FGCU HONORS FOUNDING FATHER BEN HILL GRIFFIN III, WHO DIED SATURDAY
Ben Hill Griffin III, a founding father of Florida Gulf Coast University, died Saturday at the age of 78. Born in Frostproof, Griffin was an iconic agriculture business leader and a major benefactor in Southwest Florida. He donated 1,000 acres of land for what would become FGCU. In appreciation, Lee County commissioners renamed a portion of Treeline Avenue to Ben Hill Griffin Parkway in his honor. Griffin Hall at FGCU is also named for him. Griffin also directed his family’s company, Alico Inc., to donate $5 million to found Alico Arena at FGCU. The FGCU flag will fly at half-staff until midnight Friday in Griffin’s honor, WINK News reports. “(Ben Hill Griffin) will be missed by many and remembered fondly by all who were fortunate to come to know him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ben Hill’s family. He was a special man,” FGCU President Mike Martin says.
BONITA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER TO PROVIDE OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE
Lee Health announced that Bonita Community Health Center (BCHC) will expand its service offering to include occupational health services. Located at 3501 Health Center Blvd. in Bonita Springs, the new clinic will reside in an existing space near the main entrance of the building and is set to open on Aug. 4. The expansion of services is in response to the increased growth in the area to better serve the business community. BCHC is a 100,000-square-foot facility with physician offices, an urgent care center, diagnostics and imaging, a surgery center and physical therapy services. Lee Health Occupational Medicine also operates clinics in Fort Myers and Cape Coral. Initially, the occupational health clinic will operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit LeeHealth.org/our-services/occupational-medicine.
BONITA SPRINGS YMCA EARLY LEARNING CENTER TO HOST RIBBON CUTTING
The Bonita Springs YMCA Early Learning Center will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony from 8:30-9 a.m. on Aug. 6 at 27200 Kent Road, Bonita Springs. The event will include a short program from local dignitaries and YMCA staff, a light breakfast, ribbon cutting, and an optional tour of the facility. To register for the event, click here. The YMCA will have social distancing and safety measures in place.
KRISTOFF JEWELERS, VOGUE PETITE SHOPPE CLOSE ON FIFTH AVENUE IN NAPLES
Vogue Petite Shoppe has permanently closed after operating nearly 30 years in downtown Naples. In business since Oct. 1, 1990, Vogue would have marked its 30th anniversary this fall. After closing her longtime women’s clothing shop July 1, owner Ellie Loving said she does not plan to reopen elsewhere. “It’s over,” Loving says. “I am devastated.” Although she had two years left on her store’s lease, it wasn’t possible for Loving to get caught up on her rent and expenses because she said nobody was shopping after the pandemic disrupted the busy season. Loving operated her store at 634 Fifth Ave. S., a multitenant building Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate purchased from Naples developer John Pulling in 2016. Neighboring store Kristoff Jewelers also shuttered this summer after operating since January 2013 in that same building on the corner of Park Street. “Michael Rose is sorry to announce that Kristoff Jewelers on Fifth Avenue South is permanently closed due to COVID-19,” Kristoff Jewelers tweeted June 18.
SHANGRI-LA SPRINGS AWARDED FRLA SEAL OF COMMITMENT
Shangri-La Springs was the first property in Lee County and one of the first 10 in the state to be awarded the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA) Seal of Commitment, which acknowledges enhanced sanitation standards designated by FRLA to ensure the safety of guests and employees. FRLA’s Seal of Commitment program began July 1. In a post-COVID-19 atmosphere, FRLA’s goal when guests see an FRLA Seal of Commitment on the door is to feel confident that the business is sanitary and safe and that staff are well-trained. The Seal of Commitment is for the entire property, including The Spa at Shangri-La Springs, the on-site restaurant, Harvest & Wisdom, and the organic garden. For more details, click here.
Christyna Torrez
ATTORNEY APPOINTED TREASURER OF COLLIER COUNTY WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATION
Christyna Torrez, a partner in the litigation practice at Coleman Hazzard, Taylor, Klaus Doupé & Diaz, was recently appointed treasurer of the Collier County Women’s Bar Association (CCBWA) for 2020-2021. She has been a board member since 2016. In her role, she will support the CCBWA’s mission of promoting, recognizing, and encouraging contributions of women within the legal profession and judiciary; improving the administration of justice and elevating judicial standards; promoting the study of law particularly among women; disseminating legal knowledge to all members of the community; and improving relations between the bar, judiciary and public.
SAVAGE RECOGNIZED FOR NAPLES LUXURY REAL ESTATE SALES
Timothy P. Savage, principal of Gulf Coast International Properties (GCIP), took the top spot in Naples luxury real estate sales for the first half of 2020, according to a news release. Savage’s total sales revenue of $84.75 million included more than $55 million in listings sold and over $29 million in additional sales, according to NABOR and MLS statistics. Adding to Savage’s sales, GCIP’s team of 30 agents achieved the ranking of number one sales office for the month of June, with five of their agents listed among the top 25 of all Naples area agents for sales in the market including Old Naples, Port Royal and Aqualane Shores.
CHARITABLE NOTES
FSW Cardiovascular Technology program receives $500,000 donation
Florida SouthWestern State College’s (FSW) Cardiovascular Technology program has received a $500,000 donation from Donna Sublett in memory of her husband James E. Sublett. The FSW cardiovascular technology lab and classroom will be named the James E. Sublett Cardiovascular Laboratory and Classroom, and the funds will be used to enhance the simulation aspects of the program, with such purchases as the Gaumard HAL and TactEX simulators. The Subletts have been Southwest Florida residents for over 30 years.
Golisano Foundation awards fourth round of COVID-19 response grants
The Golisano Foundation announced Monday that it has awarded the fourth round of COVID-19 response grants totaling $229,500. Four grants totaling $14,000 have been awarded by Bailey and Friends to organizations supporting animal welfare in western New York and Southwest Florida. Those grants include $5,000 to Cape Coral Animal Shelter and $3,000 to Gulf Coast Humane Society. Grants totaling $215,500 were awarded to six organizations serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in western New York. This round of grants brings the Foundation’s total COVID-19 Response Grant funding to more than $1.3 million. Through the end of October, the Foundation is redirecting about $2 million in grant funding to assist organizations with urgent needs stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
A Great Egret in breeding plumage. Credit: Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary receives grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County
Audubon Florida has received a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County. These funds will provide the support to maintain operations at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary due to the financial impacts from the COVID-19 shutdown. For more than a century, Audubon has worked to protect and restore America’s Everglades and other important sites, including Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Originally established to protect old-growth cypress forest from logging in 1954, the Sanctuary now protects more than 13,000 acres of wetland habitats and introduces visitors to these natural resources via a 2.25-mile boardwalk. Learn more at Corkscrew.Audubon.org.
