivision of the State of Florida, and as our western water boundary has been changed in statute to ‘Gulf of America,’ we will be consistent with federal and state naming conventions.”

Change tourist pamphlets?

Charter boat captains who suddenly found themselves searching the Gulf of America instead of the

Stephen Myers Elite Jets executive vice president

Gulf of Mexico for their familiar fishing spots are unconcerned with the change. Similar to other charter boat captains out of Naples, Fort Myers and other Southwest Florida marinas, Capt. Robbie Sommer of Down South Charters was indifferent.

“I don’t pay attention to politics,” Sommer says. “I don’t watch TV because I’m out here still catching fish.”

Another charter captain applauded the change.

“Great, we have no problem with it. I like the idea of calling it the Gulf of America,” says Capt. Gene Luciano with Naples Fishing Boat

charters. He also said the name change helps with geographically challenged customers.

“I have had customers ask me if they need a passport to fish in the Gulf of Mexico,” Luciano chuckles.

Charter captains and other Southwest Florida tour guides hear National Weather Service weather reports for the Gulf of America, whereas just a few months ago, the NWS weather reports called it the Gulf of Mexico.

Naples Airport, pilots adopting name change on maps

Pilots who work for local private jet charter companies out of Na-

ples Airport and Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers have been discussing the name change, but it’s business as usual, said Stephen Myers, executive vice president of Elite Jets in Naples.

“There are ‘highways in the sky’ — airways — at different altitudes and they have not changed,” says Myers, who pilots Embraer Legacy 500, Phenom 300 and other business jets out of Naples Airport.

“They are more important than what the Gulf is called. Whether it is Gulf of America or Gulf of Mexico makes little difference to us.”

Nevertheless, “most of our Federal Aviation Administration charts have been updated to reflect Gulf of America.”

The United States Geological Survey received a proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico — the gulf’s name since about 1550 — to the Gulf of America in 2006, but the Board on Geographic Names unanimously decided not to approve it.

After President Donald Trump took office, he signed an executive order renaming Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. Starting July 1, all school materials and government documents must reflect the change.

Robbie Sommers Down South Charters captain

INNOVATION

GARDEN PARTY

Ecovision lessens homes’ environmental footprints by going native

By Evan Williams

Timothy and Lindsay Watkins met at ECHO, a North Fort Myers nonprofit that provides resources for sustainable farming in impoverished communities across the world. He worked in the nursery. She worked in the seed bank.

“I kind of grew the trees and she grew the seeds, and we got together,” Tim says. “We met there and really started our family here in Southwest Florida.”

That includes four children — three teenagers and a 7-year-old — and a young company, Ecovision Landscapes.

“The whole idea behind Ecovision is [applying] those ideas, the techniques that I gained and that we learned at ECHO,” Tim says.

In doing so, they created an environmentally sustainable option for yards and gardens in Southwest Florida, minimizing the use of fertilizer and irrigation water by building landscapes for clients that make use of native shrubs, grasses and flowers. Sometimes that also includes fruit and vegetable crops, such as mangos, avocados, coffee, ginger, herbs and many other edibles suited for the subtropical environment. They are incorporated into gardens

Timothy and Lindsay Watkins founded Ecovision Landscapes five years ago with a focus on environmentally sustainable design. Their approach emphasizes native shrubs, grasses and flowers to reduce reliance on fertilizers and irrigation.

Craig Hilerbrant; Ecovision Landscapes

using agroforestry techniques — a method of farming in which crops and plants exist together in beneficial relationships. Tim earned a master’s degree in the method from University of Missouri’s online program while working at ECHO, which he did for 15 years in all.

The couple began Ecovision in 2020, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time there was an uptick of interest in outdoor landscaping and growing food at home that has since leveled off, Watkins said. But if Ecovision’s ideas take root, landscaping designs that rely on elevated amounts of fertilizer and water to maintain a uniformly green blanket of grass could become a thing of the past.

Environmental problems in recent years have pushed some people in that direction. Rainwater runoff polluted by nitrogen, a fertilizer nutrient, has helped produce algal blooms mucking up Southwest Florida’s inland and coastal waters. Meanwhile, the area’s skyrocketing population in a time of drought has put a stronger spotlight on water as a valuable resource. Cape Coral city officials in May hiked prices for water used to irrigate lawns, in order to pay for a reservoir in Charlotte County that will help the Cape shore up its irrigation water supply.

Watkins said he’s not out to eliminate grass but reduce its presence in lawns and encourage the use of sustainable varietals. “Grass does serve a function, but a lot of the grasses used are thirsty, really hungry and they don’t do anything for the biodiversity that we live around. It is very costly in terms of health for the environment. A big part of our job is removing grass and bringing in the natives.”

Ecovision applies agroforestry techniques to its landscaping, fostering harmony between crops and native plants to support sustainability and ecological balance.

Karen Shepherd MSHR, SHRM-CP

Owner, HR byKaren (239) 776-5919

karen@hrbykaren.com hrbykaren.com

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Karen Shepherd, MSHR, SHRM-CP, is more than an HR consultant; she is a transformational guide for businesses looking to grow the right way. With over 30 years of professional experience, leading with a heartcentered approach, and a track record of supporting over 200 clients in just five years, Karen has earned a reputation for turning HR from a headache into a strategic advantage.

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and compliance, training, or culture building, Karen brings clarity and compassion to every aspect of the employee experience. Her customized solutions help businesses save time, reduce risk, and foster workplaces where people feel safe, seen, and supported.

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He designs landscapes that range from all native ornamentals to 100% edibles and everywhere in between. The company has installed plant habitats on Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach, an edible sensory community garden for a church in Port Charlotte and — one of his favorites — a fullfledged food forest on a former cattle field in North Fort Myers.

“That was a fun one, to have just kind of this blank slate and come up with something that was just really beautiful,” he says.

The business also faces headwinds. It may require some sweat equity on the part of clients to care for native plants and food. While there is a vast service industry built around keep-

ing traditional landscaping plants healthy, the roster for dealing with native plants common to the industry is much smaller.

“We just don’t have enough companies with knowledgeable staff,” Watkins says. “In general, a lot of the lawn maintenance and landscape compa-

nies don’t know what these plants are, so they get butchered or damaged with poor care or ignorant care. So that’s a real gap. If you don’t know the plants, the chance that you’ll maintain them well is really low.”

With a small crew of three or four employees, Ecovision is considering

size never fits all.

your

starting a subscription service for customers offering gardening help during the fall and spring. For instance, the company may help clients set up raised bed gardens for people interested in growing fruits and vegetables, and provide monthly checkup services, as well.

Ecovision designs landscapes that range from all native ornamentals to 100% edibles, with one of Timothy Watkins’ favorites being a full-fledged food forest on a former cattle field in North Fort Myers.

Many people aspire to have a garden or replace their sod with native varietals but never find time to do it.

Ecovision aims to get clients started with a foundation that prevents future hassles by showing them the key plants and timing needed to maintain their landscapes successfully, whether

in an inland town such as LaBelle or on Estero Island.

“I love what we’re doing,” Watkins says. “I feel like we’re offering something that is unique and special. I get a lot of fulfillment and satisfaction that we are helping people have better lives and thrive in the land that they have.”

RIDING THE TOURIST WAVES

An

up-and-down season brings cause for optimism

By David Dorsey

Southwest Florida

tourism season experienced ebbs and flows during its peak, as the region continued recovering from hurricanes amid economic uncertainty.

Data from Southwest Florida’s 2024-25 tourist season tells conflicting tales. Passenger counts from the two major airports show signs of both economic uncertainty and economic growth. Bed tax numbers were up year over year. But they also went down year over year, depending on the month and whether it was in Lee, Collier or Charlotte counties. There seems to be some rhyme and some reason to the varying trends.

But in the heart of the first tourist season held at Great Wolf Lodge, a 500-room, family-friendly resort in Collier County, the only ebbs and flows that mattered were inside the on-campus water park, where Renard and Christina Ellis had brought their sons Duke, 7, and Dean, 2, for a twonight stay that cost them $900. The memories they made, Renard Ellis said, were priceless.

“We just wanted to go to a water park,” says Renard, a Winter Haven High School algebra and geometry teacher and a wide receivers coach for the football team. “They’re both having fun.”

In this analysis of the season, Gulfshore Business pulled data from spring training attendance for the area’s three Major League Baseball teams, flight passenger numbers from two regional airports and the gold standard metric of tourist tax revenue from Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties. Those metrics told the tale of a region that is going through a bit of an economic roller coaster ride, exhibiting recovery from hurricanes but also showing signs of a slowdown.

Great Wolf Lodge South Florida marked its inaugural tourist season after fully opening in November 2024, welcoming more than 200,000 guests in its first six months. The 500room resort features a sprawling indoor water park, an adventure park and a variety of dining and entertainment offerings.

PASSENGER COUNTS ARE FLYING — AND DIPPING

Here’s a look at passenger counts for the area’s two regional airports. Of note: there were 12,010 flights in and out of RSW, about 3% more than in March 2024. But there were 3% fewer passengers than in March 2024, meaning fewer people were flying despite more opportunities to fly.

At Punta Gorda Airport, Allegiant Air operated between 27% and 34% more flights in the first three months of 2025 as compared to 2024, explaining the bump there in number of passengers.

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)

January: 1.06 million (-3.6%)

February: 1.17 million (-4%)

March: 1.46 million (-3%)

April: 1.18 million (+4%)

Punta Gorda Airport (PGD)

January: 205,625 (+22%)

February: 223,811 (+17%)

March: 309,678 (+27%)

April: 221,534 (+35%)

Although Southwest Florida International Airport saw a 3% increase in flights in March compared to the same month in 2024, passenger traffic declined by 3%.

FLYING HIGH, FLYING LOW

Consider that tourist tax revenue has been like a yo-yo: Numbers have rolled up, and they have spun down.

In Charlotte County, the monthly tourist tax revenue ranged from $1 million to $1.3 million, numbers that were down by 2.6%, year over year, in each of the three peak months of January, February and March.

In Collier and Lee counties, tourist tax revenue, which is vital toward funding beach renourishment projects and, in Lee, spring training facilities, went up by 4% to 6% in January and February.

March showed a different trend, as the revenue went down by 1.1% in Collier and 0.3% in Lee, to $6.4 million and $8 million, respectively.

“Locally, we did have some changes happening,” says Amir Neto, associate professor of economics in the Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University. “If you look at Fort Myers and Lee County, we don’t have this market fully recovered from Ian yet.”

Lee County is still operating with about 83% of its normal number of hotel rooms, with about 12,706 out of 15,230 operational. That means about 2,500 hotel rooms have yet to be rebuilt after being destroyed Sept. 28, 2022, by Hurricane Ian.

Passenger counts trended downward by 3% to 4% during January through March at Southwest Florida International Airport. But by April, those numbers were climbing again, by 4% year-over-year from 2024. Flights had an even more dramatic drop-off at Page Field in Fort Myers, where private jet traffic ranged between 12,731 and 13,338 takeoffs and landings, which dropped by 14% to 21% from 2024.

“Now when we’re thinking about bed tax, it’s not only by availability, but by the price of each room,” Neto says. “We

Amir Neto Florida Gulf Coast University associate economics professor

know supply is down. But if we are not seeing the same number of visitors, that would push the price down a little bit.”

But at Punta Gorda Airport, a much different picture emerged. Even while tourist tax revenue dipped in Charlotte County, airline passenger counts soared year over year in the first quarter of 2025, rising 22% in January, 17% in February and 27% in March — and 35% in April — compared to the same months in 2024.

Sun Country Airlines continued its seasonal flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul. But Allegiant Airlines boosted its monthly flight numbers, from 537 to 715 in January (+33%), 597 to 763 in February (+27%), 772 to 1,036 (+34%) in March and 543 to 796 in April (+46%), explaining the climbing passenger numbers.

As for the declining tourist tax and passenger count numbers at RSW, Neto pointed to what had been one of the region’s most reliable generators of tourists: Canada.

SHOCK THERAPY

Passenger traffic at Punta Gorda Airport increased year over year in the first quarter of 2025, rising 22% in January, 17% in February and 27% in March compared to the same months in 2024.

Canadian tourism to Collier County, for example, dropped by about 23% in February from last year, according to the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau. The drop coincides with the new presidential administration’s tariffs on Canadian goods, a weakened Canadian dollar and increased border security.

“A lot of the drop-in tourists are from Canada,” Neto says. “We have seen stories on the national level on how Canadians have pulled back from the American market, so that would directly impact Southwest Florida.

“I don’t think it’s only the Canadians. If you think of some of the

RIDING THE TOURIST WAVES

uncertainty that has been dominating the national headlines in March and in April, people are holding back from spending.”

The short-term volatility in tourism numbers reflects the sudden changes in long-term international trade policies and their effect, said Alfredo Gonzalez, a Florida resident and tourism development consultant with Tourism Expert Network, which provides advice to different tourism bureaus across the country. In short, President Donald Trump’s tariffs affected tourism in the short term, Gonzalez said.

“What we see today in international tourism, we have never seen before,” Gonzalez says. “We have a situation where the world had been turned upside down with tariffs and new rules and regulations. It’s like shock therapy. And shock therapy never works. What the government is doing now is shock therapy, trying to fix every problem in the world. People want to travel. They need to travel. If you’re Canadian, it’s your God-given right to travel. Little by little, sentiments will continue to change. I think visitors will continue to creep up. I’m praying that this summer, the bed tax collections will reach their normal levels.”

The Canadian issue should be a short-term one, not a long-term one, he said.

“Southwest Florida has a great, loyal base of international visitors,” Gonzalez says. “Germans, Canadians, a combination from central Europe — there are people who, regardless of hurricane or no hurricane, will travel anywhere from south of Naples to north of Tampa.

“Canadians don’t want to be a 51st state. But Canadians are very, very

Canadian visitation to Southwest Florida has softened, likely due to broader economic and policy factors, including U.S. tariffs, a weaker Canadian dollar and increased border security.

Alfredo Gonzalez Tourism Expert Network tourism development consultant

RIDING THE TOURIST WAVES

loyal to their travel partners. And Southwest Florida is one of their travel partners. I think we’re going to see an uptick in visitors from Canada, especially with the people who don’t care about the negative news they see. They feel like Southwest Florida offers them a product they want.”

THE PRODUCT THEY WANT

At Great Wolf Lodge, owners with the private equity company Blackstone created a product they hoped would be immune from financial downturns.

During a mid-March, spring break stay, Jessica and Don Davis and their family exemplified that. They hailed not from Massachusetts or Michigan, two states that provide a healthy supply of tourists to the region. The Davis family of five, with children aged 14, 11 and 9, instead came from Clearwater.

The license plates on the cars in the parking lot told part of the story of Great Wolf Lodge’s built-in immunity to the ebbs and flows that swayed the rest of the region; most of them had Florida plates.

“It’s close,” Jessica Davis says, plus they wanted to try something other than Disney or Universal Studios near Orlando. “We wanted to get out of the normal routine. It was quite an experience.”

As General Manager Jason Bays explained, Great Wolf Lodge aims to attract regional guests, not so much national or international travelers.

“Our summer booking trends look fantastic,” Bays says. “Everyone asks me how I would handle the slow season. There is no slow season in the summer.”

Naysayers said Great Wolf Lodge would have trouble finding a workforce, given its relatively remote location near the western entrance to

Jason Bays Great Wolf Lodge general manager

Alligator Alley, farther from the area’s great population base. Instead, Bays said the lodge had 4,000 applicants. What originally was planned to be 600 jobs ended up being about 725 positions, he said.

“Families are always looking for a convenient, carefree escape,” Bays says. “And we offer that. We get about 50% of our guests from Tampa to Collier County.” Many of the rest come from Fort Lauderdale and the Miami-Dade County region.

“Our play is to focus on families four hours away,” Bays says.

SPRING TRAINING STEADY

Patti Scott smiles as someone holds her cell phone camera, taking a photo of her standing alongside a pair of Boston Red Sox World Series trophies. She has made the pilgrimage from Wilmington, Massachusetts, to see her beloved team play the Baltimore Orioles. It’s St. Patrick’s Day, so the Red Sox are wearing green caps, a tradition that began with Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Roger Clemens suggesting it in the 1980s, or so the legend goes.

Great Wolf Lodge was built with the goal of weathering economic downturns — a strategy that appears to be succeeding. By targeting regional travelers, the resort aims to sustain consistent visitation and avoid seasonal slowdowns.

The Red Sox lose this game 12-3, but it draws a sellout crowd, one of 10 the Red Sox get this spring. Third baseman Rafael Devers drives in a run with a double, and before that, Scott snaps a selfie with a life-sized Lego sculpture of Hall of Famer David Ortiz.

Scott’s experience fits right in with the theme of an area both recovering from a hurricane and experiencing some economic uncertainty.

“We used to stay at the Best Western at Fort Myers Beach,” Scott says of a hotel that’s now gone, destroyed by Hurricane Ian. “It’s been a while. This is my first trip back since

RIDING THE TOURIST WAVES

COVID. We love coming down for the games, and we love the beach. We really love the Fort Myers Beach area.”

But with hotels few and far between there, Scott stayed at a different Best Western — the one in North Fort Myers.

“As you get older, you just want to sit on the beach all day,” she says. “A lot of it, it’s gone. A lot of it is fixed. I can’t believe it’s been almost three years.”

Across Daniels Parkway, Tara Chwalek of Commerce Township, Michigan, takes in the Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins game.

“It’s warm here — but back home, I believe it’s 45 degrees now, and it was below zero in January,” Chwalek says. She’s in town not for the Twins, but for the Tigers.

“We’ve got a Cy Young Award winner,” her husband Chris Chwalek says, referring to pitching sensation Tarik Skubal.

They are far from the only Michiganders on hand. Rocky and Debbie Corradin, from Muskegon, Michigan, visit and stay in The Landings in Fort Myers.

“We’ve got front-row seats by the batter’s box,” Rocky Corradin says. “We rent for three months every year.”

Spring training attendance figures fell by about 3% across all 30 Major League Baseball teams, but the numbers held steady in Southwest Florida.

Floridians still count for the biggest group of spring training ticket buyers, said Red Sox General Manager of Florida Operations Shawn Smith. Visitors from Massachusetts come in a close second place.

“Our entire staff does an incredible job serving our fans,” Smith says. “It is our honor to host so many sellout crowds while celebrating the amazing people of Southwest Florida.”

EBBS AND FLOWS

During a 20-minute, mid-April boat ride from Tarpon Lodge on the northern end

While spring training attendance declined by about 3% across Major League Baseball, Southwest Florida’s three teams held steady. The Red Sox saw a slight increase of 0.02%, while the Twins dipped by 0.08% and the Rays by 0.04%.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

Major League Baseball experienced a 3% drop in attendance across all 30 teams, according to an analysis done by Ballpark Digest. But the three area teams stayed static compared to 2024. The Red Sox increased its attendance by 0.02%. The Twins fell by 0.08% and the Rays fell by 0.04%.

SPRING TRAINING ATTENDANCE

Boston Red Sox

Number of sellouts: 10

Number of home Grapefruit League games: 14

Total attendance: 126,102

Average attendance: 9,007 (capacity 9,900)

Minnesota Twins

Number of sellouts: 1

Number of home Grapefruit League games: 17

Total attendance: 113,670

Average attendance: 6,686 (capacity 8,730)

Tampa Bay Rays

Number of sellouts: 0

Number of home Grapefruit League games: 14

Total attendance: 61,811

Average attendance: 4,415 (capacity 6,823)

Note: Gulfshore Business looked at Grapefruit League attendance only for the three teams. The Red Sox had a rainout Feb. 24 and also played host to Northeastern University Feb. 21 (6,794 attendance) and a Futures minor league game March 14 (5,179 attendance).

Whether it’s from 785 rooms at Sunseeker Resort (above) or six rooms at the Cabbage Key Inn (below), each guest pays a 5% tourist development tax, collected by Charlotte, Collier or Lee counties. This season, revenues remained stable, with only slight fluctuations of a few percentage points in each county.

RIDING THE TOURIST WAVES

SWFL TOURIST TAX REVENUE MOSTLY STATIC

Collier County collects a 5% tax on all hotel, campground and vacation rental stays of six months or less. Those funds get divided in allocation: beach renourishment and facilities (42.56%), tourism promotion and destination marketing (33.56%), amateur sports complex debt (14.29%) and museums (9.59%)

Lee County collects a 5% tax on accommodations of six months or less. Revenue gets allocated to advertising and promotion (53.6%), beach and shoreline improvements and maintenance (26.4%) and stadium debt service (20%)

Charlotte County collects a 5% tax, as well.

TOURIST BED TAX NUMBERS

Charlotte County (percentage change, YOY)

January: $1 million (-2.6%)

February: $1.1 million (-2.6%)

March: $1.3 million (- 2.6%)

Collier County

January: $3.8 million (+4%)

February: $4.6 million (+5%)

March: $6.4 million (-1.1%)

Lee County

January: $5.4 million (+4.8%)

February: $6.1 million (+5.8%)

March: $8 million (-0.3%)

of Pine Island, owner Robert Wells shows his boat’s passengers nearby Useppa Island. As he begins to accelerate again, a dolphin begins swimming in the wake, jumping in and out of the water on the boat’s way to Cabbage Key Inn.

The peak of tourism season has passed, but with Easter falling on April 20, Wells banks on getting more seasonal business that way.

The Southwest Florida International Airport numbers show that, as well, as the 1.17 million passengers increased by 4% the count from last year, marking the second-best April since the airport opened in 1983.

“I think late Easters always help,” Wells says. “From a 30,000-foot level, we were considerably slower in the fall as the entire area was recovering from hurricanes. In the winter, we contended with some cold weather days, which make selling cheeseburgers on the water a bit difficult for us, and I was pleasantly surprised at how strong the business was for us in spring.”

Capt. Craig O’Donnell, marina director at The Landings in Fort Myers, said following a down January because of poor weather, the marina sold about 20,000 more gallons of fuel in February 2025 than in 2024, about 25% more in sales.

This March fell in line with last March, which was to say, without divulging any proprietary information, fuel sales were robust, O’Donnell said.

“You can’t really compare the boating industry to anything else,” O’Donnell says. “It’s kind of like when COVID hit, the boating industry boomed, as far as people using their boats. We’ve seen that happen after the hurricanes. People get out on the water and use their boats. Really, the economy doesn’t affect it as much.

“It’s a continuous flow. It does not slow down.”

MEETING & EVENT

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Chef Wesley Robbins and his team will work with you to make sure the quality, taste and presentation of your meal is just perfect, and our wonderful staff will ensure you and your guests feel right at home. We’re not your average venue, and that’s kind of the point. Laid back, stunning, and full of heart. Come take a tour and see why so many are choosing Blossom & Brie.

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Turning Meetings into Celebrations at the Crowne Plaza Fort Myers Gulf Coast

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Turning Meetings into Celebrations

THE FACES YOU TRUST.

THE LOCAL NEWS YOU RELY ON.

Matt Devitt, Chief Meteorologist

Lois Thome

Chris Cifatte

AfterHOURS

HORSEPOWER / WELLNESS / UNWIND / BACKSTORY

HORSEPOWER ELECTRIC LUXURY

Inside Mercedes’ top-tier S 580e p_58

By James Raia

HORSEPOWER

ELECTRIC LUXURY

Inside Mercedes’ top-tier S 580e

By James Raia

Mercedes-Benz introduced its S-Class of full-sized luxury sedans in 1972. The lineup has evolved through more than five decades and now comprises four models, including the 2025 S 580e: a plug-in hybrid combining the S 500’s 3.0-liter turbocharged engine with an electric motor to make a powerful, versatile cruiser.

With its manufacturer’s German heritage, the S 580e ideally embodies the vehicle’s original name, Sonderklasse (“Special Class”). The luxury sedan is heavy at 5,501 pounds but subtly designed. It has a 503-horsepower engine that’s also the top-line offering for its segment with a 47-mile range as an electric vehicle.

The sedan powers down the road with a nine-speed automatic transmission and comes standard with all-wheel drive, which Mercedes-Benz calls 4MATIC. The ride is quiet, handling superior, smoothness prevalent at all speeds. It’s one of the quickest-accelerating luxury sedans on the market. Inconsistent braking is the only downfall; the pedal softness sometimes requires sooner preparation for stops. Still, the overall driving experience is what luxury sedans should represent.

The S 580e complements its appealing ride with an equally appealing appearance. It looks like a Derby hat on wheels with a nod to an early 1950s Bentley Mark

IV. It’s also among the few Mercedes-Benz vehicles still possessing a hood ornament. Mercedes-Benz makes top-notch interiors, with the S 580e a stellar example. The seats are large and quilted with Nappa leather; heated, cooled and massage options satisfy. The steering wheel is wrapped in the same leather and has heated and tilted functions. Seating includes adequate space for three in the rear, with easy entry and exit and substantial headroom and legroom. The front seats have small removable and pillow-like headrest attachments; they’re plush and soothing, so much so as to be potentially detrimental as sleep-inducing aids.

Door panels have a skilled craftsman’s touch, with the speakers for the high-end Burmester 3D sound system inset stylishly. The infotainment environment and the mothership 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen are positioned above the center console. It’s headquarters for the sedan’s operations, the navigation system to the Bluetooth

FACTS & FIGURES

Acceleration: 0 to 60 mph, 4.4 seconds

Airbags: 8

Gas mileage: 63 MPGe; 23 MPG combined city/hwy

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $128,200

Price as reviewed: $144,560

Manufacturer’s website: mbusa.com

Warranty:

Bumper-to-Bumper, 4 years/50,000 miles; Powertrain, 4 years/50,000 miles; Corrosion, 4 years/50,000 miles; Roadside Assistance, 4 years/50,000 miles

system and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to ambient lighting controls.

There’s a lot to decipher, particularly with touchscreen functionality. It’s not always intuitive or easy while driving to rely on changing the temperature, adjusting the airflow and switching stations on a big screen. It’s also difficult to adjust the stereo system via touch on the small slide control on the steering wheel.

German-made vehicles built reputations in part on safety, which often corresponds to their extensive standard features lists. The S 580e has 15 items, varying from Active Brake and Active Steering Assist to Active Emergency Stop Assist and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert with pedestrian detection and automatic braking.

The comfort and convenience standard features

list is nearly as exhaustive (in a good way): a panoramic moonroof, surround-view camera, a deep-set head-up display, a built-in dash cam, an air ionizer system and soft-closing doors. Pop-out and flush closed outside door handles are another welcomed item. They’re convenient from a distance to see if the doors are locked

or unlocked. They’re also underlit at night for visibility and safety. The Mercedes-Benz logo is even projected at night below the driver’s and passenger’s front doors for added night convenience.

One minor annoyance: The phone charger is tucked deep into the console, the charging icon is small and

it’s difficult to determine if a device is charging. The review luxury sedan also has pricey packages and single-item options tallying more than $16,000.

But with its reverence to yesteryear when powerful luxury sedans ruled roadways, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz S 580e deserves to take an automotive bow.

WELLNESS

WHO MONITORS THE MONITORS?

Wearable health tech can track data, but don’t go overboard

By James Raia

Andrew Bernstein is an elite agegroup endurance athlete in Colorado whose pursuits have varied from road marathons to track cycling. He knows extreme fitness as an athlete and as an industry expert who studies e-bikes to vehicle equipment racks to wristwatches.

Throughout his career, Bernstein has overcome injuries, as well as a life-threatening accident in which he was hit on a training ride by a wayward driver who was sentenced to two years in prison.

Like many professional athletes, Bernstein uses data from a fitness tracker to monitor his vital signs, as well as more advanced physiology — from sleep patterns to power output during intense exercise.

More and more commonly, fitness trackers are being used by recreational walkers, hikers, runners, cyclists and swimmers to monitor their workouts and recovery. Sleep patterns, caloric intake, blood pressure, heart rate and mileage covered are all part of the ever-increasing physiological information available.

In 2020, about a decade after fitness wearables were first prominent, 20% of Americans used fitness trackers, according to The Pew Institute of

“It can be overwhelming if you take that stuff super seriously, if you try to get it down to the 0.1 or even the 0.01. Some people are that strict about it … Once you get anxiety and stuff like that involved, then it becomes less healthy for you.”

—Aiden Urichko, manager of Fleet Feet in Fort Myers

Research. The global fitness wearable market value is growing even more quickly today; it was valued at $62.03 billion last year and $72.08 billion in 2025. It’s predicted to reach $290.8 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights, an online component of the global business publication.

Not all fitness wearables are the same. The information calculated is valuable, but product accuracy varies greatly. And not everyone agrees on the equipment’s importance. Detractors believe fitness enthusiasts who rely solely on the data from their devices can develop obsessive workout patterns.

“It can be overwhelming if you take that stuff super seriously, if you try to get it down to the 0.1 or even the 0.01,” says Aiden Urichko, manager of the Fleet Feet retail store in Fort Myers.

“Some people are that strict about it. Obviously, a strict workout routine is not a bad thing. But once you get anxiety and stuff like that involved, then it becomes less healthy for you.”

Entry-level fitness watches may feature only a few functions including heart rate and distance. More expensive devices may include the ability to check blood oxygenation levels.

The Fitbit Inspire 3 ($89.95 to $99.95) includes basics: heart rate monitoring, workout tracking and sleep stage monitoring. The Apple Watch Series 10 ($429) features ECG and menstrual cycle monitoring, as well as irregular heart rhythm and sleep apnea detection. The Coros Vertix 2S ($699) features dual-frequency satellite tracking, 118 hours of full GPS use per charge and an optical heart rate sensor.

Regardless of the device, “The important thing is that it gives you a window into your physiology,” says

Apple Watch Series 10 Starting at $399 (aluminum) and up to $699 (titanium), this is the thinnest Apple Watch yet, including sleep apnea notification and ECG monitoring.

Bernstein. “I think we can all agree that the best thing to do is something. All of the devices can measure something that you’re doing.

“For most people, the preciseness doesn’t really matter. What you want is to monitor trends. If you are seeing trends over time, it doesn’t really matter whether the rate was accurate to 1% or 5%. What’s important is that it’s accurate to itself.”

On the other hand, Andrew Weil, M.D., a pioneering integrative medicine physician, prolific author and re-

Coros Vertix 2S

With a price of $699, the 2S comes with an all-new GPS system, 36 days of regular use and Coros’ latestgeneration optical heart rate sensor.

Fitbit Inspire 3 Ranging from $89.95 to $99.95, the Inspire 3 includes up to 10 days’ worth of battery, heart monitoring and menstrual health tracking.

nowned speaker, believes the devices are unnecessary and perhaps harmful.

“My main objection to the use of wearable devices for fitness or weight loss purposes is that they have the potential for generating anxiety,” Weil says. “It’s particularly so among people with eating disorders and those prone to exercising excessively.”

Even proponents of fitness wearables understand one of the devices’ potential problems: They espouse the products’ benefits, but only for recreational/ informational use. The data does not diagnose, monitor, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition.

Andrew Bernstein Double Digit Communications co-founder

The wearable health technology industry doesn’t have universal standards. Varying algorithms and sensor technologies are used by different brands. Inconsistent measurements between manufacturers are common. Wearable health data sharing by third parties is also not regulated, which may prompt users’ security and privacy concerns.

“The data is not an exact science,” says Bernstein. “But that’s a dilemma for some product testers to get hung up on. It’s not really a problem if you get a reading of 98 watts or 100 watts. It’s consistency over time that’s important.”

UNWIND

A TOAST TO PARIS

Each year, France celebrates Bastille Day on July 14, commemorating the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris in 1789, a key moment in the French Revolution. This July, we’re raising a glass to those original French rabble-rousers and marking Bastille Day Southwest Florida-style.

By Artis Henderson

‘I DREAMED A DREAM’

For a taste of Revolution-era Paris, book seats to the Tony-winning Les Misérables at Artis—Naples this winter. Scheduled to run from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4, 2026, Cameron Mackintosh’s take on the acclaimed classic brings French tragedy and turmoil to the stunning Naples stage. True, the original Victor Hugo novel is set against the backdrop of the 1832 uprising in Paris, but the popular misconception that it takes place during the 1789 French rebellion is somehow — dare we say — more poetic.

Midnight in Paris

The perfect soundtrack for toasting the City of Light in style is Duke Ellington’s 1962 album, Midnight in Paris. We love its orchestral blend of horns and piano. Though the tunes are streamable, we recommend investing in classic vinyl to truly enjoy this one.

Les Misérables; Inner Sleeve; Getty

Remembrance of Things Past

If you prefer a different version of Paris — slightly more modern and gentler than its revolutionary days — then Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast is an unforgettable ode to the city. The memoir spans several years in the early 1920s when Hemingway lived in Paris with his first wife. Its pages are filled with famous literary characters in intimate conver-

sation, as well as the kind of observations about life that can only be made from a place of hard-earned wisdom. (“The only thing that could spoil a day was people, and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.”) For the reader, A Moveable

Santé!

Cocktail lore says that the Champagne coupe was first modeled after the breast of Marie Antoinette, and though this titillating version of history is most likely false, we still adore a beverage served in this most aesthetic of glassware. Our recommendation: the French 75 from Chez Boët in Naples, which adds a splash of cherry juice on top.

Feast is especially bittersweet because it was completed in the spring of 1960, not long before Hemingway shot himself. It was published posthumously in 1964.

“But Paris was a very old city and we were young and nothing was simple there, not even poverty, nor sudden money, nor the moonlight, nor right and wrong nor the breathing of someone who lay beside you in the moonlight.”

—Ernest Hemingway

French 75 à la Philippe Boët, bartender and mixologist at Chez Boët in Naples

2 oz gin or vodka Juice from 1/2 lime Champagne, enough to top 1 tsp cherry juice

Add gin or vodka and lime juice to shaker with ice. Shake and strain into chilled coupe glass. Top with champagne and cherry juice. Garnish with an orange slice and a Bordeaux cherry.

Backstory

SHELL GAME

It’s known as the Sanibel Stoop: a familiar sight of visitors bent at the waist, eyes scanning the sand in search of conchs, alphabet cones and the elusive Junonia shell.

Sanibel and Captiva islands have drawn shell collectors for decades, but their legacy stretches back centuries. The Calusa people, among the earliest inhabitants of Southwest Florida more than 2,500 years ago, fished the

By Justin Paprocki

surrounding waters and repurposed shells into tools, weapons and ornaments. Their towering shell mounds on Sanibel once marked territories, dwellings and sacred burial sites.

Modern tourists eventually discovered the islands’ extraordinary bounty of shells. Thanks to Sanibel’s unique crescent shape, the beaches naturally collect marine treasures. Spots such as Blind Pass, Bowman’s Beach and

Lighthouse Beach Park are particularly rich around low tide. Shell seekers may find hundreds of species, but the prized find remains the Junonia — a rare deep-water shell rarely washed ashore intact.

In 1984, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum opened to celebrate this natural wonder, becoming the nation’s only museum solely dedicated to shells and mollusks.

Natural treasures in the SWFL sand

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For decades, Quality Enterprises has been the trustworthy choice for heavy civil construction in Southwest Florida. Our wide range of services include roadway construction, utility installation and repairs, water and sewer, aviation construction, bridges, paving, and much more. Local expertise combined with the latest advances in construction technology make Quality Enterprises the first choice to deliver any project on time, within budget, and at the highest levels of quality. In all we do, we strive to provide quality lives for our families, customers, and community.