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D E C . 2 7, 2 0 2 4 - J A N . 2 , 2025
3A | LOSSES IN 2O24
3A | WELL-DESERVED REST
3B | DANCE ON DISPLAY
notable passings this past year
Federation of Greater Naples, is retiring after 11 years
dance experience to the public, students
We remember the community’s
NAPLES
City manager to leave public service
Jeffrey Feld, executive director of the Jewish
International festival of dance offers
Santa, CCSO bring gifts, love to young patients
By Aisling Swift
After more than 2½ years, Naples City Manager Jay Boodheshwar is retiring from public service and returning to Palm Beach County for a private-sector job with new challenges and “great life balance.” Boodheshwar, 51, whose last day will be Jan. 31, resigned Dec. 17 and city Jay officials anBoodheshwar nounced it publicly three days later. He’d served 30 years in the public sector. “I am especially proud of the time I have spent here in Naples, collaborating with an extraordinary team of professionals, elected officials, and residents,” Boodheshwar wrote in a letter to Mayor Teresa Heitmann and City Council, saying his decision didn’t come easily, but he was presented with an “incredible and deeply meaningful opportunity” that he couldn’t turn down. “Serving the citizens of Naples alongside my 500+ teammates has been one of the highlights of my career. Together, we have navigated challenges and seized opportunities, always striving to enhance the quality of life for all who call this beautiful city home,” he wrote. Boodheshwar, who was born in Guyana, was the first immigrant and person of color to be hired as Naples city manager. He was hired in May 2022 after his predecessor,
Santa and Collier law enforcement personnel made sure that young patients under care at NCH received gifts for the holiday season during the Collier County Sheriff's Office Light the Night toy drive. Collier County emergency vehicles, with lights flashing, escorted Santa and Mrs. Claus to the hospital to distribute gifts. Each year officers bring a SWAT truck full of toys for Santa to pass out that have been collected in memory of Sydney – the young niece of a CCSO officer who lost her battle to childhood cancer. ABOVE: Jamaris, a pediatric patient at NCH, receives a gift from Santa and Mrs. Claus, accompanied by Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk. LEFT: Ruby, a patient in the hospital's pediatric department, snuggles a gift from Santa during Santa and Mrs. Claus’ visit on Dec. 19. Photos by Liz Gorman
See BOODHESHWAR, Page 8A
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MORE THAN 100 RESTAURANTS JOIN LOCAL DINING LIST IN 2024 Tim Aten Knows Tim Aten
The end-of-the-year goal is to always provide a holiday gift to readers by smoothly wrapping up everything — publishing a succinct list of all of the local restaurants that launched that calendar year. That's easier said than done, though, because of
early holiday deadlines and so many restaurateurs jockeying to open under the wire in an 11th-hour burst of activity. While it’s difficult to put a big bow on it, here we go.
December flurry
We are still experiencing a flurry of December openings that haven't been appropriately introduced in some cases, but some fresh local restaurants are visible through the whiteout conditions. Blue Sky Restaurant opened
Dec. 7 in the former space of Franklin Social on the northeast corner of Goodlette-Frank and Pine Ridge roads in North Naples. Coconut Point had two major restaurants open this month. Real Seafood Co., which closed this summer after operating in North Naples for 20 years, opened a new location Dec. 11 in the large former space of Bokamper’s Sports Bar & Grill in the Estero mall. After launching PJK Neighborhood Chinese in downtown Naples in 2023, Paul Fleming
opened the second location of the elevated Asian restaurant on Dec. 19 in the former Coconut Point location of The Saloon and Blue Water Bistro. In mid-December, Tokyo Nikkei Restobar quietly opened in Gulf Coast Town Center. The venue features a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian flavors in the former space of Blu Sushi and Brahma Sushi. It joins Hummus Republic, which launched this fall in GCTC. See ATEN KNOWS, Page 6A
MORNINGS Taylor Petras
Corey Lazar
Lindsey Sablan
Zach Maloch
Rachel Cox-Rosen
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SWFL INSIDER Collier Community Foundation grants $32.7 million in FY 2024
The Collier Community Foundation awarded $32.7 million in grants in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, to nonprofit agencies and scholarships for secondary education and specialized training. This amount includes $15.9 million in CCF Donor Advised Fund grants and $10.1 million in Agency Fund grants. More than $362 million has been awarded to nonprofit organizations, community programs and scholarships since 1985. CCF has focused on developing solutions to the county’s affordable housing crisis, and granted $75,750 to hire a consultant to shepherd the development of a new nonprofit entity — The Housing Alliance. This strategic affiliation combines two existing nonprofit entities: the Collier County Community Land Trust and the Housing Development Corporation of SWFL. CCF also funded the first year of operations with an additional $200,000 capacity-building grant. CCF also provided a $25,000 investment in the Naples Botanical Garden’s Dune Restoration and Resiliency Project to provide in-person education at several beaches to raise awareness about the important role beach dunes — established with diverse plants — play in preventing erosion and helping to break onshore surge. An additional $300,000 helped launch the comprehensive dune restoration project. Long-term efforts, which include collecting seeds and cuttings from native dune plants for propagation and dune planting, are now underway.
Naples Airport Authority launches mobile app for submitting noise comments
Naples Airport Authority launched a mobile app for nearby residents to submit noise comments about aircraft operations. The app, developed in partnership with EnviroSuite, allows users to report noise events directly from their mobile devices. Available for both iOS and Android platforms, the app also is available for download on the NAA website (flynaples.com). In addition to the new app, the NAA continues to accept noise comments through its website and via the dedicated noise hotline at 239.326.9262.
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Naples doctor makes breakthrough in spinal fusion surgery
Of all the back surgeries, spinal fusion is one of the most dreaded — but that could change, thanks to a breakthrough procedure pioneered in Southwest Florida. Naples neuro-spine surgeon Dr. Mark Fenkel is patenting a new method that may one day become the standard of
treatment. Spinal fusion links vertebrae together to stop movement and pain. The procedure evolved to use smaller tools and incisions, but still requires a large cut in the back to place rods and screws that hold things together until the bones fuse. With the backing of Physicians Regional Medical Center, Fenkel is patenting a new approach that fuses the spine without rods and screws. Instead, WINK News reports, he curves tiny needles through the bone and spacer into the other bone before injecting cement approved for use in the spine to reinforce fractures.
David Lawrence Centers receives $50K grant
David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Naples Woman’s Club to support programming that addresses the mental health crisis affecting children and teens in Collier County. DLC provides 24-hour emergency mental health and crisis stabilization services for children, and this grant will help ensure children in crisis and their families receive timely access to evidence-based lifesaving and life-changing care.
Governor appoints Naples man, 7 others to Construction Industry Licensing Board
Naples resident Steve Richmond was among eight appointments and reappointments to the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Richmond is the founder of Projetech Inc., a provider of cloud-based solutions and services for IBM Maximo. The author of Working SMART and member of Forbes Technology Council was appointed alongside Nick Burgess, executive director for AdventHealth Pasco County Foundations, and Wayne Mayo, president and founder of Southern Standard Construction LLC. DeSantis’ reappointments to the board were Donald Cesarone, CEO of Lucas Lagoons Construction LLC; Jonathan Cook, vice president of CINCH Underground Inc.; LaBelle resident Fred Kobie, president of Kobie Kooling Inc.; Rachelle Wood, president and contractor for Dolphin Sheet Metal Inc.; and Brian Zettle, partner and consultant at Boyette Zettle LLC. These appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
North Naples industrial building sells for $1.07M
MBG Naples LLC purchased a 2,444-square-foot industrial building at 6145 Lee Ann Lane in North Naples from 6145 Lee Ann LLC for $1,075,000. Eric Edwards, CCIM, of LSI Companies Inc.
represented the buyer and seller.
Epilepsy Services of Southwest Florida receives $25,000 grant
Epilepsy Services of Southwest Florida received a $25,000 grant from Collier County Community Foundation. The funds will support client services, as the nonprofit provides case management to individuals with epilepsy/seizure disorders who are uninsured or underinsured. Services provided to clients include diagnostic testing, such as MRIs, EEGs, CT scans and bloodwork.
Naples Airport Authority completes safety projects
Several projects designed to enhance safety and efficiency were completed at Naples Airport Authority. These improvements focus on runway safety areas, taxiway safety and reducing the risk of runway incursions, further aligning Naples Airport with Federal Aviation Administration safety standards. The projects included the relocation of the existing perimeter road at the approach end of Runway 23, reducing safety risks by moving the road out of the Runway Safety Areas. The addition of a new perimeter road at the approach end of Runway 5 virtually eliminated the need for airport vehicles to cross active runways, further reducing safety risks and streamlining airport operations, airport authority officials said. In addition, the relocation of Taxiway A-3 A provided a safety measure by eliminating direct access to the primary runway, reducing the potential for runway incursions and ensuring compliance with FAA design standards. Enhancements at the intersection of Taxiways A and B include new runway guard lights and updated pavement geometry.
Baker Senior Center Naples to host signature fundraiser
Baker Senior Center Naples, a nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive programs and social services for older adults and their families, will host its 13th annual “Evening for Better Tomorrows: Walking on Sunshine” fundraising gala on Saturday, Jan. 11, at Royal Poinciana Golf Club, 1600 Solana Road, Naples. The event, with title sponsor Moran Wealth Management, will be a celebration of the growth and achievements made possible at Baker Senior Center Naples thanks to generous donor support. The festivities kick off with a cocktail reception and four-course dinner followed by a brief program. Guests also will enjoy dancing to live entertainment with legendary Motown hits mixed with rock and roll songs by Shadows of the ’60s.
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COLLIER NOW GOVERNMENT
E D U C AT I O N
H E A LT H
HOUSING
WE REMEMBER: COMMUNITY’S NOTABLE PASSINGS IN 2024 By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
The end of 2024 bids us recall those important to this community who have gone before us. We remember these Naples and Collier County residents, and hope to perpetuate the good they did: James “Leonard” Chesser, 83, on Jan. 18. Chesser was known as the godfather of swamp buggy racing, holding a record for most wins, with 26. He and his brother, the late Lonnie Chesser, founded a dynasty of racers carried on by their families.
Jo Ann Ward, 90, on Feb. 1. Ward is credited as developing the “Breakfast with Santa” concept in Chicago as publicity and special events director at the Carson Pirie Scott & Co. department store. It brought as many as 5,000 youngsters and parents downtown early in the shopping day and has become a popular holiday event throughout the country since. Paul Edward Lego, 93, on Feb. 29. Lego was one of the original executives who helped found Pelican Bay in Naples during his 37-year tenure at the Westinghouse Corp. He became a resident there after he retired as chairman
A photo of Judith Branch, known as Jebry, stands in front of the jazz band she fronted — drummer Bobby Phillips, her husband; bassist Carlo Fusaro; keyboardist John Keevil; and guest trumpet player Marty Krebs — as they perform in tribute to her Oct. 14. Jebry died Oct. 11 at the age of 80.
See DEATHS, Page 7A
Contributed
RETIRING AFTER 11 YEARS
NAPLES WINTER WINE FESTIVAL
List grows for 25th wine festival auction Naples Press Staff
Jeffrey Feld, retiring executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, in his office next to a painting of a menorah. Photo by Liz Gorman
A JOB WELL DONE
Federation director leaves legacy of giving back, goodwill By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
Jeffrey Feld, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, didn’t come here to retire. But he is, 11 years later and 50 years after he made the critical decision to jump from law to advocacy. His successor, Nammie Ichilov, is already here. Feld will stay in his office at the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center, at least on paper, until Jan. 31, after which he and his wife, Susan, get to spend more time in the roles of bobezyde — grandma and grandpa — to their son’s and daughter’s children in Nashville and New Orleans. “It’s not that we haven’t visited them. But I’m looking at my cellphone, checking my watch,” he explained, adding firmly, “I would like to not have to be doing that.” Feld has had many reasons to be looking at his watch and checking his cellphone since he
became the Federation’s leader. He has been shepherding an organization in a fast-growing city, with changing demographics and even sprawling growth of Judaism: There is reform, orthodox and conservative worship in a city that might not have such offerings elsewhere. What it didn’t have was a year-round community. Feld had the experience to change that, with service that spanned Jewish community organizations in Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Savannah, Nashville and Memphis. It’s experience that almost didn’t come to a Pittsburgh boy who lost his father at age 12 and suddenly found his middle-class life dissolve into poverty.
A community of help
“We had no insurance. We had nothing,” he recalled. Feld took a job at age 14. He soberly remembers extended family and friends tiding his family over in ways for he is grateful for
to this day. “If it wasn’t for the generosity of others, I wouldn’t have been able to do so much,” he conceded. He was able to both attend the University of Pittsburgh and graduate from the University of Maryland. Summer work at a Jewish sleep-away camp one summer turned into several, and then he was working with Jewish youth groups as an advisor. But when the executive director of the Jewish Community Center suggested he go into administrative work for Jewish advocacy, Feld turned the idea down. Having known years of poverty, he was looking for a job at which he could make money: in law. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more the suggestion spoke to his heart. He could certainly help people with wealth. But Jewish organizations could empower direct help. He changed directions. “What I’d come to realize was that there See FELD, Page 8A
This is a B-list that no one would mind being part of: Bentleys, Bulgaris and Burgundy are on it. They’re a number of the over-the-top lots that the Naples Winter Wine Festival is offering during its 25th anniversary year at the Ritz-Carlton Tiburón Jan. 24-26. The NWWF is internationally known as one of most hard-working charity wine auctions, raising almost $302 million to support initiatives for an estimated 350,000 children in Collier County since its inception in 2001. The newest round of released lots, all of which include at least business- or firstclass airfare or private jet round-trip, include: “Driving at the Speed of Bentley”: One lucky couple will drive off in their new 2025 Bentley Continental GT Convertible Speed, although they won’t have to drive to their four-night VIP Bentley experience at Monterey Car Week Aug. 14-18. The trip includes four nights at The Inn at Spanish Bay, tickets to Bentley’s VIP Terrace during The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering at The Quail Lodge & Golf Club and two VIP tickets to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. They have seats at its dinners and a round of golf with Bentley Americas’ President and CEO Michael Rocco. Beauty of Burgundy at Château de la Crée: Six people will spend four nights at Château de la Crée in Burgundy. The experience includes a guided e-bike tour and tastings at three Château de la Crée estate vineyards, a private winery tour and barrel tasting in the caves and seated tasting in the loft above Domaine Evenstad winery; two dinners at famed French restaurants, Michelin-starred Table de Levernois at Hostellerie de Levernois and at L’Ouillette; and lunch and wine tasting at the Clos de Vougeot, among other tours. The experience includes rare magnums of wine from each vineyard. See AUCTION LOTS, Page 5A
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PHILANTHROPY
NEXT ACT FOR PLAYHOUSE: MORE ENTERTAINMENT AND EDUCATION That’s so Naples Jeff Lytle
Beauty — and there is a lot of it — is more than skin deep at Naples’ new $72 million Gulfshore Playhouse. Look beyond the wavy architecture, gracious facilities and top-notch entertainment, and you start to appreciate what drives the second dimension of GP’s Baker Theater and Education Center. “Gulfshore Playhouse is one of the few theaters in the country which have included education in the name of the building, reinforcing this as a core focus for us,” said Steven Akin, Playhouse chairman of the board. There are offerings for toddlers through senior citizens in music appreciation and performance, theater history and much more. Some classes cover a single session; others take weeks. Aptly for a professional theater, all programs are taught by pros such as Education Director Steven Calakos, a veteran teacher and actor/singer who belongs to the esteemed Actors Equity — as do all playhouse performers, who work alongside professional musicians and crews. Those classes, in turn, spin off lessons of their own which students can build upon for happier, more well-rounded lives. For example, Calakos and Akin point to students in acting classes gaining experience in teamwork, self-confidence, responsibility, accepting constructive criticism, maturity and empathy. All of that, plus the stories told onstage, make theater “a reflection of society,” Calakos explains. “It is theater magic — and it doesn’t happen overnight.” Akin adds to the theme. “Theatre gives us all an opportunity to witness characters, their thinking, their lives, their experiences, and perceptions — to walk in another’s shoes,” he said. “To be able to act, to take on other roles outside of ourselves, gives us the opportunity to expand our insights, understanding of each other and wisdom. I have seen first-hand the impact our education programs have had on my three grandchildren.” Collier County Public Schools is a grateful beneficiary. Skip Pardee, CCPS coordinator of fine arts, formerly a music teacher and band instructor at Palmetto Ridge High School, cited a list of ways GP helps provide “world-class visual and performing arts experiences.” The list included performance and technical coaching for theater students; showing teachers how to let students act out science lessons such as rainwater cycles; and sharing ideas for arts curricula. The playhouse goes into schools for K-12 programs ranging from children’s stories to money, storms, history, The Wizard of Oz, Shakespeare, forests, mythology and poetry. “We look forward to the continued partnership with Gulfshore Playhouse for our students’ benefit for years to come,” Pardee said.
Gifts that keep on giving
The importance of education resonates with GP policymakers and donors, as well. Calakos said his program updates at board meetings routinely stretch far beyond agenda bullet points, thanks to board members’ interest and
Enthusiastic students attend a special matinee of Anything Goes at Gulfshore Playhouse. Photos courtesy Gulfshore Playhouse
self-awareness, emotion recognition, listening, creativity and artistic expression. Gulfshore Playhouse also claims a spot alongside other arts centers as an economic driver. To illustrate his point, Calakos ushers visitors to a second-floor balcony facing Goodlette-Frank Road and points a block south to a new hotel, with new cafes and bars to the north. The theater has come a long way, especially for Calakos. He arrived from New Jersey in 2020 — just in time for COVID-19 and its dampening effect on live performances at the company’s former home at the Norris Center in Cambier Park. The trajectory adds extra appreciation for the new, 368-seat playhouse and the education it can offer in its multi-purpose rooms for music, acting, dance and painting lessons; small performances; lectures; and much more. “We believe it will become one of Southwest Florida’s most significant cultural attractions, enhancing the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds,” Gulfshore Playhouse leadership said, citing a commitment to using “the magic of theater” to uplift the community.
Seminal moments
Anthony and Beverly Petullo with happy students attend a special matinee of Anything Goes at Gulfshore playhouse.
curiosity about how his $500,000 annual budget is being spent. That enthusiasm, he said, extends to donors searching for legacy niches that they can watch grow. Two such donors are Anthony and Beverly Petullo, who have provided a $1.5 million endowment to, among other things, defray expenses of exposing all Collier County high school juniors to matinees of full, professional GP productions. The money erases asking students to pay $10, which is a fraction of full price yet still steep for some families, Anthony Petullo said. As Calakos put it, “Attending theater should not be a luxury.” Students in the Naples area, Calakos observed, are “very lucky” to have such a variety of education-minded artistic institutions, including Artis—Naples, which hosts and provides live music for Shakespeare dramas performed by playhouse actors.
Calakos called 11th grade “the sweet spot” for reaching students mature enough for Shakespeare and a year away from the rigors and distractions of college applications. Petullo recalled his excitement as a child seeing his first production on stage, and he wants to extend that wonder to students whose theater education may face tight school budgets. His art connections run deep in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he champions access to music education to fuel the passion of talented youth. Those scholarships dovetail with his ongoing mentoring of students at his alma mater, the University of Illinois. His art collection, showcasing self-taught and outside-the-mainstream artists from around the world, is shared with several U.S. museums. Petullo feels a kinship with the mission of Gulfshore Playhouse, which states: “Our goal is to inspire creativity and confidence, encour-
age self-expression and cultivate a deep appreciation for the arts.”
Multi-tasking education
While hundreds of students come to GP productions, the playhouse also can come to the students. For example, Playhouse professionals visit schools to portray the late Abe Price, a Holocaust survivor from Naples. He was passionate about displaying his prisoner number tattoo and instructing youngsters that the Holocaust was an example of hate and evil that must be remembered. Playhouse instruction also reaches the business and nonprofit world, Calakos said. For instance, a dozen employees from Arthrex were recently tutored on public speaking, team-building and communicating with co-workers. STARability Foundation students attended instruction on teamwork, verbal and non-verbal communication, public speaking,
Gulfshore Playhouse CEO and producing artistic director Kristen Coury offered a glimpse behind the curtain of her inspirations. She said she used her application for tax-deductible status as a commitment to the education mission. “Education was part of our original mission, has always been a priority for us and, to my delight, continues to grow and expand,” she said. A model, for her, is San Diego’s La Jolla Playhouse. “This is partially, probably, why I ended up naming the theatre Gulfshore Playhouse,” she said. In addition to staging original work and high production values, she said, “They have a wonderful education program, as do many of the top regional theaters across the country — although, to my knowledge, none of them are actually called a theatre and education center like we are.” Jeff Lytle has covered and commented on Southwest Florida since 1979. Contact him at jflytle1951@ gmail.com.
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FIDDLER’S CREEK RESIDENTS LOSE BATTLE AGAINST EXPANSION By Aisling Swift
The developer of Fiddler’s Creek in East Naples can move forward with a plan to add 750 apartments, including affordable workforce housing — though the project still faces state and federal hurdles. The Collier Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 10 unanimously agreed to amend the county growth management plan to remove land-use restrictions and allow Naples-based Gulf Bay Group of Cos. to build a four-story, 69-foot-high apartment complex on 49.9 acres set aside for recreational use. They also unanimously agreed to amend the Marco Shores/ Fiddler’s Creek Planned Unit Development to increase the number of homes allowed from 6,000 to 6,750. The land-use amendment must be approved by the Florida Department of Commerce, and the developer still must go through state and federal approvals. Although the majority of the 28 speakers urged denial, NCH Healthcare System, Greater Naples Chamber and others cited the need for affordable workforce housing. “The demand is there. People are wanting the housing,” Commission Chair Chris Hall agreed, seconding Commissioner Rick LoCastro’s motion to approve. The vote went against a unanimous vote by the Planning Commission to deny the petition due to environmental, traffic and stormwater concerns. Hall changed the usual procedure and denied residents the ability to cede three minutes to other speakers, didn’t allow their experts to speak and barred Audubon Western Everglades from speaking more than three minutes. That gave the petitioner’s side five hours versus about an hour for residents and their attorney. It was Hall’s last meeting as chair. “I overestimated the commissioners and did not recognize until it was too late that the commissioners, staff, county attorney and the developers all work together hand-in-hand,” Stuart-based attorney Gary Oldehoff said after the vote. As the nearly daylong hearing began, LoCastro, whose district covers the development near Marco Island, said their decision would
The land is near 7,271-acre Collier-Seminole State Park, one of the world’s largest mangrove swamps, and 1,300-acre Rookery Bay Reserve, a mangrove estuary that protects wildlife, coastland and water.
set a precedent for future construction projects countywide. He noted emails commissioners received show residents are confused about the process, environmental and traffic concerns. “We aren’t looking to arbitrarily allow construction on every undeveloped parcel of land, but landowners also have rights when they pay for a piece of property to be able to do something with it,” LoCastro told residents, who packed commission chambers and listened online. “… We are voting on allowing a parcel of land currently zoned for a park, a golf course, boat storage and a multitude of other things, to possibly be rezoned so the landowner can then pursue the extremely complicated steps before any shovels would ever go in the ground. “Many of those steps have huge hurdles, which could easily stop any project,” he added. “Our main decision is to determine if a rezone should be approved to allow the landowner the opportunity to explore all of the needed future steps to pursue possible construction.” He called the Planning Commission’s three days of hearings a “dry run” critical for the process, but contended “the five of us have much more depth on not only the issues, but especially the law as to what is feasible and what is not.” That prompted Vice Chair Burt Saunders to emphasize that the Planning Commission is critical and county commissioners value its members’ input. The parcel is part of the development’s undeveloped 600-acre Section 29, which includes conservation land, and the 49.9 acres — currently a pasture — was set aside for recreational uses. Residents, who didn’t want their views of water and trees obstructed, said Realtors assured them it would never be developed. They’d gathered evidence, hired an attorney
and experts, set up a GoFundMe page, read thousands of pages of transcripts and records — and discovered the developer never filed a required conservation easement after a 1998 county commission hearing that allowed more homes in exchange for that easement. Getting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to force the developer to file that easement in late 2022 was key to the residents’ case, along with obtaining an email from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that contradicted Gulf Bay’s contention that it could delay filing the easement. Land-use attorney Rich Yovanovich, who represented Gulf Bay, told commissioners it always intended to develop the land and wasn’t hiding anything. He acknowledged it must amend a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit to move forward. Gulf Bay has committed 30% of the apartments for affordable housing, half of that number at 100% and below area median income and half at 80% and below AMI. If all 750 units are built, Yovanovich said, there would be 225 income-restricted rentals, “probably the highest private-sector proposed affordable-housing commitment in Collier County.” He contended the Planning Commission unfairly focused on Planning & Zoning Director Mike Bosi’s testimony that planning staff wouldn’t have approved plans if they didn’t include affordable housing. Hall agreed planning commissioners weren’t fair to Yovanovich, noting two were “interruptive” and “abrasive.” During the county commission hearing, Bosi expanded on his stance, telling commissioners the project has many benefits, including affordable housing within a 10-minute drive from a “tremendous number of employers” within 10 miles. He also said the developer agreed to
See FIDDLER'S CREEK, Page 8A
2016 and 2018). “All Aboard the Orient Express with BVLGARI”: One winning couple will spend five glamorous nights from Florence to Paris with BVLGARI and the Orient Express June 15-20. The journey begins with two nights in Milan with a visit to Bulgari Leather Goods & Accessories Manifattura, including a $20,000 credit toward a custom-made handbag. Also, a private tour at Antinori nel Chianti Classico and a day in Florence designed by the winners. Guests also travel to Paris on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in a Grand Suite, with private en-suite bathroom, expansive living area, 24-hour butler service and free-flowing Champagne, plus meals. In Paris, guests will enjoy two nights at the BVLGARI Hôtel Paris. Experiences include a private appointment at the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Gioielleria and a Paris experience tailored to the winners’ personal taste.
From page 3A
AUCTION LOTS “Walk in the Footsteps of Giants”: Four people will enjoy a 14-night insider’s musical exploration through five legendary European cities hosted by Opus One. In London, they stay at The Lanesborough and enjoy lunch and a private chamber concert featuring Handel’s Water Music aboard a barge along the Thames. In Hamburg, with two nights at the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, they tour the Composers Quarter and Aldstadt canals and attend an Elbphilharmonie performance. In Vienna, there are two nights at the Hotel Sacher Wien, a private tour of Mozart’s residence and a backstage performance hall visit. Next is Venice, Italy, for three nights at Hotel Danieli; an excursion to Vivaldi’s favored theater, Teatro La Fenice; a visit to Ospedale della Pietà and the Opera House of Mantua; and more. Paris includes three nights at Hôtel Bel Ami with a private visit to L’Opéra Garnier, including the underground lake — not open to the public — made famous in The Phantom of the Opera. They then return to London for one night at The Dorchester and a theater performance. They also receive a 10-year Magnum vertical of Opus One 2011 to 2021. “Where Wild Meets Wonderful”: Six guests will experience a luxury ranch retreat at the Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming. The winners stay for four nights at Brush Creek Ranch, with two daily ranch activities per person — horseback riding, archery, shooting range, fly fishing, yoga and more. There’s the choice of private mountain snowcat skiing or a handson farm tour at the Brush Creek Distillery, a dinner with the wines of Carter Cellars and three meals daily. The winners also will take
create a larger buffer of lush trees between the apartments and residents to the north — who will be 531 feet away — and will add drainage and road improvements. Gulf Bay will spend about $7.8 million on improvements to Auto Ranch Road, which often floods. Among them are raising and widening, adding a sidewalk, replacing drainage culverts and extending public utilities. Gulf Bay also agreed to coordinate with Collier Area Transit and the Florida Department of Transportation to add a bus stop at the intersection with U.S. 41 East. John Erario and his wife Sue Caglioti, who set up the GoFundMe page, urged commissioners to deny the project, citing a federal letter they received in January that agreed the land was to remain a conservation area and the Army Corps permit can’t be changed. “It’s impossible to misconstrue the finality of this letter,” Erario said, noting it refutes representations made by commissioners and others who said Section 29 is no longer environmentally important. The land is near 7,271-acre Collier-Seminole State Park, one of the world’s largest mangrove swamps, and 1,300-acre Rookery Bay Reserve, a mangrove estuary that protects wildlife, coastland and water. As a result, Audubon Western Everglades Policy Director Brad Cornell urged commissioners to deny the rezoning, noting that in addition to the apartments, eight acres being developed for road improvements are part of a preserve. Speakers were shocked when they arrived and a sign was being posted limiting speaker times to three minutes and barring them from ceding their three minutes to others. A sign also was posted outside commission chambers that contradicted the rules on the speaker slips and the agenda. However, speaker times are at the discretion of the chair. Cornell, who expressed surprise that Audubon wasn’t given more than three minutes, said the county’s procedural memo gives groups of five or more 15 minutes. “The Fiddler’s Creek vote was a big disappointment and showed the desperation in the county to find affordable housing, even at the
“Million Dollar Meal … All for the Kids!”: Bidders will have the opportunity to be one of just 40 couples at an exclusive Italian dinner prepared by Celebrity Chef and NWWF 2025 Chef de Cuisine Angelo Auriana at Bleu Provence. Food, wine and non-alcoholic beverages are included.
The high bidder of the European music tour won’t get the Phantom — here, Jon Robyns, with Lily Kerhoas as Christina in London — but will see the private lake beneath L’Opera Garnier on which the musical was based. Photo by Johan Persson
home three double magnums of four names of 2012 Carter Cellars cabernet sauvignons. “A Yacht for All Seasons”: Four people will travel on a 10-night sojourn through the Caribbean Dec. 6-16, 2026. The voyage begins with seven nights in Superior Seaview Suites aboard the Four Seasons Yacht de-
parting from Castries, Saint Lucia, and returning to Saint Maarten, with stops in Martinique; Peter Island; a private beach; and Saint Barths, Anguilla, for three nights at Cap Juluca with a spa treatment and one dinner with wine pairings at Cip’s by Cipriani. Guests also will share four 750ml bottles of Château Montrose (one each: 2014, 2015,
“Harlan Estate: 31 Years of Grandeur and Perfection”: It starts with a vertical collection of 31 750ml bottles of Harlan Estate (one each 1990-2020), signed by proprietor Bill Harlan, with a visit and tasting at the family-owned private Napa Valley winery. There’s also a tour of the Petersen Automotive Museum and Bruce Meyer’s Beverly Hills car collection in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles. Ticket packages for the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival start at $17,500 per couple. Information is at napleswinefestival.com/about-the-festival.
6A | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2024 | THE NAPLES PRESS
From page 1A
za & Pasta and Tony’s NY Pizza in North Naples. Pizzeria chains that opened new locations include Donatos Pizza and Rosati’s Pizza in North Naples, Ledo Pizza in Ave Maria and Romeo’s Pizza in Estero. BrAva Pizza opened as a ghost kitchen inside The Industry Standard Kitchen + Bar that launched this fall in Bonita Springs. Also in Lee County, Lombardough’s Pizza & Beer launched in San Carlos Park, and new Cape Coral pizzerias include The Goombah Pizzaiolo, Mellow Mushroom, Oda Pizzeria Bistro and Pi Theory Pizza.
ATEN KNOWS Maine Shack, which previously had a lobster roll food truck at Celebration Park, now has a New England seafood restaurant specializing in lobster rolls, clam chowder and fried clams; it opened in late December in the former spot of Kruk’s Philly Steaks off Naples Boulevard in North Naples. Airport Donuts just opened in a former 7-Eleven store next to Spanky’s Speakeasy on Airport-Pulling Road in East Naples. Expanding on his North Naples takeout business, Brooklyn-born Donato Crichigno launched D & Son Pizzeria & Deli this month at Flamingo Island Flea Market on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs. At press time, a few local restaurants still were awaiting final inspections and trying to launch by year’s end in North Naples. These include Bella Atalia Ristorante, an Italian restaurant coming to the former spot of Real Seafood Co.; Sushi Sake, a Miami-based Japanese dining concept coming to the Riverchase Plaza space of the former Chicken Salad Chick; and Waxin’s Swedish-American restaurant, coming to the former spot of The Counter at Mercato in North Naples.
Notable newcomers
Great Wolf Lodge South Florida resort and waterpark launched this fall in City Gate with a pack of eateries inside open to the public, including Dunkin’, Fireside, The Hungry Wolf Food Hall, Timbers Table & Kitchen and Wood’s End Creamery. Naples-based Paul Fleming Restaurant Group launched three new local dining spots in the area. Lake Park Diner launched a second location in May at Founders Square; Paulitas’ Taqueria opened this summer on Third Avenue North in Naples; and the second location of PJK came to Coconut Point. The prolific culinary team behind Ichi Togarashi launched two more Asian-fusion restaurants — Tong Yin and Sendo de Cafe — nearby in downtown Naples. A fourth is coming in 2025. The upscale Soluna Restaurant & Bar breathed new life into the former longtime space of Stoney’s Steakhouse at Bayfront in Naples. New elevated dining options include Keeywaydin’s on Fifth, LoLa 41, The Syren Oyster & Cocktail Bar and Unidos Latin Kitchen & Bar, which all opened in the city of Naples; Nolita at Ritz-Carlton, Naples and J. Alexander’s Restaurant came to North Naples. Petar’s in the Center of Bonita Springs doubled its space by expanding into a neighboring unit. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Tap 42 Craft Kitchen + Bar replaced the longtime Silverspot Cinema and AZN Azian Cuizine, respectively, at Mercato.
Name game
Business transactions this year resulted in seamless transitions for some hospitality concepts. Cav’s Kitchen and Cocktails, a new neighborhood hangout, carries on the legacy of Joey D’s Italian Restaurant & Bar on Marco Island with a full bar and menu of pasta, pizza, sandwiches, wraps, steaks, chicken and seafood dishes. Meanwhile, the original Joey D’s is expanding its space and concept at Green Tree Center in North Naples. Scorecard Social brought a new name and game this fall to the sports bar and grill that had been Stevie Tomato’s Sports Page for more than 15 years in Pebblebrooke Center.
Bevy of beverages
Keewaydin's on Fifth opened in January in the former longtime space of Yabba Island Grill in downtown Naples. Photos by Tim Aten
Kandela Tacos & Tequilas is the new name for the former La Santa Tacos & Tequilas and retains the same owners and menu in North Naples. Naples Coastal Kitchen moved north to Bonita Springs but kept its Neapolitan name.
Doubling up
Many restaurant concepts launched additional locations. Golden Gate-based Floridita Cuban Cafe opened new locations in both Naples and North Naples. Osteria Capri on Isles of Capri spun off a second restaurant on Marco Island. Country House Restaurant in East Naples rolled out a new spot in Golden Gate. Naples-based Aqua Seafood & Steaks debuted a stunning third location in North Naples. Oahu Fresh Bowls added to its Naples cafe with a Fort Myers address. El Gaucho Inca’s owners added an Italian twist with El Gaucho Trattoria in North Naples. Jimmie The Beef Guy expanded its Bonita Springs business with a second Chicago-themed sandwich shop in Fort Myers. Taco Worx launched its third location in downtown Fort Myers with plans to add Escondido Lounge speakeasy inside. Hooked Island Grill cast a new bar and its seafood selections in Cape Coral. Michoacana Ice Cream, which has locations in East Naples and Bonita Springs, opened another one in The Pointe at Founders Square. Love Boat Ice Cream added to its local lineup with another shop at Cape Coral Commons.
Chain gang
Soluna Restaurant & Bar launched in early November in the former longtime space of Stoney's Steakhouse at Bayfront in Naples.
Tableside Restaurant started serving its American and Romanian cuisine May 1 in the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt in North Naples.
Pizza places
As reported last week, numerous pizzerias closed in 2024 — but many also opened. Aurelio’s Pizza closed at Coastland Center mall and reopened as a
Some popular restaurant chains offering new area locations include Bahama Breeze Island Grille and Twin Peaks at Coastland Center mall in Naples; The Capital Grille at Bell Tower in south Fort Myers; and Outback Steakhouse in Cape Coral. First Watch dawned at Hammock Park on Collier Boulevard; Mystic Lobster Roll Co. and Nautical Bowls both came to Marco Island; Coldstone Creamery and Dunkin’ both started serving Ave Maria; McDonald’s opened in the Orangetree area of the Estates. In Bonita Springs, Burger King razed its old building for a modern replacement; Waffle House was shuttered for months for renovations; and Wendy’s built a drive-thru next to Waffle House. Other new quick-service restaurants include Potbelly Sandwich Works in south Fort Myers, Carvel Ice Cream in Fort Myers, Checkers in Cape Coral and Zaxby’s in Lehigh Acres.
More in Collier County
Baked goods
Bakery businesses have risen in the region. Angelic Desserts Bakery & Cafe sweetened the deal with a major move next door at Shoppes at Vanderbilt in North Naples. Naples also has more options for Italian baked goods with Bakery at Grappino sliding into the adjacent former La Colmar Bakery space to grow Aielli Group’s restaurants; and Bontà Bakery scooping up the former Regina’s Ice Cream Pavilion on Fifth Avenue South. Vicky Bakery, the Miami-based Cuban bakery chain, created two area locations this year in Ave Maria and Cape Coral. Crave Cookies launched area bakeries in Estero and North Naples. Nothing Bundt Cakes made another area location in Estero this fall. Sour & Dough Artisan Bakery opened in University Village near FGCU. Rock’n Rolls German Bakery & Bistro took the stage in Cape Coral.
New places to grab a hot or cold drink and more include Acopio Coffee & Cacao and Beyond Juicery + Eatery in Naples; and Momo Tea Bar and Tempest Tea in North Naples. A second Three60 Wine bar and shop also launched at Logan Landings in North Naples. New spots in Lee County include Chubby Mermaid Brewing in Bonita Springs, Urban Buzz Coffee Co. in Estero and Voodoo Brewing Co. and Take Two Coffee in Fort Myers.
Angelic Desserts Bakery & Cafe made a bold move next door to a much larger space in October in the Shoppes at Vanderbilt in North Naples.
Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar replaced the longtime AZN Azian Cuizine in August below the new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at Mercato in North Naples.
takeout and delivery hub on Naples Boulevard in North Naples. Baci Pizza relocated and relaunched as the bigger Baci Trattoria & Pizza off Bayshore Drive. Under new ownership, Gino’s Pizza in Cape
Coral added New Jersey pizza options this fall to its Ohio-based pizzeria. New local pizzerias creating a buzz are Bruno’s Italian House & Pizzeria in Naples and Trulli Piz-
In Naples, Lavender Cafe & Bistro launched in Trinity Plaza; The Alley was added to The District in Central Square; and 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill debuted in the new Compass Hotel by Margaritaville. New to the Coastland Center food court were Latinos 239, Queen Agave Mexican Grill and Tsaocca Tea. New North Naples dining options include Tableside Restaurant and Imperio Taqueria in the Shoppes at Vanderbilt, Suga Suga at The Strand in North Naples, Islas Modern Cuisine in Imperial Square and Havana Libre Cuban Cuisine in Founders Square. New eateries in beautiful East Naples include Flo’s Clam Shack on the East Trail, Cheesesteaks.com in Naples Towne Centre and Mela’s Cafe in the Shops at Hammock Cove. Otro Nivel Restaurant & Bar opened in Sunrise Plaza on Collier Boulevard in Golden Gate, and Bravo Cafe debuted near Bravo Supermarket at Wilson Plaza in Golden Gate Estates. Pub 1105 opened on Marco Island, while Blue Agave Mexican Restaurant came to Ave Maria. Next week, we’ll look at some of the local restaurants coming in 2025. Happy new year! The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim. aten@naplespress.com
naplespress.com | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 2 4 | 7A
M E N TA L H E A LT H C O L L A B O R AT I V E
NAPLES PRIDE OFFERS SUPPORT FOR LGBTQ+ YOUTH AS CRISIS CALLS SURGE By Melanie Pagan
Post-2024 Presidential election, The Trevor Project • a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth • reported a 700% increase in crisis calls. The number suggests Naples Pride’s new Mental Health Collaborative comes just in time for the Southwest Florida LGBTQ+ community. “LGBTQ+ students are dealing with inCallhan creased changes Soldavini in policies, legislative actions and school policies where they are removing anti-bullying resources,” Callhan Soldavini, staff attorney at Legal Aid Service of Collier County and Naples Pride spokesperson and board member, said. “It’s creating an environment where there’s rising hostility.” Scheduled to launch Jan. 1, the Mental Health Collaborative provides a coping solution. Naples Pride will cover up to 10 one-onone sessions with licensed mental health providers for qualifying individuals under the program. The initiative addresses barriers to mental health care access, as 40% of LGBTQ+ youth who wanted mental health care said they couldn’t afford it, while 31% reported being afraid they would be involuntarily hospitalized. Twenty-four percent said they were fearful of being outed, 22% felt their gender identity and sexual orientation wouldn’t be understood and 20% said they had a previous negative experience and did not want another one, according to The Trevor Project 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. Previously, Naples Pride some-
Naples Pride, a volunteer-based nonprofit organization, celebrated its fourth anniversary in October. Photo courtesy of Naples Pride
times sent Naples Pride Center participants to Colorado for counseling, as its executive director, Cori Craciun, said it’s been challenging to find “culturally competent providers.” "If a licensed professional does not state being LGBTQ-friendly, it can be a guessing game for LGBTQ+ individuals seeking services,” Soldavini said. And, if they speak to a health care provider and have a bad or unsafe experience, “it sets everything and everyone back. “The fear of being misunderstood or judged specifically happens in the LGBTQ community, and mental health services for these individuals can address issues specific to their identities, like navigating coming
out and managing that with their families, or if their families turn them away for coming out.” Naples Pride operates The Business Alliance, a partnership of LGBTQ and LGBTQ-friendly businesses and organizations. Entities that join provide the community a directory of businesses and other resources that embrace diversity & inclusivity. (There is a fee for membership.) All Business Alliance members sign an oath not to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity when they sign up. Additionally, the providers in the Mental Health Collaborative will sign a separate agreement to provide services via the Mental Health
Collaborative. Naples Pride offers support groups in addition to other services at The Naples Pride Center; however, “nothing rises to the level of a one-on-one private, confidential session that you can have with somebody licensed to be able to help someone and guide someone through these unique issues,” Soldavini said. Educational series will also be offered to parents, allies and family members to help them understand the issues that people who identify as LGBTQ+ face. “Our society is currently struggling with how to accept certain aspects of the LGBTQ+ community, and the ones who pay the highest
From page 3A
DEATHS and CEO of Westinghouse in 1993. John Michael Passidomo, 72, on April 3. He was known for his expertise as a real estate attorney and was a familiar face at city hall as lead lawyer for developers, many of which determined Naples’ growth direction. He had been listed in The Wall Street Journal’s Top Attorneys in Florida and The American Lawyer/ National Law Journal’s Top Lawyers. His wife, Kathleen, is a state senator who served last year as Florida Senate president. Philip “Phil” Jason, 82, on May 21. Jason was the author of the widely used college text, Creative Writers Handbook, and was a poet, critic and editor with more than 100 books, articles and works of literary criticism. He came to Naples, where he was vice-president of administration for the Southwest Florida Press Club, after a career as a tenured professor at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Ted Tobye, 96, on June 18. His career was at Exxon Corp., but Tobye loved theater and became involved with Naples Players, serving as its campaign chairman to build Sugden Theatre on Fifth Avenue. Under Tobye’s efforts, the building opened debt-free in 1989 and became an anchor for evening business on the avenue. Until its remodeling this year, the building’s black-box perfor-
John Passidomo, husband of state Senator Kathleen Passidomo, 72, died April 3.
Ted Tobye poses with his granddaughter Shane Manville Schutt. Tobye, 96, died June 18.
Patricia Ann "Patti" DeGroot, 79, died Aug. 15.
mance space was named the Tobye Studio. Corbin Wyant, 87, on July 2. The retired publisher of the Naples Daily News, Wyant made his career in newspaper management and steered that newspaper to years when circulation reached more than 100,000 during visitor season. An avocational trombone player, he helped found several Dixieland bands and what was originally the Naples-Marco Philharmonic. J. Richard Munro, 93, on Aug. 11. Munro was the former CEO of magazine giant Time Inc., where he worked from shortly after his college graduation until his retirement. He steered the company into the digital age and surmounted a threat by Paramount to break its intended merger with Warner Communications. In retirement, he began tutoring in Collier County through Head Start, advising youth on college scholarship
selections and mentoring students with college hopes, calling it “the most rewarding work” of his life. Patricia Ann “Patti” DeGroot, 79, on Aug. 15. For decades, she was known for her work as a librarian and program coordinator for Collier County Libraries and as the face of live library events. In retirement, DeGroot became the driving force for community events sponsored by the Friends of the Collier County Libraries, who have named their library speaker series in her honor. Barbara Beyer Berry, 84, on Sept. 6. Berry is believed to have been the first, and only, woman to serve on both the Collier County Public Schools board of education and as a Collier County commissioner. She served on the board of education 1984-88 and again 1990-96. Then she became a county commissioner and served 1996-2000. While on the school board, she also became
chair of the 17-county Consortium of School Boards, covering most of south Florida. Florence Weinstein, 100, on Sept. 25. One of Collier County’s last remaining veterans of World War II. Weinstein enlisted in the Army to support her country and free the Jewish community in Europe. After her daily shifts in the service, Weinstein spent her evenings in the base hospital consoling the severely wounded and disabled who had been brought back from the war. Through an oversight, she did not receive her war medals until shortly before her 100th birthday. Mary Kay Folsom, 100, on Oct.10. The Wisconsin native founded Kay’s On The Beach, the signature women’s clothing store on Marco Island, 48 years ago. Her marketing savvy and care for her customers grew the company — which her family continues — to five locations between Mar-
price are the members of that community,” Soldavini said. “I’m hoping this is just going to increase not only self-acceptance but also acceptance in the community,” she added. “The best thing we can do to try to change the world is to try to create people who are in this community that are happy, healthy and proud to be themselves.” People wanting more information on the Mental Health Collaborative before its official launch can call or visit Naples Pride Center. The initiative is open to all Southwest Florida residents, not just Collier County. For more information, go to naplespride.org.
co and Bonita Springs. Judith Eleanor “Jebry” Branch, 80, on Oct. 11. The silky-voiced Naples jazz vocalist loved to sing and battled four cancer diagnoses before she gave it up at age 80. She founded the Monday night jazz session that is still a tradition at Dogtooth Sports Bar, and earlier in her long career opened for Count Basie and Bobby Darin, with a young Bobby McFerrin as her band pianist. William Robert “Bill” Beach, 92, on Oct. 28. The longtime Naples resident was the resident rockabilly artist in Goodland at Stan’s Idle Hour, but his career stretched back to the 1950s, when he wrote and recorded the rockabilly hits “Peg Pants” and “You’re Gonna Like Me Baby.” He toured with Hank Williams Sr., Hank Snow and Little Jimmy Dickens, and is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Jose Espinosa, 81, on Dec. 10. The native of Camaguey, Cuba, founded and served as pastor for the first Hispanic Christian church in Naples, Manantial de Vida. He and his wife knocked on doors to find their first congregation of eight people in 1974. Abraham Kelly “Abe” Skinner, 94, on Dec. 14. He served as Collier County property appraiser for 33 years and had worked there since 1962. Skinner may have been the longest-tenured constitutional officer ever in Collier County. He died before the end of his current term, which would have concluded Jan. 6.
8A | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2024 | THE NAPLES PRESS
From page 1A
BOODHESHWAR Charles Chapman, resigned suddenly after surviving a 4-3 no-confidence vote that month. He was deputy town manager in Palm Beach for seven years after serving as director of special projects and recreation director over his 16 years there. His other public sector jobs involved leadership roles in Massillon, Ohio; East Chicago, Indiana; Bloomington, Indiana; and Munster, Indiana. His initial city salary was $270,000 and included numerous perks, such as a housing allowance. It was more than $64,000 above his predecessors’ salaries and over the advertised salary, $200,000 to $230,000. He now earns $297,675 overseeing 475 full-time and 50 part-time employees and a $208.82 million budget. “Jay helped reshape the city, fully staffed police and took us through two hurricanes,” Heitmann said, adding that “after a decade
of talking,” he finally got the city in motion to address resilience and “our new reality,” with the removal of the beach outfall pipes and starting the stormwater project. “He’s left us in a much better position.” During his tenure, Boodheshwar worked closely with City Council, staff and residents to maintain Naples’ high quality of life. His leadership helped the city navigate important issues, respond to emergencies and recovery efforts, improve internal culture and stabilize attrition while prioritizing community needs. “Mr. Boodheshwar has been an exceptional leader, guiding our city through pivotal moments with professionalism, a commitment to excellence and dedication to serve our community,” Heitmann said. “We are grateful for his service and wish him and his family all the best in this next chapter.” For the next several weeks, city officials said, he will work closely with city leadership to ensure a smooth transition and assist the mayor, City Council, deputy city managers and senior staff in prioritizing key projects and responsibilities before his departure.
City Council will begin discussing selection of a new city manager when it reconvenes at a workshop on Jan. 13 and council meeting on Jan. 15. “Jay brought energy, initiative and a belief in community to his position as city manager,” said Councilman Ray Christman, who has served on council since April 2019. “I am sorry to see him depart, sooner than I would have hoped. Naples will require similar leadership from our next city manager, given the challenges we face.” Councilwoman Linda Penniman took a break from her six years on Council, including as vice mayor, then was elected again in March, and said council members told her Boodheshwar was the clear choice because he promised to work on better communications with Council. “I believe that Jay was a champion for those who worked for him,” Penniman said, adding that Boodheshwar told her he was looking forward to a change after a long career in the public sector. Property records show Boodheshwar and his wife Anne just purchased a new
Celebrating a milestone
More than 100 friends and family members turned out at Kensington Golf & Country Club in North Naples to honor Luc Courchene, who celebrated his 100th birthday. The reception included snacks and a Champagne toast along with live entertainment, festive party balloons and a large birthday cake. Club managers say the centenarian stays fit by playing golf three to four times a week, scoring better than his age almost all the time. Photo courtesy Cone Communications Co.
From page 3A
FELD were people who needed help in so many different ways,” he said. “And the career that I was entering would give me so many opportunities to help.” His first job in Nashville was an immersion course. He was director of children, youth, tween and teen groups as city director for B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, and served as city director for Young Judea, singles and a day camp. From there he moved back to Pittsburgh, then to Passaic Clifton, New Jersey — “the best move of my life because I met my wife there, and my children were born there” — and to Savannah, Georgia, where he served as director of both the Jewish Education Alliance and the Savannah Jewish Federation. “One title, two organizations — double the headaches,” he said with a chuckle. But he loved the city and horizon that position gave him. “Between both kinds of enterprises, the opportunity to impact Jewish life and general life was, and is, significant.”
During his tenure in Savannah, the Federation mounted its first ever million-dollar campaign and a successful capital campaign to double its space from 55,000 to 110,000 square feet. Feld’s next move was to Memphis, where he stayed 17 years. But after his children had graduated, it was time to seek another challenge.
Thinking 365 days
“Naples needed a new director, and I came. And what I saw [was that] Naples had the reputation of being very seasonal,” he recalled. “From my perspective, we needed to do things that were going to create a greater sense of community overall, and year-round.” Feld worked with the Federation to create a number of strategic plans and a needs assessment study. Programs followed. “The more that we did, the more people wanted to participate,” he said. Crammed into a Golden Gate strip mall office, the Federation needed larger quarters, first and foremost for its sense of community: “To better engage people, we needed more space to bring people together.” Still, Feld found ways to extend the Federa-
three-bedroom townhome in the Seychelles community in East Naples for $436,200 on Nov. 27. A four-bedroom home in Cedar Hammock the couple purchased in August 2022 for $910,000 is now on the market for $1.8 million. In an email, Boodheshwar said they plan to move to the West Palm Beach area with their cats, Alfie and Charlie, to be closer to their daughter in West Palm Beach. She lives with their third cat, Toby, who didn’t move to Naples. Boodheshwar said they probably will keep their new East Naples townhome as a vacation home so they can visit Naples. “Knowing that I will be closer to my daughter brings a big smile to my face!” he wrote. Boodheshwar said he couldn’t provide more details on his private-sector job, which will be announced in Palm Beach County in a few weeks. “This new chapter in my professional career will allow more time for family and friends and will be incredibly meaningful for me personally and professionally,” he added. “… This new opportunity will provide great life balance and challenge me in a new field.”
From page 5A
FIDDLER’S CREEK expense of promises not to develop housing in Section 29 and harm panthers, Florida bonneted bats and American crocodiles — and put people unwisely in the Coastal High-Hazard Zone,” Cornell said after the vote. “I think they have a long way to go to get state and federal permits to do this unwise project.” The residents and their attorney, who has worked for three counties and residents on the winning side of similar land-use battles, are monitoring the plans and strategizing their next move. Caglioti, who received a county email a day before the hearing confirming residents could cede time to others, said they were “sucker punched. … That was very underhanded.” She noted their experts were paid for by their association and weren’t their attorney’s experts, so the land-use and water experts should have been allowed to speak after driving to the hearing and waiting to speak. “Then our water expert went up there and said, ‘I’m just going to speak as a citizen’ and they wouldn’t let him,” Caglioti said, blaming the county for not ensuring Gulf Bay followed through on recording the 1998 conservation easement. Erario, who unsuccessfully tried to speak to Hall before the meeting, added: “We were cut off at the knees. They did not allow expert opinion.” He believes it will be difficult for the developer to move forward if state and federal officials look at the evidence. “The county minutes were very clear in stating that a line was being drawn in the sand against urban sprawl,” he said of land bordering a state forest and wetlands. “It said this will be put into a conservation easement to prevent people from coming back in the future to try to develop it. “Fast forward 26 years to [Fiddler Creek’s] Oyster Harbor-Estancia project, when a federal permit was issued by the Army Corps with a biological opinion. That was a second call to Fiddler’s Creek to establish a conservation covenant to mitigate the loss of panther territory where they built Oyster Harbor.” He added, “They didn’t do that, but we were instrumental in getting the Army Corps and the Fish & Wildlife Service to cite them for non-compliance in October of 2022 and in November of ’22, those covenants were filed on Sections 19 and 20. And it’s that permit that they need to get out of to do their construction.”
tion beyond its small walls, part of its mandate of tikkun olam — repairing the world. Helping its own people was only part of their responsibility, he said: “We are not excused from helping others. We are required, mandated to help.” The Federation found that in cooperation with its neighbor, the Collier County Sheriff’s Department, which has a station next to Golden Gate Community Center. It began with a donation from a member who, seeing the backlash from the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, wanted to help create better relations between communities at risk and law enforcement. Her funding, the partnership decided, could give children who may not be able to afford Christmas gifts an afternoon of gift buying with $100, and their helper/consultant would be a law enforcement officer. Shop With a Sheriff was born and continues to this day. “And as a part of that was, it had to be understood that the deputies were going to get to know the kids; when they see them on the street, say hello. As the program grew, some of the deputies were going into the school and having lunch with the kids,” he said, pleased. “For the 80 or 90 kids every year who were
being selected, it was helpful to them and their families. The relationship between the people who live in the community, because of the program, really grew. And it’s turned out to be just a wonderful, wonderful program.” The Nina Iser Center was not on his to-do list when he arrived in Naples, Feld said. But it became clear that growth was necessary. The Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center was the result of nearly six years of planning and development. The $13 million, 200,000-square-foot building opened in 2022, ready for the bustle that it now hosts. Members, and in most cases the public, can choose from concerts, film series, presentations on local Jewish history, book discussions, mahjong and other board or card games, adult and youth organization meetings and art classes. When Feld looks in his rearview mirror, he can see 50 years of good things. But he thinks of them as coming to him as much as giving to the organizations he led. “Every stop of my career has been significant to me in terms of helping me to develop as a person — and certainly professionally, but as a person.”
naplespress.com | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 2 4 | 9A
OUT & ABOUT Ten men and women represent the best of the community as Gulfshore Life honored its Men and Women of 2024 with a special gala emceed by WINK News’ Lois Thome. Photography by Reagan Rule
John Cooney, Patty and Tom Rodriguez, Carrie Cooney
Stephanie Granada, Kristen Coury
Shelly and Ralph Stayer, Lois Thome
Joe and Benita North
Anne Fleming
The scene during Gulfshore Life's Men and Women of 2024 event.
Francesca Purcell, Philippe Martin, Carin Keane
Marie Christine St. Pierre, Philippe Martin
Tim and Sandy Stilwell Youngquist
10A | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2024 | THE NAPLES PRESS
Discover for yourself a life well lived in the all-new Park Place on Gulf Shore. An enclave of luxurious condominiums with beach and bay views in a coveted Moorings location. Just 15 exclusive residences will comprise this extraordinary community. So journey beyond beautiful. And exceed your expectations at Park Place on Gulf Shore from the developers of The Bristol in West Palm Beach and the Tribune Tower in Chicago. Pre-construction pricing from the mid $7Ms.
SALES CENTER OPEN DAILY 850 5th Ave. S., Suite C Naples, FL 34102 ParkPlaceNaples.com
BARRON COLLIER C O M PA N I E S A LEGACY OF VISION
WILLIAM RAVEIS REAL ESTATE SALES TEAM Karl Faerber: 239-248-1961 Andrew Christopher: 239-821-3560 Madleine Porter : 239-529-7747
ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. Community features, amenities and pricing are approximate and subject to change without notice. There are various methods for calculating the total square footage of a condominium unit and depending on the method of calculation, the quoted square footage of a condominium unit may vary by more than a nominal amount. All dimensions are approximate and all floor plans and development plans are subject to change.
naplespress.com | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 2 4 | 11A
COLLIER COUNTY COULD TAKE OVER NEW YEAR’S FIREWORKS SHOW NEXT YEAR By Aisling Swift
Collier County may consider offering New Year’s Eve fireworks at Paradise Coast Sports Complex next year after the city of Naples canceled its show due to concerns over safety and traffic congestion. The fireworks issue came up during the Dec. 17 Tourist Development Council meeting, when TDC member Laura Radler, general manager of Edgewater Beach Hotel, said a caller asked if the hotel was open and whether Naples had recovered from the hurricanes. “The city of Naples cancelling the fireworks didn’t do us any favors,” Radler said, noting tourists believe beaches are closed. TDC Chair Rick LoCastro, a county commissioner, said he first heard about Naples canceling fireworks when he read it on the city’s Facebook page this month, but if he’d known earlier, they could have dis-
cussed using the county’s sports complex. He noted county officials quickly moved the county’s Fourth of July fireworks last year Rick LoCastro from the smaller Sugden Regional Park to the large sports complex to accommodate a larger audience. That decision was made after the city canceled its show due to residual damage and liabilities from Hurricane Ian. This year, the city held its usual July 4th fireworks and the county held a “Drones in Paradise” fireworks show two days later at the sports complex. Drones were chosen because they’re high-tech, quiet and don’t scare dogs and wildlife. “I would say whatever you were going to spend at the pier for fireworks, give us 80% of that or whatever the magic number is, and we’ll
maybe kick in the rest,” LoCastro said, adding that they could find sponsors. “… If we would have had this conversation two or three months ago, I bet we could have salvaged something. … Why didn’t they talk to the sports complex? “… It makes it sound like the city did a knee-jerk [reaction] at the zero hour and said, ‘Fireworks, bah humbug!” — you know, the city of Scrooge, and we can’t believe we couldn’t have it anywhere else,” he said. In September, when the city’s New Year’s Eve and July Fourth fireworks contracts were up for approval, Naples City Council decided to cancel its New Year’s Eve show. City Manager Jay Boodheshwar told Council it costs the city $141,000 because it requires a barge, significant staffing, overtime salaries to ensure safety and other costs. Police Chief Ciro Dominguez told Council police resources are already strained during the holidays due
to increased traffic, drinking and driving and large gatherings, and $141,000 could be better spent paying 10-12 more officers to conduct New Year’s Eve patrols in key areas and to respond to noise complaints. Last week, Dominguez said residents and visitors setting off fireworks on beaches — which is a hazard to people and wildlife — will be a key target, in addition to traffic congestion, parties, noise and drunken driving. The Facebook post this month went viral on other social media, where some agreed “disrespectful people” trash the beaches with garbage and they were happy the traffic and loud noise would be gone, while others said the decision deprives children and families of a tradition. TDC member Bill Kramer, a city council member, admitted he “fumbled the ball” on not passing along news of the cancelation, but noted it was public record and he believed city police were talking with the
county Sheriff’s Office and city and county management were sharing information. Next time, he said, he’ll assume there’s no communication. “It was a safety issue and we determined that it was a best practice to not do fireworks,” Kramer said. “… It’s high season and it’s become unmanageable, even with all the county resources.” Fourth of July fireworks are more manageable, he said, due to fewer visitors. He suggested revisiting the issue once Naples Pier is rebuilt in late 2026. He also noted that the city didn’t budget for New Year’s Eve fireworks this year. LoCastro, who rotates off the TDC this month, suggested the TDC start discussions in September to determine where the New Year’s Eve fireworks will be held. “The sports complex can always be the default,” he said. “It might not be as robust … It’s different, but at least we have it and we certainly have the resources.”
BUSINESS
AFTER-HOLIDAY WELLNESS AND DETOX FIXES THROUGH IV DRIPS By Jean Amodea
A client arrives at The Wellness Lab for an intravenous infusion. After a medical history is taken and symptoms or concerns are discussed, co-owner George Arce customizes an infusion tailored to the client’s needs to boost immunity, restore hydration or correct nutrition deficiencies. A needle is inserted into the arm, similar to a blood draw, and the intravenous drip begins. The client then sits back and relaxes, reads or listens to music for up to 45 minutes. Available at several local clinics, IV therapy is fast becoming a must-do for those who keep up with the latest wellness treatments. Some swear by the modality, especially during and after the holidays — when overindulgence in food and drink is quasi-unavoidable — to get one’s body detoxed and back on track. For others, like Mark Kiwait, IV therapy is a vital part of the protocol he uses to battle his cancer. Kiwait has received numerous infusions during more than 100 visits to The Wellness Lab. “The vitamin C infusion process that I take is smooth,” Kiwait said. “The nurse is attentive throughout, checking regularly to ensure my comfort. I feel immediate benefits from the vitamin C IV treatment. The lab’s expertise, friendly approach and excellent customer service truly sets them apart.” His experience is typical of those who frequent businesses that offer the distinctive therapeutic fix. To find out more, The Naples Press spoke with the owners of The Wellness Lab and Thrive IV Bar.
The Wellness Lab
Co-owners Adina Arce (medical director) and George Arce (nurse manager) have operated The Wellness Lab for 3.5 years. They offer in-studio or mobile services and can set up an IV in your home, poolside, on the tennis court at your country club — anywhere, providing a level of convenience and flexibility that suits your lifestyle. “We are a medical team, and skilled nurse practitioners treat clients,” Arce said. “We understand medicine, and choosing a nurse to care for you ensures that they have your complete health welfare in mind. “IV infusions have a superior absorption rate of 99% as compared to ingesting oral supplements that have a 50% absorption rate at best, if it’s pharmaceutical grade, or a 10-20% absorption rate for over-the-counter supplements. Which is a big factor, especially if you’re deficient in these vitamins and minerals.” There’s a particular appeal this time of year: “Our most requested services are our immune boost and our hangover IVs,” Arce said. “With the increase in holiday events, people want to stay on schedule, mentally focused and hydrated, and vitamin infusions can help with that. For overall wellness and detox, nicotinamide
INTRAVENOUS THERAPY What: The Wellness Lab Where: 2500 Tamiami Trail, N., Suite 219, Naples (in-studio or mobile) Hours: 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. (after hours by appointment) Costs: $155-$299 per session; Cherry brand financing available Contact: thewellnesslabiv. com, 239.682.8177 or info@ thewellnesslabiv.com
Thrive IV Bar mixologist Melanie Heweker administers a “Detoxarita” infusion to client Karolina Sanchez. Photo courtesy Thrive IV Bar
George Arce, co-owner of The Wellness Lab, administers an intravenous infusion to client Jamie Brown. Infusion therapy is offered at home, at the Naples studio or wherever the client prefers. Photo courtesy The Wellness Lab
adenine dinucleotide infusions that help with mitochondria health and repair DNA from cell damage are a good choice, as they are potent antioxidants.” An initial mini-consultation determines the makeup of the custom-formulated infusions, which take a few minutes to mix. Some clients request an immune boost if they feel a cold coming on, or they may want more amino acids if they work out. A popular optional service, requested by more than half of the clients, is micronutrient testing, which determines deficiencies in more than 30 vitamins and minerals. “Results are sometimes felt immediately, such as with the B-complex infusions that increase energy and hydration,” Arce said. “It makes a difference after the infusion, and even up to two or three days later, you know something good has happened — some clients get very relaxed. “Peptide therapy, geared for weight loss, helps clients reduce their BMI [body mass index] and improves blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol numbers. We see some fertility increases, help with tendon and ligament repair, general well-being and more self-confidence, as clients are happier with how they look. We also offer cosmetic Botox and fillers.” The Wellness Lab offers 10% discounts for parties of three or more, 15% for groups of five or more and 10% off for first-time clients. Arce said that one company requested infusions for its board members, who sat and conducted business with IVs in their arms.
Thrive IV Bar
Dr. Stephanie Ahasic operates Thrive IV Bar, which opened in 2023. She also practices chiropractic medicine at Synergy Health, which she opened in 2012. Thrive is overseen by Brianne
Cummings and a staff of registered nurses and paramedics known as mixologists. Mobile drips are available for off-site group events such as bachelor parties, weddings and pop-up spots, including the Wags to Riches-sponsored Naples Puppy Prom and the upcoming Everglades Seafood Festival (Feb. 7-9 in Everglades City). Thrive develops its own pharmacist-approved blends and formulations; staff mixologists then follow the “recipes.” Dr. Ahasic said Thrive is unique in that it is equipped to speak to clients’ health concerns and advise them about the right infusions. One of the two most requested IV infusions is the “Detoxarita,” which detoxes and rehydrates after a night of consuming alcoholic beverages. Another favorite is the “Flu Fighter,” which is for those on the cusp of becoming ill or taken pre- or post-travel. “It combines glutathione, zinc and vitamin C,” Ahasic said. “It is a potent trio with a synergistic benefit that helps boost immunity and energy. We have some 20 additional boosters for customized drips and eight signature drips. For extra detox, NAD can be added for overall wellness, and the ‘Rise and Thrive’ infusion, based on the Myers cocktail, is a mix of vitamins and minerals; some of the fat-soluble vitamins stay in your system until they’re used. It is an energy booster and beneficial to the immune system. Most clients find a benefit in doing an infusion once monthly.” She said that infusions allow 100% absorption, are a faster delivery method and are wallet-friendly compared to oral supplements, which are about 30% absorbable. Drips are offered in two sizes: 500 ml, which takes 20 to 40 minutes to drip, and 1000 ml bags, which take 30 minutes to an hour. “The IV drip is started with a needle smaller than a blood drop,” Ahasic said. “It is inserted
What: Thrive IV Bar Where: 1320 Livingston Road, Suite 10, Naples Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday Costs: It offers group discounts on five or more, but it also has a new client special 500ml drip for $89, and that includes a revived service; memberships from $99 to $129 a month, depending on the level of drip; discounts for teachers, first responders and retired military Contact: thriveivbar.com or 239.332.4848 (call or text); appointments can be made online
into the arm with a small plastic tube that allows the client to flex the arm without worrying about injury to the vein. Most people find a benefit in doing an infusion once monthly. “We try to make the IV drip a comfortable experience with recliners, noise-canceling headphones, compression blankets and socks. We’re trying to make healthcare a little more fun. It is an experience where you can invite your friends, sit and socialize, have a glass of wine, hang out and catch up while getting the health benefits of an IV drip.” Other treatment options include full-spectrum light beds that reduce inflammation, aid in muscle recovery and give skin a glow; infrared saunas for detoxing the body; and wholebody cryotherapy. Cryotherapy reduces inflammation, helps with muscle recovery from athletic events and burns up to 800 calories in a three-minute session; postmenopausal women who do whole-body cryotherapy twice a week for six weeks can lose 5% body fat, Dr. Ahasic said.
12A | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2024 | THE NAPLES PRESS
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Address As an icon rises along the Vanderbilt Beach skyline, there will be a new address in Naples to surpass all others. With coastal residences of unrivaled space and finishes, 50,000 square feet of inspired amenities, and impeccable service by the first name in luxury, every moment of every day will be yours to enjoy at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Naples. A rare opportunity reserved for the few, the time to select your residence is now.
Occupancy Early 2026
The best time to select one of these incomparable homes for yourself is now. 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road Suite 106, Naples, Florida 34109 Phone 239-249-6260 The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Naples Pricing from $4.8 million. RCRNaples.com
THE RITZ-CARLTON RESIDENCES, NAPLES ARE NOT OWNED, SOLD OR DEVELOPED BY THE RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL COMPANY, L.L.C. OR ITS AFFILIATES (“THE RITZ-CARLTON”). STOCK RESIDENCES, USES THE RITZ-CARLTON MARKS UNDER A LICENSE FROM THE RITZ-CARLTON, WHICH HAS NOT CONFIRMED THE ACCURACY OF ANY OF THE STATEMENTS OR REPRESENTATIONS MADE HEREIN. ORAL REPRESENTATION CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY THE DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. ALL RENDERINGS AND PLANS ARE PROPOSED CONCEPTS SHOWN ONLY FOR MARKETING PURPOSES AND ARE BASED ON THE DEVELOPER’S CURRENT PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN. DEVELOPER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY, REVISE OR WITHDRAW THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PLAN IN DEVELOPER’S SOLE DISCRETION WITHOUT NOTICE. NOTHING HEREIN OR ANY OTHER COMMUNICATION SHALL BE DEEMED TO OBLIGATE THE DEVELOPER, OR ANY AFFILIATE OF DEVELOPER, TO CONSTRUCT THE PROJECT OR OFFER ANY OF THE PROJECT FOR SALE, AND NOTHING HEREIN SHALL BE DEEMED A GUARANTY OF ANY KIND. THIS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SALE OR SOLICITATIONS OF OFFERS TO BUY.
Arts &
LEISURE FINE ARTS
EVENTS
ACTIVITIES
SPORTS
5B | SEE THEM NOW
33 paintings are here from the Guild Hall Collection, for a very limited time
SHOWCASE FOR DANCE Page 3B
Valentina Rodriguez, a Naples dancer, is among the potential students for master classes at the Naples International Dance Festival. Photo by Zachary Scott
FREE, FEE, SPREE FREE
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ENJOY THE JEWISH HOLIDAY
JOHNSONVILLE NIGHT LIGHTS IN THE GARDEN
WHERE THE WILD THINGS’ FRIENDS ARE
3:30-6 p.m. Dec. 29 at Cambier Park, 755 Eighth St. S., Naples, it’s the Chanukah Street Fair. Entertainment — face painters, caricaturists, jugglers and stilt walkers — along with a skyrider show, Jewish music, rides and more. The celebration is sponsored by Chabad Naples and includes food such as kosher latkes, hot dogs and sufganiot, those wonderful, deep-fried jelly doughnuts. It features the light of a giant glow graffiti menorah. Free admission. chabadnaples.com or 239.262.4474
Beginning 6 p.m. nightly through Jan. 5 at Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples. Hours vary; closed Dec. 31. The Naples Botanical Garden will be transformed into a world of color with light displays everywhere until Jan. 5. There’s scheduled entertainment and food at the Fogg Cafe. $34, children $18 through Dec. 12, $40 and $20 after that. Members half-price. Discounted tickets after 8 p.m. naplesgarden.org or 239.643.7275
5:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club, 896 River Point Drive, Naples. The Alliance for Florida’s National Parks is staging Wine & Wildlife, a dinner fundraiser benefiting Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. The Alliance raises awareness and support for a broad range of programs. Tickets are $250 at floridanationalparks.org under the events tab in the left top menu block.
2 B | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 2 4 | T H E N A P L E S P R E S S
CALENDAR Ongoing events Botanical Garden lights From 6 p.m. nightly through Jan. 5 at Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples. Hours vary; closed Dec. 31. Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden transforms the gardens into 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 A collection of masters 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 North Pole on Third 4-7 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays through Dec. 31 at Fleischmann Plaza, Third Street South, Naples. Live Christmas music Thursdays and Fridays through Dec. 21, snowfall from 6:30-7 p.m. all three days through Dec. 31. ‘The Magic of Lights’ 6-9 p.m. nightly through Jan. 4 at Paradise Coast Sports Complex, 3940 City Gate Blvd. N., Naples. Drive-through show of two million-plus lights includes 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 such as 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., Naples.
COMPACT CLASSICS
Camerata of Naples brings together professional musicians including oboist Andrew Snedeker and pianist Tamila Salimdjanova, who were featured artists last season; its opening concert is Dec. 29. Photo by Ivan Seligman
4 pm. Dec. 29 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 500 Park Shore Drive, Naples. Camerata of Naples, a chamber orchestra for professionals that specializes in classical gems, opens its season with Bach’s Brandenberg Concerto No. 4, featuring Mary Stolper and Beth Larsen, flute, and Daniela Shtereva, violin, along with a new work by Naples-based composer Alexander Goldstein and Mendelssohn’s sweet Symphony No. 10, featuring violinist Boris Sandler and pianist Bella Gutshtein. They follow a simple theme Sandler, its founder, has set for the season: Great music. All concerts are $55 per ticket, available at the website, cameratanaples.org. The schedule is as follows (all concerts are at 4 p.m.): Feb. 9: Handel, Bach, with Andrew Snedeker on oboe, and Mozart, featuring his Symphonia Concertante with Zachary DePue, violin, and Michael Strauss, viola March 30: Elgar’s Serenade for Strings; Dvorak works with Egor Antonenko, cello; the Carmen Fantasie for Violin and String Orchestra with Askar Salimdjanov on violin; and Glinka’s Grand Sextet in C minor with Tamila Salimdjanova, piano April 13: Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross, narrated by Glenn Saffran May 11: Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B minor and Dohnányi’s Piano Quintet No. 2, with Joseph Duffy, clarinet, and Bella Gutshtein, piano
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. Make-andtake for children at the Rowe Center behind the museum at 2 p.m. Dec. 27 and Jan. 2; free with museum admission. $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’ 9 a.m.-4 p.m. MondaysFridays 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 239.394.4221
This weekend (Dec. 27, 28, 29) ‘Some Like It Hot’ 2 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 26-29 at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay
7:30 p.m. Dec. 27 at the Arts Center Theatre, 1089 N. Collier Blvd., No. 432, Marco Island. It’s an evening of comedy, magic and ventriloquism with Dan Christopher, whose ventriloquism and comedy have taken him to perform in exotic locations from Singapore and Las Vegas to luxury cruise ships. Also on the bill is comedy master William “Rock the House” Lewis. $30. marcoislandart.org/ comedy-series Chanukah Street Fair 3:30-6 p.m. Dec. 29 at Cambier Park, 755 Eighth St. S., Naples. Entertainment — face painters, caricaturists, jugglers and stilt walkers — along with a sky rider show, Jewish music, student performances and rides. Chanukah celebration sponsored by Chabad Naples also includes food such as kosher latkes, sufganiot (traditional deep-fried, jelly-filled doughnuts), hot dogs and more. It includes the light of a giant glow graffiti menorah. Free admission. chabadnaples. com or 239.262.4474 Camerata concert 4 p.m. Dec. 29 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 500 Park Shore Drive, Naples. See featured item, this page.
Next 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. 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 over
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 Hess’ son, Brennan, are stars in training. A portion of the proceeds benefit Collier County National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). $33.85 at eventbrite.com or the center, 239.213.3049 for specific seats. ‘Celebration in the Sky’ 9 p.m. Jan. 4 at Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee, 506 South 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. A blend of movement by Colombian-Canadian choreographer Andrea Peña, known for her meticulous conceptual creations; Edward Burtynsky, photographer; and the Naples Philharmonic, Alexander Shelley, artistic and music director. Their collaboration paints a self-portrait of our planet and its duality between beauty and environmental crisis. $29-$75. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900 Tibetan Buddhist Monks Week of Jan. 5-12, Unity of Naples, 2000 Unity Way, Naples. Monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in Tibet will offer teachings, sacred rituals and cultural exchange during a week of creating and dissolving a mandala of powdered and dyed stone, sand, dust, flowers and charcoal on the grounds. For a full list of events, click on unityofnaples.org, under community events.
Blvd., Naples. A new musical stage version of the classic film, in which two musicians on the lam, after witnessing a murder, take refuge, disguised as women, in an all-female orchestra. $109-$180. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900 Pioneer Christmas for kids 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 27, 28 and 31 at the Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S. Heathwood Drive, Marco Island. Join the museum staff in the Pioneer Gallery during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve for crafts and activities. Learn how the pioneers on Marco Island created decorations and celebrated this time of year. colliermuseums.com or 239.252.1440 Free dance master class 10-11:30 a.m. Dec. 27 at Ubben Signature Event Space, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Master class with a dancer from the current musical Some Like It Hot. Free, but registration required at artisnaples.org Comedy night on Marco
Dan Christopher has an amazing cast of ventriloquist characters, and he brings his magic show, as well, Dec. 27 to the Arts Center Theatre on Marco Island. Publicity photo
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COVER STORY N A P L E S I N T E R N AT I O N A L D A N C E F E S T I VA L
NAPLES FESTIVAL OFFERS DANCE EXPERIENCE TO PUBLIC, STUDENTS By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
The first international festival of dance opens Jan. 18, and in this celebration you can not only see the dance, you can be the dance. Public classes are a component of the Naples International Dance Festival, scheduled for Feb. 21-23 in the Norris Community and River Park centers. It’s also a showcase for emerging choreographers and dancers who want to do work outside standard ensemble repertoire. The festival is the vision of two people: United Arts Collier project administrator Madeline Trigilio, who also works as assistant director at the Spotlight Dance Company in Naples, and Elysia Dawn, the UAC executive director. Dawn is a former dancer, as well, an alumna of Complexions Contemporary Ballet and a performer with both Boston and Washington ballet companies. When Trigilio brought up her idea of a festival here, it was a “Eureka!” moment, Dawn said, because she had been harboring the same dream, but had no staff member with dance experience. “I thought, ‘Now I’ve got somebody here who has not only the vision but the understanding — the dance background — and the capabilities to help build this,’” she said. The two have drawn on their connections to bring in aspiring choreographers and veterans. “The dance world is a small one. Everyone kind of knows everyone,” explained Trigilio. The advantage of that was that it was easy to know whom they wanted for the event. They also knew they wanted a component few other festivals might have — a chance for the public to learn some steps and flex their dance muscles, too. There are classes from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, for beginning adult ballet and modern improvisation. No experience is required, they emphasized, just enthusiasm. The two were even able to incorporate a class in dance movement for people with Parkinson’s Disease: “I’m really excited we were able to add that one,” Trigilio said. The weekend festival begins at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 — with a VIP reception following — with a showcase of stars in companies or in academia: Melissa Hough, principal dancer, Norwegian National Ballet, whose choreography for “Epic Short,” made in 2016 for Norwegian National Ballet’s Sleepless Beauty program, received best premiere recognition in Dance Europe magazine. Her “5 Ballerinas” was chosen to be part of the Norwegian National Ballet’s live streaming performance in 2020 during the pandemic. Casey Avaunt, assistant professor of dance and movement studies at Hamilton College, who co-choreographed and performed in the music video “Paris” by Magic Man that won inclusion in the Los Angeles International Film Festival and the San Francisco Dance Film Festival. Her contemporary works have been danced at festivals in India, Shanghai and Boston, and she served as artist-in-residence at the North
Valentina Rodriguez, left, Piper Martin, Peyton Potter, Isabel Perez and Lily Harmic are local dance students who are among those the Naples International Dance Festival is bringing classes for, but there are classes for absolute adult beginners, too. Photos by Zachary Scott
Carolina Dance Project 2022-2023. Erin LaSala Phillips, dance program director and associate professor of dance, Florida Southern College. Her choreography has been showcased in venues across New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, as well as at the American Dance Guild Festival and the New Jersey Modern Dance Festival. In 2017, she was an invited guest teacher/choreographer for the 35/33 Dance Intensive at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus. Yusha-Marie Sorzano, former dancer, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and founding co-artistic director of Zeitgeist Dance Theatre. She is currently creating new work as part of the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Edges of Ailey. She has choreographed works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Nashville Ballet and Ballet Rhode Island. Ballet Rhode Island, the chief dance company in Rhode Island, states its mission as reimagining traditional dance form into a modern-day experience with performances, education and community engagement. Gulfshore Ballet, the Fort Myers classical ballet academy with a mission to increase accessibility to classical ballet and develop a stronger appreciation of it throughout Southwest Florida. Among others, it has worked with Opera Naples and the Marco Island Center for the Arts on productions. Its co-artistic directors are Miami City Ballet alumni Franklin Gamero and Iliana Lopez. Classes and lectures all day Saturday will have teachers who include Avaunt and Hough, along with others with specialized expertise:
DANCE TIME
Peyton Potter shows ballet style; classes will cover contemporary improvisation as well.
Francie Huber, a principal dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, who created many roles for it and was featured in the 1999 Academy Award-nominated documentary film Dancemaker, as well as the PBS Dance in America series. Kay Wylie-Jacob, a master teacher with her Ph.D. in performance studies from New York University who has been involved in the development of curriculum, teacher training and consultation for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. Jessica Werfel, a movement
artist from Virginia, member of Gin Dance and teacher of dance throughout northern Virginia. Her recent performance highlights include dancing at the Teatro Della Compagnia in Florence, Italy. She brings business experience to dancers from Elon University with a BFA in dance performance and choreography, plus a BA in Arts administration, with a business administration minor. She also has conducted undergraduate research on dance improvisation for healing, care and community.
• 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21: Performance of the professionals; 8:30 p.m. VIP reception with the dancers, Norris Community Center, 755 Eighth St. S. • Throughout the day Saturday, Feb. 22: Classes and lectures at the studios of Spotlight Dance Co., 2343 Vanderbilt Beach Road (Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt), Units 606 and 608, Naples • Noon-1 p.m. Community class, adult beginner ballet, Norris Community Center • 1-2 p.m. Community class, adult beginner dance improvisation, Norris Community Center • 1-2 p.m. Dance movement, people with Parkinson’s Disease, River Park Community Center, 301 11th St. N., Naples • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, Choreographers’ Showcase: Norris Community Center • Sunday, Feb. 23: Classes and closing Q&A session in the studios of Spotlight Dance Co. Inclusive early bird tickets with entry into eight diverse dance classes, the dance lecture and Q&A are currently on sale for $200. Individual class tickets also are available for $25. For more information and tickets, see unitedartscollier.org
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COMICS & PUZZLES December 23, 2024 Posting Date
By Emi Burdge
© 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.
NY TIMES 1229 ANSWERS
Answers 1. Olaf 2. 10 states 3. Cap’n Crunch cereal 4. Six 5. Peanuts 6. Regeneration of a specific part of an organism, like when a lizard can regrow a tail 7. Richard Simmons 8. 60% 9. Two 10. Stephen King
OLIVE
1. MOVIES: What is the name of the snowman in the animated movie "Frozen"? 2. GEOGRAPHY: How many U.S. states does the Mississippi River run through or along? 3. ADVERTISING: Which product uses a cartoon character whose first and middle names are Horatio Magellan? 4. MUSIC: In the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," how many "geese a-laying" are given to the narrator's true love? 5. FOOD & DRINK: What kind of nuts are in a Snickers candy bar? 6. BIOLOGY: What is epimorphic regeneration? 7. TELEVISION: Who starred in the 1980s exercise video series "Sweatin' to the Oldies"? 8. ANATOMY: How much of the human brain is made up of fat? 9. MEASUREMENTS: How many cups are in a pint? 10. LITERATURE: Which famous author often uses Castle Rock as a setting in his novels?
n a p l e s p r e s s . c o m | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 2 4 | 5 B
THE NAPLES PRESS CROSSWORD Provided by The New York Times
No. 1222
ART HEIST BY DAVID KWONG / EDITED BY JOEL FAGLIANO David Kwong is a magician and crossword constructor in Los Angeles. He was the head magic consultant on the 2013 heist film ‘‘Now You See Me’’ and has consulted on magic and puzzles for many other films and TV shows. He wrote his honors thesis at Harvard on the history of Eastern magicians and their impersonators. David’s new children’s book of magic tricks, ‘‘How to Fool Your Parents,’’ is in bookstores everywhere. Note: Ten paintings have been stolen by a master thief! To solve this caper, locate each stolen painting in the grid. Then identify the squares in the Across answers from which they’ve been taken. In their place, the thief has left behind 10 pieces of evidence — letters in the Downs. Read them from top to bottom to reveal a message.
ACRO SS
RELEASE DATE: 12/29/2024
1 Chess player’s study 8 Painting stolen from 71-Across 13 Cashless deal 17 Crunchy root vegetables 19 Fertilizer compound 20 Painting stolen from 64-Across 21 Winter setting in New England 23 Hunter on high 24 Like the Beatles’ ‘‘Yesterday,’’ keywise 25 Plum variety often used in spirits 26 ____ center 27 Made eyes at 28 Schedules 31 Architectural annexes 33 Bronx cheer 35 Capital on the Río de la Plata 39 ‘‘Anchors Aweigh’’ grp. 40 One step ____ time 41 Oodles 42 Downhill event 44 Prefix with health 48 Niçoise salad need 50 Role for Jay Silverheels 52 Charles de Gaulle’s birthplace 53 Neighborhood grocery stores Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 4,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).
54 Painting stolen from 108 ‘‘Right now!’’ 13 Painting stolen 21-Across from 35-Across 109 Connecticut coastal 56 Nobelist Bohr town near Stamford 14 ‘‘____ we’re waiting . . . ’’ 58 Evenhanded 110 Has the gumption 15 Cactuslike plants 59 Customary practice 111 Actress Thurman 16 Duffer’s obstacle 60 Popeye’s witchy 114 Abbr. on a music foe in early comics 18 ’60s campus activist score grp. 62 Like a car’s wheels 116 Member of la familia 19 ‘‘1984’’ drudge 64 Bar with hashish 117 ‘‘Get ____!’’ pipes 20 Eccentric types 118 Classic nursery 66 Baseball great 22 Certain emergency rhyme Hershiser message 124 Toronto team, for 68 Solution strength, 28 Surgeon’s stitch short in chemistry 29 Actress Creel of 125 Attacked by 70 Fat used in ‘‘Saved by the Bell’’ mosquitoes, say candlemaking 30 Beauty spot? 126 Claudius, vis-à-vis 71 Common scale range 32 Place to keep plants King Hamlet 75 Champing at the bit 34 Abundant 127 Land in the sea 77 Fog and haze 35 Motel proprietor 128 Iditarod entries generated for a in ‘‘Psycho’’ theatrical production 129 Annual star-studded 36 Ancient Greek region fashion event 81 Flimsy, as an excuse for which part of the Mediterranean is 82 Pillow cover D O WN named 84 Fastens, in a way 1 Three, in Torino 37 Innocent sort 86 Nose around 2 Letters associated 38 God of the Quran 87 Director DuVernay with baseball and 43 Hodgepodges 88 Crumple into a ball batteries 45 Dark, in poesy 90 Informal speech 3 Many ’90s 46 Like some vowels and 92 Painting stolen from music purchases memories 33-Across 4 Painting stolen 47 90° from norte 93 Painting stolen from from 101-Across 49 On dry ground 105-Across 67 Franz who composed 80 Twitch 5 Enjoys as a hobby 95 Opened or closed 51 Basic skateboard trick ‘‘The Merry Widow’’ 83 Think aloud 6 Gets irritated by like an eye, in film 55 Root in some 69 Mapped out again 7 Title for Manchin 85 Bergen’s dummy lingo speckled chips 71 Deception or Murkowski: Abbr. Mortimer 97 No longer interested 57 Adjust to, as a 72 Shankar at Woodstock 89 Identifies 8 First cars made by in thermostat Ford 73 Minnesota 98 Tour de France 91 ‘‘Half a truth is often 59 ____ Clan, iconic hipcongresswoman 9 See 122-Down units: Abbr. hop group of the a ____’’: Benjamin Ilhan 99 Bout enders, for short 10 Hair removal brand 1990s Franklin 74 Acme’s antonym 101 Health professional 11 Salinger’s ‘‘For ____ — 61 Catches on 94 Painting stolen from focused on nutrition With Love and 63 Painting stolen from 76 Plunder, archaically 77-Across 78 Online tracker Squalor’’ 53-Across 105 Household appliance 96 Abandons that makes a hissing 12 ‘‘Penn & Teller: 79 Old-fashioned 65 Some partners 100 Places of refuge sound trinket shop vendors Fool Us’’ airer in lesbian couples
102 Xerox : copy 112 It might be held during vacation machine :: ____ : kitchen 113 Comedian Johnson wrap of ‘‘Laugh-In’’ 103 Most boring 115 Big inits. in fuel additives 104 Lines at the theater? 119 From Jan. 1 until now 105 Corporate department 120 Male turkey 106 Culmination of many 121 Actress de Armas a ‘‘Law & Order’’ of ‘‘Knives Out’’ episode 122 With 9-Down, 107 Desensitizes legendary Giant 110 Painting stolen from 123 A nursing one has 118-Across snaps
Copyright 2023 NYT
FINE ART
MUSEUM RENOVATION BRINGS SOME PRIZE PAINTINGS TO NAPLES By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
MAKE IT A MASTERPIECE HOLIDAY
The Naples Art Institute has 33 prime pieces of art from the Guild Hall Collection. The Guild Hall wants them back. That’s why this delectable exhibition of big names and fascinating art is only here util Jan. 5, and it is worth planning an entire downtown visit around. Repeat: It is worth planning an entire downtown visit around. The Guild Hall closed its doors for renovation, and Art Institute Executive Director and Chief Curator Frank Verpoorten snagged the opportunity to bring the rarely traveled works, under its mild-mannered exhibition title, An Adventure in the Arts: The Guild Hall Collection. As you wander the spaces of the Watson Gallery, there’s a sense of being in a museum, and Verpoorten confirmed it: “This is the first time we’re properly hosting a museum collection. All those other exhibitions were from private collectors.” In a sense, the Guild Hall has done just what Naples Art Institute has done since its years as the von Liebig Center: collecting and receiving art from promising local artists or benefactors. “I was drawn to this exhibition because we’ve spoken a lot in the past two years about how Naples Art Institute came to cultivate its collection, by artists passing by here, someone like [James] Rosenquist who had come and visited, by instructors leaving works of art, from people like Bill Meek ... inviting artists in his stable to donate to this collection,” he said. Rosenquist has a work in both the Guild Hall collection and the Naples Art Institute’s collection.
What: Guild Hall masterpieces Where: Naples Art Institute, 585 Park St., Naples When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m.6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 5; closed Jan. 1 Admission: $15 nonmembers More information: naplesart.org or 239.262.6517
door, New York. Many of them were already great, or becoming great, and the work they did vacationing in its wooded settings was a reflection of their style to come — or a direction that was later discarded. There is a glimpse, for example, at two Andy Warhol illustrations along with an image of his trademark Marilyn Monroe. They show a confident hand and an understanding of shape and color with a dollop of whimsy that gave even his shoe illustrations for Glamour Magazine personality. You’re engaged even before you reach the door by Jane Wilson’s wall-dominating “Water Mill Fog,” 60 by 75 1/2 inches, one of her early oil works from 1966. It puts a soft focus on its landscape and architecture under a gossamer of fog, with shreds of thicker clouds wafting through it.
Famous refugees
But for Guild Hall, the artists in its Hamptons neighborhood were refugees from the pressurized metropolis at the back
One room in the Watson Gallery shows an array of works spanning more than a century of Guild Hall collecting, including contemporary artists Larry Rivers and Miriam Schapiro. Photo by Harriet Howard Heithaus
See ART PIECES, Page 7B
6 B | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 2 4 | T H E N A P L E S P R E S S
The Art of Living Vibrantly
8 Models Now Open With its curated selection of 8 models now open and amenities underway, Caymas is the talk of the town. Caymas, Naples’ most successful new luxury lakefront community, is experiencing phenomenal demand as construction progresses on the incredible homes and amenities. The much-anticipated sports park is set to open in summer of 2025, and will feature 6 tennis courts and 8 pickleball courts, plus a spacious dog park. The spectacular 30,000-square-foot social clubhouse will enrich the residential experience with resort-style pools, indoor/outdoor dining, fitness center, movie theater, an indoor golf simulator, and much more.
Nowhere else in Naples will you find such a grand selection of designer homes paired with this exceptional level of lifestyle offerings.
Residences by Stock Luxury Homes and Pulte Homes.
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caymasnaples.com Residences from $1 million
ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. ALL RENDERINGS AND PLANS ARE PROPOSED CONCEPTS SHOWN ONLY FOR MARKETING PURPOSES AND ARE BASED ON THE DEVELOPER’S CURRENT PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN. DEVELOPER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY, REVISE OR WITHDRAW THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PLAN IN DEVELOPER’S SOLE DISCRETION WITHOUT NOTICE. NOTHING HEREIN OR IN ANY OTHER COMMUNICATION SHALL BE DEEMED TO OBLIGATE THE DEVELOPER, OR ANY AFFILIATE OF DEVELOPER, TO CONSTRUCT THE PROJECT OR OFFER ANY OF THE PROJECT FOR SALE, AND NOTHING HEREIN SHALL BE DEEMED A GUARANTY OF ANY KIND. THIS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SALE OR SOLICITATION OF OFFERS TO BUY.
n a p l e s p r e s s . c o m | D E C E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 2 4 | 7 B
SPORTS
A YEAR OF UNDERACHIEVING Door slams on injury-plagued Dolphins’ playoff hopes
Speaking of Sports David Wasson
A year ago, Miami was the talk of the National Football League. With a high-flying offense that led the NFL in yards per game (401.3) and yards per rushing attempt (5.1), along with scoring 29.2 points per outing (second in the NFL), the Dolphins were motoring toward a potentially deep postseason run. Of course, that run got cut short early, as they lost 26-7 in frigid conditions to eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City. But there was no indication that 2024 would be any different for the Dolphins, and expectations were skyrocketing. So what happened? The most convenient answer about Miami’s collapse is at the feet — or head — of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The veteran made it through 2023 with an NFL-best 4,624 passing yards, becoming the first Dolphins player to lead the league since Dan Marino in 1992, and was poised to run it back in 2024. That’s part of the reason the team bestowed upon Tagovailoa a four-year, $212.4 million contract
There is no single reason the Miami Dolphins missed the playoffs this year for the first time in three seasons. Some blame must go to both (coach Mike) McDaniel and his bulky offensive sets, and to general manager Chris Grier for assembling a squad that feels like it has underachieved from the preseason to the present. extension ($167.2 million of which is guaranteed) during the offseason — figuring their star QB would only continue improving and help Miami’s offense improve apace. But that momentum was cut short in Week 2, when Tagovailoa sustained a concussion that put him on injured reserve for five weeks; an injury that marked the 26-year-old Tagovailoa’s third documented concussion as a pro and reignited a national conversation about his health and professional future. To say Miami’s offense struggled without Tagovailoa would be a massive understatement. The Dolphins won just once in four games (defeating lowly New England 15-10 in Week 5) and scored only three touchdowns in that span. Neither backup quarterback — Skylar Thompson nor Tyler Huntley
— could wrap their brains around the intricacies of coach Mike McDaniel’s offense, and the Raheem Mostert/De’Von Achane running game that dominated 2023 virtually evaporated. When Tagovailoa returned to action on Oct. 27, the Dolphins were in a 2-4 hole. But Miami’s sweet Hawaiian prince wasn’t a savior, alas, as the team promptly lost back-to-back heartbreakers to fall to 2-6. That left almost no breathing room if Miami wanted to return to the playoffs. Rattling off three straight wins helped right the ship, but a desultory 30-17 Thanksgiving night loss to Green Bay meant Miami could lose no more if it wanted to qualify for the postseason. And two weeks later, that hope fully dried up in a 20-12 Week 15 loss at Houston. Even though quarterback is un-
questionably the focal point of not only an offense but an entire football team, no QB alone can make or break a program. And while it is certainly debatable that Miami shouldn’t have invested between 15-20% of its salary cap space on a player with multiple documented concussion issues, Tagovailoa played the entire 2023 season without a scratch on him before sustaining his Week 2 injury this season. Still, the quarterback must distribute the ball — and Miami’s distribution options have also been limited all season. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has topped 100 receiving yards just twice so far in 2024, and fellow wideout Tyreek Hill (who will earn a team-high $18.3 million in 2024) had almost half as many receiving yards this season compared to 2023.
Hill and Waddle have been banged up this season. Hill played through a wrist injury that he said would eventually require surgery, and Waddle injured his right knee during Miami’s Week 15 loss to the Texans that sealed their postseason fate. Wide receiver Braxton Berrios tore his ACL in Week 7; linebacker Jaelan Phillips went on injured reserve with a knee injury in Week 9; and once-superstar receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was waived after Week 14 following just nine weeks of mediocre contributions. There is no single reason the Miami Dolphins missed the playoffs this year for the first time in three seasons. Some blame must go to both McDaniel and his bulky offensive sets, and to general manager Chris Grier for assembling a squad that feels like it has underachieved from the preseason to the present. What does next season have in store for the Dolphins? Hill, Tagovailoa’s favorite weapon, might get traded away — and many more changes are inevitably in store on both sides of the ball. But it is clear that 2024 was a gigantic missed opportunity. 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.
From page 5B
ART PIECES “This is an incredible work because it’s such an early work, relatively speaking, from an artist who stepped away from representational art,” Verpoorten said of Wilson, an adherent of the New York School who later reduced landscapes to evocative color fields.
One couple, different directions
Willem de Kooning and his artist wife Elaine rented at the Hamptons in the summer and finally built a home there, and both are represented here. Hers is a blue, gray and black tangle of human forms in “Bacchus #63,” (1982) — one that’s a bit less circumspect than the Bacchus busts around the city marking the 25th Naples Winter Wine Festival. His is a warm-toned 1972 “Untitled” oil on paper that shows a different perspective than most of his exaggerated, female-centric works. The careful observer, looking upward from the handlike forms at the bottom, will still see a female in the painting. But what fascinates Verpoorten is its brilliance in reds, yellow and flesh tones. “It’s colorful, quite spectacular,” he said. “It still looks so freshly painted.” They’re depicted in two photographs, as well, that show their physical metamorphosis from buttoned-down to art’s enfants terrible of the mid-20th century. The only other person who gets such photographic treatment is the early advocate of the Hamptons, Thomas Moran, whose European-style landscapes are interspersed with both a painting and photograph of him at work in the early 20th century. Although its prices have surpassed the abilities of starving artists to rent there, the Hamptons were an early mecca for such names as Winslow Homer, Childe Hassam and William Merritt Chase. This exhibition has one of the best of that period, a gray cottage from Hassam that fairly shimmers in the tonal play he has given it (“Little Old Cottage Egypt Land, East Hamptons,” oil on canvas, 1917). A serious student of art could try to number the colors, but there’s an hour’s work involved. It’s an exhilarating work, one that brings the viewer back again and again. In a totally different way, Stuart Davis’ “Portrait of a Man” — done before he turned to abstract works — grips the viewer with its blocky strokes of color in yellows and sage tones. Its shadows, in crocodile and gray, give the unnamed subject a stark urgency. His oversized brown suit underscores that: It’s business, and it’s important. “A lot of people love this,” Verpoorten marveled. Many of the artists are immigrants who came to the United States to throw off the restrictions, academic or political, in their own countries. That has given the Guild Hall’s talent pool names including the de Koonings, Arshile Gorky and Hedda Stone, who is represented by an oversized portrait in charcoal and oil on canvas of, fittingly, an art critic. And the American names are icons: familiar contemporary artists including Robert Rauschenberg, Chuck Close and Miriam Schapiro. All of it disappears after Jan. 5. The Guild Hall’s museum has finished its renovation and is waiting for some of those paintings to go back on its walls, Verpoorten explained. As much as he’ll miss it, Verpoorten can afford to be somewhat sanguine: The next exhibition, opening Jan. 15, contains the works of French master Henri Matisse.
ABOVE: Childe Hassam’s perspective on the “Little Old Cottage Egypt Land, East Hamptons” (oil on canvas, 1917) gives it a luminosity with sophisticated color use. Photos by Harriet Howard Heithaus
LEFT: Stuart Davis, now better known for abstract works, packed a lot of emotion into his color choices for “Portrait of a Man” (1917, oil on canvas).
FOCUS ON 2025: THE ECONOMY, THE MARKETS, AND ELECTION IMPACT Friday, Jan. 3rd, 12PM-2PM Shula’s Steak House 5111 Tamiami Trail North Naples, FL 34103
Charles E. Chesebrough, Jr., CFA
Managing Director | Head of Quantitative Strategies
2025 MARKET OUTLOOK: A PORTFOLIO MANAGER'S PLAYBOOK Tuesday, Jan. 7th, 12PM-2PM Friday, Jan. 10th, 12PM-2PM Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse 8985 Tamiami Trail North Naples, FL 34108
Thomas M. Moran, AIF® Chairman, CEO, CIO
Registration is free, but seating is limited. Register by calling 239.513.2511 or book online at MoranWM.com/Seminars
Moran Wealth Management, LLC is a registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. For additional information about Moran Wealth Management, LLC, including its services and fees, request the firm’s disclosure brochure using the contact information above or visit adviserinfo.sec.gov. Moran Wealth Management, LLC is a separate entity and not affiliated with any other entity or practice that uses the same name.