Gina Birch | Special to naplesnews.com
The sun may’ve been golden, but the festival was silver representing its 25th anniversary. Saturday afternoon at The Ritz-Carlton Naples Tiburon, festival goers dressed to impress with lots of designer sparkling and sequined tops, skirts, bags, and jackets, along with shiny silver boots, and stilettos.
One end of the Grand Tasting tent was lined with tables burgeoning with rare and vintage wines, many that are seldom accessible to the general public.
At the other end of the tent was a massive dessert display filled with creations that were works of art. Wowing the crowd was a 35-inch paella pan filled with apple pie. Along the perimeter, top chefs from around the country served a variety of exquisite savory bites.
Next, the Gulf Coast High School Drum Line led the group into the auction tent with its lively beats. The energy under the auction tent was explosive as auctioneers took turns coaxing the crowd to open their wallets to support the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF).
Since its inception, the foundation has raised some $302 million for underserved and at-risk children in Collier County.
See lots of photos and read the full article on naplesnews.com.
Charles Runnells | Naples Daily News
America’s Got Talent star Mandy Harvey celebrating World Ukulele Day. The soothing sounds of “yacht rock.” Opera Naples’ event-packed Festival Under the Stars. Blues-rocker Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
Those are just some of the great concerts you’ll find onstage this February in Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs and the rest of Southwest Florida. Here are our picks for the best shows to see this month.
We’ll add more concerts as they’re announced. See naplesnews.com.
Kate Cimini| Fort Myers News-Press
Most nights, the residents in and around Kings Lake, Naples, listen to screaming, crying, and howling.
All because of a few lonely limpkins.
Known as Florida’s loudest bird, several limpkins haunt the shores of Kings Lake each year, searching for a mate. Once considered endangered, limpkins are a version of a rail, roughly the size of a heron, and are mostly brown and black, with white and yellow feathers peeking out between.
The limpkin has a long, downward curved beak, which it uses to snag its favorite snails from the bottom of freshwater marshes and lakes.
According to the National Audubon Society, the limpkin is a wading bird with no close relatives. It feeds largely on freshwater apple snails in Florida and southern Georgia, and spends most of its time alone.
Naples neighbors of the limpkins say they are generally easy neighbors. They spend most of their days in the tall pines that dot the skirts of King’s Lake, and residents say they don’t have to take special precautions to avoid bothering the birds — but the birds don’t have the same compunctions.
Read the full article on naplesnews.com.
Laura Layden | Naples Daily News
The “Miracle Mile” in Naples has seen another eye-popping sale.
A beachfront redevelopment site has fetched $92.5 million. The buyer: Kolter Urban, based in Delray Beach on Florida’s east coast.
It’s the second big investment made by the same company along a roughly one mile-stretch of Gulf Shore Boulevard North that has been dubbed the “Miracle Mile,” after showing resilience in the face of so much devastation from Hurricane Ian in 2022.
The area is seeing major changes.
The storm has triggered more redevelopment and a grassroots effort, supported by the city, to rebuild and improve the “public realm.”
With the redevelopment, residents and city leaders see an opportunity to “make lemonade out of lemons,” in a public-private partnership to improve the look and function of the street, creating a marquee entrance into the city. A conceptual plan is in the works.
Kolter’s latest purchase in the area is a 3.07-acre site at 3300 Gulf Shore Blvd. N.
In a statement, Brian Van Slyke, the company’s regional president for the West Coast, said the purchase “represents Kolter Urban’s ongoing commitment to creating exceptional waterfront living experiences.”
The company’s projects include The Ritz-Carlton Residences in Sarasota, Saltaire St. Petersburg, ONE St. Petersburg, and Hyde Park House in Tampa, with other communities currently under development along both coasts of Florida.
Read the full article on naplesnews.com.
If you are looking for waterfront living in Naples, Florida, contact David at David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.
Laura Layden | Naples Daily News
Plans for a new Costco in Southeast Naples are quietly inching ahead.
While Costco has yet to confirm its interest, it has two companion petitions working their way through Collier County’s development review and approval process.
Ultimately, both petitions will require approval from a county hearing examiner.
One request is for an insubstantial change to a planned unit development. The other is for a waiver to the separation requirements for gas stations.
“Neither can be approved without the other’s approval,” said Sean Sammon, the county planner assigned to the project.
It appears the project will not require approval by the Collier County commission. That’s because gas stations and general merchandise stores are already allowed within the Hacienda Lakes PUD where the land sits.
The location is a forested site at the corner of Collier Boulevard and Rattlesnake Snake Hammock Road.
Read the fill article on naplesnews.com.
Liz Freeman | Naples Daily News
In 2018, Callista Gingrich was awarded an honorary doctorate from Ave Maria School of Law in Naples.
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped a Southwest Florida resident for one of his latest appointments.
Trump on Sunday announced Callista Gingrich, 58, wife of former House speaker Newt Gingrich, as his choice for ambassador to Switzerland, according to the New York Times.
The couple in 2021 purchased a $3 million home in the Quail West Golf & Country Club development in North Naples although it’s not clear if they still own the Naples home, according to Collier County property records.
Read the full article on naplesnews.com.
