LEE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO MEET ABOUT CARES ACT FUNDING ALLOCATION
Lee County commissioners will hold an emergency meeting at 9:30 a.m. today to discuss CARES Act (coronavirus federal relief fund) allocation planning. The public is encouraged to watch via LeeTV or at leegov.com. The meeting also will be on Facebook Live at the Lee County Government page.
NAPLES CITY BEACHES WILL REOPEN WEDNESDAY WITH RESTRICTIONS
Naples City Council approved the reopening of the city’s 8 miles of beaches on Wednesday with complex restrictions. After the beaches were initially reopened on April 29, the city closed them Sunday after beachgoers inundated Naples’ shore on Saturday. While the city beaches will be open from 7 a.m. to dusk weekdays, hours will be bifurcated from 7 to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to dusk Saturdays, Sundays and Memorial Day. They will be closed during afternoons on weekends to discourage visits by beachgoers from Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which are not permitted to open beaches yet because of the coronavirus pandemic. Beach parking will be restricted to vehicles with city and county beach stickers, parking fines will be doubled to $200 and illegally parked cars can be towed. Council’s fourth motion passed 4-3 after the first three motions failed 4-3 during Monday afternoon’s more than six-hour virtual emergency meeting. Council will revisit the issue on June 3.
GOV. DESANTIS HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE AT MEDICAL CENTER IN FORT MYERS
“If you need medical care, this is a safe place to be,” said Gov. Ron Desantis during a press conference Monday at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers. Since seeing its first COVID-19 patient March 6, the safety of patients and staff have been at the forefront of Lee Health’s efforts, said Lee Health CEO and President Dr. Larry Antonucci. Since restarting elective surgeries last week, Lee Health has seen about 165 cases a day – about half of the number they were doing before March 20, when the pandemic put nonessential medical care on hold. “It is safe to come in and have these procedures,” Antonucci said. Meanwhile, DeSantis said the state has been working overtime to approve and get checks to applicants for unemployment. Florida has doled out between $1.5 billion and $1.8 billion in unemployment assistance so far, the governor said.
FGCU RELEASES APRIL RESULTS FROM ECONOMIC SURVEY OF SWFL BUSINESSES
The first follow-up report from a coronavirus economic impact survey of local businesses will be released today (Tuesday) by the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University. Of the businesses surveyed in Southwest Florida, 66 percent reported decreases in sales revenue of more than 50 percent because of the pandemic. “The small businesses were a little more pessimistic and a little more eager to get things going again,” said Dr. Christopher Westley, director of FGCU’s Regional Economic Research Institute. Draft results from the April survey show that nearly half of respondents indicated that the local economy should be “opened up” within the next 15 days, while 22 percent felt that the economy should open in the next 16 to 30 days. Forty-four percent were concerned about opening up the economy too early, while an additional 44 percent were concerned about opening it up too late.
BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO REOPEN
Bell Tower retailers have begun to reopen for business. The center will temporarily observe reduced hours of operation. Bell Tower retailers will individually determine their reopening dates and hours. For more details, visit BellTowerFortMyers.com. The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club will welcome guests back for stays beginning this Friday, with many, but not all, of its amenities and services. For more details, visit NaplesBeachHotel.com. Elmquist Eye Group is once again seeing patients for in-office appointments, providing a range of medical, surgical and emergency eye care services and optical solutions through offices in Fort Myers and Cape Coral. For more details, visit Elmquist.com.
ALL LEE HEALTH SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES GARNER HIGHEST CMS STAR RATINGS
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2020 Five-Star Quality Ratings, awarding Lee Health‘s Gulf Coast Medical Center Skilled Nursing, HealthPark Care & Rehabilitation Center and Lee Memorial Hospital Skilled Nursing with five stars. The scores reflect recent improvements undertaken by the health system to continue improving its quality of care for the Southwest Florida community. CMS created the Five-Star Quality Rating System to help consumers, their families and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily. The scores are based on previously reported quality and safety data points including, patient satisfaction, value and outcomes, among others. The updated CMS rankings follow recent recognitions Lee Health has received for quality and safety. Last month, all four Lee Health adult acute care hospitals earned “A” ratings for safety from the Leapfrog Group for the third straight reporting period. For more details, click here.
PRSA TO HOST TWO LUNCH ‘N LEARN SESSIONS
The Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA), Gulf Coast Chapter will host two virtual “Lunch ‘N Learn” sessions this month. The first event, “Planning What’s Next (When You’re Not Sure What to Plan),” takes place from noon to 1 p.m. on from May 19. Leadership and career coach Darcy Eikenberg will present the event. The next session, “Optimizing Digital Engagement Strategies,” takes place from noon to 1 p.m. on May 26. The event will be presented by Joe Bucherer, formerly head of CPG client analytics for Oracle Data Cloud, and global director, consumer and shopper insights for Nielson. The cost to attend is $10 per session. Upon registering, you will receive a link to join the Zoom meeting in advance of the event. For additional information or to register, visit gulfcoastprsa.org.
Cypress Lodge rendering
GATES CONSTRUCTION BEGINS NEW CYPRESS LODGE AT BABCOCK RANCH
GATES Construction has begun building the new Cypress Lodge at Babcock Ranch. Cypress Lodge will include an outdoor club room with fireplace, activity and game lawn, swimming pool, barbecue area, and a waterfront tower with a lit Babcock Ranch logo. The lodge will sit directly on Lake Babcock just northeast of the current Founder’s Square. GATES Construction is helping to create this sustainable social destination for the families and friends of Babcock Ranch. Design services are provided by Principle Design & Development Group LLC.
MNMW WELCOMES HR MANAGER/CONSULTANT
Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Co. P.A. (MNMW) welcomes Marissa Hill to the firm as the human resources manager/consultant. In her role, she will manage all human resource (HR) matters for MNMW as well as provide HR consulting to clients. Hill holds a bachelor’s degree from Augsburg College and a Master of Business Administration, specializing in human resource management, from Capella University. She is SHRM-SCP certified and is working towards her DISC and Driving Forces Talent Insights certification. Before joining MNMW, Hill’s 17-year experience in HR included progressive leadership positions focused on HR business partnership.
Carl Crant
MILES COLLIER COLLECTIONS APPOINTS MANAGING DIRECTOR
Miles Collier Collections LLC has appointed Carl Grant as managing director. Grant specializes in the field of innovative library technology and brings expertise in 3D, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. He has a background in university library management and digital education. Grant joins the Revs Institute leadership team of Scott George, chief curator of Miles Collier Collections and Mark Vargas, chief operating officer. Revs Institute is prioritizing health and safety for visitors, staff and docent volunteers. It remains temporarily closed due to the coronavirus health crisis and will announce its reopening at a later date. For more information, visit revsinstitute.org.
STEPHENS HONORED BY FORBES
UBS Wealth Management USA advisor Jason Stephens, a managing director and private wealth advisor at The Stephens Group in the firm’s Naples office, has been named a Forbes/SHOOK Best in State Wealth Advisor 2020 in Florida. Advisors on this list are chosen based on quantitative criteria and qualitative criteria. Stephens, who has earned the designation of CFP, received this honor from Forbes every year since 2018. A University of Florida graduate, Stephens has also been recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Top Wealth Advisors 2017-19, by Barron’s as a Top 1,2000 Financial Advisors 2013-19, Gulfshore Life’s “Men and Women of the Year” 2019, and more. For a full list of winners, click here.
Dolph & Sharon von Arx. Dolph is one of the two members added to the Help a Diabetic Child Foundation board.
HELP A DIABETIC CHILD FOUNDATION ADDS TWO BOARD MEMBERS
Help a Diabetic Child Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping families and individuals who are dealing with diabetes, has added John Reisman and Dolph von Arx to its board of directors. Reisman is a Licensed General Contractor in the State of Florida and has overseen the permitting and building of more than 2,000 homes and apartments since 1994. He has had Type 1 Diabetes since the age of 14 and is an active member of the JDRF Southwest Florida Chapter. Reisman’s oldest daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 7. Von Arx and his wife, Sharon, have been philanthropic and service pillars of the Naples area for more than 30 years. Numerous organizations have benefited from their support, including NCH Healthcare System, where von Arx served for 11 years as chairman of the board. Most recently, he served as co-chair for the Fifth Annual Von Arx Florida Diabetes and Wellness Conference in November 2019.
CHARITABLE NOTES
Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation contributes $40K to Lee Health, NCH Healthcare System
Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation celebrated Lee Health and NCH’s collaboration in fighting against COVID-19 with a $40,000 donation. On the frontline of the crisis serving the community and collaborating on all fronts, Lee Health and NCH are sharing policies, action plans and media updates, coordinating outreach efforts, working together to re-open surgeries, and continuing to work on on-going training for team members as we adjust to the new normal. The “SWFL Stronger Together” campaign continues to raise funds and other support for the healthcare systems and professionals as we look to work through the continued challenges presented by COVID-19. The gift from Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and others like it are providing critical resources to support doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers. Funds are being used to buy additional equipment and supplies and other resources that have depleted over the last 60 days. For more information or to make an online donation to SWFL Stronger Together, visit SWFLtogether.org.
Creighton Construction & Development employees deliver acts of kindness during pandemic
Creighton Construction & Development employees are delivering acts of kindness to support local frontline medical staff and first responders as well as restaurants, families and others in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic first began impacting Southwest Florida, Creighton Construction & Development founder Dan Creighton purchased $5,000 in food from Ruth’s Chris Steak House, handing out 150 meals for disadvantaged families of the Dunbar community. Creighton also gave $25,000 from his own pocket, distributing $250 directly to 100 families. To date, Creighton and his associates have impacted more than 3,300 people through the #CreightonCares challenge, contributing funds out of their own pockets to organize and execute these special projects. A dozen #CreightonCares projects have been completed to date in Florida, Texas and Colorado, with more underway.
