The Naples Press - Feb 14, 2025

3A | MEAL HELP

Landert

to Paloma Blanca Cuba Cafe in the East Naples industrial park between Airport-Pulling and Livingston roads.

“It was office space that we transformed into the bakery store,” said Alexandra Landert, daughter of Landert Bread founders Jürg and Leslie Landert.

“Since 2012, we’ve just done markets and the rest is wholesale. We’ve been thinking about a store for a while, but it didn’t happen until it all kind of aligned this past summer when we found a spot that would work, and it’s nice combining the wholesale with the retail and finally being able to serve the public. We’ve been in the community of Southwest Florida, but now we’ll be in more of the community, and we’re very excited about that.”

Landert Bread is more of a retailer

See ATEN KNOWS, Page 9A

Valentine’s Day

THAT FIRST HELLO

We find our Valentines in ordinary ways, with extraordinary results

By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com

We meet our future loves in the most casual ways. But those everyday meetings reveal strong similarities that lead to love — and to interesting stories on how that person became the one with whom we’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day.

So many coincidences

Eileen Arsenault demanded to see her future husband’s driver’s license the first time they met.

“He was creeping me out, he was so agreeable,” she recalled. The two

crossed paths at a party in Paul Arsenault’s honor, him coming, her leaving. When she mentioned she had moved to Naples from Massachusetts, Paul Arsenault told her he had too.

When she told him she had lived in Rocky Neck, why, he had, too. Then she told him she had stayed at Parker’s Rooming House. Yes. He had, too.

But the thunderbolt came when Eileen, talking about the coming month, told Paul her birthday was June 27.

“Well, that’s my birthday,” he declared.

“She’s kind of looking behind her for an exit,” recalled Paul, laughing. “So she says, ‘Can I see your license?’ She’s trying to card me because she wants to solve this right away.”

See COUPLES, Page 11A

Young finance entrepreneurs help tackle Collier’s affordability crisis

By Aisling Swift

Two former Wall Street investors have launched an affordable housing program designed to help essential-services personnel and other employees in Collier County move from rentals to a home purchase in three years.

Naples residents Matthew Smith and Patrick Korth, who met at the University of Notre Dame as finance majors, founded Build To Rent To Own LLC, or B2R2O, to develop home-ownership opportunities for Collier’s “community workforce.” The focus is on households making between 60% and 120% of the area median income, $62,580 to $125,160, with an emphasis on essential-service personnel.

“Program participants are provided affordable rents for a three-year period while they’re working through the Housing Navigator Program to transition to homeownership, and they do so with equity built into that home, so it’s an exciting model,” The Housing Alliance President Michael Puchalla told roughly 50 people

See HOMES, Page 15A

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SWFL INSIDER

Everglades Coalition

features conservation groups

Nearly 450 advocates representing conservation groups, leaders, scientists, students and supporters attended the 40th annual Everglades Coalition Conference, held Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at the Miccosukee Casino & Resort in Miami. The three-day annual conference is the largest forum for discussing the restoration of the Everglades, and featured several keynote speakers, educational sessions and awards. Each year, the Everglades Coalition, an alliance of nearly 60 local, state and national conservation and environmental organizations, hosts its annual conference to educate attendees about the full restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. The 2025 conference, themed “Reflections on Progress and Opportunities,” featured panelists who highlighted topics including ecological health and economic success, environmental advocacy, art and culture concerning the Everglades, marine ecosystems and the future of Florida’s conservation. To learn more about the Everglades Coalition and the 2025 conference, visit evergladescoalition.org/conference

CWA announces partnership with Bray

Capital Wealth Advisors, a Naples-based provider of personalized wealth management solutions that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, announced that it is partnering with Bray Capital Advisors, also located in Naples. As part of this strategic partnership, the entire Bray Capital Advisors team, led by Christopher P. Bray, founder and managing director, will join Capital Wealth Advisors. This transition aims to provide a continuity of relationships and service while combining the strengths of the two advisory firms. Bray Capital Advisors personnel will begin the process of transitioning to Capital Wealth Advisors over the next several weeks, and existing Bray clients will be given the opportunity to join CWA through new advisory agreements. Together, the firms will have approximately 55 employees providing an expanded suite of personalized services, including private wealth management, estate planning and financial planning, tailored to their goal of meeting the unique needs of their clients.

Executive Home Care expands to Collier

Executive Home Care of Fort Myers announced its expansion into the Collier County area, furthering its mission to provide high-quality in-home care to more families in Southwest Florida. In addition to this growth, the company has received the 2025 Best of Home Care — Provider of Choice Award from Activated Insights, formerly Home Care Pulse. This award is granted only to top-rank-

ing home care providers based on client satisfaction scores gathered by Activated Insights. Executive Home Care of Fort Myers is now recognized among a select group of home care providers nationwide that have demonstrated excellence in client care, according to information provided. For more information about Executive Home Care of Fort Myers and its expanded service area, visit  executivehomecare.com/fort-myers or call 239.433.2273.

Jewish Federation receives $11 million donation

Philanthropist Stephen Saks, a retired Miami-Dade County car wash owner who now calls Naples home, has made a $20 million donation to local nonprofits serving both the Jewish community and greater Southwest Florida. The lead contribution is a $10 million endowment gift to the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, the largest donation in the organization’s history; with an additional $1 million for the local PJ Library, which provides free books to children. Additional recipients are the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Educational Center; Baker Senior Center Naples, for its lunch program; Jewish National Fund; Temple Shalom, for youth programs; and Golden PAWS Assistance Dogs. The endowment will allow the Federation to further invest in Jewish event programming and organizational and community support for generations to come, said Jeffrey Feld, president and CEO emeritus, who was instrumental in helping secure the historic commitment before his recent retirement.

HR Collier topic: Preventing discrimination

HR Collier, the local affiliate of Society for Human Resource Management, will present Fostering Respect and Civil Conversations: Everyone’s Role in Preventing Discrimination and Harassment at its Feb. 20 lunch meeting. The event will take place 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Vineyards Country Club, 400 Vineyards Blvd., in North Naples. Well-known labor and employment attorney David Miklas will speak and provide attendees with actionable strategies to foster a respectful culture, ensure compliance with antidiscrimination laws and address potential challenges with confidence.

Iron Joe Turkey Ride and Walk raises $26,000 Naples Pathways Coalition raised more than $26,000 at its 20th annual Iron Joe Turkey Ride & Walk at Eagle Lakes Community Park in East Naples. Proceeds will support the organization’s mission to create safe, bikeable and walkable communities in Collier County through its two keystone projects — Paradise Coast Trail and stopping distracted driving with its Hands-

Florida campaign and coalition. When complete, Paradise Coast Trail will be a 100mile paved, multiuse trail for nonmotorized recreation and transportation. It will be separated from the road and connect Naples to Ave Maria and eastern Collier County, Bonita Springs, Marco Island, Collier-Seminole State Park and beyond.

Golf tournament raises nearly $40,000 Naples Lakes Country Club’s fifth annual golf tournament to support Home Base Florida raised nearly $40,000. Home Base Florida is a nonprofit dedicated to healing invisible wounds for veterans, service members and military families.

North Naples land sells for $7.6 million Roers Naples Apartments I LLC purchased 5.84 acres of land at 3333 and 3375 Vanderbilt Beach Road from 3333/3375 VBR LLC for $7.65 million. David J. Stevens of Investment Properties Corp. represented the buyer and seller. A 150-unit apartment complex developed by Minnesota-based Roers Co., with nearly half reserved for income-restricted affordable housing, is planned for the site that once housed Bobbin Hollow Equestrian Center and Naples Safari Animal Hospital & Pet Resort. In October, Collier County Board of County Commissioners voted to rezone the agricultural property on the north side of Vanderbilt Beach Road and to amend the growth management plan to create a new subdistrict, Mattson at Vanderbilt Residential Subdistrict. The approval increased development from 59 to 150 units, with 72 income-restricted.

Bridge rehab project set to begin A Notice to Proceed was issued for the Randall Boulevard Bridge 034048 Rehabilitation Project, and Collier County’s contractor is expected to start mobilizing soon, county officials said. The bridge is on Randall Boulevard over the Golden Gate Main Canal between 16th Street Northeast and Everglades Boulevard. Traffic will be reduced to one lane using a temporary traffic signal, with an uncertain starting date and continuing for approximately three months.

Naples commercial site sells for $5.5 million Carlo F. Zampogna, trustee of the Horseshoe Land Trust, purchased a 4.78-acre commercial site at 3073 Horseshoe Drive N. in Naples from 3073 Horseshoe Drive LLC for $5,553,000. Dave Wallace, CCIM, SIOR, and David Wallace of CRE Consultants represented the seller, and Ann Zampogna of Premiere Plus represented the buyer.

COLLIER NOW

Making them visible

Rosemary Cemetery’s unmarked Black graves designated historical site

The eight Black graves at the intersection of Goodlette-Frank and Pine Ridge roads, marked solely by four concrete pillars, have deteriorated over decades — almost forgotten until the 1970s.

The graves contain at least one infant and are among thousands of segregated and Black grave sites nationwide, with at least 37 in Florida. But after years of pressure by the NAACP, a Boy Scout, the Community Foundation of Collier County and the County Museums director, Rosemary Cemetery’s Plot N has received a county historic designation.

The Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 28 unanimously agreed to designate Plot N and a white cemetery, Plot W, historically significant and to transfer ownership of the two privately owned properties to the county, which owns the rest of Rosemary Cemetery between U.S. 41 and Goodlette-Frank Road. The county’s Historic and Archeological Preservation Board in October unanimously recommended the designation, which will enable the county to apply for a historic marker from the state.

“These cemeteries, often neglected and forgotten, serve as a silent witness to the deep racial divisions and inequalities of the past,” Jonathan Rodriguez, 16, told commissioners before the vote. “By restoring them, we acknowledge the lives and legacies of those who were marginalized and denied

equal treatment in life.

“Such restoration not only honors their memory, but also helps to heal and educate communities, providing an opportunity for reflection, understanding and reconciliation. It is a crucial step in addressing the historical wounds of segregation and ensuring that all individuals, regardless of race, are remembered with respect and reverence.”

Rodriguez, a Lorenzo Walker Technical High School junior and a freshman at Florida SouthWestern State College, has been working on the project to help him become an Eagle Scout, the highest rank. He is bringing attention to Plot N’s “abandoned, hallowed ground.” As a child, he learned about

WINK NAPLES

March to a Million Meals helps St. Matthew’s House

fect way to end a career.” Young, 57, promised to do his best to work through the city’s pending capital projects, including Naples Pier, stormwater-outfall pipes, seawall replacements and labor contract negotiations. He said the Bible his wife held was given to him by his employees in Canton, Ohio, where he spent 30 years and retired as chief deputy auditor before being hired by the city.

“The importance of the employees to me is they know where my heart is, where I serve from, and what my beliefs are … We will accomplish a lot together as long as we hold steadfast to holding each other accountable,” he said, adding the Bible’s “fundamental principles” will guide him.

Council unanimously voted Jan.

be the per-

Naples’ Design Walk pilot project inches forward

By Aisling Swift

Decades after renowned urban planner Andrés Duany transformed Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South, the city of Naples is moving forward with another overhaul, a colorful redesign of one block in the Design District.

The intent is to create a walkable district as well-known as nearby Fifth Avenue South or Third Street South. The Design Walk pilot project will celebrate the history of an eclectic neighborhood, utilize alleyways, unite art and design businesses, provide alternate north-south pedestrian routes and reenergize the heart of a unique destination by adding splashes of color, murals, art and landscaping.

“The idea was to set the Design District up for success as an additional commercial hub for the Naples downtown area, following Fifth Avenue South and Third Street,” CRA Administrator Anita Jenkins told the city Community Redevelopment Agency on Jan. 30. “… One of the key ideas to set this district apart was to create this Design Walk.”

The one-block pilot project focuses on the block bounded by First Avenue South, Ninth Street South (U.S. 41), Central Avenue and 10th Street South. The full Design District’s borders are Fifth Avenue South, Seventh Avenue North, Ninth Street South and Goodlette-Frank Road. One of the area’s most prominent and visible attrac-

tions is the new Gulfshore Playhouse.

City Council, which serves as the CRA board, asked staff to provide a detailed cost estimate for the pilot and requested that Duany’s planning and architectural firm, DPZ CoDesign, provide more details on recommendations for alleys, lighting, landscaping, wall paint, wall art and Design Walk sculpture signs. The CRA also asked City Manager Gary Young and Assistant City Attorney Andrew Dickman to draft details of the public-private partnership with business owners, and asked staff to determine needed infrastructure improvements, costs and a time frame, as well as review how city policies will affect plans.

Funds will come from the CRA District, which generates about $10 million in taxes annually from property owners. The 550-acre CRA district is bordered by Seventh Avenue North, Gordon River, Sixth Avenue South and Third Street South.

The Design Walk idea began in 2020, when the CRA adopted neighborhood plans that also included River Park East and West and Lake Park.

The CRA accepted the Design District Master Plan in June 2022 and extensive public engagement followed, as residents and business owners outlined desires and needs.

In April 2023, the CRA agreed to the CRA Advisory Board’s proposed location. That October, DPZ CoDesign was hired to prepare a pilot project design

See DESIGN WALK, Page 9A

A few words with fans

Jewish Federation celebrates 10th annual Day of Learning

By Jean L. Amodea

Where else can you meet a Hollywood actor, view rare Judaica — books and memorabilia — and hear a Klezmer concert at one event?

On Feb. 16, you can do all that at the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center.

Presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Jewish Community Relations Council, the 10th annual Day of Learning is entitled “The Joys of Jewish Arts and Entertainment,” and is a gathering and a celebration of the Jewish culture and heritage.

According to JCRC program committee member Ida Margolis, the arts “promote cultural understanding, help to share cultural identity, reflect history and tradition and bring people together.”

To that end, the JCRC has tapped presenters renowned in their respective fields. These include actor and singer Adam Shapiro, who appeared in the Amazon series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Fiddler on the Roof” in Yiddish; Daniel Scheide, a distinguished cataloger and librarian at Florida Atlantic University; Alethea Perez, manager of Recorded Sound Archives at FAU Special Collections; and Tom Cimarusti, a music professor at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Perez and Scheide are co-presenters of a program that will highlight the archives’ special collection of Jewish music, song and rare books housed in the FAU library.

“I will be speaking about the Judaica collection and the history of the archive,” Perez said. “A video presentation, ‘History of Sound Tour,’ will cover how we splice and edit recordings, [and] vintage equipment such as Victor Victrolas, an eight-track player and an Edison cylinder player. I will discuss how Edison moved to a 45 RPM changer. I also have a slide of our curated collections.

“Scheide will demonstrate various Jewish book collections and discuss the concept of books as art objects, some of which are artistic in style and represent a certain pe-

LEFT: Thomas Cimarusti and his Klezmaniacs band will present a Klezmer music

Learning program Feb. 16 at the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center. RIGHT: A

riod and event. Recordings, including a few cantorial pieces, will sample what we have at the archives.”

Perez described her work with the archives as a labor of love. The archives are valuable to new generations because they expose them to

recordings that their great-grandfather may have enjoyed. The archives also are important to some 843 researchers worldwide with digital access.

Cimarusti is the founder and director of the Southwest Florida

Center for Public Musicology. His program will include a vocal selection by Shapiro, whom Cimarusti will accompany on piano. He and his Klezmer music ensemble, the Klezmaniacs, will perform a selection of traditional Yiddish songs.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples What: 10th annual Day of Learning, “The Joys of Jewish Arts and Entertainment”

When: 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Feb. 16

Where: Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center, 4720 Pine Ridge Road in Naples

Tickets: $18 per person (with the option to participate by Zoom); $54 per person for limited VIP seats (lunch with the speakers); purchase at jewishnaples.org or at jfgn.regfox.com/ day-of-learning-2025 Information: jewishnaples.org, 239.263.4205 or info@jewishnaples.org

The folk music genre originated with the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe and was performed during social events and ceremonies. One of the featured instruments besides the clarinet and violin is the accordion, which Cimarusti has played since childhood.

“Klezmer music is a good reminder of Jewish history and what the Jewish people have gone through,” Cimarusti said. “It reflects a positive message of tolerance with its celebratory sound. It’s important to remind ourselves of and maintain our identity and ensure it is celebrated, regardless of culture, ethnicity or religion. I am a proponent of celebrating people and their beliefs through music, and my involvement with world music enforces my commitment to celebrate those around us no matter who they are, what they are or where they came from.”

Collier mental health center building contract narrowly approved

By Aisling Swift

Collier County approved the construction contract for the roughly $50 million, 87-bed Collier County Behavioral Health Center, just two weeks before the contract was set to expire and costs would rise by millions.

The Board of County Commissioners voted 3-2 last month to accept changes to a guaranteed-price contract and pay Naples-based DeAngelis Diamond Construction $49.85 million for construction-management-at-risk services. Commissioners Bill McDaniel and Chris Hall opposed it because they wanted more time to discuss it.

The center will triple David Lawrence Centers’ ability to serve Collier’s population, which includes clients with Medicaid and Medicare and diverting people from the jail for involuntary treatment of mental-health and substance abuse under the Baker and

Marchman acts—saving money for the county sheriff’s office.

“It’s a need, we all know it’s a need,” Vice Chair Dan Kowal said as commissioners debated whether to vote on the contract two weeks earlier than scheduled. “We’ve needed it for a decade now and it hasn’t gotten done, and we’re one day from moving this thing forward today, and we’re sitting here arguing about it again.”

The vote amends DeAngelis Diamond’s pre-construction services contract. It’s estimated the project will take 21 months to build, with completion in late 2026. It’s designed by RG Architects and HuntonBrady Architects and will be managed by DLC, which will donate five acres off Golden Gate Parkway, near I-75, next to its center in return for the right to manage it.

The contract wasn’t on the agenda, but Commission Chair Burt Saunders asked fellow commissioners to vote on it because he was unable to attend a late January com-

mission meeting, when it was scheduled to be heard. The mental health center and veterans center were Saunders’ top priorities when he was elected in 2016, and the initial votes came in 2021.

He said DeAngelis Diamond’s contract ends Jan. 31 and this vote only involves a few minor technical changes. In December, he said, no one opposed the project when DLC provided an update.

“We’re going to have a split board on January 20th [and] if there are two commissioners that want to kill this project, this project is dead on that date — because on January 31st the agreement expires and the cost will go up $5- or $6 million, and I don’t see this board spending another $5- or $6 million on this project,” Saunders said. “… A vote not to hear this today is a vote to kill this project — and I’m hoping that the board will not make that decision today.”

See MENTAL HEALTH CENTER, Page 7A

“We’ve needed it now for a decade and it hasn’t gotten done, and we’re one day from moving this thing forward today, and we’re sitting here arguing about it again.”

—Dan Kowal, Collier County Commission vice chairman

Last year, St. Matthew’s House provided food to 2.75 million people through its community kitchens, mobile-food distribution sites and food pantries.

WINK’s March to a Million Meals fundraiser, which continues through February, is a crucial part of funding the programs. Donations help Harry Chapin Food Bank buy and distribute food to various shelters, soup kitchens and pantries, including St. Matthew’s House.

“March to a Million Meals plays a critical role in funding these programs, allowing the food bank to purchase and distribute nutritious food, sustain operations and respond quickly to urgent food needs across Southwest Florida,” said Ryan Uhler, the food bank’s communications director.

Harry Chapin Food Bank rescues food that normally would go to waste, gathering donations from supermarkets, food manufacturers, local farms and community food drives and distributing them to hungry children, families and seniors through programs that feed more than 250,000 residents monthly.

Last year, the food bank and its 175 partner agencies, including St. Matthew’s House, distributed 39.5 million pounds of food, including 1.354 million meals paid for by WINK News viewers who contributed to the March

MANAGER

15 to skip appointing an interim manager, forgo an expensive and lengthy national search and instead move Young into the job. He became acting city manager on Jan. 23. As manager, he’ll oversee about 525 city employees and a $208.8 million budget.

Mayor Teresa Heitmann called it a

to a Million Meals fundraiser. Each dollar donated equates to $2 of meals. To contribute, go to winkfeedsfamilies.com

St. Matthew’s House’s annual operating expenses total $51.98 million, with $3.75 million obtained through fundraising and $23.75 million from grants and contributions. LuLu’s Kitchen, a restaurant and training facility where anyone can purchase breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Delicious By Design catering company both funnel revenues to St. Matthew’s House programs, which also help the homeless learn culinary and agricultural trades and get jobs.

O’Connor started off as a resident and completed a substance-abuse recovery program before working as an intern in the recovery center and rising through various kitchen jobs to supervise all facilities, where he’s been for three years.

On this day, everyone in the kitchen also is working on St. Matthew’s top fundraiser, the 21st annual Cars On 5th Concours. To accomplish such large fundraisers, St. Matthew’s House culinary teams from four counties work to get it done.

“We do a lot of things,” O’Connor said.

“We give back what we get.”

Associate Editor Ed Scott contributed to this story.

“wonderful day.”

“We are very blessed to have a man who’s got the character and the integrity to care enough about each and every one of you in this community, and a commitment to see through the projects that the voters voted us in for,” Heitmann said.

Young’s salary is slightly higher than that of his predecessor, Jay Boodheshwar, who retired from public service after roughly 30 years, including nearly three years with Naples.

Hundreds of Interesting Lectures and Events

NORTHERN ITALY: FROM THE ALPS TO THE ADRIATIC

August 20 – September 3, 2025

JOURNEY THROUGH CENTRAL EUROPE

August 30 - September 14, 2025

INSIDER’S JAPAN

September 8 - 20, 2025

PARADORES AND POUSADAS: PORTUGAL & SPAIN

September 15-29, 2025

MACHU PICCHU TO THE GALAPAGOS

October 28 - November 12, 2025

EGYPT AND ETERNAL NILE

November 17- December 1, 2025

MOROCCAN DISCOVERY: FROM THE IMPERIAL CITIES TO THE SAHARA

November 18 - December 1, 2025

New artistic director at Naples Players

By Naples Press Staff

Phillip Fazio, producing artistic director at Duluth (Minnesota) Playhouse and an artist in residence at The Phoenix (Arizona) Theatre Company, will join The Naples Players as its artistic director.

Fazio will lead the implementation of TNP’s artistic vision; ensure high artistic standards for the theater’s productions and programs; and work for stronger relationships with artists, staff, audience and community stakeholders. He will report directly to Bryce Alexander, CEO and executive artistic director.

“When I got the chance to visit for my final interview, I was continually impressed by the phenomenal work being done throughout the company. There is a contagious passion for the arts that is shared by the staff and many volunteers who call this wonderful organization home,” Fazio said in a news release announcing his position.

“It is an honor to join one of the nation’s leading nonprofit theatres and help them provide exceptional access to the power of theatre in Southwest Florida.”

A statement from Alexander called Fasio’s appointment “another step in our plan to go even deeper into serving our patrons and volunteers in unparalleled ways. I am delighted to add another dynamic individual to help lead the organization into its future.”  Fazio’s work as a director include OffBroadway plays such as “The Book That I’m Going to Write,” By Judy Garland (Jerry Orbach Theater) and “Gay Camp” (Players Theatre). He has directed regional theater, as well, including “Follies,” “August: Osage County,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Ragtime, “The Sound of Music,” “Kinky Boots,” “Grey Gardens” and “Cabaret.” Fazio earned a BFA in musical theatre from The Boston Conservatory and an MFA in directing from Pennsylvania State University. He is a native of Tempe, Arizona.

No firm date has been announced, but Fazio is expected to start sometime this spring. He is joining a community theater organization that recently completed a $22 million renovation and expansion of its home at Sugden Theatre on Fifth Avenue South.

He accepted a job as director of major gifts at Oxbridge Academy middle and high school in West Palm Beach, from which his two daughters graduated. He’d spent 16 years in the town of Palm Beach and left a deputy town manager post to work in Naples, where he earned $297,675, in addition to a housing allowance, city vehicle and other perks. He remained through Jan. 31 to transfer Young into his post.

Young had been the city’s CFO and deputy city manager for nearly four years, after serving as deputy finance director. He’d been with the city since February 2016, and his new title was official when he was sworn in, although the contract is retroactive to Feb. 1.

The city charter requires Young, who lives in Bonita Springs, to live in Collier County; he has until Feb. 1, 2026, to move. He’ll receive up to $12,000 for moving expenses and if he moves within city limits, he’ll receive a $1,500 monthly housing alliance, or $500 monthly if he lives in unincorporated Collier County. Other contract perks include an $800-monthly personal vehicle allowance and a city cellphone.

Young had planned to retire on June 5, when he would have had 40 years in public service, but Boodheshwar, Heitmann, City Council members and others persuaded him to take the job. The mayor cited his “outstanding financial accounting and successes” in managing the city’s budget and ensuring fiscal responsibility, noting he “works tirelessly” and can analyze complex financial data, make informed, ethical decisions and build transparency and trust in the community.

She’d urged him to stay at least until she finishes her term as mayor, and he agreed to stay at least three years, possibly four or five to ensure a smooth transition.

During the ceremony, Young thanked his wife for “indulging” him in his decision to From page 3A CITY

make a “commitment to this community.” Afterward, Council took a 20-minute coffee break outside City Hall to allow employees and residents to meet and greet him.

In an interview a day later, Young said he hopes to finish contract negotiations with the AFSCME union and two other labor unions within 60 days. The contracts expired Sept. 30 and include public service and administrative workers, clerks, billing employees, police and fire employees and 911 operators.

“There are a lot of moving pieces and we’re negotiating in good faith as quickly as possible,” he said, adding that parties are making progress.

Young and his wife started looking for a new home, he said, but will have more time once Council goes on summer break.

He’ll also guide the city’s stormwater-pipe outfall project, which took many years to design.

“We’re in the final stages before we break ground on that,” he said, adding Council recently agreed to pay a consulting firm $99,000 to prioritize future stormwater projects. The full cost to replace old pipes over the years is estimated at $592 million.

In October, work began on an $86.2 million stormwater project to improve the quality of filtered water discharged into the Gulf of Mexico and reduce significant flooding to homes along Gulf Shore Boulevard. The project took a decade to come to fruition.

“We need to prioritize which ones are the next phase so we can begin to design on that, as well,” Young said, noting it’s a long-term plan and the city needs to ensure sufficient state and federal funds are available, as it did for the current project. “It’s about making sure we prioritize which projects give us the biggest return on investment.”

The city was using a gravity-based stormwater system, but new pump stations will push stormwater farther out into the Gulf, helping get it off streets faster to minimize flooding.

“None of this is going to happen overnight,” he said. “It’s about developing a sustained-implementation plan that could be in the works for 20 to 40 years … There’s no quick fix to fixing all the pipes underneath the city.”

Naples is still working toward replacing about 2,000 feet of seawalls near Venetian Village that were damaged during Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Funds were set aside for design this year and the potential cost, he said, is $8 million.

About five beach-access points also have damaged seawalls from numerous hurricanes and the city is in the final stages of seeking requests for proposals, he said, noting Boodheshwar felt his role as deputy city manager and CFO put him in a good position to continue the various projects, find a solid financing strategy and help Naples work on resiliency to prepare for future storms.

He’ll stay to finish the projects, which could take three to five years, he said, adding, “I just wanted to be able to pledge in my heart that it was enough time that I wasn’t just coming in and walking back out.”

the graves from his mother, Maria. He’s raised more than $18,400 on GoFundMe and highlighted his Eagle Scout project, Project Reverence, on Facebook.

Vincent Keeys, president of the NAACP of Collier County, thanked commissioners, County Museums Director Amanda Townsend and the HAPB for working toward the historical designation over the years.

“We have come together with another great public-private partnership,” Keeys said, adding he hopes it will be a nationwide model. “A lot of the hard work has already been done.”

The Community Foundation of Collier County provided the NAACP with $10,000 for the work needed on Plot N.

Rosemary Cemetery, believed to be named after its rosemary bushes, was established south of Pine Ridge Road in 1930 on 20 acres of donated land — formerly the railroad — so graves from a downtown area near St. Ann Catholic Church could be relocated.

The record of burials is incomplete, but 10 were relocated to Rosemary Unit B and Plot W in the 1930s. The high water table and sugar sand there made burials problematic, making the cemetery unpopular, so many residents’ bodies were sent up North or to Fort Myers. The cemetery’s last burial was in 1947 and it officially closed in 1955.

Throughout the 1960s, development occurred around the graves, but in the mid1970s, community interest grew and in 1976, Unit B was donated to the county and various community organizations cared for the plots through the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1993, at the HAPB’s recommendation, county commissioners designated Unit B a historic site and authorized new markers and maintenance under the direction of Collier County Museums, with assistance from Facilities Management. Until now, Plots N and W remained privately owned.

The most reliable information about the plots comes from a 1944 survey listing 14 known and 10 unknown people in Unit B; nine named graves in Plot W in front of the Asian market on Pine Ridge Road; and eight labeled “Negro Graves-Unmarked” in Plot N.

In a memo to commissioners, County Plan-

ner Tim Finn, an HAPB advisor, noted Plot N is separated “as far as physically possible” from Unit B, where most burials are located — representing the social practice of racial segregation in South during the 1930s and 1940s. The identities of those buried in Plot N were lost, which is historically significant because it sheds light on the racial and social strati-

fication when they were buried, Finn wrote. The original grave markers — most likely wood — were lost and only four 20-inch-high concrete pillars mark Plot N’s boundary.

Some believed the bodies were railroad construction workers, but Townsend told the HAPB that’s not likely because the railroad was completed in 1928, two years before

the cemetery opened.

Plot W contains at least two infants and a World War I veteran, Harvey Tomlinson, who was once accidentally shot in the chest by his brother while hunting alligators and survived.

“The stories of the lives of the people buried in Plot W are representative of life in Collier County, the state of Florida and the United States in the 1930s and ’40s — and prior — when access to prenatal and neonatal medical care was limited, family life was often disturbed by the draft requiring military service abroad and day-to-day existence was marked with potential dangers rarely faced in modern society,” Finn wrote.

Townsend has been working on obtaining a historic designation for years and worked with the county’s Real Estate Division to track down the heirs who own plots N and W. The heirs agreed to donate the plots, which total 0.06 acre.

“Those were never made into county property and have never truly been recognized as burial sites, although they were all part of the original cemetery,” Townsend told commissioners.

It was a local resident who asked the HAPB in 2020 to recognize the forgotten burial site. In 2021, Florida launched a task force to study the forgotten African American cemeteries.

There are at least 36 other similar segregated cemeteries in Florida, according to the Black Cemetery Network. The nonprofit organization raises awareness about the issue of erasure and silencing of Black cemeteries. It provides an online comprehensive directory of the nation’s African American cemeteries, including those that have been neglected, displaced or become at risk of erasure.

The county will now improve two parcels, fence them and add headstones, as well as apply to the State Division of Historic Resources for state historic markers. After the vote, Keeys said volunteers hope the cemetery can obtain equal protection through the state by obtaining the historical markers, a geological analysis and research on identities of the deceased. Volunteers also plan to work with the state task force to prepare public awareness projects about the eight graves.

To donate and help pay for burial markers for Plot N, go to Rodriguez’s GoFundMe page at bit.ly/rosemarycemeteryplotn.

From page 5A

MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

Several neighbors contended they deserved proper notice of a hearing, but commissioners agreed they’d already had numerous hearings and this involved minor amendments.

In 2018, the mental health center was listed as a priority when voters approved the county’s 1-cent infrastructure surtax referendum. The surtax, which expired on Dec. 31, 2023, after collecting more than the targeted $490 million, is being used for construction, but can’t be used for $4.4 million to $5 million in furniture, fixtures and equipment costs or the $4 million yearly in estimated operating costs.

DLC will manage routine maintenance, such as repair and replacements, and the county will handle major system replacements, including HVAC, parking lot repaving, roof replacement and other capital expenses.

Since first proposed, the project’s costs have doubled, and the county’s Infrastructure Surtax Citizen Oversight Committee agreed to provide funds for the shortfall. Total costs are $56.1 million, including design, construction management at-risk pre-construction services, bus shelter construction, permit fees, insurance, contingency fees and construction.

In December, DLC detailed naming opportunities to fund yearly operating costs and fees for furniture and equipment. The 56-year-old non-profit, which is partnering with the county, lined up about $28 million by then in

naming opportunities to attract donors, including names for the building, offices and wings.

McDaniel urged commissioners not to vote that day, questioning the high construction and operational costs and whether DLC can handle those. Hall agreed, adding, “I’d rather get it done smart than worry about getting it done fast.”

McDaniel said his motive wasn’t to stall the project, just to protect taxpayer funds. He pointed out the cost and scope started at 130 rooms and was cut to 120 rooms at about $271,000 per unit.

“Now we dropped down to 87 units and the cost has gone up

and we’re now up to $644,000 per unit with this location,” McDaniel added.

Noting that neighbors are against the site, he recommended building it on county property off U.S. 41 East, near the county jail, and suggested others, not just DLC, could help manage it. He noted the county never sought other proposals.

But Commissioner Rick LoCastro urged them to move forward, calling further delays “disappointing.

“We can build a $200 million sports complex, but we can’t sit here and figure out how to move

forward after two years on something so important to our county,” LoCastro said. “We’re not here to debate the site.” He noted Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said it wasn’t “advantageous” to have a mental health facility next to the jail. LoCastro made the motion to amend the contract and Kowal seconded it.

DLC CEO Scott Burgess told commissioners DLC is committed to obtaining all funding necessary to ensure every county resident has access to life-changing, life-saving care, regardless of ability to pay.

DLC Board Chair Edward Morton reassured commissioners DLC is committed to raising the funds, pointing out it quickly raised more than $30 million, setting records by showing donors it was an urgent need.

“This board is 100% committed to doing everything in our power to raise all of the funds necessary to sustain and maintain the operations of not only this facility, but David Lawrence itself,” Morton said. “The public demands nothing less from those of us charged with the responsibility for caring for those in dire need of mental health services.”

OUT & ABOUT

Attendees toured luxury and exotic cars Feb. 7 with Jay Leno at Ultimate Garages, part of the annual Naples Automotive Experience, with live music and auctions featuring luxury international trips and car-themed art and furniture. The event raises funds for St. Matthew’s House.

Photography by Liz Gorman

KNOWS

than a bakery. The products sold are shipped to the business from Europe either as raw dough or they are par-baked or fully baked, Landert said.

“Everything is made for us in Europe and then we shock freeze — which is different from regular frozen products — to preserve the nutritional value and the quality of the products. We don’t use artificial ingredients or preservatives, and everything is GMO-free,” Landert said.

The bakers import European dough and baked goods to obtain products with clean ingredients and traditional flavors and recipes from countries such as France, Germany and Switzerland.

“We’re focused a lot on natural bread with no preservatives. That’s why we bring it over,” Landert said. “I was born and raised in Switzerland. My dad is all Swiss. When we moved here in 2009, we missed the bread and the clean ingredients in bread and pastries. That’s when we started importing all of it.”

The Landerts cite multiple reasons why European bread is so different and better than most of the bread made in the United States, starting with basic ingredients such as flour and water. Flour grown and produced in Europe is less powdery and not gene-manipulated; the water in Europe contains more minerals than in Florida. With recipes perfected and passed down through generations, the European products also tend to be more easily digested by consumers with gluten sensitivities.

“We have a lot of people come to the markets who have not eaten bread for 20 years in the States, but they go to Europe and they can eat it,” Landert said. “So, they come to us and they’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is incredible. I can eat the bread and all that stuff.’”

Landert thinks popular items at the new store will be French croissants, protein bread and rustic breads such as ancient grain and Kalamata olive bread. “We have macarons and chocolate croissants; we do petits fours and cakes and sweets. There are so many options,” she said.

Other products available include Parisian baguettes, brioche, beignets, German pretzels, Bavarian apple strudel, sourdough bread, cheesecake and muffins.

“People love the butter pretzel triangle. It’s a butter croissant but the outside is a pretzel,” Landert said.

Every product that Landert serves or sells is carefully selected after searching for quality items that look and taste the best. For instance,

its baguettes come from Ferrières-en-Brie, a little town outside Paris.

Once the store settles into a routine, Landert expects to offer business-to-business service. For instance, local office managers and event coordinators could pre-order dozens of croissants for morning deliveries.

While the hours and days of operation are not yet set, Landert is looking at possibly being open 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Friday. Also under consideration is eventually opening on weekends, but not immediately.

“It kind of depends on what people want,” she said.

The Landert business remains a family operation, but they have hired a couple of retail associates to help out at the store and they may hire more.

“It’s the first time we’re doing retail and working with the community, so we are kind of learning as we go, as well, with this new venture,” she said. “It’s just me, my mom and dad, and my brother [Oliver] does the farmers markets. We want to keep the family feel, so whoever comes will be an extension of the family.”

The website for the new retail store is landertbreadstore.com

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

and centennial banners were hung that identify the district. Last year, the CRA and CRAAB reviewed designs and cost estimates. Under the refined design, it would cost up to $1.68 million, not including wall art. The CRA budget has allocated $3 million.

Xavier Iglesias, DPZ CoDesign’s senior project manager, recommended that walls be painted a uniform color to make a statement. DPZ also suggested adding lighting to make it safer at night, permeable pavers, landscaping, art and murals — mostly through removable, changeable pan -

els to mimic an art gallery that feature district artists and creative businesses.

“It could be changed, it could be seasonal and gives a lot of flexibility,” Iglesias said, adding the inspiration came from a Fifth Avenue South passageway.

The west alleyway will become the Notch Café, with benches, art and possibly a water feature, Iglesias said, and Bob Hill Plumbing wants to donate the north portion of its property as a green or event space featuring art.

“He was envisioning something … that would be a beautiful thing to look at during the day and it could come to life at night with activities and art and events and even feature kiosks that could house a beverage and concessions area, maybe even bathrooms,” Iglesias said.

Naples Design District President Elizabeth Kurtz Isbell said the district is fully behind the project, which includes pavers, signs and a cohesive look. “We have wonderful businesses here and a wonderful history and so many resources and we want to celebrate that,” Isbell added.

Property owner Stu Rothman agreed it would “cultivate a thriving, pedestrian-friendly destination, with benefits for residents, visitors and entrepreneurs.

“By improving pedestrian connectivity and fostering unique urban experiences, this project will help reinforce the district’s reputation as a vibrant hub for dining, art and entertainment,” Rothman said. “For our tenants, this initiative is an exciting opportunity to expand their businesses and engage more deeply with the community.”

Community efforts boost support for Collier County seniors

By Melanie Pagan

Follow senior adult statistics, and you’ll find a story of social isolation, financial burdens, difficult life transitions and physical decline within the fastest-growing age demographic in the nation.

These factors point to another alarming figure: Approximately 10-20% of adults ages 65 and older experience clinical levels of anxiety, often arising from health concerns, living alone or losing loved ones.

However, when seniors have their needs met, they report high levels of life satisfaction, embracing the next chapter of their lives with dignity and purpose.

Addressing the holistic health of seniors requires a comprehensive approach — one that Collier Senior Center, a nonprofit and the county’s first resource center devoted to seniors and their caregivers, according to its website, has answered through community-driven efforts.

Seniors are responding to the Center, which serves more than 2,000 registered members through free, innovative services that address mental wellness, financial assistance and social connection.

“It’s always busy here,” said Esther Lully, senior center director at Collier Senior Center-Golden Gate. Direct Assistance Program is one of the top endeavors, serving 1,187 adults since its inception in 2018. “That’s where we help a lot of seniors, 60 and over, experiencing financial hardship.”

Collier County seniors living within 175% of the federal poverty level can visit the facility, speak with a social service coordinator and, if they are eligible, receive one-time emergency assistance on medical, dental, home or health needs, with the program funded in part by the Collier Community Foundation and Naples Woman’s Club.

Another service, UPSLIDE (Utilizing and Promoting Social Engagement for Loneliness, Isolation and Depression in Elderly), offers free counseling and a friends-connection group for women ages 60 and up. The program addresses depression, loneliness and isolation while building relationships and becoming more socially involved. Collier Community Foundation and Moorings Park Foundation funded the pro-

gram, which launched in January 2020.

“These programs really began because there’s a need among seniors for mental wellness,” Lully said. “We want to dignify the aging process.”

Lully plays a key role in managing partnerships with organizations — AARP, Meals of Hope, Alzheimer’s Support Network, AVOW and more — that help Collier Senior Center offer 100-plus monthly programs to members, from free daily lunches to movement classes and health care assistance.

For more than a year, Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida has

been providing essential health services to Collier Senior Center members through monthly health fairs, removing barriers to access and fostering continuous wellness monitoring and education.

The medical team screens for blood pressure, blood sugar and mental health concerns, administers annual flu vaccines and, if necessary, connects participants with providers, including social services.

“Many folks from the Center come from the other side of the coast and still have their providers there, so we have helped many of them actually connect with a provider locally,” Jean Paul Rog-

giero, director of community relations and community outreach at Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida, said.

The effect of these programs offered to Collier Senior Center members is evident both on a macro level, affecting the broader community, and on a micro level, changing individual lives.

One Collier County couple, for instance, had a dental practice in Naples until one financial hardship after another hit. They lost the business and had to sell their most prized possessions — even their wedding rings — to stay afloat,

Lully recalled.

“Maybe at one point, they were people who were helping others, and now they’ve fallen on hard times and have a need,” she said.

They turned to Collier Senior Center, which qualified them for a $1,000 grant from The Women’s Foundation of Collier County.

“It was an honor to help them,” Lully said.

Since Collier Senior Center’s programs are offered for free, accessibility is easy for all eligible seniors.

“Thanks to the generosity of donors that support us, [senior adults] simply need to come in, show their information and be a Collier County resident,” to join the Collier Senior Center, Lully said. For those with specific needs, such as individuals with Alzheimer’s, staff recommends they have a caregiver accompany them, as the Center primarily serves as a recreational facility. Otherwise, all independent seniors aged 60 and above can access membership and services free of charge.

Looking ahead, the Center — which Collier Community Foundation and the Women’s Philanthropic Network founded in 2010 to meet the needs of low-income seniors, and rebranded in February 2022 in part to reflect its future — is preparing to expand its programs to meet the growing needs of Collier County’s senior population, Lully said, citing the developing senior housing opportunities in Collier County.

“We’re just getting ready to enhance our programs so we can serve more,” she said.

“I thought, he’s such a nice guy; he doesn’t seem like a freak, but that’s just weird,” Eileen said. And then they went their separate ways, Paul to the farewell party for which he was two hours late, and Eileen — who had been at the party for two hours hoping to meet the creator of her favorite Naples painting — back to her apartment. She would not see him again until he returned to Naples early the next year and was recovering from an Arsenault escapade: helping to videotape a friend’s voyage over Alligator Lake in his pontoon-shod ultralight for a Gulfshore Life video feature.

The friend, instead of gliding up and out on his second pass, stalled and hit both a palm tree and a roof, summoning what seemed like every emergency vehicle in Naples in 1983. He suffered, amazingly, only a bump on the head, but Paul decided to calm himself with a libation from a nearby coffee house/bar. It just so happened Eileen was there to hear music and see live people after her solitary workdays in a warehouse handling logistics for a vintage map company.

Her husband-to-be had the intuition to know this was serendipity, so he asked her on a date. To a nonukes rally.

The Arsenaults could write an entire novel about their courtship, which was interrupted by Paul’s goal to paint in the Hawaiian Islands, and their adventures together in all the countries in which he’s been commissioned to paint. But recently, they celebrated their long marriage with a different trip: They revisited Rocky Neck, Massachusetts, and stayed in the Parker rooming house — this time, together.

Drama and laughter

Jerri and David Hoffmann followed the template of many couples their age, meeting during high school, although they attended different schools in Washington, Missouri. And like many couples in the 1960s, they married young.

“We got married during high school,” offered David Hoffmann, with a sly smile. But no.

“We got married during college — during our sophomore and junior years in college,” Jerri Hoffmann corrected him, rolling her eyes. The two share a sense of humor that has taken them through parenthood with three children; David Hoffmann’s growing number of companies; and their decision to establish a winery in Augusta, Missouri, near their childhood homes.

What was unique was a shared devotion to theater that started young and their insistence on es-

tablishing their careers. The two gravitated toward theater.

of the football team, he admitted. But Hoffmann loved it so much he eventually became a board member of the Steppenwolf theater in Chicago; Jerri Hoffmann served for a time on The Naples Players board of directors.

It was one of the things that cemented their relationship after the two met at a VFW league baseball game. The other was a determination to establish themselves. They graduated from the University of Central Missouri and went to work immediately, he as a building analyst and she as a teacher.

“We hit the ground running. Most of my girlfriends were out gallivanting through Europe and doing the victory lap. We couldn’t wait — we started working,” Jerri Hoffmann said. The couple’s first child wasn’t born until six years later.

The Hoffmanns consider themselves a team: “Anything she’s involved in I’m involved in, and anything I’m involved in she’s involved in,” David Hoffmann said.

Meeting people — and each other

Lorry Quirk had been a volunteer long enough to remember Baker Senior Center when it was the much smaller Naples Senior Center building on Castello Drive. She helped bag food for delivery to homebound seniors and even handled deliveries herself.

moved part-time to Naples from Sturbridge, Massachusetts, in 2016 without knowing a soul. The Vietnam veteran busied himself with veterans’ groups including Freedom Waters Foundation and Home Base.

“I knew what the senior center was all about,” he said. “I did the same thing up North. I had volunteered at the senior center.” This time, however, he would join as a member.

Both shared a love of meeting people and helping whatever community they found themselves in. But it took a mutual acquaintance to introduce them at one of the senior center luncheons. They shook hands, and Quirk offered to bring him an iced tea.

On their second meeting, Brown slipped one of the calling cards he’d had printed into her apron pocket and told her to call if she’d like to go out to lunch.

“She was always kind of smiling,” he said. Brown wanted to get to know this happy person.

“I was amazed. Who would have a business card with their phone number and their northern address and their southern address?” Quirk recalled. So she called him. A first lunch turned into dinners, which led to dancing at the Promenade in Bonita Springs. The two found they enjoyed walking together in Baker Park.

Brown had been a widower since 1986. For Quirk, it had been less than 10 years since her husband died. She had moved to Naples from the island off Boca Grande, where they had lived for 25 years, to become a nanny for her grandson and to make life more accessible: “Living on a barrier island and boating back and forth is not fun.

“But I never thought I would ever date. It wasn’t something I was even interested in. I had my grandson and he filled up my life. I took care of him every day from about 8 months on.”

She did want to socialize, and volunteering at the Baker Senior Center seemed a good avenue, “so I joined that, and the rest is history,” she added, laughing.

Brown, who described himself as “a workaholic” after his wife’s death, found a new job after he met Quirk: Becoming a football and soccer coach for her grandson. And Brown has taught her pickleball, even though both have artificial knees — “Another thing we have in common,” Quirk joked.

Her husband-to-be enjoyed being onstage at his high school, playing Finian in “Finian’s Rainbow” and Hugo Peabody, the jilted boyfriend in “Bye Bye Birdie.” Theater was “not exactly in vogue” for someone who also was captain

“It was a big part of our growing-up years. It was something we all looked forward to,” Jerri Hoffmann recalled of her high school’s musicals. “If we weren’t physically part of the production onstage, we were doing something. I helped with costumes. I helped with staging and all those other things.”

When the center moved to Autumn Oaks Lane, she began volunteering for the cafeteria’s luncheons: “I grew up in the business, so it was pretty natural for me,” explained Quirk, the daughter of a South Portland, Maine, restaurateur.

Ed Brown, on the other hand,

They are not the first couple to meet at the Baker Senior Center, according to Jaclynn Faffer, president/CEO of the center. She recalled a recent wedding of two members who had met in its Garden Club.

She has pointed that out on tours, she added with a smile: “I would say ‘Love does bloom in the garden.’ ”

By Melanie Pefinis

Commercial real estate is playing a new tune in the once sleepy enclave of historic Bonita Springs — the grand opening of Sugarshack Downtown ushers in a new era of enthusiasm for music lovers and visitors alike. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is not developer Kyle Moran’s motto; he’s planning something for everyone.

Moran, and his company Moran Kennedy alongside IPC Naples, collaborated with the innovators of YouTube sensation Sugarshack to open Sugarshack Downtown in the heart of historic Bonita. Moran Kennedy has several other plots under construction, as well. Growth in this Old Florida enclave, long considered the quirky cousin of Naples, is strumming right along.

YouTube sensation Sugarshack is well-known in town from its birth in the backyard of Bonita locals. Moran saw potential for expanding their popularity by developing a full concept restaurant, bar and concert space.

During a period when commercial real estate has experienced post-pandemic ramifications, Moran sees these new circumstances as an ideal opportunity for moving forward to the rhythm of a new generation.

“We are seeing a new workforce. A new generation of residents,” Moran said. “This area has not kept pace with the need for hospitality, for community gathering spaces and human interaction.”

He added that the region is no longer solely an enclave for retired Midwesterners.

Moran, who holds degrees from both Wharton and Columbia, teamed up with his father-in-law Rick Kennedy, founder of Kennedy Construction. Together they harmonize their skills, expanding growth in Bonita while maintaining its old-world charm.

“This area leads the country in the number of gated communities,” he said. “But lately, the population is moving away from that. Growth over the past decade shows that residents want to come out of their homes and experience community.”

The popularity of Sugarshack’s YouTube channel assured Moran Kennedy that the idea of blending commerce with community was the current tune being whistled by

REAL ESTATE

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

To preserve, maintain and grow Group balances past, future with local projects

this new generation.

“We are in a new era,” Moran said. “Strip malls are not good for community. They are not good for commerce. COVID and the internet have changed the climate. People want interaction to complement their working lives.”

And if it’s up to Moran Kennedy, Bonita Springs will top the charts.

“There is a new generation of people, powered by technology, who can live anywhere. They have new needs and wants. They are not retirees; they are not interested in socializing only within a gated community. They want ‘life’ outside. They want interaction. A safe and fun ‘downtown.’”

The response to Sugarshack Downtown’s grand opening is evidence for this concept. Eager patrons crowded the facility during its first week, and the attraction shows no signs of slowing down.

Vital to Moran and Kennedy’s mission is maintaining a historic feel and complementing the environment with the economy.

“This is not cookie cutter,” Moran said. “We want authenticity and charm.”

That authenticity is visible in the former automotive transmission repair shop dating back to 1943. Where others might have seen decay, this group saw decades of music and mer-

Week of Jan. 20-24

BRIEFS

SALES

Tamiami Trail East Acreage LLC purchased 16.5 acres of commercial land at 15435

Tamiami Trail E. in Collier County from James W. and Sally J. Craft for $2,189,008. Lane Boy of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the seller, and Shawn Stoneburner of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida represented the buyer.

LEASES Naples Waterfront Hospitality LLC leased 3,000 square feet of retail space at 12300 Tamiami Trail N. in North Naples from Forrest Hills LLC. Rob Carroll, CCIM, MAI, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor and lessee.

New Age Design Inc. leased 2,000 square feet of commercial space at 2025 Seward Ave., Suite 101, in North Naples from Jon C. Cook. Christine McManus, CCIM, SIOR, and Shawn McManus of Investment Properties Corp. represented the lessor and lessee.

riment yet to come. Builders maintained features reflecting the location’s past while incorporating details to usher in its future. “There are some industrial elements we kept, that we know add authenticity to the site,” Moran said.

Moran Kennedy’s mission always highlights the past while honoring the natural environment. “Some of these buildings would have been cheaper to just tear down, but we didn’t want to do that,” Moran said.  Elements that might have seemed dated and industrial add beauty and a feel of preservation rare in Southwest Florida.

Viewing the company’s other properties, Moran hums a few bars of what to expect from these locations. The Telephone Building, 27548 Old 41, will maintain structural accoutrements unique to the former telephone building, much like he retained at the Sugarshack Downtown site.   “We will maintain that old feel at the Telephone Building like we did at Sugarshack,” he said. “We also go out of our way to preserve the trees and unique natural elements of our sites.”

The next track on the tour is 27459 Old 41, known as The Roundabout; another multipurpose venue is planned for this spot in the heart of historic Bonita. Attention will be paid to preserving natural features while creating a unique Bonita vibe. At least four restaurants are envisioned for these spaces.

In 1976 when construction carved the current Tamiami Trail, Old 41 was formed, framing the Bonita enclave. With few entertainment options within the town, residents faced traffic and long commutes for activities in Naples.

Moran said residents have tired of the congestion and inaccessibility to Naples, especially during season.

“It is now registered in minutes, not miles. It might only be 10, 15 miles away, but if it takes you an hour to get there, you are going to think twice. Here in Bonita, we can easily establish commerce that creates community,” he said.  In other words, there’s no longer a need to get “On the Road Again.” With a focus on preservation and authenticity, Moran Kennedy is topping the charts here in historic Bonita. A sense of vibrancy, community and distinction is making this once sleepy town a hot spot for the new generation of residents. “We want lines in front of restaurants,” Moran said.

RCMA raises $1.5M for new charter academy construction Immokalee-based RCMA raised $1.5 million, unlocking a dollar-for-dollar match from an anonymous family foundation, resulting in a total of $3 million raised for its Mulberry Community Academy construction project. The funding propels RCMA closer to its vision of building a 22,000-square-foot, environmentally sustainable, dual-language community academy serving grades K-8. Located in Mulberry, MCA is designed to provide high-quality education to up to 300 children, focusing on low-income rural families. RCMA is a nonprofit provider of early childhood education and a nationally recognized charter school operator. Fifth Avenue South retail/office building sells for $29.5M Neco 765 5th Avenue South LLC purchased 19,675 square feet of retail space at 765-799 Fifth Ave. S. in Naples from Nighthawk Group 765 LLC for $29.5 million. Doug Olson and Matt Fredrickson of Trinity Commercial Group represented the seller, and Rob Carroll, CCIM, MAI, and Patrick Fraley, CCIM, of Investment Properties Corp. represented

ASK A REALTOR

Various factors make area ideal for selling commercial real estate

With each issue of  The Naples Press that includes a real estate page, we will ask a Realtor a question about issues of the day. For this edition, we spoke to Jonathan Kepple, a Listing Broker/Agent, Landlord Broker/Agent with Diversified Real Estate Group Inc.

making it an attractive time for sellers to consider listing their commercial properties.

Jonathan Kepple

Q: Is now a good time to sell commercial real estate in downtown Naples?

A: Currently, downtown Naples is experiencing robust growth and new development,

Several factors contribute to this favorable market condition:

1. High demand: Naples continues to attract both national and international investors looking for lucrative commercial real estate opportunities. The vibrant economy and increasing affluent population have driven demand for retail spaces, restaurants and mixed-use developments.

2. Appreciating property values: Over the past few years, the value of commercial properties in downtown Naples has steadily increased. This trend is expected to continue, as high barriers to entry coupled with a limited supply of properties provide sellers

with the potential for significant returns on their investments.

3. New development: Naples has attracted several national developers that have invested significant capital into the marketplace. Several ultra luxury developments have begun sprouting up along Fifth Avenue South, Gulfshore Blvd.’s Miracle Mile and The Downtown Design District, further increasing the value of nearby properties in the path of new developments.

4. Strong local economy: Naples boasts one of the strongest local economies in the nation with a diverse mix of industries, including tourism, healthcare, construction and finance. This economic stability supports the commercial real estate market and adds to

the appeal for potential buyers. In summary, the combination of high demand, appreciating property values, new developments and a robust local economy creates an ideal environment for selling commercial real estate in downtown Naples. For sellers looking to capitalize on these favorable conditions, now is a great time to list their properties and achieve their investment goals.

Jonathan Kepple has lived in Naples since 1985 and has been involved with Collier County real estate since 2002. He’s been in the real estate industry for 23 years. Kepple can be reached at 239.398.7791 or jonathankepple@msn.com.

who paid $200 to attend the first annual Housing Matters Luncheon on Jan. 29 at Artis—Naples. “We think it’s something that is very, very innovative.”

Puchalla explained THA would use recoverable grants through donor-advised funds for a substantial portion of site acquisition and development costs.

B2R2O is the latest tool for The Housing Alliance, which was launched last March as a collaboration between Collier County Community Land Trust and HELP (Housing, Education and Land Programs), which assists residents with foreclosures, mortgage assistance and anything needed to rent an apartment or purchase a home. THA’s funding is provided by the Collier Community Foundation, Collier County Community & Human Services Division and private donations.

THA works with the Community Foundation, developers and other non-profit partners, including the county Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and Habitat for Humanity, to increase Collier’s affordable housing stock.

Smith incorporated Build To Rent To Own LLC in Florida in October and presented the model to AHAC last month. Partnering with B2R2O, the Land Trust would identify undeveloped or underdeveloped sites suitable for workforce housing, construction of single-family town homes or detached homes up to two stories high.

Local philanthropists could commit capital to B2R2O projects at flexible, below-market terms through recoverable grants and program-related investments available only to non-profits — zero- or low-interest, loan-like investments that provide flexibility

on prepayment and repayment.

Residents who work within the county would apply to B2R2O. They must be employed full-time and meet income and credit score minimums, and a preference will be given to Collier County employees and essential-service personnel, including teachers, deputies, firefighters, nurses, hotel workers and employees of nonprofit organizations.

In an interview after the event,

Smith said he and Korth plan to develop workforce housing stock, with each project operating through a 501(c)(3) subsidiary of the Land Trust. Residents will pay rent at 30% of their income, and switch to home ownership in three years after completing THA’s Housing Navigator Program.

“It offers them the opportunity to rent their newly constructed units for affordable rates and then,

as they rent over the three-year period, the profit they pay into the unit goes toward a down payment,”

Smith said.

Smith said he and Korth both worked on Wall Street for about two years and he left to work for New York City Economic Development Corporation, where he honed his community and economic development skills and learned about funding models. Their parents live in Naples, so they moved here during the pandemic.

“I was picking bits and pieces of different models out there, kind of a funding model of the recoverable grants and trying to morph that to fit the needs of Naples,” Smith said. “We started to see firsthand the housing shortage and crisis and how that began to affect local restaurants and retail.”

They researched the issue, talking to employees of NCH

Health Care System-Naples and Collier County Public Schools, both hit hard by the crisis.

“We really came to understand the depth of the problem,” he added. “I think the crux of it is trying to activate what Naples has uniquely; this affluent philanthropic community that loves to support initiatives. Housing is just a tough nut to crack, so this is a way.”

They hope to find sites to build eight to 10 units per acre, in order to help young professionals and young families struggling with housing costs. Their work impressed Puchalla and AHAC Chair Steve Hruby, a nationally known architect and urban planner who is the Land Trust’s president.

“These two young guys are amazing, just amazing,” Hruby said. “They have a mission and they want to be nonprofit. These guys should be up in Wall Street making

big bucks and having a Wall Street life. They were in it, but Matt said it wasn’t for him.”

It’s the latest partnership for THA, a nonprofit that serves as a hub to link aspiring homeowners, renters, property developers, local governments, funders, donors and the community. THA is designed to be the go-to resource for housing countywide with a focus on workforce, lower income and senior housing.

Since its inception, THA launched the Housing Navigator Program to help residents and households gain financial and housing stability by meeting with HUD-certified housing counselors to improve credit, create budgets, find affordable rentals, prepare for homeownership and access down payment assistance. Through funding by the Community Foundation, THA created the Workforce Housing Stabilization Fund to provide short-term, interest-free loans to employees experiencing housing instability. Funds cover rent or move-in costs to secure an affordable rental based on credit and current financial household circumstances.

THA also was the nonprofit partner that helped garner local and federal funding for McDowell Housing Partners’ Ekos Cadenza, a new 160-unit apartment complex for seniors ages 62 and older who earn 60% or less of the  area-median income, which will open early this year. Collier’s AMI is $104,300.

THA also hosted Live Local Act workshops for county staff and developers, allowing them to discuss challenges and opportunities for using the 2023 state law, which was designed to increase the availability of affordable housing opportunities for Florida’s workforce. To learn more, visit thehousingalliance.org or call 239.434.2397 ext. 205.

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Address

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Occupancy Early 2026

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Ongoing events

‘The Lehman Trilogy’ 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 16 in the Struthers Studio theater at Gulfshore Playhouse, 100 Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples. Follow the rise of one of America’s most powerful businesses, founded by three penniless immigrants who came to the New World. $40-124. gulfshoreplayhouse.org

‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ Various times WednesdaysSaturdays through Feb. 16 at Kizzie Theatre at the Sugden, 701 Fifth Ave. S., Naples. The Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” starts to go wrong before the curtain even opens — and goes on a fast ride downhill from there, with falling sets, botched lines, a corpse that keeps resurrecting and more. $50-$55. naplesplayers.org or 239.263.7990

Matisse at NAI

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays through April 13 at Naples Art Institute, 795 Park Ave. “Art in Balance: Matisse and His Illustrated Works” features a selection of more than 140 works that reveal Henri Matisse’s genius as a printmaker and his unique approach to composition, color and form. Spanning from the late 1930s through his final years. $15, $10 members. naplesart.org or 239.262.6517

‘Transparency’ at Art Center

9 a.m.-4 p.m. MondaysFridays through Feb. 25 at Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Drive. “Transparency” delves into the visual and conceptual effects of light passing through materials, transforming how we perceive color, form and texture. The show features works by six artists. Free. marcoislandart.org or 239.394.4221

Paul Arsenault retrospective 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays through Feb. 15 at Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S. Heathwood Drive. Perhaps no one has seen as much of Collier County as artist Paul Arsenault, whose exhibition there, “Reflections of South Florida: A 50-Year Art Adventure,” chronicles its memorable places and people. Free. themihs.info/ museum or 239.389.6447

This weekend (Feb. 14, 15, 16)

An Evening in Naples

7 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Norris Community Center, 755 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. The Carl Granieri Orchestra and Voyces deliver romantic favorites from a romantic country, including “That’s Amore,” “The Prayer” and “Al-Di-La,” as well as two originals by Granieri. $40-$45 at eventbrite.com

Pops Series: Best of Sci-Fi, Fantasy

7: 30 p.m. Feb. 14 and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at Hayes Hall at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly of the Naples

CALENDAR

PRACTICE AN ANCIENT ART

Garden hours Feb. 14-16 at Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive. The annual Naples exhibition, organized by the Naples Chapter of Ikebana International, brings the best of this Japanese art to the garden, with opportunities to create your own and shop at its ginza (market) for supplies. All three days there are events 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Watch live demonstrations from the schools of Ikenobo, Sogetsu, Kado Sensho Ikenobo and Ohara on the Berger Shop Terrace or design ikebana-inspired floral art on the Performance Lawn. $27, $12 ages 3-17. naplesgarden.org or 239.643.7275

Philharmonic and the Naples Philharmonic Chorus are joined by narrator John de Lancie, known for his role as Q in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” to play music from classic sci-fi and fantasy films and television. $70-$106. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900

India Fest

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 15 in Cambier Park, 755 Eighth St. S., Naples. The food, the dance, the music, the ornamentation — it’s all here at the annual India Fest in Cambier Park.

The King’s Singers in Concert

4 p.m. Feb. 15 at Moorings Presbyterian Church, 791 Harbour Drive, Naples. Praised by The New York Times for their mellifluous and flawless performances, The King’s Singers have represented the gold standard in a cappella singing on the world’s greatest stages for more than 50 years. They present a varied program consisting of classical standbys, choral arrangements of modern pop songs and more. Freewill offering.

Live @ The Cove

5-8 p.m. Feb. 15 at Paradise Coast Sports Complex, 3940 City Gate Blvd. N., Naples. Enjoy live music from rock band Dino Trio. Various food trucks and drink specials. Free admission. playparadisecoast.com

Top 40 tribute at fundraiser

5-9 p.m. Feb. 15 at Island Country Club, 500 Nassau Road, Marco Island. Join the Marco Island Center for the Arts at its “Oh What a Night: Dinner and a Show” annual fundraiser. This year’s gala includes performances by The Modern Gentlemen, including music from The Beatles, Eagles, Queen and more. $250. marcoislandart.org

Kashmir, featuring Jean Violet

6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Feb. 15 and 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16

at Daniels Pavilion at Artis— Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. Led Zeppelin tribute act Kashmir continues to perform the British band’s iconic sound and adds some visual flair, including Led Zeppelin’s look and signature moves. $62. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900

Jazzmasters concert

2 p.m. Feb. 16 at Veterans Community Park Marco Island, West Elkcam Circle, Marco Island. Naples Jazzmasters celebrate the best in classic jazz and swing. Freewill offering.

Romance in the Park

2 p.m. Feb. 16 at Cambier Park, 755 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. The Gulf Coast Big Band brings a little swing to your Valentine’s Day weekend with its romantic mood concert. Freewill offering for scholarships. Reservations requested. gulfcoastbigband.com

The 239 Collective

4 p.m. Feb. 16 at Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, 1225 Piper Blvd., North Naples. Featuring Lexi DeLaRosa, vocalist; Christian Snedeker, music director and drums; Fortunato Occhino, tenor sax; Andrew Tannus, bass; and Daniel Tenbush, piano. The 239 Collective plays music of all styles, including swing, bop, Latin and R&B. Freewill offering. vpcnaples. org

FGCU Choir at Trinity

4 p.m. Feb. 16 in the parish hall at Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church, 553 Galleon Drive, Naples. The Florida Gulf Coast University Chamber Choir performs choral music from the Renaissance to newly commissioned works. This one will include Bach’s Cantata “Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin,” from the parable of the workers in the vineyard. There’s a Latin American choral music segment and more. With Trent

Next week (Feb. 17-20)

Musical Interlude on Marco

5:30 p.m. Feb. 18 and Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Drive. Identical twins Peter and Will Anderson, clarinet and saxophone virtuosos, are two of the most extraordinary jazz woodwind players today, having performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon, Paquito D’Rivera and Wynton Marsalis. $25-$30. marcoislandarts.org

‘Southern Gothic Novel’ 7 p.m. Feb. 18 at Norris Community Center, 755 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. Pay a visit to Aberdeen, Mississippi, a tiny town full of quirky characters, unusual romances and dramatic finishes, all portrayed by the playwright Frank Blocker. “Southern Gothic Novel” – the play. $30. eventbrite. com or 239.409.1588

Miami City Ballet 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at Hayes Hall at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. Sold out.

Sunset Wednesdays

Brown, conductor; Rodrigo Faguaga, guest conductor; and Abigail Allison on piano. Free, but reservations required at trinitybythecove.com

Gipsy Kings, featuring Nicolas Reyes 7 p.m. Feb. 16 at Hayes Hall at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. Attendees will hear the Grammy-winning sound of flamenco, rumba, salsa and pop originating from the south of France. The Gipsy Kings have a lively spirit, joined by special guest John Lee Shannon. $89. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900

5-8 p.m. Feb. 19 and 26 at Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive. Extended Wednesday hours in February offer a cool evening in the garden with the Naples sunset against the backdrop of thousands of tropical plants. Created especially for adults, with cocktail scavenger hunts, paint and sip sessions, corsage making and more. Fogg Café will be open late for dinner and drinks. The Berger Shop in the Garden also offers extended hours. $27, free for members. naplesgarden.org or 239.642.7275

Exploring Dance 1 p.m. Feb. 20 at Rowe Center at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Dance writer and critic Marina Harss will lead a discussion about the works of Miami City Ballet’s featured choreographers George Balanchine and Pam Tanowitz. Guests will discuss the Miami City

There’s dance for everyone, from ballet to therapeutic, at the upcoming International Dance

HOT TICKET

NAPLES INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL

7 p.m. Feb. 21 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at Norris Community Center, 755 Eighth Ave. S. United Arts Collier’s inaugural festival is for students, dancers and audiences who love dance. The NIDF features a performance of works by NIDF’s world-renowned artists Feb. 21 and an Emerging Choreographers Showcase Feb. 22. There are dance opportunities, from a beginning adult ballet class to a free dance class for students with Parkinson’s disease, and there is a Feb. 23 Dance and Wellness session. Tickets, pricing and reservations for classes online. unitedartscollier.org

COVER STORY

AUTHORS

Scott Turow’s legal sleuths thrill again in ‘Presumed Guilty’

By David Dorsey david.dorsey@naplespress.com

Scott Turow sits in the same swiveling chair inside his Naples home from which he wrote his latest courtroom thriller. He’s surrounded by bookshelves stocked with multiples of the dozen novels he wrote that have combined to sell millions of copies. The most famous of these novels, “Presumed Innocent,” jump-started Turow’s writing career in 1987 and took him to extraordinary places where he met extraordinary people.

Harrison Ford, in the 1990 film, and Jake Gyllenhaal, in a 2024 Apple TV+ series, have each played lead character Rusty Sabich.

Perhaps Ford, 82, soon could play Sabich again. In the new novel “Presumed Guilty,” written mostly from Turow’s home office in Naples, Sabich has aged to 77, but gets pulled out of retirement to defend his fiancée’s son on a murder charge.

But for all the glamour of seeing his work adapted into movies and television shows, meeting the actors and traveling to exotic locations including Italy and Havana, Cuba, Turow said the simple act of sitting in that chair and getting to work on creating a literal world means more than anything else.

“Honest to God, despite all of the wonderful things that have happened to me in my life because of my novels, the best part of it is still writing the books,” said Turow, 75. “When you’re as lucky as I’ve been, to have this long career — the work is here, and the audience is there. And you’re trying, of course. You’re trying to connect with them. My principal experience as a writer is with that; getting it on the page. If you don’t like that part, you’re never going to be a writer.

“If you’re all about the acclaim and seeing the big article about yourself in The New York Times, if that’s all you really want out of it, it’s not going to work. It really isn’t going to work.”

Normal routine, exceptional results

Before settling into that chair, Turow begins most mornings with a routine not different from most: coffee, a light breakfast, reading news online from the Chicago Tribune The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and/or Washington Post. Maybe not all of them each day. But at least two of them. He likes to be informed.

By 8 a.m., Turow heads upstairs for the chair.

“A good day, I’m ready to get done by 1 p.m.,” said Turow, who has yet to start writing the next novel. But that will happen soon. Although he is handling a pro bono case, he mostly retired from practicing law in 2020. Not being in court hasn’t hindered his ability to write courtroom scenes, he said.

“The experience of trying lawsuits is so intense, it’s burned into you like a brand,” Turow said. “Honest to God, I say this, and I mean it. I’m still up on my feet, making objections in my dreams, I really am.”

There are fewer distractions these days — not that he ever allowed those to interfere with his craft.

“I’ve always been able to withstand interruptions,” Turow said. “That’s how I was able to write and practice law for so many years. My great blessing is that I was able to withstand distraction and go right back to where I was. I could literally pick up — if I pick up the phone in the middle of the sentence, I will tune back in and finish the sentence after I’ve spoken with the client.

“I give some of the credit to my high school journalism teacher. A reporter has got to be able to write anywhere. He taught us to compose on a keyboard. You can’t refuse to deal with interruptions; you’ve got to be able to interrupt yourself and write.”

In the mid-1980s, Turow wrote most of “Presumed Innocent” not from that swiveling chair but from a Chicago commuter train while trav-

eling to his attorney job.

“I wrote religiously, every day, for half an hour, on the morning commuter train,” Turow said. “And that’s how I got a great foothold on “Presumed Innocent.” At that period of time, I had to write longhand, in spiral notebooks. They were stolen from my oldest child. There’s a part of “Presumed Innocent” that was written in a Strawberry Shortcake spiral notebook that she must have gotten when she was 3 or 4 years old. But that was what I did.”

The thrills keep coming In 1986, Turow bought what he described as a 40-pound personal computer. He took the assorted spiraled notebooks and started typing their handwritten contents into the first typewritten draft of Presumed Innocent. Eventually, he pitched it to then-new literary agent Gail Hochman, who had been an editorial assistant to book editor Ned Chase, father of actor Chevy Chase. Turow and Hochman put each other on the map. “Burden of Proof,” Turow’s 1990 novel, sold even more copies than “Presumed Innocent.” Its publication coincided with a glorious age for the law in pop culture, Turow said, recalling the “L.A. Law” TV show phenomenon.

His first hit novel became the Harrison Ford movie.

“It became a world,” Hochman said of Turow’s novels. “And Scott was very comfortable in that world. He got into the groove of the characters that he knew so well. The exciting thing, not just for a reader, but for an agent or an editor [is] at a certain point, you can’t move. You forget who you are. You forget where you are. You are inside the book. You find out there’s some twist in the plot and you are so engaged. You miss a stop at the subway. You stay up too late at night.

“I started screaming at the end of “Presumed Innocent.” I turned to the last page and saw what he was leading up to. And it was so amazing.”

Almost 40 years have passed, and Hochman said she still feels the same excitement when reading Turow’s work.

“The thing that’s amazing with Scott is he writes clearly and definitely and confidently,” Hochman said. “It’s just confidence. He’s not flowery and poetic. You’ve got the story. You’re with him.

“Sometimes the storyline and the characters become so important to you that it feels like real life. For him to maintain the charac-

ters and their background and their inner lives and continually surprise the reader with how it plays out — I just think he’s amazing. He has delivered. And some people don’t. They get feeble as they get older, and the books show it. But he doesn’t. It has really been an exciting run.

“I felt the same energy when I read “Presumed Guilty” I felt when I first read “Presumed Innocent.” ”

Turow said choosing a favorite novel would be like choosing a favorite child. But he’s happy with the outcome of “Presumed Guilty” and the plot twists he created from that swiveling chair.

“I had a great time writing it,” he said. “I was connecting with the stuff in myself that I wanted to be in touch with.”

Turow conceded the recent attention brought to his work by the “Presumed Innocent” remake may have boosted sales of “Presumed Guilty.” But ultimately, the quality of the story must be there, as well.

“It certainly didn’t hurt,” Turow said. “These things are very hard to measure. Is this book selling better than the book before? Yes. Yes, it enhanced my brand. It’s a great thing for any writer in his 70s to have his or her name in circulation again.”

By Randy Kambic

First time showtime

Initial concert by School of Rock graduates a rockin’ success

Casey Anderson, School of Rock music director, set the tone with his welcoming remarks: “Rock music is much more than hitting the notes; it’s also about making connections.”

The applause, dancing, high fives and hugs — among musicians, family, friends and patrons — that followed proved the afternoon struck all the right chords.

Fourteen young students, the first graduates of the first three-month instructional program conducted by the School of Rock franchise in Naples, rotated on and off the stage at South Street-Founders Square on Feb. 2. They were performing assigned parts on 16 songs within a “Grunge & Glory — A ’90s Rock Revival” theme. And for nearly all of them, it was their first taste of doing so in public.

Leela Wilson, 14, played predominantly rhythm guitar on seven songs, including “When I Come Around” and “Brain Stew” by Green Day and “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt. She enjoys “playing the song’s melody, but I want to do more leads, as well.” Along with the School of Rock program itself, she credited some previous school theater experiences for helping her exude confidence under the bright lights.

Like the other students, she was supported by a deep cheering section. “School of Rock provides such a great family environment,” said her mother Marybeth, who was joined by Leela’s kindergarten teacher Andrea Chaney, fifth grade teacher Dawn DiMarzio and several of Leela’s friends including Brooke Saraceno.

“The staff is fostering their natural abilities,” added the proud mom. “Music helps youngsters in so many ways ... math skills, socially and so much more. And I really didn’t know Leela had such musical potential.”

Along with singing backup on “Loser” by Beck, Jadon Pint was the lead singer for three songs including two Nirvana hits, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come As You Are.”

“I watched some Kurt Cobain videos early on to get a feel for his style,” the 18-year-old said, “but then I gave it my own take in rehearsing.”

Allison Gonzalez provided lead vocals on six songs including “Don’t Speak” and “Just A Girl” by No Doubt and Radiohead’s “Creep.” For most of the concert, Camilla Alejandro was on bass guitar and Lennox

Berg on keyboard while Nicole Larsen and Hayden Preston took turns playing drums.

Anderson, School of Rock co-owners Jason and Sara Melton, teachers Dorian Mendez and Matt McMahon and other staff made sure all of the musical equipment and settings were in good shape throughout,

ushered the youngsters on and off the stage and celebrated with them backstage after each song.

“I feel so excited; like I’ll be performing, as well,” said Mendez who has taught guitar and also performed for more than 20 years. “This is the result of a lot of time, effort, love and passion.”

For an encore, Tehon Vodoviz, who also played rhythm or lead guitar on six earlier songs including “Plush” by the Stone Temple Pilots and “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, strummed an acoustic guitar in a solo rendition of “Wonderwall” by Oasis to a tumultuous reception.

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Then, 11 adult student grads were joined by several instructors in showing their considerable musical “chops” in playing 11 classic rock songs.

“I’m super proud!” Sara Melton said after the final note was struck. “What they did after just three months is incredible.”

By Randy Kambic

Indispensable bees need human support

Bees can be a nuisance at times, but they are integral to our lives.

Studies estimate that one-third of all food eaten by Americans comes from plants pollinated by honeybees, constituting 130-plus separate types of fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts. Local beekeepers are doing all they can to support the beneficial insects, and we can lend a hand, as well.

Bee populations have decreased considerably in recent years due to the incidences of colony collapse disorder from use of certain pesticides, viruses, air pollution and extreme weather events. Besides ruining vast areas of vegetation, Hurricane Ian destroyed hundreds of area beehives; Helene and Milton did some damage, too.

Launched eight years ago and owned by Josh and Briesa Ruby, Naples-based Rubee’s Raw Florida Honey (therubees.com) maintains approximately 500 beehives in Collier, Lee, Hendry, Glades, Charlotte and Highlands counties. (They lost 80 to 100 from Ian; they fared much better than the beekeepers closer to the Gulf coast.) Most of their hives produce honey that they sell, while 50 to 100 of them are dedicated to producing queen bee cells that they keep and also sell to other beekeepers.

The Rubys sell honey and other bee-related products and accessories at many retail locations in Collier and Lee counties and online, plus provide bee pollination services. They are here during spring, fall and winter and move all of their beehives to their other home in Michigan during summers.

Briesa was a nurse at HealthPark Medical Center in Fort Myers when her brother-in-law gave them eight beehives as a wedding present, leading to her career change. (Josh was already a veteran beekeeper.)

They move many of their hives around on a regular basis based on contracts with many separate farms that typically run six to eight weeks, and because “beehives need to be spread out for the honeybees to function better,” Briesa said.

The couple also gives bee presentations to organizations and at events. Josh often says that “Bees are not generally hostile. They pick up on someone’s attitude, so they get excited if they sense someone is scared.”

Rubee’s uses a Honey B Healthy essential oil when feeding bees “to boost their immune system to make them healthier,” Josh said.

Checking on the status of approximately 30 beehives recently at a large vegetable farm on the eastern outskirts of Naples, Briesa estimated between 30,000 and 60,000 bees can live in each one.

“They spend all day working, going in and out of the hive hundreds of times a day,” she said.

A full-time environmental engineer, Maxwell Goodacre owns Naples-based Sweet Bees, LLC, which provides honey for seven retail locations in Collier County. Goodacre is president of the Collier Chapter of the Gulf Coast Beekeepers Association (gulfcoastbees. com). He judges honey at competitions around the country, including at the largest annual national show in Louisville in January. He owns three bee apiaries in

Collier County and one in Bonita Springs that enable him to “provide hyperlocal, raw, artisan honey to the community,” said the master

beekeeper, who is assisted by family members. “Many people purchase local raw honey for the allergy-related benefits” in addition to

ABOVE: Approximately 30 beehives at a vegetable farm on the outskirts of east Naples are maintained by Rubee’s Raw Florida Honey.

LEFT: Josh and Briesa Ruby of Rubee’s Raw Florida Honey produce honey and bee-related products, provide bee pollination services and sell queen bees to other beekeepers.

tional meetings each month along with other informative events in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties.

Another major player in this field is Naples-based Hing Family Apiary (hingfamilyapiary.com) which provides live, humane bee removal services, honey and related products, and pollination services. It maintains approximately 200 beehives in Collier and Lee counties.

The public can help in many ways — buy local honey; purchase a Save the Bees license plate (savethebeesplate.com) that supports honeybee research at the University of Florida; become amateur beekeepers by joining the GCBA or the Fort Myers-based Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida; grow types of plants to attract bees including aloysia virgata (sweet almond bush) and golden dewdrops; and refrain from using specific kinds of pesticides such as neonicotinoids.

“Don’t apply pesticides to budding flowers, as that’s where bees go; only to roots or non-budding plants, and don’t over-concentrate,” said Angela Holbrook Bartholomew, president of the BASF. “The chemicals affect their nervous system. They navigate with their gut, which needs to be healthy.”

their taste. The GCBA, currently numbering about 20 dues-paying members, holds in-person and virtual educa-

“Joining a local club and becoming more involved with the education of others can have an exponential long-term effect on society’s views and how we see what’s important in the world,” Goodacre said. “Purchasing local honey from a beekeeper you know is not only good for your health, but it helps support that beekeeper who is part of a larger industry that supports state and national clubs with their memberships, volunteer work, donations of their own and events that they create that in turn bring in supporting revenue.”

OUT & ABOUT

More than 20,000 people attended Cars on 5th, held Feb. 8 in Naples. Organized by the Naples chapter of the Ferrari Club of America, i t is the largest one-day event in Naples, and it featured more than 400 luxury and exotic vehicles. The event raises funds for St. Matthew’s House.

Gulfshore’s ‘Lehman Trilogy’ takes it where less intimate Broadway can’t go

Front Row

Harriet Howard Heithaus

“The Lehman Trilogy” is historical immersion fortified with drama that turns a textbook into a gripping experience.

It works in the way “Hamilton” did for history. How many of us actually read the book behind the musical? How many of us would read Peter Chapman’s “The Last of the Imperious Rich: Lehman Brothers, 1844-2008”? Yet the Gulfshore Playhouse was full for the 3½-hour spectacle in an American kabuki of script and narrative that won five Tonys on Broadway. Some of the audience had even seen it on Broadway and were back to relive it.

There is a sense of having absorbed an entire printed history in “The Lehman Trilogy,” thanks to the details that inform its sweep of three generations, through the Civil War to the Spanish flu pandemic and the Crash of ’29.

The story slips in scenes surrounding them so we can watch the rest of the world spin, before it returns to the entrepreneurial minds of the Lehmans

Ballet’s Feb. 18 performance in Hayes Hall. $36. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900

The Great American Songbook

7 p.m. Feb. 20 at Daniels Pavilion at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd.. Join Jodie DeSalvo and her two sons, Frank and Bennie. Sold out.

Next weekend (Feb. 21-23)

Naples National Art Fair

5-9 p.m. Feb. 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 22-23 at Cambier Park,755 Eighth St. S.

as they apply their business ingenuity to the changing American culture. We see a family that struggles with itself as the centuries evolve, but whose members are always attuned to the literal “cool breeze” of inspiration that took them from direct traders in fabric to their self-invention as middlemen dealing in cotton, coal, steam and coffee.

Many of our modern economy’s tools and some of its evils, suggests playwright/author Stefano Massini, are attributable to the Lehman Brothers. Massini does not judge but lets them reveal themselves with their simple observations on their industry. Their bloodless approach to marketing, for example: “Getting people to buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have.”

The play has its shortcomings, for all the poetic dialogue. This history glosses over their apparent use of the slave trade in their own store. And, as devastating as the stock market crash of 1929 was on Wall Street and as brilliantly as it is played here, humanizing traders who killed themselves in despair, we wonder: Where is the depiction of the thousands who owed money to them and bankers like them? Or trusted their life savings to them?

As it is, The Lehman Trilogy does

Nearly 250 artists, a food court and more are planned for the 46th annual Naples National Art Fair. Free admission.

The Drifters

6-8:30 p.m. Feb. 21 and 22 at Daniels Pavilion at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. Sold out.

Midland — The Get Lucky Tour

8 p.m. Feb. 22 at Seminole Casino Immokalee, 506 S. First St. Guests will hear country band Midland perform songs from their No. 1 Billboard Top Country Album “Let It Roll” and their latest album, “The Last Resort: Greetings From.” $55$86. casino.hardrock.com

Singing for scholarships

4 p.m. Feb. 23 at First Presbyterian

stimulate thinking on the entire development, and concurrent atrophy, of a financial system that began cannibalizing itself with ever more complex ways to make money. The Gulfshore Playhouse production tells that story with clarity.

The production was wisely staged in the Struthers Studio Theatre, an intimate, 125-seat maximum space, in a U-formation around the three actors. We’re nearly onstage with them, and some of the front rows are even directly addressed during their speeches.

Baron E. Pugh’s spare set doesn’t waste materials and it is versatile to the nth degree, thanks to Graham Zellers’ targeted lighting and a mood-setting semicircle of changing color behind the actors.

Props are minimal and versatile.

The valise for Henry, the first Lehman immigrant to America, flips to show the year. Packing crates also turn to signal new dates, resetting the era while the characters reflect its culture. One telling example of the latter: When Henry, the first brother, dies, the traditional Jewish month of mourning is observed; a generation later that has devolved to barely more than a weekend. At the final controlling Lehman’s death in 1983, there’s a perfunctory moment of silence.

Church, 250 Sixth St. S., Naples. Voices for Naples offers its annual concert to raise funds for scholarships, with a wide-ranging program of harmonic melodies; Brice Gerlach is conductor; Kelly Utterback is accompanist; $20 advance, $25 at the door. 239.293.0645

‘Dangerous Liaisons’

4 p.m. Feb. 23 at Moorings Presbyterian Church, 791 Harbour Drive, Naples. Gulfshore Opera presents a concert of fateful love story excerpts from iconic operas such as “Rigoletto,” “Carmen,” “Samson & Delilah,” “The Tales of Hoffmann” and “La Bohème.” Stars of the concert are international tenor Matthew White, Metropolitan Opera soprano Susanne Burgess and mezzo-soprano Rebecca Luttio. $50-$90.

The perfect tone of its scenes comes from director Jeffrey Binder, a former Playhouse associate artistic director who handles every page of this formidable work with a sure hand.

But in the end, three actors carry the immensely challenging load of The Lehman Trilogy. They are all onstage for nearly the entire play. They break down the fourth wall, delivering background to the audience directly as the scenes and eras change — and snap immediately back into character. They play all the roles, even the women courted by the Lehmans, with physical quirks that add a touch of comic relief.

The three in this production — Geoffrey Cantor; Cody Nickell, a former Gulfshore artistic associate; and Ian Merrill Peakes — are so gifted you check the program to be certain they aren’t actually brothers. Unflagging in character and freshly reinvented through the Lehman generations, they deserve either a decompression week in Tahiti or a national touring production contract after the final curtain Feb. 16.

“The Lehman Trilogy” is certainly a full evening. But those who think 3½ hours is long for a play are missing a word in their assessment: 3½ hours is too long for a bad play. This one is worth every minute and more.

gulfshoreopera.org

Isaac Mizrahi

5 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Daniels Pavilion at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. Host and vocalist Isaac Mizrahi does a music performance spanning genres and generations. The cabaret-style show blends music performance art with standup comedy. Between songs, Mizrahi gives witty and insightful commentary with his sharp humor. $62. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900

Paul Anka

7 p.m. Feb. 23 at Hayes Hall at Artis— Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. Paul Anka, whose songs have sold more than 100 million albums, returns to Naples. Sold out.

A must-visit for Venetian glass art, masks and fashion

By Jean L. Amodea

If you are looking for a fun and different outing or to entertain visitors, a visit to Casanova Art & Fashion at the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt fits the bill. More than just a gallery to view one-of-a-kind handcrafted Murano glass pieces; fine, contemporary and vintage art; Italian fashion; and accessories, the visit will offer a peek into the riches of Italian culture and craftsmanship courtesy of proprietor Keith Davison.

“I enjoy showing and teaching people about what we have,” Davison said. “When they visit, it almost sounds as if I’m giving a museum tour.” The current location, opened in July 2023, is operated by Davison and his wife, fashionista Marina Montmorency. Born and raised in Torino, Italy, Montmorency purports to be able to trace distant relatives back to the 1400s.

The gallery’s name celebrates an illustrious real-life adventurer, Giacomo Casanova. He was an 18th-century Venetian and wellknown playboy of Europe who was imprisoned and then escaped, and later penned his memoir as a lover of life and all things sensual.

“The idea for the business started after visiting Italy,” Davison said. “While in Venice, known for its masks, and the Venetian Island of Murano, known for its glass artisans, I fell in love with and took an interest in glass art. I wondered if the Southwest Florida market would embrace the beautiful objects.”

They opened their first shop in Bayfront almost 22 years ago and later opened at the Village on Venetian Bay. About 10 years ago, Montmorency’s love of fine fabrics and fashion prompted them to add a fashion line to their collection. They visit Milan for pieces that she hand-selects.

Sourcing from master craftsmen

The couple travels to Italy at least once a year. “When we travel to Venice, we visit some 65 family-owned glass-making families who are the best known and oldest at their craft,” Davison said. “I enjoy watching the glass pieces being created. We have made many friends over the years. One of the best glass masters invited us to a

family event at a beautiful Murano cathedral and afterward to a sea feast; being a part of that intimate gathering was special. Another family, that of Fratelli Barbini, goes back to the 1600s; they crafted pieces for the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles [in France]. They would invite us to dinner at their favorite restaurants when we visited. You just don’t get to do these types of things. The Barovier family originated in 1290 and has their lineage inscribed on the furnaces, and the Seguso family is the second oldest family doing glass work since the 1350s — for 22 generations.”

Casanova’s objets d’art

The most popular pieces are glass sculptures, such as fish and turtles. A selection of Murano glass mirrors and chandeliers is on display, and the shop is distinguished as having the most extensive collection of Venetian masks in the U.S. Casanova carries deluxe versions from five mask crafters. The masks are lavishly embellished, with the most ornate adorned with ostrich feathers and Swarovski crystals and layered with gold and silver.

A 100-piece collection of unique aluminum and canvas artwork by Stephen Harlan of Carolina Beach, known for his “illuminated-from-within” technique, is available at a three-to-four-week

production time and direct-todoor shipping. Other pieces include Italian leather crossbody and camera bags, perfumes in elegant glass bottles and sunglasses from designers such as Versace, Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gab-

bana. Jewelry includes pieces in 18-karat gold with diamonds and ancient coin necklaces — some struck at the time of Constantinople, Alexander the Great and Jesus — mounted with a bezel that comes with a sterling silver chain.

Where: 2363 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 902, Naples (Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt)

Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday

Contact: casanovashowroom.com , 239.571.1610 or casanovaresponse@ comcast.net

The Casanova collection Murano glass art pieces (vases, stemware, centerpieces, ornaments, mirrors, lighting, sculptures, vintage glass) Venetian masks Fine and contemporary art (originals, watercolors, oils and giclee prints)

European fashions, jewelry and ancient coins, accessories (handbags, perfume, sunglasses)

Naples’ original Cuban restaurant retains its island flavor

When I moved from New York to Naples four years ago, I wanted sandwiches piled with pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and a slick of bright yellow mustard. They should be washed down, I decided, with mint-flecked mojitos. I couldn’t think of any food or drink that seemed more quintessentially Floridian.

More than a century of Cuban diaspora established the island’s cuisine among the pillars of South Florida food traditions, with ropa vieja and pressed sandwiches enshrined alongside stone crab and mangoes. Despite those deep roots, Neapolitans were without a Cuban restaurant until 1985, when Fernandez The Bull Cuban Cafe opened in East Naples.

Patriarch Luis Fernandez immigrated to Florida in 1962 as part of Operation Pedro Pan, a clandestine program that issued visas to unaccompanied Cuban minors fleeing communist indoctrination. After several

years in Miami, he landed in Naples and took a job at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort. His future wife, Raquel, arrived in 1980 during the Mariel Boatlift. The two met, married

TheatreZone’s ‘The Rink’ polishes a lesser known Kander & Ebb gem

and opened Fernandez The Bull, combining his hospitality experience with recipes from her mother and grandmother.

The restaurant has moved over the years, but currently operates three locations — two in Naples on Pine Ridge and Immokalee Roads, as well as an outpost in Bonita Springs — all now under the stewardship of the family’s next generation.

In the 40 years since the restaurant muddled its first mojito, Cuban cuisine has flourished locally, and Naples now has a long roster of restaurants where you can cure a mojo fix. Should we still be bullish on Fernandez?

can have a round (or two) of mojitos; absolutely stuff themselves on plump garlic shrimp, succulent roast pork, tender cuts of beef and golden stacks of tostones; and still have money left for a small, but mighty, cafecito.

On a quiet Monday night at the Midtown location, the food comes out fast and hot. A fat tamal, made with coarsely ground masa, comes with a little silver pot of house hot sauce. Cuban food isn’t known for its heat, but this hot sauce — bright, tangy, fiery and, to my dismay, a guarded family recipe that the owners were tight-lipped about — is addictive. Get an order of tostones and start dipping.

The restaurant has five iterations of the Cuban sandwich, including a classic medianoche on sweet bread and a version with lobster. But I’m partial to the Fern, the family’s signature version that goes light on the ham in favor of a thick layer of tender, slow-roasted pork. Swapping the traditional Swiss for ultra-creamy white American that blankets the meat in a delightfully messy manner is, in my opinion, a genius choice. There are three dishes, however, that I’ve dreamt about for the past week. The croquetas have a deeply golden, crisp breadcrumb coating that breaks open to reveal a luscious, creamy filling studded with ham. The picadillo is some of the most tender ground beef I’ve ever had, swimming in a savory tomato broth with onions, peppers and briny green olives. And I scraped every last morsel out of the cup of black beans, enveloped in the glossiest, deeply inky bean broth.

Front Row

Blending the savory tunes and lyrics of a Kander & Ebb musical with the sharp edges of a Terrence McNally play is a tough project. But that kind of challenge seems to be written right into TheatreZone’s mission.

The theater has done “Chess,” “Hair” and even “Amadeus,” the ’80s recreation of Mozart’s life with a requisite classical music backdrop. “The Rink” is a natural for it, and cofounders Mark Danni and Karen Molnar felt they were ready during this 20th anniversary year. A tribute to its challenge is that the company received an opening-night bouquet of red roses and a thank-you note from John Kander, the surviving musical partner of the team.

The dialogue is difficult, sometimes downright uncomfortable, in “The Rink.” Its fraught mother-daughter relationship builds to a climax that clears the air, but in the meantime it inspires cringe rather than the Hokey-Pokey. Every character is flawed, some more irreparably than we realize at first. And the music is Kander & Ebb at their most creative, but it’s storybound. That’s the reason we haven’t heard charmers like “Wallflower” and “After All These Years” often enough to sing along, although music director Keith Thompson’s handling of them makes one want to learn.

Molnar had to be convinced to play Anna, the co-owner of a boardwalk rink who is fed up with decades of being “Chief Cook and Bottle Washer,” not to mention corn popper, for the rink — and has sold it to developers. And who would want to follow Chita Rivera, who owned the role on Broadway? But Molnar handles the role with the right balance of gruff business owner and emotionally frayed mom.

She sings down her prodigal daughter, Angel (Sarah Beth Ganey), who has returned after seven years — ready to run the rink — with “Don’t ‘Ah, Ma’ Me.” And she holds up her end of a fluid “The Apple Doesn’t Fall (Very Far from the Tree)” duet despite the fact both women are sprawled on the floor, their arms propped on Angel’s duffel bag.

The sweet-voiced Ganey similarly tucks into her character as Angel — the Liza Minnelli role on Broadway — authentically. Perhaps the word should be roles, since the two play themselves over a span of at least 20 years. That is one of the chief challenges of “The Rink,” moving in flashbacks to propel the logic of its mother-daughter relationship.

Then there are The Wreckers and the roll-

GLIDE INTO ‘THE RINK’

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday Feb. 16

Where: G&L Theatre at The Community School of Naples, 13275 Livingston Road

Tickets: $50-$85 at theatre.zone or 888.966.3352, ext. 1

er skates. Six actors play the demolition crew hamstrung by the mother-daughter claims of ownership. But they also peel off to play all protagonists around the pair — Anna’s war-addled husband, her long-suffering suitor, the family provocateur, war buddies, even the prostitutes and gangs who have begun cropping up on the boardwalk.

They’re all talented quick-change characters. Mason Hensley does a strong dramatic turn as Anna’s train-wreck husband. Adolpho Blaire cartwheels from the villainous Uncle Fausto to the paper tiger of a demolition crew chief and then Anna’s patient suitor, Lenny. Jackson Mattek flashes a toothy grin as a well-intentioned prostitute, and Gianni Saverio and Hugo Moreno become multiple supporting characters.

They shine together as wisecracking wreckers who can’t resist the last six-pack Anna gives away or the lure of a roller skate zooming across the stage from a boxful one has found. (In fact, it provided a laugh opening night when the skate nearly sailed off the stage and audience hands flew out to grab it.) The Wrecking Crew is a flapping flock of flamingos on wheels for the title song, and it’s one of the most disarming numbers in the musical. (No. 2: Angel’s starry-eyed soliloquy, “Colored Lights.”)

This production is blessedly faithful to the 1984 Broadway original. Its shortcomings are largely physical, with a set done primarily in deep brick red, distracting and more depressing than necessary. The calliope sounds are similarly distracting to anyone from the Midwest who remembers indoor rinks as the domain of a hefty Hammond organ with a stonefaced player pumping out tunes.

Still, Broadway fans will find this production of “The Rink” a rewarding amalgam of playwrighting and musical talent to which TheatreZone has given careful respect. And talent. The only thing missing was an after-show “All Skate” invitation for the audience.

From a wallet perspective, absolutely. Yes, there are less expensive Cuban restaurants in town (often with fewer frills, not that I mind), but Fernandez The Bull is certainly competitive. For less than $100, two people

Four decades after it taught Neapolitans to love Cuban cuisine, Fernandez The Bull is still among the city’s best institutions for island flavors. Let’s raise a mojito to that.

Madleine

SPORTS

Pelican Marsh hosts three sports at Tri-Court Challenge

By Randy Kambic

Pelican Marsh provided a way for 52 members to apply their enthusiasm for tennis, pickleball and bocce to support a worthy cause on Jan. 30. Meanwhile, 11 other club members were about 2,000 miles away preparing to wield their racquets beginning the next day in pursuit of a national title.

The club’s third annual TriCourt Challenge had doubles teams test their shot-making accuracy on 17 separate courts to raise funds via The Foundation of Pelican Marsh for the nonprofit Guadalupe Center, which supports childhood education in Immokalee, followed by a barbecue lunch for all participants.

In the tennis challenge, members hit serves at a bucket and groundstrokes at three separate targets. The goal on the pickleball courts was to try to hit serves into the crosscourt box and a dink into a bucket. Bocce action consisted of rolling the ball for it to stop within rings of a circle and sections of the separate courts. Starting times for each duo were staggered to facilitate easy flow of the action.

Along with providing individual donations, members sponsored the various sports competitions. Funds were also raised in corporate sponsorships, event ticket sales and an auction. Members relished the opportunity of competing in all three sports during the same event.

“It gets the community together and mingle for a great time,” said Pelican March Pro Shop Manager Allie Parker, adding that the non-competitive format made it even more enjoyable. “They weren’t playing against each other.” Frank Cannistra, who plays on both club tennis and pickleball teams, hit from the right side in the pickleball challenge and then became a southpaw for tennis. “I was a switch-hitter in high school baseball, so it’s no big deal for me,” he said.

Inge Lorentzen uses slice a lot in playing tennis at the club, so she

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THE NAPLES PRESS CROSSWORD

Langer has commanding lead on Father Time

Speaking of Sports

David Wasson

Father Time is undefeated. No matter how gifted you are in the sports world, you ultimately fall victim to the calendar on the wall that slowly chips away at your talent.

But here’s the thing: Bernhard Langer has never met Father Time.

At age 67, Langer isn’t just the best player at this week’s PGA Tour Champions’ Chubb Classic, he is among the few players who seems to only be getting better with age. A World Golf Hall of Famer, Langer just continues to dominate the over-50 set even though 70 is quickly approaching.

But c’mon, Bernhard, isn’t it time to perhaps even contemplate a retirement age?

“No, I never had a number in mind,” said Langer at a pre-tournament news conference. “I always said the three things that need to be in place: First of all, I’ve got to be healthy to swing the club the way I want to swing it. Secondly, I’ve got to enjoy the game and have a desire; and certainly I need to be in contention or playing at a level where I’m not finishing in the bottom third of the field every week.

“I’ve always said, if those three things are still there, if I have the desire, the health and the success, I probably will continue to play the Champions Tour. When one or two of these things go away, then it’s probably time to quit playing.”

Unfortunately for his peers this weekend at Tiburon, neither Langer’s desire, health nor suc -

cess has waned a bit. Sure, there was a setback last year when Langer injured his Achilles tendon working out at home, causing him to miss defending his 2023 Chubb title, as well as what was going to be his final Masters appearance.

But Langer rehabilitated his injury like an athlete a third his age — making it back within months and managing to win the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship for a record 47th PGA Tour Champions victory.

“Even though last year I missed several months and I had a major surgery, I still finished seventh in

the Schwab Cup,” Langer said. “I just had a good start this year. So I don’t see any immediate need or reason to quit. But life can throw something at you and things can stop in a heartbeat.”

Which is why Langer isn’t keen on kicking his feet up and relaxing, either professionally or personally. Not only is he attacking his 18th season on the PGA Tour Champions with typical zeal, he also recently enjoyed a skiing trip with family in Park City, Utah.

“It was an absolute blast,” said Langer of trading grass for snow and clubs for ski poles. “We had six days of skiing out of seven, so

I was pretty tired. I was pooped because there were no lines at all, we had blue skies, and the one day I didn’t ski, it was snowing all day, so we decided to go cross-country skiing, which is one of the best exercises you can do.”

Any concern for that surgically repaired Achilles, Bernhard?

“I had so much fun just letting gravity take care of it,” Langer said with a grin. “The cool thing is my injury was the Achilles in the foot, so that’s all tied into a boot now. The ski boot goes almost all the way up to the knee, so there was no issue whatsoever. I had no problem shifting weight or put -

ting pressure on it.

“It was actually, in regards to my injury, maybe one of the safest things I could do because I couldn’t really hurt my foot no matter what I did.”

Langer obviously loves the Chubb and Naples, seeing as he has won this event five times heading into this weekend’s play — and he is eager for more.

“I live in Boca Raton and I’ve been here for 40 years now, more or less, so Naples is just an hour and a half across on the other side,” Langer said. “It feels to me like a home game. Easy to get to; I have friends over there. I’m used to the local Bermuda grasses, which is a little bit of a home advantage, I think, and it’s been a wonderful tournament to me over the years.

“I truly love Tiburón because it’s not the average course we play on, on Tour. It’s very tight, very narrow. You have lots of trouble on many of the tee shots, and it’s not the longest course on the Champions Tour. Those two things kind of help me to be in contention because I’m fairly straight off the tee, generally hit greens in regulation, and kind of stay away from trouble. That has helped me probably over the years to win a few times at Tiburón.”

Quasi-home game? Knows how to win here? Loves the golf course? Completely undeterred by Father Time?

Yes, yes, yes and yes. So don’t be surprised to see Langer hoisting yet more Chubb Classic crystal by weekend’s end.

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

From page 11B

used underspin in her first-ever bocce ball deliveries.

“It made sense in going from one sport to another,” she said. Johann Saurbier, director of court sports at the club, noted the enthusiasm of members. “It’s different for them,” he said. “It’s not competition; it’s fun.”

The married duo of Brett and Barclay Marcell were the overall event champions, posting the highest score in combining all three challenges. The event raised more than $8,000, bringing the club’s three-year total to approximately $30,000.

Success no surprise

The Pelican Marsh 2024 Winter USTA 65 and over 6.0 women’s team competed for the third time in the USTA National Invitational Championships, involving 16 teams from around the country, in Surprise, Arizona, Jan. 31-Feb. 2. The contingent of 11 club members — 10 players at any one time and one alternate — earned the right to advance to the nationals by winning the USTA/Florida Region 7 title and then the USTA section (state) title for their flight, sweeping all three courts in the finals, at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona last November.

Before heading west, team co-captain Marybeth Greco attested to the team’s “dedication, commitment and hard work, and without each and every one of these ladies, these achievements wouldn’t have been possible.”

This marked the third trip to the national finals — after trips in 2016 and 2018 — for both Greco and captain Linda Mushock, who also led those two previous teams. Annie Potts, Tridy Albrite and Rosita Gilsenan made their second trip to the finals; this was the first experience at this level for Barb Seymour, Helen Wardell, Paula Federman, Beth Gilman, Joyce Bunting and Barbara Salenko.

The club’s five doubles’ teams each played two matches on both Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, winning all of them. They beat the team from Hawaii in the semifinals and then lost in the finals to Southern California.

“It’s so impressive that they made it to the finals again,” said Saurbier. “They are a cohesive group. They won lots of tiebreakers throughout the season.”

Wednesday,

Wednesday, Feb. 26th, 12PM-2PM Friday, Feb. 28th, 12PM-2PM

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse 8985 Tamiami Trail N. Naples, FL 34108

Florida Gulf Coast University Lutgert Hall - Moran Wealth Management® Classroom 10485 FGCU Blvd S Fort Myers, FL 33965