A: Something big is in the works for the long-vacant former Sweetbay Supermarket in
“We’re
Crifasi of Crifasi Real Estate, which manages and leases Green Tree Center.
“We’ve got all kinds of different players that want to go in there, so we’ll just have to see how it goes, but it’s looking pretty good for the big tenant, a lot of good uses. I think we’ll definitively have somebody signed in the next couple of months. I’d say it’d probably [be] before the end of next year when somebody gets in there. It’s a possibility.”
Crifasi met this year with owner representatives of the Beacon Bowl about the longtime North Naples bowling alley possibly leasing the space after closing this summer, but nothing came of it, he said. Nevertheless, a bowling alley or some other kind of sports or entertainment use such as indoor
5A | A CALLING OF CARE
SCOTT WINS SENATE RACE; ‘DID IT BEFORE MIDNIGHT’
By Aisling Swift
Republican county commissioners Burt Saunders and Rick LoCastro won by a landslide, while Republican Rick Scott of Naples easily defeated Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in their U.S. Senate race Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump won most votes for president statewide — including 65.9% in heavily Republican Collier County — but the presidential race between Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris was too close to call. Scott, Florida’s former governor,
By Aisling Swift
scape plan. Landscapers added mulch and cleaned some areas within 45 days, but other violations remained.
“It wasn’t the team ignoring the violations or not trying,” said Rick Jackson, Coastland Center’s general manager, noting that management had gone through several hurricanes and three landscapers. “The lender was controlling our budget and we
watch party in Bonita Springs. Photo by
Gorman
Rick Scott
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SWFL INSIDER
Dawn appointed to Florida
Council on Arts and Culture
Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo has appointed Elysia Dawn, Executive Director of United Arts Collier, to the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The council is comprised of 15 members who have been appointed to advise the Secretary of State regarding cultural grant funding and on matters pertaining to arts and culture in Florida. Appointments are determined by the Governor, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, in consultation with the Secretary of State. Dawn is a Naples native and returned home to step into the role of Executive Director of UAC in November of 2022 following her work at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and as a professional ballet dancer touring worldwide. Since her return, she was selected to become a member of Leadership Collier Class of 2024 and has reinvigorated the arts at UAC and in Collier County. She will continue in her role as Executive Director of UAC in addition to joining the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
Hoffmann Family of Companies acquires
Naples-based transportation company
Naples-based private equity firm Hoffmann Family of Companies acquired Dolphin Transportation Specialists, a transportation provider with a fleet of more than 165 vehicles, including sedans, SUVs, vans, Mercedes Sprinters, minibuses and motor coaches. Dolphin Transportation, founded by Francis Papps and Tim Rose, operates out of Naples with additional locations in Miami, Tampa/Sarasota, Fort Myers and Marco Island. Hoffmann officials said Rose will continue to lead Dolphin as president and assume the role of president of Hoffmann Transportation Enterprises. In his expanded role, he will collaborate with Tamir Rankow and Randy Smith, directors of the Hoffmann Family of Companies, to drive future acquisitions and enhance customer service offerings across the transportation portfolio. Dolphin Transportation specializes in premium transportation and coordination services for large events, groups and corporate clients nationwide.
Grace Place receives $15K grant from Christ Child Society of Naples
Grace Place for Children and Families received a $15,000 grant from the Christ Child Society of Naples. This contribution will support the Bright Beginnings program, which provides vital early childhood education to young learners while equipping their parents with tools to foster their children’s development. Bright Beginnings is designed to ensure that
children in the Golden Gate community are ready for kindergarten by focusing on early literacy, language and social-emotional skills. The program also allows parents to learn English and essential child development skills, helping them support their children’s education at home and in the classroom.
Seacrest
appoints Mahler as Head of School
After an extensive national search, Seacrest Country Day School reached inward to appoint David Mahler as the school’s seventh Head of School, effective immediately. The search was conducted by the Search Committee of the Board of Trustees in collaboration with national recruiting firm RG175. Mahler emerged as the standout candidate among more than 40 highly credentialed applicants, according to information provided. “We are elated with the outcome of this search,” said Shan O’Fee-Byrom, chair of the Board of Trustees. “David Mahler’s student-centered leadership, vast experience, and vision align perfectly with the values and mission of Seacrest. His tenure as our Interim Head of School has already demonstrated his ability to guide our community toward a bright future.” The Search Committee’s comprehensive process narrowed the pool to four finalists, with Mahler ultimately being chosen for his deep understanding of independent education and proven track record. Mahler, who joined Seacrest in March 2024 as Interim Head of School, will bring more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, coach and educational leader.
STARability raises $90K at Run, Walk & Roll 5K
More than 530 participants joined STARability Foundation’s seventh annual Run, Walk and Roll 5K on Oct. 19 at Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Collier County. The event, which featured a record-breaking number of participants, raised more than $90,000, which will be used to meet the community’s growing needs by expanding STARability’s innovative, life-transforming programs and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Pelican Isle Yacht Club completes $20M marina, seawall reconstruction
Pelican Isle Yacht Club in North Naples recently received a final Certificate of Completion for the complete rebuild
of the PIYC Marina following damage caused by Hurricane Ian in September 2022. The project addressed 1,500 linear feet of sea wall, 113 concrete floating slips, 70 timber slips with IMM Quality Boat Lifts and seven floating aluminum slips. This project was completed in less than 20 months, and select sections accommodated returning vessels as early as December 2023. The rebuild included complete demolition of the existing facility, new concrete floating docks for the floating slips, timber and Wear Deck fixed docks and Quality IMM lifts ranging from 27,000-pound to 54,000-pound capacity. All electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems were newly designed and installed, with the finished facility maintaining the original footprint, but showcasing the latest innovations in resiliency and functionality.
Beach regrading to start at north Collier County beaches
Regrading at Barefoot Beach and Vanderbilt Beach will start this week and last about two weeks, Mondays through Saturdays during daylight hours. Sand removed from properties after Hurricane Milton and piled onto county beaches will be graded to allow for beach restoration. Restoration work will occur from approximately Reference Monument R-1 near Bonita Beach Road to R-15 near the southern terminus of the Barefoot Beach Preserve, and from R-17 south of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park to R-30 south of Vanderbilt Beach Road. Barefoot Beach Preserve will remain closed. Vehicular traffic and parking will be restricted/unavailable at Barefoot Beach Access during recovery efforts. The Vanderbilt Beach Parking Garage will be open.
First phase of Collier affordable senior housing development completed
McDowell Housing Partners completed construction of a 160-unit affordable senior housing development on Rattlesnake Hammock Road just east of Collier Boulevard in Collier County. The first phase includes 91 one-bedroom, one-bath units and 69 two-bedroom, two-bath units. Apartments are reserved for seniors earning at or below 30% to 60% of the area median income, with rents ranging from $586 to $1,408 monthly. The five-story apartment building includes surface parking, a clubhouse, a media room, a pickleball court, a dog park, a gazebo, BBQ grills, an on-site free food program run by Collier County and an office for free health screenings managed by Healthcare Network. Phase II will add 160 units and is slated to open by the end of the year.
David Mahler
COLLIER NOW
COLLIER TO STUDY TOURISM BENEFITS OF PARADISE COAST SPORTS COMPLEX
sources including, possibly, tourist taxes.
Collier County is moving forward on building a ninth field at Paradise Coast Sports Complex, but wants to determine the tourism benefits before considering two more phases of development, including 11 more fields.
The Board of County Commissioners also voted unanimously Oct. 22 to adjust the complex’s beer and wine license to add liquor, which is part of the marketing plans for the complex and FC Naples, a professional soccer team that will begin games there next March.
“We can build anything, but we can’t build everything,” Commissioner Rick LoCastro said before the vote, adding that they need to find the “sweet spot” and research maintenance costs versus potential revenues. “We’re not trying to build the Taj Mahal here, or something that’s more than what’s needed.”
In addition to hosting national tournaments, the complex is home to two United Premier Soccer League teams, Naples City Football Club and Azzurri Storm, and is used by youth teams and other local groups for community fundraising events — even church services. The complex also features movies, bands, July 4th drone light shows, an outdoor gym called The Factory, yoga sessions and other activities.
Commissioners approved Phase 3, which includes a field, a pre-engineered metal building, the south parking lot and bathrooms, at a cost of $9 million to $10 million. It will take 12 to 18 months to build, but it still must go out to bid and commissioners still must approve a contractor. Funding is available in the complex’s capital fund and several other
Commissioners also approved paying Hunden Partners $92,800 to conduct a sports complex tourism and economic impact study. The goal is to determine the effects of current and future phases on tourism, how to proceed, and if money would be better spent expanding Big Corkscrew Regional Park. The complex is expected to cost more than $150 million, once complete.
“If we don’t do this study, we have two options,” said Vice Chair Burt Saunders, who made the motions for the study and Phase 3. “One is to do nothing with Phase 4 and Phase 5; or to move forward with Phase 4 and Phase 5, but we’re shooting in the dark.”
State statutes require the study before the use of tourist development tax dollars, funds that come from the county’s 5% bed tax, revenues from hotels, Airbnbs and other rentals of six months or fewer. The Tourist Development Council must first recommend whether TDT funds can be used to pay for the study and commissioners will finalize that approval.
“The entire facility was designed to put us on the sports tourism map and … I’m fairly comfortable saying Hunden is going to conclude that it does have a positive benefit to tourism businesses in the area,” Deputy County Manager Ed Finn told commissioners.
The third phase is expected to bring in $300,000 more in revenues, he said, with an economic impact to the area of $5 million to $6 million more. They’re also considering converting one field into an amphitheater, but not the usual concrete seating arrangement.
The Collier County chapter of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging As-
Commission seeks guidance on uses of TDT funds
A year after using Conservation Collier funds to balance the county’s nearly $2 billion budget, county commissioners are seeking ways to use state-restricted tourist development taxes for park repairs, maintenance and other uses.
The state Legislature has previously denied requests for more tourist development tax spending flexibility, but Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law that went into effect in July that allows Monroe County to spend $35 million, its surplus TDT funds, on affordable housing for employees of private sector tourism-related businesses in the Florida Keys, an “area of critical state concern.”
Using tax funds for affordable housing has been discussed by Collier and other counties, and Monroe County’s success is expected to spur more requests for other uses.
To help guide commissioners on the TDT’s restricted uses, Chris Johnson, the county’s corporate financial and management services director, gave them a crash course Oct. 22, showing uses for each penny of the tourist tax; a 5% bed tax on rentals of six months or less, including hotels, Airbnbs and campgrounds. The county expects to collect $48 million in TDT revenues for 2024-25 and about $37 million this fiscal year — a conservative estimate due to volatility, including the economy and hurricanes.
“Your reserves are currently sitting at about $80 million,” Johnson said, noting that $60.6 million represents beach reserves. “… To utilize these pennies for TDT public-facility funding, it’s required that you take in at least $10 million in TDT revenues per year, which we do.”
The state statute also requires the Board of County Commissioners to approve public-facility use with a supermajority vote, four of five commissioners; that 40% of TDT revenues be used for promotional purposes; and that the Tourist Development Council spends TDT funds to pay for an independent analysis to demonstrate the positive effects on tourist-related business.
The statute specifies uses for the first, second and third pennies: to pay debt service or to operate facilities, including convention centers, sports stadiums, arenas, coliseums, auditoriums, aquariums, museums and zoos. Those pennies also
BICYCLISTS, PEDESTRIANS SEEK SAFER ROADS AND BIKE LANES COUNTYWIDE
Collier County bicyclists want cities and the county to add more bike lanes, improve current bike lanes, reduce speed limits and add more rumble strips to warn drivers they’ve veered into bicycle lanes.
Those were among suggestions at a countywide Metropolitan Planning Organization virtual workshop on Oct. 29, where 23 participants included representatives of Naples Velo Bicycle Club, Naples Pathways Coalition and Conser-
vancy of Southwest Florida, as well as Naples Deputy City Engineer Alison Bickett, MPO members and county planning staff. Other participants included Monica Ramos, a mother who started a petition for safer roads, and Mary Strackbein, whose family’s “second car” is a “Fetch+ 4,” a cargo-box e-bike.
The suggestions are being gathered by Naples-based Capital Consulting Solutions LLC, which was hired by the MPO to update its Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.
“Our bike lanes here oftentimes have a lot of debris and cyclists will have to go into the road
in order to avoid it, and we get yelled at and harassed,” said Naples Velo Bicycle Club President Angela Parrotta, who called Collier drivers aggressive. “I’ve lived in New York City and in [Washington] D.C., and I’ve never seen a place [like this], where cyclists are absolutely hated by community and the drivers here.”
She suggested educating drivers. “How do we change this stigma and this dynamic where we’re enemies? We’re just trying to save the environment, get some exercise and not be in a car,” she said.
The virtual workshop was the first by the
MPO and Capital Consulting Solutions to gather feedback for updating the Bicycle-Pedestrian Master Plan and create a safer, more connected transportation network for shaping the future of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and to consider micromobility devices, such as Segways, e-bikes, scooters and others. Among topics discussed were updating the master plan, mapping current and future bicycle-pedestrian facilities and ranking priorities for future projects. The next workshop is
COLLIER COUNTY
See
By Aisling Swift
By Aisling Swift
By Aisling Swift
COMBATING SLEEP DISORDERS TO HELP VETERANS FIND REST
Veterans’ health
Michele Santora
Sleep is an essential component to leading a healthy, happy and fulfilling life. Yet, a good night’s sleep is something adults, who typically require at least seven hours of sleep to function efficiently, take for granted.
Sleep disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent among adults, with recent studies suggesting that more than one-third of Americans are getting less than seven hours of sleep in a 24-hour period. While sleep disorders can affect anyone, veterans and active-duty military members are more susceptible to disordered sleeping, which can impair daily performance, as well as ongoing mental and physical health, both during and after service.
Sleep disorders common among veterans
During military service, veterans are exposed to a variety of stressful situations, from training and deployment to returning to civilian life, all of which can significantly disrupt sleep patterns. Sleep disorders can occur alone or together with other issues, and are often caused by stress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use or issues with pain or medical disorders.
The most common sleep disorders experienced by veterans include: Insomnia. Difficulty falling or staying asleep is the most common condition among veterans. Insomnia can affect a person’s overall mood and make other medical conditions more difficult to manage. Disturbed sleep can inhibit recovery or treatment plans for those dealing with substance use or mental health challenges. It is also often associated with increased suicide risk. Approx-
imately 40% of veterans in primary care experience problems with insomnia, compared to 19% in the general population.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This common and serious sleep disorder is caused when a person stops breathing during sleep, which can severely damage mental and physical health. OSA may also increase the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and depression.
Nightmares. Stress, anxiety, being overtired or an irregular sleep routine can increase the risk of nightmares, which lead to sleep loss and can result in daytime tiredness. Following severe stress or a traumatic event, veterans may experience the same nightmare repeatedly, creating long-term concerns.
Ways to manage sleep disorders
Effective treatment is available
for those in need.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended first-line treatment approach for common sleep disorders. Incorporating a series of strategies focused on stimulus control, sleep restriction, cognitive restructuring and sleep hygiene, CBT-I can be delivered either in individual therapy or in a group setting with six to 10 patients. Treatment length is typically six sessions, but ranges from four to eight sessions for most patients.
Other treatment options include psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy (medication), holistic services, OSA medical devices, weight management and sleep hygiene. Developing and maintaining positive sleep habits is essential, and can be improved by the following:
• Limiting screen time before bed
•Refraining from taking naps late in the day
•Avoiding caffeine, nicotine or other stimulants in the evening
• Making the bedroom a calm, relaxing space
•Maintaining a regular sleep schedule
How to seek help
When sleep issues or the inability to sleep affect daily quality of life or cause mental or physical health symptoms, it’s time to seek support. If you or someone you know is in immediate need of help, call the David Lawrence Centers’ 24-hour phone line at 239.455.8500.
To learn more about the work DLC is doing to provide lifesaving and life-changing behavioral health care for those in need, visit dlcenters.org
Michele Santora is a clinician at David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health, 6075 Bathey Lane, Naples.
expected in spring, but the MPO, its Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the county and cities also are discussing bike, pedestrian and micromobility safety.
The MPO is a federally mandated and funded transportation policy-making organization comprising representatives from local government and public transportation authorities.
Bikers’ fears
Bicyclists also complained about the distance between cars and bike lanes being too small.
MPO Chair Lorraine Lantz said Collier is moving toward more multiuse paths for safety and connectivity. “That type of infrastructure really does encourage more of the families who need to walk and to bike and walk their dogs … and that’s a benefit,” Lantz said.
Naples’ Bickett, who also is a bicyclist and pedestrian, said infrastructure improvements, such as separated bike lanes and off-road options, especially for pedestrians and bikes, are a high priority for maintaining safety, as is enforcing hands-free cellphone use by drivers. “One of the biggest and scariest things right now is distracted drivers,” Bickett said. “I don’t know how many times that I’ve almost gotten hit — and that separation makes a difference.”
She lives near her children’s school but doesn’t feel safe letting them bike
there because there aren’t any sidewalks, except by the school.
Sean McCabe, the Conservancy’s growth management specialist, said the environment should be given more weight in planning. He noted his Naples Park neighborhood is one of the most walkable and bikeable communities in the county, “yet it’s not safe to walk here because there are no sidewalks for the most part, other than on the north-south streets, and lighting is only on street corners.”
McCabe said, “Statistics regarding how fast cars are traveling show going from 20 mph, you stand a [nine-in-10] chance of surviving as a pedestrian, or a one-in-10 chance of surviving if somebody’s going 40 mph. So maybe improved policing of the speed of vehicles in some neighborhoods might be another issue.”
Unsafe drivers abound
Ramos complained that Everglades Boulevard in Golden Gate Estates has bike lanes, but they’re too small, while Naples Pathways Coalition Director Rand Franklin said there are problems with traffic violations, and that if there were more bike-pedestrian lanes and more enforcement of bad drivers, more people would ride bicycles.
“Right now, it is very difficult as a bicyclist,” Rand said, adding that some bike lanes don’t have rumble strips on the white portion separating bike lanes from traffic. “I think more of those would be advantageous, too — the safety of a biker wanting to inform a driver that they have veered into a bike lane, maybe wake them up?”
Franklin said laws need to be strict-
er and enforced, and speed limits reduced; especially on Vanderbilt Beach Road, where drivers are traveling 60 mph, not the posted 45 mph.
“There are insufficient bicycle lanes on a number of major roads, so I would say that’s the first priority,” Franklin said, adding that they also need to upgrade others that don’t meet requirements and reconsider the consultant’s priorities. “I was kind of shocked … that safety was weighted at only 25%. … Safety should be the No. #1 priority.”
He said the main goal is to make Collier County a safe place for running, walking and bicycling. In April, Naples approved spending $200,000 to install artificial-intelligence cameras at four busy intersections to gather statistics about vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists.
The Florida Shared-Use Non-motorized (SUN) Trail Network is a system of paved pedestrian and bicycle trails separated from vehicular traffic to provide a safe way for people to enjoy the natural beauty without having to cross busy roads.
Capital Consulting Solutions’ engineer Anthony Arfuso said once it receives public feedback, the consultants will conduct a gap analysis and create a map with public comments. That will be overlaid on a map of existing facilities and plans to propose a prioritized project list.
To learn about meetings, view pedestrian and bike maps or provide input through a survey, go to: bit.ly/ mpobikepedestrianlinks
To read about updates to the master plan and to view the current plan, go to: bit.ly/mpobikepedmasterplan
From page 3A
SPORTS COMPLEX
sociation already has expressed strong support for completing the third and fourth phases, saying the complex boosts tourism.
Complex General Manager Adrian Moses said some tournaments need nine fields and weekend events that use the stadium require a full day of operations, of which FC Naples will be one. He also noted revenues could be higher, but management wants to keep the complex affordable for local sports, while still attracting nationwide tournaments.
“The real impact of this field is increasing the amount of space and time that we can provide our local sports organizations to play sports,” Moses said. “When there aren’t (local) games, we increase the amount of capacity that we have for tournaments, so we can drive the numbers.”
The complex, located off Collier Boulevard near Interstate 75 in East Naples, opened in 2020. The second phase was completed in October 2023. Those phases feature eight synthetic turf fields and a 3,500-seat stadium, but future plans include an expansion to 21 full-size rectangle and diamond fields. Other current draws are the Cove Beer & Wine Bar and The Factory open-air fitness pavilion, which includes an obstacle course, weight room and running trails with workout stations.
Phase 4 would add 11 multipurpose fields, restrooms and other facilities, and Phase 5 would include an indoor sports fieldhouse for volleyball, basketball, ping pong, pickleball and other sports. The complex also features a 13-acre manmade lake, running trails, fitness pods, resistance equipment and beach volleyball areas.
Since taking over management in 2021, Clearwater-based Sports Facilities Cos. was able to turn a profit in 2022 and 2023, despite Hurricane Ian, and continues to grow profits, including through food and beverage sales and commissions from referrals to hotels.
LoCastro noted Collier has built many amazing facilities, then realized it couldn’t sustain them, such as Sun-N-Fun water park, which is closed for repairs.
“Where was the budget to keep it looking pristine?” he said. “After a while, it sort of went by the wayside — and (the sports complex) is like a park on steroids. … We could be using those dollars for lots of different things.”
Although Saunders agreed they need to consider all costs, he said FC Naples soccer’s home and away games will boost tourism. “That will be a huge generator for free advertising for the county,” Saunders said. “It is a tremendous potential generator of tourism in terms of getting hotels filled and getting our restaurants busy, especially in the off-season.”
NEAPOLITAN NEIGHBORS
COMPASSIONATE CARE FUELS LIFE OF NAPLES PHYSICIAN
By Therese McDevitt terry.mcdevitt@naplespress.com
Naples physician Dr. Deborah Houk sees her life — as a doctor, a parent and a community volunteer — as an exercise in compassion.
Houk, an internist who moved to Naples with her family in 2022 and currently serves as a hospitalist at Naples Comprehensive Health, said she sees herself as an empath, or someone who is highly attuned to others’ emotions, and that trait has informed all aspects of her life.
“If I see someone hurting, I want to help them,” Houk said in a recent interview at NCH. “When people really need help, I’m always willing to do whatever I can to help. And I think that has helped me through my career, because it adds an extra level to the care that I’m providing. It’s not just about the diagnosis or getting people out of the hospital; it’s about who they are inside and healing that. So, I think that care and compassion has definitely been a theme in my life.”
Her parents, both educators, migrated to the U.S. from Nigeria, and Houk was born in Madison, Wisconsin, before the family — including her five siblings — moved to a suburb of Dallas. She completed high school there, competing in volleyball, basketball and track and field before tearing her ACL during a basketball game.
But her athletic pursuits had helped cultivate another lifelong trait for Houk: determination.
“I was told that I would never be able to do anything [athletic] again, and that was very devastating to me,” Houk said. “But instead of giving up, I focused on track and field and ran faster than I had prior to tearing my ACL.”
Then, in her junior year at Stanford University, she tore her meniscus and had to have surgery.
“At that time, instead of giving up on track as a whole, I focused more on hurdles, and broke my record the following year,” she recounted with a smile. “So, turning struggles into a strength has been very recurrent, luckily.”
A predestined medical path
Family lore holds that Houk’s path to being a physician was practically preordained, having been predicted by a nurse in the hospital the day she was born.
“My parents told me that after I was born, the nurse came in and whispered through the door that I was going to become a doctor one day,” she recalled. “That’s the story they told me, and I always believed it. And I think that helped shape who I am, because I never really had to worry about what I would do or become. I had faith that what the nurse said was prophetic and true, and fortunately it worked out.”
She told Gulfshore Business recently, when named to the magazine’s annual 40 Under 40 list, that it was really her family’s emphasis on education that ultimately led her into medicine, combined with her desire to help people feel better, improve their lives and potentially extend their lives.
From Stanford she went to The George Washington University for medical school, followed by a residency at Yale School of Medicine. From there she moved to New Orleans, where she served as a director of medicine and a hospitalist at Ochsner Health System before making the move to Naples for roles first at Physicians Regional and now at NCH.
Asked exactly what role a hospitalist plays in an inpatient medical setting, Houk described it as being the “quarterback” of a patient’s care team, coordinating the care that a patient needs from the time they get admitted to the time that they are discharged.
“We are the ones who see them every single day and coordinate the care among all of the different consultants they may need,” she explained. “If they need to have surgery or a procedure done, if something unexpected happens — we’re the ones who have the ‘bird’s-eye view’ of their entire hospitalization.”
Houk said the hospitalist’s role is a challenge because the doctor must take every organ system into account.
“Even if they’re here with a hip fracture, we’re managing their diabetes while they’re here,” she said. “If they come in with pneumonia, we’re still taking a look at their heart, making sure that we’re not giving them too many fluids that push them into a heart failure exacerbation. We have to do a balancing act and interpret a lot from other specialists to
explain what’s going on with their care to them and to their family members.”
Family life and community involvement
Another important aspect of Houk’s life is fitness, befitting a former record-setting athlete. She said exercise — “even if it’s just a 15- or 30-minute workout” — keeps her balanced, and she likes to involve her four children, all under 6, in her workouts when she can.
Houk’s oldest is her daughter, Zoe, 5, followed by twins Gabriel and Christian, 4; her youngest son, Xavier, is 2 and was born right before the family moved to Naples.
She said her children have been her “constant course of inspiration and strength” as her life has shifted in many ways over the past few years.
“As I navigate through changes both professionally and personally, my priority remains creating a stable, loving environment for them,” Houk said.
Houk said her kids enjoy the wide variety of outdoor activities in Naples, especially the beach.
“We love to do it all,” she said. “There are lots of beautiful parks, and the beaches that we love. We also like to go on trips — to Legoland, or Busch Gardens. We still haven’t done Disney, but one day we will!”
In addition to her hospital practice and her busy family life, Houk is involved in several community service and philanthropic efforts, serving on the board of Youth Haven and as co-chair of the American Heart Association’s Circle of Red campaign; she is also a member of the 2024 Leadership Collier class.
When asked to name her favorite thing about living in Naples, Houk’s response was immediate: the people.
“Naples is so unique: It is so philanthropic,” she said. “The people who live here, they give back to any- and everything, and that’s very inspiring to me. I want to be like those people, and I think that surrounding yourself with people who will give you the clothes off their back is very inspiring. It gives you hope that as you ascend in your career and build your life you can give back and make a difference, no matter how small.”
Dr. Deborah Houk poses for a portrait in the simulation center in NCH, where she works as a hospitalist.
Photo by Liz Gorman
NCH ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF CANCER SERVICES
By Therese McDevitt terry.mcdevitt@naplespress.com
Naples Comprehensive Health in late October announced a planned expansion of the system’s oncology services — including for women’s cancers — through a strategic collaboration with Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, one of the country’s top-rated cancer facilities.
The collaboration will give NCH access to a variety of clinical resources offered by Northwestern Medicine, including the ability to consult with oncology experts, refer patients for second opinions and use the latest in clinical trial offerings.
Paul Hiltz, NCH president and CEO, said during an Oct. 28 press event that while NCH has provided oncology services for years, about 40% of people who live in Collier County leave the county to get treated for cancer.
“We want to change that, and thanks to philanthropic efforts and a new collaboration with Northwestern Medicine, we will expand our infusion therapy services and provide a really world-class environment for that kind of treatment which our community deserves,” Hiltz told a crowd of about 50 gathered at NCH for the announcement.
He said the expansion of infusion therapy services was made possible by a “significant” gift from local philanthropists Jim
The move is in collaboration with Northwestern Medicine
and Fran McGlothlin, and that philanthropic efforts for oncology service expansion will be ongoing.
Hiltz said NCH will continue to recruit new cancer physicians and nurses to Collier County, and Northwestern will provide patients with access to “leading-edge” clinical trials.
NCH also announced an expansion of women’s cancer services, naming Dr. Edward Grendys, a gynecologic oncologist, as medical director to lead the advancement of the NCH Women’s Cancer Program. NCH said this will include the opening of a women’s cancer center on the system’s North Naples campus, offering comprehensive gynecologic oncology surgery and treatment.
Grendys, who completed medical school at Northwestern, said he thinks the multidisciplinary collaboration will improve cancer care locally and regionally.
“I think this approach is going to dramatically expand the opportunity to offer initial evaluation of patients and innovative surgical treatments with the addition of new operating rooms and new technologies, as well as chemotherapeutic and radiological innovations to help with care and follow-up,”
Grendys said at the NCH press event. He said the ability to offer clinical trials will “afford our patients a dramatic opportunity for the future.”
In an interview following the press conference, Grendys, who will be based in Naples full-time, said Collier County had been “a little bit of an island” with “fragmentation” from the standpoint of gynecologic oncology care, and that many patients sought treatment either in Fort Myers, Tampa or farther north.
“Our thought was that by generating the ability to do GYN oncology locally and regionally here, we expand local care,” he said. “And what really tipped me over a lot for my efforts in being involved with this has been the collaboration with Northwestern.”
Grendys, who said his passion remains research, is enthusiastic about the opportunities that will exist for local patients to take part in clinical trials.
“I think that’s critically important: It’s the only way we make any difference in longterm outcomes,” he said. “When I started doing this, the median survival for an ovarian cancer patient was in the range of 10 to 12 months. Through the growth of the past
30 years of new medications, molecular targeting, et cetera, we’ve been able to increase that to where we expect 80% of patients to live five years. Now I want to carry that on locally here, so if people desire clinical trial treatment, they have it available rather than try to travel.”
Asked if the expansion of services would eventually lead to a new building, Hiltz said that could be a possibility.
“The first step is to renovate our infusion center, which is on this campus,” Hiltz said. “We’ll be expanding the women’s cancer services at the North campus, but ultimately we’d like to build a comprehensive cancer center here in Collier County.”
Hiltz said the partnership with Northwestern reflects NCH’s commitment “to continually raise the bar in what we’re doing.
“We’re not just going to be treating cancer,” he said at the press event. “We’re building comprehensive cancer programs that support patients every step of the way … Together we’ll provide hope, healing and advanced cancer care so that 40% of our community doesn’t have to leave.”
Northwestern Medicine is home to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, which is designated by the National Cancer Institute as one of only 57 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the country and one of the first to receive a Merit Extension Award from the NCI.
pickleball courts could be a possibility there.
“We have had requests for family entertainment that includes bowling,” Crifasi said. “A tenant has not been signed, but that is one of the requests. We have had numerous inquiries from national retailers for recreational uses and family entertainment.”
Crifasi also recently received an inquiry for that space from a national grocer, but no decision has been made yet about a future tenant there.
“We have not zeroed in on which one we want,” he said, noting that serious discussions are ongoing with potential tenants. “This space is going to lease; there’s no question about it. It’s just a matter of who we go with.”
Green Tree Center also recently created two first-generation restaurant spaces to add to its dining lineup that includes Aqua Seafood & Steaks, Black Forest Restaurant, Boston Beer Garden, Em-On’s Thai Café, Joey D’s Italian Restaurant & Bar, LuLu B’s Diner, Planet Smoothie and Scoops Ice Cream & Acai Bowls. Outparcels include drive-thrus for Taco Bell and Wendy’s, too.
Aqua quietly opened Oct. 31 in the former office space of the Collier County Tax Collector and had its grand opening Nov. 6. (See the Aqua story on Page 4B).
“There’s a little something for everybody,” said Crifasi, who has given a lot of thought to what types of restaurants he would like to bring to the other two new spaces at the center.
“The cuisines that I’m looking for are sushi, French, Cuban and maybe Korean or something like that,” he said. “Those are the four major ones. I’m not saying we wouldn’t do other things here, but those are kind of the majors.”
Scoops is moving its ice cream parlor to the former uniform store space next to CVS pharmacy so that a larger 5,000-square-foot
restaurant space can be created by combining adjacent spaces, Crifasi said. He hopes to finalize plans there before the end of the year.
Crifasi has talked to prominent restaurateurs in Naples and Fort Myers about possibly taking the space. What makes Green Tree Center notable is its effort to host local restaurateurs rather than an abundance of chains.
“We’ve had lots of chains interested. I like mom-and-pops because I grew up in a mom-and-pop restaurant. My family was in the restaurant business for 30 years.
I grew up on top of a restaurant,” Crifasi said. “So, I’m really amenable to mom-and-pop restaurants.
I’m not saying we wouldn’t do a chain, but we haven’t found the right ones.”
Next to Aqua, the longtime Joey D’s recently began another major expansion with the addition of an adjacent Italian market under construction in the corner of the center.
“They’re doubling the square footage that they have currently,”
said Crifasi, who is excited about Green Tree’s progress this year and what’s coming to the center in 2025. “This year’s going to be great, but it’s going to be out of sight next year.”
Bayfront evolution
Bayfront of Naples is aggressively adding more upscale tenants to the mixed-use community where Goodlette-Frank Road meets Fifth Avenue South at the Gordon River.
The local center is welcoming internationally recognized design brands such as B&B Italia, Arclinea and Storia Flooring, said Kevin Stoneburner, Bayfront founder and CEO of Stoneburner Companies.
“These new additions will elevate Bayfront of Naples’ commercial landscape to align with the luxury demographics of the surrounding area,” Stoneburner said.
Two new high-end restaurants will elevate Bayfront at the center’s northeast and southwest corners.
Soluna Restaurant & Bar
launched Nov. 5 in the former longtime location of Stoney’s Steakhouse. Co-owner William Andraca, a Naples local and an award-winning chef, leads the culinary direction and management of Soluna with à la carte options, tasting menus and themed supper club evenings. The restaurant and full bar features a wine club, sommelier-selected wine list and live entertainment in a sophisticated setting.
Ce Soir, another new upscale dining spot expected to launch in early 2025 in Bayfront, will feature modern French cuisine with Mediterranean influences in a more than 7,000-square-foot space that most recently was Southern Style Kitchen & Raw Bar. The restaurant will focus on using fresh ingredients to craft dishes highlighting the region’s rich flavors while incorporating contemporary techniques. The menu for Ce Soir — pronounced “suh swah” and meaning “this evening” in French — will include a mix of seafood and meat dishes, accompanied by
a global wine selection and cocktails.
“They’re Canadian. This will be their first foray into the United States,” Stoneburner said. “They’re going to completely gut that space.”
B&B Italia opened this summer in a former art gallery space abutting Ce Soir at Unit 478 in Bayfront. Introduced by Miami’s 4141 Design Group, the store features the largest selection of Milan-branded furniture and luxury design elements in the United States. Visitors can explore the latest furniture, bath and kitchen designs from B&B Italia and sister brand Arclinea. This store is the first of its kind in a secondary market, highlighting Naples’ emergence as a significant design destination.
Amid its buildout in Unit 457, Storia Flooring will bring its luxury flooring solutions to Bayfront.
Founded by South Florida entrepreneur Santiago Estevez Barroso, Storia collaborates with leading European manufacturers to offer a variety of premium hardwood, natural stone and porcelain tile flooring options for residential and commercial clients.
At Bayfront’s Third Avenue South entrance across from Naples Square, the Palazzo Bayfront Naples condominium community is under construction. Originally introduced two years ago as The Tides at Bayfront before a name change, Palazzo plans 35 luxury residences starting at $2 million. The condominiums are the final phase of residential development at Bayfront.
The Bayfront restaurant unit vacated earlier this year by PizzaJones! remains available, Stoneburner said.
“I don’t have any announcement for that space as of yet, but we’re working toward getting that space as well as some others leased, but that’s really my only truly vacant space at the moment,” he said.
The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim. aten@naplespress.com.
Green Tree Center in North Naples has had many inquiries from national retailers interested in bringing a tenant with recreational and family entertainment uses to the 50,000-square-foot space of the former Sweetbay Supermarket, which closed in early 2013.
Photo by Tim Aten
EARLY VOTING TURNOUT, MAIL-IN BALLOTS SET COUNTY RECORD
By Aisling Swift
Collier County residents flocking to early voting sites and mailing in ballots by Saturday set a record, with more than 65% of active registered voters casting ballots during 13 days of early voting.
“This was an intense, intense election,” said Collier Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Trish Robertson. “We haven’t seen this kind of foot traffic during early voting, ever … It hasn’t been since 2016 since we’ve seen this, because in 2020, most people voted by mail.”
Unofficial results, which the Collier County Canvassing Board will certify Nov. 15, show that by Saturday, 172,709 residents had voted early, by mail or in person, out of 264,077 active registered voters. Of those, 103,785 voted at 11 early voting polling places and 68,743 used mail-in ballots, mailing them or dropping them off at ballot boxes by 6 p.m. Saturday evening, when early voting polls closed.
By comparison, 33% voted in person during early voting in 2020 and 37% in 2016. By Monday evening, mail-in ballots had climbed to 72,185.
The largest turnout was at Library Headquarters on Orange Blossom Drive, with 23,055 voters, followed by Heritage Bay Government Community Services Center, where 14,430 ballots were cast.
“That Heritage Bay location has long blown us away,” Robertson said, noting it’s among two that opened in 2022, and this is its first presidential election.
Heritage Bay saw about 1,000 voters daily, while about 1,500 flocked to Library Headquarters. The record was set on Oct. 22, when 2,208 residents cast ballots at Library Headquarters. Countywide, the highest turnout occurred Oct. 22, with 14,914 voters, followed by Oct. 21, with 14,803.
“We broke our record on Monday, but then we beat that on Tuesday,” Robertson said of the first two days.
Collier is overwhelmingly Republican, and 99,900 Republicans voted early or by mail, compared with 34,775 Democrats, 34,300 no-party affiliation (NPA) and 3,734 from various political parties, such as the Green and Independent parties.
There are 265,995 registered voters here, but only 264,077 are active. Of the larger number, 143,241 are Republican, 53,796 belong to the Democratic Party, 61,896 are NPAs and 7,062 are enrolled in other parties.
With such a controversial election and emotions running high, some friction occurred at polling places. Library Headquarters was packed with campaigners holding signs in the non-solicitation zone, 150 feet from polling entrances in the parking area.
From page 7A
annual adjustments to the homestead exemption due to inflation, helping many Florida seniors, passed after earning 66.05% of the vote, above the required 60% needed to become law. And Amendment 2, “the right to hunt and fish,” passed, with 67.4% of voters saying fishing and hunting should be the “preferred means of responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife.”
But several other controversial amendments failed to get 60% of votes. Amendment 4, “to limit government interference with abortion” and uphold reproductive rights, garnered 57.02%, while Amendment 3, which would have allowed recreational use of marijuana by adults 21 and older, earned only 55.75% of votes.
In a state referendum involving school district races, only 54.98% of voters agreed they should be partisan, featuring political parties. Amendment 6, which would have repealed the state constitutional provision that provides public financing of campaigns for candidates running for statewide office who
“We had a few campaigners who pushed the limit, and we addressed that on both sides. We try to keep it an even playing field for everyone,” Robertson said, adding that they received complaints from both sides, and remedied some situations, but others were within guidelines. “There were some lively exchanges going on outside polling areas.”
On Saturday, a heavy stream of voters flocked to Library Headquarters from 2-3:30 p.m., when the parking lot was packed with campaign supporters. Yards away, more than a dozen people holding signs promoting former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, waved them at drivers on Airport Road and Orange Blossom Drive, prompting a few honks.
Chris and Mary Jo Bovich, who voted that afternoon, called it a “very important” election.
“It’s the future of our country,” Mary Jo Bovich said, citing the economy and national defense. Her husband said he doesn’t “want the same regime that’s there now and all the illegals coming in. They should be coming in the right way.”
Beth Solomon, who held signs promoting Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said she felt compelled to volunteer for the Democratic Party after she went to Library Headquarters to vote.
“It was very hostile here at the beginning of the week,” Solomon said. “The number of campaign flags, people, cars and yelling was very intimidating, and that’s why I’m here. I wanted people to not feel afraid when they come to vote. We have to have a democracy and people shouldn’t be intimidated. … Not all the Trump supporters are obnoxious and threatening, but there were enough of them that I think that’s why you see more Democrats holding Harris signs today.”
agree to campaign spending limits, failed after only 50.43% voted for it.
However, a Collier County school district referendum passed with 84.7%, with voters overwhelmingly agreeing the district should be allowed to move funds from its capital budget to the operating budget to use where needed; the tax-neutral initiative won’t prompt new taxes. It gives the district the funds it needs to “recruit, support and retain highly effective instructional and non-instructional staff and maintain high-quality academic programs.”
Most local elections were won during the primaries, but LoCastro faced write-in candidate Michaela Kendall, who raised no money and garnered only 5.1% of the vote to LoCastro’s 94.9%. LoCastro won a second term as District 1 commissioner on the Board of County Commissioners, representing Marco Island, Goodland, Isles of Capri, East Naples and Port of the Island.
“I take great pride running virtually unopposed,” LoCastro said while celebrating at the Forest Glen Country Club, where he was surrounded by 200 supporters. “That’s my report card from citizens. I look forward to continuing to serve our community with the same integrity, dedica-
Over the days, she said, more people joined Harris-Walz campaigners and Vote Yes on 4 reproductive rights supporters in the crowded parking lot. “We don’t know if they’re Democrats, because there are Republicans here supporting Harris,” she said, as well as NPAs.
Solomon said her fiancé, a dual citizen, arrived here five years ago from Germany and is volunteering. “He said this is the Hitler playbook,” she said, referring to Trump campaign tactics. “You take all these angry, uneducated people and you tell them, ‘I’m going to make you a big shot.’ That’s exactly what Hitler did and he pushed aside educated people. The people that Hitler lifted up ended up running the concentration camps. The parallels are so obvious.
“This is an emergency,” she added. “We can’t afford four more years of Trump. We will lose NATO, we will trash our economy, we will lose our democracy.”
Just feet away, Leigh Ferber, a longtime Democrat, said she was able to see past Trump’s flaws to what he stands for and switched to the Republican Party.
“I had to learn to not worry about the personality,” Ferber said, noting the Bible featured imperfect people. “He’s surrounding himself with so many friends and good supporters who are middle-of-the-ground. He’s actually honest. He’s saying who he is and it’s not the perfect person. God didn’t use perfect people.
“I was Democrat for many years, but it’s the politics that have changed, not us,” she said. “My values have remained the same. I just want good health for people and happiness.”
Gale Goldman walked up to Ferber, who held a “Vote No on 4” sign. “It’s killing women,” Goldman said of state legislation limiting abortion rights in Florida.
“I know the names of women who have died, two of them,” she said. “It breaks my heart. ... It
tion, commitment, and passion as a full-time public servant for another four years.”
LoCastro raised $135,468.50 and spent $81,693.67. Final campaign finance totals will be filed later.
LoCastro campaigned while facing a false misdemeanor assault charge filed by Eden Looney, an ex-girlfriend who was upset that he broke up with her. It wasn’t until September that the prosecutor dropped the charge, after evidence indicated he was innocent and that she’d made the same claims against other men. LoCastro spent more than $40,000 in attorney and private investigator fees to clear his name.
Commissioner Burt Saunders easily won a third term over Richard Conover, a no-party affiliation (NPA) candidate, winning the District 3 seat, which covers Golden Gate, Golden Gate Estates and portions of North Naples, with 75.9% of the votes. Saunders, a former state representative and state senator who easily won the four-way August primary, is a former county attorney who works for GrayRobinson law firm. His donations totaled $94,050 and he spent $79,258.58, compared with Conover, who raised $64,842.82 and spent $60,524.41.
is a complete ban.”
Ferber told her she disagreed, but conceded legislators need to work on it because she didn’t know that she was pregnant by six weeks. Goldman responded that the government should stay away from women’s health decisions, adding, “The minute you say you can control somebody else’s body, that’s a ban.”
She told Ferber her rabbi told her Jewish law says a fetus is not a person until it begins to move through the birth canal and takes its first breath.
Half an hour before polls closed at Heritage Bay Government Center, a steady stream of voters had trickled down to a few.
Eneas Egusquiza, a Cuban who arrived here 65 years ago, called it an important election. “I love my country, and I want to make it great again,” Egusquiza said, adding Trump needs to do the same for the U.S. that he did from 20162020. “The country was great. Everybody respected America, which they don’t do today. Everybody laughs at America today.”
U.S. Navy veteran Nick Bernard, who came here from Haiti with his mother, said it was his first time voting here because he was stationed at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay during the last presidential election. “I could have voted, but it just wasn’t as important as right now,” Bernard said. “It’s just getting out of hand.”
His mother added: “We’re ready for Kamala.” Bernard said he can’t wait for this to be over, calling Trump supporters “a cult” who, like Trump, disrespect the country, veterans, war heroes, the disabled and many others.
“This is not even about racism,” he said. “What I don’t understand is so many people are still voting for him. They don’t know why. I know Haitian citizens who are voting for Trump right now, people that I’ve worked with, people that I know. I know they’re smart. … This needs to go. This is a disease. They all act the same way, whether they’re white, black, Hispanic — even if they just got disrespected.”
When he arrived here, Bernard said, he wanted to join the military because there’s “one line people should not cross. You can disagree with a U.S. military member, you can hate them as a person, but you do not disrespect their service,” he said, calling Trump a coward who didn’t want to serve his country, a man who branded U.S. Sen. John McCain a “dummy” and a “loser” because he was a prisoner of war who was captured, so he wasn’t a war hero.
“Is he crazy?” Bernard asked. “He disrespects everybody. I disagree with John McCain policy-wise, but he’s a U.S. hero. That’s somebody I looked up to. He was captured … We should be watching movies about this guy.”
He noted there are too many lies: Trump wouldn’t turn over medical records or IRS documents, yet demanded President Barack Obama provide his birth certificate to prove he was born in the U.S. Bernard equally disliked Vance, calling him “morally bankrupt.”
Saunders, who plans to retire after this upcoming term, said he’s looking forward to four more years to finish projects the county has been working on, such as the veterans long-term care community VA nursing home at the former Golden Gate Golf Course.
“And I’m looking forward to finishing off Paradise Coast Sports Complex, so that facility that’s the home of our new professional soccer team will grow to its full potential to serve this community for the generations to come,” Saunders said after leaving his party at Whiskey Park.
“And I’m looking forward to completing the mental health receiving facility project with David Lawrence Centers and, most importantly, I’m looking forward to completing these major road projects over the next couple of years to improve traffic flow throughout the county.”
In Greater Naples Fire District races, incumbent Al Duffy won 38.3% of the vote, edging out challengers Stanley A. Bunner Jr. (34.6%) and Wayne J. Martin (27.1%) for Seat 2, while incumbent Dominick Biondo kept his seat against challenger Russel Tuff, winning 62.1% of the vote. In a Mosquito Control District
race, challenger Lou Tinnel, who ran on a no-aerial spraying and natural initiative, failed to oust incumbent Russel Burland, who won 72.8% of the vote.
Republican U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds of Naples won a third term, easily beating Democrat Kari Lerner, a former New Hampshire state representative in District 19, earning 66.46% to Lerner’s 33.54%, while Republican U.S. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart beat attorney Joey Atkins, winning his 12th term, 71% to 21%.
Republican incumbent State Rep. Adam Botana, of Bonita Springs, edged out Bonita Springs Democrat Mitchel Schlayer and write-in candidate Patrick Post of Naples, winning the District 80 seat, which covers a portion of Collier County. Botana, who was first elected to the Florida Legislature in 2020 as the District 76 representative, won 70.5% of the vote to Schlayer’s 29.5%.
Marco Island Republican Yvette Benarroch beat Democrat Charles Work of Naples, winning 68.08% of the vote to Work’s 31.92%, and claiming the District 81 seat vacated by incumbent State Rep. Bob Rommel, who termed out after eight years.
Photo by Liz Gorman
simply just had to stick with what they would fund us.”
He referred to a $114.5 million mortgage for the 1998 purchase by Coastland Center Joint Venture. He and the mall’s attorney assured the board the new landscaper signed a sworn affidavit promising to fully restore the property by Nov. 24. Jackson said a landscaper is now onsite daily, “so you should never see that property coming out of compliance again.”
Opened in 1976, Coastland Center was originally anchored by Sears and Maas Brothers, a Tampa-based department store that opened Feb. 3, 1977. Over the years, the mall underwent two expansions and a change of ownership in 1998. It is now 950,000 square feet and anchored by Macy’s, JCPenney and Dillard’s.
The mall’s problems began in summer 2023; violations involving grass and shrubs were corrected immediately, so it wasn’t fined for that. But problems persisted and the city cited the mall in November, prompting the January hearing. Photographs showed old, broken asphalt, overgrown bushes and vegetation encroaching onto sidewalks and trash strewn on the property, including entrances on Goodlette-Frank Road, Ninth Street North and Fleischmann Boulevard.
“There is notable improvement at Coastland Mall,” Bill Quinsey, the city’s code compliance manager, told the board, calling it a “difficult situation. One of the improvements is that you have a general manager on site … so we do have some local interest in the property.”
Quinsey explained that the problems involved funding and decisions at the corporate level, Chicago-based Brookfield Properties Retail Group, which manages the property.
Jackson, a Brookfield employee, said he took over in mid-March, when he learned of the landscaping issues and fines. He discovered problems began before Hurricane Ian, when its long-term landscaper retired and the mall began seeking a new landscaper. But then Hurricane Ian hit.
“We lost a lot of vegetation and had a lot of debris to clean up,” he said, adding that he secured $50,000 for that cleanup.
In early 2023, it hired a new landscaping company, the lowest bidder. At the time, the mall’s commercial mortgage-backed security loan was due, and Brookfield began negotiating an extension because interest rates were skyrocketing and Brookfield couldn’t refinance it. It had to take the lowest bidder for the landscaper, so that budgeted amount was locked in.
“Then we found out that … the reason his bid was low was because he didn’t bid the full scope,” Jackson said, so the mall team tried to supplement the landscapers’ work.
“They were out there on the mowers, using trimmers, doing the best they could,” Jackson said, adding that when rainy season began, it was hard to keep up. “They pushed themselves so hard that one of my maintenance techs actually had a heart attack on the mower, so we backed off of that.”
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After receiving the violation notice, Brookfield discovered the landscaper wasn’t even doing the work promised under the low bid, Jackson said, adding, “So now we have to kick them out and restart that process all over again.”
When he arrived, he found there were mechanisms under the loan that allowed him to request a budget increase, which he received in August. That allowed him to secure a fullscope landscaping contract, with a landscaper onsite daily.
“We secured $150,000 in capital to be able to restore all the dead landscaping, everything that was ordered from that hearing in January, and we’re right in the middle of that project,” Jackson said, adding that work began before hurricanes Helene and Milton, which caused further delays.
The mall’s attorney asked that fines be reduced or paused until Nov. 24.
From page 3A
TDT FUNDS
can be used to promote and advertise tourism and convention bureaus; to finance beach park facilities; and for beach maintenance, renourishment, restoration and erosion control, including shoreline protection. The newest use is public facilities.
Authorized uses for the fourth penny are professional sports facility debt, operating costs of convention centers financed with tourist taxes and promoting and advertising tourism. Collier is using the fourth penny to repay debt for Paradise Coast Sports Complex, which is expected to cost $150 million. The fifth penny also can be utilized for professional sports facility and convention center debt and to promote and advertise tourism.
“There is actually a sixth penny available for use for high-tourism impact,” Johnson said, noting it has the same uses as the first three. “To take advantage of that penny, TDT sales need to exceed $600 million within the county, or 18% of total taxable sales.”
Collier qualifies because its 2023-24 fiscal year collections translate into roughly $1 billion in sales, he said. But to collect the additional penny, voters must approve a ballot referendum to raise the tax to 6% during a general election. At least two counties are doing that Nov. 5: Manatee County, which wants to raise its tax to 6%, and Indian River County, which wants an increase to 5%.
Some counties have gotten into hot water over their uses of TDT funds, which require proof the use will benefit tourism. In October, Brevard TDC questioned the legality of using TDT funds to help pay beach lifeguards and is seeking an opinion from the Florida Attorney General.
A 2023 audit by the Florida auditor general found Escambia County never reviewed TDT expenditures and they weren’t authorized by the Tourist Development Council, including salaries and benefits for a marine resources division. In June, the auditor general reported the county has adopted procedures to review and document expenditures to ensure they promote tourism. And in August, the owner of
Quinsey, who agreed there were improvements, said compliance requires an inspection by a city planner and suggested hearing the case again in January, the next hearing date. “The whole idea of a daily fine is to … compel someone to get compliance,” Quinsey said, noting the mall admits it’s not in compliance. Jackson said he met with the mayor and city manager to tell them 90 days wasn’t enough for such a large property, but city officials couldn’t change the Feb. 7 order. Board members questioned whether they could reduce the fine once it’s in compliance.
Code Enforcement Attorney Robert Eschenfelder said the fines will continue to accrue because it’s beyond 90 days, but the board can waive or reduce fines in January or any time before it becomes a lien, when City Council would take over. The board unanimously voted to continue the case until Jan. 23.
a public relations firm contracted to promote the Florida Keys was arrested and charged with 14 counts each of perjury and making false official statements involving payments to a nonexistent firm. The arrest came after the county Clerk of Courts audited Monroe County TDC, which contracted the man.
During the final 2023-24 budget hearing, Collier commissioners decided to take $53.5 million in Conservation Collier funds to cover a more than $60 million budget shortfall; only Vice Chair Burt Saunders opposed. The vote angered residents and environmental groups, who said residents had approved the ballot referendum because they believed the funds could only be used for conservation purposes.
A month later, commissioners adopted a resolution allowing them to take Conservation Collier funds whenever needed. By September 2024, only $29.6 million of the funds had been used and Chair Chris Hall contends it doesn’t need to be repaid.
This year, the county hired ResourceX, a priority budgeting consultant, which suggested other ways to trim the budget, including public-private partnerships and reallocating funds.
Commissioner Bill McDaniel Jr. told Johnson he’d like ResourceX to investigate additional TDT uses. “If we can come up with an extra $2 [million] or $3 million out of the TDT tax to offset repairs, maintenance and upkeep of our park system, that frees up money in the general fund that can be reallocated for other necessary infrastructure,” McDaniel said.
For more than a year, McDaniel has been working with commissioners from Monroe and Orange counties to amend the state statute to allow hotels, restaurants and other tourism business to obtain TDT grants for hotel rooms due to their employees’ difficulties in finding affordable apartments. Collier’s former tourism director branded that proposal “nearly insurmountable.”
Commissioners unanimously agreed to ask ResourceX to determine the latitude they have in spending TDT funds. During the same meeting, commissioners agreed to move forward with the next phase of the Paradise Coast Sports Complex, and directed the TDC to consider paying for a study to determine whether TDT funds could be used for the expansion.
Employees of a landscaping company begin their work recently outside Coastland Center mall in Naples. Photo by Liz Gorman
NAPLES WORKS ON FIFTH AVENUE SOUTH PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS
By Aisling Swift
The city of Naples continues to work on “polishing the gem,” revising design plans to transform Fifth Avenue South into a more beautiful, pedestrian-friendly and social area.
Among changes presented to the Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board on Oct. 28 were using a consistent palette of
pavers, relocating benches and adding seating areas, planting shade trees to alternate with palms and making sidewalks more accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act, including curbs that gently slope down to the avenue and side streets.
Initially brought forward in 2016, the Fifth Avenue South Streetscape and Sugden Plaza Concept Plans are eagerly awaited by the non-profit Fifth Avenue South Business Improvement District, which is working with the
city on revisions.
“It’s one of those things that keeps getting pushed back and pushed back and we worked really hard this year to bring it forward,” BID
Executive Director Meg Stepanian said in a phone interview after the meeting, adding that plans were postponed until 2027. “… The last major funded project on the avenue was in 2010, when the CRA funded lamp posts.”
Conceptual plans by Pennsylvania-based
GAI Consultants, which has four Florida of-
fices, were accepted by Naples City Council, sitting as the CRA, in September 2020. At that point it requested further revisions to the plans, which include side streets: Eighth Street, Sixth Street and Fourth Street. The cost was estimated at $5 million, which will be funded by the CRA. Stepanian worked with CRA Administrator Anita Jenkins to spend $400,000 on design plans this year, with execution in fiscal
TWEEDS CUSTOM SUIT SHOP
A PERFECT FIT FOR NAPLES
By Tim Aten tim.aten@naplespress.com
The new Tweeds suit shop seems to be tailor-made for Naples, which annually hosts a bevy of stunning philanthropic events where attendees often make personal statements with dazzling custom clothing.
Tweeds launched Oct. 1 in a Naples Design District storefront at 955 Fifth Ave. N., between U.S. 41 and 10th Street North, that most recently was occupied by an interior design firm and previously was home to a personal fitness training studio. The custom suit shop is next door to Olde Naples Chocolate.
It’s the fifth location of Tweeds to open in five years for Donald Carlson Jr., the company’s 32-year-old founder and CEO. Born in Port Charlotte and a lifetime resident of Florida, Carlson has opened Tweeds locations in Sarasota, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Orlando, but he knew his custom suit shop would be a perfect fit for the affluent Naples market.
“We used to come to Naples all the time growing up, and I’ve always loved this little community and the lifestyle and everything,” he said. “I started Tweeds five years ago in Sarasota and always had a want to find a location down here and offer our bespoke goods to the community. We’re super happy to be here.”
An extraordinary startup story initiated Calson’s entrepreneurial venture on the Gulf Coast.
“I sold my car. I bought a 16-foot box truck and I built a suit shop inside of
it,” he said. “At that time, I really didn’t know anything about fabrics or measuring or how the heck I was going to do it; I knew I just wanted to. I spent the prior seven years in the dry-cleaning business with my family. I kind of got burnt out on that.”
Carlson started Tweeds in September 2019, just months before the pandemic shut down everything in early 2020 and created a stay-at-home culture and a more casual workplace. He had to pivot.
“When COVID hit, I knew luxury suits probably weren’t going to be something that people were thinking about, nor having events to go to wear them,” he said. “For a year, I ended up building an online face mask company and we ended up being one of the largest face-mask distributors. When that died out, I went back to Tweeds hardcore.”
A lot of shoe leather and pounding on the pavement preceded the opening of the stores two years ago.
“For the first three years of Tweeds, I knocked on doors, made cold calls, traveled the Sarasota-Miami-Naples area, built a clientele — didn’t have much overhead at first and was able to save a good bit of money,” Carlson said. “Then, I got inspired to want to take it from a one-man ‘solopreneur’ business to learn how to scale a business, so I got kind of obsessed and intrigued with that.”
Carlson homed in on the process over time and established his niche products and services. Tweeds celebrated its fifth anniversary this year.
“I really just want people to know that we’re not a large company; we’re
They also offer sculpture return to Naples
By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
A major donor tour of the final theaters at the newly remodeled Sugden Community Theatre came with a helpful gift: $500,000 from David and Jerri Hoffmann.
And an offer: If there’s a space that can hold their familiar street sculptures, they’d consider bringing them back.
This was not the Hoffmanns’ first contribution to the $22 million expansion and upgrading of the theater on Fifth Avenue South.
“The Hoffmanns were with me every step of the way, to say ‘Yes, we can make this happen,’ and we are so honored to have the Hoffmann name present The Naples Players as people enter the theater,” said Naples Players CEO and executive/artistic director Bryce Alexander at a ceremony presenting the check Tuesday.
The sign on Sugden Community Theatre has been changed to recognize their contributions without changing the name by which it’s been known since the 1998 opening. It now reads: “Hoffmann proudly presents The Naples Players Sugden Community Theatre.”
The Hoffmanns were joined by fellow philanthropists who are recognized in the Sugden’s theater titles: Jay and Patty Baker, for whose late pet, Kizzie, the main theater is named; Tanya and Denny Glass, whose names are on the second-story youth theater; and Jonathan Price, named benefactor for the newly configured studio theater.
Community theater is an important asset of Naples, the Hoffmanns emphasized. The two explained that they grew up with theater in their home state of Missouri.
“I was lead in my high school plays, two of them, Finian’s Rainbow and Bye Bye Birdie,” recalled David Hoffmann. He juggled that with being captain of the
Tweeds founder and CEO Donald Carlson Jr. launched his fifth custom suit shop Oct. 1 at 955 Fifth Ave. N. in Naples. Photo by Tweeds
8 Models Now Open
From page 9A
not a franchise. We’re a small business trying to grow into a bigger business,” Carlson said. “They (customers) are supporting local. We want to give everyone a boutique experience and really offer a cool product, a cool experience in the Naples area. I’m so excited to be down here.”
To celebrate Naples being the golf capital of the world, Tweeds’ Naples store has a putting green inside. “On the wall we have Scrooge McDuck hitting a ball on a putting green with Richie Rich as his caddy,” Carlson said, noting that each of his stores has a playful custom surprise element reflecting local interests.
“Every Tweeds location is designed as a place where clients can mingle, relax and have a memorable in-store experience,” he said. “We added a poker table in Sarasota, a basketball court in St. Pete and a pool table was added to our Orlando store.”
Carlson often prominently wears a tailor’s measuring tape draped around his neck. The accessory provides an immediate professional identifier, much like a stethoscope around the neck of a doctor. It’s more than show, of course; it represents the backbone of his business.
“Our measuring process is extremely thorough. We take 30 different measuring points,” Carlson said. “But what really makes it great is that, after
that, we put a client in one of our suits and shirts and we take pictures of them so we can understand how our patterns lay on their body. It really is an extra step to try to create the perfect fit and, without it, it’s really tough to do that. Measuring is one of the most important things in our business; if we can’t nail the fit for our client, they’re never going to come back to us again. It’s just super important.”
Tweeds does all of its own sourcing, designing and measuring. Each bespoke garment is meticulously shaped to provide a perfect fit for each client’s body and personality.
“We always try to break up our appointments into discover, measure, design,” Carlson said.
“The discovery process is trying to understand ‘Why is this client here? What are they looking for? Are they going to a business conference? Are they getting married? Are they a lawyer? Did they just lose a bunch of weight and need some better-fitting suits? What’s the reason?’ That’s going to tell us a lot.”
Depending on the need, the client may be looking for a custom pair of jeans and a sport coat or a suit or tuxedo.
“Once we know that, we can dive into color schemes and stuff like that to understand how they want the suit to be styled,” he said. “The lapels, the buttons the stitching, the lining, we go over all that and we try to help guide the client to the best decision.”
Tweeds encourages clients to be creative with
a cool, custom fit that makes them look and feel better. Different generations sometimes have different preferences.
“Fit is definitely where we see the biggest differences,” Carlson said. “An older gentleman might want more of a traditional fit, and that comes into our measuring/discover process. Do they want like a full break on the top of the shoe? A younger dude might want a skinnier ankle look with no socks and the pants are shorter.”
Carlson wants his upbeat business to stand out from other custom clothiers. “Mainly, we’re really trying to bring like a younger energy to custom suits, but still keep all of that personal relationship,” he said. “I think there’s sometimes a stigma potentially behind custom suit stores being a little bit stuffy and maybe not as inviting, and that is completely not how we want to be.”
The Naples store is managed by Connor Muldoon, an experienced style consultant who has been working with Tweeds for many years. Muldoon and his wife and two small children relocated to Naples from Sarasota.
Carlson plans to continue opening additional stores. The next one most likely will be the first location on the east coast of Florida.
The Tweeds showroom in Naples accepts walkins 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, while Sundays and Mondays are open by appointment only. Mobile tailoring services are also available. For more information, go to tweedssuitshop. com
From page 9A
year 2026.
The city is developing the design concept with stakeholders and GAI and plans to present the draft conceptual design, with costs, to the CRA on Dec. 2, with final CRA approval in March. Jenkins provided an overview of GAI’s plans to the CRAAB in preparation for a walk-through with staff in November or December before the advisory board makes recommendations to the CRA.
“Their assignment … was to polish the gem and to look at these concepts of landscape, hardscape, site furnishing, lighting, signage, art — all the things that make up the street and the public realm and some of the private realm,” Jenkins said of GAI. “They were also looking at how the street functions for pedestrians, for outdoor dining, for retail, how the plantings are sitting on the curbs and on the sidewalks.”
In addition to landscaping, hardscape, lighting, signs, foliage and planters, the designs consider curbside management, parking, rideshare drop-offs, connectivity, Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements, seasonal lighting, events and other factors.
Established in 1994, the CRA covers about 500 acres of downtown, commercial, civic and residential uses bordered by Seventh Avenue North, the Gordon River, Sixth Avenue South and Third Street South. It’s funded through tax-increment financing, which uses increases in property values to fund projects and programs under the CRA’s redevelopment plan to revitalize the district.
The CRA paid GAI $100,000 in 2019 to start conceptual plans, which began with stakeholder and public meetings. Through a $200,000 grant to The Naples Players, which the CRA approved in June, Sugden Plaza and the area surrounding Sugden Community Theatre were improved.
Due to businesses adding improvements over the years, GAI found numerous paver types, including pavers and slopes on each end of a crosswalk that didn’t match. It counted more than 100 plant species and suggested a reduction to 40, with more shade trees alternating with palms, which are lit at night.
football team.
“That combination wasn’t really in vogue back then,” he added with a chuckle.
Jerri Hoffmann worked in staging at her high school: “It was a big part of our growing up years … If we weren’t physically in the actual production part of it onstage, we were doing something. I helped with costumes. I helped with staging, all kinds of other things.”
That grounding in theater drew the Hoffmanns to the Naples Players after they moved here. The couple even brought Alexander to their second home in Chicago to see new theater architecture such as the Writers Theater in Glencoe, after he proposed a redesign of the Sugden building. They were early donors, and Jerri Hoffmann served on the Naples Players’ board of directors.
“The community of Naples has done a lot for the Hoffmann Family of Companies, and we employ a lot of people in Southwest Florida,” said Hoffmann, who noted the companies have around 2,000 employees in the area. “We like to give back. We think we have an obligation to give back because of what Naples has done for us.”
The Hoffmanns may be better known to people here, however, because of the
series of sculptures they installed on their properties. The statuary gave the city an extemporaneous sculpture walk.
Many were artist Jim Rennert’s quirky, life-size bronzes of an everyman who juggled, raised a hand to check the weather or implore the gods, even climbed a crooked-rung ladder.
In the best-known piece, the everyman stood at the corner of Fifth Avenue South and Park Street, inspecting one upraised foot during an apparent effort to dislodge something from a shoe sole. It was a hit with tourists, who liked to duplicate the pose for selfies. The title was as clever as the sculpture: “It Happens.”
“One of the things we do when we invest in buildings in the community — we always think it’s nice to involve the arts and philanthropy. And one of the first things we do is sculptures,” David Hoffmann said. “We have them all over the country.”
The Naples sculptures quietly disappeared when the Hoffmann Family of Companies, of which the Hoffmanns’ sons, Geoff and Greg, are now co-chief executives, sold 27 downtown Hoffmann properties. They haven’t been redeployed to intrigue passersby in another city, however.
“The new owners didn’t want them. So they’re in storage,” David Hoffmann said. He’d be happy to see them in public again here, if the right spaces were available, he said: “We’re pretty open to suggestions and ideas.”
Stepanian noted most improvements, $7 million worth, were funded by the BID, which was formed in 2010 to contribute to the avenue’s success. Taxes collected by Collier County are returned to the BID through the city to purchase supplemental services, such as advertising, promotions, special events, downtown management and administration. The BID is self-funded by roughly 35 commercial property owners, who are assessed up to $800,000 yearly to benefit 254 merchants and businesses on the avenue.
Stepanian noted some designs won’t function year-round, such as tables and chairs during events by The Naples Players, and others may be changed since it’s been four years since the plans were developed.
“The end game is keeping the crown jewel polished and really investing in the economic engine that brings us our prosperity in the community,” Stepanian said. “We’re the No. 2 destination next to the beaches in the area, so the goal and the commitment for the BID has been to improve the experience for all.”
In recognition of Naples being the golf capital of the world, the new Tweeds store sports an indoor putting green. Photo by Tweeds
David Hoffmann, left; Naples Players CEO and Executive/Artistic Director Bryce Alexander; and Jerri Hoffmann stand in front of the new signage at Sugden Community Theatre. Photo by Harriet Howard Heithaus
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A rts & LEISURE
2024 World Hoop Dance Champion Josiah Enriquez performs during an American Indigenous
Celebration at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation.
Photo by Liz Gorman
Veterans Day events
Naples Botanical Garden admission
Regular garden hours Nov. 9-11 at Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples. Veterans, both active and retired, receive free admission. Garden admission for all others: $27 adults, $12 ages 4-17. Children 3 and under: Free. Members: Free. naplesgarden.org or 239.643.7275
Veterans Day Celebration Concert
6-8 p.m. Nov. 10 at Veterans Community Park, 901 Park Ave., Marco Island. Bring your own seating. Free.
Ongoing events
‘Where There's a Will’ on Marco Island
7:30 p.m. WednesdaysFridays, 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 17 at the Arts Center Theatre, 1089 N. Collier Blvd., Suite #432, Marco Island. In Joe Simonelli’s Where There’s a Will , a whimsical twist of fate brings Shakespeare into the modern world, where he finds himself outside the home of Gordon Coldridge, a struggling playwright dealing with a demanding manager and an estranged girlfriend. Coldridge could use a helping hand — perhaps from England’s most renowned poet. But how helpful can he be from a culture that’s centuries away? $30. marcoislandart.org or 239.784.1186
‘Almost, Maine’ from Naples Players
7:30 p.m. WednesdaysSaturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 10 at Price Studio Theater at Sugden Theater, 701 Fifth Ave. S., Naples. The Naples Players production of this John Cariani dramedy looks in on a place that’s so far north, it’s almost in Canada. And it’s not quite a town, because its residents never got around to getting organized. But love, heartbreak and life changes go on in poignant and funny ways. $50-$55. naplesplayers.org or 239.263.7990
‘Anything Goes’ at Gulfshore Playhouse
2 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays through Nov. 24 at the Gulfshore Playhouse Baker Theater and Education Center, 100 GoodletteFrank Road S., Naples. The effervescent music of Cole Porter in a story of romance at sea opens the new Gulfshore Playhouse Baker facility.
$44-$114 ($25 student seats). gulfshoreplayhouse.org or 239.261.7529
Arsenault’s South Florida reflections
9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays through Feb. 15 at Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S. Heathwood Drive, Marco Island. Name a landmark — in fact, name a secret spot — in Collier County and Paul Arsenault has been there, and with his paintbrushes, creating his own appreciative vision of them. “Reflections of South Florida: A 50-Year Art Adventure” is a retrospective of
CALENDAR
HYMNS AND MORE WITH SELAH
7 p.m. Nov. 10 at First Presbyterian Church, 9751 Bonita Beach Road SE, Bonita Springs. The International Network of Creatives (INC) sponsors its fourth annual evening of timeless spiritual music performed by the multi-GMA Dove Award-winning trio, Selah. The group releases its newest disc, Higher Name , Nov. 1, so expect new songs in this concert of hymns and gospel favorites. Naples-based INC members will also offer stories of the organization’s work, locally and around the world. Proceeds go to INC work with children at risk and those facing mental health and addiction problems. $25. incswfl.ticketspice.com/selah-in-concert
some of those places, beginning with Marco Island, where he helped inspire the building of the museum that stands there today. Free. themihs.info/museum or 239.389.6447
Shroud of Turin sculpture at Ave Maria
On exhibition indefinitely at Canizaro Exhibit Library Ave Maria Library, 5050 Ave Maria Blvd., and The Ark Chapel, Ave Maria. “The Shroud of Jesus: And the Sign John Ingeniously Concealed” is an exhibition following 40 years of study and research by Gilbert Lavoie, M.D. It includes detailed photos, descriptive panels, a sculpture of the shroud commissioned by Lavoie and a 14-foot shroud replica for visitors to view. Free. 239.280.2500
‘Timeless!’ women’s art in Marco 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays through Nov. 25 at Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island. “Timeless” — the National Association of Women Artists Florida Chapter exhibition. In La Petite Galerie: Lynn Nathanson (Nov. 4-Dec. 3) Reception 5:30-7 p.m. Nov. 12. marcoislandart.org or 239.394.4221
Baker Museum: contemporary art, photos 10 a.m.-4 p.m. TuesdaysSaturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays at The Baker Museum, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Art After Hours, with free admission, music, tours and café 6-9 p.m. Nov. 27. “As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic” photography from the Wedge Collection, and through Jan. 5, “Becky Suss: The Dutch House,” new paintings inspired by
American author Ann Patchett’s 2019 novel, The Dutch House $10; full-time student or active military (with I.D.), $5; SNAP benefits (with SNAP EBT card), $1; ages 17 and younger, free. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
This weekend (Nov. 8, 9, 10)
On ‘Alex Katz: Stage and Screen’ 10 a.m. Nov. 8. in the Ubben Event Space at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Kevin Lotery, Ph.D., assistant professor of Modern & Contemporary Art at Boston College, Art, Art History and Film Department, speaks on the stage artistry of set designer Alex Katz, whose art is currently on exhibition at The Baker Museum. $25. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Fleetwood Mask at Daniels 6 and 8:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Daniels Pavilion, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Since 2012, this group has channeled the legacy of the band that created hits including “Dreams,” “Rhiannon,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Landslide” and more. $62. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Philharmonic Pops: Celebrating Gershwin
7:30 p.m. Nov. 8-9, plus 2 p.m. Nov. 9 at Hayes Hall, Artis— Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. The Naples Philharmonic with Jack Everly, principal pops conductor, and Lee Musiker, piano guest artist who was vocal legend Tony Bennett’s pianist for more than 10 years. $70-$111. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
International Collaborative Leadership Institute, examines how the Presidents on Mount Rushmore can offer great insights on healing fractured relationships and rebuilding trust and unity. $39.95 includes buffet dinner, gratuity, presentation. centerforcriticalthinking.com
Get Involved Collier! Volunteer Expo
3-6 p.m. Nov. 12 at Coastland Center, 1900 Tamiami Trail N., Naples. Community members will have a chance to “make a difference” at the 10th annual free event hosted by Leadership Collier Foundation of the Greater Naples Chamber. The Expo will feature a lineup of local organizations, each with unique volunteer roles waiting to be filled. People with different interests will have many options. leadershipcollier.org or 239.784.0933
Jazz guitar at the Daniels 6 and 8:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Daniels Pavilion, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. The Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra with Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo, sought-after accompanist and soloist with 25 albums. $57. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
St. Peter the Apostle Christmas Market
8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at The Spirit Center of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 5130 Rattlesnake Hammock Road, Naples. Art, crafts, jewelry, baked goods, raffles and more. Free admission.
Living Jewish composers vocal concert 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, at Moorings Presbyterian Church, 791 Harbour Drive, Naples. Preconcert conversation at 3 p.m. Seraphic Fire will perform an a capella concert of choral music by living Jewish composers, “Jewish Voices,” led by Conductor James K. Bass. $45-$65. seraphicfire. org or 305.285.9060
50 Years of Rock & Roll, Part Six 7 p.m. Nov. 10 at Hayes Hall, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Rock historian Neil Berg’s favorite rock ‘n’ roll highlight reel, “50 Years of Rock & Roll,” returns for stories about rock music’s glory years, with performances by vocalists who have appeared in Broadway rock musicals. $69-$102. artisnaples. org or 239.597.1900
Next week (Nov. 11-14)
Political solutions from Mount Rushmore
6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, at The Village Spot, 3150 Village Walk Circle, Naples. The Center for Critical Thinking hears “How the Presidents on Mount Rushmore Would Reunite Our Nation: Can America Heal and Rebuild Trust After a Brutal and Divisive Election?” Robert Porter Lynch, historian, author and chairman of the
Critic’s Choice: ‘The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store’ 10 a.m. Nov. 14 at the Daniels Pavilion ($50) and 10 a.m. Nov. 16 at Hayes Hall ($46), Artis— Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Elaine Newton, professor emeritus of Humanities at York University, Toronto, discusses the James McBride book about a skeleton discovered in a small Pennsylvania town. artisnaples. org or 239.597.1900
Cocktails for a Cause 5:30-7 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Artis—Naples Event Center, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Collier Resource Center, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting individuals and families with essential health and human service resources at no charge, is hosting its annual Cocktails for a Cause. The party includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, a top-shelf open bar, music, raffles and prizes. $175. collierresourcecenter.org or 239.434.2030
‘Every Brilliant Thing’ at Gulfshore Studio
7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays Nov. 14Dec. 15 at Baker Theatre and Education Center, Struthers Studio, 100 Goodlette-Frank Road S., Naples. A young boy begins his own list of wonderful things at age 7 to help his depressed mother through an episode, and it begins to transform the way he looks at the world. Starring former Gulfshore Playhouse associate director Jeffrey Binder. $40 and up. Discounts for patrons under 35; educators; families of two adults and two children; and active military, veterans, first responders, plus their immediate families. gulfshoreplayhouse.org or 239.261.PLAY
Rachmaninoff and more 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 and 16 at Hayes Hall, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. The Naples Philharmonic with Joana
Contemporary gospel group Selah is the entertainment for an evening of music with the International Network of Creatives. Publicity photo
GULFSHORE PLAYHOUSE
NEW VENUE OPENS WITH A NIGHT TO CELEBRATE
By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
Theater lovers immersed themselves in a rollback of nearly a century Nov. 1, as Gulfshore Playhouse christened the first season in its own building with a 1934 Cole Porter musical artfully aligned with the theater’s Art Deco overtones.
They couldn’t have been happier to turn the clock back, judging by the comments from playgoers at the invitation-only performance and reception afterward. But the happiest among the audience had to be CEO and Producing Artistic Director Kristen Coury, whose dream for 20 years was to have this venue in Naples. After a standing ovation before the show, she addressed the crowd, saying, “I thank you all. This was a shared dream, and we did it together.”
She said she felt the Moran Mainstage, its 368-seat hall, was “like a little mini-Richard Rodgers,” referring to the theater on 46th Street (Broadway in New York) nicknamed the “House of Hits” that yielded such blockbusters as Hamilton. That theater building had even premiered Anything Goes, the musical that was opening the Baker Theater and Education Center at 100 Goodlette-Frank Road.
“You’re going to see a Broadway-level play tonight,” Coury promised. The promise could be made because Coury was not the only force behind getting this theater built. She directed Anything Goes, and recalled bouncing around her bedroom as a teenager to “Blow, Gabriel, Blow,” one of the musical’s rousing dance numbers. Viewing it, but not seeing it
“This was the first time I was able to watch it,” she said afterward. “I’ve been sitting here with a notebook taking notes through all the previews and the rehearsals and everything.” With preview performances three nights earlier, Coury had not gotten home until well after midnight Thursday.
“People are always saying ‘When are you going to cry?’ And I was crying during the middle of the second act — thinking about sleeping!” she said. “Everything’s going well, and I’ll be so excited to get some sleep.”
That state of mind likely led to the remark of the new $72 million theater being “the bane of my soul” before she shook her head and backtracked, laughing along with the audience over it. “The building has been a balm to my soul. The construction has been the bane,” she corrected herself. She was talking not only about the last-minute details but the particular challenges this theater and education center faced. They began with the coronavirus pandemic, which turned design meetings into Zoom calls and demanded fundraising creativity with nearly no personal contact.
Another major problem came from Hurricane Ian in 2022; its force tilted two 34-foot walls
awaiting their steel reinforcement so much that they had to be demolished and rebuilt.
Along with plumbing line issues caused by the storm, it delayed the opening for six months and added about $1.4 million to the price tag, not all of it paid by insurance.
Even this autumn, Hurricanes Helene and Milton threatened to delay opening night. That was not because of flood worries — the complex was built up 3 feet to elude storm surge — but because of
patrons’ potential situations.
Finally, it’s curtains up Friday, those fears were in the past. After the standing ovation, guests made their way to a lobby buffet with wagyu-stuffed olives, salmon-caviar bites and other treats. But most of the attention was on the degree to which a new theater had enhanced Gulfshore Playhouse productions.
On the 70-square-foot stage of its previous home, Norris Commu-
nity Center, even doing a musical was rare, and instrumental accompaniment was likely to be a pair of pianos, or a four-piece ensemble
backstage. On Nov. 1, dancers came kicking out on a 3,000-square-foot stage with an eight-piece orchestra backing them.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Sandi Moran; she and her husband, Tom, were the naming donors for the main hall. “It started with Kristen, and she brought it all in. It’s an incredible dream and I can’t wait
to see the dream go further and for Gulfshore Playhouse to be [presenting] the world premiere of a future Broadway show.”
Sandi Moran has been a producer of Broadway musicals such as Hadestown, Spring Awakening and A Beautiful Noise. Among the hopes for this facility is that it will attract shows that are in preview stage, being groomed for Broadway.
See PLAYHOUSE, Page 8B
Patrons mingle in the lobby of the new Gulfshore Playhouse after it was christened Nov. 1 with the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes Photo by Liz Gorman
FOOD & FLAVOR
THIRD LOCATION OF AQUA SEAFOOD & STEAKS OPENS IN NORTH NAPLES
By Tim Aten tim.aten@naplespress.com
First, in 2011, the Stojkoski family launched Aqua Seafood & Steaks on Fifth Avenue South in downtown Naples. Then, they introduced Aqua to Bonita Springs in 2022. Now, they have opened their most notable location yet in North Naples.
“It’s the biggest, the nicest,” co-owner Goran “Gordon” Stojkoski said about the new 10,000-square-foot Aqua Seafood, Steaks & Raw Bar in Green Tree Center on the southwest corner of Airport-Pulling and Immokalee roads. “We have a beautiful outdoor patio with a pergola that we have. We’re doing a lounge here, too, that’s going to be ready in about a month.”
For many years, the large space at 2348 Immokalee Road was a local hub for residents to pay property taxes, register motor vehicles or get hunting, fishing and driver’s licenses. The former Collier County Tax Collector’s office closed there in 2021 and relocated to a new office at Heritage Bay Government Center.
“When we got it, it was four walls and concrete floors. We transformed it,” Stojkoski said. “It took a year of construction, but it turned out great. We’re really happy with it.”
The upscale restaurant has a total of 225 seats, with 90 of those outside around a fountain. European-style doors open up the front of the restaurant to the patio.
Seating includes an expansive full bar, a chef’s table and a private wine room with 6,000 bottles. A piano is centered on the back wall of the restaurant for live entertainment, which is planned for evenings Wednesday through Saturday.
Diners at Aqua North Naples can expect the same menu and happy hour specials that are served at the Bonita Springs location. “Our menu is identical to Bonita but bigger than downtown, just because of our kitchen capacity,” Stojkoski said. “Downtown, our kitchen is so limited we can’t serve everything that we can up north.”
Aqua North Naples is open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m.-midnight Thursday through Saturday. Lunch is served 11 a.m.-3 p.m., dinner service is 3-9 p.m. daily and happy hour is 3-6 p.m. daily.
The extensive dinner menu has five raw bar selections, 14 starters, six salads, 10 pasta dishes, four risotto choices, 11 seafood entrees, eight steaks or chops and five other main dishes: chicken or flounder piccata, ossobuco, freerange half-roasted chicken, Kurabuta pork Milanese and braised short ribs. The lunch menu includes six sandwich selections, as well. Additional menus are available for happy hour, wine, cordials, desserts and cigars.
The addition of Aqua to Green Tree Center checks two boxes for the center’s management, which has wanted both a steakhouse and a seafood restaurant in the plaza for years.
“They’re a great fit for us,” said Jack Crifasi of Crifasi Real Estate, which manages and leases Green Tree Center. “[Stojkoski] has quite a place there; it’s going to be a big draw. He’s done a great job with the decor. He’s just a good restaurateur. They know what they’re doing.”
Plans are culminating at Green Tree Center, which recently updated its facade with a contemporary look with an expansion of covered outdoor seating and the addition of water features, fire pits and landscaping. Next to Aqua, a walkway was added through the center to connect the main parking lot with more parking behind the center.
“This area, North Naples, is hot,” Stojkoski said.
Next up, the Aqua brand is expanding to Cape Coral in 2025. The local restaurant concept will anchor the retail tenants planned at The Cove at 47th, a flagship luxury apartment complex.
“That will be the only two-story rooftop Aqua,” Stojkoski said. “I’m excited about that one.”
Still in the works is another new Aqua at Aquarius Hotel, proposed to be built in Naples. The three-story boutique hotel is planned to replace the one-story commercial strip on U.S. 41 that is home to Liki Tiki BBQ, Pastrami Dan’s and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Awaiting permitting, Stojkoski said the building won’t be torn down for about another year yet, so the businesses there will be open for another season.
“For some reason, people think we’ve already knocked the
down,” he said. The
and
It’s
Chilean sea bass entree at Aqua Seafood & Steaks features a mizo glaze and coconut curry sauce. Photo by Liz Gorman
The entrance to the third location of Aqua Seafood & Steaks that launched Oct.
in Green Tree Center in North Naples.
Photo by Liz Gorman
‘PORTRAITS OF DEMENTIA’
An exhibition to bring Naples into helpful conversations
By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
A box of tissues sits in a conspicuous place at the current exhibition in the Collier County Museum. Mark its location well.
You’re likely to need some of its contents after touring “Portraits of Dementia,” a photographic exhibition at the Collier County Museum at Government Center that is wrenching, enlightening, frustrating and inspiring. The 35-photo exhibition, lent by the Mid-America Art Alliance, winds through two rooms of the museum at the Government Center, and the museum staff have made it a fulcrum for community support and education.
Its immediacy for a good number of people living here inspired the museum to bring in the touring exhibition, said Amanda Townsend, director of Collier County’s museums.
“Obviously our mainline mission is telling local history, but we saw this as an opportunity to start a community conversation on an important topic,” she said.
The museums have had their own experience with local dementia patients because they have offered a tour of its 1947 railway car, which brings back a flood of memories for participants. The car, at the Naples Depot Museum, is currently closed while repairs from Hurricane Ian are being made, but the museum is hoping to reopen next spring.
“To be in surroundings they remember, that meant a lot,” Townsend recalled. “You could see it in their reactions.”
That brought the idea that this exhibition could contribute more. Elaina Gyure, curator of education, researched local organizations to program proactive enrichment, as well. The museum has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Support Network of Collier County on an upcoming resource fair for people dealing with or affected by dementia situations. There is a talk from the network’s specialists about what’s known, and what may be on the horizon, in treating the conditions. (See the information box for details.)
An engaging start is to see the exhibition in the museum hall, an eye-opening experience for those who are not battling the disease in their own families. The narratives are as gripping as the photos.
Arthena Caston of Macon, Georgia, for instance, took to the lectern, speaking to groups about her unusual early-stage dementia.
“I tell the people in the beauty shop, in the ice cream shop, ‘Just because you’ve got a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s does not mean that your life is ending.’ I want people to know you can live with Alzheimer’s.”
Some of the narratives remind people how gratifying it is for them to recall the stories. One caregiver lamented that she was not only losing her husband to his condition but was losing friends who stopped inviting them to events. Other stories are from children who sacrificed to care for their stricken parents. Daisy Duarte closed her business to stay with her mother.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re a vegetable in bed. They still have ears, and that heart is still beating. So, whatever you say negative in that room, they’re still taking it in,” she warned. “So just treat them the way you want to be treated. Just treat them with respect and love.”
There are philosophies of acceptance, like that of Bama Bradley, pictured at age 29. She has early-stage dementia, like her mother, who died at 34. Her brother died at 33.
“It’s hard to think about who you were, and who you are now, and be okay with it,” says her thoughtful narrative. “I would say be joyful in every moment, because you might not have another one.”
Walk to End Alzheimer’s: 8 a.m. Nov. 9 at Baker Park, 50 Riverside Circle, Naples. The event starts at 8 a.m. with a ceremony, followed by the two-mile walk at 9 a.m. Strollers and leashed pets welcome, but for safety reasons, no bikes or skateboards. Visit act.alz.org to register or make contributions. For more information, email cmthompson@alz.org or call 321.343.6498 x 1558
‘What to Know About Dementia Today’: 2-3 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Collier Museum at Government Center, 3331 Tamiami Trail E., Naples. The museum’s partners at the Alzheimer’s Support Network provide insight on diagnosing, treating and caring for loved ones living with memory-related diseases, sharing up-to-the-minute research, techniques and information you can use in your life. Free.
Family Trees and Memories Family Day: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. drop-in Nov. 16 at the Collier Museum at Government Center, 3331 Tamiami Trail E., Naples. In correlation with “Portraits of Dementia,” this family session focuses on family histories and how to make the generations preceding them part of their lives. Kids will learn how to interview their elders and capture those irreplaceable stories. Take home a template to fill out your family tree and learn how to preserve old family photos to maintain your family history. All ages are welcome, but best for ages 5-12. Free.
Memory Care Resource Fair: Date to be announced, at Collier Museum at Government Center, 3331 Tamiami Trail E., Naples. Booths for care providers, memory care centers and support organizations will offer literature, and representatives will be present to talk with people. Discover ways the community can come together to make the lives of those with dementia, and their caregivers’ jobs, easier and more meaningful. Free.
‘Portraits of Dementia’ exhibition: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays (closed holidays) through mid-January
Arthur Mazman, suffering from brain change, keeps himself surrounded by his art and small
mementos of his past life. Photos by Joe Wallace
Helen Tung, a Chinese expatriate who came to the U.S., is living with dementia, but her family keeps her busy in their lives with family gatherings and dinners.
COMICS & PUZZLES
Posting Date November 4,
1. MOVIES: What was the name of the tournament in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"?
2. GEOGRAPHY: What was the name of the train service that started in 1883 between Paris and Constantinople (Istanbul)?
3. LITERATURE: Who did the pigs represent in the allegorical novel "Animal Farm"?
4. ART: Which European city houses the Reina Sofia museum?
5. TELEVISION: What is the product that Don Draper makes an ad for in the final episode of "Mad Men"?
6. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of unicorns called?
7. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which presidential retreat is officially named the "Naval Support Facility Thurmont"?
8. MUSIC: Which composer is featured in the film "Immortal Beloved"?
9. HISTORY: The Great Wall of China was mostly built by which dynasty?
10. FOOD & DRINK: What kind of fruit is also known as the Chinese gooseberry?
The Orient Express
The ruling class
Madrid, Spain
Coke
A blessing
Camp David, Maryland
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ming Dynasty
Kiwi
OLIVE
By Emi Burdge
Every member of the C.I.A.’s K-9 unit
‘‘____ Affaire de Femmes’’ (1988 French classic)
Theater for a family
Despite the difference of four generations between them and references to bygone celebrities including Mae West and Jimmy Durante in the musical, a trio of youngsters came away from Anything Goes impressed, too.
“I liked it a lot. I liked all the lighting and the backgrounds,” said 10-year-old Wyatt De Asla. “I think it’s one of the best
productions I’ve seen ever.”
His sister Izzy, 11, saw “a very well-rounded cast, all amazing at acting — great dancers, great singers.”
The theater caught the attention of their brother Grayson, 13: “I thought the stage was very beautiful with lots of space,” he said. “And I thought whoever designed the background — that was really kind of interesting.”
“This was just amazing. This theater has made such a big difference,” said Mary Drazan, a theater fan who has been following Gulfshore Playhouse for more than five years.
Charles Simons, who had come with his wife, Alice, and their children, admitted he couldn’t resist some lip-syncing to “I Get a Kick Out of You” and the show’s title tune, “Anything Goes.”
“It’s just spectacular. You couldn’t go anyplace to see anything better. It’s just so wonderful to have it right here in Naples. And this little theater is fantastic,” he said.
“To enjoy the arts and culture, this is what makes life wonderful. It’s our past, it’s our present and it’s also our future.”
The Cole Porter musical Anything Goes is at Gulfshore Playhouse through Nov. 24. Information at gulfshoreplayhouse.org
People relax and mingle in the lobby of the new Gulfshore Playhouse.
Tom Moran, Sandi Moran
Jean Hertzog, Leo Hertzog
Laurie Champion, Anthony Catalfano
Bryce Alexander, Katie Alexander
Brian Goguen, Amy Goguen, Meg Hardt, Tyler Hardt
Gary Gregg, Karen Gregg, Ellie O’Brien, Dan O’Brien
Mindy Roosa, John Melleky, Carin Keane
Gulfshore Playhouse CEO and Artistic Director Kristen Coury and COO and Managing Director Joel Markus
Bob Harden, Linda Harden
OUT & ABOUT
November is Native American History Month, and the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation celebrated with an American Indigenous Arts Celebration on Nov. 1-2. There were local artisans featured, as well as dance and musical performances.
Photography by Liz Gorman
Sonwai LaRance, a hoop dancer from Arizona
Cece Thomas, 2024 Miss Florida Seminole
Violet Osceola, 2024 Junior Miss Florida Seminole
2024 World Hoop Dance Champion Josiah Enriquez of New Mexico
Dallas Goldtooth, an actor who appears on the television show "Reservation Dogs," meets with fans.
Audience members wait to be blessed by the White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers.
The White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers perform a traditional dance at the festival.
LEFT: Joe Tohonnie Jr. performs during the festival.
RIGHT: Billy Walker, a Seminole alligator wrestler, faces off with a gator.
Game on!
Catch the live action of
WEEK 1 - Aug. 23
WEEK 2 - Aug. 30
North Fort Myers at Cape Coral 7 | 0
Barron Collier at Naples 7 | 58
WEEK 3 - Sept. 8 Fort Myers at Cypress Lake 55 | 28
WEEK 4 - Sept. 13
WEEK 5 - Sept. 20
WEEK 6 - Sept. 27
WEEK 7 - Oct. 4
WEEK 9 - Oct. 18
WEEK 10 - Oct. 25
WEEK 11 - Nov. 1
WEEK 12 - Nov. 8
WEEK 13 - Nov. 15
Aubrey Rogers at Palmetto Ridge 21 | 20
Cypress Lake at Riverdale 27 | 43
Bishop Verot at First Baptist Academy 34 | 28
Naples at Fort Myers 42 | 60
Lely at Naples 12 | 36
Mariner at Cape Coral 6 | 26
Dunbar at Fort Myers 28 | 21
Aubrey Rogers at Lely 7:30 pm
State playoff, TBA 7:30 pm
SPORTS CONTACT SPORTS SEEING
MORE BRAIN INJURIES
Speaking of Sports
David Wasson
In contact sports like football, injuries are bound to happen. By its very nature, football is a violent collision activity that carries a 100% injury rate — no matter what, if you’ve strapped on a pair of pads at some point in your life, you’ve gotten hurt playing what is now America’s favorite pastime.
Maybe it was a knee ligament or a shoulder stinger; maybe it was a sprained ankle or a dislocated finger, but football will get you in some way eventually. Note there is also a difference between being “hurt” and being “injured,” where the former rates as bruises and abrasions and general owies, and the latter means a friendly visit from someone who went to school forever but still is practicing what they do for a living.
And then there are head injuries.
The reason we separate them here is because, well, there is still an awful lot we *don’t* know about that hunk of squishy gray stuff floating around between your ears. The most complex of all the human machine’s myriad parts, the head — especially the brain inside — has no owner’s manual nor handy guide
What we do seem to know about football and head injuries is this: They happen. Other than that? Yeah, lots of burgeoning science and correlation effect and post-life analysis allow us to hypothesize that a violent contact sport like football seems to hurt the ol' melon.
when it goes haywire.
What we do seem to know about football and head injuries is this: They happen. Other than that? Yeah, lots of burgeoning science and correlation effect and postlife analysis allow us to hypothesize that a violent contact sport like football seems to hurt the ol’ melon.
And not just at the professional or college level, either, where the speed of the game is downright startling when you see it up close.
At those levels of football, players are legitimately in car accident-level collisions on every play — and more and more are paying the price for it in their post-playing years.
But all the way down to the youth level, where one’s brain is more vulnerable due to the lack of neck muscle strength to help soften a colliding blow and sometimes ill-fitting helmets, concussions are
an issue that simply won’t go away.
Although science is still unraveling many of the intricacies of how the brain is affected by concussions — which are basically brain bruises caused by the brain itself bumping up against the inside of the skull following forceful contact or change of direction of the head — they are certainly talked about more than ever.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a progressive degenerative disease affecting people who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries, and may occur in some athletes and others who have been exposed to concussions and repetitive head impacts. No one even knew CTE existed less than 20 years ago, when Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist, diagnosed it in deceased former NFL star Mike Webster.
Omalu’s findings, which were
immortalized in the Will Smith cinematic vehicle Concussion, sparked further groundbreaking research on traumatic brain injuries in sport and brought with them — after much initial skepticism within football — improved helmet technology and awareness of how concussions cause long-term harm. But one of the principal mysteries surrounding CTE is that it can’t be diagnosed on the living; pathologists can only spot it by analyzing brain cells under a microscope. While incidents used to be downplayed as “punch-drunk” boxers, or football and soccer players “seeing stars” after violent cranial contact, we now have enhanced diagnostic methods to tell if an athlete is suffering from a concussion. Protocols across sports also help determine when it is safe for an athlete to return to action — though they vary from sport to sport.
It is those protocols that kept
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa from playing for more than a month after his third diagnosed concussion in three years. It also is those protocols that now have independent neurologists on sidelines of NFL games to pull players who are exhibiting signs of a brain injury, without the interference of the team or player.
But most colleges don’t have independent doctors specific to brain injury observing games, and high schools and youth football certainly don’t. Compounding the issue is that the game is only getting faster across all levels, and even with increased safety features in helmets, the fact remains that football is what it always has been — a violent contact sport that often sees players literally butting heads. Will brain-related player safety ever evolve to the point that medical experts consider football in line with croquet? Of course not. But while we have learned so much about concussions in sports in the past two decades, there is still so much left to learn in an effort to keep players safer while they enjoy the sport we love.
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.
Carneiro, conductor, and Yeol Eum Son, piano, perform the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, among other favorites. $15 (student)-$74. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Next weekend
(Nov. 15, 16, 17)
Trinity Christmas Market
9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 16 in the parish hall of Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church, 553 Galleon Drive, Naples. This 68th annual The Holly and the Ivy Christmas Market features everything from paddleball outfits to chocolates, orchids, custom tea towels, baked goods, jewelry and pet items. Free admission. trinitybythecove.com Classic car show
9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at Florida SouthWestern State College, 7505 Grand Lely Drive, Naples. The 6th annual Rookery Bay Classic Car Show has more than 100 cars representing everything from pre-1930s antiques to icons from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, muscle cars from the ’60s and ’70s and exotic/highperformance race cars. Food, specialty vendors, family-friendly activities and entertainment. Petfriendly. $10, $5 for ages 3-12 and free for ages 3 and younger.
‘From Opera to Broadway’
4 p.m. Nov. 17 at First Presbyterian Church, 250 Sixth St. S., Naples. Voices of Naples
opens its season with a concert of “greatest hits” from both opera and Broadway. $20 in advance, $25 at the door. 239.293.0645
Wang Series: Dvořák & more
3 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Daniels Pavilion, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Members of the Naples Philharmonic, guest pianist Yeol Eum Son in the Dvořák Quartet No. 2, a contemporary brass quintet and more. $51.
artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Ruckus concert of early music
4 p.m. Nov. 17 at Trinity-bythe-Cove Episcopal Church, 553 Galleon Drive, Naples. Called “the world’s only periodinstrument rock band,” Ruckus is described as “a shapeshifting, collaborative baroque ensemble with a visceral and playful approach to early music” that provides “the grit, groove and jangle of American roots music.”
Free, but tickets are required. trinitybythecove.com or 239.262.6581
Fall Youth Orchestra concert
4 p.m. Nov. 17 in Hayes Hall, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Manuel LópezGómez conducting. Free, but reservations required. artisnaples.org
Plan ahead
Dance Theatre of Harlem
7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in Hayes Hall, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Dance Theatre of Harlem in a virtuosic program of dance with Naples Philharmonic, Alvin Ho conducting. $79-$108. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 in Hayes Hall, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. The Amsterdam-based Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is among the top five in most lists of the world’s great orchestras. It performs a program of Glinka, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev with Klaus Mäkelä, chief conductor designate, and rising star Lisa Batiashvili, violinist for Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2. $104-$176. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
‘A Christmas Story: The Musical’ 7:30 p.m. WednesdaysSaturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays Nov. 20-Dec. 22 at Kizzie Theater inside Sugden Community Theater, 701 Fifth Ave. S., Naples. A musical version, produced by Naples Players, taken from the sweetly famous film. It follows young Ralphie Parker on his quest for a Red Ryder BB gun — which everyone insists he shouldn’t have — for Christmas, moving through a holiday season of dad-ly accidents with the Christmas lights, abominable gifts and school bullies. $50$55. naplesplayers.org or 239.263.7990
Seraphic Fire will perform an a capella concert of choral music by living Jewish composers, "Jewish Voices," led by Conductor James K. Bass, on Sunday, Nov. 10, at Moorings Presbyterian Church. See Page
