Coastal Breeze News

Hilton Naples & Shula’s Steak House and the Greater Marco Family YMCA are being recognized as the 2012 Commissioner of Education’s Business Recognition Award (CBRA) for being an extraordinary and creative partner of education and supporter of student success in Collier County. Hilton Naples & Shula’s Steak House is a business partner that is strongly committed to education and providing real-life experiences for students in Collier County.  As a strong corporate citizen, they understand that investing in education will help build the backbone for a strong economy and workforce and they work with a variety of organizations, including The Education ... Read More »

Co-Ed Softball 5-24-2012 Rookies secured the number one seed heading into the playoff next week, with its victory over Kretch’s’ 9 to 3. Rookies was led by Marc Canady and Daphine Moss three hits , and by HR from Kevin Hennings and Casey Canady. Roe Tamagani , Eddie Kirst, Leo Rill and Sean Shea all added singles for the winners. Kretch’s was led by Captain Bruce Kretschmer and AJ park’s 3 hits , Frank Cortez two hits and singles from Naomi Smith, Marty Keefe, and Lindsey Bott. Kretch’s is the number two seed and will face Stan’s Buzzard crew in ... Read More »

Marco Presbyterian Church’s Children, Youth and Family Team will host an informal Coffee Chat, Sunday mornings during the 9 to 10 a.m. Sunday school hour in June, July and August. All interested adults are welcome. It will include: information for parents on what their children are learning; suggestions for follow-up and reinforcement of lessons; an informal, interactive climate to discuss family issues; a Biblical perspective on parenting; and opportunities for group networking throughout the week. A family friendly Gilligan’s Island Bible Study for ages 0 to 100 begins on June 13. All are invited to board the Minnow for dinner ... Read More »

Children age five to ten will deepen their love of God and His Word as they join Bible hero Daniel in Babylon at Marco Presbyterian Church’s “Babylon: Daniel’s Courage in Captivity” Vacation Bible School, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., June 18 to 21. Children will explore the exotic sights and smells in a Babylonian bazaar as they learn that they’re not much different from Daniel and his friends, who kept their faith in a faithless culture. A simple supper will be provided from 5 to 5:30 p.m. each evening.  There will be drama, crafts, games, music and interactive Bible lessons, all ... Read More »

The next CCSO Second Chance Cell Dog class is preparing to graduate May 31 Read More »

We’re getting excited down here about our annual Patriotic Parade and Family-Fun Festival to celebrate Independence Day … We hope everyone will join us! Celebrate Independence Day at a family-fun event in historic Everglades City on Saturday, June 30. This small friendly community will have a parade, arts & crafts sale, raffle, contest for best-dressed kiddies, music, and food. The event kicks off at 9:30 a.m. with the opening ceremony. The Patriotic Parade begins to wend its way through the streets at 10:00 a.m. with everyone competing to win a prize for the best float or swamp buggy or golf cart. After that, there ... Read More »

The Collier County Lodging & Tourism Alliance (CCLTA), a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing regional issues of mutual importance to the tourism industry and the local community, will host a tourism update breakfast on Wednesday, June 27th. The program will be held at Bellasera Hotel, 221 Ninth Street South. Registration and social begin at 8 a.m., with the program starting at 8:30 a.m. The meeting will feature a presentation by Jack M. Wert, Executive Director of the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau. Wert will provide a summary of the most recent winter tourism season in Collier County ... Read More »

The Shelter for Abused Women & Children welcomes Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk to the nonprofit domestic violence center’s Board of Directors. “Sheriff Rambosk’s commitment to ending domestic violence is exhibited through his work as Sheriff, his support of the Domestic Violence Task Force, his role in National Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities and the like,” explains Executive Director Linda Oberhaus. “Today, he solidifies his commitment to peace in every home, school, business, neighborhood and community by joining The Shelter’s governing body, the Board of Directors.” Rambosk began his local civil service career in 1978 when he was appointed an Officer with the Naples ... Read More »

Brand Releases First-Ever Ranked List in Special 15th Anniversary Issue From beach communities in California to cottage-lined streets in Cape Cod, seaside towns are the ultimate places to live in natural beauty and bliss. In a special 15th anniversary issue,Coastal Living releases its first-ever ranked list of the 15 “Happiest Seaside Towns,” an exclusive roundup naming some of the best places to live along the coasts of the United States. Coastal Living ranks Naples, FLsecond on the list. With rich cultural offerings, Naples, FL offers big-city pay-offs minutes from beaches with some of the finest snowywhite sand in the region. A strong arts community has kept the downtown scene as ... Read More »

The Collier County Parks and Recreation Department will provide nutritionally balanced meals to all children regardless of race, color, sex, disability, age, or national origin during summer vacation when school breakfasts and lunches are not available. All children 18 years old and younger, if open site, are eligible for meals at no charge, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. The programs are only approved for geographical areas of need where 50 percent or more of the children qualify for free and reduced-price meals during the school year.   Summer feeding sites that are located at ... Read More »

I-75:   Recreational access area on Alligator Alley: Construction project — Crews are building a recreational access facility that includes a boat ramp and parking lot with fencing and lighting.  Work involves widening and resurfacing the facility’s roadway, making drainage improvements, and adding intelligent transportation system components and a high-tension cable barrier system on I-75 in this area. The job is estimated for completion by summer 2012. The contractor is Convalvias USA. I-75:  At the SR 951 interchange: Construction project — Crews are making improvements to interchange ramps, adding new mast arm signals, and placing new pavement markings and signs.  Activities involve excavation and placement of embankment ... Read More »

Although LCEC Electric Rates have remained consistent this year, energy costs often go up during the summer months. In more extreme temperatures, home cooling systems must work that much harder to maintain temperatures. Home cooling costs can account for around 50 percent of the residential electric bill. In fact, air conditioning is often the average household’s largest annual power cost. Below are things to consider when looking for ways to cut back energy usage during the summer months: · If you have summer visitors or the kids are out of school and home during the day, this will cause increased ... Read More »

YMCA of the Palms is the recipient of a $10,000 donation from The Allstate Foundation for Project Graduation 2012. Project Graduation, an all-night drug- and alcohol-free celebration for graduating high school seniors in Collier County will be held at the Greater Naples YMCA Friday, June 1 from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. “We’re thankful for the generous support of The Allstate Foundation and their commitment to keeping teens safe. In a few weeks we’ll celebrate the 27th annual Project Graduation, an event we know prevents alcohol- and drug-related incidents on graduation night, particularly those involving automobile accidents,” said Brandon Dowdy, ... Read More »

Edward Jones Ranks Highest in Investor Satisfaction, According to J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Full Service Investor Satisfaction StudySM Marco Island, FL (Grassroots Newswire) May 17, 2012 – For the sixth year out of the past eight, financial-services firm Edward Jones, which has locations in the Marco Island area, ranks highest in investor satisfaction with full service brokerage firms, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Full Service Investor Satisfaction StudySM. The study measures overall investor satisfaction with full service investment firms based on seven factors: investment advisor, investment performance, account information, account offerings, commissions and fees, website and ... Read More »

The Collier County Board of Commissioners is seeking applications for positions on several advisory committees. Deadline for application is June 5th. The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee currently has two vacancies for full members and one vacancy for an alternate. It is required that one of the applicants should reside in Immokalee. This is an 11-member committee created by Ordinance No.91?65, as amended, to monitor the implementation of the Affordable Housing Task Force’s recommendations, and the goals, objectives, and policies of the Housing Elements of the County’s Growth Management Plan and the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The committee also determines the effect of proposed ordinances ... Read More »

Deputies will be watching Collier County motorists to make sure everyone is properly buckled up in vehicles when Click It Or Ticket gets under way next week. All vehicles will be a target during the annual nationwide safety belt enforcement campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to increase safety belt use and reduce fatalities on Florida’s roadways. The fine for not wearing a seat belt is $113 in Collier County. During Click It Or Ticket CCSO deputies will be conducting various countywide heightened enforcement details and efforts to draw attention to the importance of safety restraint use. Collier County ... Read More »

Submitted by NAPPS As spring quickly blooms into summer; many families experience a change in their daily routine along with the change of seasons. The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the welfare of animals, encourages pet parents to prepare their four-legged friends for the summer months and help their furry companions beat the heat. For many, thoughts of summer may bring back memories of sunshine, barbecues and outdoor fun with family, friends and Fido. NAPPS encourages pet parents to consider the well-being of their pet when planning summer day trips and outdoor ... Read More »

MARCO LUTHERAN CHURCH invites all the local children WITH their parents or grandparents to join us at We’re ready for a “Vacation Bible School” your children will never forget,”         said Pastor Kevin Koenig of Marco Lutheran Church!   Our Vacation Bible School is called Family Bible Bash and you, along with your children or grandchildren will have fun in the Son at this free event!  Children, along with their favorite adults, will have a great time singing songs, enjoying snacks, creating crafts and playing games. But most important, when they meet up with Jesus they’ll discover just how much God loves ... Read More »

Special Olympics Collier County took a delegation of Thirteen Special Olympics Athletes to the 2011 Summer State Games Competition in Walt Disney Wide World of Sports on May 18th & 19th  to compete against athletes from around the State.  Our athletes gave their all to their competition with the following results. Gold Medal                   Sodi Louis-Tennis Skills, Shawn Denton-Cycling 1K/2K, Johnny Garza-Soccer Skills, Patricia Kimidy-Bocce Singles, Joshua McClellan-Bocce Singles, Shane Williams-Cycling 500M/1K. Silver Medal John Hammig-Track 100M Dash/Long Jump, Andy Lents-Track 100M Dash, Viviana Pantoja-Cycling 1K, Joshua McClellan-Bocce Doubles, Kevin Kennedy-Bocce Singles/Doubles, Alberto Nieves-Tennis Singles.   ... Read More »

Following the City of Marco Island’s recent decision to move the building inspection services division and its inspectors to Collier County, the Marco Eagle published an article on May 25, 2012, entitled Contractors Raise the Roof on Marco Island city manager’s decision to move inspectors to Naples. After reading the article, it is apparent that many residents may have some unanswered questions. As the former Community Development Director for the City of Marco Island between the years 2006 and 2010, I may be able to provide some additional information and clarification. During my tenure with the City, the Building Services ... Read More »