Lead Photo: Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried will discuss water quality in Sanibel and Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce virtual power hour.
TODAY’S VIRTUAL POWER HOUR FEATURES FLORIDA AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation is sponsoring the Sanibel and Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce virtual power hour held at noon today. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried will talk about water quality, clean energy and give an update on the state budget. There will be time for Q&A. Submit questions in advance to Ashley Pignato at ashley@sanibel-captiva.org or utilize the chat function during the Zoom event. TO register for the event, click here.
Dr John Meyer
HODGES PRESIDENT ELECTED TO ICUF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Dr. John Meyer, president of Hodges University, was elected as treasurer for the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF) executive committee and as treasurer of ICUF’s Foundation. His term is for two years. ICUF consists of 30 private colleges and universities that serve 156,000 students statewide. Together, these institutions award 30% of the bachelor’s degrees and 40% of the master’s degrees and PhDs annually. ICUF colleges and universities have nearly $1.2 billion in assets with annual operating budgets of $6.1 billion with 38,000 employees.
GL HOMES HOSTING LOT SELECTION, GRAND OPENING OF VALENCIA TRAILS
Valencia Trails, Florida developer GL Homes’ new luxury 55-plus community in Naples, is hosting a VIP lot selection on Thursday, July 16, and a grand opening Friday, July 17, by appointment at 11256 Daphne Court. One-story luxury homes in the gated community will start from the $400,000s. The first phase of nearly 300 single-family homes and an amenity center are under construction across Immokalee Road from TwinEagles, more than 3 miles east of Collier Boulevard. Resort-style amenities will include a 42,000-square-foot clubhouse, a more than 10-acre recreation site and miles of lushly landscaped walking trails winding throughout the community. For more information call 239-262-4000 or go to GLHomes.com/valencia-trails.
BABCOCK RANCH NAMED AMONG TOP-SELLING MASTER-PLANNED COMMUNITIES
Babcock Ranch was named to the RCLCO Real Estate Advisors’ Top 50 list for the first time, ranking 39th among the country’s top-selling master-planned communities. Babcock Ranch’s RCLCO ranking was based on 230 mid-year sales reported from January to June. Babcock Ranch also is ranked as Southwest Florida’s top master-planned community based on Metrostudy data on single-family home annual starts in Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties. Babcock Ranch began marketing new homes in 2017, with the first residents moving into the town in January 2018. Today, Babcock Ranch offers homes from nine homebuilders in seven neighborhoods, including Babcock National, a newly opened Lennar golf and lifestyle community. In 2021, Publix will anchor the Crescent B Commons shopping center underway at a new entrance to Babcock Ranch. For more information, visit BabcockRanch.com.
Seagate Development Group HQ
SEAGATE DEVELOPMENT GROUP COMPLETES HQ
Seagate Development Group has opened its newly completed two-story corporate headquarters at 9921 Interstate Commerce Dr. The 13,000-square-foot office building will also serve as the corporate headquarters for Theory Design, the interior design component of Seagate Development Group led by Ruta Menaghlazi, vice president of design. The two-story facility was designed with modern lines and oversized windows that convey both a timeless sense of strength and modern influences that reflect the core values of Seagate, a news release states. The first floor includes three conference rooms, a large training center and office space for construction team members as well as a hotel-style lobby, cafe and collaboration areas. The second floor holds the Seagate executive offices, a board room that opens to a balcony overlooking the lake, a few additional conference rooms, kitchen and coffee bar, and the Theory Design Studio. Both floors include floor-to-ceiling windows, glass-walled offices to provide natural light, modern carpeting, walnut finished cabinetry and advanced smart technology throughout. The exterior style and interior spaces were designed to encourage collaboration and provide spaces to promote creativity.
SNEAD EYE GROUP HIRES COLL
Snead Eye Group welcomes Dr. Allison Coll to the medical practice. Coll grew up outside of Philadelphia and completed her undergraduate degree at Penn State University. She earned her Doctor of Optometry degree with clinical honors from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. While in optometry school, she completed externships with various optometry and ophthalmology practices including the VA Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina. Coll completed her optometry residency focused in ocular disease, specialty contact lenses, and low vision at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville. Coll is a member of the American Academy of Optometry, the American Optometric Association, and the Florida Optometric Association. She will continue Snead Eye Group’s educational outreach by providing lectures and complimentary vision screenings throughout the area.
Darby Moore
FIRST FLORIDA INTEGRITY BANK PROMOTES MOORE
First Florida Integrity Bank has promoted Darby Moore to senior vice president – loan operations manager. Moore has over 29 years of experience in the banking industry and joined First Florida Integrity Bank in November 2008 as a consumer specialist. Moore transitioned into the role of loan operations manager and was promoted to vice president in 2014. After joining FFIB, Moore completed the three-year Florida School of Banking. Prior to joining FFIB, Moore worked with First National Bank of Florida and Hillcrest Bank Florida.
CHARITABLE NOTES
Free food distribution drive held Thursday
As part of Chabad Naples COVID-19 Crisis Assistance efforts, an open to the public, community-wide, drive-thru box food distribution, will take place from 4-6 p.m. this Thursday. People will be able to get healthy, free food for themselves and their family members, while supplies last, at 1789 Mandarin Road in Naples. Volunteers will be on hand to help distribute the boxes. Each box is packed fresh, weighs 10 pounds, and includes ingredients and nutrition information. They will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition to the food distribution, Chabad Naples has been serving the community with a variety of COVID-19 Crisis Assistance programs and events including food packages, mask distributions, shopping for the elderly and homebound, and Zoom classes. More information can be found at chabadnaples.com/relief.
The Immokalee Foundation receives $30,000 grant from Community Foundation of Collier County
The Immokalee Foundation has received a $30,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County to support its career-oriented initiative, Career Pathways: Empowering Students to Succeed. The Community Foundation of Collier County provides grant funding to nonprofits for programs that achieve measurable results in addressing community needs. Career Pathways begins in middle school. Students participate in intensive six-week rotations to learn more about the in-demand careers in Southwest Florida in the following pathways: Engineering & Construction Management, Education & Human Services, Health Care, and Business Management & Entrepreneurship. Once students decide their career path, the program team helps them put a plan in place for their high school years to ensure they obtain the needed education, training, internships and industry-recognized certifications to obtain industry-specific certificates, credentials and jobs.
Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida launches online fundraiser
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida (CAC) is raising funds for its programs that treat child victims of abuse in Southwest Florida. From medical exams to therapeutic counseling, all of CAC’s services are free. To participate in the B&B 150 Raffle, purchase a box for your chance to win a variety of prizes, including a weekend at the Boca Raton Resort & Golf Club, a year of yoga classes, designer purses and more. The dollar amount purchased equals the number of entries you receive in the drawing. Click here to buy your chances and see the list of prizes. The drawing is set for July 29 but may be extended as more prizes are added.
Youth Haven receives food donation
Youth Haven recently received a donation of fresh vegetables and fruit for its children, teens and the staff that care for them. Pickleball for All partnered with NAACP, the American Culinary Federation and Sunbelt, and was supported by Five Star Gourmet Foods of Naples, to distribute 10-pound boxes of fresh food to people in the Naples community on July 11. Leftovers consisting of sweet broccoli salad, baby carrots with ranch dip, garden salad, summer salad, creamy jalapeno coleslaw and fresh season fruit were delivered to Youth Haven. For more information, visit youthhavenswfl.org.
