Coastal Breeze News

Members of the Marco Island Police and Fire Rescue Departments donated 36 backpacks (all fully stocked with school supplies), along with extra school supplies to the Collier County Shelter for Abused Women and Children. The Shelter, which provides services to Marco Island residents and visitors, assists more then 1,100 child victims and survivors of domestic violence through safety, intervention, and direct support annually. The project was spearheaded by Marco Island Police School Resource Officer Al Schettino and Marco Island Fire-Rescue Captain Dave Batiato. This was the third year for our backpack initiative, and we are excited to top last year’s ... Read More »

It’s that time again! Randy Wayne White has a new book coming out titled GONE (Putnam, On Sale: September 4), the first in a new series with a female protagonist. After nearly 20 bestselling Doc Ford novels, Randy Wayne White has become one of the most popular thriller-writers in the nation whose audience and reputation only continue to grow. Now in GONE, White introduces readers to Hannah Smith, a strong, formidable woman, the descendant of generations of resourceful Florida women (with a touch of the wild side). While White has always created layered female supporting characters, Hannah is a perfect complement to Doc Ford. Set in ... Read More »

MLS statistics, released by the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors® for Marco Island only properties, show a very active market according to Gerry Rosenblum, President.  Here is a recap of what happened in the Marco Island Real Estate market during July 2012. 83 Total properties CLOSED for a total of $38 Million (including Time Shares and Commercial) as follows: 27 Single Family Homes for $18.4 Million – Avg. Sale price $684K 37 Condominiums for $16.3 Million – Avg. Sale price $440K 19 Vacant Home sites for $3.6 Million – Avg. Sale price $189K 92 Total properties went UNDER CONTRACT ... Read More »

Every dog must have his day. Just ask the more than 70 members of the Marco Island Yacht Club (MIYC), along with several reciprocal visiting club members, who attended the club’s 11th annual Dog Days Party, Friday, July 27, with a summer-themed menu of honey almond salmon and boneless cowboy style rib-eye steaks, complemented by refreshing sorbet and fresh berries for dessert reports MIYC membership director Lisa Luft. Originally conceived by Ken Pagach in 2001 as a substitute for the popular annual summer Day Cruise, Dog Days takes its name from Sirius, the “dog star” in the constellation Canis Major of ... Read More »

Marco Island’s official, Big Flag Shirt, is receiving lots of compliments and questions by the media, volunteers and fans in London.  Suzanne Smith Guerin, daughter of Tom and Yvonne Smith of Naples, has appeared in the shirt in an Olympic TV segment and the subject of many USAfan and volunteers photos. Pictured here at an Olympic site, Suzanne was selected as a volunteer by the Olympic organizers. When not performing volunteer duties, Suzanne and family have attended multiple events including the opening ceremonies. Suzanne received her shirt along with matching shirts for son Jack, daughter Madeline and visiting niece, Jacqueline Meth, as gifts from her parents ... Read More »

Thirteen officers from Civil Air Patrol’s Marco Island Senior Squadron recently spent 10 days in support of Florida Army National Guard (ANG) air defense during the ANG summer encampment at Camp Blanding in Starke, Fla. Marco Island personnel traveled to Ormond Beach Airport, where they joined 40-plus other senior and cadet members from CAP’s Florida Wing in support of air operations. Six CAP aircraft from across the state were deployed to Ormond Beach and performed multiple roles in support of Army training over the two-week encampment. As the training events involved active duty military personnel, the content of the training may not ... Read More »

Time is growing short for owners of small businesses to submit applications for the 18th Annual Southwest Florida Blue Chip Community Business Award. BB&T-Oswald Trippe and Company and BB&T Bank coordinate and sponsor the program to recognize successful small businesses and share their stories of how they overcame adversity as a way to teach and inspire other entrepreneurs. Applications must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10. Previous award winners relied on ingenuity, stamina and hard work to meet challenges, vault financial hurdles and overcome adversity. The competition is open to companies that meet the following criteria: ... Read More »

Plaza Suite Performances: November 7 thru November 25th, 2012 Auditions: September 10 & 11, 2012 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Location: The Marco Players Theater Cast Requirements 4 women: various ages 6 men: various ages Rehearsals Begin: October 1, 2012 Dress Rehearsal: November 4, 2012 8:00 pm Preview: November 5, 2012 8:00 pm Comedy by Neil Simon Directed by: Richard Joyce Plaza Suite is about what happens in the lives of different couples in Suite 719 in the Plaza Hotel. Act one opens with Karen Nash reserving the Suite to celebrate her 24th anniversary. Karen is trying to put a spark in her failing marriage. But her husband ... Read More »

When the school day ends, children and teens need opportunities to learn and engage in meaningful activities. Their success out of school can impact how well they perform in school. Currently, 15.1 million children nationwide are left unsupervised after 3 p.m. and do not participate in afterschool programs, according to Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness advocacy organization. Nearly 25 percent of Florida’s K-12 youth are responsible for taking care of themselves after school.  Children left alone afterschool spend an average of 15 hours per week unsupervised with little personal and academic enrichment. Research indicates these children are more likely ... Read More »

Marco Police Foundation President, Bill Morris, announced today the award of scholarship renewals to Caitlyn Hood and Lauren Hood, daughters of Marco Police Officer Brian Hood.  Each of the students will receive a $1,000.00 scholarship for the fall 2012 semester at their respective institution. In her most recent semester, Lauren Hood successfully completed 21.5 credit hours at Jacksonville University.  In 6 semesters, Lauren has completed 107 credit hours with a cumulative grade point average of 3.09.  Her career objective is US Naval pilot. In her second semester of attendance at Harriet L. Wilks Honor College of Florida Atlantic University, Caitlyn ... Read More »

Recently several unlocked vehicles were entered in the overnight hours in the north-east area of the City of Marco Island. The vehicles were ransacked and valuables taken. The popularity of MP3 players, GPS devices, radar detectors, TV / stereo equipment, laptop computers, and cellular phones provide valuable targets for would-be thieves.  Any vehicle with a visible power cord or mount, briefcase, purse, gym bag or other valuables left in sight may be a target.  Sunglasses, CD’s, wallets, backpacks, credit cards and loose change are common targets as well. The Marco Island Police Department would like to remind you that you have ... 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. Crews will have daily lane closures from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on northbound I-75 in the vicinity of mile marker 52 beginning Monday, August 13 through Friday, August 31, weather.  Work includes widening as well as milling and resurfacing the mainline. This will affect the ... Read More »

Project EverGreen, the nationally-recognized non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and enhance green spaces, will open its “Backyard Nature: Living GREEN” exhibit at the Imaginarium Science Center in Ft. Myers, Fla. on Saturday, August 18, 2012 at 9:30 a.m. Project EverGreen, as part of its GreenCare for Communities program, and the Imaginarium have partnered to create southwest Florida’s newest green exhibit, a landscape designed to give local families ideas for going green in their own backyards. The six-zone garden is strategically laid out to show how a properly landscaped exterior can have multiple positive impacts on the greater environment ... Read More »

Commissioner Jim Coletta and Sheriff Kevin Rambosk are teaming up with Naples Motorsports to establish a task force to create a certified youth safety course for ATV users here in Collier County.  The goal for this task force is to create a program for our local youth to have the opportunity to learn safe ATV riding skills, and to provide interested parents with helpful safety information as well. This action was prompted by the recent death of an 11-year old girl and other recent youth-related accidents in Collier County.  Commissioner Coletta, who has been working with the ATV community for ... Read More »

From travel inspired poolside parties featuring exotic international cuisine to family-style buffet barbeques providing fun and games for kids of all ages, there will be lots for residents of the luxury master-planned residential community of Fiddler’s Creek to do this upcoming season. The staff at Fiddler’s Creek is preparing an extensive social calendar for homeowners, including many traditional holiday favorites around Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Passover, Easter, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Residents can look forward to the annual Passport Party, which treats residents to a diverse buffet of international cuisine ... Read More »

The Collier County Lodging & Tourism Alliance (CCLTA), an organization dedicated to addressing regional issues of mutual importance to the tourism industry and the community, will host Jim Gibson, Director of Marketing for Seminole Casino Immokalee, on September 26at the Hilton Naples, 5111 U.S. 41 N. The event begins at 8 a.m. with registration and social, with the program starting at 8:30 a.m. A New Orleans native, Gibson has approximately 20 years of casino marketing experience. He joined the Seminole Casino Immokalee in March 2011 and has previous work experience at the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino in Lakeside, ... Read More »

Each day the U.S. Postal Service picks up, processes and delivers millions of letters and packages.  No single operation in the world comes close to this level of connectivity to so many households and businesses.  Here’s ONE day in the life of your United States Postal Service.  (Figures are averages.)   216.9 million – revenue received, in dollars 554 million – number of mail pieces processed and delivered 242.6 million – pieces of First-Class Mail processed and delivered 279.5 million – pieces of Advertising Mail processed and delivered 159 million – dollars paid to postal employees in salaries and benefits ... Read More »

The Shelter for Abused Women & Children and Humane Society Naples join with Germain BMW to host Naples’ premier Halloween pet costume contest, “Strut Your Mutt”,  at 10 a.m., Saturday, October 20, 2012, at Germain BMW, 11286 Tamiami Trail North, Naples. Deck your pets out in their Halloween finest and enjoy this fun for the entire family event that includes pet-related vendors; $5 box lunches; a drawing/raffle and a pet Halloween costume contest with celebrity judges awarding prizes in the following categories: Most Original Scariest Cutest Best Celebrity Look-Alike Best Group (two or more pups) “Strut Your Mutt” is free to attend; there is a $10 ... Read More »

An incredible Everglades adventure is offered for women for the first time by the award winning “Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing!®” University Series. The Everglades Adventure University is Oct. 13-14, 2012 at Port of the Islands Everglades Resort, with optional Everglades excursions offered on Friday, Oct. 12. “This is a great ‘out-there’ fishing adventure, where women can learn and go fishing in an amazing area they might not visit on their own,” commented Founder, Betty Bauman. The organization polled its 7,000 graduates for input, who voted to fish the pristine 10,000 islands, an area known for birds and wildlife viewing as well as ... Read More »

Artists are invited to submit their work for display and sale during the third annual Storytellers Creative Arts Conference, scheduled for Nov. 2 and 3 in Naples. The conference, designed to inspire creativity in art, music, performance, film, writing and media, attracts participants from throughout Florida. The conference will motivate participants to use their creativity to tell the story of the Gospel. Artists can submit photos of their work, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, jewelry, pottery and other visual arts, online atwww.create210.com by Sept. 29. The entry fee is $25 for up to three pieces. A committee, led by curator Cheri Dunnigan, will review submissions ... Read More »