Lee County

Golf downtown

The Topgolf brand of entertainment opened in downtown Fort Myers inside a new sports bar. Chips Sports Pub, 2200 Edwards Drive, features two Topgolf Swing Suites.

Golf isn’t the only virtual sport patrons can try at Chips, as simulators also include soccer, a quarterback challenge, baseball hitting, hockey shots, zombie dodgeball and a few others. The private game suites can be booked for groups ranging from 11 to 60 people for $35 an hour.

Mark Heiman, executive chef at the Luminary, created Chips’ menu with items ranging from $11 to $23.

Improving bridges

Lee County Commissioners discussed options for the Cape Coral Bridge and the future of the Sanibel Causeway.

Commissioners want to make it easier for people to get in and out of the city via the Cape Coral Bridge. Once the $218,600,000 work is done, the new bridge will have a 75-year lifespan, effectively alleviating traffic and making the bridge safe for everyone.

For the Sanibel Causeway, commissioners are planning to beef up its resilience and widen bike lanes. The cost for the Sanibel Causeway improvements and adjustments is $285 million; Lee County’s share of that cost is $51,600,000.

Photo By Brian Tietz

Restoring beaches

Fort Myers Beach town council unanimously approved two restoration projects on the island. One project, costing $25 million, will pump sand onto the beach; the other is a long-term, six-foot tall berm that will be built throughout the island and will cost $7 million.

For the berm to happen, all property owners on the beach must sign and agree to it.

Winery comes to Fort Myers

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants recently opened its new location at 13671 Olympic Court in Fort Myers.  The restaurant on Six Mile Cypress Parkway near Daniels Parkway is the privately owned company’s second Southwest Florida location and its 55th nationwide.

Each Cooper’s Hawk location offers wine tasting, a wine club, a wine shop with wines and accessories and an expansive eating area for both leisurely dining and business meetings. The menu features dishes that pair with Cooper’s Hawk wines.

Collier County

Banning dispensaries

Collier County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted in favor of enacting an ordinance banning the establishment of medical marijuana facilities in unincorporated Collier.

The issue has been discussed off and on since 2018, when the county disapproved the land development code allowing dispensaries in the same zoning district as pharmacies in unincorporated Collier County.

It evolved into an ordinance banning the establishment or location of treatment centers within most parts of the county. A de facto ban had been in place until now, not officially banning treatment centers but not voting to allow them either.

Home values rising

Home values in Naples are up nearly 30% from last year, according to Zillow.

May or June may be the time for a good deal. Around that time, visitors from up north tend to leave the area and a handful choose to offload their properties before heading out of town, Collier County realtor Nick Sweat said. But buyers shouldn’t expect a drastic decrease in prices anytime soon.

The Naples housing market is not very competitive, according to Redfin. Homes in Naples receive two offers on average.

Home development

Stock Development is planning a 443-home community east of Collier Boulevard, across from Naples National Golf Club, less than two miles south of Interstate 75 in Collier County.

Caymas Naples will feature single-family and estate homes built by Stock Luxury Homes and Stock Custom Homes. In addition, Pulte Homes will offer homes on 52-foot-wide homesites. Consisting of 780 acres, half of which are lakes and preserves, Caymas will be home to homes ranging in size from 2,400 to more than 4,000 square feet. Sales for the lakefront community are scheduled to begin later this year, while work on its infrastructure is underway.

Naples pickleball team

Bob Strommen, managing director of Naples Pickleball Center, purchased a National Pickleball League team to be based in Naples.

Made up of six teams, the NPL is a nationwide team competition for Champions Division age-50-and-over professional players. Team owners will build their teams through a live player draft that will include the division’s biggest stars in the first quarter of 2023. The league’s regular season begins in June.