Coastal Breeze News

Unbelievable is the only way I can explain the contrast between Dominica and Martinique! The two islands are only 26 nautical miles apart in open passage, but the 76nm from the harbor of Portsmouth, Dominica to Fort de France, Martinique are worlds apart. Nothing can compare to the civilities and attention to yachts found in the French Islands. Dominica provided a dinghy dock which consisted of a high cement bulkhead with old rubber tires attached so you could climb up to clear customs. In Anse Mitan, where we anchored in Martinique, there was a new, specially constructed, lighted dinghy dock. ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff With a new year comes a new chance to honor members within the community for their acts of courage, bravery and compassion. Coastal Breeze News and the Marco Island Fire Rescue Foundation are now accepting nominations for the second annual Galahad Award. What exactly IS the Galahad Award? Named for Sir Galahad, the most gallant and pure of King Arthur’s knights of the Round Table, Sir Galahad did not shy away from danger; he confronted it head on. He rescued those in trouble and was modest about what he accomplished. The award seeks to honor ... Read More »

The sun is beaming down on you, you smell the ocean breeze as it whirls around your body, you feel the sand around your toes, and you are now lost in your own little paradise. You pick up your cold beverage, take a long refreshing sip and then your feet start tapping in the sand as you hear the mellow lead-in to Bob Marley’s tune “Buffalo Soldier” as it starts playing on your radio or iPod You sing along; “Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock rasta, it was a buffalo soldier………” And you drift off. We all know a lot of songs and ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Vacationers visit Marco Island to escape the cold weather, but often can’t escape the dreaded cold or flu. When this happens, where do they turn? Naples Community Healthcare Systems offers an Urgent Care Center on Marco Island to visitors, part-time and full-time residents of Marco in need of treatment of non-emergencies, illness and minor injuries. For over 20 years, NCH Healthcare Systems has provided Marco Island with quality urgent care services. Located centrally at 40 Heathwood Drive, NCH Urgent Care of Marco Island is “open 365 days per year – even holidays,” states Diann Chairge, Director ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff It’s called the “Imagination Ball”. Here’s why. The Marco Island Chapter of the American Cancer Society set the theme to imagine a world without cancer. The Ball, Marco Island’s most annual productive annual fund-raiser, brings islanders together to help contribute to curing one of the world’s most dreaded diseases. For many years the Marco Island Chapter has raised significant sums of money at the Ball. According to co-chairs Debra and Dick Shanahan, this year’s target is $100,000. They say, “We know it’s an ambitious goal, but we are confident that notably charitable Marco Islanders will ... Read More »

Submitted In an emergency, after calling 911, do you know how to administer CPR? Wouldn’t it be great if there were several people in any given restaurant with the ability to help save a life if someone was choking? Or, if one in ten enjoying a day at the beach knew CPR if someone was drowning? Many businesses and condominiums have Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs), when used during cardiac arrest AED’s can dramatically improve survival rates. Would you know how to use an AED if the need arose? When every second counts, these are critical life-saving techniques and they’re easy ... Read More »

PLANT TALK Mike Malloy [email protected] South Florida gardens are ablaze with color during winter months by two particularly spectacular vines. First, the Florida flame vine (Pyrostegia venusta) which is native to Brazil. This vine is well known in Naples for its brilliant show of color in the winter months along about a one mile stretch of Goodlette Frank Road in front of the Wilderness community just north of Golden Gate Parkway. To have a vine known by so many people, not so much by its name but by put its presence along the road, speaks to its showiness. The Florida ... Read More »

Every year, visitors flock to Southwest Florida to experience its beauty and serenity. Numerous ecosystems blend together naturally to allow for some of the most unique displays of plants and animals in the world. For the last nine years, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve has been celebrating the natural splendor of our corner of the world with the Southwest Florida Nature Festival. The 9th Annual Southwest Florida Nature Festival will take place January 18th to the 20th. The event will feature numerous events, expeditions and speakers that will highlight the unique ecosystems of Southwest Florida. Beginning on Friday and ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff It’s time to break out the wax and get that classic car of yours shined up and looking pretty. The annual Kiwanis Club of Marco Island Car show is coming and, as usual, it’s going to be a good one. Mark your calendar for February 17, and head over to the Marco Healthcare Center parking lot at 40 Heathwood Drive at 9:30 AM to see some true beauties. For the past eight years, the Kiwanis Club has hosted the Car Show to help raise money for the organization’s main cause: providing scholarships and other opportunities ... Read More »

As a former Buzzard Queen of Stan’s Idle Hour’s annual Mullet Festival, I feel as though it is my duty to inform the uninformed about this one-of-a-kind event. The year 2013 marks the 29th consecutive festival and the first year without its creator, Stan Gober. Stan will be “Buzzard Loping” in spirit as his three sons and four grandsons continue the tradition that celebrates the bait fish that created the fishing community of Goodland. Stan’s and Son’s 29th Annual Goodland Mullet Festival kicks off on Friday, January 25 and continues until the sun sets on Sunday, January 27. The usual ... Read More »

What do you do when you want to award scholarships to seven students but nine qualified and deserving local children apply? According to the Education Committee of the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce who awards such scholarships, you find a way to make up the difference. Chamber fundraisers, put on by graduates of Leadership Marco, have been the main source of scholarship funding. A new event idea surfaced one morning at a meeting over coffee; an idea that inspired the chairman of the Education Committee, Desiree Buhelos. “The more we discussed it, the more the pieces fell into place for ... Read More »

The Marco Island Beach Cam is brought to you courtesy Marco Island Beach Resort   Read More »

This January, Shakespeare in Paradise will present The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare at the Collier County Library on Central Avenue in Naples. The production is being sponsored by Physicians Regional Healthcare System. Set in present day in “a conservative, affluent beach community somewhere in the tropics,” this Shrew sets out to further prove Shakespeare’s ability to force audiences to examine their own lives and lifestyles through his timeless plays. All scenes are played in bars, on various lanais and beaches, and in a specialty shop. Even the homes referenced are rechristened “Royal Port Estate” and “Coral Cape ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy where six school teachers and administrators and 20 young students lost their lives, Ann Curry of NBC News came up with the concept #26Acts of Kindness. Encouraging people through her Twitter account to commit one act for each of the 26 lives lost, she wrote on her December 18 blog, “I know the truth: if you do good, you feel good. It’s the most selfish thing you can do. Right now, this country wants to heal. I think the only thing comforting in the face of ... Read More »

By Danielle Dodder For a relatively small city, Marco Island boasts a sophisticated water system. We’re a barrier island surrounded by saltwater and environmentally sensitive habitat. Consequently, getting water to paradise was never as simple as piping it in from Naples. Today, the city water utility encompasses an aquifer storage system, a reverse osmosis system, three drinking water facilities, two wastewater facilities and collection and distribution systems for both drinking and wastewater. Jeff Poteet is the general manager who oversees it all. On January 5, Poteet was elected president of the Florida Water & Pollution Control Association, a position that ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Hear the heavenly sounds of The Naples Harp Ensemble right here on Marco Island. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is excited to announce a performance by the “Love of Harps” musicians on Sunday, January 20, at 3:00 PM. Open to the public, the free concert will feature many harps performing a variety of programs. From Classical to Pop to Jazz music, “Love of Harps” has something for everyone. The ensemble’s main goals are “to promote the harp through performances, education, and building repertory.” Educating the Naples-area youth in the art of the harp is at the top ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff Marco Island’s City Council is facing a surprising and potentially serious problem regarding the appointment of a member to Collier County’s Coastal Advisory Committee. At a previous council meeting members were advised that several of the county commissioners had inquired about the “credentials” of City Councilman Larry Honig. Under the county’s ordinances Marco Island has three members on the nine member Coastal Advisory Committee, and one of the three has been a member of the city council. The previous city council representative was Jerry Gibson. The city, through the city manager, sent a letter to ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff The Marco Island Utility (MIU) Aquifer Storage and Recovery System (ASR) is located about ¼ mile north of Route 41 along Collier Boulevard. The system consists of seven wells that are filled during the rainy season of July to November with storm water runoff in a zone of porous rock 735 to 780 feet below ground. Before entering the wells, the storm water is filtered to remove small particles, disinfected to prevent bacteria growth and to prevent plugging the porous space in the rock where the water is stored. During the dryer months of February ... Read More »

Donna Fiala [email protected] Happy New Year everyone! Let’s hope this year brings more peacefulness, progress, happiness and good health to us all. The Marco Chapter of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 95 held their “Change of Watch” ceremony on Saturday, January 5, 2013 at Hideaway Beach. The new Flotilla Commander is Arne Kelsey and the Vice Flotilla Commander is Skip Lee. I was honored to again be invited to view the ceremony and mingle with these distinguished servants to our community’s waterways. Not only do they hold search and rescues, as most would expect, but they monitor the weather, ... Read More »

By Jim Hughes It was a tour arranged by Collier County Commissioner, Donna Fiala. The local landfill is on county property and run by Waste Management. The first thing noticed is the clean road leading to the landfill and the lack of smell. The office is spotless and the personnel are dressed in clean uniforms. An orderly procession of trucks both large and small, and pickups and vans, come in and stop on scales. The driver checks in and is given a ticket to proceed to the dumping area. There are different spots to unload construction material, landscaping, appliances and ... Read More »