Local communities are gearing up to celebrate Independence Day with a full lineup of festivities on July 4. Commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence with these events: Celebrate with Everglades City — Parade, best dress contest, raffles and fireworks. This Independence Day celebration has it all.
By Aisling Swift aisling.swift@naplespress.com
manager, provided the Board of County Commissioners on June 10, when a county consultant presented a report on deficiencies, gaps and a strategy to upgrade the P25 800 MHz radio system to meet present and future needs of first responders and general county Countywide public-safety emergency radio system
“I’ve faced immense challenges keeping our current radio system operational.”
—Nathan
Hinkle, telecommunications manager
government users.
After Hurricane Irma in 2017, the system failed for more than 12 hours, and for six hours in 2022 after Hurricane Ian. Firefighters battling house and brush fires in Golden Gate City often report dropped communications.
And there were “swatting incidents,” hoax emergency calls triggered to garner SWAT team response and chaos. For example, in December 2023, after a report that a student shot multiple students at Naples High School, so many Naples Police officers, Collier County Sheriff’s SWAT team members and emergency personnel responded that radios were overloaded and couldn’t communicate. In
Firecracker 5K — Gulf Coast Runners’ annual race near Fleischmann Park, Naples.
Declaration of Independence reading — Travel back in time to hear a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence in Estero. Fourth of July Dinner Cruise — Naples Princess is a front row seat for several firework shows along the coastline.
Pure Florida Fourth of July Fireworks — Departing from Tin City in Naples; enjoy this unique firework viewing experience. Fourth of July Parade — The annual Fourth of July parade from the City of Naples starts at the corner of 3rd Street S. and 5th Avenue S. this year. Fourth of July Fireworks — Firework show by the Naples Pier. Marco Island Fireworks — Best view at South Marco Beach. For complete dates and times, see our Calendar on Page 2B • Alexandra Cavalier
Two more hospitality venues opened in late spring at small retail strips in the city of Naples. A new bar and restaurant in town reimagined an old hangout, and a popular sandwich shop has spread out into bigger digs.
Old Town Saloon The old Bambusa Bar & Grill in Naples has new life as Old Town Saloon.
“I would describe our place as a neighborhood bar and restaurant
with a country feel and an Old Florida vibe,” said Mike Bono, who opened Old Town Saloon in early May to anchor Empire Plaza on Goodlette-Frank Road.
A former bartender at Tavern on the Bay, Bono became managing
partner of that Naples Bayfront destination in 2013. He also owns Flip Flops Beach Grill, the foodand-beverage concession he started in 2022 at Lowdermilk Park in Naples. His new Old Town Saloon anchors the southern end of Empire Plaza, which has The Rooster Food + Drink on the northern end of that commercial strip.
After entertaining guests for nearly 20 years, Bambusa closed Feb. 25. Bono bought the space from Bambusa partners Mel Biondi
and Steve Soutner. The new owners of the center gave Bono a long-term lease for the 3,400-square-foot end unit.
“I have a five-year lease with a three-year option, so I could have eight years there and that’s what I was looking at,” he said. Bono feels highbrow Naples needs more approachable places such as Old Town Saloon.
“It has a neighborhood feel, not See ATEN KNOWS, Page 10A
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Friends of Rookery Bay hires
new executive director
Friends of Rookery Bay hired TJ Snopkowski as its new executive director. A Naples resident, Snopkowski most recently served as development director for the American Heart Association’s Southwest Florida chapter. He has more than a decade of local nonprofit experience with other organizations, including the Collier Fairgrounds, NCH Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition and American Red Cross. Snopkowski earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University and an MBA from LSU Shreveport.
“TJ Snopkowski brings an enthusiasm for Collier County’s coastal environment combined with proven fundraiser experience that is important to the Friends of Rookery Bay’s role in protecting Rookery Bay Research Reserve’s 110,000 acres,” said Don Tilton, board president of the nonprofit organization. “We look forward to continuing to grow membership, individual and corporate donations, visitation at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center and engagement with those who enjoy and benefit from living and working in this beautiful portion of the Western Everglades.”
CAN-tastic Competition brings spirit, canned goods to Harry Chapin Food Bank
GL Homes kickstarted its Summer of Service initiative with a building competition to benefit Harry Chapin Food Bank and its vision to end hunger in Southwest Florida. Held June 9 at Harry Chapin Food Bank’s Collier Distribution Center, the GL Homes CAN-tastic Competition was a spirited competition where teams raced against the clock to build miniature replicas of homes entirely out of canned goods.
Each team had two hours to design and assemble their structure using 500 cans of food as the primary building material. Judges evaluated homes based on creativity and originality, structural integrity, visual appeal, adherence to the theme and efficient use of materials. In the end, judges declared the blue team — which used an American flag as its front door and incorporated a working light — as the winner.
“We are in a community of great wealth, but we also are in a community that has great need,” said Sarah Alsofrom, vice president of community relations for GL Homes. “Hunger is a 24/7 issue for
those who are in need, so our GL Homes volunteers are here to raise awareness for hunger-relief efforts in Southwest Florida.”
Explore Collier’s natural wonders with unique seine netting experience
Explore Collier: Tigertail Beach Seine Netting Experience will be held on Saturday, June 28.
Connect with Marco Island’s coastal ecosystem, and gain firsthand insight into one of Collier County’s most valuable natural resources during this immersive environmental experience at Tigertail Beach Park.
Led by experts from the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, participants will engage in hands-on seining, observe local wildlife and explore the ecosystems that support the region’s environmental and economic vitality. The event will be held at 480 Hernando Drive, Marco Island. The cost is $15 per person. Bring water, shoes or closetoed footwear, clothing that can get wet, sunscreen and a towel. Registration is open to anyone 10 and older. All children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Women’s Foundation announces 2026 Women of Initiative Honorees
The Women’s Foundation of Collier County announced the 2026 Women of Initiative honorees — five women whose leadership, service and philanthropy have made lasting improvements on the lives of women and girls in Collier County.
This year’s honorees are Nena Beynon, Lisa Kahn-Allen, Claudine Leger-Wetzel, Sherie Marek and Julia Van Domelen. Each has demonstrated dedication to uplifting women and girls and has set an example of what it means to lead with
compassion and purpose, according to a news release.
The honorees will be recognized at the Women’s Foundation Luncheon, 11 a.m.1:30 p.m. on Jan. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, 2600 Tiburón Drive, Naples.
EFC Farms exhibit opens at Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples
Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples announced the opening of a new exhibit, EFC Farms, in partnership with EFC Farms and U.S. Sugar.
In this exhibit, children will be introduced to topics including different types of farming, plants that are locally grown in Southwest Florida and beekeeping.
The exhibit was created in partnership with EFC Farms in Fort Myers — which stands for Earth, Family, Community.
“CMON is excited to launch a new kind of exhibit for the museum,” CEO Jonathan Foerster said. “While still providing great opportunity for imaginative play for kids of all ages, the EFC Farms exhibit also provides fun ways to explore elementary school science curriculum and inspire career curiosity in our third through fifth grade visitors. We are thrilled to be able to partner with EFC Farms owners David and Dr. Alise Bartley. Their leadership made this project possible. And we are grateful to U.S. Sugar for seeing an opportunity to help inspire the farmers of tomorrow at CMON.”
CMON also partnered with U.S. Sugar to help bring a specific focus on career curiosity and agricultural production. As one of the largest food producers in Florida, U.S. Sugar’s expertise helped build a section of the exhibit where families can learn about soil and seeds, the various fruits, vegetables, livestock and seafood grown in our region, as well as jobs that support plants and animals.
By John Guerra
The Naples Airport Authority is considering publicly shaming flight school owners, private jet operators and others who consistently break the airport’s voluntary overnight flight curfew.
The airport’s “Fly Safe, Fly Quiet” program asks pilots to remain grounded between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. so as not to disturb Naples residents.
During the June 19 NAA meeting, Board Member John Crees asked Community Relations Director Robin King about naming repeat offenders in a full-page newspaper ad. The ad could include a photo of the violators and their contact information, Crees suggested.
“Like the post office, ‘Wanted: For Noise Violations,’” Crees suggested. “We need to ramp things up.”
Board members asked King to develop such a plan and bring it back to the NAA’s August meeting. The board does not meet in July.
According to King, the curfew violators are
“pretty much the same names we have been seeing.”
According to airport authority statistics, 39% of the curfew violations are flight school students learning nighttime navigation; 34% are from private jet charters who fly passengers requesting late-night flights; 16% are “reasons unknown.” The rest are pilot schedules, weather-related and other miscellaneous reasons.
“Our community expects a reduction in flights between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Persistent curfew violations erode trust and quality of life,” King wrote in her presentation. “Despite
repeated letters, calls and face-to-face meetings, some operators continue to violate the voluntary curfew.”
FlexJet was among the top 10 curfew violators in nine of the past 12 months, King reported.
“After numerous in-person meetings, letters, phone calls and emails, Maura Batcheller, manager of owner services at FlexJet, has made it clear that passengers come first, they will fly when passengers want to,” King wrote
By Therese McDevitt terry.mcdevitt@naplespress.com
The Florida Acquisition and Restoration Council, part of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, voted in mid-June to add the first phase of the Bonita Estero Rail Trail project to Florida Forever’s Strategic Managed Area Lands List, making it eligible for state funds.
The first phase of BERT consists of an 11.4-mile unused rail corridor from Wiggins Pass Road in Collier County to Estero Parkway in Lee County that would be converted into a public trail as part of a statewide network. The Trust for
Public Land negotiated a purchase agreement from the rail corridor owner, Seminole Gulf Railway, and has a deadline of March 2026 to raise $70.4 million for the initial phase of the project.
Florida Forever is the state’s premier conservation in recreation lands acquisition program and serves as “a blueprint for conserving Florida’s natural and cultural heritage,” Trust for Public Land said in making the announcement. The Strategic Managed Area Lands List includes critical segments of the Florida Priority Land Trail System intended to complete gaps and connect trails.
Trust for Public Land said the BERT corridor is a designated priority trail segment of the 2024-2028 Florida
By Therese McDevitt terry.mcdevitt@naplespress.com
Fireworks can be a festive part of celebrations on the July 4th holiday, but they also can pose major hazards to several species of shore-nesting birds that populate beaches in Collier County.
That’s why Audubon Florida is reminding beachgoers of steps they can take to help make beaches safer for the species of birds that build their nests directly on the sand, including least terns, black skimmers, Wilson’s plovers, snowy plovers and American oystercatchers.
According to Audubon, the bursts of color and
Greenways and Trails System Plan, and that acquisition would also fill a strategic gap within the more than 400-mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail.
Doug Hattaway, southeast region conservation director for the Trust for Public Land, said the addition of BERT to the Florida Forever program “provides the opportunity to tap into an important funding source toward realizing this community-transforming project.”
Designation makes state funds possible Hattaway said that while state funding is not guaranteed, See BERT, Page 5A
noise from fireworks can cause coastal birds — especially nesting species — to panic and leave their nests, scattering the chicks that have hatched and leaving them vulnerable to predators, starvation or overheating in the sun without their parents to protect them.
Additionally, debris from personal fireworks can be mistaken for food by birds, sea turtles and other marine animals, which is why Audubon Florida is urging beachgoers to allow birds to “nest in peace” by not deploying personal fireworks on beaches.
Megan Hatten, Audubon’s Southwest Florida shorebird program manager, said this time of year many birds might be “re-nesting,” with one last chance to successfully raise chicks this season.
“We definitely want to try to limit the amount of private fireworks going off, because you might be right next to a colony [of nesting birds],” Hatten said. “Go to one of the already-planned municipal shows so we can limit the amount of fireworks going off on the beaches.”
In addition to avoiding fireworks, Hatten said there are other simple steps beach visitors can take to protect birds and their nests on the shore.
“The number one thing people can do for them is give them their space,” she said. “We have postings up in a lot of our nesting areas, with string and flagging around them. If you see
See BIRDS, Page 4A
By Aisling Swift aisling.swift@naplespress.com
Wandering cats and an overwhelming urine smell wafting from a $1.5 million Marco Island home landed a couple in jail on felony animal cruelty charges this month after malnourished and sickly cats and kittens were seized, including many dead in a freezer.
Now, the canal-front home at 1740 Piedmont Court, where 57 cats and kittens and “20-plus” frozen dead cats were found, is considered a health hazard and will be razed.
“It’s going to be demolished,” said Tim Conatser of Pine Island, who owns the one-story home on a quarter-acre with another investor. “It’s not salvageable. The stench is unimaginable. It burns your eyes.”
Conatser, who learned about the arrests on TV news, said the couple were very good tenants and had been leasing for years at a “very reasonable” rent, but the lease prohibits cats. There are numerous code violations, he said, adding he’s spoken with the city building department and the county Health Department. The city gave him 30 days to remedy the problem, but he called that impossible.
The house now stands empty, plastered with Code Enforcement notices.
The arrests and seizure come as the Collier County Board of County Commissioners is revising its hobby breeder ordinance to prevent such situations; a public hearing will be held July 8. Hobby breeder Olga Murphy, 62, and her husband Igor Mursalimov, 54, were arrested June 11, each charged with a felony count of animal cruelty causing excessive pain and death. Two days later, 28 misdemeanor counts charged them with enclosing an animal without sufficient exercise or air. They were among 19 arrested countywide on animal cruelty or abuse charges this year.
They’ll be arraigned July 7 in Collier Circuit Court and July 9 in County Court. Murphy remained behind bars last Friday while her husband, who surrendered 10 guns, posted $48,000 bond June 17.
If convicted of the third-degree felony, they face up to five years in a state prison and a $5,000 fine. Their breeder license was suspended in March and their Islanders Paw breeder page on gokitty.com was shut down but the Facebook page remains. Their show-quality Maine Coon cats sold for $1,800 to $3,500.
A County Court hearing is pending, to rule if the couple are unfit or unable to care for cats and order them to surrender nine 10-week-old kittens to Collier’s Domestic Animal Services, where they’re being cared for since being seized; Murphy refused to surrender them voluntarily.
County tax records show the couple operate a cleaning business, Clear View of Naples, but don’t have a business tax receipt for another enterprise named Islanders Paw.
It’s not the first time Murphy faced charges as a breeder. Court records show she was fined $100 in September for not providing a woman who bought two cats in 2023 and 2024 with a health certificate. In March she paid a $100 fine after a Broward County woman filed a complaint about purchasing sick cats.
Couple refused breeder inspections
What led to the arrests is detailed in arrest reports, Code Enforcement complaints, a vet’s affidavit and a civil complaint filed by the county Code Enforcement Department Animal Control Division.
In February and March, Animal Control Officers Cara Frank and Hope Ress repeatedly tried to inspect the home, as required under the breeder license, but were denied access. A friend of Murphy’s said she was deliberately denying access and about 100 cats were inside, many ill.
On March 5, Animal Control was alerted that cats were being removed and ACO Amanda Kitchen saw 26 cats during an inspection, when nine were seized and the breeder license was suspended. That month, Murphy pleaded no contest and paid a $100 fine.
A pending Code Enforcement complaint reported a “cat hoarding situation,” alleging more than 25 cats on the lanai and an “overpowering” urine smell that’s “become a nuisance” to neighbors. A neighbor said cats roam their properties and cited concern about the health of the cats and occupants.
Throughout March, the friend told ACOs that Murphy was hiding cats and there were “fatalities.” On March 26, she said cats were moved and hidden at Marco Naples RV Park at 100 Barefoot Williams Road.
Frank alerted Collier Sheriff’s Detective Jose Lopez, of the Animal Cruelty Investigations Alliance, that the couple were hiding cats and wouldn’t allow inspections. In April, Murphy agreed to surrender two cats with inverted eyelids to Domestic Animal Services, admitting she “could not afford to provide care.” On June 9, County Judge Rob Crown granted an inspection warrant.
Two days later, when Lopez showed up with the warrant, accompanied by Marco Island Police, ACOs and a vet, the couple let them in. There were two kittens in the living room, where there were no litter boxes, food or water; four kittens in the front bedroom; five kittens in a bedroom and bathroom, where there was food but no water; nine cats on the patio, where “their only access to water was a green, algae-filled pool.”
Nine cats were in the kitchen, and 28 cats packed a 10-by-10-foot quarantine room, where there was an “extremely strong odor of ammonia” due to “little to no ventilation.” Photos showed diarrhea, feces and vomit on the floor, in five litter boxes, on a chair, on shelves and in water bowls. Windows were closed and officials needed masks to enter.
The air conditioning duct above the room was disconnected and cool air blew into the attic. Dr. Erica Unz, of Harmony Animal Hospital, observed cats attempting to drink water, but “immediately backed away without consuming.” The confinement contributed to an upper respiratory infection and additional
medical problems in the cats, she wrote, many of whom were coughing and sneezing, while others had nasal and eye discharge, and other medical conditions.
“Twenty-plus” dead cats were found in a chest freezer in the living room. The vet evaluated them all, but one stood out, “Irene,” who required medical care and had a ruptured eye, most likely from an untreated inverted eyelid.
“Based on the statements and evidence, Olga and Igor tormented Irene the cat,” Lopez wrote in the arrest report, noting they could have sought treatment or surrendered them to DAS. “Irene suffered unjustified pain and suffering since 2023, as no efforts to obtain proper care were made.”
Couple couldn’t afford vet
Murphy didn’t know how many cats she had, including in the freezer, but named a few, Lopez wrote, noting, “Olga admitted to hiding Irene from previous breeder inspections due to her eye injury, in addition to any other sick cats.”
She said she couldn’t afford medical care, but did take some to a vet, but she didn’t know which cats. She said she gets advice and medicine from her daughter-in-law, a vet who lives in Russia. Mursalimov admitted feeding cats and providing medication but said they hadn’t taken any to a vet this year.
Five cats were taken by Guardians of Florida Animal Rescue in Fort Myers and 20 were taken by Peggy Adams Animal Rescue in West Palm Beach. The nonprofits are seeking donations for their care.
The polydactyl cats (some with six or seven toes) had “nails so long they were embedded back into their skin,” Guardians of Florida wrote on Facebook, saying DAS provided deworming and vaccines, but they’re malnourished, have respiratory infections, matted fur, dental issues and conditions that require care and surgery.
“Breeder license fees should be high enough to discourage amateur breeders and high enough that someone thinks long and hard before doing this — and high enough to ensure they have the resources to provide the proper humane living conditions,” Guardians wrote, adding that regular, unannounced inspections are crucial to ensure animals aren’t neglected. Animal advocates said County Commissioner Rick LoCastro, whose district covers Marco Island, got involved after an inspection wasn’t done on Feb. 28. LoCastro credited the arrests to a joint effort by law enforcement and the county’s Growth Management team, led by Director Jamie French.
“In order to ensure charges would stick, they had been investigating and gathering evidence before they made the arrests,” LoCastro said last week. “I’ve been a strong advocate of animal welfare and ensuring we don’t drag our feet in these cases. I credit all the agencies who worked together to make a raid on that house and, unfortunately, our worst expectations were evident. Hopefully, this result sent a signal to citizens. We know there are more cases out there.”
To view cats and donate to help rescues, go to: bit.ly/help57cats or bit.ly/helprescueleague
Keeping beaches safe for nesting birds
Audubon Florida gives these tips for helping to make beaches safer for shore-nesting birds, especially on holidays:
Give nesting birds at least 100 feet of distance, or as much as possible. Signs or people [Audubon Florida volunteer bird stewards] will alert beachgoers to these areas, but some birds haven’t settled down to start nesting yet and may just look like they are resting in the sand. Avoid walking or running through flocks of birds on the upper beach.
If pets are permitted on beaches, keep them leashed and well away from birds.
Remove trash and food scraps, which attract predators that will also eat birds’ eggs and/or chicks.
From page 3A
behaviors. “If you’re noticing a lot of louder ‘yelling’ that sounds a little more panicked or alarmed, or if you see a bird acting like it’s injured — if it’s on the ground flapping its wings around — that’s a definite sign that you’re close to a nest or chicks,” Hatten said. “That’s called feigning an injury, and they do that when you’re really close to something. If the birds seem agitated in any way, you might want to just be mindful of your surroundings.”
Do not walk or drive on beach dunes or other nesting areas.
Attend a municipal fireworks show, if there is one scheduled, instead of deploying personal fireworks. [See page 1A for a list of municipal fireworks displays scheduled for July 4.]
Audubon Florida said its volunteer bird stewards will be “out in full force” over the July 4th weekend at locations where people and beach-nesting birds commingle.
Be alert: If a bird dive-bombs you, you have gotten too close.
• Source: Audubon Florida
pier on land.
By Aisling Swift aisling.swift@naplespress.com
Naples Pier won’t include a concession stand when it’s rebuilt, but City Council agreed to a smaller entry structure on land and shaded benches, plus private restrooms for Naples Police officers.
Gary Young
A city consultant warned that any other changes, especially over water, could delay the permitting process from six months to a year.
“It’s not so much what we’re proposing, it’s the stopping and starting of the review process with those agencies,” Tim Hall, of construction, engineering and inspection firm Turrell Hall & Associates, told Council during a June 16 workshop.
“We lose our place in line. When we do that, we go back to the end.”
They hope to get a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit around September, he said, and that could add another six months to that review before it heads to final permit approval by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. As a result, Council discussed changes to the
The pier, which was mostly destroyed by Hurricane Ian on Sept. 28, 2022, must go through numerous local, state and federal reviews before demolition. The city is spending about $26 million, including design and permitting, and once permitted, reconstruction is expected to take 1½ years, including four to six months for demolition. That cost could drop due to changes made at the workshop.
Bruce Selfon, the pier project manager, is a former federal government employee hired to assist with regulatory and permitting processes. He said the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service still must finish its review, but that was delayed when the Army Corps of Engineers was held up “at the last minute” last week and didn’t provide documentation.
“We’re in day-to-day, if not hourto-hour, contact with the federal … reviewer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” Selfon said. “They’ve been decimated by resignations and firings, but the reviewer who has our project has asked to keep it even though she’s been reassigned and we believe she will move expeditiously. We can’t ask her when she’ll finish until she gets to start.”
By law, National Marine Fisheries Service, known as NOAA Fisheries, had 135 days to review plans; it finished in 60 days and approved the
project. U.S. Fish & Wildlife also has 135 days for its review.
The city can’t raze the pier without jeopardizing FEMA funding because demolition represents the largest reimbursement. City Manager Gary Young said estimates show the city will get more than $10 million.
Built in 1888 for people traveling by boat, Naples Pier has been rebuilt six times after hurricanes, most recently after Hurricane Irma in 2017. It’s located at the west end of 12th Avenue South.
The 100 feet that remained after Hurricane Ian reopened in November 2022, but 460 feet suffered significant damage, including more than 30 pilings and a shelter at the end that collapsed into the Gulf. Waves gutted the Cosmos at the Pier concession area, shelter and storage structures, and lifted framing and decking for public showers.
More than 1 million visitors head to the iconic landmark yearly to watch sunsets, fish, socialize, exercise, eat and watch wildlife. A survey found a concession stand wasn’t a top preference.
Young told Council that a request to add it mid-pier would result in “major hurdles” and delays and probably would end in a denial.
Council reviewed MHK Architecture’s new options for the design after deciding last summer that a concession stand, deck and seating at
April tourism numbers show 19.4% drop in Canadian visitors; total visitation also declines
By Therese McDevitt terry.mcdevitt@naplespress.com
Collier County tourism revenue grew again in April — the last full month of season — but the number of Canadian visitors dropped 19.4%, continuing a decline since the beginning of the year.
International visitation in April overall dropped 7.9% year-over-year, driven by the drop in Canadian visitors, but international markets posted year-over-year gains, according to Jay Tusa, director of the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau, in his June 17 report to the Tourism Development Council.
“You know, the international numbers, we’re just kind of seeing that trend over the past few months,” Tusa said. “Canada’s dropping down, the other ones are holding steady. Everything else is relatively flat, so I’ll take flat as opposed to down.”
April 2025 tourist development tax revenue, the latest data available, totaled $8,422,608, Tusa said, resulting in a year-to-date total of $32,166,977. This was up from March 2025, when TDT revenue was $7,042,651.
Total visitation down 5.3%
Tusa said total visitation declined by 5.3%, primarily due to a decrease in day-trippers. He said despite that drop, visitor days and room nights grew by 3.1%, supported by a continued increase in average length of stay.
According to Tusa, occupancy increased 4.2% yearover-year, to 67%, while the average daily lodging rate increased 0.09% to $381.91, contributing to a 5.2% increase in revenue per available room.
Tusa said direct visitor spending declined by 0.04%, with the total economic impact down 0.07% year-overyear. James Brendle, data analyst with research firm Downs & St. Germain, added context to Tusa’s report, explaining the disparity between the drop in visitation number and the increase in visitor days and room nights.
“The reason for that disparity is that we saw a significant decrease in the amount of day-trippers in April, but we also saw a continued trend of people that are coming to the destination [and] are staying longer,” Brendle said.
Addressing the slight decline in visitor spending, Brendle explained it as “basically, just a re-shifting of where the spending is at.
“We’re seeing a higher share of the visitor wallet is being concentrated into accommodation spending and then slightly less across the board for things like dining and shopping and entertainment and that sort of thing,” he said.
Drop in Canadian visitors ‘a bummer’
In terms of visitor origin, Brendle said the Midwest still tops the list for fiscal year to date, followed by the Northeast, Florida and the Southeast. He also noted the decrease in international visitors being driven down by significant decreases in Canadian visitation, which, he said “is a bummer.”
The broad array of international visitors attracted to the area helped the overall numbers, Brendle said. “You were able to buoy that international visitation with increases from the likes of Europe and Central and South America and other places around the world,” he said.
He cited two potential areas of concern for the market: demand falling for group hotel bookings, and 42% of visitors who reported considering other destinations before booking, which he said was an all-time high for April.
“Group hotel bookings as a share of total hotel bookings are still third-highest in the competitive set fiscal year to date,” Brendle said. “But group demand fell 3.3% in April, which was the second consecutive month of group demand declining, but not a large decline.”
Regarding the increase in visitors who considered other destinations before booking, he said it highlights “some intensifying competition.” He said top alternatives that visitors considered included Sarasota, Bradenton, Fort Myers, Sanibel and international destinations such as Europe, the Caribbean and South America.
the land entry point would cause visitors to congregate and stop the flow onto the pier, and would also lead to noise, smells and other problems for neighbors. FEMA already advised that a concession stand over water, where it was located since 1946, was prohibited.
Hall explained that permanent food sales and vending machines aren’t an approved over-water activity, but a food cart rolled on and off daily is allowed.
Selfon said showers will be moved to the land side, current restrooms will be renovated and city police requested the addition of private restrooms, calling it an important addition.
“If they wanted to use the restrooms, they would have to take off their ballistic vests and drop their weapons in a public restroom, which is undesirable,” Selfon said, adding that caused a major incident elsewhere. “By having a functioning private restroom, it would enhance police presence at the pier because they would then not have to go to the station or someplace else.”
News reports show a Seminole County sheriff’s deputy stopped to use the restroom at a RaceTrac convenience store last August and while removing several layers of equipment in the stall, including a bullet-proof vest and gun belt, the gun “worked itself loose.” A violent
From page 3A BERT
placement of the project on the list makes it eligible for acquisition by the state. He thinks already-pledged support from the Village of Estero, City of Bonita Springs and Collier County — totaling almost $33 million — helped the state prioritize the BERT project.
“With that kind of manifestation of local support, with money on the table, it helps to prioritize this project in the state of Florida’s eyes, because whenever you have leveraged funds or matching funds, it extends everyone’s funding even further,” Hattaway said. “And that helps raise the priority of this project in the state’s eyes.”
Deborah Orton, president of Friends of BERT, traveled to Tallahassee to testify before the DEP’s Acquisition and Restoration Council about the project and agreed with Hattaway about the state’s priorities.
“The reality is this is a high priority for the state of Florida,” Orton said. “[BERT] does provide conservation opportunities for wildlife. It does provide direct access to some historical sites, which the committee also looks after, and it does connect our communities with a non-motorized transportation corridor. All of those things are important to the state of Florida and important to ARC.”
Supporters say the trail will also provide a dedicated, safe and affordable transportation route in an area that has become increasingly dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians.
BERT competing with other projects for state funds
The Acquisition and Restoration Council evaluates projects on their merits in meeting established Florida Forever goals, Hattaway said, and once a project is on the list it is evaluated against all other acquisition projects to establish priorities and assess the available funding appropriated by the Legislature.
“If we’re fortunate and the program considers BERT a priority and has adequate funding to earmark
felon who used the restroom afterward sold the $600 pistol for $40 on CashApp.
Selfon didn’t believe adding restrooms next to existing bathrooms would affect the permitting process, noting it’s a “much reduced footprint” and federal agencies already were reviewing water, electric and other connections. The Army Corps is now focusing on turtles and environmental issues, he said, and decreasing pilings on land will help.
Hall recommended moving forward with the current design and then submitting modifications later when they have permits to start.
Demolition and reconstruction will be done by Broward County-based Shoreline Foundation Inc., which was awarded the $23.45 million construction contract, with a $1.17 million contingency allowance in case of unforeseen problems. Debris will be hauled to a barge at Bayview Park.
Costs for the stronger, higher, more resilient pier will come from federal funds, including FEMA reimbursements, state grants, $11 million in bonds, $2 million in county tourist-development taxes, the city’s beach fund and public donations from the Collier Community Foundation.
To donate to help rebuild Naples Pier, go to: bit.ly/donatetonaplespier
toward [the project], it then enters the robust state acquisition process, which includes appraisals, surveys, title work and environmental assessments [hazardous materials],” he said. “While placement on the Florida Forever acquisition list is significant, there are more steps that must be taken to successfully acquire the rail corridor.”
If the state does ultimately fund and acquire the land, Hattaway said local municipalities supporting the project would enter into an agreement regarding ownership and management of the corridor.
“One of the things they [ARC] were looking for from Bonita Springs, Estero and Collier County was a pledge that if this corridor were indeed purchased using funds from Florida Forever, the local governments would be willing to improve and manage the corridor,” Hattaway said. “There would be a formalized partnership to realize not only the acquisition but assuring for the improvements and the long-term management of the property.”
Hattaway said this would mean additional funding from local governments for construction, improvements and long-term management.
“We have been talking about acquisition of the dirt so far,” he said. “We have not been discussing construction and management of the corridor. There are plenty of funding sources out there to help raise funds for construction; the Sun Trail program [a state program that funds trails and greenways] is an example of that … There are also several funding sources at the federal level, as well.
“That would definitely be a very important next phase of this project, and that would be the construction and management portion of it, too. So, we’re all focused on the acquisition because if you don’t actually own the land, there’s nothing to construct.”
To date, Bonita Springs City Council has pledged $17 million in total for the first phase of the project, while the Village of Estero has pledged $15 million and the Board of County Commissioners in Collier has pledged $900,000.
2019, a swatting call reporting an active shooter at David Lawrence Centers caused so many agencies to respond — more than 105 deputies and first responders from fire and EMS — that the system overloaded and crashed.
In 35 pages of incidents provided to the consultant, firefighters, emergency responders, police officers and deputies reported failures, sometimes monthly, that last hours — when only seconds are deemed acceptable.
“I’ve faced immense challenges keeping our current radio system operational,” Hinkle said of the 800 MHz system designed in 1994 that’s undergone numerous upgrades and additional radio sites. “The system suffers from frequent outages and significant design flaws, including multiple single points of failure, and a lack of timely alarm notification.
“In my 29-year career as a telecommunications professional, I’ve never encountered a system with such persistent fundamental issues. These problems not only compromise system reliability, but directly impact our public safety and emergency response,” he added. A memo to commissioners says costs to upgrade are estimated at $20 million to $60 million, depending on the option the county chooses, a sum not included in the 2026 budget.
Collier’s system uses equipment manufactured by the nation’s top communications giants, Motorola Solutions and Harris Corp., which often battle for government contracts. L3 Technologies and Harris Corp. merged in 2019, creating L3Harris. The county’s public safety agencies use Motorola technology, while Collier County and Collier County Public Schools use L3Harris. The district invested $15 million in upgrades to its system, which relies on the county’s L3Harris system, and is still studying how to improve its system.
There have been “many points of failure” with the county’s and school district’s L3Harris system, and the goal is to harden and eliminate points of failure to get them all to communicate with one another. Spiraling growth compounds system failures.
Nationwide, growing communities such as Collier are finding that increased building height and density has created areas where radio-signal strength and coverage is lacking, causing dead zones that inhibit daily operations and emergency response — especially
“What we found is the existing communication system is not meeting public safety needs because it is not meeting public safety reliability.”
—Nick
Falgiatore, of Pennsylvania-based Mission Critical Partners, Collier County’s consultant
during holidays and special events that attract large groups. Tall and densely packed buildings can block, reflect and scatter radio signals, hindering their ability to reach users and devices.
Former Greater Naples Fire Chief Nolan Sapp, who retired last year, told commissioners he joined the department in 1990 and was here when the county designed the 800 MHz system in 1994, choosing GE over Motorola because it was $2 million cheaper.
“If we’d gone with Motorola initially, we’d be in a lot better position than we are today,” Sapp said, adding there are far more failures with L3Harris than Motorola, which is putting more into improved technology than L3Harris.
He described the system crashing during the DLC swatting incident, during forest fires and house fires. “I literally am as close as I am to you right now and could not communicate with people inside the house,” Sapp said. “… I can’t tell you how many times we’d be on wildfires and the system would go down — and the worst part was when we, as fire chiefs, would ask what happened: ‘I don’t know.’ They haven’t told us yet.”
Marco Island Fire Chief Chris Byrne, president of the Collier County Fire & EMS Chiefs Association, said first responders rely on a quality communication system to respond effectively. He urged commissioners to choose Motorola, noting Collier’s current system isn’t adequately maintained by the county’s provider, Communications International. In 2022, he said, the Fire Chiefs Association sent a letter of no confidence to L3Harris about
that provider.
The county’s consultant, Nick Falgiatore, of Pennsylvania-based Mission Critical Partners, said it conducted surveys and met with first responder agencies countywide, soliciting feedback and determining strengths, weaknesses and needs. It also documented the system to determine the age of all elements.
“What we found is the existing communication system is not meeting public safety needs because it is not meeting public safety reliability,” Falgiatore said, adding the design needs to be improved to boost coverage and capacity to meet current and growing needs.
Mission Critical Partners’ report noted the county has experienced “significant challenges” with Communications International and that the countywide radio system is “unreliable.”
“There’s been significant investments to date in portions of the radio infrastructure with Motorola equipment,” he said. “The county has a very unique arrangement where you have Motorola infrastructure operating hand-in-hand with L3Harris equipment, and there’s been a growing amount of infrastructure placed on the Motorola side that will allow the systems to interface together … ”
The current platform began its evolution in 1995 on an 800 MHz platform provided by L3Harris’ predecessor, Communications International, which holds the county’s L3Harris contract. It started supporting the system shortly after inception. Over time, Falgiatore said, there were upgrades, including more radio sites and a migration to P25, standards that ensure equipment from various manufacturers can communicate with one another — which is crucial for emergency situations when many agencies must coordinate.
He noted Collier is currently undergoing upgrades, and in 2023, an addition provided additional redundancy systemwide, software applications on paired hardware that provides a backup in case one fails.
The P25 system has 10 radio sites, each with 12 channels that connect to the Sheriff’s 911 dispatch center, which has 24 consoles connecting 11,544 radio users with handheld portable radios and mobile radios. A microwave network provides data communication between different radio sites.
“When the system gets overloaded, the users go to push-to-talk on their radio and they get a busy [signal] and they have to wait …” Falgiatore said. “Based on day-to-day usage, it’s at its limit today and if you have major incidents
… the system will go into a state where many calls are placed in this busy queue.”
He said increases in channels are needed, along with significant improvements to grounding and backup power systems so equipment is better protected from lightning strikes, is more reliable and provides consistent, available backup power in the event of power outages.
Mission Critical Partners is recommending six more radio sites and five new radio towers to support those sites. A Motorola system would be dedicated to public safety use, while the existing L3Harris system would be for non-public safety users. Control would be transferred to the Collier County School District.
Under the two-systems solution, public safety users would build out their Motorola platform and benefit from those capabilities while maintaining the L3Harris pair system, which would be used for the school district and other non-public safety users, such as water departments and Collier Area Transit.
“This would allow the benefits of both technologies to be leveraged,” Falgiatore said, adding it would provide backup capabilities between systems and allow the district to preserve its system, which uses the county’s L3Harris equipment. “It would allow you to maintain and get the full value out of the investment that you’ve already made in L3Harris equipment without taking that equipment and putting it on a shelf.”
Commissioners accepted the presentation and County Manager Amy Patterson said staff will work with Mission Critical Partners, the school district, CCSO, fire districts and EMS to discuss the path forward to ensure everything aligns. The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Aug. 12, when it is scheduled to decide the next steps.
“Our community leaders recognize the critical importance of reliable emergency radio communications for our first responders,” Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said last week. “We all work together in assuring the system works for fire, EMS and law enforcement as we rely on this vital infrastructure in both emergencies and non-emergencies. It is essential that any communications-system performance deficiencies are corrected as effectively and efficiently as possible and that system integrity continues to be supported for the future and we support these efforts.”
Read MCP’s presentation here: bit.ly/mcpcollierpresentation
in her June 19 presentation.
King introduced two more steps to the airport’s practice of notifying curfew breakers of their transgressions. As it now stands, the airport first confirms who violated the flying ban, then reminds them of the policy, followed by an informational letter signed by NAA Chair Rita Cuddihy and Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann. An airport official also meets personally with violators; the airport’s noise abatement specialist role is handled by the Community Relations & Communications Department, which King supervises.
King proposed a “consistent, respectful and tiered approach” if the first warning doesn’t work. First, the NAA would send more assertive letters to all curfew operators signed by the NAA chair and the mayor, possibly paired with a visit from a member of the NAA board or Noise Compatibility Committee. Additional steps include a letter and phone call “expressing concern and urging voluntary curfew compliance” and more strongly worded warnings.
King told the board that outreach has achieved some results. She contacted Rexair Flight Training owner Keith West, who acknowledged the curfew issue. West told The Naples Press that he works to help minimize flights where possible. Rexair has been among the Top 10 curfew violators in 11 out of the last 12 months, King reported.
The airport authority has deployed a broad set of tools to reduce noise, from the “Fly Safe, Fly Quiet” program to redirecting flights to a noise abatement hotline, to a $2 million Part 150 Noise Study, which has had some success.
“The NAA has a 98.6% compliance rate with the existing voluntary curfew,” airport spokesman David Breitenstein said. “Our goal is to continue improving upon that rate with additional, enhanced outreach.”
The Naples City Council has been hammering the NAA to do something about noise at the airport.
Keith West, owner of Rexair Flight Training at Naples Airport, said he, his instructors and student pilots make every effort to abide by the curfew, but it’s not as simple as it seems. He, too, must follow FAA rules, which require his students to undergo flight training no earlier than one hour after sunset.
“You can’t get your pilot’s license without three hours of night flying,” he said.
“During the winter it’s not an issue at all.
The sun sets earlier, so we can get night hours before 10 p.m. In the summertime, however, the sun sets at 8:30, which means 9:30 p.m. is the earliest we can take off.”
That leaves little time to get the required hours of nighttime training, which is an essential part of aviation, West said.
The Naples City Council has been hammering the NAA to do something about noise at the airport.
During the June 16 council meeting, Heitmann asked Naples Airport Executive Director Chris Rozansky to do something about student flyers entering the city’s airspace after 10 p.m.
“How about not renewing flight school
agreements to use the airport for night flight training?” Heitmann asked Rozansky. “Here’s another suggestion: Ask the flight schools to use Immokalee Regional Airport or other airports for night training.”
That would have to be voluntary, too.
“The authority must honor its lease agreements and cannot transfer a tenant contract to another airport except in the case where a tenant chooses to relocate to another airport of their own accord,” Breitenstein said. Not only that, but the airport must provide fair and reasonable access to users – per FAA rules.
The city council’s message about noise has been received, board members said.
“City Council Member Beth Petrunoff raised the question that we need to take the gloves off,” Crees told King. “At the moment we are highlighting the heroes but we’re not shaming the villains.”
“We have required training that we are required to deliver to our students,” he said. “This is the way it has to be delivered.”
He also argues that his students fly Van’s Aircraft RV-12s, light performance planes that create a fraction of the noise that jets make.
“You can barely hear these planes,” he said. “If they aren’t right above you, you wouldn’t hear them at all.”
During night training, his students take off from Naples Airport, fly legs to Marco Island or Immokalee airports and return to APF. Business is good, because “this is a great place to fly and learn for recreational and professional flyers. Half of my students are young people who want to be professional pilots.”
– John Guerra
By John L. Guerra
On the same day he took the oath of office, President Donald Trump — in Executive Order 14172 — ordered the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. The Florida Legislature quickly followed suit, filing two bills requiring the name change on state documents, including educational materials in public schools.
On April 15, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Bill 549 into law, which now requires state agencies to update their materials to reflect the new federal designation. The companion bill requires all instructional materials and library media collections in public schools to adopt the name change after July 1.
This will have to be accomplished even as much of the Internet continues to designate the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico. But Florida classroom standards require first graders to refer to a map in the classroom and name their town, their state and the body of water off the coast, a Collier County Schools official said.
“Currently, within Florida’s K-2 Social Studies standards, the Gulf of Mexico is referenced in the geography strand under the benchmark [standards],” Collier Schools spokesman Chad Oliver told Gulfshore Business. “This benchmark requires first graders to locate on maps and globes their local community, Florida, the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.”
Though the bill requires school districts to adopt or purchase instructional materials to include the Gulf of America this year, Collier schools aren’t scheduled to obtain new K-12 social studies materials until 2027-28, Oliver said.
In the meantime, the school district would provide supplemental content to teachers that uses the Gulf of America designation.
Collier, Lee, Charlotte counties border Gulf
The new state law also creates a new wrinkle for Collier, Lee and other Southwest Florida counties that suddenly find the Gulf of America on their borders. These county governments, which engage in inter-governmental communications with state agencies, will follow suit when communicating with Tallahassee.
Collier County spokesman John Mullins said the new law doesn’t require the expensive proposition of changing the text on existing documents; only those state documents created after June 1, 2025.
If Lee, Sarasota, Collier or another coastal county files documents pertaining to a new seawall with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, for instance, that document — digital or otherwise — will refer to the “Gulf of America” rather than Mexico.
“This will have a negligible fiscal impact on our county operations under the Board of County Commissioners and will only require placement in/on future documents that may contain that reference,” Mullins said. “As a political subdivision of the state of Florida, and as our western water boundary has been changed in statute to ‘Gulf of America,’ we will be consistent with federal and state naming conventions.”
Change tourist pamphlets?
Charter boat captains who suddenly found themselves searching the Gulf of America instead of the Gulf of Mexico for their familiar fishing spots are unconcerned with the change. Similar to charter boat captains out of Naples, Fort Myers and other Southwest Florida marinas, Robby Sommer of Down South Charters was indifferent.
“I don’t pay attention to politics,” Sommer said. “I don’t watch TV because I’m out here still catching fish.”
Another charter captain applauded the change.
“Great, we have no problem with it. I like the idea of calling it the Gulf of America,” said Capt. Gene Luciano with Naples Fishing Boat charters. He also said the name change helps with geographically challenged customers.
“I have had customers ask me if they need a passport to fish in the Gulf of Mexico,” Luciano chuckled.
Charter captains and other Southwest Florida tour guides hear National Weather Service weather reports for the Gulf of America, whereas just a few months ago, the NWS weather reports called it the Gulf of Mexico.
Airport, pilots adopting name change
Pilots who work for local private jet charter companies out of Naples Airport and Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers have been discussing the name change, but it’s business as usual, said Stephen Myers, executive vice president of Elite Jets in Naples.
“There are ‘highways in the sky’ • airways • at different altitudes and they have not changed,” said Myers, who pilots Embraer Legacy 500, Phenom 300 and other business jets out of Naples Airport. “They are more important than what the Gulf is called. Whether it is Gulf of America or Gulf of Mexico makes little difference to us.”
Nevertheless, “most of our Federal Aviation Administration charts have been updated to reflect Gulf of America.”
The United States Geological Survey received a proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico • the Gulf’s name since about 1550 • to
the Gulf of America in 2006, but the Board on Geographic Names unanimously decided not to approve it.
‘Such a unified and clear response’
When the Florida Legislature passed its State Parks Preservation Act in the spring, it codified the public’s desire to say “No” to private developers who had hoped to build golf courses, hotels and other country-club type amenities in Florida’s state parks.
Senate Bill 80 and House Bill 209 not only ban construction of lodges, pickleball courts and especially golf courses, they also require public hearings for all updated conservation and non-conservation land management plans. Individual management plans for parcels inside state parks must be developed and updated only with input from an advisory group.
The new rules stem from what the public saw as a quiet decision to build golf courses on some pretty special state parks.
The outcry came quickly last year when the public learned of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Great Outdoors Initiative,” which would have let developers build resorts and other amenities on pristine scrub land, coastal estuaries and other environmentally sensitive land in state parks.
The new law bars developers or the state from building golf courses, resort-style lodges, pickleball courts and other sports facilities on those public lands. The law, signed by DeSantis May 23, passed the House, 112-0.
The idea of commercializing golf and lodging in state parks became public knowledge when James Gaddis, a cartographer working for the state Department of Environmental Protection, was asked to create maps showing the development plans. Gaddis, worried about the environmental impact and lack of public transparency, leaked a memo outlining the development plans to the public.
He has since been fired.
A year before Gaddis released the memo, a veterans organization held talks with three Treasure Coast officials about their plan to build three golf courses in Jonathan Dickinson State Park. The state park, in Martin County, abuts the Intracoastal and Atlantic Ocean. The nature preserve includes the Elsa Kimbell Environmental Education and Research Center and a variety of natural habitats: sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, mangroves and river swamps.
Rep. John Snyder of Stuart met with Folds of Honor founder and CEO Lt. Col. Dan Rooney and lobbyist Ryan Mathews, DEP interim secretary under Gov. Rick Scott. Rooney and Mathews’ plan called for spreading the golf courses over 1,000 acres of protected scrub land. The pair met with another state representative, Sen. Gayle Harrell, and proposed the same project.
Both lawmakers told the men they would not sponsor legislation for the golf courses, but a year later, DeSantis and Folds of Honor were involved in the Great Outdoors Initiative. When the public learned of the list of state
parks that might be developed, protests followed all over the state.
Southwest Florida parks were not on the list, but had the Legislature not passed the State Parks Preservation Act, developers would have soon had their eyes on Southwest Florida’s preserves and parks, said Matt DePaolis, environmental policy director with Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.
“I think development interests are always looking for new opportunities … and I think this would have set a new precedent for how the state manages its lands,” DePaolis said. “I think the proposed development in the parks was an attempt at redefining how we view our natural spaces and outdoor recreation.”
Collier County voters approved Conservation 20/20, which lets the county use tax money to buy environmentally sensitive lands and keep it out of the hands of developers. Those and other state-managed lands in Collier would have been very appealing to developers, DePaolis said.
“Luckily, many of our conservation lands on Sanibel are privately or federally held, so this didn’t necessarily result in pressure [for] further development.”
The new law, however, doesn’t disallow the construction of lodging in state parks. It allows the state to build cabins for up to six people, rather than hotels and multi-room lodges. Nineteen parks from Pensacola to the Florida Keys provide cabins for overnight stays. There are no cabins at Collier County’s three state parks – Collier-Seminole State Park, Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park and Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve.
State officials are required to focus on camping, hiking, cycling, birding, fishing and nature study programs — which the bill calls “conservation-based recreational uses.”
State parks officials have until Dec. 1 to develop a report on trails, boat landings, docks, bathrooms and other amenities in need of repair. They are to list the cost and methods for making those upgrades and repairs.
For DePaolis, the public’s rapid repudiation of the Great Outdoors Initiative was historic and impressive.
“It was amazing to see such a unified and clear response from Floridians saying that we understand and value our natural spaces, and that our state parks were inappropriate places for golf, pickleball and resorts,” he said.
Legislature expands flood disclosure
After Hurricane Ian devastated Fort Myers and other Gulf coast areas in 2022, people who owned or rented mobile homes and other residential units suddenly found themselves in flood zones.
Given a choice, most renters and buyers might have preferred to know that before they signed rental and purchase agreements.
As of Oct. 1, real estate agents, rental management companies and private landlords will be required to reveal when and how often such properties flood. SB 948, which Gov. DeSantis signed into law, requires that divulgence to occur before or when a rental or purchase agreement is signed.
Among the bill’s requirements:
• Landlords must disclose to prospective buyers whether they are aware of past flooding damage during their ownership.
• Landlords must disclose past or present flood-related insurance claims, or any assistance received for flood damage, to prospective tenants before they sign a lease.
• Developers of residential condominiums and mobile home park owners must provide specific information to a prospective purchaser at or before the time the sales contract is executed
• If a landlord fails to disclose flood information truthfully and a tenant suffers substantial loss or damage, the tenant may terminate the rental agreement by giving a written notice of termination and surrendering possession of the premises to the landlord within a specified timeframe.
The environmental and public affairs group 1000 Friends of Florida says the new law will help protect tenants who landlords try to keep in the dark. Though the bill doesn’t specify compensation for damages, it leaves the win-
By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
After a 14-year association with St. Matthew’s House, Naples Automotive Experience is changing charities to partner with Habitat for Humanity of Collier County.
The news comes on the heels of an announcement that 2025 was the organization’s best year yet. Supercharged with appearances by Jay Leno, a serious car enthusiast and a comedian with high name recognition, Naples Automotive Experience grossed $2.7 million. It was a full million dollars more than last year. A Hertz Arena show with Leno, and his appearances at its Naples Jetport opening night and the Ultimate Garage auction the afternoon before its concours, Cars on 5th, ratcheted up income.
“We used to change charities every couple of years. We had a very good run with St. Matthew’s House,” said Tom O’Riordan, president of the Naples Chapter of the Ferrari Club, the organization behind Naples Automotive Experience. “I think they were looking to change directions a little bit with what they’re doing — looking to do more, smaller events, like country clubs, etc. They were sort of thinking about change, too, and we were thinking it was time to do something else.
“It was a good run for both of us. They were terrific for us and we were terrific for them. We just kind of went to a place where it’s time to take a break.”
O’Riordan had worked with Hab-
itat projects in New Jersey, Virginia and California and felt it was an extremely worthwhile organization. And by luck, he said, the contact from his first four years with St. Matthew’s House, Peter Johnson, had just joined Habitat as its vice president for philanthropy — “the same day that I called.” There were further relationships: Joe Trachtenburg, a former St. Matthew’s House board member, is on the Habitat board.
“They’re the largest affiliate for Habitat for Humanity in the world. They build a hundred homes a year here,” O’Riordan said.
Naples Automotive Experience
events will help raise funds for Habitat Collier’s work to make affordable homeownership possible for families in an area known as one of the most challenging housing markets in the nation.
There may be other changes in store for the Naples Automotive Experience. O’Riordan said the expenses and the logistics are rising in double-digit percentages for Naples Automotive Experience. It had to rent Hertz Arena for the Leno comedy show that week; and he, similar to other organizations that stage events in Naples, pointed to the ris-
ing cost of security.
Security, in fact, played into the St. Matthew’s House perspective, according to a statement from Steve Brooder, CEO of St. Matthew’s House:
“After the tragedy on New Year’s Day when a vehicle plowed through a crowd on a street in New Orleans, we were hyper-concerned about risk and liability for our organization and the City, especially with Cars on 5th,” it said. But preliminary outlays of money and time were cited, as well.
“Putting on these events and covering the expenses has become very
time-consuming with a huge outlay of cash, distracting from our core mission.”
Because of those concerns, he said, St. Matthew’s House is stepping back from the Naples Automotive Experience: “We are extremely grateful to the Ferrari Club of Naples for the funds raised from these events over the years.”
St. Matthew’s House oversees its local shelter and affiliates, such as Justin’s Place and Lulu’s Kitchen, its training café. It works with adults in addiction to move them back into recovery and back into the workforce while offering shelter. Last year, it served 2.7 million meals through its kitchens and food bank, and housed some 1,335 people in 2023.
With more than 2,600 families served since 1978, Habitat Collier empowers families through home ownership, with its philosophy that home ownership lays the groundwork for better educational outcomes, improved health and longterm economic mobility.
“We’re honored to be part of this iconic Naples event,” Rev. Lisa Lefkow, CEO of Habitat Collier, said in a statement last week. “Beyond raising critical funds for our work, this partnership brings greater awareness to the urgent need for affordable housing in our community.”
O’Riordan said the organization is planning a second show later in the spring next year, but did not say whether it would replace one of the fundraising events in the Naples Automotive Experience or would be an additional show. Its popular Cars on 5th Concours is scheduled for Feb. 7 next year.
The Women’s Foundation of Collier County announced $530,000 in grant awards to seven local nonprofits dedicated to supporting homeless senior women and empowering young women and girls through mentoring, education and wrap-around services. This year’s total is nearly double the 2024 grant amount of $290,000 — demonstrating the community’s growing commitment to meeting critical needs and building a stronger future for women of all ages.
2025 WFCC grant recipients
• Baker Senior Center Naples & Collier Resource Center • $70,000 for “A Community Lifeline to At-Risk and Homeless Senior Women”
• Boys & Girls Club of Collier County • $28,000 for “Junior Women of Initiative”
• Collier Senior Center–Golden Gate • $30,000 for “Direct Assistance for Senior Women”
• Grace Place for Children and Families • $210,000 to launch the “Middle School Career Discovery Initiative”
• NAMI Collier County • $45,000 for “Supportive Housing for Senior Women”
• St. Matthew’s House • $47,000 for “Senior Women’s Homelessness”
• The Immokalee Foundation • $40,000 for “Middle School Girls Career Pathways”
• Women Lifting Women Scholarships • up to $60,000. Four women were awarded scholarships to help overcome significant barriers to pursuing postsecondary education, achieving their career goals and securing financial independence.
Gulfshore Business held its annual celebration of the Best Places to Work in Southwest Florida 2025 on June 12 at Naples Grande Beach Resort. Among this year’s winners are the Sanibel Captiva Trust Company, Alpha Foundations, DeAngelis Diamond, Priority Marketing, Wright Construction Group Inc., Christopher Alan Homes, Viles and Beckman LLC, PBS Contractors, Velocity Engineering Services LLC, Naples Airport Authority, Gulf Coast Business Bank, Suffolk, HM Restaurant Group, Stevens Construction Inc., HBK CPAs & Consultants, Scotlynn, Sunshine Ace Hardware, St. Matthew’s House, Dorsey Law Firm PLC, Patty Baker Humane Society and Storm Smart Holdings LLC. Photography by Liz Gorman
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as expensive for people, not as pretentious — because all these high-end places, not everybody wants to or can afford to do them often,” he said. “That’s why I’ve done well at the Tavern. I’ve tried to keep it casual and everyday dining.”
Subsequently, Bono said, he had a good year for business, better than many local venues.
“People don’t want to go out and spend $150 a head,” he said. “I think that helped us a lot last year. People want somewhere to go where they can wear flip-flops and shorts and not have to feel like they’re underdressed.”
Old Town Saloon’s menu includes handhelds such as burgers and pulled pork and club sandwiches; and Southwest favorites such as nachos, mahi tacos and green chile enchiladas. OTS Baskets, which are served with fries and slaw, include a choice of fried shrimp, chicken tenders, baby back ribs, shrimp skewers, beef brisket and gator tail.
The restaurant’s appetizers are especially popular.
“People really like the frog legs and the gator bites,” Bono said. “Chicken enchiladas are awesome. We make those from scratch. Our boom boom shrimp are really good and our barbecue shrimp skewers are awesome. They’re jumbo shrimp; we grill them and flash-fry them with bacon wraps and a little barbecue sauce. They’re awesome.”
Old Town Saloon also has daily and weekly specials with entertainment and food discounts. Happy hours are 3-6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Not open now until late afternoon, the Saloon may start earlier hours this fall with lunchtime pickup and delivery, Bono said.
A major two-month renovation of the venue created a rustic look with Western décor framed in
From page 7A
dow open for litigation against landlords who don’t follow the law.
“We supported the bill because it extends the requirement to disclose prior flooding of a property to prospective tenants,” said Kim Dinkins, policy and planning director with 1000 Friends of Florida. “Renters and homeowners alike should be informed of the potential to flood before they sign a lease and shouldn’t be held responsible for paying rent on a property that is uninhabitable due to damage caused by a storm.”
Fluoride, cloud seeding now banned
The Legislature banned the use
wood. The new bar top is brown with white streaks and black marks in it — almost resembling cowhide — with alligator vinyl around the bar to give it a country look.
“It came out really good. I’m really happy with the buildout,” Bono said. “We have a bunch of
cool animal mounts in there and some Old Florida stuff, too. I’ve got a really cool alligator in there and kind of stuff like that. There’s a little side room that I’m going to put some dart boards in and a Golden Tee [golf game].”
For a bit of local nostalgia, the
of fluorides in municipal water systems in the annual Farm Bill (SB700), but the City of Naples and other Southwest Florida jurisdictions already beat the state to it.
“The city council voted to ban fluoride back in December,” said Monique Barnhart-Tiberio, Naples’ communications manager.
“They heard both sides from citizens and voted 4-3 to remove it.”
The debate was spurred by members of Stand for Health Freedom in Naples, which argued against fluoride before the Collier County Commission. Collier County banned fluoride in February of last year. Lee County followed suit in February of this year.
Fluoride opponents say it creates dental fluorosis, a cosmetic
condition that can occur when young children consume too much fluoride during tooth development. It manifests as white spots or streaks on the teeth and, in more severe cases, can cause pitting or brown discoloration of the enamel.
Dentists and physicians say fluoride prevents tooth decay and strengthens teeth. It helps rebuild tooth enamel, slows down mineral loss and can reverse early signs of tooth decay.
Before the Legislature banned it, Cocoa, Port Orange, Brooksville and other Florida municipalities have either resumed fluoride use or voted to continue using it in their water systems.
Many toothpaste brands — including Colgate, Crest, Parodontax
barstools came from the Old Naples Pub, which closed last year.
“They’re really neat,” Bono said. “They’re the old diner-style ones that swivel.”
Old Town Saloon, 600 GoodletteFrank Road N., Suites 111-113, is open 3 p.m.-1 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday, but closed Monday and Tuesday.
Yacht Club Subs
Yacht Club Subs owners Frank and Lizzie Paladino knew they needed a bigger boat. It just took them longer than anticipated to ship out and sail through sharkinfested waters.
“We finally made our move,” said Frank Paladino, who closed the original location of their artisan sandwich shop on June 7 and reached their new destination June 11. Although their new berth in Old Naples is less than a nautical mile away from their first site, a rocky voyage prevented them from getting there more than six months ago as initially planned.
“After eight months of hell with
and Sensodyne — use fluoride. Gov. Ron DeSantis heralded both the fluoride bill and SB56, a bill banning geoengineering, which is the use of chemicals and processes designed to affect weather patterns.
The bill repeals the state’s ability to issue permits for weather modification and prohibits cloud seeding, the injection, release or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather, temperature, climate or sunlight intensity. Those who violate the law face third-degree felony charges, up to five years in prison and fines up to $100,000.
For the uninitiated, such processes include stratospheric aero-
permitting and everything, it came out incredibly well,” Paladino said.
“This is just an opportunity for us to really shine down here a block off of Fifth, so that’s why we decided to make that move.”
The new Yacht Club Subs — at 835 Fourth Ave. S. next to PJK Neighborhood Chinese in the same retail strip — more than doubles the size of the small unit where the Paladinos launched their local business in March 2021 in Central Square on the other side of U.S. 41. Initially, they planned to keep their original spot open, too, but they changed their minds midstream.
“After some deliberation, I just thought that we were going to be duplicating in a small area and this would give the opportunity to look up north [for another location] — maybe Vanderbilt or Pine Ridge or something like that,” Paladino said. “My thoughts are still to grow this into multiple locations in addition to this.”
A fresh, 850-square-foot space affords them more room to navigate.
“We had 325 square feet at the first location. It was amazing we did what we did,” he said.
What they did — and do — is serve made-to-order sandwiches in a variety of vessels: the 16-inch Torpedo, the 9-inch Submarine, the 6-inch Yacht and the 3-inch Minnow, as well as croissants, salads and gluten-free wraps. Box lunches are available for beachgoers and others.
The sub shop is open 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, but expect the business to eventually open earlier and later. Soon, hopefully before season, we will extend hours to 7:00 [p.m.] with our new sunset menu to include some flatbreads and some wine and beer specials,” Paladino said. “I’m also working on a handheld breakfast menu, probably five or six sandwiches for breakfast. I probably won’t roll that out for another four weeks.”
sol injection, which is the spraying of sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere. They are designed to cool temperatures in the atmosphere. Another method: marine cloud brightening to enhance the reflectivity of marine clouds.
Starting Oct. 1, all publicly owned airports must report the presence of any aircraft equipped with weather modification or geoengineering equipment to the Florida Department of Transportation.
“Florida is not a testing ground for geoengineering,” DeSantis said. “The Free State of Florida means freedom from governments or private actors unilaterally applying chemicals or geoengineering to people or public spaces.”
By M. Melanie Pefinis
You have probably heard the term “staging” when selling a home. What does it mean, exactly? How is it different from interior design, or from just clearing away all your junk before you have people traipsing through your house?
Just like a theatre set, staging is meant to highlight all that’s appealing and minimize those things which distract. But much more goes into staging than you might think. It’s not just looking at your living room tchotchkes asking, “To keep or not to keep? That is the question.” With staging, the question is much deeper than merely deciding what personal items to hide and which should take top billing.
According to research done by The National Association of Realtors, 25% of buyers will overlook irregularities in a home if it is well staged. NAR’s Profile of Home Staging Report also compared asking prices and success of sales in non-staged vs. staged homes. Ultimately, the NAR report, as well as surveys conducted by the Real Estate Staging Association, presented evidence that proper staging is an investment that will result in increased price offers and speedier sales.
Most importantly, by staging you can show a property in a way that allows the buyer to see themselves in the space and envision the life they and their family will create in the residence. Your mantelpiece portrait of Grandma probably won’t cut it.
Week of June 9-13
SALES
Grupo Familiar LLC purchased 11,200 square feet of retail space at 2375 Vanderbilt Beach Road in North Naples from JFN 2375 LLC for $5.45 million. David J. Stevens, CCIM, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the buyer and seller.
Two Sets of Rules LLC purchased 1,496 square feet of commercial space at 1750 J and C Blvd., Suite 10, in North Naples from Haskett Holdings LLC for $486,200. Shawn McManus of Investment Properties Corp. represented the buyer, and Jay Crandall of Crandall Commercial Group represented the seller.
LEASES Keys Claims Consultants LLC leased 4,571 square feet of office space at 1421 Pine Ridge Road, Suite 220, in North Naples from 2600 Quantum LLC. Clint L. Sherwood, CCIM, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessee, and Adam Palmer and Ed Larsen of LQ Commercial represented the lessor.
The newest option is virtual staging, greatly improving over the last few years with advancements in AI. The high-end “first impression” visuals often attract buyers online before they even view the physical structure.
And staging is more than merely getting rid of your knickknacks or tell-tale personal details. It’s showcasing the home in a way that feels both inviting and generic enough that those viewing it can fill the stage with their own cast of characters.
On average, stagers spend up to 20 hours preparing a home, allowing buyers to see themselves in the space, accentuating the property’s positives and potential.
Staging companies can provide as much or as little redecorating as you need. Some companies have their own warehouses complete with furnishings, artwork and details to fill an emptied space to appeal to the most visitors; others work with the items you already have to streamline the character of the home.
The newest option is virtual staging, greatly improving over the last few years with advancements in AI. The high-end “first impression” visuals often attract buyers online before they even view the physical structure.
Even if rooms are empty once a walkthrough happens, that virtual AI staged image has
presented the home’s key features and created interest for online shoppers.
Collov AI is a leader in staging software that provides a carefully curated approach to AI staging, unlike more generic DIY options available on Canva and Photoshop.
According to Markk Tong, founding marketing and sales manager, Collov AI “is a Silicon Valley-based company pioneering proprietary world engine and spatial intelligence technologies for the home and real estate industry.”
Tong explained what sets virtual staging apart. “Our AI team is building a world engine that understands 3D space,” he said. “I brought insights from my real estate background to ask: What if home showings could be more effortless and personalized? Traditional staging is costly, time-consuming, and presents only one style — despite every buyer having different tastes. We believe AI can change that.”
The company now serves more than 10,000 agent subscribers across top broker-
ages including Compass, Sotheby’s, Engel & Völkers, Coldwell Banker and SERHANT. It is also expanding into listing prep automation, which will enable agents to access general social media content, listing videos and one-click property websites.
“Our flagship product, AI Virtual Staging,” Tong said, “empowers real estate professionals to transform listings in seconds.” Key features of this product include:
• One-click decluttering to generate empty room photos instantly
• Low-resolution photo enhancement to 4K photorealistic quality
• Customizable styles (e.g., twilight scenes)
• MLS-compliant with original structure preserved
• Auto-generated virtual staging disclosures
• Ultra-fast, highly realistic design output
The product has been met with positive reviews. Payton Stiewe, real estate advisor at Engel and Völkers, said, “Collov gets it right. It stages rooms with precision — placing furniture that’s properly scaled and styled — without touching the home’s architecture. No fake light fixtures, no weird edits. Just clean, realistic design that helps buyers see the potential … We’ve used this tool on several listings and buyer consultations, and I’m encouraging every advisor in my shop to explore it.”
Whether you choose to hire a staging company or think virtual staging is the way to go, the spotlight is definitely shining on ways to make the most out of your showing.
With each issue of The Naples Press that includes a real estate page, we will ask a real estate professional questions about issues of the day.
For this edition, we spoke to Tom Strauss, managing principal at LQ Commercial.
Tom Strauss
Q: How is former big box real estate being reimagined in Collier County?
A: The future of national “big box” and “junior box” retail is anchored (pun intended) in entertainment, fitness and/or “experiential” retail, with trampoline parks, indoor playgrounds and traditional fitness centers leading the transformative charge.
These venues of 20,000 to 40,000+ square feet represent more than a trend; they’re a strategic real estate solution that aligns perfectly with Collier County demographics. Active retirees, after-school programs and health-conscious residents alike are driving demand for recreational spaces that offer social engagement, fitness and community connection.
Large retail spaces — previously occupied by Big Lots, Bed Bath & Beyond, Jo-Ann Fabrics and similar retailers — are being reimagined as fitness and sports-related entertainment venues. Indoor space is optimal to escape the hot, humid air and summer storms.
Other emerging concepts include multi-sport complexes, Esports centers, immersive gaming experiences and interactive entertainment venues. These adaptations address a fundamental challenge facing “traditional” retail: creating spaces that offer experiences which are impossible to replicate online.
National chains who specialize in recreational experiences are actively scouting Collier County. Indoor trampoline parks, kids’ entertainment centers and advanced interactive gaming centers see significant potential in repurposing these large-format spaces.
While some developers are adding traffic by splitting old boxes into two (or even three) small spaces — or demolishing them altogether for apartment complexes — other landlords recognize the economic advantages of recreational reuse: minimal buildout costs, high utilization
and consistent revenue streams.
Florida retail is cyclical, so local governments understand that maintaining vibrant commercial spaces requires an innovative approach. Every couple of years, there is a “new-to-Florida” concept. As such, zoning regulations in Collier County are becoming increasingly flexible. The intrinsic, and economic, implications are significant:
• Consistent foot traffic.
• Local job creation.
• Contribution to the county’s sales tax base.
• Unique, irreplaceable community value. Collier County is positioned at the forefront of this nationwide shift, transforming once-static big box locations into dynamic, community-driven destinations.
This broad trend points to a future where commercial real estate is less about selling products and more about selling experiences. What other experience do you think can drive our community? Let’s talk!
Tom Strauss can be reached at tstrauss@ lqcre.com and 239.275.4922.
Ongoing events
Everglades exhibition
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 21 at The Baker Museum, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. “Entangled in the Mangroves: Florida Everglades Through Installation” features the work of nine Florida-based artists. Also: contemporary and 20th-century pieces from the permanent collection; the audio consciousness teaser collection from Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, “Obra Sonora”; Magritte works on loan; and more. Note bag size restrictions listed online, under Safety and Security. $10, $5 students or full-time military with ID, $1 for SNAP benefits visitors. artisnaples. org or 239.252.2611
‘Eternally Curious’
9 a.m.-5 p.m. through June 29 at Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples. Tanya Trinkaus Glass displays her gardencentered artwork in an exhibition. The event is free for members and included with garden admission ($27 for non-members; $17 for Collier County residents with proof). naplesgarden.org or 239.643.7275
Cunningham & McCabe exhibition
Various times through Aug. 3 at Naples Art Institute, 585 Park St., Naples. Photographs are showcased from Imogen Cunningham and Robert McCabe that reflect nature and its beauty. $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Free on Fridays. naplesart.org or 239.262.6517
‘Miami to Marco’ collaborative Various times through July 1 at Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island. In La Petite Gallery, art from Matt Fazio will be displayed during June. Free admission. marcoislandart.org or 239.394.4221
Hollywood’s backstage moments
9 a.m.-4 p.m. TuesdaysSaturdays through Aug. 9 at the Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S. Heathwood Drive, Marco Island. “Backstage Hollywood: The Photographs of Bob Willoughby” delivers an insider’s look at some of the greatest stars of old Hollywood
Backpack fun
7 a.m. July 4, starting on 10th Street N. and 15th Avenue N., Naples, and continuing south. Gulf Coast Runners hosts this annual event. Participants will complete two laps around 8th Avenue N., 13th Street N. and 15th Avenue, to the finish line located on 12th
in their backstage moments. Willoughby, a 20th-century photography pioneer, was the first outside photographer invited by studios to take photos on film sets.
The exhibit features photographs from the sets of 17 iconic Hollywood films, including Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, Marilyn Monroe in Let’s Make Love, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift on the set of Raintree County, Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Marnie, Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby and others. Free. themihs.org or 239.389.6447
Pastry and paintings
10:30-11:30 a.m. July 19 at Amy
Art Gallery + Studio at 950 First Ave. N., Naples. It’s a civilized way to start out the weekend — with a little coffee and rolls, some beautiful art around you and insights from someone well versed in it. Amy
Art Gallery is offering one-hour sessions with experts who lead conversations that explore art’s role in everyday life, accompanied by treats and coffee from The Bakery at Grappino:
• July 19 – “Investing in Art,” with attorney Ted Hudgins
• Aug. 18 – “How to Buy Art,” with the gallery’s director, Leslie Vega
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays (or as open) through Aug. 9 at all Collier County museums. Collier County Museums offer Exhibit Explorer Backpacks for visitors K-fifth grade to borrow during their visits, with special activities, props and more that will help them understand and enjoy what they’re seeing by presenting history in a hands-on way. Free. colliermuseums.com
Kids free; resident discount
8 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, except Tuesdays, at Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples. Children are admitted free and residents of Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties receive discounted admission of $17 through Sept. 30 with proof of residence. For summer programming, naplesgarden.org or 239.643.7275
Children bowl free
All day Mondays-Thursdays, until 5 p.m. Fridays at HeadPinz Naples, 8525 Radio Lane, Naples. Register your children and they can bowl two games a day free at HeadPinz, with you there to guide them through the mastery of the hook, the split and, we hope, their first strike. Registration forms online. Not available on weekends. kidsbowlfree.com or 239.455.3755
Art Institute free Fridays
Naples Art Institute, 585 Park St., Naples. See current exhibitions under Ongoing Events. naplesart.org or 239.262.6517
Museum free Sundays
Noon-4 p.m. Sundays at The Baker Museum, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Free to all on Sundays. See current exhibitions under Ongoing Events. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
• Sept. 20 – “Behind the Scenes” at the gallery, also with Vega Free. Reservations are requested at 239.404.5014 or email beth@ preddypr.com
Library fun for kids
• 10-10:30 a.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays through July 31 at Immokalee Branch, 417 N. First St., Immokalee. Interactive story time lessons with singing and puppets at toddler story time. For newborns to age 3. Tickets are given the morning of story time. First-come, first-serve. collierlibrary.org
• Various times and days through July 31 at different locations.
Color Our World events encourage readers to read through a range of activities, including crafts and science demonstrations. collierlibrary.org or 239.252.7542.
• 10:30-11 a.m. MondaysWednesdays through July 30 at South Regional Branch, 8065 Lely Cultural Parkway, Naples. Enhance your child’s pre-literacy learning skills with this summer’s Reading Program theme, Color Our World. Family story time has songs and hands-on activities. For all ages. collierlibrary.org
Library event for adults
9:15-10:15 a.m. Tuesdays through July 29 at South Regional Branch, 8065 Lely Cultural Parkway, Naples. Practice meditation to calm your mind and enjoy stress-free living. Arrive 10 minutes before class begins. collierlibrary.org or 239.252.7542
Downtown showdown
6 p.m. weekly through Aug. 12 at Sugarshack Downtown, 27421 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs. Highlights local talent with first-ever singing competition. Contestants sing in front of a panel of judges for a chance to win prizes, local gift cards and a $2,500 grand prize. Auditions are now open. sugarshackdowntown.com
‘Sweeney Todd’
7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through July 27 at Kizzie Theater, 701 5th Ave. S., Naples. The Naples Players presents this thrilling, dark humored tale with haunting music by Stephen Sondheim. Full of twists and turns, this show will keep you on the edge of your seat. Individual tickets $55-57. Subscriber tickets $42-46. naplesplayers.org or 239.263.7990
Street N. near the south entrance to Fleischmann Park. T-shirt and finisher medal included. $35 through July 3; $40 on race day. $20 for students 21 and under through July 3; $25 on race day. Register at gulfcoastrunners.wordpress.com
This weekend (June 27-29)
Pirate Day
10 a.m.-1 p.m. June 27 at Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S. Heathwood Drive., Marco Island. Dress up in your best pirate outfit to play games, make crafts and find buried treasure at this annual event. Attendees can learn about Juan Gomez, Ten Thousand Islands’ own pirate. Free admission. colliermuseums.com
Jazz master concert
1-3 p.m. June 28 at The Norris Community Center, 755 8th Ave. S., Naples. The Naples Jazz Society Inc. gives love to 1930s jazz music. Free admission. naplesgov.com or 239.213.3049
Improv show
7:30 p.m. June 28 at Marco Town Center, 1089 N. Collier Blvd., Marco Island. Stage 2 Improv, a Naples-based improvisational theatre group, creates scenes, songs and games based on audience suggestions. $20. marcoislandart. org or 239.784.1186
Summer concert
10 p.m. June 28 at Seminole Casino Immokalee, 506 S. First St., Immokalee. Various Asian entertainers come together for this event. Doors open at 9 p.m. Free admission for Unity Card Rewards Program members. Attendees must be 21+. casino.hardrock.com
Next week (June 30-July 3)
Caregivers’ workshop 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. June 30 at Baker Senior Center Naples, 6200 Autumn Oaks Lane, Naples. A workshop dedicated to teaching how to care for loved ones diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Several speakers talk about a range of topics. Lunch included. Registration is required. Seats are limited. $30. 239.325.4444
Next weekend (July 3-5)
Firecracker 5K
7 a.m.
Declaration of Independence reading
9-10:30 a.m. July 4 at Estero Historical Society Cottage Museum, 9285 Corkscrew Palms Blvd., Estero. Listen to Jacob Winge perform a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence. Free admission. esterohistoricalsociety.com
Fourth of July dinner cruise
7-10 p.m. July 4 at Naples Princess Sunset Cruise, 550 Port O Call Way, Naples. Board the Naples Princess ship to enjoy a three-course dinner, watch the sunset and get a firstrow seat to several firework shows along the coastline. VIP packages available that include three hours of open bar and reserved seating. Limited tickets available. $175. $VIP $275. allevents.in
Pure Florida Fourth of July fireworks
7-10 p.m. July 4 departing from Tin City, 1200 5th Ave. S., Naples. Sail the coast during this special fireworks show experience. Dinner sandwiches or salad included. $145. Food is included in the ticket price. napleslive239. com or 239.263.4949
Fourth of July Parade
9-10:30 a.m. July 4. Attend the annual City of Naples Fourth of July Parade. The new parade route starts at the corner of 3rd Street S. and 5th Avenue S. and ends at 8th Street S., in front of City Hall. Free admission. naplesgov.com
Fourth of July fireworks 9-10 p.m. July 4 by the Naples Pier, 25 12th Ave. S., Naples. Celebrate the Fourth of July and watch the fireworks show. Free admission. naplesgov.com
Marco Island fireworks
9 p.m. July 4 at 130 S. Collier Blvd., Marco Island. Marco is launching fireworks between Tigertail Beach and South Beach for the Fourth of July. The best view is at South Marco Beach. Free admission. paradisecoast.com or 239.389.5000
By Harriet Howard Heithaus
Propaganda is a chameleon genre. It croons to you how good life can be. Or it warns you, breathlessly, of the danger you’re in. Propaganda’s mission is to put you under its power by whatever means necessary.
That’s the way propaganda works today and that’s the way it worked in Germany in the 1930s. A discomfiting exhibition at the Holocaust Museum and Cohen Education Center of Southwest Florida shows the tentacles of propaganda that brought Nazi leadership to power — promising benefits and better wages, demonizing its country’s minorities and disparaging its neighbor nations.
“Convincing the Masses: Propaganda at Home and Abroad” looks at an array of Nazi tactics that range from politically evocative posters to an unlikely item: a low-cost radio.
The People’s Receiver (Volksempfänger), as it was called, was sold cheaply to bring wider audiences for Nazi speeches. Their price made them popular — more than half the country owned one at some point.
From every angle
Cory Rademacher, curator of the museum, researched and organized this exhibition, and he marveled at how many methods Hitler mined to win the populace. There was a trade union, social organizations, even scout troops. The indoctrination of children was the most insidious, he felt.
“There was a huge scouting movement in Germany and there were numerous scouting groups. So the Nazis effectively just had their own political wing,” he explained. “There was also like a communist version or social democratic versions, Christian versions, Jewish versions, things like that.
“But what happened is, once the Nazis got into power, they started pressuring and either banning, dissolving or absorbing until effectively — by decree, I believe in the mid-’30s — they actually absorbed the entirety and said the only legal organization for youth scouting was the Hitler Youth and their subsidiaries — like the League of German Youngsters, the League of German Girls — that pushed the ideas of the party and especially their world view of what the roles in the society were,” Rademacher said.
“Men were supposed to be ready to serve the country as soldiers and as good loyal members of society. So you worked, you were a soldier, and then you came home to your domestic wife, whose main role in life was to have a lot of kids and ultimately raise those kids as good Germans in the mold that the Nazis wanted them to be in.”
The natural progression of that thinking led the Nazi regime to offer awards to German women — nonwhites, Romani and Jews excluded — to have children. There were medals for four or more children, up to a gold medal for eight children. Rademacher, who studied other countries for comparison, cautioned that Germany was not the only nation trying to bolster a declining population; France and the Soviet Union did the same, he said.
He pointed to the cover of the magazine for the League of German
of
poster depicts the
Girls, Die Modelschaft : “Look at that imagery. It’s a very happy, good German woman, ecstatic with her blonde baby.” Fashion even joined the march, Rademacher pointed out. During his paramilitary years before Hitler won the country, his bodyguards of Schutzstaffel — predecessor of the
dreaded SS — were designed to be tailored and stylish alongside the clunky tunics and triple-button cuffs of the standing military.
Persuasion, not putsch
All of this took root after Hitler’s first overt attempt to overthrow the government, known as the Beer Hall Putsch, which failed miserably and sent Hitler to prison. During his time there, he began not only writing his manifesto, Mein Kampf, but perfecting the identity and image of his National Socialist German Worker’s Party — in its German abbreviation, Nazi. He had learned his lesson: Install his Aryan-centric culture with carrots rather than sticks.
Rademacher motioned toward a poster for “Der Kdf Wagen,” an early model of the Volkswagen, that was promised to members of the
Nazi-backed workers’ party with just the savings of a few Deutschmarks a week. The temptation was lucrative for the party, but the workers never got their cars. There were similar incentives for vacation stays.
“That money was then used for rearmament by the Third Reich,” Rademacher said. And the excuse
THE PROPAGANDA WEB
was that the cars couldn’t be available because, “‘Well, we have a war going on so we can’t fulfill these’ and it’s like, ‘Sorry.’”
Hitler’s propaganda machine hummed like a 21st-century political campaign, saturating the country and beyond through regional leaders known as Gauleiters. They received weekly talking points and Nazi print material to promote to influential organizations and local media.
The museum exhibit includes posters, meant for German consumption, to create a sense of alienation from the French, who had sent African troops into the Ruhr Valley, as mercenary overlords with Jewish support. That one, “The Shame of France,” depicts Gen. Charles de Gaulle and a Jewish corporate caricature behind the attackers. The British, and later the U.S., were cartooned as money-grubbers and degenerates.
On an international level, the propaganda took on genteel tones with a cultural magazine, Joy and Work incorporating Fascist apologists into its stories. Joy and Work reached 100,000 subscribers around the world — it was printed in 22 languages, according to Rademacher’s research.
Where’s my car?
Rademacher’s research for this exhibition was carefully done. He spent a year investigating the circumstances around the artifacts and reproductions that would go into it, with advice ringing in his ears.
“My predecessor, Holocaust survivor Lori Mayer, emphasized that to the nth degree with me,” he said. “You must be accurate in what you’re putting out there because anything else fuels [Holocaust] deniers … When you hear that directly from someone who was a kid during Kristallnacht, it means a lot to you.”
Rademacher said he learned things that he was sorry to know about the U.S., as well, especially about its internment camps for the Japanese. It is an episode he plans to study further. But what happened to the German people was also painful to him. The Nazis were incredibly inhuman on one level to the Jews; on another, they were scamming the people who trusted them.
“One of the things that was very upsetting to me personally was the effect of laundering or embezzlement of materials from workers, people that they supposedly supported and were doing all this good work for.
“They never got their cars. They never got their vacations. This [was done by the] organization that supposedly was like: ‘We’re the workers’ party!’ That one was very upsetting.”
Museum explores how Nazis shifted WWII culture
If you go
What: “Convincing the Masses: Propaganda at Home and Abroad”
When: 1-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays through Aug. 15; note the museum opens at 12:15 p.m. Sundays and Wednesdays for those who would like its docent tour
Where: Holocaust Museum and Cohen Education Center of Southwest Florida, 975 Imperial Golf Course Blvd., Naples
Admission: $15; seniors, $13; military/veteran, $7.50; student (with valid ID), $8; ages 11 and younger, free Contact: hmcec.org or 239.263.9200
Something else: The museum houses more than 1,000 original photographs and artifacts related to the Holocaust and World War II, displayed chronologically, from the rise of Nazism to the Allied Liberation and Nuremberg Trials.
Hard work for excellent sushi and ramen
By George Lang
For the high-level sushi carefully created by Chef Pitak “Koko” Hermkhunthod at Namba Ramen & Sushi, the fish must be fresh. It comes every two days, flown in from the Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo — whole fish to be cut by Koko and his protege, Chef Kai (a “preferred nickname,” he said) at the 36-seat restaurant in Naples. Kai said that Namba sets high standards for its fish.
“If it doesn’t feel fresh, we don’t sell it,” said Kai, who checks the fish for flavor and freshness daily. “We do not give it to any customer. It is not food.”
Fish is king at Namba, which is always a good aspiration for a sushi restaurant. Namba’s offerings feel elemental and considered, and they taste like a sushi and ramen reboot. At sushi restaurants, I always want to know what dynamite tastes like, and I always get a different answer with each explosion. Because of this, the roll serves as a good indicator of a sushi chef’s style. It is sushi’s equivalent to a snowflake — no two
are alike. Just a quick Google image search proves a dynamite roll can be just about anything with a hot kick that is vaguely maki-shaped. Line up slices of fresh or fried jalapenos, maybe some sriracha, some spicy mayo concoction or maybe all three on top of the base roll of your choice, and boom goes the dynamite.
But Namba’s version (six pieces, $16.25) is unlike any of those adventure rolls. Using the techniques he continues to learn from Chef Koko, Chef Kai bakes king crab in a creamy ponzu sauce, combines it with fish roe and lime-butter sauce, then wraps it in a delicate sesame-soy paper.
The dynamite at Namba looks like a half-dozen birch logs standing on their ends. It tastes nothing like that, fortunately, boasting a rich heat and citrus bite courtesy of the ponzu, all of which accentuates the crab. It is sublime, and part of a highly curated nine-roll collection of maki.
The same follows for Namba’s selection of 12 nigiri pieces or one of the restaurant’s specialties, aburi sushi. Aburi is a variation of nigiri in
“Fish is king at Namba,
Koko stayed there and worked in a series of restaurants for five years until he moved to Miami and, eventually, Naples. He named Namba after a neighborhood in Osaka. Kai, who emigrated from China, began working for Koko about a decade ago, when Namba was still being conceived.
At Namba, there is a sense of real discipline and precision at work.
Some sushi bars put out sheets of paper featuring 88 vividly named rolls and somehow deliver on every single offering, but they are rare. Chefs Koko and Kai prioritize freshness and achieve excellence with hard work, something that is constantly on full display with Koko’s tonkotsu broth.
Koko spent a year creating and perfecting his broth, and each batch, made with pork bones, is cooked for 17 hours. While most tonkotsu broth is cloudy, Koko’s achieves something closer to creaminess. The flavors are round and complex, and the broth never stops.
“The broth, I make it every day,” Kai said. “So every day, we’ve got a new broth, and then we finish it on the same day and the second day we have another. We cook all day.”
That storied broth can be experienced with three ramen bowls: the calamari- and shrimp-based Hokkaido, the Hakata Classic with pork chashu slices and the Beef Hayashi with Black Angus sirloin. Even the vegetarian version is given full attention, with a four-hour soymilk-based broth.
On most days, Kai arrives at Namba at 7 a.m. and starts cooking the broth and prepping the fish. He does not leave until midnight. Meanwhile, Koko is expertly making cuts on the day’s fish haul. The artisanal work never stops for long, and the effort is passed into the careful complexity of Namba’s flavors.
“It’s a lot of work,” Kai said. “It’s a lot of work for the fish.”
NAMBA RAMEN & SUSHI
8847 Tamiami Trail N., Naples Sake, beer and wine available
Hours of operation: Lunch — Monday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Dinner — Monday, Thursday and Sunday, 5-9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5-10 p.m. nambanaples.com, 239.592.4992
which a chef’s torch is applied to the top of the nigiri, releasing cooked flavors while retaining some of the rawness and freshness. Namba offers wagyu, Hokkaido scallop, hamachi yellowtail and salmon belly as its line of aburi pieces — a wide range of flavors represented within five offerings. Born in Thailand, Koko worked in his parents’ restaurants but trained as an electrical engineer. But a visit to Osaka, Japan, in the late 1990s and exposure to its cuisine and aesthetic created a sea change in his career.
By Therese McDevitt terry.mcdevitt@naplespress.com
It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but after more than four years of planning — and sometimes contentious negotiations with the City of Naples and neighboring residents — Naples Comprehensive Health broke ground June 19 on the R.M. Schulze Family Heart and Stroke Critical Care Center.
Construction of the $295 million cardiac, stroke and vascular facility on the campus of NCH Baker Hospital in downtown Naples was approved by the city in early 2024 after community concerns about issues including building height, lighting, landscaping and the parking garage were addressed by the health care system.
With the controversy in the past, about 100 NCH staff, donors, construction partners, community members and city leaders gathered to celebrate the milestone at the groundbreaking ceremony held on the site of the Telford Center for Continuing Education, which was torn down in April to make way for the new five-story building.
The almost 200,000-square-foot facility will serve as the home of the existing Rooney Heart Institute and Wingard Stroke Institute when completed in 2027.
Building a world-class medical team
Paul Hiltz, CEO and president of NCH, said the plans for the new facility and a partnership with
Minneapolis-based Allina Health and the Minneapolis Heart Institute — facilitated by Best Buy founder and lead donor Richard “Dick” Schulze — have been instrumental in recruiting 35 new cardiologists during the past three years.
“We had our team in Minnesota this week, exploring even more ways we can work together and benchmark ourselves,” Hiltz told the crowd. “We think that is going to give us a real jump-start to becoming one of the top places in America.”
Dr. Robert Cubbedu, who was recruited in 2021 to serve as president of the Rooney Heart Institute at NCH, credited system leadership
that “believes in the clinicians” for being able to hire, recruit and retain some of the world’s best cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. He cited the recent addition of Dr. Tommy Caranasos, vice president of the Heart Institute and chief of surgery, and Dr. Viktoria Totoraitis, medical director for the Wingard Stroke Institute.
He said the new facility will be part of a lasting legacy for the health care system.
“It will be an iconic place that we will look behind and say, ‘Wow, look what we’ve done together; this legacy that we’ve left for the community of Naples and the region,’”
year-round. This is home. They don’t want to leave [for health care]. What they really want is to be here.”
Economic and community impact
NCH Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Kling said he estimates an economic impact of $150 million to the community during construction, with about 400 to 500 construction and trade workers on the project and about 200 additional jobs to be recruited to staff the institute.
Kling said NCH is staying closely in touch with the surrounding community about efforts to have “the least impact possible on our neighbors” during construction.
“We went way farther than was required by code on the setback to impact minimally the neighbors,” Kling said. “The length of time getting approved gave us the time to truly be partners with our community. And this is the community’s health system.”
Cubbedu said. “In this building we will house state-of-the-art equipment and new operating rooms, and new cardiac imaging capabilities. We will develop and establish centers of excellence to train individuals across the region and across the country.”
Schulze, who attended the ceremony with his wife, Karon, and other family members, called the project one of most important areas of accomplishment in his life.
“NCH is a hallmark of high quality by so many measures,” Schulze said in his remarks. “I was inspired for the most part with respect to the fact that if this community could get their arms, their heads and their hearts around doing a really meaningful first-class initiative in the world of cardiovascular and neurological care, that it would put Naples up at the top of consideration for anybody and everybody that lives and works in this area.
“We want to be one of the 10 best heart and stroke centers in the United States of America, not just Southwest Florida.”
Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann, who was in the audience, said after the event that “it took a lot,” but the community got behind the project once the details were worked through.
“It was hard because so many people think of us as a small community, but we have a very large community as far as expectations of excellence in health care,” Heitmann said. “And it was time to move forward and not just think small. People are moving here, not just for vacation but
Naples-based DeAngelis Diamond is serving as construction managers for the project, along with Gilbane Building Company; Reggie Morgan, a principal and chief operating officer for DeAngelis Diamond, said the company has a team that specializes in hospital construction to make sure inconvenience to the community — and patients — is minimal.
Morgan said patient safety and public safety is the first priority on an existing campus, which can mean adjusting construction activities on the needs of the hospital. He said DeAngelis Diamond has worked on building projects with NCH since 2009, and the company sees the opportunity to work on this facility as “a great privilege.”
“This is our community, where we live and where we heal,” Morgan said. “NCH is our hospital: It’s where my family was born, where our kids were born. Being able to serve this community and provide specialty construction management services to a partner like NCH is something that we take very seriously.”
The majority of the $295 million for the project has come from philanthropy, according to NCH Chief Impact Officer Mara Hammond, with $190 million raised so far and $60 million remaining. The other $45 million comes from permanent bonds, according to Hammond.
Major philanthropic gifts for the heart and stroke center have included $20 million from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, $20 million from the Rooney Foundation, $20 million from Diana and Don Wingard, $15 million from an anonymous donor, $10 million from Patty and Jay Baker and $10 million from Audrey Morean Petersen.
Sonoma County chef-vintner
Dustin Valette, owner of Valette and The Matheson in Healdsburg, California, has been named chef de cuisine for the 26th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
Valette, an eight-time participant in the festival, also owns Valette Wines, a small-production label, in collaboration with three other California winemakers. Valette has won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, among other honors for his cuisine, wine and restaurant design.
Kelley Bailey, 2026 Chef Committee Chair for the festival, said Valette’s cuisine is “a true representation of wine country, blending bold, dynamic ingredients with strong community ties and collaborations with local farmers and purveyors. We are pleased to recognize his commitment to the success of the auction throughout the years and delighted to welcome him back to the Naples Winter Wine Festival for his ninth time.”
As the festival’s chef de cuisine, he will be honored among the vintners, chefs and featured sommeliers coming from around the country to create a weekend known for its one-of-akind wine and culinary experiences. Those names will be announced later by the Naples Children and Education Foundation, the the founder of the festival.
The Naples Winter Wine Festival is scheduled for Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at the Ritz-Carlton, Tiburón. Its record-breaking 25th anniversary festival in January raised more than $34 million for children’s needs.
“Having participated in the Naples Winter Wine Festival over the past several years, I have seen firsthand the awe-inspiring impact that it has on the most vulnerable children in the community,” Valette
said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “I am sincerely honored to be selected as the 2026 chef de cuisine and I look forward to joining some of the finest chefs and vintners in the world for such an important cause.”
Valette’s ties to Sonoma County date back to the 1820s, when his great-grandfather settled in the area and opened bakeries in the buildings where his restaurants stand today.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Valette has more than 25 years of culinary experience, learning under top chefs such as Thomas Keller and Laurent Manrique. He was executive chef at VOX Restaurant & Wine Lounge in Henderson, Nevada, and Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg. In 2015, Valette and his brother, Aaron, made good on a childhood pact to open
their own restaurant, Valette, with fine-casual dining that became a local favorite.
Valette and a business partner opened The Matheson in 2021 in the original location of his great-grandfather’s bakery. The upscale farm-to-table restaurant brings a contemporary approach to micro-seasonal ingredient cooking and works with local farmers, ranchers and artisans.
By Aisling Swift
Outdoor dining has been approved for the new “reimagined” Naples Beach Club, and Four Seasons Resort is now taking reservations for its opening in October.
Restaurants include The Merchant Room in the new Four Seasons Hotel lobby, which will have an outdoor veranda overlooking the pool and the Gulf. It’s headed by award-winning Chef Gavin Kaysen, founder of Minneapolis-based Soigné Hospitality Group. The new concept will be the group’s first in Florida.
Naples City Council on June 18 unanimously approved outdoor seating for The Merchant Room; HB’s on the Gulf; Sunset Bar; The Shed golf pro shop and snack bar; The Wager; and Naples Trading Co., a grab and go café. They’re located at 801, 802 and 811 Gulfshore Blvd. N.
“We are thrilled to unveil a brand-new resort that reinterprets the beloved destination of Naples for the next generation of guests, residents and the local community when we
open later this year,” Antoine Chahwan, Four Seasons president, Hotel Operations-Americas, said in a statement a day earlier. “As this highly anticipated opening comes to life, the Four Seasons culture of service and excellence will ensure an exceptional experience, further inspired by the spirit of this treasured location.”
Originally built in the 1880s, the 319-room Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, which features 1,000 feet of sand on the Gulf, was owned and operated by HB Watkins’ family for more than 70 years until the property was sold for $362.28 million in October 2021 to The Athens Group. The Phoenix-based luxury resort developer was selected over 14 others and is developing the property with BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank based in New York and Chicago.
Last November, The Athens Group recorded a conservation easement with nonprofit North American Land Trust, promising to preserve more than 104 acres of recreation and open space — an agreement with Naples prompted by homeowner associations after the developer
sought greater density.
The golf course, designed by world-renowned golf course architect Tom Fazio, is expected to open next year. The golf buildings and the Old Florida-style Mary C. Watkins Tennis Center, which was built in the 1940s, are being renovated in the style of the old hotel.
Redevelopment is ongoing, including the beachfront Four Seasons Resort hotel, offering 220 rooms, including 57 suites, a two-level spa, oceanfront pools and many amenities. Residential buildings along the beach and golf course will offer 153 luxury condos, while Market Square will provide public dining and entertainment at HB’s on the Gulf restaurant and Sunset Beach Bar.
“Naples Beach Club is our modern expression of the cherished traditions and style of Naples,” Resort General Manager Diego Angarita said in a statement. “Our team cannot wait to open the doors, welcome guests and connect with the community, establishing the property as a social hub and gathering place for locals and visitors alike.”
Plans show HB’s, The Sunset Bar and The Merchant Room are on the hotel parcel on the west side of Gulf Shore Boulevard North, while The Wager and Naples Trading Co. are within Market Square on the east side of Gulf Shore Boulevard North, and The Shed is located on the golf course.
Restaurants on the west side — HB’s, Sunset Bar and The Merchant Room — are accessible to the general public, but those on the east side are restricted to hotel guests and homeowners.
Architect Ara Arnn, of Hart Howerton, told Council the new design is a “reimagined” Naples Beach Club that includes its traditional restaurants and bars, HB’s on the Gulf and the Sunset Bar. The Merchant Room will be Four Seasons’ most formal dining option, he said, and will offer all-day indoor and outdoor dining at umbrella-shaded lounge and dining tables overlooking a large veranda, the main swimming pool and Gulf.
The only suggestion was by Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison, who urged city staff to consider alternative driving methods, such as Uber and Slidr, in parking calculations.
“Myself and others will not … use our personal vehicles to go enjoy something at the Naples Beach Club,” Hutchison said, adding that people are increasingly using alternative methods.
At the Naples Trading Company, a casual cafe and marketplace, patrons can purchase dried goods, branded logo and gear, coffee, tea and quick prepared foods, such as bagels or breakfast and deli sandwiches, and eat outside at shaded outdoor tables in the Market Square garden.
The Wager, which features coastal-style casual sports-pub culture, will feature food, curated beers and cocktails, a bowling alley and a game lounge. The popular HB’s casual seafood restaurant, named after Naples Beach Club founder, Henry B. Watkins, will be “reimagined.”
The Sunset Bar, where guests and locals mingle, features tropical cocktails and Latin-inspired bites.
Other food offerings will include the Hinckley Picnic Boat, a luxury sports yacht.
By Therese McDevitt terry.mcdevitt@naplespress.com
David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health started construction of the Diermeier Access and Integrated Care Center June 20 with a demolition ceremony. DLC, Collier County’s only comprehensive, not-for-profit behavioral health center serving children, adults and families, is demolishing its current administration building to make way for the new integrated care center. When completed, the Diermeier Center will allow DLC to
expand care to more adults in Southwest Florida.
Scott Burgess, CEO of DLC, said the Diermeier Center “will serve as a beacon of hope where individuals can find immediate support, comprehensive services and a path to lasting wellness.”
The Diermeier Center is supported by a $4 million gift from Collier County philanthropists Jeffrey and Julie Diermeier; $5 million in funds from Florida’s fiscal 2024-25 budget, secured through the support of state Sen. Kathleen Passidomo; and other donors.
By J.C. Amodea
Not too many of us can say we’ve seen the Aurora Borealis at the top of the world in Finnish Lapland or have driven a reindeer sleigh through its tundra, but travel journalist Karen T. Bartlett has. Without confining herself to a single style, Bartlett is a writer for all seasons. She draws inspiration from her muse, whom she fondly refers to as “my children, always, always.”
Bartlett effortlessly switches among descriptive, creative and journalistic writing. Her primary goal is to immerse the reader in her imaginings and real-life adventures, using the power of her keyboard. She is equally skilled behind a camera, a talent that has seen her images grace magazine covers.
At the age of 22, Bartlett embarked on her writing career at a publishing company. Her writing spanned a wide range, from personality profiles and restaurant reviews to theater openings for an entertainment magazine. She later ventured into public relations, where she found joy in the travel opportunities and interactions with diverse personalities.
As a travel journalist, Bartlett has penned articles for Gulfshore Life magazine for 15 years and engaged in various freelance projects. Her experiences, of which many of us can only dream, have taken her on thrilling adventures. Her greatest joy, she said, is when readers express that they felt as if they were right there with her. Some of her most memorable escapades include:
• Paddling through Venezuela’s Orinoco Delta with a guide from the indigenous Warao tribe, swimming
with pink dolphins and piranhas and tasting live termites right off the tree.
• Eco-cruising the Galapagos Islands, getting up close and personal with blue-footed boobie chicks and sea lions.
• Tracking the “big five” (with camera) at the Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa.
• Standing on the rocky ledge of the erupting Mount Yasur volcano on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, with lava explosions spewing red-hot flumes higher than her head.
• Dining on iguana on the Caribbean island of Bonaire.
• Trekking with sherpas to the remote mountaintop village of Bunlap on the South Pacific Island of Pentecost to observe the land diving rituals.
The Savannah, Georgia, native
decided to relocate to a life “surrounded by the sea and salt air” in 1989 after a divorce and big-city burnout. She continues in the craft she has mastered for local publications. We wanted to know more.
The Naples Press: Tell us about your destination coffee table books.
Karen T. Bartlett: A New England-based publisher commissioned me for most of these regional photography books, either as the writer or the photographer, and sometimes as editor of several of their photographic portrait book series. My favorites were the two [for which] they allowed me to select the location and create the book from scratch, including writing and photography. The first was Rhode Island: A Photographic Portrait, followed by The Sea Islands of South
Carolina, Georgia and Florida: A Photographic Portrait. I spent four to six weeks traveling the region for each of those two. I wrote the text for Journey Through Paradise: Naples, Marco Island & The Everglades by renowned photographer Alan S. Maltz.
TNP: How did you get the idea of your Mostly Kid’s Guides and what titles have you published?
Bartlett: The company that published the destination coffee table books threw me a half-written manuscript for a softcover book, A Kid’s Guide to Chicago. I accepted the job only if I could start from scratch and write in a more child-friendly style. When I finished that book, I knew that’s what I wanted to do on my own — except with great photos, outrageous art and colors and loads of fun, freaky factoids and cool experiences that kids would like to experience. I named them (Mostly) Kids’ Guides, adding the “mostly” because I write them so that even adults without kids could immerse themselves in the area and find new experiences. An update is under rewrite due to the devastation of two recent hurricanes.
TNP: What have been your most notable accolades and awards?
Bartlett: Mostly Kids’ Guides twice earned the Silver Benjamin Franklin award from IBPA, the world’s most prestigious association of independent book publishers. My work has contributed to national awards earned by Neapolitan Family magazine, including the top award for travel features. The national trade publication PR Week named my agency in the top seven among more than 250 public relations firms in Atlanta.
TNP: Which of your creative endeavors brings you the most
satisfaction?
By J.C. Amodea
If you ask anyone who lives in a home constructed with concrete blocks or poured concrete how their homes held up in the aftermath of recent Southwest Florida hurricanes, you will most likely hear superlatives. According to one local builder, CurranYoung Construction, using concrete for building purposes has proven exceptional in withstanding harsh weather challenges, such as hurricanes, high winds, flooding and extreme heat, with a level of resilience that wood can’t match.
The residential work performed by Chris Curran — CEO of CurranYoung Construction, founded in 2018 in partnership with Bruce Young — focuses primarily on multifamily developments.
“Nearly 100% of our structures are a combination of concrete masonry, poured concrete and precast concrete,” he said. “We only use wood for roof trusses when we have a sloped roof. We favor concrete block construction over stick framing, even in jurisdictions where wood is still permitted, because the benefits are undeniable. Concrete block buildings are much more resilient to wind damage and water intrusion. They also maintain their structural integrity over time, which reduces longterm maintenance and insurance costs. We don’t want to see wood-framed walls and roof sheathing getting soaked by our everyday summer rain showers during construction.
“For us, building with concrete isn’t just about code compliance; it’s about making smart, future-focused decisions for the property and its residents.”
Durability, efficiency and comfort
Concrete is naturally fire-resistant, which
enhances safety, and is also highly resistant to the mold and pests frequently evident in Florida’s humid climate.
“From an energy standpoint, concrete helps to regulate indoor temperatures and reduce HVAC usage,” Curran said. “Soundproofing is another major plus, as concrete walls help minimize noise transfer between units, which improves residents’ daily living comfort.”
The safety benefits of concrete should make you feel secure in your construction decisions.
Cost differential between concrete and wood
Curran estimated that on large multifamily projects, the structural costs increase by only 12-15% to upgrade to precast concrete and masonry block.
“There simply is a larger masonry and concrete workforce in our area compared to wood-framing carpenters,” Curran said. “In our experience, the long-term value of building with concrete more than offsets the initial premium. Between lower insurance costs, increased durability and improved energy performance, the life cycle cost of a concrete structure is often significantly lower than that of a wood-frame build.”
Concrete block vs. poured concrete
In Curran’s experience, both concrete blocks and poured concrete are durable, weather-resistant options, but they serve different purposes depending on the project.
“Concrete block, also known as concrete masonry unit construction, involves stacking hollow blocks and reinforcing them with rebar and grout. This method is used widely in Florida because it offers great structural integrity and flexibility, particularly for low to mid-rise construction. Poured concrete, on the other hand, is often stronger and more watertight, making it ideal for basements, garages
or high-load areas. It requires formwork and more up-front labor, but it delivers a seamless structure that performs extremely well under pressure.”
Concrete: the go-to material for garages, basements and pools
For garages, Curran emphasized that concrete provides the load-bearing strength and fire resistance needed for vehicle storage and mechanical systems. In basements, poured concrete creates a seamless, water-resistant shell that can withstand groundwater pressure and shifting soil.
“When it comes to pools, concrete is ideal for forming custom shapes with watertight durability,” Curran said. “In all three cases, concrete’s strength, longevity and resistance to the elements make it the superior choice.”
Wood-frame construction can be faster in certain conditions, especially for smaller buildings or where crews are readily available. However, with proper planning, especially during pre-construction and procurement, concrete structures can be erected quickly and efficiently.
“Our team is highly experienced in managing concrete projects, and with the right sequencing and scheduling, we often find that any time difference is minimal, and the long-term benefits more than justify it,” Curran said. “We can often build using what we refer to as ‘block and plank,’ which is masonry block walls with hollow-core precast floors that is even faster than wood framing.”
CurranYoung Construction projects
Bartlett: All of the hats I wear are about storytelling, whether through words or pictures. I’m also a location scout for the film and ad industry. That’s exactly like storytelling. To do my job well, I must understand the creative director’s vision and find the right location to help make that story come to life.
TNP: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Bartlett: Read, read, read. Internships often lead to incredible opportunities. If one isn’t offered through your school or business, check around with friends and contacts for opportunities to intern or volunteer in places where you might get to write anything, from company newsletters to social media posts.
Karen T. Bartlett
What: Travel editor and publisher of Mostly Kids’ Guides, LLC Contact: karentbartlett. com, 239.595.9026 or bartlettkarent@gmail.com; Facebook: Karen T Bartlett; LinkedIn: Karen T Bartlett
Where to purchase books: A (Mostly) Kids’ Guide to Naples, Marco Island & The Everglades is available in Naples at Wynn’s Market, Beth Moné Children’s Shoppe, Giggle Moon, The Paper Merchant, Pop Toy, Pier 37 Gifts, Tin City General Store and The Shell Shack; in Marco Island at Sunshine Booksellers, Blue Mangrove Gallery, Betty Newman Art Gallery and Make A Memory; Barnes & Noble Coconut Point, Estero and online through Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
clubhouses, hospitality spaces, in-patient procedure and imaging suites at Physicians Regional Healthcare System and other commercial buildings around town, as well as a complete renovation of Naples Airport Air Traffic Control Tower. Other projects include Kensington Golf & Country Club, Terreno by DiVosta, Naples Lakes Country Club, Royal Palm Golf Club and Beasley Media Group.
Curran said these projects showcase the firm’s expertise in concrete construction and commitment to delivering high-quality, durable structures. “From pre-construction planning to the final walk-through, our process is rooted in precision, discipline and practicality,” he said.
“We use innovative tools to enhance — not replace — time-tested construction practices, ensuring every project is delivered on schedule, on budget, and built to last.”
CurranYoung Construction
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday to Friday Contact: curranyoung.com, 239.829.8378 or info@curranyoung.com
Advantages of concrete construction
• State building code compliant
• Strength and durability against heavy rains, strong winds
• Resistance to mold and mildew growth, decay and water damage
• Termite resistant
• Fire and weather-resistant
• Optimal soundproofing between units
• Cost-efficient regarding maintenance and energy consumption
• Durability and energy efficiency make it desirable for pool and garage construction BEHIND
CurranYoung has several standout developments in Naples, including high-end
Daniel Boone. Lewis and Clark. Davy Crockett. Sacagawea.
Pioneers are a special breed, no doubt. It takes heart, desire, passion and sinew to forge a trail. Those pioneers helped settle the America we know today by exploring on all fronts outside the original 13 colonies, taking on all dangers inherent of an unforgiving land.
Matt Bucknell isn’t carving out a swath of the Wild West, exactly, but what he is charged with doing right here in Collier County isn’t too far off.
Starting July 1, Bucknell will take the reins as athletic director at The Village School of Naples, a private school on Goodlette-Frank Road just north of Pine Ridge Road.
Growing from humble roots as The Caring Place Preschool in 1985 and supported by the leadership and congregation at North Naples United Methodist Church, The Village School is diving headlong through its Upper School into FHSAA competition across a variety of sports — including the goal of adding a football program to compete with the likes of First Baptist Academy, St. John Neumann and Community School of Naples.
That’s the fancy way of depicting Bucknell’s reality, which right now is dirt and sod squares and dreams. Good thing he isn’t alone, though, as Bucknell and The Village School are beginning a year-long quest for Knight football with someone particularly familiar with this very vision.
Billy Sparacio.
The founding athletic director and football coach at First Baptist Academy, Sparacio began True Victory Consulting as a firm to counsel
and advise Bucknell and the TVS leadership in their quest to develop a full-fledged athletic future. To say Sparacio knows things is an understatement, as FBA under his 18-year supervision won a state football championship in 2022; earned numerous state runner-up finishes in volleyball, boys’ track and field, girls’ track and field and boys’ wrestling; and made Final Four appearances in boys’ basketball, volleyball and girls’ basketball.
“Billy’s dedication to faith, family and the development of young
athletes underscores his enduring influence in the realm of high school sports,” said Dennis Chapman, Head of School at The Village School. “We are very excited about this new partnership.”
Sparacio’s influence at TVS comes on the heels of the school also consulting with former Naples High football coach Bill Kramer, who more specifically advised school leadership on how to build a football program from the ground up.
TVS has been splashing around in the proverbial high school sports pool for a couple years now, as the Knights hired Nick Tsikitas as boys’ basketball coach and Vicki Thomas-Ambrose as girls’ basketball coach in 2022. Earlier in 2025, TVS tapped Culmer St. Jean to helm the boys’ program, and
Temez Torian Ruise to lead the girls’ program.
Bucknell brings a wealth of knowledge from his roles at multiple private schools in Collier County, most recently serving as athletic director at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School. Before that, Bucknell led the athletics program at Royal Palm Academy, where he also served as president of the Sunshine Athletic Conference, and also served as athletic coordinator at Mason Classical Academy —where he grew that program from scratch.
Bucknell also is the founder of both the Southwest Florida Athletics Conference for middle school students and the Paradise Coast Athletic Conference for upper school students. His visionary leadership in establishing these conferences has given student-athletes more opportunities to compete, develop and thrive in a supportive and competitive environment.
Still, that is all prelude to the deep end of the pool that is FHSAA football, which is where The Village School wants to be starting in 2026. That means constructing a football stadium from undeveloped land adjacent the school’s currently modest facilities. That means eventually tapping a football coach. That means raising a lot of money. And that means having enough students to fuel the dream becoming reality.
Currently, TVS has more than 150 upper school students and graduated its largest senior class (33 students) this spring. To objectively compete at the FHSAA level, figure the school needs around double that — as First Baptist Academy sported
Onen’s skills, generosity keys to FC Naples’ success
301 students in 2024-25, Community School of Naples had 402 and St. John Neumann had 423. Can it happen? Absolutely. Is there room in Collier County for another well-heeled private school sports power? Absolutely. Is there a long way to go for The Village School to turn its dream into reality? Absolutely.
Clearing a new path is equal parts challenging and invigorating. Do it right and you’re remembered forever. Just ask Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, Davy Crockett and Sacagawea. 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
By Randy Kambic
On making Jayden Onen his first pick in December while assembling the FC Naples roster, head coach Matt Poland recently said, “His speed, ability to create turnovers in the attack and goal creation through his passing and shooting are attributes we knew he would give us.”
Here are some of the many moments so far this season that have proven Poland right: Early in the team’s away match against the Chattanooga Red Wolves on May 14, the attacking midfielder gathered the ball just on the opponent’s side of the center line. Sensing the goalkeeper was too far in front of his goal, Onen launched a 40-yard line drive that went over the startled goalie and into the upper right corner of the net, the second of his four overall goals of the season as of press time. Taking the improbable, long-distance shot was not an instantaneous decision. “The field was wet. I knew from warmups it’d be tough to score. ‘If I have the opportunity, I’ll take it,’” he recalled telling himself.
Another distinction of the 24-year-old native of Tottenham, England, is making the team’s first shot on goal early in its 1-1 draw with Chattanooga Red Wolves in the inaugural match on March 8. Yet, it’s his selfless play — both seen and unseen — that has resonated even more.
In the first round of the Jägermeister Cup at home against Charleston Battery on April 26, a perfectly executed give-and-go with defender Julian Cisneros sent Onen dribbling the ball down the left side. Onen drew the goalie’s attention and instead of shooting, he suddenly slid a right-footed pass to Karsen Henderlong, who scored the lone goal in the team’s win.
“An assist is as sweet as a goal,” he said. “He [Henderlong] was in better position. It’s a team-first environment.”
This mindset was evident again on March 15. Onen heeded Henderlong’s call to let a pass from midfielder Ian Cerro go by him so Henderlong could take a couple of strides and strike a stronger shot. The result was Henderlong’s second goal in a 2-1 victory over Forward Madison.
“I was going to try to trap it and swivel around, but I heard him call for it,” Onen recalled. “He had a greater opportunity to score.”
Brief sequences such as these take place during 90 minutes of regulation play plus extra time of each match — continuous movement that demands exceptional endurance.
“The coaches measure how much we run each week. We can run 10 to 12 kilometers per game,” he said, adding he’s doing his best to adjust to area heat and humidity.
A product of Arsenal’s and Brighton’s renowned academies, Onen played for Brentford’s B team (30 appearances, three goals) and then Reading FC, where he played in the English Football League Championship against Norwich City in 2020. His dual nationality
with the U.K. and Uganda led him to play for the Uganda national team in the 2021 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Stateside, he played for Forward Madison and then was a 2023 USL League One Young Player of the Year finalist with Lexington SC. With English roots in the sport — his favorite player growing up was David Beckham — Onen sees FC Naples’ melting pot of players as a positive.
“Credit goes to coach,” Onen said. “He picked it. There’s great balance. Different experiences from different countries. It’s no accident that we’re doing well.”
On the growing chemistry between him and Henderlong: “I know him more every day. He’s a great striker. I know more and more where he’ll be in the box [goal area].”
Onen is “a high-impact player,” Poland said. “He can create headaches for the opponent and dominate his individual matchups. Onen is also able to play centrally and on the wing, so he can be used differently depending on the game.”
As FC Naples aims to make the league playoffs in its first year, Onen encourages his teammates, especially the younger ones, toward such an achievement.
“Any advice I can offer them … Tyler [Pasnik], Roscoe [Rubinstein], others. It’s something I’ve been through.
“Whether it’s [in front of] 500 or 5,000 fans, we’re ‘all in.’ It’s a recipe for success.”
Next matches
After two away games against South Georgia Tormenta on June 25 and AV Alta on June 28, FC Naples will play the Tampa Bay Rowdies in another Jägermeister Cup match at home at 7:30 p.m. on the Fourth of July.
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Local online influencer launches skincare brand
said. “I’ve always been taught and raised with a mindset, ‘You want to do a job? You want to go toward something that you find interesting and enjoy.’ I was already finding the interest in just watching them [dermatologists].”
The 19-year-old attends the University of Florida as a health science major. He plans to switch to UF Online to join the Health Education and Behavior degree program — a degree that’s on the pre-med track.
He started to notice his little sister was spending all her money on skin care products. If the product was popular or had cute packaging, she would have to have it. However, Lough realized she wasn’t looking at the ingredients in these products.
By Alexandra Cavalier
Skincare was never originally part of his online persona. Most people know him for his lighthearted TikTok videos — daily life updates and trend participation that built up a following. But behind the scenes, he had a growing interest in skincare.
Recently, that private interest turned into a public passion project. Naples-based content creator Haven Lough launched his own skincare brand in April, entering a space largely dominated by women with a product that reflects his desire for simple and clean ingredients.
His interest in dermatology started when he was 8 years old after he stumbled on the television show “Dr. Pimple Popper.” He found the dermatological procedures satisfying, which snowballed into a general interest in skin health.
Lough was raised in a family of doctors, and made the decision to become a dermatologist by fusing his passion for skin into his career choice.
“I was interested in that [dermatology] instantly. It was entertainment for me,” Lough
“I’m a big ingredient freak. So, I was looking at the ingredients and already knew some ingredients I didn’t like. I was like, ‘These aren’t that good for you,’” he said.
To better understand the health rating of the skin care products in his home, he used Yuka, a third party app that scans food and cosmetic product barcodes to assess their health effects. He found that most of the products were terri ble for the skin.
Throughout the last five years, Lough has gained more than 4 million followers across all social media platforms. He has a younger audience that, like his sister, buys products for their popularity and not because they’re actually healthy for them. This thought gave him the idea more than two years ago to make his own product.
“They are spending money on skincare. I’m studying to be a dermatologist. Why not combine those interests and fix a problem that they [his audience] are having: to make cute packaging with healthy ingredients?” Lough said.
He posted a video on his social media asking his followers what they would want if he started a skincare brand; many responded by saying they wanted a moisturizer.
“A moisturizer is a great product to gain trust and to start off with,” he said. “Everybody uses a moisturizer and everybody tries new moisturizers.”
“You want to do a job? You want to go toward something that you find interesting and enjoy.”
—Haven Lough, Content creator
