photo mosaic of Naples, Florida pier, Bayfront, Bayside, dolphin jumping, magenta orchid, water birds silhouetted against the sunset
It’s Gulf sea turtle nesting season, how you can keep them safe

It’s Gulf sea turtle nesting season, how you can keep them safe

Chad Gillis | Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News

They’re Leviathans of the sea, truly massive creatures that cross oceans each year in order to feed and reproduce.

Sea turtles flock to Florida beaches each summer to dig giant holes, fill them with hundreds of eggs, cover the eggs and then return to the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf.

Compared to their land cousins, sea turtles are enormous, some (like the leatherback) reaching the size of a small car.

They first emerged around 110 million years ago, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, the state agency charged with protected sea turtles and other wildlife.

State nest monitoring increases
Locally, dozens of volunteers and scientists will spend most summer mornings walking local beaches and looking for turtle tracks, which are several feet wide and go from the Gulf, up the beach and then back down to the water.

The state reported more than 133,414 nests on beaches that are monitored in Florida, and that number broke the previous 2016 record by about 8,000 nests, according to Florida Wildlife Research Institute records and local sea turtle experts.

Loggerheads are the most common sea turtle species found on Southwest Florida beaches, and they nest here on places like Sanibel Island, Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Beach, in Naples and on Marco Island.

Read more about the sea turtles on naplesnews.com.

Are you looking for a home in the Naples, Florida area? Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

Real estate news: SW Florida a prime spot for home buyers right now

Real estate news: SW Florida a prime spot for home buyers right now

Mark H. Bickel | Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News

Here’s some good news for people looking to purchase a home in SW Florida, at least according to one analysis.

As the summer homebuying season kicks off and National Homeownership Month approaches, new data from Bankrate shows that Florida is home to six of the nation’s 10 best markets for buyers, according to Bankrate’s Buyer Opportunity Index.

Among them, the Cape Coral-Fort Myers market ranks No. 2 nationwide, supported in part by strong job and population growth in recent years, along with a faster pace of new residential construction than many other parts of the country.

What they are saying: Florida is a ‘buyers’ market
“In some parts of the country, including Florida, the pandemic housing boom is clearly over,” says Jeff Ostrowski, Housing Market Writer and Analyst at Bankrate. “This is frustrating for sellers, but it represents an opportunity for buyers who have been waiting for market conditions to turn in their favor.”

Bankrate’s Buyer Opportunity Index compared market conditions in February 2026 against February 2022 by analyzing four key metrics:

  • housing inventory
  • price cuts
  • median days to a pending sale
  • the sale-price-to-list-price ratio, to identify which markets buyers and sellers have the upper hand

Buyers markets in Florida ranking in Top-10 in U.S.

Florida markets ranking in the top 10:

  • No. 2: Cape Coral-Fort Myers

See the full list on naplesnews.com.

Are you looking for a home in beautiful Southwest Florida? Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

NABOR Market Report | April 2026

NABOR Market Report | April 2026

Robust Pending Sales in April Confirm Market Resiliency

Naples, Fla. (May 22, 2026) – As high season begins to settle and traffic around town eases, the Naples real estate market is showing no signs of cooling off. Overall pending sales (homes under contract) in April increased 38.2 percent to 1,388 pending sales from 1,004 pending sales in April 2025. Steady demand for the Naples lifestyle during April resulted in a 7.7 percent increase in the overall median closed price to $630,000 from $585,000 in April 2025. Broker analysts reviewing the April 2026 Market Report by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR®), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island), predict a solid summer market ahead, especially before the August elimination of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac limited review process for condominium buyers, which will require lenders to review more data, including a condominium association’s reserve fund status.

The percent of list price received in April increased .3 percent, which means more sellers are pricing homes right for today’s market. In fact, less than 30 percent of homes for sale in April initiated a price decrease.

Condo Market Stabilization
“Many condominium associations required to complete structural integrity reserve studies have opted for pooled reserves to help give the associations financial flexibility and avoid imposing sudden assessments against unit owners,” said a Broker. “Grouping funds together allows condominium associations to pay for reserve items as they occur over time in contrast to rigidly allocating funds to a specific reserve item. Pooled reserves can help condominium associations implement a variety of repairs from storm damage more quickly.”

“The condo market is definitely showing signs of improvement,” said a Broker, “especially considering all the things thrust upon them in recent years like mandatory structural integrity reserve studies for those three stories of higher and laws requiring associations fund reserves to adequately pay for structural repairs that exceed $25,000.”

Compared to sales in the single-family homes market, sales in the Naples condominium market lagged until recently. Cindy Carroll of Carroll & Carroll Appraisers and Consultants contends that “special assessments and quarterly association fees made the cost of condo ownership challenging, but the new regulations are making it easier for buyers to understand the total costs upfront.”

Sales of single-family homes outpaced condominiums during 2025, most likely because condo associations were rebuilding those reserves by issuing special assessments upon its owners. But in April, the report showed a 51.4 percent increase in condominium pending sales. Likewise, there were 575 closed sales of condominiums compared to 493 closed sales of single-family homes for the month. And despite a higher cost of ownership, in the last 12 months, there were 1,083 closed sales of condominiums priced below $300,000, while the single-family market could only claim 192 closed sales below $300,000.

The April Market Report identifies 527 condominiums for sale under $300,000 compared to only 120 single-family homes for sale below $300,000. And while inventory has decreased across every other price category and home type, the under $300,000 condominium market grew 3.9 percent in April.

Equity-rich Investment
“The median closed price has increased 86 percent since 2019,” said Carroll. “There are a lot of homeowners in Naples sitting on some good equity.”

New listings, despite decreasing 14.9 percent in April to 1,169 new listings from 1,373 new listings in 2025, are not far off from what we enjoyed pre-COVID. But because a remarkable increase in sales is occurring, new listings can’t keep up with demand so the overall inventory in Naples decreased 21 percent to 5,919 properties from 7,492 properties.

Geographically, the median closed price of condominiums in Central Naples (34104, 34015, 34116) increased 9.7 in April to $334,500 from $305,000 in April 2025. The median closed price of single family homes in East Naples (34114, 34117, 34120, 34137) and Immokalee/Ave Maria, where most new homes are being built, increased 12.6 percent in April to $675,000 from $599,500 in April 2026, and 6.2 percent to $504,500 from $475,000 in April 2026, respectively.

The area still suffers from some oversupply in historically desirable neighborhoods including Aqualane Shores and Park Shore, but other desirable neighborhoods east of I-75 like the Vineyards have less than a two-month supply of properties for sale.

Heightened activity in the condominium market (20.5 percent increase in closed sales) during April resulted in an 8 percent decrease in its overall median closed price to $450,900 from $490,000 in April 2025. But demand for single-family homes in April (28.4 percent increase in pending sales), pushed its the median closed price up 14.1 percent to $850,000 from $745,000 in April 2025.

The NABOR® April 2026 Market Report provides comparisons of single-family home and condominium sales (via the Southwest Florida MLS), price ranges, and geographic segmentation and includes an overall market summary. NABOR® sales statistics are presented in chart format, including these overall (single-family and condominium) findings for 2026:
NABOR Market Report April 2026 chart

Are you seeking a home in the Bonita Springs – Naples, Florida area? Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

Naples waterfront development ‘The Viceroy’ moves closer to approval

Naples waterfront development ‘The Viceroy’ moves closer to approval

Laura Layden | Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News

A long-planned, mixed-use waterfront development in Naples has cleared another regulatory hurdle.

On May 13, the city’s Planning Advisory Board voted unanimously to recommend approval of a conditional use petition to city council.

Years in the making, the project, overlooking Naples Bay, has faced challenges as it has evolved.

Formerly known as The Prom and now as The Viceroy, the development is planned on 1.81 acres of long vacant land, near the intersection of Riverpoint Drive and the Fifth Avenue South bridge downtown.

Plans for the three-story development include short-term lodging, along with other retail and commercial uses, supported by surface and underground parking, as well as street parking.

Read the full article and see renderings on naplesnews.com.

Waterfront land once tied to L.L. Bean family sells for $37M in Naples

Waterfront land once tied to L.L. Bean family sells for $37M in Naples

Laura Layden | Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News

Waterfront land once owned and roamed by the L.L. Bean family in Naples has sold for $37 million.

The sale, involving multiple parcels, was announced on May 11, marking one the highest residential land sales made through the Southwest Florida Gulf Coast multiple listing service over the past year.

The 1.32-acre property spans from the beach to Gulf Shore Boulevard, sitting at the end of the infamous Fifth Avenue South, renowned for its upscale shopping, fine dining, eclectic art galleries – and interesting architecture and people watching.

The offering consisted of three parcels: 25 Fifth Avenue S., 45 Fifth Avenue S. and 470 Gulf Shore Boulevard S., with the flexibility to build a trio of residences, rather than one sprawling estate on a single lot.

The land includes 130 feet of beach frontage, overlooking the Gulf.

Read the full article and view photos on naplesnews.com.

Are you looking for and exceptional property in Southwest Florida? Contact me today to begin your journey. Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

$40M gem tops for Collier County’s most expensive homes sold in April

$40M gem tops for Collier County’s most expensive homes sold in April

Mark H. Bickel | Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News

These are the Top-10 most expensive homes sold in Collier County for April 2026.

Data provided by Royal Shell Real Estate.

1. 860 Admiralty Parade E., Naples

List price: $42,995,000

Sold price: $40,000,000

Neighborhood/Development: Port Royal

Size: 11,559 square feet

Year built: 2024

Days on market: 134

Amenities: Bayfront, Boat Dock/Lift, Beach Access, Community Pool, Private Membership, Tennis Court, Private Pool/Spa, Built-In Gas Fire Pit/Grill, Deck, Fence, Outdoor Fireplace/Kitchen

View: Bay, Mangroves, Preserve

Read the full Top-10 list on naplesnews.com.

Ready to explore the most exceptional properties of Southwest Florida? Contact me today to begin your journey. Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.