Coastal Breeze News

By Natalie Strom - [email protected] Meet Sean and Nathan O’Donnell. Identical twins, living on Marco Island, each married with three young children. By trade, the brothers run a painting company, Ace Performance Plus, where they specialize in painting and power washing. But by passion, they mold mahogany into statuesque pieces of art. Every Wednesday, at the Marco Island Farmers Market the O’Donnell twins set up their booth and listen to the “oohs” and “aahs” coming from those who pass by – but most people stop. They stop to admire the beauty of the wood, the intricacy of the carving – or to ... Read More »

By Julia Barnett Buying a home is arguably one of the most important purchases a person can make. It can also be one of the most stressful, especially if not all is as it appears. The house may look good on the surface, but only a certified home inspector can tell you exactly what you’re buying. And Beach View Home Inspections does precisely that, and more. Owned and operated by Paul Harrison, Beach View Home Inspections has been providing home buyers with thorough inspections and detailed reports for over a year, and he’s only just begun. After 30 years in ... Read More »

Vision 2013 was a “state of the real estate” seminar presented by Alan Rice and Ken Gandy. Ken Gandy is a realtor/broker associate on Marco Island with Keller Williams and is treasurer of the board of directors of the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors. Alan Rice is an operating principle of a real estate office in Bedford and Londonderry, New Hampshire, Andover, Massachusetts and Marco Island. Originally planned for an audience of up to 50, response to the seminar was so positive the venue had to be moved to accommodate the increased audience. Ken and Alan kept the presentation, ... Read More »

By Ben Wolfe Coastal Breeze News has received several requests for an update on Marco’s own rooster, Henry, who lived in the hedges and bushes along the former Calusa Gardens Plaza, now the new home of Chase Bank on North Collier Blvd. We turned to one of Henry’s best friends, Ben Wolfe, for current news about Henry. Here are Ben’s recollections of his friendship with Henry and his latest adventure. I was first introduced to Henry about three years ago by Diane Baker, office manager for Dr. Joe Vickaryous, whose offices were located at Calusa and Ann Rudolph, owner of ... Read More »

By Carol Glassman  The very romantic grounds of the Old Sheldon Church Ruins, an historic church built in northern Beaufort County, South Carolina, recently was the location of the wedding of Brooke Dorothy Plank and Christopher Buccola. The reception was held at the Beaufort Town Center. Brooke, a graduate of Lely High School, continued her education at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York, graduating with a Third Mate Merchant Marine License and a Bachelor of Science Degree. Chris, a native of Louisiana, also graduated from Kings Point. Since their graduation, both the bride and groom have been ... Read More »

The Board of County Commissioners (BCC), at its meeting on June 12, 2012, approved the realignment plan introduced by County Manager Leo Ochs, which is designed to balance divisions, combine expertise, realign strategic goals, and optimize the resources of certain functions of County Government – while holding the line on the budget. A major functional change will be establishing the Department of Natural Resources in the Growth Management Division by combining the Coastal Zone Management Department and portions of the Pollution Control and Prevention Department.  The Department of Natural Resources will oversee all aspects of environmental protection including flood control, watershed planning, stormwater, ... Read More »

The appointment of Peter Rossi as Director of Marketing and Sales, his responsibilities include the development of a multi-dimensional marketing and sales plan covering the engineering disciplines that the Forge Engineering team represents. He brings 40 plus years of Marketing & Sales experience with major corporations in the worldwide market place. Pete is also an officer & member of the Naples Pelican Bay Rotary Club. Pete lives with his wife Karen, a Fine Arts Appraiser at Verona Walk for over six years. Forge Engineering, established in 1996, is a locally owned, multi-disciplined engineering firm based in Naples, Florida. Our professionals, ... Read More »

The Estates Sewer District Construction traffic plan for Winterberry Dr & S. Barfield Dr. will be modified WEDNESDAY JUNE 13TH (weather permitting). This will require a Detour for eastbound Winterberry traffic and a minor change in the routing of two-way traffic on S. BARFIELD DR. between Winterberry Dr & Inlet Dr. All Eastbound Winterberry Dr traffic will be detoured to the north at Sand Hill St, to San Marco Rd. Work scheduled for the intersection of Winterberry & S. Barfield will not allow left turns (north onto Barfield Dr). All S. Barfield traffic between Winterberry Dr. and Inlet Dr (1 block) ... Read More »

Free Tourism PR Seminar?Thursday, June 14?8:30am-11:00am Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), in conjunction with its national travel and tourism PR agency, Lou Hammond & Associates (LHA), is holding a free PR Seminar for representatives of businesses involved in tourism and hospitality in Collier County, such as hotels, attractions, retail stores, restaurants, tour operators, etc. The seminar takes place Thursday, June 14 from 8:30am to 11:00am at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, located at 400 S. Collier Blvd., Marco Island. Learn valuable tips on how to communicate newsworthy information about ... Read More »