Mark H. Bickel | Fort Myers News-Press
It’s not like Breeze Airways wasn’t already “all in” when it comes to serving travelers in Southwest Florida. But now the popular airline has increased its presence here in an even bigger way.
Breeze announced recently that it is making Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers (RSW) its ninth base of operations nationally and third in Florida, starting October 1.
What is an airlines ‘base of operations’?
According to a Breeze Airways press release, Breeze will now overnight aircraft, beginning with three aircraft, and the airport will be a crew base for pilots and flight attendants.
Read more about Breeze Airways flights in and out of Southwest Florida here.
Naples and the surrounding Southwest Florida areas of Bonita Springs and Marco Island offer many lovely homes for seasonal and year round living. Contact David to find a home that suits your needs, Call 239-285-1086 or David@DavidFlorida.com
Phil Fernandez | Naples Daily News
Most of the time we have folks bragging to us about the most expensive this, the priciest that. We are in Collier County after all.
And these days, a $6 million abode directly on the Gulf of Mexico is a bargain. Really, truly.
That happened to be Collier’s cheapest single-family gulf house for sale this month after it was listed by Sue Black and Kathryn Tout of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty’s Village office, according to the firm. A total of $5.95 million to be exact.
Built in 1987, 4720 Villa Mare Lane features 3 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms ― never know where you’ll be within its 2,877 square feet when nature calls ― and a two-car garage..
What are five most expensive beach spots for sale in Naples right now? What are the priciest homes in Lee County at the moment? Read on naplesnews.com to find out.
After Ian, when do bookings begin at Lani Kai?
Is it true Lani Kai has set a date for when it is to reopen? Find out on naplesnews.com.
Are you dreaming of a beachfront home in Naples and the surrounding Southwest Florida areas of Bonita Springs and Marco Island? Contact David to find a home that suits your needs, Call 239-285-1086 or David@DavidFlorida.com
Mark H. Bickel | Fort Myers News-Press
There are 67 counties in the state of Florida, but only one can say it is the most generous. Collier County.
SmartAsset analyzed IRS data to determine the places where residents were donating the most money and Collier finished at the top of the rankings ahead of No. 2 Monroe County and No. 3 Walton County.
What to know about SmartAsset’s generosity study
The study calculated how much people donate as a percentage of their net income and the proportion of people in each county who make charitable donations.
The study takes into account charitable contributions as a percentage of net income and the proportion of taxpayers that made a charitable contribution of any amount in a given county.
For contributions as a percentage of income, Collier County recorded 2.8%.
For percentage of returns itemizing charitable contributions, Collier recorded 11.5%.
Collier’s Charitable County Index score is 50.48, edging Monroe (49.67).
Read about the Methodology of the generosity study on naplesnews.com.
Phil Fernandez | Naples Daily News
Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series on Florida’s first Great Wolf Lodge, one of the most significant endeavors in Naples history that’s drawing plenty of questions from you. One of Collier County’s biggest private workplaces, the 530,000-square-foot retreat and water park is slated as Southwest Florida’s third largest employer in tourism, drawing by itself the same number of visitors in a year that all of Collier in its entirety attracts in nearly three months time.
If you thought the $250 million Great Wolf Lodge was just about a 500-room resort and a 92,000-square-foot water park, think again when it comes to its Florida debut slated for September.
For the first time ever, Great Wolf Lodge will be featuring numerous new high-flying and futuristic attractions in its upcoming next generation Florida location that hasn’t previously been offered at its 20 other properties.
In the Know got an early first peek ahead of a Thursday Naples reveal of what’s in store for Southwest Florida, and nearly all of it doesn’t involve getting wet at the locale off I-75 and Collier Boulevard.
Here’s what to know.
What new attraction will be above Great Wolf Lodge’s Adventure Park?
The Howlers Peak Ropes Course will feature its first indoor zipline element, stretching 150 feet in length and providing a 180-degree panoramic view of the 60,000-square-foot newly imagined Adventure Park, which is entered from the resort’s Grand Lobby by traversing under a canopy of mossy branches and twinkling lights.
The course itself provides families the opportunity to balance on ropes, cross bridges and climb through obstacles, with the safety of a harness.
Where will new Great Wolf ‘harness-free climbing expedition’ take you? Read more on naplesnews.com.
Laura Layden |Naples Daily News
In a unanimous decision, city council denied plans for new hotel rooms on Fifth Avenue South in downtown Naples, seeing them as the wrong fit.
The vote came Wednesday, just weeks after a city election, with three new faces on council.
Much of the campaigning in the election centered around growth and development, with the word “overdevelopment” often bantered about, as a threat to the city’s small-town charm.
Two of the new councilors garnered strong support from builders and developers in their campaigns, leading some residents to fear their influence on decision-making for current and future projects.
Bill Kramer, one of those councilors, described the proposal for hotel rooms as trying to stuff 100 pounds of flour into a 50-pound bag. Others on the board agreed.
Council unilaterally saw the hotel rooms, included as part of a new mixed-used building, as overdevelopment. The rooms would have sat atop a new restaurant.
Read more about the discussion and decision on naplesnews.com.
Naples and the surrounding Southwest Florida areas of Bonita Springs and Marco Island offer many lovely homes for seasonal and year round living. Contact David to find a home that suits your needs, Call 239-285-1086 or David@DavidFlorida.com
Liz Freeman | Naples Daily News
What you need to know
Lee Health has crunched financials for staying as a public hospital or becoming a private nonprofit system and found a conversion would bring gains after an initial hit.
The publicly-elected board of the 1,865-bed system with a $3 billion operating budget was briefed Thursday on how some revenue sources as a safety net hospital would be foregone while new financial opportunities would open up.
A 10-year projection starting in 2025 shows Lee Health’s net patient revenue at $34.5 billion if it stays as a public hospital. It would jump to $35.5 billion with the conversion to a private nonprofit. That would be a gain of $1 billion over the 10-year forecast, according to projections by Ben Spence, chief financial officer.
A key short-term loss would be $60 million in supplemental payments that are currently used to support treating uninsured and underinsured patients, according to Spence.
What are the upsides? Read more on naplesnews.com
