Need to catch up on business news in Southwest Florida? No problem. Here are the top stories of the week pulled from our daily newsletter, Gulfshore Business Daily.
Friday, Sept. 27
PLAYERS CIRCLE THEATRE COMING TO SHELL FACTORY
The Shell Factory & Nature Park announces its newest tenant, Players Circle Theatre, located at 16554 N. Cleveland Ave. in Fort Myers. In partnership with the Actors Equity Association (contract pending), its inaugural season is slated to kick off in December and will include five professional shows. Led by Carrie and Robert Cacioppo, the venue will be a flexible black box theatre. Seating up to192 guests, the performances will place the audience no more than five rows from the stage. The space will have a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system, accompanied by a Bluetooth loop hearing aid system and hearing headsets at no charge. Adjacent to the theatre, a 1,000-square-foot lobby will seat 50-plus, and the walls will showcase180 framed vintage Broadway playbills ranging from the 1920s through today. Guests can also enjoy the Southern Grill restaurant. Performances will include Broadway-level entertainment with prices starting at $25 per person. VIP seating and subscription packages are also available. A list of performances will be announced, and tickets will be available in October. Currently, donations are being accepted and show sponsors are needed. For more information, email at Info@PlayersCircle.org.
Bruce Barone Jr.
Thursday, Sept. 26
NAPLES CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO EXTEND 5TH AVENUE SOUTH BID RESOLUTION
Naples City Council has unanimously voted to extend its 5th Avenue South Business Improvement District (BID) resolution until 2029 during its meeting on Sept. 19. Created in 2009 at the request of downtown merchants, the 5th Avenue South BID provides the city with the means to assess some 200 merchants to fund marketing and promotional activities. With the support of the local government and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), the BID has helped create the successful downtown district master plan and zoning district in addition to the 5th Avenue South special overlay zoning district. The BID also designed and installed decorative lighting and landscape improvements, developed a strategic marketing plan for entrepreneurial and small business strategies, secured new sponsors for holiday events and created new activities to draw visitors downtown. Bruce Barone Jr. is executive director of the 5th Avenue South BID.
Wednesday, Sept. 25
RSW REPORTS RECORD-BREAKING AUGUST
During August, 526,519 passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, an increase of 5.1% compared with August 2018. Year-to-date, passenger traffic is up 8.4% compared with last year. The traffic leader in August was Delta Air Lines with 137,296 passengers traveling to and from Fort Myers. Rounding out the top five airlines were American (100,365), Southwest (91,766), JetBlue (62,022) and United (45,040). Southwest Florida International Airport had 4,439 aircraft operations, a decrease of 0.3% compared to August 2018. Page Field saw 7,965 operations, a 2.1% increase from August 2018. In addition, slightly more than 3 million pounds of air freight moved through Southwest Florida International Airport in August 2019.
Tuesday, Sept. 24
FLORIDA RANKED NO. 33 AMONG BEST, WORST STATES FOR TEACHERS
Florida has ranked No. 33 in Wallethub’s 2019’s Best & Worst States for Teachers report. Teacher-friendliness in Florida earned the following scores, with “one” being the best and “25th” being average scores: 30th for Avg. Starting Salary for Teachers (Adjusted for Cost of Living); 48th for Avg. Salary for Teachers (Adjusted for Cost of Living); 26th for Quality of School System; 26th for Pupil-Teacher Ratio; 43rd for Public-School Spending per Student; 20th for Teachers’ Income Growth Potential; eighth for Projected Competition in Year 2026; and 46th for 10-Year Change in Teacher Salaries. For the full report, click here.
Monday, Sept. 23
GOVERNOR RELEASES AUGUST SWFL JOBS REPORT
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