Coastal Breeze News

L’ SHANAH TOVAH 5772 Rabbi Edward M. Maline DD, Cantorial Soloist Hari Jacobsen, and President Bernie Seidman extend an invitation to all unaffiliated to Celebrate the High Holy Days at The Jewish Congregation of Marco Island SELICHOT  Saturday, September 24 Join us for a 6:30 PM Dinner ($25 per person), followed by our Selichot Service Reservations for dinner are required no later than September 19, 2011 Tickets for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Services for non-members may be purchased at a cost of $100 per person for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and $50 per person for one Holy ... Read More »

JRobert to Record Panache Desai World Puja Radio Show at Mangrove Music Studio Beginning September 7, 2011, contemporary spiritual teacher Panache Desai will broadcast “The Guru is You” radio show via the internet on the World Puja Network to a listening audience of over 900,000 people. “The Guru is You” is a radio show featuring Panache Desai and is presently being recorded and engineered by well known entertainer JRobert Houghtaling at Mangrove Music Studio on Marco Island, Florida. “The Guru Is You” airs 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of every month on the World Puja internet broadcasting system. 12:30pm Pacific / ... Read More »

The Humane Society Naples invites you to the 13th Annual Afternoon Tea & Fashion Show “Afternoon Tea de Capri”  Friday, Nov. 11th 2011 3:00 – 6:00pm Hosted by Gail & Jim Lozelle at: Naples Yacht Club, 700  14th Ave. S., Naples, FL $110 per person Join Co-Chairs Philip Douglas and Doug Olsen and The Humane Society  Naples for a delightful afternoon of furry fun including champagne, fine  tea and a delectable menu!  The finest pet and people fashions from  Pucci & Catana Luxury Pet Boutique, Kathryn’s Collection and  Marilyn’s will be showcased in an elegant setting…all benefiting the  pets awaiting a forever home at the Humane Society ... Read More »

We had a great turnout during the FIRST Drowning Prevention Strategic Planning Meeting held in Collier County, as you can see on the picture we had great representation. The individuals, who attended the meeting yesterday, were committed, attentive, excited, passionate, and dedicated to saving lives from drowning. These individuals although from very diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, all showed such cohesiveness and collaboration to work together to ensure the success of the programs/initiatives/goals/strategies discussed during the 4hour meeting.  I would not doubt for a minute that this group of people could accomplish anything they set as a goal. I ... Read More »

The Marco Island Police Department has received an increased amount of solicitation complaints regarding scams and fraudulent schemes that are being experienced by our local residents. Sergeant Linda Guerrero offers the following crime prevention advice: Scammers are constantly finding new ways to target victims, and unfortunately, Marco Island residents are being targeted. Scammers are posing as friends, family, agencies and companies you know and trust. They may use phone calls, emails, letters, faxes or even text messages in their deceptions and solicitations. Below are a few of the fraud/scam schemes recently encountered by Marco Island residents: THEY CLAIM TO BE ... Read More »

The Marco Island Police Department and City of Marco Island Environmentalist (Nancy Richie), in conjunction with our partners at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) have created the following summary of coyote related information to educate Island residents and visitors. As development encroaches upon wildlife habitat, encounters between humans and wildlife – including coyotes – are bound to increase. Throughout, Florida, the presence of coyotes has become a common occurrence in natural areas as well as residential areas. In the past year, coyote sightings on Marco Island have increased from rare to regular, particularly in the Barfield Bay ... Read More »

If you have any trouble reading normal print these days, we have a suggestion for you after you see your eye doctor: call Carolyn McMahon at 239-774-9393.  She’s the president of CCAB (Collier County Association of the Blind) and we also serve the visually handicapped.  CCAB (nicknamed See-CAB) is a social organization which meets twice monthly at the Golden Gate Community Center and the programs are fascinating. There’s bowling once a month, luncheons from time to time, holiday dinners in season, a late spring picnic  and wonderful speakers. In addition we are in the process of sponsoring a special bingo ... Read More »

A new novel, titled A Time for Patriots, is the latest book in the current series based on Dale Brown’s main character Air Force Lt Gen Patrick McLanahan. Now retired, he and his cadet son are active participants in the fictitious Battle Mountain Nevada Civil Air Patrol Squadron. While the fictional Squadron is involved in a search-and-rescue (SAR) mission for a crashed light aircraft, a terrorist group flies an aircraft containing radioactive material into the Reno Nevada Federal Building. With the U.S. economy in a deep recession, the novel has the Civil Air Patrol’s uniformed civilian unarmed volunteer members rising ... Read More »

Casey Ellis is ready to be Marco Island’s premiere photographer. With a new studio open right on Marco Island, she is off to a great start. After a 13 year absence from the Island, Casey has moved back, and is ready to bring the experience of her photography to her new island studio. The Barron Collier Alumnus, went on to receive her B.S. in Studio Art at Florida State University. For over 10 years, Casey has traveled as a photographer throughout the U.S., most recently relocating from the DC Metropolitan area. “When I found out I had the opportunity to ... Read More »

Pilot Bob Prestyly of Marco Island has been inducted into United Flying Octogenarians (UFO), aviators who are actively flying over the age of 80. The US Fish and Wildlife will occasionally fly with Bob monitoring and counting wading birds, pilot whales and manatee. Call 394 9183 for more information. Read More »

Bill Miller, an entrepreneur who owns two local businesses, is exceptionally active in the community of several different levels, as well as recently becoming a certified Auxiliary Police Officer for the Marco Island Police Department.  Bill donates approximately one hundred hours a month to the Police Department, in various roles including: Police Officer, administrative support, trainer, and mentor. Recently Bill went well above and beyond the normal call of duty for a volunteer with the Agency on two specific and very special projects. After a recent training exercise, Bill recognized an opportunity to provide some specialized equipment to the Department.  ... Read More »

3 Hours Yields over 40 Bags of Trash! Last Sunday’s City of Marco Island Beach Advisory Committee Beach Clean Up was a huge, or “hefty”, success! This success is due to the high number of participants from CJ’s on the Bay and the Boathouse Motel employees. The group swept the entire beach, starting at 8 am at both the South Beach Access and the Tigertail Beach Park, meeting in the middle at the Marriott Resort. Publix supplied the bags, gloves and bottled water to all participants and Marco Island Civic Association provided their beach vehicle to collect full bags of ... Read More »

The Island Players “A Bad Year for Tomatoes” by John Patrick Presented by Antaramian Properties, LLC  TICKETS NOW ON SALE The Island Players announces Antaramian Properties, LLC as presenting sponsor for their premiere production of “A Bad Year For Tomatoes”.   Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at Centennial Bank / 615 Elkcam Circle, or at the Marco Island Historical Society Gift Shop / 180 S. Heathwood.  Online tickets are available at theateronmarco.com. Tickets are $18.  Group discounts are available. The September 30th Opening Night tickets includes the “Meet the Cast” Opening Night party following the performance. The ... Read More »

COASTAL COMMENTS  Donna Fiala  “There’s No Place Like Home”  As our Winter Residents prepare to come back, the Property Appraiser, Abe Skinner, also has prepared and sent out our TRIM (Truth in Millage) notices. For those residents up north it must be a relief to see OUR property taxes for Florida versus their tax bills. What a tremendous difference! Comparing Ohio vs. Florida, the taxes are so much lower in Florida, plus Ohio has county taxes, state taxes, and assorted other fees and taxes (according to my brother who lives in the Cleveland area). And on a personal note, as ... Read More »

By Danielle Dodder  “Nobody trusts government on any level anymore.” City Council Vice Chair Larry Magel sums up the collective headwinds facing anyone wrangling public money these days. Magel, along with fellow councilors and budget subcommittee members Wayne Waldack and Bill Trotter, spent 37 hours meeting with city staff, studying the fine print, and voicing opinions on proposed items in the 2012 budget created by the city as manager and staff worked to create something to pass muster with both public and city council. The challenge: nearly all public money in Florida rides on the back of property taxes. The ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom  Island Animal Hospital has been busy making some major changes. With a brand new facility and the introduction of new alternative therapies for pets, current patients as well as newcomers will certainly be pleased with their experience. After a twenty-year veterinary career in the northeast, Dr. James Bowen and his wife Donna moved to Marco Island and established a new practice, opening Island Animal Hospital. For the past ten years they, along with vet technicians Daphne Polson and Lindsey Ladwig, have been treating the precious pets of Marco Island. Their sincere care and concern for the animals ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus  (The story you are about to read is true. Names and some dates are redacted in the interest of national security….)  Fall 1956. I was fresh out of the United States Army, and my Sainted Mother was complaining to the kitchen clock, stove and refrigerator that I did not yet have a job – or was even looking. Actually I was looking, but there wasn’t much for a lawyer whose experience was court martial work and army stuff. I visited my old dean at law school and he suggested that I go down to Washington where lawyers ... Read More »

By Danielle Dodder  Like a grumpy, sleeping hound, there’s many an old city ordinance better left alone. City code enforcement would happily overlook the occasional sandwich board put out by small business owners hoping to drive customers in, but a recent spate of complaints has resulted in a blanket enforcement of Section 30-527, Prohibited Signs. Code Compliance Supervisor Liz Carr adds that the intent of the ordinance is a good one, as it was meant to keep an excess of neon and tacky from giving Marco an air that’s more Jersey Shore (the show, not the place,) than upscale beach ... Read More »

BEYOND THE COAST  Tarik Ayasun  It has been ten years since America was attacked by a band of terrorists who on that day wanted to destroy America; kill as many Americans as possible and fire the first shot in the Holy Jihad which they declared against America. Despite recent efforts on the contrary by some who are trying to re-write history, this was neither an attack on Western Civilization nor the West in general. This was an attack on America, a cowardly attack on American exceptionalism and a vicious attack on our fellow Americans by Al Qaida terrorists acting in the ... Read More »

By Members of Leadership Marco  The 2011 Leadership Marco Class rubbed elbows with representatives of media giants Gannett and EW Scripps. The group met early in the morning at the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors office to be transported to the offices of the event sponsors: Naples Daily News (NDN) and the Marco Eagle. The class toured their $100 million facility located on Immokalee Boulevard in Naples. The class was impressed with the ecologically friendly facility which is considered green in every aspect. “It is ‘crystal clean’right down to the purification of water used in the ink for the ... Read More »