The Naples Press - January 3, 2025

Workforce apartments are in the approval stage for East Naples

Tim Aten Knows Tim Aten

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4A | DRAWN BACK HOME

A LOOK BACK

Supervisor of

Happy new year! Get set for a scrumptious smorgasbord of restaurants preparing to open in the Naples area in 2025.

January jam

The year begins with a series of restaurant newcomers setting tables for what is all but guaranteed to become a must-experience spread for Southwest Florida foodies.

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Naples. Celebrity “Top Chef” Dale Talde plans to showcase his innovative culinary style with dishes such as dry-aged crown of duck, dryaged beef potstickers and blue crab fried rice with jalapeño aioli.

The new hotel also will launch its Easy Tiger rooftop lounge with a view of the Cocohatchee River and the Gulf of Mexico.

Also in North Naples, Lujacks

All-American Grill plans a mid-January launch in the former large space of The Pearl and Stonewood Tavern in Fountain Park at Airport-Pulling and Vanderbilt Beach roads. The remodeled full-service restaurant and lounge will be a tribute to Fighting Irish football legend and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny

By Aisling Swift

2024 was a year of pros and cons for Collier County and its cities.

The 101st years for the city of Naples and Collier County marked a turning point. As the political climate turned nasty nationwide, it trickled down locally, ending in Political Action Committees injecting lies and mudslinging into the city of Naples’ elections. For the first time in the city’s history, PACs inserted themselves into the mayoral race, spreading negative and false information. Voters received not only mailers but texts from several PACs, including one that led to complaints filed with the

2024's last push

19 three-way

By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com

Twenty-five years ago, the hope was that a wine festival might bring together people with money, heart and the spirit of a bon vivant to help address the staggering needs for Collier County’s children in poverty.

Creating a legacy wasn’t on the radar.

That’s why several couples from its first year seem mildly surprised that they’re here analyzing the festival a quarter of a century later.

When a group of founding trustees and festival chairs who had steered it through the depths of

a recession in 2009 and the pandemic in 2021 sat down to talk about their years with the Naples Winter Wine Festival, they were more focused on what needs to be done.

Simone Lutgert recalled a recent trustees session at which the unmet needs were categorized for them: “That hit me like a brick,” she said. Even with the strides made, she felt they were “a rock in the water. There’s so much need here.”

From casual lunch to vintner dinners

The festival is one big stone, however. When the first vintners and chefs alight from private flights for the Naples Winter Wine Festival’s glittering Jan. 24-26 weekend, they are being greeted by an organization that has raised $302 million over the years for children’s causes in Collier County.

Its granting arm, the Naples Children and Education Foundation, operates the Early Childhood Development Center serving at-risk and underprivileged children on the Collier County

Corey Lazar

Rachel Cox-Rosen Zach Maloch Lindsey Sablan Taylor

Drew Whitcomb, left, Mia Luth, in the cart, and their dog Buddy during a laundry cart race at a Tamiami Trail anniversary celebration April 27. It's one of the many events, activities and citizens highlighted in The Year in Pictures photo spread on Pages 8A and 9A. Photo by Liz Gorman

See LOOK BACK, Page 10A

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SWFL INSIDER

Report: Naples Airport creates $781M economic impact in 2024

Naples Airport served about 200,000 passengers in 2024, and the Florida Department of Transportation estimates it created a $781 million economic impact, according to data from Naples Airport Authority’s 2024 Annual Report. The airport, which receives no local tax dollars, had a $62 million operating and capital budget and supported 5,454 jobs. It supported 123,171 aircraft operations, including 221 single-engine, 36 multiengine, 85 jets and 18 helicopters, in 2024.

Warrior Homes of Collier receives $55K in donations

Warrior Homes of Collier, a local nonprofit dedicated to eradicating veteran homelessness in Collier County, received a pair of donations totaling $55,000 from the Woman’s Club of Naples and the Collier Community Foundation. The $25,000 donation from the Woman’s Club of Naples will help provide additional mental health support to veterans living in Alpha House, a short-term, transitional home for those in recovery from substance-use disorders. The $30,000 from the Collier Community Foundation will help pay off the mortgage on Delta House, a supportive housing complex with 10 apartments for up to 20 veterans, both men and women.

Naples metro area private sector employment up 2,100 jobs in November

The Naples metro area private sector employment increased by 2,100 jobs year over year, or 1.3%, in November, according to Florida Department of Commerce data. The industry sector gaining the most jobs over the year in the Naples area was leisure and hospitality, increasing by 600 jobs. The Fort Myers metro area private sector employment increased by 2,300 jobs over the year with the leisure and hospitality sector increasing by 1,200 jobs. The Naples area’s unemployment rate was 3.5% in November, and the area labor force decreased by 2,960 jobs over the year. The Fort Myers area’s unemployment rate was 3.7%, and the area labor force was down 5,269 jobs over the year.

Bentley Village Foundation sets fundraising record

Bentley Village Foundation’s eighth annual Dollars for Scholars event raised a record-breaking $170,000. Proceeds from the event support the Bentley Wings

Competitive Scholarships, awarded to deserving employees or dependents of Vi at Bentley Village in Naples.

North Naples’ The Club at The Strand builds 13-foot gingerbread house

Executive Chef Kaustav Chatterjee and Executive Sous Chef Ravindra Chavhan teamed up to create a 13-foottall, 16-foot-wide gingerbread house for the holidays — a tradition in its third year at The Club at The Strand in North Naples. The chefs change the design each year. This year’s theme was Santa’s Workshop. Chatterjee said the project took two weeks to complete, with the biggest challenge being building the base and carrying it downstairs to the lobby. The construction included 110 pounds of flour, 6 gallons of molasses and 200 pounds of sugar. The team also used 150 pounds of vegetable oil, 60 whole eggs and enough royal icing — 80 pounds of powdered sugar and 10 pounds of egg whites — to make the house stand tall and proud.

Governor announces $578M initiative for I-75 congestion relief in SWFL

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that $578 million from the Moving Florida Forward Initiative is dedicated to congestion relief on Interstate 75 from Golden Gate Parkway in Collier County to Corkscrew Road in Lee County. The project will widen 18.5 miles of I-75 and add one lane in each direction and auxiliary lanes, increasing the roadway by six to eight lanes. DeSantis said the project will begin construction in 2026. Florida Department of Transportation officials said it will reduce travel times by an estimated 47%, increasing traffic operations efficiency and enhancing the safety and quality of life for communities in Southwest Florida.

Vineyards Country Club completes course renovation

Vineyards Country Club in North Naples completed the redesign and renovation of its North Course, a championship 18-hole course originally designed by golf architect and former PGA Tour player Mark McCumber. The project, which began in March, includes expanded yardage from the professional tees to bring the North Course to championship level, offering challenges with newly contoured fairways, larger greens and natural aesthetic elements, such as stone cap walls, wood bridges and indigenous South

Florida landscaping. The entire course was returfed with Bimini Bermudagrass on tees, fairways and roughs, complemented by TifEagle greens. Bunkers were refurbished with Par Angle White sand, while advanced drainage systems and a new Toro irrigation system improve water efficiency and course durability. This follows the transformation of the community’s South Course, completed in December 2023.

NAMI Collier County receives $5K grant from Collier Community Foundation

NAMI Collier County Inc. received a $5,000 grant from the Collier Community Foundation. These funds will support the organization’s food pantry, which is available to all participants in NAMI’s mental health programming. The nonprofit serves a wide range of economically vulnerable members of the Collier community, including seniors, veterans, low-income families, unhoused people and other populations who live with mental illness.

Holocaust Museum receives $30K grant

The Holocaust Museum & Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center received a $30,000 grant from the Collier Community Foundation. The foundation’s grant will be used to fund the museum’s Student and Teacher Education Programs. These programs serve students and teachers grades 5-12 through university level. Last year, the programs benefited more than 20,500 students and their teachers through museum field trips, on-campus programs, teacher education workshops, pop-up museum displays and hosting the Boxcar Exhibit. The museum’s recent expansion project added a larger classroom/meeting room space and new interactive educational displays.

Collier, Lee EV registrations jump 30% in 2024

Collier and Lee counties experienced a 30% increase in electric vehicle registrations in 2024, according to data from EV research group IHS Markit. Lee County saw the number of fully electric and plugin hybrid vehicle registrations jump from 7,095 in 2023 to 9,245 in 2024, while Collier County registrations increased from 5,956 to 7,742. Statewide, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle registrations are currently at nearly 300,000 total vehicles — 244,000 fully battery electric vehicles — up by a third in the past year.

COLLIER NOW

GOVERNMENT

Workforce apartments in approval stages for East Naples

By Aisling

A 300-home apartment complex with 90 income-restricted affordable units is planned for East Naples, where county planners agree the need for workforce housing is dire.

The county Planning Commission on Dec. 19 unanimously recommended amending the land-use code to allow 300 multi-family rental apartments with affordable housing and up to 64,000 square feet of commercial uses on 24.41 acres at the

northwest corner of Tamiami Trail East and Greenway Road. Planning commissioners also recommended rezoning the land from rural-agricultural to a mixed-use, planned-unit-development zoning district called Tamiami Trail Greenway Road MPUD.

The recommendation will go before the Board of County Commissioners for approval next month. Once the developer gets the go-ahead, the county must send the land-use amendment, which increases allowable building density, to the Florida Department of Commerce for approval.

“The current land development code does not allow enough density for there to be economically viable projects that would include income-restricted units,” land-use attorney Rich Yovanovich told planning commissioners, noting this request is consistent with others that were approved. “… This project addresses what the county commission has directed to address affordable housing.”

Noting “everybody acknowledges” Collier County has an

ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATING

Glenn Beitmen marks 20 years of creative teaching in Naples

By Randy Kambic

From witnessing a chemical reaction that blows off the top of a pumpkin to having their hair stand out by touching a Van de Graaff generator’s positive and negative charges, the oohs and ahhs from entranced youngsters are starting points. The positive effects of this science-based education go much further.

“It’s kind of like jazz … teaching the basics with enthusiasm and humor,” said Glen Beitmen, an acknowledged maverick in early teaching and owner of Super Science and Amazing Art (supersciencefl.com), celebrating his 20th year in 2025 of delivering colorful, high-energy programs in Collier County. Additionally, he’s working with the nonprofit Biz Kids, adding money management and investing to his repertoire of STEAM education science, chemistry, technology, chess, innovation, computers, robotics, drones, conservation and other topics for his afterschool, weekend and camp programs plus special events.

“Kids can start to think of themselves as their own business, get an early grasp of intellectual capital,” he said of his latest subject.

Beitmen currently leads a 75-minute, after-school STEAM program from

Monday through Thursday at The Village School of Naples for kindergarten through fifth grade; it’s also open to the public. He’ll also begin leading sessions for Seacrest Country Day School students of the same grades early next year.

Beitmen also conducts sessions at Preschool of the Arts, Fleischmann Park, Naples Park, the Norris Center, Lowdermilk Beach Park, Riptide Brewing Company (for adults) and in Immokalee and other sites. Based in Bonita Springs, he began his teaching career in 2000 in Fort Myers and continues teaching in Lee County, as well.

“We’ve worked with virtually everyone that’s involved with kids — YMCAs, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, parks and recreation departments, library systems, cities,” he cited.

He has a distinctive perspective on the influence of electronic devices on youngsters and how they are used to seeing things done on screens instead of experiencing them themselves. “We’re getting them out of passivity,” he said. “They see their creative potential.”

Classroom activities “can be applied to real life,” said Beitmen, who has a degree in specialized technology, before leading a Gamers Unite computer science session at The Village School. “They get motivated in how to create

Last section receives final design approval

By Aisling Swift

Three years after its initial design approval, the final piece of the Naples Square luxury mixed-use development got the green light to move forward with a restaurant and outdoor seating.

The Naples Design Review Board on Dec. 20 unanimously granted final design-review approval for a 3,500-square-foot commercial building at 325 12th Street S. that will house an as-yet unnamed restaurant. The vote was conditioned upon incorporating several DRB and staff conditions, including replacing gooseneck lighting fixtures.

“This is a very clean, contemporary building and those goosenecks … are an industrial-warehouse type. It’s kind of out of context,” DRB Chair Steve Hruby said.

Mark McLean, MHK Architecture’s national director, agreed to substitute something more in line with the architecture, noting those lighting fixtures were requested by a prior potential restaurant tenant.

It’s the final approval in a multiphased project that required more than a decade of approvals.

The plans by WSR Naples Square Commercial, an affiliate of The Ronto Group, feature a 3,500-square-foot restaurant with 500 square feet of outdoor dining space. The maximum development potential was 5,291 square feet. City Council granted final approval in October and the DRB vote allows the developer to move forward with construction permits. Once a restaurant signs a contract, the developer will return to the DRB for a review of its signage.

The 20-acre Naples Square planned development, at the corner of Fifth Avenue South and Goodlette-Frank Road, was first approved by Council in 2013 as a walkable, bikeable community close to downtown. It’s still growing after its fourth phase, Quattro, was completed in late 2022. MHK Architecture is working with Architectural Land Design Inc., both based in Naples.

The site is just north of the AC Marriott Hotel, east of Quattro

Abraham Planta, left, and Zachary Gibson receive individual attention from Glen Beitmen, owner of Super Science and Amazing Art, during a recent Gamers Unite computer science class at The Village School of Naples. Photo by Randy Kambic

NAPLES SQUARE

See HOUSING, Page 12A

Swift

NEAPOLITAN NEIGHBORS

From dancing on the world’s stages to sunsets back home

By Therese McDevitt terry.mcdevitt@naplespress.com

After many years in the New York City arts and culture scene, Elysia Dawn knew during the COVID-19 pandemic that Naples was calling her home.

Dawn, who grew up in Naples and returned in 2021 to work remotely in her arts consulting business, has served as executive director of United Arts Collier since November 2022. She had left Naples at age 14 to pursue a career in professional ballet, training at the North Carolina School of the Arts and then at the Miami City Ballet School before dancing professionally in Washington, D.C., Boston and New York and touring internationally.

After a decade of professional ballet, including performing with Mikhail Baryshnikov, she was sidelined by an injury — what she called “a hazard of the profession” — and decided to pursue an undergraduate degree at Columbia University, majoring in art history and business management. She said she kept “a foot in ballet” through the Columbia Ballet Collaborative, and ultimately went to work for The Frick Collection and then the Metropolitan Museum; she also received a master’s degree from Columbia in nonprofit management.

When the pandemic hit, she had just left the Metropolitan Museum to start her own consulting business working with performing artists and arts nonprofits, which allowed her to work remotely and not be completely tied to New York.

“I did a year of traveling back and forth a bit before landing in this role [at UAC],” Dawn said in a recent phone interview. “What brought me back was really the pandemic time. My parents had been here the whole time, and my brother and his wife and my niece are all up in Gainesville. I was just missing everybody terribly, and New York had changed a lot; I wanted to find a way back here. After living in all these places, I realized what an incredible place this is.”

Bookends: a pandemic and a hurricane

After a year of remote consulting work, when the opportunity arose to lead United Arts Collier — then known as United Arts Council of Collier County — in the fall of 2022, Dawn said she was thrilled to find this kind of opportunity in her hometown.

But that opportunity arrived bookended by another challenge: Southwest Florida had just been hit hard by Hurricane Ian in September, and the UAC offices had been flooded and rendered unusable.

“There was a really difficult decision when I came on board that we had to make, and it was, do we invest what was going to be an exorbitant

From page 3A

amount of money to renovate and continue the overhead costs, or invest it in the staff and come up with creative ways to share the work of our artists?” Dawn recalled. “I was doing a strategic assessment of the organization and looking at everything we were doing from both a mission and a monetary perspective, and for me, the monetary perspective on that [renovation] was unjustifiable and the mission part of it was important.”

Dawn said part of the decision about whether or not to keep the former physical location at 967 4th Ave. North in Naples was informed by lessons learned during the pandemic about how effective working virtually could be. She shared the idea with the UAC Board and her

team, and the decision was made to “find the way forward” without a physical office.

“There were some benefits: What we weren’t spending on overhead was really invested in the team and in our education programs,” Dawn said. “It was also part of our mission to be serving all of Collier County that we needed to be in multiple places at once, really. So, we’re working remotely administratively, but in the community, we have exhibition locations and event locations all spread out.”

Growing arts community

Another part of what attracted Dawn back home to Naples was the overall growth in the arts through-

out Southwest Florida, and the strong support from the community.

“One of the things that I’m thrilled to have returned to see now is the significant continuing growth for the arts here,” she said. “This is a world-class place to live and visit, and it’s great to see world-class arts developing more and more here.”

Dawn said she sees the arts as “fundamental to our humanity,” and noted regional studies from UAC and nationally from Americans for the Arts that show the economic impact of the arts on communities.

“They [the arts] are an investment,” she said. “When we invest in the arts, they give back to us in really meaningful ways as individuals, but also in the communities that

mercial restaurant site be met, including color samples, signage, lighting choice and clarification on plantings. All but signage by a restaurant tenant received approval.

“One of the things that I'm thrilled to have returned to see now is the significant continuing growth for the arts here. This is a worldclass place to live and visit, and it's great to see worldclass arts developing more and more here.”

—Elysia Dawn, executive director of United Arts Collier

we constitute. They are a necessary component of it from various perspectives in terms of our individual and community health.”

She said the strong philanthropic support for the arts in the region shows that donors “really recognize the value of the arts.”

“There are incredibly generous people here who also understand the challenges that the arts face, and they see what the arts do for themselves and for others in this community,” she said. “And in a year like we’ve just experienced where we had the loss of state funding [for the arts] for the first time in the state of Florida, I think there’s a sense of duty of leadership among our philanthropists here that is so greatly appreciated, because their sense of responsibility is keeping the arts strong in our community.”

‘Stretch your eyes’ It’s not just the professional opportunities that Dawn enjoys about being back home on the Paradise Coast: She said the natural beauty of the area was part of what always exerted a pull on her to come home, especially during her years in New York.

Dawn said the years of big-city living gave her a new understanding of the importance of sunrise beach walks and Naples sunsets, and a new appreciation of the wide-open skies here.

“Coming back from New York City, I have to say, there was the expansive sky and being able to ‘stretch my eyes,’” she said. “My grandfather always used to say, ‘Go watch the sunset and stretch your eyes over the horizon.’ And that’s a hard thing to do with skyscrapers.” and south of Naples Square’s fifth phase, Encore, just west of Bayfront, which is awaiting permits to move forward with construction. In 2021, the DRB asked that eight conditions on the com-

“It was a little dark and shut in and everybody thought it would just be better to be open and a little more welcoming,” McLean said of the prior recommendations, adding that MHK added a louver system to the outdoor dining area that can open and close depending on the weather.

Colorful landscaping will surround the restaurant. Landscape architect Christian Andrea told the DRB that plantings will include philodendron, cocoplum, clusia, asparagus, foxtail, muhly grass and a groundcover of Asian jasmine. DRB member Sabrina McCabe, a landscape architect and project director of RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture, told McLean and Christian: “The palette is really nice, and I look forward to seeing this last piece.”

Elysia Dawn, Executive Director of United Arts Collier, in front of the sculpture "Tail of the Whale" by artist Robbie Robins at the 8th Avenue South Beach Park, donated by Eugene Burke. Photo by Liz Gorman

Naples Airport improvements to include parking for Gordon River Greenway

By

Naples Airport is planning about $25.33 million in improvements that include 42 new hangars to replace aging facilities, and a lighted parking lot along North Road that also can be used by dog walkers, hikers, bicyclists and others heading to Gordon River Greenway Park.

But the architectural embellishments and landscaping, designed to increase screening along North Road to cover the airport’s inner workings, are heading back to the drawing board after the Naples Design Review Board on Dec. 20 suggested hiding the buildings with dense landscaping.

“I have a real problem with this project, a very big problem,” DRB Chair Steve Hruby said of the 650-foot-long metal hangar building that people will drive by. “This is the gateway to Naples. … You put lipstick on a pig, but it will still be a pig, and what you have here is a pig with lipstick on it.”

Hruby, a nationally known architect, urban designer and town planner, suggested adding more landscaping to shield the long building, noting other “ugly” buildings and parking garages in Naples have been covered by dense plantings to shield them from view.

“This is a case where the landscaping should hide the architecture. I think that would be an easy solution because this is a gateway building

and if we don’t get it right, shame on us,” Hruby added. “So I say go back because if you ask for my vote today, it’s going to be thumbs down.”

The DRB unanimously agreed to give Hanson Professional Services Inc., Schenkel Schultz Architecture and Urban Green Studio a continuance to improve the design. Revised plans will return to the DRB on Feb. 26 for preliminary approval.

The improvements to the airport’s south quadrant, which will replace old tie-down and shade hangars, are expected to be complete 18-24 months from now; once the plans undergo various approvals, construction could begin next summer. It’s the latest project at the airport,

following an $8 million General Terminal renovation completed in 2022 and pending North Road terminal renovations. The new designs for 2660 Fuel Farm Road will continue the airport’s color palette, with pergolas and Bahama shutters, and add more dense, colorful landscaping.

The 81-year-old Naples Airport, which began as a military airfield, is located on roughly one square mile off Airport-Pulling Road. It’s self-sustaining, uses no taxpayer money and leases most of its 733 acres from Naples for $1 yearly, and its 2025 budget totals $67.35 million.

The Florida Department of Transportation says it generates $781 million annually for the area.

The project, to be built next to existing hangars, would add three 10unit T-hangar buildings (named due to their shape) to meet current demand, and a 12-unit box hangar that will replace tie-downs and shade hangars used by light aircraft.

Also planned are drainage and stormwater improvements; a taxiway connector to improve aircraft circulation; a self-fueling and washrack area; realignment of the service road perimeter; an apron expansion to connect the box hangar to taxi lanes; a taxi lane connecting runways to the new hangars; driveway and curb-cut access onto North Road; a sidewalk and sidewalk connections; a 38-space lighted parking

lot; removal of the North Road berm; and new landscaping. A pad-site for a future pilot’s lounge will be completed later.

Current costs are estimated at $22.92 million based on designs, which are 60% completed, but the final cost is expected to be $25.33 million, which will be self-funded by airport fees and a $7.5 million Florida Department of Transportation grant. NAA’s cost would be $17.88 million.

The 30 T-hangars, which will replace aging T-hangars in the airport’s east quadrant, are expected to bring in at least $360,000 in annual rental revenue.

The buildings will feature shiplap, faux windows with Bahama-style louvered shutters and white trellises. Pedestrian areas will be sheltered by shade trees. Trees will include green and silver buttonwoods, palm trees, colorful bushes and flowers that will add splashes of bright colors, including tropical hydrangeas, firebushes, pink muhly grass and philodendron.

The 38-space lighted parking lot will be available to wildlife enthusiasts, dog-walkers, hikers, bicyclists, roller skaters and others using the 140-acre Gordon River Greenway Park, which offers 2.5 miles of asphalt, mulch and boardwalk trails that meander through six different native-plant areas. The park offers fishing and look-out piers, a kay-

A rendering of one of the proposed new hangars that will replace aging facilities at Naples Airport, part of $25.33 million in planned improvements. Submitted

Aisling Swift

campus of Florida SouthWestern State College. Its NCEF Pediatric Dental Center there provides specialized, comprehensive dental care to children in Southwest Florida and offers mental health screenings onsite for children growing up in a sometimes-untethered life.

Its grants provide scholarship help to kids who would be otherwise on the outside looking in at opportunities for music and theater experiences and academic help.

In the beginning, however, it was simply a clutch of friends who began talking about ramping up aid to Collier County’s most vulnerable population.

“There was a group that loved to drink wine, have dinner parties. They loved great food and great wine. But they wanted to do something for the kids of Collier County,” recalled Valerie Gargiulo. Everyone in the group already was involved somewhere — on the board of the Immokalee Foundation, with the Boys & Girls Club. “We were all very involved in several nonprofits here. But we wanted to do something that would make a profound difference in the lives of kids.”

They’d been to a small wine auction for Youth Haven and several of them had even been to that zenith of American wine festivals, the Auction Napa Valley. But a wine festival in a flatland with no vineyards for miles — and, for all its good food, no culinary stars on restaurant lists —took some strategic thinking. Six couples met for an informal Sunday lunch at the Gargiulos’ home in January of 2000 to make the commitment, giving the festival a millennium birthdate.

“Our goal, and our promise, which we kept the promise the whole 25 years, was that 100% went to the kids,” Gargiulo added. Valerie and her husband, Jeff, handled the chair duties for the first festival.

“After we met on Sunday, we each put money in the bank on Monday,” recalled Jeff Gargiulo.

For each couple, that was a $10,000 deposit on the future of what would become the Naples Winter Wine Festival, titled for its singular attribute: Winter. You could party outdoors in this sunny city while most other locations required chuffing around in coats and gloves.

“I think one of the brilliant things about this was [that] it was a winter wine festival. All the other wine festivals were in the spring or in the summer. There was nobody else in that time frame,” recalled Scott Lutgert, another of the founding trustees. “The vintners were free. What were they doing in the winter?”

Love for the vintners

To add to that, Jeff Gargiulo said, this festival would give the vintners their due; bring them out of the background pouring wine to celebrity status.

“We told them, ‘You’re going to be treated like royalty. You’re going to be staying in people’s homes. You’re going to be flying in on Net Jets,’” Gargiulo recalled. There would be entertainment for them — golf, hunting or fishing. Later, the Meet the Kids Day was developed so that they could see the rewards of what they were doing in the young people they met.

Having the vintners there was critical, Simone Lutgert declared:

“We always demanded that the principal of the winery came; the owner. That they didn’t send their PR person or their president, and that set us apart.”

It was easier in the first year, Valerie Gargiulo remembered, for those home stays with only 12 vintners and chefs for a dozen dinners.

“And we didn’t have budget to put them up at the Ritz,” Lutgert reminded the group. Hotel stays became a necessity as the number of dinners grew to its current 26 — and has occasionally even surpassed that number.

To attract guests, each trustee was asked to find a potential ticket buyer from friends around the country with whom they’d been serving on boards. It would ease the burden on Neapolitans with means who were already tapped for so many causes and would introduce more people to the charms of Naples. As a result, 60% of the crowd bidding at the inaugural festival

were from out of town, many of them seeing Naples, Florida, for the first time.

One of the still-active pioneers, Denise Cobb, who was a trustee with her husband, Brian, knew the media from her anchor work with CNN. She was entrusted with bringing in national attention — and potentially more visitors. Those contacts would prove invaluable: A luncheon with the staff at Bon Appetit magazine, in fact, was key to their survival. The magazine gave them a list of celebrity chefs to contact for their first dinners.

There was another requirement:

“It might have been the Sunday before, there was a trustee meeting. Jeff was chairman and he went around the room and said everybody has to protect a lot. What?” recalled Rick Germain, chucking about the moment. The trustees were going to leave no lot at auction below its value. Each one agreed to bid one specific lot up to a value they could handle and drop out if there were other bidders willing to go higher.

Symbolically, trustee Jim Figge bought the first lot — a huge bottle of Champagne, possibly a Nebuchadnezzar, the size of 20 standard bottles — and served it to the entire auction crowd. That, the trustees agreed, set the tone that this was an auction for charity.

Setting the standards

Before the napkins were being teased into elegant shapes for Friday’s vintner-chef dinners; before the massive auction tent with its recording studio-quality sound and celebration snippets of music was

their community is a given: “I don’t think you live in a community and don’t give back,” Libby Germain said of the decision she and her husband, Rick, made to join as trustees recently. “You have to give back where you’re involved.”

• Bringing in new people and new ideas: “The trustees are the heart and soul of this organization. The only reason we’ve been able to be sustainable is [because of] all the new trustees who come in,” Gargiulo said. “Each new trustee brings something new.”

Further, Paul and Barbie Hills emphasized, trustees were expected to work; this was not an organization with figureheads. Thirty-five to 40 trustees — 15 to 20 couples — spread the workload that is required. Jeff Gargiulo remembered the first one, when they had underestimated the help needed to get the buffet food for the auction out of the kitchen for a crowd of 300 to 400 people: “I remember, Shirlene Elkins and me, we were carrying platters of food out on paper towels.”

erected; and before the shipments of rarified brands such as Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estates had arrived in their temperature-controlled containers, the template was being created for an institution.

It was a blessing that their auctioneer was Ann Colgin, owner of one of those wineries and still a vintner today. Colgin had both lived in Naples and conducted wine auctions before.

There was an abundance of blips.

The Gargiulos rented a house in Napa Valley for the summer and talked to vintners and people involved with Auction Napa Valley.

“We didn’t have a staff. If there was a problem, we had to solve it,”

Jeff Gargiulo said. One of their ideas, a safety move, was that guests would be transported to and from their vintner dinners the night before the auction. But there were not enough limos in Naples, so J.D. Clinton, the trustee in charge of transportation, hired them from Miami.

The year the festival was scheduled for the same weekend as the Super Bowl, that was thrown into chaos: Every limo in Miami was already rented. The group had to sleuth out cars from Sarasota and Tampa.

Recipe for longevity

Some of their rules of success:

• Partner involvement: “Day one, that Sunday, it was couples who came. It was couples who started it, and we were going to do it as couples, so that each couple was really committed to the cause,” Valerie Gargiulo declared.

• Setting the tone that care for

He also remembers from that year an abundantly generous community in Naples, with Al Hoffmann donating auction tent space at the not-quite-complete Ritz-Carlton Tiburón for the auction, and local people volunteering as servers.

As with any grand event, the festival has had to deal with unexpected challenges.

One year, it was the emotional aftermath of the Space Shuttle Columbia breaking up as it re-entered the atmosphere, two hours before the auction. Festival leaders had to acknowledge it, memorialize it and move on with hope.

Rain was actually less of a problem. With umbrellas provided and a broad tent, the spirits never matched the weather.

The COVID-19 pandemic was potentially devastating.

“Everybody was sequestered in their house,” recalled Paul Hills. “It was the first virtual festival we had. We were in some very uncharted waters.” Still, the festival raised $7.2 million from the generosity of online bidders and a streamed auction. Ridgway Bar and Grill assembled boxed lunches for watch parties.

That didn’t surprise Libby Germain. A critical component of this 25-year celebration is this community, she said.

“It’s just a very generous community. There’s nothing like it anywhere. It’s only in Naples,” she said.

“Everybody wants to know what the secret sauce is,” Hills said of the festival. “And that’s hard to say, because there are a lot of moving parts. But the foundation of it is ... helping those kids. And if you have the heart for helping those kids, great things can be accomplished.”

Original festival trustees and trustees through some of the challenging years who were able to gather before the silver anniversary celebration to remember the formative years: in couples, from left, Rick and Libby Germain, Barbie and Paul Hills, Jeff and Valerie Gargiulo and Scott and Simone Lutgert. Photo by Harriet Howard Heithaus

Lujack.

The folks behind Seventh South Craft Food + Drink are planning to launch Seventh South Waterfront this month in the former spot of Three60 Market on Haldeman Creek off Bayshore Drive in East Naples. Fresh Catch Inland is the latest seafood bistro from prolific local restaurateur Franco Russo, whose new place is in the former T42 and TGI Fridays outparcel on the northern edge of Coconut Point in Estero.

The creative team behind the legendary Sugarshack Sessions video platforms plans to share a new state-of-the-art experience in an ultra-cool setting that it’s bringing to life by the end of the month with the launch of the Sugarshack Downtown live music venue, a vibrant entertainment destination with a full-service restaurant, two full bars and a retail shop on Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs.

Sonny’s Pizzeria & Sports Bar will be the new name for the longtime Zookies Sports Bar & Grill off Immokalee Road in North Naples. With new ownership and a fresh name, expect a cosmetic rebrand and menu additions such as Chicago-style pizza.

Backyard Chick-N-Ribs plans to open in early January in the former Vegan Kitchen space in Neapolitan Way Plaza in Naples. GG Brunch Haus hopes to open a new breakfast-lunch spot this month in the former La Rosa Pizza place at Pelican Larry’s Plaza on Davis Boulevard in East Naples.

Two local eateries plan to open second locations this month. Jimmy P’s Burgers & More is coming soon to Vanderbilt Commons on Vanderbilt Beach Road in North Naples; Yacht Club Subs is expanding with a restaurant next to PJK on Fourth Avenue South in Old Naples.

RAVentures Hospitality Group plans to open two of its regional brands this month. Kelly’s Roast Beef is coming soon to a new outparcel location along U.S. 41 at the Gateway Shoppes at North Bay in North Naples; and Oar & Iron Raw Bar & Grill is targeted to open later this month near Topgolf in Fort Myers.

Roadies Pit Stop is taking shape and opening soon on an outparcel in Founders Square at the corner of Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard. A family-owned Asian fusion restaurant, Umami Ave, also is expected to open this month in the new Midtown Plaza in Ave Maria.

Tops in Naples

A few more fine-dining restaurants are coming in 2025 to the city of Naples.

Prime Social rooftop restaurant under construction high atop Chops City Grill will be the third upscale restaurant on Fifth Avenue South operated by Cameron

ak-canoe launch with storage rack, bike racks, restrooms, water fountains, picnic pavilions and a playground with a treehouse.

DRB member Sabrina McCabe, a landscape architect and project director of RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture, said the plans are a “huge improvement” to what’s there now, but suggested more landscaping that should extend past the future pilot lounge site. And Vice Chair Luke Fredrickson, a builder, noted the trellises on the building are all at the same height and suggested breaking up the “mass” of the hangar-building.

Nathalie White, of Schenkel Shultz Architecture, told the DRB members she appreciated their honesty, adding that plans origi-

nally had screened the building more and can do that again.

Hruby said that when the architects return to the DRB in the future with designs for the pilot lounge, there should be more landscaping and the building design should be more like MHK Architecture’s projects, not a metal building with two doors.

“That would be an appropriate entrance to our airport,” Hruby said. “Don’t invest in trying to put the lipstick on the pig. Invest in covering it. Put it behind. Hide it, hide it.”

During a presentation to the Naples Airport Authority a day earlier, Ken Warriner, NAA senior director of Finance Administration, said the NAA charges $805 monthly for 45-foot hangars, so $1,000 would be a reasonable rent for newer, premium hangars. It would take 38 years to recover the costs, which would never be possible without the

Mitchell Restaurants, which also has Del Mar and Ocean Prime. Blackbird Modern Asian restaurant is being built out in the former longtime waterfront space of Bonefish Grill at Naples Bay Resort & Marina. Ce Soir Naples is bringing its modern French cuisine with Mediterranean flair to the former Southern Style Kitchen & Raw Bar in Bayfront. Expect a restaurant to expand the former space of Old Naples Pub off Third Street South in downtown Naples. Other upscale restaurants are targeted in new local developments such as Four Seasons Resort at Naples Beach Club, Naples Square on Goodlette-Frank Road and the Old Naples Hotel on Third Street South.

Mimoto Japanese Seafood Cafe & Sake Bar is coming soon adjacent to Tong Yin; the two share owners on U.S. 41 south of Central Avenue. The aviation-themed 7J7 Sky Lounge is scheduled to take flight this spring on the corner of First Avenue North and 10th Street North.

Roma Italian Bistro & Pizzeria is relocating a few blocks west on Fifth Avenue South to the former space of KJ Sushi & Asian Bistro

FDOT grant. By reducing the scope to the original $16.6 million budgeted for the project, he said, they’d recover costs within 19 years with the grant — or in 52 years without it.

NAA Commissioner Terrence Cavanaugh, who said he’d worked with contractors for 30 years, wanted to clarify that the NAA wants to keep costs down.

“I want the construction community to know that there is a price at which point this no longer becomes a viable project,” Cavanaugh said, noting the NAA is viewed as an effectively run authority that has money. “I worry about the fact that sometimes we don’t get the best price, so I want the construction community to recognize that this is not something we have to do.”

NAA commissioners Kerry Dustin and John Crees contended the cost is too high

and relaunching as Ottimo on 5th Cucina & Bar. Two pizzerias are shooting to open this spring in Naples; Mister O1 is readying its second area location at Eleven Eleven Central, and a Long Island couple is creating a yet-unnamed slice shop in Shea’s former space off Fifth Avenue South.

North Naples newcomers At least two high-end restaurants are coming to Waterside Shops. Restoration Hardware is planning a glass-roofed restaurant as the centerpiece to its RH Naples gallery proposed at the site of the former Nordstrom store. Darden Restaurants plans the first regional location of Eddie V’s Prime Seafood at an outparcel fronting Seagate Drive.

Across U.S. 41, The Carnelian boutique hotel proposed on the site of the former Beacon Bowl bowling alley plans an upscale restaurant. This project may not open to the public until early 2026. Estia, a Greek-Mediterranean restaurant, is being built out in the former space of Bokamper’s Sports Bar & Grill on Vanderbilt Beach Road. In the adjacent Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt, expect the launch of Aufieri & Martinez Steakhouse, Boards & Bubbles, Crazy King Burrito and Tasia’s Cafe

Coming to Mercato are Beeline Shake Shack and Waxin’s Connors Steak & Seafood is planned for an outparcel space in Granada Shoppes, while Sushi Sake is coming to Riverchase Plaza across the street. In Green Tree Center, Joey D’s Italian Restaurant & Bar is expanding and adding an adjacent Italian market, plus two other restaurants will be announced for new spaces on that corner. In the new Tree Farm Plaza under construction at Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard, Cava, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Riko’s Pizza are coming soon. Kitty-corner at Founders Square, Panda Express will be built on a new outparcel lot next to Roadies.

East Naples eats Ascent at Metropolitan Naples, under construction on the corner of U.S. 41 East and Davis Boulevard, will have a yet-unnamed restaurant that is expected to open this year. East on Davis, Cafe Seabreeze and Sage Supper Club are preparing to open in Kings Lake Square and Pelican Larry’s Plaza, respectively.

The Hotel on Bayshore, an eightsuite boutique property being built on Bayshore Drive in East Naples, will have a 155-seat restaurant on its ground floor. National chains planning new area locations include Dairy Queen Grill & Chill Denny’s, Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders and Maple Street Biscuit Co.

The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim. aten@naplespress.com.

and needs to come down. But NAA Executive Director Chris Rozansky said contractors are more concerned about taking on a new project on top of the workloads they’re handling, not the project’s budget.

Commissioner Robert Patten Burns noted Naples City Council doesn’t want more hangars, but Rozansky explained that these have been planned since 2020 and City Council knows, but was opposed to two more hangars proposed a year later. Dustin, who believed the proposed $1,000 rents were too low, suggested looking at the market and asking tenants what they’re willing to pay.

If preliminary plans are approved by the DRB in February, they’d be presented to the NAA and return to the DRB for final design review in spring. Once the NAA approves a construction contract, construction can begin.

Lujacks All-American Grill is launching in January in the former space of The Pearl restaurant in North Naples. Photo by Tim Aten

Prime Social is under construction on a Fifth Avenue rooftop in downtown Naples. Rendering by MHK Architecture

Roadies Pit Stop, a local drive-thru for coffee and energy drinks, is coming in early 2025 to a new outparcel spot in Founders Square on the southeast corner of Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard. Rendering courtesy of Roadies Pit Stop

Tigress, a Cantonese chophouse, is coming this month atop the Perry Hotel Naples on the edge of the Cocohatchee River in North Naples. Photo by Perry Hotel Naples

THE YEAR IN PICTURES

A look back at at 2024 through the eyes, and lenses, of our photographers.

All photography by Liz Gorman, except where noted ABOVE:

RIGHT: Flooding in Naples during Hurricane Milton in October.

Photo by Olga Hayes

The closing of Bowland Beacon in Naples brought out longtime bowlers to bid farewell to the business after 60 years in operation. Photo by Chris Tilley

A young boy holds up an Irish flag at the 2024 St. Patrick's Day parade on Fifth Avenue South in Naples.

THE YEAR IN PICTURES

Dancers

Naples painter Paul Arsenault in front of his painting depicting the Olde Marco Island Inn and Bistro Soleil, which closed last year.

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

Collier County plans to rev up tourism with car lovers campaign

By Aisling Swift

Naples’ exotic, antique and luxury cars and its car lovers will soon be featured in an ad campaign to boost tourism here.

Paradise Advertising, which creates award-winning commercials for the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau, plans to lure auto lovers with an ad campaign highlighting all the luxury car events and attractions the Paradise Coast has to offer.

“It’s not just about the high-end cars that people drive. It’s about the commitment to the car and the lifestyle that these cars bring,” Tom Merrick, the agency’s chief creative officer, told the county’s Tourism Development Council on Dec. 17. “We want to talk about club owners, the car collector, the dealerships you have, the amazing Revs Institute here, which is a global destination.

“People who like cars can come see that Cars on 5th is one of the biggest events in this community, and it’s a wonderful thing that

page 1A

Berne Barton and Tony Perez-Benitoa, who were aiming for three open council seats.

Also running were political newcomers Garey Cooper and Nicholas Del Rosso and former council member Linda Penniman, who stepped down in 2019 to spend more time with her husband because he had health problems.

In the end, the races were so close, they were decided by the Collier County Canvassing Board, with machine and manual counts determining Heitmann won over Price by 22 votes, 3,269 to 3,247. Price received more than twice the monetary contributions that Heitmann drew, while Blankenship put more of his own money into his race than any other candidate. Penniman, Barton and Kramer also won.

The mudslinging and money spent was so unusual it spawned a book by Penniman’s husband, Nicholas, who authored Gutter Politics to detail how more than $500,000 in contributions from outside Naples tried to sway voters.

Countywide races also got heated, with usually unopposed races attracting several candidates, as well as “ghost” write-in candidates and others who closed primaries to only Republicans. That prompted thousands of voters to switch parties so they could choose a candidate in the primaries.

The hottest race was for the Supervisor of Elections — a seat contested only once before, in 1980. Jennifer Edwards, who retired in April 2023 after 23 years, tapped her deputy, Melissa Blazier, an 18-year employee, to take over and Blazier was then appointed by the governor.

Two Republicans challenged Blazier: Realtor Tim Guerrette, an Air Force veteran who retired as chief of operations for the Sheriff’s Office, and Dave Schaffel, an information-technology entrepreneur backed by co-Republican State Committeeman Alfie Oakes and the Collier County Republican Executive Committee.

To close the primary to only Republican voters, Realtor Edward

gives money to charity,” he said of St. Matthew’s House, adding that the agency plans to film cars, attractions, car culture, Cars & Coffee at Mercato and Cars on 5th, where comedian and automobile collector Jay Leno will be featured Feb. 6-8 during the Naples Automotive Experience.

Merrick said the agency is working with Tom O’Riordan, president of the Ferrari Club of America — the club’s Naples chapter organizes Cars on 5th and the Naples Automotive Experience — and he’s putting them in touch with other car clubs.

TDC Chair Rick LoCastro, who noted he owns a restored 1971 Cutlass convertible, praised the idea and suggested filming luxury cars at the county’s many high-end car storage facilities, and other events where people are encouraged to park high-end cars, such as Porsches.

The car lovers ad campaign is among ways Collier is trying to increase tourism after a slump in hotel stays, ending in the county ranking below five similar markets, just above Lee County. County commissioners approved nearly doubling the marketing budget to $11.4

Gubala filed to run as an independent against Edwards in the general election. It seemed likely from Gubala’s past social media posts that he backed Guerrette and wanted to help him. The race brought in some mudslinging, but on Sept. 4, Gubala backed out, just in time to remove the race from the Nov. 4 general election ballot and securing Blazier’s post.

Commissioner falsely accused

District 1 County Commissioner

Rick LoCastro, a retired Air Force colonel, was seeking his second term, but in February, he was charged with battery involving a girlfriend he’d dated only a handful of times.

Marco Island resident Eden Looney, who had previously served probation for drunken driving, said he threw her into bushes after breaking up with her at a Naples restaurant. LoCastro said she’d had too many drinks and was intoxicated and had ripped his pants; and he broke up with her at the restaurant. While he was driving her home, she opened the car door. He pulled to the side of the road, where she stumbled on pavers in her high heels and fell into a bush.

In a call to 911, Looney could be heard screaming at LoCastro over the breakup. Afterward, she repeatedly called and texted him, begging him to get back together, but he refused. She reported a second battery charge, but the prosecutor, appointed from outside the county, refused to prosecute the second case.

Despite evidence provided by defense attorney Donald Day that indicated Looney had lied and made similar false accusations against other boyfriends and her ex-husband, the prosecutor refused to drop the charge. That was until Sept. 24, when Looney refused to be deposed by Day, who planned to question her about prior false accusations.

By that time, LoCastro had spent more than $40,000 defending himself. Weeks later, LoCastro prevailed by a landslide, winning 95% of the vote over a write-in candidate. The

million this fiscal year.

To counter fears that the area is still reeling from hurricane damage after several major storms, the St. Petersburg-based Paradise Marketing told the TDC it’s launching a new campaign, “All Is … In Paradise,” including “All Is Perfect In Paradise” to counter fears of hurricane damage; “All Is Delicious In Paradise” to promote restaurants; and “All Is Beachy In Paradise” to highlight beaches. Other sectors will also be featured.

For this calendar year through October, visitor spending at hotels, restaurants and shops countywide increased 10.5% over last calendar year, bringing in $2.38 billion. That resulted in a $3.3 billion economic impact to the area this calendar year through October, up 9.4% over last calendar year, James Brendle, project director of Downs & St. Germain Research, told the TDC.

“Calendar year-to-date was up about 10%, mostly due to visitors that have come so far this calendar year staying much longer,” Brendle said of the report, which goes through October, the most recent county data available. “It’s always awesome to see double-digit growth in

false charge has been expunged from court records and LoCastro is looking into legal options to protect other men from similar vindictive false accusations by Looney.

Naples mayor charged with DUI

At about 10:45 p.m. Aug. 28, Mayor Teresa Heitmann was arrested on a DUI charge after homeowners on the 500 block of 16th Avenue South reported that a silver Porsche nearly drove through a stop sign, causing them to slam on their brakes. They said the driver started tailgating them and followed them home, flashing lights and parked outside their home, where the driver confronted them. They called police after the driver claimed to be the mayor, seemed drunk and urged them to call police because “nothing will happen.” When an officer arrived, Heitmann told him the couple had cut her off in a roundabout on her way home. Heitmann, who was wearing high heels, failed the sobriety test and was arrested. She agreed to take a Breathalyzer test at the jail, where she registered a .155% and .169% blood-alcohol level, double the .08% definition of drunken driving. The case is pending in Collier County Court, where she has a pre-trial conference on Jan. 22.

Marco Island election upset

On Marco Island, where a council seat remains open, four challengers won City Council seats in November, ousting two incumbents and filling two vacant seats. Stephen Gray, Bonita Schwan, Deb Henry and Tamara Goehler won, ousting incumbents Rich Blonna and Becky Irwin. The election upset came after months of false accusations and divisiveness, often pitting business owners against residents, especially about a controversial bus trolley service that passed.

The winners joined Vice Chair Erik Brechnitz and Councilor Palumbo on the dais, but due to repeated tie votes, Council was unable to name a chair and vice chair in November or December.

This month, they’ll vote to appoint one of four candidates to a seat vacated by Councilor Greg Folley, who was required to resign Nov. 5 after a bid for the State House District 81 seat. He lost to Yvette Benarroch in the August primary.

spending. Hopefully, we can finish out the calendar year and still see that.”

The firm’s research showed 2.31 million visitors traveled here, up 0.3% over last year, resulting in 2.23 million in room nights, an increase of 9.9%. Most were from the Midwest, Northeast and Florida.

“The Northeast saw the largest year-overyear increase, going from 35,000 visitors last year … to 41,000 visitors from the northeast in October this year,” Brendle said.

County Tourism Director Jay Tusa, who heads the CVB, said October’s tourist-development tax revenue totaled $1.98 million, bringing the year-to-date total to $48.63 million.

Although hotel occupancy declined 3.2% year-over-year, he said, more tourists came here to visit friends and relatives, rising from 20% to 26%, and day-trippers comprised a larger share, an increase from 6% last year to 10% this October.

“Median household income for visitors was 8% higher than October 2023, increasing from $150,000 to $162,000,” Tusa said, adding that first-time visitors declined from 33% to 21% out of the total.

Feds raid Alfie Oakes’ properties

Two days after the general election, in what Republicans branded a political move, federal agents from the United States Secret Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Services and IRS stormed Trump supporter Alfie Oakes’ home in Villages of Monterey and his produce packing business on New Harvest Road in Immokalee. Feds said the investigation is continuing. DCIS probes focus on Department of Defense contracts and over the years, Oakes’ contracts totaled about $275 million.

Fluoride removed

In February, the Board of County Commissioners agreed to stop fluoridating county water after a push by many residents. And last month, the city of Naples agreed to stop fluoridating public water after repeated public demand to protect residents’ health, especially children and the elderly. Neither Marco Island nor Everglades City ever fluoridated their water.

After the vote, Dr. Johnny Johnson Jr., a pediatric dentist and president of the American Fluoridation Society, predicted cavities would rise or proponents would seek another vote — and he’d be asked to help again, as has happened in other communities.

Workforce housing on the rise

In March, a non-profit, The Housing Alliance, was launched to serve as a one-stop shop for affordable housing contractors, as well as residents seeking workforce and affordable housing. It’s an affiliate of Collier County Community Land Trust and the Housing Development Corporation of Southwest Florida, which does business as HELP.

Throughout the year, there was a boom in affordable workforce housing, with grand openings, new construction and numerous approvals, many of them representing affordable housing within larger developments, a strategy to gain increased density.

The biggest player is Miami-based McDowell Housing Partners, which formed several public-private partnerships with Collier County un-

der a 99-year land lease. In October, McDowell opened Ekos Allegro, a 160-apartment complex for fixed-income seniors and veterans. It was made possible by a $1.3 million loan from Collier Community Foundation’s Collier Housing Impact Investment Fund, which covered impact and utility connection fees. Many complexes focused on seniors, veterans and essential-services personnel, but some employers are building for their own employees. The former Super 8 Naples hotel will be transformed into 110 furnished apartments primarily for Moorings Park employees, with 33 reserved for affordable housing. North Naples-based medical-device manufacturer Arthrex plans to build 41 furnished rentals, transitional corporate housing on Palm River Boulevard in North Naples to make it easier to attract and retain employees.

Last month, county commissioners granted the developer of Fiddler’s Creek in East Naples approval to move forward with a plan to add 750 apartments, including affordable workforce housing, but nearby residents are still fighting back and the development faces state and federal hurdles.

This month, Tamiami Trail Greenway Road MPUD, a 300-home apartment complex with 90 income-restricted affordable units planned for East Naples, will go before the Board of County Commissioners for approval. Hurricanes set area back again Hurricane Ian recovery efforts were nearing completion nearly two years following the storm, when the Naples area was hit by Tropical Storm Debbie on Aug. 4 and Hurricane Idalia on Aug. 30, followed by Hurricane Helene on Sept. 26 and Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9-10. Helene slammed Naples during high tides, but tides were higher during Milton. At city and county parks, storm surge pushed sand off beaches onto benches, grassy areas and streets, with some piles reaching nearly 5 feet high — undoing the cleanup just completed after Helene. Hurricane Milton caused $280 million in damage to residential and commercial properties and government infrastructure in unincorporated Collier County, but that number doesn’t include ongoing costs involving infrastructure, stormwater management, maintenance and cleanout.

Heitmann

LoCastro Looney

Oakes

Blue Sky Restaurant dawns at Magnolia Square in North Naples

By Tim Aten tim.aten@naplespress.com

The family-owned Blue Sky Restaurant opened Dec. 7 in the former space of Franklin Social at Magnolia Square on the northeast corner of Goodlette-Frank and Pine Ridge roads.

Franklin Social, a local bar with a limited food menu, closed earlier this year.

The unit also previously was a Crispers salad-centric eatery, a defunct fast-casual concept with counter service formerly owned by Publix. So, until now, the corner eatery didn’t have a kitchen suitable for a full-service restaurant.

“We remodeled everything. We changed everything. Everything is brand new,” said Blue Sky general manager Eris Llabani.

The new scratch kitchen executes an extensive full menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“Especially for dinner, our food is phenomenal,” Llabani said. “Our chefs are coming up with amazing dishes for a very reasonable price.”

Dinner entrees include grilled New York strip steak, chicken breast and salmon; kebabs, burgers and grilled cod with lobster sauce.

“Our pork chop is one of our best sellers so far,” Llabani said. “It’s a pork chop on the bone with Parmesan potatoes and roasted cauliflower. The [demi-glace] sauce, we make it here homemade.”

The lunch menu includes sandwiches, wraps, soup, flatbreads, salads and blue-plate specials such as pot roast, chopped steak and grilled fish. Appetizers feature chicken wings, steak bites, shrimp cocktail, quesadillas, wraps and a charcuterie platter.

Breakfast items include a variety of egg combinations and dishes such as Benedicts and about 10 omelet options. Also available are breakfast sandwiches, bagels, French toast, pancakes, waffles, crepes, fruit, oatmeal and corned beef hash.

Desserts include tiramisu, berry cake and ice cream. Blue Sky’s unique Supreme Sundae Nachos features waffle cone wafers with scoops of cookies-and-cream, strawberry and vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate fudge, caramel syrup, whipped cream, sprinkles and maraschino cherries.

“The top dessert, from the feedback we are getting, is our Lemon

Dream Cake,” Llabani said. Llabani’s sister and brotherin-law, Jorilda and Noeli Ago, own Blue Sky, and the family also owns nightclubs in Miami. Their new restaurant’s optimistic name should not be confused with the new Bluesky social media platform; the family created the name before the X competitor launched recently.

“We’re in Florida; the sky is always blue here,” Llabani said. “We were trying to get some catchy name that is easy to remember and to also match our decor.”

Blue Sky’s logo and modern decor inside and out are accented with shades of blue on awnings, chairs, light fixtures and menus. Two overhead doors can open the restaurant to the “blue sky” and turn the full bar into an indoor-outdoor bar with patio seating.

Blu Sky, 5926 Premier Way, Suite 100, is open 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m.4 p.m. Sunday, and closed Mondays. Happy hour specials are available 2-6 p.m.

Blue Sky, 5926 Premier Way, Suite 100, features modern decor inside

light fixtures and menus. Two

affordable-housing crisis, Yovanovich said the apartments would allow teachers, nurses, firefighters and police officers “to actually live here.” Planning staff noted the need for affordable housing is great in Collier County. A University of Florida Shimberg Center for Housing study shows 51,368 cost-burdened households countywide this year, with 25,687 households spending more than 50% of their monthly income on housing expenses; 30% is the recommended maximum. The study noted that over the past decade, the county’s average rent has doubled to $3,234 this year.

To be approved for increased density, 30% of the apartments will be set aside as income-restricted units, with 45 renting for 100% and below the area median income and 45 apartments renting for 80% AMI and below.

For 80% AMI and below, one renter could earn no more than $58,480, or $66,800 if two wage-earners lived together, while at 100% AMI, one renter could earn no more than $73,100, or $83,500 for a two-person household. At 80% AMI, rents would range from $1,566 for a one-bedroom apartment to $1,878 for two bedrooms, and $2,170 for three bedrooms. At 100% AMI, a one-bedroom would rent for $1,958, a two-bedroom apartment would be $2,348 and three would be $2,713.

The developer agreed to market the affordable apartments to essential-services personnel and military veterans. The county restrictions and commitments will be in effect for 30 years.

A study by the developer shows numerous healthcare employers, including Lee Health at Coconut Point; commercial activity centers such as Pine Ridge and Airport roads; and NCH Healthcare System and Arthrex facilities are located within 15 to 30 minutes away. As a result, county planning staff agrees there’s a need for additional housing opportunities and commercial development to serve future residents in that area. They noted the traffic and stormwater infrastructure during the next five years can accommodate it.

The proposed apartment complex is north of

Fiddler’s Creek and Charlee Estates, a Habitat for Humanity community, and other developments planned or being built nearby. A county planner told planning commissioners they’d received no calls about or public opposition to the proposed development.

Yovanovich noted there’s a 7-Eleven at the corner of Greenway Road and U.S. 41 East and a Publix supermarket across the street.

“We have a transportation-related commitment that we will pay our fair share toward intersection improvements,” Yovanovich said, adding it includes the intersection build-out and a traffic signal. “We will be helping to offset some of the costs that Fiddler’s Creek is incurring to put in the traffic signal at Greenway and 41.”

Because about 40% of renters in the development may require an emergency shelter during a hurricane, Emergency Management Director Dan Summers requested that the developer provide a $48,000, 45-kilowatt rental-grade diesel towable generator that can be used during a hurricane, such as at a school shelter or to power a lift station. Generators or several thousand dollars’ worth of cots are a standard county request for large developments.

The property owner, DJ Greenway LLC, purchased the five parcels, including residential and agricultural properties, for $3.7 million this year. If the rezoning and amendment are approved, Investment Properties Corporation of Naples (Realtors David Stevens and Robert Caroll) will purchase the land.

The project team also includes engineering firm Hole Montes, Trebilcock Consulting Solutions transportation engineers, Davies Duke and environmental consultant Passarella & Associates.

Collier wins top tourism awards

The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau and its advertising agency will be honored in February with two marketing awards considered the Oscars of worldwide travel and hospitality.

County Tourism Director Jay Tusa, who heads CVB, told the Tourism Development Council on Dec. 17 that Paradise Advertising & Marketing’s “Only” ad campaign won two Adrian Awards from Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International.

“These awards recognize hospitality brands and agencies for creativity and innovation in advertising, digital marketing and public relations,” Tusa said.

In the brand category, the Bureau won a silver for its “Only” ad campaign and a bronze for its “Only Paradise Will Do” winter campaign in

From page 3A

their own games. It’s collaborative.” Owen Eisenga attended Beitmen’s sessions beginning in fifth grade at The Village School, became an assistant for him in high school and did his own teaching at Fleischmann Park as a junior. Currently a sophomore pursuing a secondary education degree in mathematics at Florida Southern College, in Lakeland, he assists his former mentor in computer science sessions via Zoom.

“He’s amazing,” Eisenga said of Beitmen. “I’m so happy to still work with him.” Rachel Moore, a Village School physical education teacher, has enrolled her son Bondurant, 9, in all of Beitmen’s programs he has conducted there for five years.

“We have seen him grow in confidence and enthusiasm for learning,” she said. Beitmen, who plans to expand his camps and offer more promotions next year, never tires of hearing of academic and career achievements from former students or from “a mother sending me a video of her kid showing her what I just taught!”

Canada. The awards be presented at the HSMAI Adrian Awards on Feb. 18 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Special to the Naples Press

Cooper Caldwell, back left, a student at The Village School of Naples and an assistant teacher; Glen Beitmen, owner of Super Science and Amazing Art; and Owen Eisenga (on screen via Zoom) with members of a Gamers Unite computer science class at The Village School of Naples. The kids are, from left, Abraham Planta, Finn Menkes, Bode Brinkman, Owen Craig, Luke Pino, Peter Beitmen, Alex Lyon, Zachary Gibson, Connor Hudson and Logan Leal. Photos by Randy Kambic

Glen Beitmen, owner of Super Science and Amazing Art, leads a recent Gamers Unite computer science class for youth at The Village School of Naples.

REAL ESTATE

Demolition changed local landscape in 2024

By Tim Aten tim.aten@naplespress.com

“Out with the old and in with the new” could be a slogan for 2024 in the Naples area. Redevelopment remains at the forefront of the local real estate market.

Two of the most notable demolition projects in 2024 occurred just north of the Naples city limits and practically across U.S. 41 from each other. The final frame for the longtime landmark Beacon Bowl on Trail Boulevard and the razing of the former Nordstrom store at Waterside Shops were newsworthy events. Naples Excavating was contracted to demolish the bowling alley, while Detroit-based Sachse Construction brought down the two-story department store.

“There aren’t a ton of demolition contractors out there

Week of Nov. 18-22

SALES KAB Real Property Holdings LLC purchased a 5,336-square-foot office in Cambridge Square, 3431 Pine Ridge Road, in North Naples from Parimoor Dev LLC for $1,632,907. Adam Palmer, CCIM, SIOR, of LQ Commercial represented the buyer.

Cambridge Square LLC purchased a 3,600-square-foot office in Cambridge Square, 3447 Pine Ridge Road, in North Naples from Parimoor Dev LLC for $937,093. Adam Palmer, CCIM, SIOR, of LQ Commercial represented the buyer.

LEASES

Chesterdale’s Home & Garden LLC leased a 7,949-square-foot space in Tanglewood Marketplace, 4910 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 314, in Naples from Tanglewood Naples LLC. Bill Young and Biagio Bernardo of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessor. Gorkas Food Equipment LLC leased a 4,490-square-foot

that can handle these large buildings,” said Nick Radick, director of sales and marketing for Naples Excavating.

Construction will start soon on The Carnelian, a luxurious six-story boutique hotel that will be built on the cleared site of the former bowling alley. Restoration Hardware will build a lavish furniture and home decor gallery on Nordstrom’s former footprint. Both properties also will host upscale restaurants.

Demolition by Honc Destruction of another memorable building turned heads over the summer. “The Castle” on Goodlette-Frank Road in Naples was toppled after starting its 45-year existence as a series of restaurants and nightclubs; and ending it as bank branches.

The eye-catching building with a stone turret was outdated and more of a hazard than an asset, said AJS Realty Group’s Andrew J. Saluan, who is part of the real estate’s ownership group, Naples-based Castle Partnership.

industrial flex space in Rail Head Commerce Park, 14001414 Rail Head Blvd., units 1408 and 1412, in North Naples from Old 41 Flex LLC. Randy Mercer of CRE Consultants represented the lessor and lessee.

Del-Tile Distribution LLC leased 2,912 square feet of retail space at 990 First Ave. S. in Naples from 990 Partners LLC. Rob Carroll, CCIM, MAI, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor, and Brad DuHamel of CBRE represented the lessee.

MediaBrains Inc. leased 2,082 square feet of office space at 4501 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 214, in Naples from FLP 4501. Rob Carroll, CCIM, MAI, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor, and Jon Kepple of Diversified Real Estate Group represented the lessee.

Florida Personal Training LLC leased a 1,600-square-foot space at 3112 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 3112, in Naples from Sandbanks LLC. Zachary Tillery of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessee, and Felipe Arcila of KOVA Commercial represented the lessor.

“We don’t have a specific use yet for ‘The Castle’ bank building,” Saluan said. “During the new year we’ll be marketing it and probably retail or something like that will wind up there. It’s a little too early to tell.”

The gift shop that had been used as the Naples Zoo’s entrance and exit since the 1970s was torn down in June by Naples Excavating and a new entrance and gift shop were built nearby at the local attraction. Another major project last year for the local demolition company was the leveling of a 36-unit beachfront residential community on Gulf Shore Boulevard North’s “Miracle Mile” in Naples.

Built in the 1950s, the Bahama Club was a four-story condominium cooperative damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022. A South Florida partnership purchased it for more than $100 million last year and plans to build a 12-unit ul-

Ardent Insurance Group Inc. leased a 742-square-foot office space at 1004 Collier Center Way, Suite 204, in North Naples from Triple C Partners LLC. Matt Stepan, CCIM, and WT Pearson of Premier Commercial Inc. represented the lessor and lessee.

Adams Holdings I LLC leased a 906-square-foot office space at 6621 Willow Park Drive, Suite 3, in North Naples. Matt Stepan, CCIM, and WT Pearson of Premier Commercial Inc. represented the lessor and lessee.

Driftwood Renovation & Design LLC leased a 559-square-foot office space in Anglers Plaza, 870 Bald Eagle Drive, Unit 2B, on Marco Island from Carmela Gagliano. Dave Wallace, CCIM, SIOR, and David Wallace of CRE Consultants represented the lessor and lessee.

Tassara Industries Corp. leased 313 square feet of commercial space at 1133 Industrial Blvd., Suite C-13, in Naples from Ovidiu Lovin. Shawn McManus of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor and lessee.

The North Naples site of Bowland Beacon for more than 65 years was demolished in November by crews from Naples Excavating. The landmark bowling alley was leveled ahead of a luxury hotel redevelopment project.

Photo by Nick Radick

NABOR Charitable Foundation announces first-year giving

The Naples Area Board of Realtors Charitable Foundation recently announced its first year of charitable distributions.

NABOR’s foundation partnered with the Collier Community Foundation to help find and vet charitable options in Collier County. NCF selected two local charities that have track records of providing meaningful housing and humanitarian impact: Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance and Youth Haven.

NCF presented a $25,000 gift to Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance and will support the Alliance’s continued work to create lasting change to improve housing conditions for farm workers and low-income families in Immokalee. NCF also presented a $15,000 gift to Youth Haven to support its BlueZones-centric nutrition programs for children in crisis. Youth Haven is the only area emergency residential shelter for boys and girls ages 6-20 who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or homelessness.

The NABOR Charitable Foundation, which launched in January of last year, allows the 8,500-member organization to make even greater community benefits in future years to families in need through local charities that support these four core areas: housing, humanitarian efforts, local disaster relief and educational scholarships.

“2024 was an incredible year filled with first-ever milestones for the NABOR Charitable Foundation,” said PJ Smith, 2024 NABOR President. “Through thoughtful development and management, the Foundation succeeded in having an impact in its first year. The members of NABOR and the community can be proud of the Foundation’s first-year results, which were made possible with many thousands of volunteer hours, monetary gifts and professional oversight and investment.”

In a show of gratitude, Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance has extended NABOR the naming rights to the communal laundry room for its first building.

“This support is more than financial; it is a message of hope and opportunity to those we serve,” said Tammy Richelieu, Alliance Chief Development Officer.

For additional information on the NABOR Charitable Foundation, updates on its upcoming events or to provide a donation, go to nabor.com/about-us/ philanthropy.

• Naples Area Board of Realtors

New GCIP listing gets noticed

Timothy P. Savage’s listing at 3035 Fort Charles Drive has been showcased in Mansion Global

Mansion Global is an award-winning premier digital platform, delivering captivating content tailored for high-net-worth individuals, focused on the luxury global real estate market. The prestigious publication highlights the world’s most elite and rarified listings, and recognition from it is a true mark of distinction.

The article by Chava Gourarie entitled “Finance Exec Lists Newly Built Naples, Florida Trophy House for $49.5 Million” states in part:

‘The waterfront property is located in the ultra-affluent Port Royal neighborhood, also home to America’s most expensive listing.

A 10,000-square-foot newly built home in the Port Royal neighborhood of Naples, Florida, has hit the market asking $49.5 million. The waterfront home on Fort Charles Drive is located along one of Port Royal’s canals and features six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a double-level pool and a 40-foot dock.

The seller is a Naples-based finance executive who purchased the 0.9-acre property for $13.5 million in 2018, according to property records. The previous mid-century home was demolished in 2023, and the new home — described as modern West Indies style — was completed this year. It was designed by architecture studio Stofft Cooney and constructed by the Williams Group, according to the listing.”

• Gulf Coast International Properties

With each issue of The Naples Press that includes a real estate page, we will ask a Realtor a question about issues of the day. For this edition, we spoke to Carol D. Borelli P.A., of West Shore Properties Real Estate, a family business.

Q: What are your thoughts about the climate for real estate in Naples and Collier County as we enter 2025?

A: “I think it’s improving right now. And, of course, this time of year it always is, because renters come, and a lot of people that have homes but are part-time, come. They go home for the holidays and come back. And the renters start renting in January, so it’s always a better time, January through April. Then it tends to usually slow down, somewhat, in the summers, but I just feel that … I’m hoping things are a little better. This year (2024) I had a good year, myself, but a lot of Realtors, I felt, were not as busy as I was. I’ve just had so

many clients over the years. I don’t really advertise too much because I’ve had clients that recommend me, and I have rental clients. … But I do feel that it’s going to be a brighter year than this past year. The other issue is that we have a lot of new construction. That hurts resales. A lot of the residential communities have raised their dues. The homeowner’s insurance has really [gone] up. The commissions, they are

From page 13A

DEMOLITION

tra-luxury enclave on 2.5 acres in the Coquina Sands neighborhood.

The Bahama Club property sits between two other major redevelopment projects on Naples’ Gulfshore. Under construction next to it and expected to launch this year are the Four Seasons Resort and the Naples Beach Club luxury condos being built by The Athens Group on the former site of the 75-year-old Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.

The Ronto Group started construction in September on Rosewood Residences, a 42-unit luxury waterfront condominium development just north of Lowdermilk Park. The beachfront redevelopment project replaces the former 32-unit Mansion House, a cooperative that featured eight two-story buildings built in 1963.

Small mixed-use redevelopment projects continue to be built in the city of Naples.

The former Lemon Tree Inn property on U.S. 41 is being redeveloped to create Two Ten West, a three-story building with 12 residential condominiums above a ground floor of commercial units. Next door, the former Contessa building is being transformed into The Cayden, six private residences with garages and a rooftop pool.

A block north, Stella Naples nears completion at the former longtime site of the Sea Shell Motel. The three-story boutique enclave includes 10 high-end residences on the top two floors with small shops planned on the first level.

In East Naples, a former Wells Fargo Bank branch was recently razed to make way for a future 7-Eleven convenience store and gas station under construction on the northeast corner of Airport-Pulling and Radio roads in East Naples. The longtime studio for the WAVV radio station on U.S. 41 East was recently demolished ahead of a proposed Home Depot on its property and the adjoining strip of vacant land. These and more projects are coming in the new year to replace old buildings occupying choice locations in popular

high-traffic areas.

“The cycle we’re in is going to continue that started a few years ago,” Saluan said. “It’s going to continue for the foreseeable future.”

Construction continues on the Old Naples Hotel with boutique accommodations and retail shops coming to the former site of The Plaza on Third Street. Meanwhile, the final piece of Naples Square is in the planning stages for the former Grand Central Station property on Goodlette-Frank Road.

More demolition will occur nearby before The Avenue new mixed-use buildings are built on the Fifth Avenue South site of the former St. George & the Dragon landmark restaurant. Also on U.S. 41 in Naples, the Aquarius Hotel and a Rolls-Royce dealership are planned this year with the proposed redevelopment projects of longtime retail strips.

“The value of the land has gotten so expensive that it’s time to tear down those obsolete, single-story old strip centers and replace them with something more modern and economically feasible in today’s world,” Saluan said.

Publix Super Markets is behind two area redevelopment projects along U.S. 41 that will include the demolition of some retail

units. The grocery chain’s 38-year-old store in Neapolitan Way Plaza closed in late November and will be demolished soon to make way for a larger, modern Publix store in Naples. In North Naples, two vacant stores and additional square footage in the Gateway Shoppes at North Bay on Wiggins Pass Road will be demolished to create space for a new Publix supermarket.

Medical redevelopment projects include the three-story Hospital for Special Surgery under construction by DeAngelis Diamond on the former Bear’s Den Childcare Center site on the NCH North Naples campus. Nearby on Immokalee Road, the Arthrex Academy child daycare and development center is under construction by Waltbillig & Hood general contractors on the site of a former bank building that was demolished in late 2023.

In the city of Naples, NCH also plans to demolish the Telford Center for Continuing Education on its Downtown Baker Hospital campus to build a premier heart institute. Chicago-based Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Corp. has proposed a state-of-the-art medical facility to replace the 60-year-old hotel property that most recently carried the Collins Hotel flag but was best known as a former Ramada

and Holiday Inn.

Carol Borelli

ASK A REALTOR BRIEFS

Gulf Coast International Properties hosted its annual client appreciation party, welcoming clients back to Naples for the winter season, in late November.

Photo provided by Gulf Coast International Properties

Inn

The former two-story Nordstrom department store at Waterside Shops in North Naples is being demolished to build a proposed luxurious Restoration Hardware gallery and restaurant. Photo by Tim Aten

The Bahama Club, a four-story condominium built in the 1950s on Gulf Shore Boulevard North’s “Miracle Mile” in Naples, was demolished in 2024 after the beachfront property was damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022. Photo by Nick Radick

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A rts & LEISURE

Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples. Photo by Liz Gorman

Ongoing events

Botanical Garden lights

Through Jan. 5 at Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples. See Featured Item.

A collection of masters

Last weekend: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 5 at Naples Art Institute, 795 Park Ave., Naples. “Adventures in Art: The Guild Hall Collection” brings some astounding artists’ works from the 20th century — Andy Warhol, Childe Hassam, Roy Lichtenstein, Elaine de Kooning and more. $15, $10 members. naplesart.org or 239.262.6517

‘The Magic of Lights’

Last weekend: 6-9 p.m. nightly through Jan. 4 at Paradise Coast Sports Complex, 3940 City Gate Blvd. N. Drive-through show of two million-plus lights including a 32-foot, animated Mattel Waving Christmas Barbie, prehistoric Yule scene with life-sized celebrating dinosaurs, more. Advance: $19 car; at the gate: $32 car weekdays, $37 weekends. playparadisecoast.com

Arsenault retrospective

9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays now through Feb. 15 at Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S. Heathwood Drive, Marco Island. Paul Arsenault’s “Reflections of South Florida: A 50-Year Art Adventure.” Free. themihs.info/ museum/ or 239.389.6447

Art mascots at Revs

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays at the Revs Institute, 2500 Horseshoe Drive S., Naples. “Roaring Twenties, Rolling Art: French Automotive Mascots,” exclusive French car mascots (often called hood ornaments in the U.S.) from the Jon Zoler collection that are artist-designed small sculptures created for customers including Hermès. $20, $15 for military, students, educators; ($10 more for docent-guided tours). Advance tickets required for entry. revsinstitute.org or 239.687.7387

Shroud of Turin sculpture

On exhibition indefinitely at Canizaro Exhibit Library, Ave Maria Library, 5050 Ave Maria Blvd., and The Ark Chapel, Ave Maria. A commissioned 14-foot sculpture. Free. 239.280.2500

At Baker Museum

10 a.m.-4 p.m. TuesdaysSaturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays at The Baker Museum, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. Through June 15, “Obra Sonora,” an exhibition of works by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. To Feb. 2, “Alex Katz, Theater and Dance,” artist’s collaboration with staging; “As We Rise: Photographs from the Black Atlantic”; to Jan. 5, “Becky Suss: The Dutch House,” inspired by the 2019 novel. $10; student or military (with I.D.), $5; SNAP benefits (with EBT card), $1; ages to 17 or younger, free. artisnaples. org or 239.597.1900

‘Tropical Holiday Creations’

Last week: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays through Jan. 7 at Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island. Clay Guild exhibition; Robert Kenedi in La Petite Galerie. marcoislandart.org or call 239.394.4221

CALENDAR

GET IN ON THE GLOW

6 p.m. nightly through Jan. 5 at Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples. It’s the last weekend for Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden, and a good time to let the holidays settle into your memories as you stroll through a world of colored light displays. Food at the Fogg Cafe, glow bag option at a higher price. $40, children $20. Members half-price. Discounted tickets after 8 p.m. naplesgarden.org

This weekend

(Jan. 3, 4, 5)

Tribute: Toby Keith, Tom Petty

6-10 p.m. Jan. 3 at Paradise Coast Sports Complex, 3865 City Gate Blvd. S., Naples. Legends Concert Series presents tributes to Toby Keith and Tom Petty in back-to-back shows. $43-$79.95. playparadisecoast.com/events

Clay Hess’ Bluegrass All-Stars

7 p.m. Jan. 3 at Norris Community Center, 755 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. An ensemble of virtuoso pickers/singers bring the best in bluegrass: Clay Hess is a Grammy winner who played with Ricky Skaggs, Mountain Heart and Tony Rice. Local star Jon Garon has played acoustic music for more than 60 years, appearing with John Denver’s band, among other national acts. Dr. John Wheat is a 16-time Indiana and Kentucky State Banjo Champion. Zack Nibert, a young banjo player from Kentucky, and Brennan, Hess’ son who plays bass, are stars in training. A portion of the proceeds benefit Collier County National Alliance on Mental Illness. $33.85 at eventbrite.com or the center, 239.213.3049 for specific seats.

Naples New Year’s Art Fair

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 4-5 at Cambier Park, 755 Eighth St. S., Naples. Ranked among the nation’s top fine art fairs by Sunshine Artist magazine and on the Art Fair

Source Book’s Blue Chip 100 Fine Art Events list, the two-day fair features the work of approximately 250 professional artists. Guests can explore a diverse array of mediums, including acrylic and oil paintings, ceramics, digital art, fiber, leather, glass, wood, more. Free entry.

‘Bacharach and Friends’ concert

6 and 8:30 p.m. Jan. 8 and 9 in the Daniels Pavilion, Artis— Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Vocalists Scott Coulter and Carole J. Bufford and John Boswell, piano and vocals, perform the songbook of one of America’s star songwriters of the ’60s and beyond with lyricist Hal David, with hits such as “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “That’s What Friends Are For,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and more. $59. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900

Margaret Atwood:

A Conversation

7:30 p.m. Jan. 8 in Hayes Hall, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Bestselling author Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale, Cat’s Eye) shares a conversation with Alexander Shelley, artistic and music director of the Naples Philharmonic, and Kathleen van Bergen, CEO and president, Artis—Naples, about her research in writing Songs for Murdered Sisters, her poignant set of recent poems. They were created for a work to be set to music by composer Jake Heggie, and the work itself will be performed Jan. 12 at Artis—Naples.

Senior concert: ‘Broadway and Beyond

6-8 p.m. Jan. 9 at Rose History Auditorium, Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S. Heathwood Drive, Marco Island. Broadway singer Jodi Keogan will share her favorite hits.

naplesart.org or 239.252.6517

‘Celebration in the Sky’

9 p.m. Jan. 4 at Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee, 506 S. First St., Immokalee. The casino’s “Celebration in the Sky” includes fireworks by Zambelli Fireworks, choreographed to lights and a custom soundtrack. Violinist Timothee Lovelock will perform before the fireworks show. Parking at Seminole Casino Hotel will be limited, with identified overflow parking nearby. Free admission. Bring seating. Food and beverages will be for sale. moreinparadise.

com

Andrea Peña & Artists

7 p.m. Jan. 5 at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. CANCELLED

Next week (Jan. 6-9)

Talk: ‘The Nizam’s Sarpech’ 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in the Ubben Event Space at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Bradley Bailey, Ph.D., curator of Asian Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, describes the famous piece of bejeweled art made for the court of Hyderabad, and which now rests in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. $59. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900

Rebecca Richardson, Dan Heck in concert

7 p.m. Jan. 7 in Beverly Hall, Naples United Church of Christ, 5200 Crayton Road, Naples. Rebecca Richardson, vocalist, and Dan Heck on guitar, followed by a reception in the Gathering Place. $35 per person. Reservations, 239.261.5469

Mother Goose Suite; Jimmy López — Ephemerae Piano Concerto; Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1; and Debussy — La Mer. $29-$72. artisnaples. org or 239.597.1900

Next weekend (Jan. 10, 11, 12)

The Movies of William Wyler, Part 1 10 a.m. Jan. 10 in the Rowe Center, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Rick Harris, film critic, begins part one of a two-part series on William Wyler, who directed Jezebel Dodsworth, The Best Years of Our Lives, Ben-Hur, Wuthering Heights, The Letter, Mrs. Miniver, Roman Holiday and Funny Girl. $59. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900

Renée Fleming: ‘Music and Mind’ 4 p.m. Jan. 10 in the Daniels Pavilion at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Soprano Renée Fleming hosts “Music and Mind,” a discussion exploring the profound connections among music, the arts and wellness. Drawing on her work as an advocate for arts in health — including her collaborations with the National Institutes of Health and the Kennedy Center — Fleming shares insights into how music influences brain health, aging and the human experience with visual art and music therapists. $59. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900

Hosted by the Marco Island Historical Society in Rose History Auditorium, it is a free, seniorsonly concert and is sponsored by the Marco Island Noontime Rotary Club. Free. 239.252.1440

Masterworks: ‘Carmen,’ ‘La Mer’

7:30 p.m. Jan. 9 and 11 at Hayes Hall, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Masterworks concert with the Naples Philharmonic. Alexander Shelley, artistic and music director; and Javier Perianes, piano, on Ravel —

‘Legends & Laughter’ comedy 7 p.m. Jan. 10 at the Norris Community Center, 755 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. Comedian and impressionist Jimmy Mazz brings his take on your favorite celebrities, as well as his own laugh-out-loud comedy routines. $33.85, includes fees. eventbrite. com

Memory Care Resource Fair

11 a.m.-2 p.m. Jan. 11 at Collier Museum at Government Center, 3331 Tamiami Trail E., Naples. In

The Modern Gentlemen

5 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Island Country Club, 500 Nassau Road, Marco Island. Minus only Frankie Valli, Marco Island Center for the Arts has snagged the four singers who sang with him on Four Seasons music tours for nearly 15 years to headline a dinner and concert in the “Oh, What a Night” fundraiser for the center. The Modern Gentlemen bring their wide repertoire of Four Seasons songs and others of the most melodic sounds of the ’60s, from the Bee Gees to the Eagles, the Beach Boys and Queen. $250 per person. marcoislandart.org or 239.394.4221

It’s the last weekend to enjoy the fluorescent beauty of Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden at Naples Botanical Garden, here through Jan. 5.

Photo by Harriet Howard Heithaus

The Modern Gentlemen come to Marco for a generous helping of hit tunes they sang with Frankie Valli for nearly 15 years as The Four Seasons. Publicity photo

HOT TICKET

Collier County arts and entertainment’s very bad, horrible, but also great year

By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com

In a year only Charles Dickens could describe for Collier County arts and entertainment, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times.

From the best

• A new, $72-million Broadway preview-ready Baker Theatre and Education Center for Gulfshore Playhouse, founder Kristen Coury’s 20-year dream

• A reimagining of Sugden Community Theatre, including the balcony originally designed for it, plus expanded space for Naples Players theater and education programs

• An innovative drone show for the Fourth of July at the Paradise Sports Complex to replace the fireworks canceled by the City of Naples while its Ian-bashed pier is being rebuilt

From the worst

• Cancellation of the city’s fireworks, with apparently little publicity until mid-December, after vacationers and residents had made plans to be here for them.

• The surprise veto of nearly every penny of arts support from the state’s governor

• The controversy over a full building wall mural that has vocal fans, but the wrong colors for governmental requirements

It was the best of times  Gulfshore Playhouse opened its doors Nov. 1 on Anything Goes, a sassy Cole Porter musical loaded with ensemble and orchestra because it finally could, according to Kristen Coury. Gulfshore Playhouse had been confined to a 700-square-foot stage, a fraction of the size its new 3,000-square-foot one at First Avenue South and Goodlette-Frank Road offers. It has been a dream of Coury, founder, CEO and artistic director, since she came to town in 2003 and found Naples both in need of and receptive to a strong Equity theater.

Sugden Community Theatre was already a hive of activity for local community theater and bursting at the seams with seasons in both its studio and mainstage, along with a thriving youth theater program. The $22 million renovation and bumped-out class and program space turned its 701 Fifth Ave. S. building into a new theater, with a change most theatergoers hadn’t realized was designed in the original construction: a balcony.

The first July Fourth drone spectacular brought a new treat to Collier Countians. It was the serendipitous outgrowth of an idea from former Tourism bureau executive director, Paul Beirnes, to offer a safer, quieter option to fireworks. Paradise Coast Complex took up that suggestion with “Drones over Paradise” a flying show of color-changing aerial tableaux.

Yes, it was the worst of times  Cancellation of the Naples New Year’s Eve fireworks was apparently made in September, but city council’s reminder, posted on its Facebook page the second week of December, seemed to catch many unawares. The show, a longstanding tradition, brought thousands to the city beaches, but also led to trash, traffic jams, alcohol problems and rogue amateur fireworks. Police cited worries over adequate staffing; the city cited its $43,100 cost, not including $40,000 for that extra staffing.

There are some sparks of hope for pyrotechnics this week: Seminole Casino Immokalee is planning a major fireworks show at 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4. For details, see its website, casinohardrock.com

The surprise veto of nearly every penny of arts support from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stripped nearly all direct expenditures on the arts out of the state’s budget. That axed $1.5 million from 14 Collier County organizations, on broad-brush reasoning the state did not have control over content and that “fringe

festivals” could use the money for sexual content. DeSantis offered no examples of whether that has been done.

It was devastating to smaller arts organizations, and the Community Foundation of Collier County stepped in to help with $250,000 in grants, a percentage of each group’s loss, based on need.

There was at least one casualty: Gulfshore Opera cancelled plans to stage the contemporary comic opera, Scalia / Ginsberg, considered a moneymaker for most companies.

To add further stress, several county commissioners have questioned applications for county funding, insisting the organizations

ABOVE: An opening night gala to celebrate the newly constructed Gulfshore Playhouse on November 1. The new playhouse's 3,000-foot stage dwarfed the original 700-foot one.

LEFT: Naples Players CEO and Executive Artistic Director Bryce Alexander in the newly renovated Sugden Theatre. The $22 million renovation gave the theater something that most people hadn't realized was designed in the original construction: a balcony.

Photos by Liz Gorman

should be self-supporting. Arts organizations were required to scale down their requests before even bringing them to the county board of commissioners this year.

The new abstract mural on a highend apartment complex, Ascent, on Davis Boulevard at U.S. 41 South, is still up — but still doomed. Critics call the stylized floral wall “Kleenex box” art; county officials call it gone, ordering the mural removed in September, after it had already been complete for at least a month.

The mural was apparently not approved by Collier County building officials, who did approve another of several drawings submitted.

A miscommunication with the subcontractor who was to put the mural on the wall may have led to the wrong one being painted. The department’s decision was based, according to Collier County Commissioner Dan Kowal, on state or federal color limitations on permanent signage visible to those driving the thoroughfare.

Some 700-plus people who felt the mural brought a needed pop of color to the block signed a petition in support of the mural, and it has had a longer lifespan than expected because the building has not been ready for occupancy.

However, the developer will be obliged to remove it and reinstate the originally approved drawings before a certificate of occupancy will be approved. Kowal, in whose district the mural is, said he expected that to happen this month.

“I kind of look at it this way,” he said of the support for what was painted over what was approved. “How would I feel about this if I were the artist whose painting was actually chosen?”

The coming best of times

A quick look at this year offers hope for some of the best of times to return:

• Bestselling author with a gripping story: There’s an evening with Margaret Atwood on Jan. 8 at Artis—Naples. Her bestseller The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian look at a future world of women maintained solely as breeders, was on the New York Times bestseller list for 88 weeks and swept the nation, buoyed by its Hulu TV series.

The talk precedes a concert Jan. 30-31, with Atwood’s poetry, dedicated to women killed in acts of domestic violence and sung by the baritone who commissioned it to memorialize his sister.

For information and tickets, see artisnaples. org or call 239.597.1900.

• A Norris Center season: Few weekends will be empty with the Norris Community Center now booking its own shows. The city-owned building devoted much of its year to the season of its major tenant, Gulfshore Playhouse, until the latter moved into its own building last autumn. It’s now fielding its own entertainment season of acts for which the Parks and Recreation Department sees a budget-minded audience in Naples.

Among those scheduled are The Nashville Imposters, a bounty of country’s best, Jan. 24. There’s also a tradeoff of weekly immersions from silliness to sentiment in Compton & Bennett’s wry parody musical, Cracker at the Ritz Jan. 14 and 28, and Frank Blocker’s deep-fried, with grits on the side, sendup of culture below the Mason-Dixon line, Southern Gothic Novel Jan. 21.

More information, naplesgov.com under the Parks and Recreation page.

• Music after Pavarotti: Opera Naples, in conjunction with the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, has resurrected the concept of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation International Voice Competition, now with Opera Naples added after the word “Foundation.” The four prizes, actual operatic roles worth up to $10,000 each and priceless in resumé contribution, are awarded Jan. 18 at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Bower School of Music and the Arts. The finalists are culled from 20 invited singers who learn from professionals including Sherrill Milnes, Bruce Ford and Carrie-Ann Mattheson in a nine-day intensive. The competition started with the applications: 400 of them in its first year.

More information and tickets, operanaples. org or 239.963.9050.

• Dance, dance, dance: The inaugural Naples International Dance Festival Feb. 21-23, organized by United Arts Collier, blends a weekend of performances by principals from ballet companies around the U.S. and the word, plus master classes and even a public how-to session for all ages who want to try dance.  More information, schedules and tickets at unitedartscollier.org

By Jean L. Amodea

Expertly gripping his saxophone, executing precise fingering and just the right airstream with perfect embouchure that produces dynamic sound and volume, Matthew Johnson is at ease on stage. From a young age, his drive to master the saxophone would be his destiny.

On the cusp of a life-long career, in May the 21-year-old will graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University with a BA in music performance. He plans to pursue a master’s degree and eventually a doctorate in music performance and pedagogy. He serves as executive director of the national award-winning Flamingo Saxophone Quartet and he placed in the state round of the Music Teacher’s National Association Solo Competition. He is one of the success stories that epitomizes all that the Music Foundation of Greater Naples aspires to.

The Music Foundation is primarily dedicated to funding private lessons for talented students whose families cannot afford the costs. The Foundation, led by President Joseph Duffy and an all-volunteer board, also presents recitals, concerts, master classes, summer camps and scholarship competition awards, and supplies instrument upgrades and purchases. An outreach to Title I schools (eligible for federal financial support) in low-income districts provides students with training under the tutelage of Foundation instructors.

Johnson, a standout at age 11 as a middle school student, had the chops to win local solo competitions and auditions for All-State and All-County bands. His teachers referred him to the Foundation, a lifeline for students to valuable music instruction.

“A single mom raised me in a family of seven; and with her hairdresser’s budget, there was little money for lessons,” Johnson said. “I started

with MFGN at age 13 and took sax lessons with Don Rhynard at a reduced rate.”

At 14, and for three years, he earned awards from the MFGN scholarship competition.

“At 16, I entered national festivals and was accepted into the Interlochen Arts Academy Summer Camp,” he said. “I was only able to attend with the help of the award money; MFGN covered other costs.”

Johnson then set his sights on pursuing music at the collegiate level. He auditioned at the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and was accepted on a full scholarship. He studied under top musicians but, after a year, at age 19, decided to return to Florida and enroll at Florida Gulf Coast

University to continue his music studies. As a sophomore, he taught music at Naples and Gulf Coast High Schools, as well as Punta Gorda Middle School.

“Last year, I was invited to become an MFGN board member,” he said. “I bring perspective and value to my role as I’m closer in age to the students who we help. I was one of them and understand their challenges. I’m still learning — it’s a great experience and I hope I’ve contributed well.”

About The MFGN

The Foundation is celebrating its 60th anniversary next year. Duffy described the Naples of six decades ago as “a kind of a cultural wasteland.” Even so, like-minded individuals would gather in each other’s homes and perform mini-recitals.

“It was a social thing combined with music. From the outset, the fledgling group had a philanthropic bent and began supporting the community of talented kids and building the culture. Originally known as Naples Music Club, it initiated an annual scholarship competition that is now in its 54th year. The students are selected on 100% merit, and the prestige of being selected is more valuable than the cash prizes,” Duffy said.

Today, the Foundation boasts 50 students taught by 25 professional instructors, some of whom play in the Naples Philharmonic or other professional groups and who have reputable studios throughout Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero.

Duffy enjoyed a successful career as a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Philadelphia; in 2018, he retired early. Three years ago, he took the reins of the Foundation and welcomed the chance to get back into the music scene and play the clarinet, which he once thought would be his calling.

Raised by Irish immigrants of modest means, Duffy said his parents made room for music, “but it wasn’t easy.” He knows first-hand the inner turmoil of youngsters who know they have musical ability but have little chance of express-

Contact: musicfoundation. org or 239.422.6404

How to donate: By mail, send your check to the Music Foundation of Greater Naples, P.O. Box 8366, Naples, FL 34101, or online at musicfoundationnaples.org/donate

What: MFGN student recitals

When: 1 p.m. Feb. 16 (winter recital); 1 p.m. June 1 (spring recital)

Where: St. Monica’s Episcopal Church, 7070 Immokalee Road, Naples Cost: Free

What: Symphonic Winds of Southwest Florida concerts (adult group)

When: 7 p.m. Feb. 21; 7 p.m. April 4

Where: Moorings Presbyterian Church, 791 Harbour Drive, Naples Cost: Free

What: Annual MFGN Scholarship Winner’s Recital (students)

When: 6 p.m. April 23

Where: Bower’s Chapel, 20 Moorings Park Drive, Naples Cost: Free

The Music Foundation of Greater Naples students performed at a recital at St. Monica’s Episcopal Church last June. Photos courtesy Brian Jannsen Photography

The Music Foundation of Greater Naples students Matthew Quinones and Carlos Cazorla, with teacher Don Rhynard, performed at a recent student recital.

Artists tap into nature for connection, healing and expression

By Jean L. Amodea

In an unlikely setting within earshot of the neighs of slow-trotting horses, two local artists, Lisa Absher and Paul Bussmann, have been selected by United Arts Collier for the third iteration of its Artists in Residency program. In a partnership with Naples Therapeutic Riding Center, the selectees will have the opportunity to refine their artistry by corralling the energy of NTRC’s 10-acre pastoral setting.

UAC and NTRC believe in the healing aspect of nature — that’s the impetus of the residency, which began in October and runs until May 29. The artists will be able to create in a dedicated space on the center’s grounds, or en plein air, as they wish.

The selection process was rigorous and based on the artists’ potential to benefit from the distinctive environment. NTRC’s mission is to improve the lives of children and adults with physical, social and mental health needs through therapeutic riding and other equine-related programs.

“The artists have the opportunity to immerse themselves within NTRC to seek inspiration from the setting and the relationship between participants and equines,” said Jackie Zorn, UAC Consulting Curator of Exhibitions.

On Jan. 8 UAC will host an open critique and discussion forum to discuss artists’ impressions of their work and garner feedback about the residency’s benefits. Artists will then submit their art to be juried for a final residency exhibition and reception in early May on the NTRC campus.

The Naples Press chatted with the artists to learn more about their work.

Lisa Absher’s medium

Absher creates monotypes, a melding of fine art and printing. The technique, in use since the 1800s, was popular with Fontainebleau artists such as Claude Monet. Her work focuses on Florida’s native tree species, lichen and moss, using a palette rich in nature’s colors. Absher tries to connect to things usually overlooked, such as air plants that, while devoid of color, are intricately woven and tenaciously cling to host-tree barks.

“I try to capture the life-giving forces from nature, and monotype as a spontaneous art form with its own identity allows me to create something quickly and still feel ‘painterly.’ It has energy and while largely abstract, an important aesthetic, I can also be representation-

al,” Absher explained.

Layers of ink are applied to a non-porous acrylic plate; then, the painted image is transferred to fine art printmaking paper by manually rubbing or pressing, resulting in a unique print.

“I work with the transparencies by repeatedly adding and taking away color. It’s like a dance of painting, adding and removing paint; the ‘death’ or removal of the ink produces shadows. It then begins to create a life that comes through onto the paper,” she said.

Producing art at NTRC

“The property and trees inspire me as I walk the campus and take photos, and the dappled light on the grounds calls me to create. As I explore the myriad of textures, I find the serenity in nature emotionally healing,” said Absher.

“There’s a lot of energy at NTRC and an emotional connection with its program participants. Being part of that community motivates me to share my artwork, whether equestrian-related or drawn from the landscape.”

About Absher

Absher studied illustration, painting and textile design in New York City and attended

the Fashion Institute of Technology School of Visual Arts. She also learned computer art and worked in corporate graphic design in the mid1980s. In 2000, Absher relocated to Naples, and opened her branding and graphic design agency in 2001. Today, she is coming full circle and indulging in her passion for the fine arts.

Paul Bussmann’s art and interests

Bussmann harnesses a variety of mediums, allowing his painting, collage and photography to take shape organically. He said, “I want to see what sort of call and response there is and to remain attentive to the world to see where it leads me.

“Making art is an act of paying attention. I observe and visually translate fleeting moments of the immediate present through spontaneous image-making, thus my love for gesture drawing. I learned and loved calligraphy with its freedom of line. That dynamic of liveliness infuses my work with a spontaneity that, with my design background, delivers an understanding of the graphic cadence of a work,” Bussmann explained.

“My interests lie in landscapes, life drawing and still life. I like collage, working with paper

and typography and taking old books and headlines and reimagining them. I’ve been using an oil transfer technique made popular by artist Paul Klee (a process that involves transferring oil paint onto a surface to create a drawing) that enables me to explore. I love portraiture, which I call documentary style. I bring all of these into my fine art,” he added.

Creating art at NTRC

“As I become immersed in my art, it takes shape, and the more I do it, the more fluid it tends to be,” he said. “Art can lift people and is a way to build community, which is why participating in AIR and getting involved in the Naples community is important.

“I am curious and excited to apply that to the AIR opportunity. Using a special lens, I take macro photos of horses and barks of pine trees punctuating the landscape as a ‘fly-onthe-wall’ documentary. The setting allows me to capture an enhanced quality of light, reflective in my work, whether literal or abstract,” Bussmann said.

“There’s movement, shape, texture, pattern, value and color to draw. I’ve observed the parallels between our macro world and the microworld of tree barks and the color of the horses’ coats, highlighting the intricate patterns in nature,” he said.

About Bussmann

For 20 years, Bussmann was a senior partner in a design practice, then operated his graphic design business for another 20 years. Last year, he retired and reconnected with his fine arts roots. He enrolled in The Art Students League of New York and took life drawing classes around the country. This summer, he took courses at The National Portrait Gallery in London and a Parisian school. He was on the adjunct faculty at Washington University in St. Louis and taught visual communications. In July, Bussmann and his wife moved to Naples full-time. He says he may be spotted with a sketchpad at a Third Street café or a pickleball court, or drawing people and park benches “to hone my craft and try and improve my ability to see.”

United Arts Collier: unitedartscollier.org, info@unitedartscollier.org or 239.254.8242

Naples Therapeutic Riding Center: naplestherapeuticridingcenter.org or 239.596.2988

Artists: Lisa Absher at lisaabsher.com or 239.596.4770; Paul Bussmann at paulbussmann.com or info@paulbussmann.com

tandem with its exhibition, “Portraits of Dementia,” the museum has invited local resources for care, respite and support to gather for a one-day, one-stop shop for information about memory loss. Discover new ways to make the lives of those with dementia, and their caregivers’ jobs, easier and more meaningful. Free. 239.252.8476

‘Songs of the Vagabond’

7:30 p.m. Jan. 10 at Unity of Naples, 2000 Unity Way, Naples. Cellist, composer and multilingual vocalist Ian Maksin, who sings in 37 languages, is on his “Songs of the Vagabond” tour. He’ll take his audience around the world in vocals and performance. $35; 3 or more tickets, $30; reserved front two rows: $45; student (with valid ID): $20. eventbrite.com

Concert for medical center

4 p.m. Jan. 12 at Moorings Presbyterian Church, 791 Harbour Drive, Naples. Soprano Hanna Golodinskii and pianist Pavlo Gintov,

duo 4 p.m. Jan. 12 at First Presbyterian Church of Naples, 250 Sixth St. S., Naples. Amit Peled, internationally known Israeli cellist, and pianist Solomon Eichner, prizewinner of the Liszt-Garrison International Competition, perform a program of American composers, including Florence Price, George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, more. fpcnaples.org or 239.262.1311

Renée Fleming special performance 7 p.m. Jan. 12 at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Star soprano Renée Fleming joins the Naples Philharmonic, with Alexander Shelley, artistic and music director, to perform from Voice of Nature — The Anthropocene , inspired by her recent Grammy-winning solo album exploring the peril and fragility of the natural world. An original film by the National Geographic Society accompanies part of it in a multimedia experience that spans music from Handel to Björk. $129-$165. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900

Lisa Absher, one of the two artists of the United Arts Collier Artists in Residency program, receives inspiration from her surroundings at the Naples Therapeutic Riding Center. Contributed

Paul Bussmann sketches en plein air at the Naples Therapeutic Riding Center. He is one of the United Arts Collier selectees for its Artists in Residency program in partnership with the NTRC. Contributed

Childe Hassam's 'Little Old Cottage, Egypt Lane,' model is the best in American impressionism. It's at the Naples Art Institute through this weekend. Photo by Harriet Howard Heithaus

COMICS & PUZZLES

1. FOOD & DRINK: What kind of cake is named after a British queen? 2. TELEVISION: What is the name of the family dog on "The Simpsons"?

3. ANATOMY: How long does a human red blood cell exist?

4. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Where is New Year's celebrated first each year?

5. ADVERTISING: Which company sponsors a 13-foot-long Weinermobile?

6. MEASUREMENTS: How many pints are in a quart?

7. MOVIES: What is the name of the dance performed in the "Rocky Horror Picture Show"? 8. BIOLOGY: What does the term ectothermic mean?

GEOGRAPHY: Which country has the longest coastline in the world?

LITERATURE: Who is the author of "The Canterbury Tales"?

By Emi Burdge

NAPLES PRESS CROSSWORD

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SPORTS

Golden Eagles’ season among 2024’s shiny performances

Speaking of Sports David Wasson

Man, what a year.

We hope your 2024 was safe, healthy and prosperous — or at least that you hit two out of the three in that combination. It has been a most interesting year in Collier County sports, which means it is now time to proclaim The Naples Press Best Sports Stories of 2024!

BEST TEAM: Naples Golden Eagles football

The Kings of Collier reaffirmed their place atop the crowded plateau of high school football here, advancing to the Class 4A state semifinals for the 12th time in school history. Running back Shawn Simeon became the first player in Southwest Florida history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, and the Golden Eagles got an inspired defensive performance — two pick-sixes from defensive lineman Brady Clark — to overcome Port Charlotte in the region final.

Naples coach Rick Martin continues to do things his way, which means running the rock even when the entire world knows that you’re going to do it. But you can’t argue with the success Martin and the Golden Eagles have had, which means we should get

From page 4B

ready for another heaping helping of ground-and-pound from Naples in 2025.

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFOR-

MANCE: Lely Trojans running back Nino Joseph vs. Barron Collier Sophomore running back Joseph was an absolute machine for the Lely Trojans in 2024, until he broke his collarbone against Naples in the Coconut Bowl. Up to that moment, Joseph was on pace to shatter the county’s single-season rushing yards record, fueled in no small part by an epic performance against Barron

ing their talent due to the associated costs of lessons and instruments.

“Our students are often first-generation, hard-working kids from financially over-extended families. They have an average GPA of 3.93 and take, on average, three to four honors-level courses. These are rock-star kids, but $80 an hour for lessons is beyond their reach,” Duffy said.

Criteria for acceptance into MFGN programs

Usually referred by music teachers, the requirements for acceptance into MFGN include an audition and an essay about the influence of music on their lives.

“There are no hard and fast rules. We consider different family situations and we review tax

Collier on Sept. 28. Joseph gashed the Cougars for an absolutely insane 422 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in a wild 90-56 victory. Joseph piled up the area’s best single-game effort of the year on just 17 carries — which equates to an eye-popping 24.8 yards per carry!

BEST NEWCOMER: FC Naples is born

The United Soccer League expanded its League One footprint in a big way early in 2024, naming Naples as the new home of an expansion franchise on Jan. 17. Initially named

returns,” Duffy said. “Our students’ families average an income of $47,000 (family of four), and we look at grades; our average student has a 3.93 GPA, and some take three and four honor-level courses. We provide the super-exceptional kids what they need to go to the top schools — Johnson is an example.

“We bought a professional trombone for one student, and a flute head joint for another that can run into the thousands, but that we obtained at less cost. A student in the scholarship competition beat out all the kids, even though he was playing a plastic clarinet. We then purchased a clarinet for him, owned by the principal clarinetist in the Philharmonic, who had upgraded his instrument. Studies show that kids who study the arts and play music do better in school, graduate from high school and are more inclined to go to college and get a good job.”

Funding

The costs for each student are about

“USL Naples,” the team earned its FC Naples moniker in the summer and is set to begin play in March 2025.

FC Naples will play home games at Paradise Coast Sports Complex, the county’s sparkling multipurpose athletic complex located at Collier Boulevard and I-75. The 3,500-seat stadium has room for close to 7,000 for soccer events, and FC Naples steadily sold season tickets all summer while announcing a raft of corporate partners.

Head coach Matt Poland began signing players in December, and the team’s official uniform was unveiled at a glitzy gathering featuring models and fireworks. FC Naples officially begins play March 8 at PCSC, hosting the Chattanooga Red Wolves as part of a 17-game home slate.

BEST ADVERTISEMENT FOR COLLIER COUNTY: Minto US Open Pickleball Championships at East Naples Community Park

More than 50,000 people descend on Collier County every year for the most prestigious tournament in the sport. It’s also the Biggest Pickleball Party in the World! April’s event was a sun-splashed event at East Naples Community Park, as the eighth annual tournament attracted more than 3,250 players from all 50 states and 31 countries.

Pickleball has exploded in popularity worldwide, and the US Open has been one of the spotlight events from

$3,000. While the Collier Community Foundation and the Sansom Foundation provide grants that support the high school private lesson program, Duffy noted that the bulk of funding comes from private donors. Each year, the MFGN annual drive starts at zero and aims to raise $250,000.

“We have a loyal following,” Duffy said. “We perform periodic recitals and concerts where donors are invited and can see and hear how meaningful their support is to young, up-and-coming musicians. Our Symphonic Winds of Southwest Florida, an adult musician group, performs and accepts donations at performances that go straight to programming. For every dollar raised, $0.90 goes to the kids; 85% is considered worldclass, so 90% going to programming is off the charts.”

Programs

While Duffy works on funding opportu-

the very beginning. The 2024 event alone saw India earn three golds and 10 medals. The men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles finals were broadcast on CBS Sports Network and live streaming daily on Pickleball Channel set viewing records.

BEST LAST-SECOND MO -

MENT: Aubrey Rogers hangs on High-profile high school football teams such as Naples, Immokalee and Lely got lots of publicity this season, and for good reason. But the best high school football finish I saw in 2024 came between two teams that flew largely under the radar this season.

The Aubrey Rogers Patriots played the Palmetto Ridge Bears on Sept. 13, a game I broadcast. The Patriots were looking to secure their first win against a Collier County school in just their second year of existence, and led 21-14 late in the fourth quarter. Palmetto Ridge, though, was equally hungry — and broke off a long touchdown pass on the game’s final play. The Bears opted to go for 2 and the victory, but Aubrey Rogers’ defense stood tall on the conversion attempt to secure victory.

Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson airs weekdays from 3-5 p.m. on Southwest Florida’s Fox Sports Radio (105.9 FM in Collier County) and streaming on FoxSportsFM.com.

nities, he said that Cathy Pflieger, an MFGN board member and Haegg and Sansom Music Programs Coordinator, “is the program’s heart and soul.”

Pflieger schedules private lessons with instructors, usually held at the teachers’ homes. MFGN offers three programs: the Learning Elementary to Advanced Piano (LEAP) program, the Haegg Middle School Program and the Sansom Foundation program for high-school-aged students. The Fernando Classroom Piano Program for Title I Schools allows students to learn music skills after school. Pflieger has formed a string orchestra, runs summer orchestra camps and organizes the scholarship competition.

“Some students have been in the program for five years; after three years, they can re-audition for acceptance into the highschool level Sansom program. Our organization is evolving; it’s changing as we change with the times,” Pflieger added.

Naples High senior Shawn Simeon led the Golden Eagles to a successful 2024 season. Photo provided by Naples High School

HAVING A ‘ WICKET’ TIME

The croquet scene in Naples is growing

Move over, pickleball: There’s another hybrid social and recreational pursuit that’s catching on in Southwest Florida.

Golf Croquet earned its name because participants aim for the same target — a wicket instead of a hole — and it’s played like a golf scramble. And Southwest Florida is becoming a hotbed for both this newer type and traditional rules American six-wicket croquet.

John and Jennie Joseph, yearround residents of Wyndemere Country Club, enjoy tennis and pickleball, but have even greater passion for both types of croquet. Soon after experiencing six-wicket 20-plus years ago in New Albany, Ohio, they flew to the U.S. Croquet Association in West Palm Beach for lessons. They play on a croquet lawn at their club and also competitively around the country including in Newport, Rhode Island; Pinehurst, North Carolina; and the Hamptons and Buffalo, New York, most recently bringing home three trophies between them after a major event there in August. Jennie has been Southwest Florida district president of the USCA for four years.

“It’s mentally demanding and you do a lot of walking,” John said.

“It’s a combination of billiards, chess and socializing,” Jennie added.

Other area clubs that have croquet lawns include Audubon Country Club, Grey Oaks Club, The Club at the Strand, Quail West Country Club and Bonita Bay Club. Inter-club play takes place during season. It’s expected that a new croquet lawn at Moorings Park will debut in April.

There’s also the private Naples Croquet Club. It’s affiliated with the U.S. Croquet Association and

accepts new members. Approximately 50 members wield mallets on two croquet lawns — a full-size, 104-foot-by-86-foot one and another slightly smaller one — both outside the Études de Ballet studio that club director Jonathan Burt had built in 2000 for his wife to operate. The lush grounds also host special events such as wedding receptions and fundraisers.

“It’s easy on the body,” Burt said of the sport’s appeal. “People have this old image of it —hitting balls through metal hoops in someone’s backyard. Golf croquet is a little easier to play and learn. The American rules [version] involves more strategy.”

The club hosts:

• Clinics and demonstrations in both types of croquet

• Inter-club competitions with the aforementioned clubs plus Pelican Bay and Wilderness Country Club

• Singles and doubles social and competitive club championships

• Social events, including Wine & Wickets on Sunday afternoons.

Players use wooden- or metal-faced mallets to knock competitor’s balls away while also trying to propel their own plastic-composite balls through a series of wickets.

Sherif Abdelwahab, head croquet pro at the BBC and a visiting pro for Wyndemere, has also been instrumental in the growth of local croquet. Jennie Joseph has taken many lessons from him. “He’s phenomenal, very passionate about the game and a gentleman,” she said.

She will set up a croquet course in the backyard of the Historic Palm Cottage on March 6 for the third consecutive year for attendees to experience the sport as part of a major fundraiser for the Naples Historical Society. The Josephs also helped establish an annual major tournament a few years ago at BBC — the next one is set for April 10-12.

One of two play lawns at the Naples Croquet Club, which hosts clinics, demonstrations, competitions, social events and more for its members. Photos by Randy Kambic

By Randy Kambic

Jonathan Burt, director of the Naples Croquet Club, is flanked by fellow members and Wyndemere Country Club residents Jennie and John Joseph during a recent social competition.

Jonathan Burt, director of the Naples Croquet Club, lines up hitting his ball through a wicket as John Joseph looks on.