Health | David Critzer, REALTOR®

Seminole Gulf Railway agrees to sell land for Bonita-Estero trail project.

J. Kyle Foster | Naples Daily News

The Bonita Estero Rail to Trail will include construction of a 12-foot-wide asphalt path for almost 15 miles, looking similar to paths in Baker Park in Naples.
After four years of negotiations, Seminole Gulf Railway has agreed to sell its 14.9-mile Bonita-Estero rail corridor for a public pedestrian and biking trail.

Lee County and its municipalities, and Collier County if it chooses, have until March 2026 to come up with the $82 million agreed upon price brokered by the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit that works to connect people to outdoor spaces, said Deborah Orton, president of Friends of Bonita Estero Rail to Trail.

The Bonita Estero Rail to Trail – called BERT – would run from just south of the Lee Collier County border to Alico Road through downtown Bonita Springs and Estero ending just north of San Carlos Park at Alico Road. The trail will connect to Lee County’s John Yarborough Trail to the north and the planned Paradise Coast Trail to the south in Collier County.

Seminole Gulf Railway has agreed to sell its 14.9-mile Bonita-Estero Rail Corridor for a public trail in Lee County.
“This isn’t an isolated 15-mile piece of land,” said Doug Hattaway, Southeast Region conservation director at Trust for Public Land. “It’s going to connect to a statewide trail network.”

Read the full article on naplesnews.com.

Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086 to find your home in healthy southwest Florida.

Planning board votes to support new NCH heart and stroke center in downtown Naples

Laura Layden | Naples Daily News

Through a series of votes, the Planning Advisory Board decided to recommend in favor of a new $200-million heart and stroke center adjacent to the NCH Baker Hospital in downtown Naples.

The support didn’t come easily – or unanimously.

The next stop is city council, which will make the final decision on whether the ambitious project gets built, with a first reading scheduled for January.

The advisory board’s decision on three related petitions came on Wednesday after a long day of additional presentations, discussions and public testimony, for and against the project.

The meeting ran for nearly 10 hours, with a few breaks.

NCH wants to build a five-story heart center where the Telford Education Center is located, immediately south of and attached to its hospital, off Seventh Street North.

Paul Hiltz, president and CEO of the NCH Healthcare System, described the project as the “logical next step” to providing great health care at the hospital.

Read the full article and view proposed plan and renderings on naplesnews.com

Do you want to find a home in healthy Naples, Florida? Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086

Playing pickleball in Collier County

A guide for everything you need to know

Kendall Little | Naples Daily News

As the weather starts to cool off, it’s the perfect time to get your pickleball practice in.

Naples has been cementing itself as the “pickleball capital of the world” over the past few years by hosting the national Minto U.S. Open Pickleball Championship tournament. Last year, the tournament brought in 40,000 spectators and 3,000 players.

If you’re a part-time resident or full-time local looking to practice your pickleball skills before the tournament this spring, here’s everything you need to know about Collier County’s pickleball facilities.

Where can I play pickleball in Collier County?

LOCATION: Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park
COURTS: 6
HOURS: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
LIGHTS: Yes. Until 10 p.m.

LOCATION: East Naples Community Park
COURTS: 59
HOURS: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
LIGHTS: Yes. Until 10 p.m.

LOCATION: Veterans Community Park
COURTS: 14
HOURS: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
LIGHTS: Yes on courts nine through 14. Until 10 p.m.

Read the full article for information about costs, parking, new pickleball courts coming, and more on naplesnews.com.

Are you looking for a home in the “pickleball capital of the world”? Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

US Open Pickleball Championships 2023 in Naples

Dan DeLuca | Naples Daily News

The seventh annual Minto US Open Pickleball Championships return to Naples this week with the largest field and largest purse in the event’s history.

More than 3,000 competitors of all ages and levels will descend on East Naples Community Park for the tournament, which begins Saturday and runs through Sunday, April 22. Players from all 50 states and 29 different counties will be in attendance, including the top 200 professionals who will compete for a US Open record purse of $125,000.

Naples – the best place to live in the United States

by Naples News Now

Being the best place to call home in the whole country, Naples deserves the honor.

Naples, Florida, has been declared the best place to live in the United States, making a life in SW Florida a dream come true.

Collier County’s Naples is a beautiful seaside city. This place has white sand beaches, a tropical environment, and a high standard of living. This gem of the Gulf Coast has risen to the top of various “best places to live” rankings.

Mostly, Naples enjoys a warm and sunny atmosphere all year. On average, there are 264 clear days a year, making it perfect for sports like golf, fishing, and boating.

Contact David to find your home in the best place to live – Naples, Florida. David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

What’s it like to live in Naples, FL?

Naples is #12 in Best Places to Live, and ranks highly for retirement, safety, quality of life and more.

U.S. News does a wonderful job of analyzing places to live, going in depth to dig out the details.

Nestled between the edges of the Everglades and the shores of the Gulf of Mexico sits Collier County, home to Naples, Immokalee and Marco Island, as well as a range of distinctly Florida flavors.

U.S. News analyzed 150 metro areas in the United States to find the best places to live based on quality of life and the job market in each metro area, as well as the value of living there and people’s desire to live there.