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D E C . 2 0 - D E C . 2 6 , 2024
3A | PIER TIMELINE CHANGE
13A | HIGH ON TRADES
3B | SOUND vs. SIGHT
extended and some costs have been reduced
responding to an increased interest
Museum forges a union of the two
The timeline to rebuild the Naples Pier has been
An artist's exhibition at The Baker
Collier's technical schools are
Packing the 'sleigh'
Tim Aten Knows Tim Aten
Pizzerias lead 2024 restaurant closings Pizzerias amassed a major slice of the more than 50 area restaurants that closed in 2024. Beyond the nearly 15 pizza joints lost, the most notable closings this year included longtime local restaurants such as Old Naples Pub, which closed May 31 after operating 35 years in downtown Naples; Real Seafood Co., which closed May 25 after operating 20 years in North Naples; and Nemo’s Sports Café, which closed in August ahead of the redevelopment demolition of the iconic Beacon Bowl. The bowling alley and sports bar were popular hangouts for many decades. A luxurious, six-story boutique hotel will be built on the former site of the bowling alley. Real Seafood relocated to Coconut Point in Estero, where it opened this month. A new Italian restaurant, Bella Italia, is coming soon to its vacated space in Collier County, while a new dining concept hasn’t been named yet for Old Naples Pub’s old spot.
Passé pizza
Shuttered pizzerias included two longtime chains in the Naples area. Aurelio’s Pizza closed its full-service restaurant in September at Coastland Center mall after the Chicago-based concept had operated more than 25 years in Naples. Cici’s Pizza closed its 20-year North Naples restaurant in June. See ATEN KNOWS, Page 5A
Master Officer Sean Phillips, left, and Naples Police Chief Ciro Dominguez fill a police cruiser with children's toys as part of Naples Police Department's holiday toy drive to benefit two nonprofits: Project Help and Beverly’s Angels. See story, Page 3A. Courtesy Naples Police Department
COLLIER COUNTY
ABE SKINNER, LONGTIME PROPERTY APPRAISER, DIES By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
When Abe Skinner became Collier County appraiser in 1991, there was no World Wide Web. When he was about to leave office, before his unexpected death Dec. 14, probably 90% of the people who used his department’s services only knew
him from the web, where Skinner’s face welcomed them to collierappraiser.com. He was still in office at age 94, preparing for a retirement Jan. 6 that would not happen. Skinner steered his department from the era of huge property map books to a website where with a click one could find values, parcel sizes, overhead photographs, tax references and even building permit dates.
He also took it through three moves and the development of three satellite offices in a growing county. In 1990, before he was first elected to office, the population of Collier County was 152,099. Today it is 375,752. Property valuation has swelled from $121.2 million for 1996 to $152.25 billion today. Vickie Downs, Collier County See SKINNER, Page 8A
Abe Skinner
COLLIER COUNTY
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SETTLEMENT ALLOWS GOLF COURSE CONVERSION TO RESIDENTIAL HOUSING
By Aisling Swift
The 82.5-acre Links of Naples Golf Course in East Naples can now be redeveloped into 369 homes. The Collier Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a settlement on Dec. 10 involving two lawsuits Naples Golf Development LLC filed last year against the county and Commissioner Bill McDaniel Jr. The settlement
averts an expensive, revealing trial set for January, reimburses the developer for $250,000 in legal fees and allows 122 more homes than what it proposed last year, when commissioners denied the development. “The settlement protects Ethan Loeb the public’s interest while also preventing the golf course conversion regulations from inordinate-
ly burdening the property,” County Attorney Jeff Klatzkow wrote in a memo to commissioners. The developer’s Stuart-based attorney, Ethan Loeb, said the settlement followed a non-binding arbitration award in the developer’s favor; the arbitrator’s ruling is sealed and isn’t public. Court records show the county rejected it and wanted to proceed to trial. “It’s just so unfortunate because things like See GOLF COURSE, Page 4A
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