Collier County courts Cars on 5th after Naples split

Cars on 5th could make a shorter move than planned: from Naples to Collier County. At its July 28 meeting, the Collier County Board of Commissioners said it is in talks with the high-end automotive event, which has been handed such strict limits by the city of Naples that it will not apply to be on Fifth Avenue South in 2027. 

Commissioner Rick LoCastro said he contacted Tom O’Riordan, local organizer for the event, after learning its permit had been denied by the city. 

“If they have issues with it, I support their senior leadership,” LoCastro said of Naples. But he felt the county should make some effort to keep the show, which has been here since 2003. 

“I didn’t want him to just sort of move it to another county and say, ‘Well, we didn’t hear from anybody,’” he said. 

LoCastro said O’Riordan has talked with each of the commissioners and that “key people” in county government were developing options. 

“We have some locations — and they may or may not fit — in the county that are being fleshed out, and they will be presented in short order,” LoCastro said. He complained that social media wags were asking why the county couldn’t simply turn over space at Coastland Center or the Paradise Coast Sports Complex to the show. 

First, he said, Cars on 5th wasn’t simply looking for a location to display cars, but for surrounding ambience that would attract couples and families, such as Fifth Avenue South, with its shopping, restaurants and hotels. 

“That organization isn’t looking for just a big parking lot. They’re not looking for a big fairground. They’re looking for a venue that’s similar to Fifth Avenue, that creates an experience,” LoCastro said. Further, he said, the Cars on 5th organization will make the location decision. 

“We can’t tell these guys where to have their private event. We can only present the options on what the cost will be, what the requirements are, what the logistical lift is,” he said. 

There is apparently interest from Cars on 5th, and LoCastro said he thought some movement could come within the next two weeks. 

O’Riordan said via correspondence that Naples has been silent since he turned down its proposal for a show one-fifth its current size. The show, which has been on Fifth Avenue South for 21 of its 23 years, annually brought in 15,000 car lovers who paid admission to see its collection of more than 700 high-end cars and talk with owners. 

But the show has been plagued by gate crashers who have swollen the crowds by as many as 7,000 and parked illegally, despite Cars on 5th offering a free shuttle from the Collier County Government Center parking lot to Fifth Avenue South. 

The city’s proposed solution of restricting admission to 3,500 would not eliminate what O’Riordan saw as the major problems of illegal parking and gate crashers entering through gaps in the city’s barricades. Further, it would not generate enough income for the show to break even, he said. 

At this point, O’Riordan said there has been no decision on a new location for Cars on 5th. But he praised the county’s work: “Everyone at the county has been solutions-driven. We have RFPs (requests for proposals) out to five cities and venues of the 33 that have reached out to us.” 

He said a new show is being planned for the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. But the show that was on Fifth Avenue South will at least stay close to home, he wrote: “We will have a show on Feb. 6 in Southwest Florida.”