VOL. 16 NO. 11
www.seabreezecommunications.com
NOVEMBER 2023
Report from Your Master POA By Fred Thompson, Master POA President Fall has arrived in SWFL! After the sweltering temps and humidity of the summer, the cooler and dryer weather arrived about mid -month October. We are also approaching the end of the hurricane season peak period! It appears that we may be bypassed by the Big Winds this year! Once we reach the end of October the weather in the Gulf and southern Atlantic becomes less supportive for hurricanes. The Weather Tiger reports that only 3% of the Florida hurricane activity occurs after October 25th. Let us hope that we don’t see more activity in November! We need some time for our HOA/COAs to rebuild their reserves for the next big storm. Have you noticed the difference in the amount of rain between the summer and winter? According to the Naples News, the average annual rainfall in Ft Myers is about 72 inches while the average in Naples is 50 inches. The Naples rain is measured at Naples airport while the Ft Myers rain is measured at Page Field. I cannot see any significant geographic difference between the two airports which are about the same distance from the Gulf.
So far this year, both reporting stations are running significant deficits from “normal” and the local fire districts are concerned about brush fires. Looking at the average monthly rainfalls, there is a big change between the summer months which average about 7 to 9 inches and less than 2 inches monthly from November through March. October is a transitional month with under 4 inches compared to 8.6 inches in September and 1.4 inches in November. By the way, are you aware that Comcast Channel 207 provides 24/7 local weather radar scans? So much for the weather…the Master Board POA in October approved its 2024 annual budget keeping the Master quarterly assessment at $540 which is included in your neighborhood’s quarterly assessment. Our Master POA Treasurer, Mickey Wheeler, will use some of our accumulated Surplus to augment the assessment income to meet the 2024 contractual increases in our Comcast and other contracts and give the neighborhoods an opportunity to recoup their losses from the Ian cleanup. He did alert the Board that we will probably have to increase the assessment in 2025 to fund the contract increases.
Grandezza GirlFriends By Cindy Fitzpatrick, Social Media Committee Lions & tigers & bears, oh my! Our October guest speaker, Marci Seamples, is the director of development at the 100+ year old Naples Zoo. Marci shared the zoo’s fascinating history. We also learned about the many animals that call the zoo home, including capybaras and tapirs. You may have to google them, I did. Many exciting things are happening at the zoo. If you haven’t visited recently, you’ll want check it out. A special thank you to Laine Hamill who arranges our programs. Birthday wishes to girlfriends, Peggy Dempsey, Connie Hauge, Mary Jo Mack and Nancy Reilly. Hope all your wishes come true! It was a lucky day for Shelia Hague! Not only was she the winner of the bracelet, but a raffle winner as well. For Girlfriends on Facebook, we have a newly created Facebook group, Grandezza Girlfriends Inc. This is a private group for members of Grandezza Girlfriends only. If you’re interested, please submit your request to join the group via Facebook. It’s another resource for upcoming events and a place to see photos from luncheons and interest groups.
Mark your calendars for our next luncheon on November 9 with designers Shirley Cook and Liz Flowers. They will share tips for decorating for the holidays. This is one you won’t want to miss. Registration has begun for 2024. There is a $15 renewal fee for current members and $25 fee for new members. We currently have over 20 interest groups, so there’s something for everyone.
Note from the Editor
Exploring Membership…One Day At A Time By Sally Watts, Director of Membership, The Club at Grandézza Season has arrived! What makes Grandèzza so special is our warm and welcoming membership. The sense of community is evident not only among our members but also in the interactions between our members and the Grandèzza staff. It is a wonderful feeling to be part of the Grandèzza family. Whether you have spent the summer with us or just now returning to your home, we offer you a warm welcome with an exciting season of events and experiences planned for all to enjoy! Under our new ownership, Heritage Golf Group, new projects have already started and are nearing completion. Golf course bunkers and sand traps have been
One expense that did increase is the annual provision for our pooled reserves which will be $114K compared to $71K in 2023. We received the 2024 reserve study from our outside reserve consultants which incorporated the recent increases for local repairs and parts, etc. This review is a Master Board policy to insure that our pooled reserves keep current with capital asset prices by having the study updated every 3 years. The largest reserved asset is the repaving of our Master roads and the pooled reserve assets provided the funding for the 2023 road work which cost about $140K. We visited our Primary Care doctor in October and asked about the fall vaccinations. Of course, he mentioned the usual (but updated) flu shot and strongly recommended the RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) serum. Apparently, RSV is a relatively new vaccine to lower respiratory tract disease which can be sourced from direct or indirect contact with others. It usually causes mild cold like symptoms but can be more dangerous to senior citizens… in case you happen to know any. It is free under Medicare insurance. He also recommends the new versions of the Covid vaccination but mentioned that this is not as important as in the last few years since they now have new drugs that can cure most of the Covid symptoms and have significantly reduced the number of victims of the disease. We were able to get our vaccinations at Publix without an appointment. But that may change when the seasonal visitors arrive. Did you know…there is small retail center planned just east of Grandezza at the entrance to Wild Blue? I understand that it will have a convenience store, gasoline and perhaps Starbucks. It will be accessed from Corkscrew Rd. The zoning for this center was included in the master zoning for Wild Blue. Another possible Estero change…Walmart has asked the village for permission to build a free-standing building in its US 41 parking lot to facilitate delivery of online orders. A sign that retail shopping is constantly changing. As we get to know Florida. Let’s discuss legal services, which appear, based on TV ads, to be a major industry in FL. Florida has the 4th largest number of licensed attorneys in the USA at 92,000. About 13,000 of those are domiciled out of state and about 60% are male. Morgan & Morgan advertises that they are the largest “tort” law firm in the world. Of course, they do not mention that the US is the only large country that has a tort industry. We look forward to seeing our seasonal friends over the next few weeks!
getting a facelift while the Clubhouse and Studio parking lots are being milled and repaved. Our old Hollywood-themed Membership Welcome Back celebration officially kicked off the season on November 3rd followed by our golf team hosting our Men’s and Ladies’ Opening Days. Throughout the season, our Director of Fitness and Wellness, Yvette Bernosky, has a schedule packed full of classes, workshops, special events and fun experiences for the entire family. Guest speakers and Grandèzza on the Go excursions will keep our membership busy with a variety of day trips and topics. When not in the gym or studio, David DeKeersmaker, our Director of Tennis, provides a great workout out on the tennis courts with individual or private lessons. While, Chef Javier Exploring Membership on page 3
As we move into season there are many fun things happening. Each season brings new and exciting choices for entertainment and cuisine for families and friends. There are several new restaurants and bar venues opening this season. The Backyard Social in Fort Myers had a grand opening. This venue offers fun seating stations inside and out, delicious cuisine choices from eight food truck vendors along with live entertainment, and fun games for the family like shuffleboard, duck pin bowling, etc. In addition this December Margaritaville will open its resort at Fort Myers Beach. These are some of the fun places you can bring your family and friends. The best part of beginning the season is welcoming new residents that have moved to our Grandezza neighborhoods this past year. Welcome new neighbors to our wonderful community! Enjoy and be safe. Susan D. Baker, Ph.D., suzbake1@gmail.com