Lead Photo: Seagate Development Group has sold two self-storage facilities to Public Storage, including University Storage in Estero. Details below.

VIRTUAL TOWN HALL ON COVID-19 VACCINES HELD TODAY

Lee Health is partnering with Healthcare Network and NCH Healthcare System to host a virtual town hall on COVID-19 vaccines today at 11 a.m. The town hall will be interactive and allow community members to ask questions through Facebook and have them answered by Lee Health, Healthcare Network and NCH leaders. The panel for the virtual town hall will include Larry Antonucci, president and CEO, Lee Health; Dr. Mary Beth Saunders, system medical director epidemiology, Lee Health; Dr. Corin DeChirico, chief medical officer, Healthcare Network; and Ilia Echevarria, associate chief nursing officer, NCH Healthcare System and director of the NCH COVID Response Team.  Lindsey Morton, creative services manager, Lee Health, will moderate. The virtual town hall will be live on the Lee Health, NCH Healthcare System and Healthcare Network Facebook pages and Lee Health and Healthcare Network’s website.

MASKS STILL REQUIRED AT ALL LEE HEALTH FACILITIES

Lee Health is continuing to require staff, patients and visitors to wear a mask inside all Lee Health facilities to protect the vulnerable population and those who either cannot receive the vaccine or may not have a full response to the vaccine due to their condition, the healthcare system states. “Since the start of the pandemic, Lee Health has followed guidance from the CDC on masking and will continue to do so,” Dr. Stephanie Stovall, Lee Health’s interim chief of quality and patient safety, says. The recent updated guidelines on masking for fully vaccinated people do not apply to healthcare settings.” For more information, click here.

 

Video courtesy of WINK News

DEO GETTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO FIX FLORIDA’S UNEMPLOYMENT SYSTEM

After a year of glitches and unanswered calls, the head of Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity says it’s better prepared now more than ever to fix the state’s system. People are still frustrated, but DEO Secretary Dane Eagle promises that hope is on the horizon. Now that the legislative session is over, Eagle said the DEO got what it needed from legislators. Over the next year, DEO is set to receive $19 million for continued IT costs and $56 million for operational costs, which will help with hiring and clearing the backlog. Most notably, it got $72 million to transform the current system into a fully cloud-based one during the next two years, WINK News reports.

LUFTHANSA GROUP ANNOUNCES NEW SERVICE FROM FRANKFURT TO RSW IN MARCH 2022

Lufthansa Group announced it will inaugurate weekly nonstop flights between Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers and Frankfurt Airport in Germany in March 2022. Flights will be operated by Eurowings Discover three times a week between RSW and FRA. The flights will be published by Lufthansa Group, and tickets can be booked starting May 26 online here.

SELLERS STEP UP IN ATTEMPT TO MEET BUYER DEMAND IN APRIL

Buyers eager for more home choices found an increase in new listings during April. Collier County had 1,460 new listings added to the pool of homes for sale in Naples during April, according to the April 2021 market report released by the Naples Area Board of Realtors. This was a 106% increase in new listings compared to new listings added during April 2020. April had 2,037 pending sales or homes under contract and 1,882 closed sales, which resulted in 1,432 homes remaining in inventory by the end of the month. Not surprising, and because of increased demand for the Naples lifestyle, the eight-month supply of homes in April 2020 was reduced to a 1.1-month supply of homes at the end of April 2021. The substantial loss of inventory is attributed to post-pandemic relocation buying behaviors, a new reality in many Florida communities.

STEVENS CONSTRUCTION EXPANDS WITH NEW CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS

Stevens Construction has started construction of its new corporate headquarters, doubling the size of the existing Fort Myers operations. Located at 14541 Hope Center Loop, the new Stevens Construction headquarters will accommodate its recent growth and position it for future expansion. Stevens Construction currently has 59 team members throughout four offices and plans to create at least 10 more jobs by the end of 2021. Occupying the second floor of the new 20,000-square-foot building, Stevens Construction will include an expansive training room, indoor and outdoor team lounges, plan room, five bathrooms, shower and multiple conference rooms and offices with floor-to-ceiling windows. Construction is slated for completion at the end of 2021 and Stevens Construction expects to move operations in January 2022. The Stevens Construction team includes project manager Jay Wolfe, superintendent Joseph Powalski, and project administrator Rebeccah Hamilton. Architectural services are provided by Southview Studios.

FOOD & THOUGHT 2 REPLACING FOUNDERS MARKET & BISTRO IN NORTH NAPLES

Food & Thought 2 will replace The Founders Market & Bistro, which permanently closed last month in North Naples. The new all-organic market and restaurant is targeted to launch Oct. 1 in Fountain Park retail center at 7941 Airport-Pulling Road, also formerly home to Calistoga and the Original Pancake House. Oakes Farms founder Alfie Oakes is partnering with The Founders’ owner Randy Johns on the new local food venture. Oakes operates the original Food & Thought, marketed as “The Organic General Store,” in the Gateway of Naples retail center at 2132 Tamiami Trail N. Established in 2005, Food & Thought features a 100% organic produce market, cafe, juice bar, coffee shop and retail health food store. Food & Thought 2 will have a restaurant and market, each in individual 6,000-square-foot buildings separated by a large courtyard. “We’re going to make use of every square inch we can,” says Dan St. Martin, general manager of Oakes Farms Seed to Table Market. Expect a change in decor, live music and a new menu, he said. “We want to turn it into what we are,” says St. Martin. “That market and restaurant are going to complement each other so much.” 

NEW DENTAL OFFICE COMING SOON TO GOLDEN GATE ESTATES

Lucia Greer and Anthony Riggio will soon be offering dental services to the Golden Gate Estates community at their brand-new office, Orangetree Dental Care. The new full-service family dental practice is set to open on June 18 at 13600 Immokalee Road, Unit 102. Orangetree Dental Care will be fully equipped with the latest products and equipment available in the dental industry, the company states. Services will range from routine cleanings and simple fillings to more in-depth restorative and cosmetic services. Greer earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, and her Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the New York University College of Dentistry in New York. Riggio earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville and his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Columbia University in New York. The office is now accepting new patients. 

Arbor Towne in Fort Myers

SEAGATE SELLS TWO STORAGE FACILITIES TO PUBLIC STORAGE

Seagate Development Group has sold two self-storage facilities to Public Storage. They are located at Arbor Towne Square Shopping Center, 10688 Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers and at 20091 Tiburon Way in Estero. SW Management & Realty LLC – a Seagate Development Group affiliate – was the broker in this transaction. Seagate developed and constructed these storage facilities in 2019 and 2020. This came after eight months of research and due diligence, including a site selection from six potential sites. The result was Arbor Towne’s 76,000-square-foot facility with 663 units and University Storage’s 63,275-square-foot, three-story building with 601 units. Seagate currently owns a CubeSmart self-storage facility at 5320 Useppa Drive in Ave Maria – the result of a partnership with Ave Maria Development. 

FREE PEER GROUP LEADERSHIP COACHING SESSION HELD TUESDAY

PyLadies SWFL, in partnership with VirtualPeer.co, is hosting a free virtual leadership coaching session at 7:30 p.m. this Tuesday. The session will focus on leadership in the post-COVID era. Participants will share their challenges and successes managing teams remotely and explore what they can be doing differently to be a more effective leader in an increasingly hybrid environment. To register, click here. PyLadies is an international mentoring group focusing on educating and empowering women to become active participants and leaders in the Python open-source community. Inessa Pawson of Albus Code organizes the Southwest Florida chapter.

OASIS SENIOR ADVISORS OFFERING FREE ETHICS EDUCATION TRAINING FOR SOCIAL WORKERS, CASE MANAGERS

Bonita Springs-based Oasis Senior Advisors will be offering a free one-hour continuing education event to social workers and case managers across the country from 1-2:15 p.m. on June 22. Jenerations Health Education will present “Ethical Dilemmas: Working with Older Adults,” an interactive webinar. Speaker Joanna Frankel will touch on the gray areas that healthcare professionals who work with seniors constantly encounter. Registration is required and space is limited. Case managers and social workers who attend will earn one continuing education credit. To register for the free event, click here. For questions, email stephanie@jenerationshealth.com.

Jessica Campbell

VETERAN COLLIER COUNTY EDUCATOR NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT FUN TIME

Fun Time Early Childhood Academy (FTA) has named Jessica Campbell as its executive director, effective June 1, replacing interim executive director Marsha McDonough. Campbell most recently served as principal of eCollier Academy, Collier County’s first all-virtual school created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her background includes assignments at seven different Collier County schools. She served as assistant principal at Big Cypress Elementary and Parkside Elementary School and as principal at Avalon Elementary School. She also held several titles at Shadowlawn Elementary School. Campbell is Florida Child Care Staff credentialed, has completed emergent literacy training for VPK instructors and is ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) certified for grades K-12. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Florida Gulf Coast University. 

FGCU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES INCOMING BOARD MEMBERS

The Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) Alumni Association has announced its new incoming board members for the 2021-2023 term. Michael Nachef, who has served on the board since 2012, will continue to serve as chair. Nachef is the system director of government relations at Lee Health. Officers include Ryan King as chair-elect, Nadege Pierre as secretary, Isabela Mills McCabe as awards and recognition chair, Jessica Carter Peer as outreach chair, Lisa Halpin as development chair and Payton Mitchell as programming chair. New board members are Bonie Montalvo, Carol Lee, Janeth Castrejon, David Merrill, Sofia Blanno, Bradley Williams, Tina Ekblad and Christopher Alvarez.

CHARITABLE NOTES
 

United Way awards $2.1 million to support reef restoration 

United Way of Collier and the Keys (UWCK) has awarded $2.1 million to support coral restoration efforts by two organizations, Coral Restoration Foundation and Reef Renewal USA. The competitive grants are part of UWCK’s “Revitalizing the Florida Keys through Reef Restoration and Beyond” initiative, with support from the United Arab Emirates. Coral Restoration Foundation has been awarded $1,945,926 to expand its work at Carysfort Reef off northern Key Largo, Florida, and Reef Renewal USA will receive $176,356 to implement revolutionary coral outplanting techniques at Sombrero Reef near Marathon, Florida, over the next five years. Both Coral Restoration Foundation and Reef Renewal USA will secure a one-to-one match of the awarded funds, culminating in more than $4.2 million for their restoration efforts. This funding could then be used to match available government funds, resulting in more than $8.4 million for coral restoration in the Florida Keys. 
 

Doris Hill, Sally Jacquay, Marilyn Grubisich, Constance Fennessey

Golf tournament raises $45,000 for The Heights Center Early Learning

The seventh annual benefit golf tournament, “Tee It Up Fore The Kids,” took place at The Club at Shell Point on April 24 and raised $45,000 for The Heights Center Early Learning, formerly known as GLAD Kids. A part of The Heights Foundation/The Heights Center family, Heights Early Learning’s mission is to ensure low-income families have quality, affordable childcare. Eighty-five children from birth to age 4 read, learn and play in a safe environment while their parents work to provide for their families, the organization states. The Masiello Family Foundation, The Healing Heart Giving Fund, and Entech sponsored the event.
 

Home Base SWFL and TailorMade Fitness partner in fitness challenge and fundraiser

Home Base SWFL has teamed up with TailorMade Fitness to raise awareness and financial support for veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) throughout PTSD Awareness Month. Throughout June, the PTSD Awareness Month Fitness Challenge invites the community to participate in an individual 2,000 rep challenge of burpees, wall balls, squats and lunges and encourages financial support for Home Base SWFL. Donations of $100 will get a gift bag and entry to win two months of personal training, a donation of $50 will get a gift bag and entry to win one month of personal training and a donation of $25 will get a gift bag. To make a donation and enter the Fitness Challenge, contact TailorMade Fitness at 239-596-6673.

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