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Fort Myers Beach Observer fortmyersbeachtalk.com Week of Wednesday, September 21, 2022
BUSINESS
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Real estate event includes national speakers with proceeds donated to Bedz for Kidz
Real Estate Road Map to 2023, hosted by Midland Trust, will provide projections into the real estate market. Featured presenters at the event to begin at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 15671 San Carlos Blvd., include a national motivational speaker and five expert speakers in different sectors of the real estate industry.
Ron Frost, a motivational speaker, business coach, and author, will kick off the evening. Following Frost will be expert speakers Amir Neto, Dan Cronin, Jeff Tumbarello, Mike Lyons, and Christopher L. Pope.
Topics covered by the speakers include mortgages and interest rates, rules and regulations for purchasing and managing property, the seasonality of the Southwest Florida market, and a national and regional economic update.
Included in the event is an opportunity for speed networking during cocktail hour for the first 30 people who check in, a 50/50 raffle, appetizers, and drinks.
All proceeds will be donated to Guardian ad Litem Foundation’s Bedz for Kidz program. The program provides beds, cribs, dressers, and blankets to children in need and has helped over 3,000 Southwest Florida youth.
To learn more about each of the speaker's areas of expertise and for event registration visit www.midlandtrust.com/realestateroadmap2023.
United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades is recruiting volunteers for the United Way ReadingPals program to read with PreK to 2nd graders at 12 school sites in Lee County.
ReadingPals offers volunteers an opportunity to build meaningful relationships with young children, while helping them improve their social-emotional development and early literacy skills. The program provides mentors to positively influence students’ understanding of the fundamental building blocks of reading. Children who are read to are more likely to become good readers. Children who read at grade level by the third grade are four times more likely to graduate from high school.
Volunteers commit to one hour a week during the week and throughout the school year. A short training will provide all the necessary tools and materials. Volunteers are needed at the following participating sites: Bonita Springs Elementary, Colonial Elementary, Edgewood Academy, Franklin Park Elementary, J. Colin English Elementary, New Horizons Estero, Pinewoods Elementary, Villas Elementary, and all Lee Health Medical Child Development Centers – Cape, Gulf Coast, HealthPark and Lee.
The program is supported by the Children’s Movement of Florida in 15 United Ways. To learn more, contact Nancy Coker at NancyC@UnitedWayLee.org or 239-433-7544. To register, go to UnitedWayLee.org/readingpals/
The 10th annual Southwest Florida regional educational and workforce outcomes study has been released and provides key information about demographics, education, occupations, employments gaps and projected job growth.
The study is conducted annually by Workforce Now, a research initiative that studies the regional workforce and is comprised of researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University, Hodges University, Florida SouthWestern State College and FutureMakers Coalition. FutureMakers Coalition is a cross-sector coalition from Hendry, Glades, Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties with the shared goal of closing the higher education gap and, more importantly, retaining those high-skilled Southwest Floridians in jobs within the region.
FutureMakers Coalition aims to transform Southwest Florida’s workforce by increasing the proportion of skilled working age adults with college degrees, workforce certificates, industry certifications and other highquality credentials to 55 percent. This report is one of a series created by FutureMakers Coalition with a view towards identifying opportunities and fostering outcomes to achieve the goal of 55 percent skilled working age adults in support of a diversified and resilient economy, and an improved quality of life for Southwest Florida. The report is divided into two parts: The Regional Economic Research Institute at FGCU prepares the FutureMakers Coalition outcomes and the second part is completed by Workforce Now.
The available outcomes data indicate that Southwest Florida is making positive progress towards achieving the goal with an increase in the skilled workforce from 218,586 in 2013 (the baseline year), or 39.0 percent of the working age population, to 266,075 in 2020, representing 42.2 percent of the total working age population.
Demographics show that Southwest Florida population is growing and at a faster rate than the State of Florida with primary growth occurring in the coastal counties of Southwest Florida. The working age population in the Southwest Florida region increased approximately 12.5 percent between 2013 and 2020. Similarly, the skilled workforce in the region increased approximately 21.7 percent in the same timeframe. In order to meet the 55 percent skilled workforce goal across the five Southwest Florida counties, 346,623 working age adults in the skilled workforce would have been needed, or approximately 80,000 more skilled working age adults in 2020. Progress toward the 55 percent goal is not uniform among the five Southwest Florida counties. This observation suggests that FutureMakers Coalition and its network partners must not only maintain, but expand, their efforts to identify opportunities and to foster outcomes to achieve the goal of 55 percent in skilled working age adults in support of a diversified and resilient economy.
The study is divided into three major sections including demographics, educational outcomes and workforce overview. Each of the three Educational Outcomes –Aspiration and Preparation, Access and Entry, and Persistence and Completion – begin with a “report card” of their respective indicators, along with an overview of the changes from last year’s report. The report also indicates the top growth occupations by major occupational group, level of education, and their median hourly wages.
Educational outcomes suggest an overall retreat in Aspiration and Preparation, Access and Entry, Persistence and Completion measures from the 2021 scores. This regression in educational outcomes may reflect more the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on data collection rather than any actual decline in educational achievement. Selected outcomes are presented by race and ethnicity and by gender when available. Despite any impact COVID-19 may have had on school systems, past trends across the races and ethnicities remained the same. In general, Southwest Florida’s residents who identify as Black or Hispanic and Latino achieved worse educational outcomes, suggesting further efforts are needed to support priority populations –adults with some college, but no degree; adults with no education post-high school, and traditional-age students who are at risk of not pursuing and completing education beyond high school. Businesses and education institutions must design and implement policies and procedures that support equitable outcomes for all and maximize opportunities for the untapped Southwest Florida workforce – the nearly 60 percent working age adults who do not currently hold a high-quality credential beyond high school.
The information in the report lays the groundwork for additional research and further evaluation to be developed by FutureMakers Coalition and its network partners regarding geographic, racial, ethnic, and gender inequities. Rigorous definitions and more accurate means of measurement of inequities in education and in the workforce must be identified and developed and barriers must be removed to meet the 55 percent goal by 2025 for Southwest Florida.
The Workforce Now report indicates that of the 424,494 workers reported in 2021, retail trade was the largest industry, with 17.3 percent of all workers in the region. Accommodation and food services was the next largest industry (14.3 percent), followed by health care and social assistance (14.1 percent) and construction (13.6 percent). Retail trade and accommodation and food services were also among the lowest paying jobs in the region, with average annual wages of $39,222 and $28,588 respectively. The average annual wage for all industries in Southwest Florida was $53,274 in 2021, up 7.7 percent from 2020.
Construction was by far the fastest growing industry in 2021, with employment growing by over 11,000 since 2017. Professional and technical services had the next highest growth (5,206 employment increase), followed by health care and social assistance (4,804 employment increase), manufacturing (2,305 employment increase), and transportation and warehousing (2,074 employment increase).
Health care and social assistance is projected to see the highest average annual growth between 2021 and 2029, adding 1,757 new jobs each year. Accommodation and food services had the next highest average annual growth (1,565 new jobs), followed by construction (972 new jobs), retail trade (908 new jobs) and government (903 new jobs). When combined, these five industries represent approximately two-thirds of all new jobs to be created over the next eight years.
The report also introduces a number of new topics for the reader, including an in-depth analysis on which industries represent competitive advantages for the region, how seasonality has played a role in the economy, and a detailed look into job openings by occupation and educational attainment levels, both in the short- and long-run.
The full study can be downloaded from the FutureMakers Coalition site at https://www.futuremakerscoalition.com/reports/
Readingpals volunteers needed for 20222023 school year
concert will begin at 7 p.m.
“I'm super-excited,” Brook said during a phone interview while touring in Nashville, where she spends time making music and performing. “It's my fifth year hosting for the Island Hopper.”
Brook is the founder of Female Empowering Musicians, an organization that hosts events to allow the support of women and provides an outlet for their own special creativity.
“I love the Island Hopper. It's nice to see our town host songwriters,” Brook said.
Before the festivities begin on Fort Myers Beach though, they will first land on Captiva Island and then downtown Fort Myers.
“I'm playing the whole event,” Brook said. Brook, is scheduled to perform eight shows: four on Captiva Island and four on Fort Myers Beach.
Brook, who made her name performing on “The Voice” and who has since recorded with multi-platinum artists, will start the whole festival off with a free performance at the South Seas Island Resort in Captiva on Friday, Sept. 16, with Brooke Eden beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Brook, who identifies as queer and is married to former Town of Fort Myers Beach Councilmember Summer Stockton, is looking forward to playing poolside in a free “pride live” performance at 'Tween Waters Island Resort and Spa on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. She will be joined by Eden, Shane Stevens and Tyler James Bellinger for the concert.
Brook recently performed at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Bayside Park, performing a new song about sea turtles and one of her favorites “Small Town Paradise,” which is about Fort Myers Beach. Brook recently recorded several new singles in Nashville and has been rolling them out including a recent video release on YouTube. Brook said she will be releasing new singles through December.
Brook said her lyrics are influenced by her own life and experiences. “Some of them are really personal,” she said. One of her new singles, “Tongues of Angels,” deals with being a queer person raised in a strict, Pentecostal family. “I went to counseling for being gay,” she said. Her religious upbringing is also where she developed her musical roots.
Brook said she tries to keep her music upbeat.
“I've grown as a musician and as a writer and an artist,” Brook said. Brook said her experiences include learning to be proud of being gay. “It's definitely a journey,” she said.
The Fort Myers native said 2020 was a tough year for her, like most other people. “I feel like we had a lot of stress in our lives,” she said. “When life is really tough, I like to be an upbeat person.”
Brook said that while the music industry can be tough and competitive, she has had support from Stockton, who handles her social media accounts. “She is super supportive,” Brook said. “Having people in your corner is really important.”
Brook will also return to Cabanas for a free concert Saturday, Sept. 24, with the group Late Night Jam, Sept. 24, at 10 p.m. Brook will play Nervous Nellie's on Sunday, Sept. 25, at 3 p.m. with Kristen Merlin.
In addition to the Cabanas shows, Brook will be performing a number of shows on Captiva, in Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach. Her Fort Myers Beach appearances will also include a free show at the Yucatan Beach Stand Bar & Grill on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 2:30 p.m.
Other Fort Myers Beach venues participating in the Island Hopper Songwriters Fest are Matanzas on the Bay, Pierside Grill and Famous Blowfish Bar and Shucker's.
Also, watch out for Brook on her Instagram account during the festival. She will be recording a golf cart karaoke segment she will post on Instagram where she picks up musicians in a golf cart, gives them her guitar and broadcasts them performing songs.
A full schedule of the festival is at https://www.islandhopperfest.visitfortmyers.com/schedule.
FILE PHOTO
Fort Myers Beach musician Sheena Brook.
ending postseason hopes Lee Health is seeking blood donations to help replenish STAFF REPORT supply levels. Current blood supplies are critically low, and Lee Health’s blood centers are in urgent need of donors.
The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels were eliminated from As home to the region's only trauma center, it is vital thatthe postseason Saturday by the Dunedin Blue Jays in 3-1 the system’s blood supply remains at healthy levels in orderloss at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, dropping Game to quickly care for patients needing an urgent transfusion.3 of the Florida State League West Division Blood and blood products are not only used in the traumaChampionship Series. center, but also to treat cancer patients, premature babies,"We were ready to go today and unfortunately it didn't anemia and a variety of other conditions.turn out in our favor," Mussels manager Brian Meyer Lee Health’s blood centers are the sole supplier of allsaid. "I think we have done a tremendous job this season, blood products for the entire health system. About 800 unitsI am blessed to have a really good staff around me. of blood are needed per week, and the blood centers rely onHaving them around to talk through situations, to help life to saving donations from the community to maintaindeal with weather, player plans, and anything that comes inventory levels.up." The Lee Health Blood Mobile will be at the following
In a scoreless game in the top of the second with two locations: outs, Blue Jays designated hitter Ryan McCarty singled to ∫ Today, Sept. 21: Highpoint at Cape Coral, at 1701left. The next batter was Roque Salinas, who reached on Four Mile Cove Parkway, Cape Coral, from 2 to 5 p.m.an infield single. Victor Mesia then singled to left field, ∫ Today, Sept. 21: The New Resident’s Club at Lakescoring McCarty on a close play at the plate to make it 1- Kennedy Center, at 400 Santa Barbara Blvd., Cape Coral,0. After a walk to load the bases, Josh Kasavich chal- from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.lenged a 3-1 pitch successfully to walk in a run and cap the inning at 2-0.
With the score still standing at 2-0 in the top of the fifth, Manuel Beltre singled to lead off the inning. After a pair of groundouts advanced Beltre to second, Cade Doughty singled to center to score Beltre and extend the lead to 3-0.
In the bottom of the sixth, Mussels left fielder Ben Ross walked with one out. After advancing to second on a stolen base, Tanner Schobel singled on a sharp line drive to left, making the score 3-1.
Two of the Twins' 2022 draft picks combined to finish the last four innings on the hill for the Mussels. Andrew Morris pitched three innings in his Low-A debut, scattering four hits without allowing a run. Zebby Matthews tossed a scoreless ninth but the Mussels couldn't push anything across against the Blue Jays' bullpen.
The Mussels finished the season with a 69-59 record and it was their fourth year reaching the postseason in the last five seasons. ∫ Today, Sept. 21: The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village, at 5951 Silver King Blvd., Cape Coral, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ∫ Sept. 22: Fort Myers Technical College, at 3800 Michigan Ave., Fort Myers, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ∫ Sept. 25: Christian Life Fellowship Church, at 1200 S.W. 20th Ave., Cape Coral, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ∫ Sept. 25: Saint Michael Lutheran Church, at 3595 Broadway, Fort Myers, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ∫ Sept. 26: AAA, at 2516 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, from 8:30 a.m. to noon ∫ Sept. 26: Cape Coral Racquet Club, at 1300 Ceitus Terrace, Cape Coral, from noon to 6 p.m. ∫ Sept. 28: Fort Myers Police Department, at 2210 Widman Way, Fort Myers, from 1 to 4 p.m. All blood donated at Lee Health stays within the system to care for patients in Southwest Florida. If unable to attend a drive, donations can also be made at one of Lee Health’s blood centers. For more information on how and where to donate, visit https://www.leehealth.org/our-services/blood-centers. FDOH Lee to host Substance Abuse and Misuse Workshop
The Florida Department of Health in Lee County will hold a Substance Abuse and Misuse Workshop on Sept. 27 from 6 to 7 p.m. in Meeting Room AB at the South Building, at 1651 Lee St., Fort Myers.
Participants will be provided with the tools to recognize the key differences between use, misuse and abuse. They will also receive a basic understanding of the various types of drugs and their effects on the human body. In addition, participants will leave with a better understanding of the key differences between physical and psychological dependence. “Drugs are medicinal if taken properly, deadly if taken too much and potentially harmful if taken improperly,” presenter and Human Services Counselor Steven Diaz said. “Humans have a complex history with drugs that has taken generations to achieve our still evolving understanding of therapeutic medicine. I invite anyone who is looking to understand this complex and dynamic relationship to this workshop and expand their knowledge on the medically accepted use, misuse and abuse of drugs.” At the end of the presentation, there will be a 15-minute questionand-answer session.
