Issue 01

The playground at River Park Community Center is worn out. Staff say it went in during the early 2000s and has outlasted a normal 15 to 20 year life in salt air. Kids from after-school and camp programs use it every week, along with neighbors from River Park East and West.

City staff asked playground companies for designs, then narrowed the field to two finalists. Residents voted online and at an open house in May 2026. GameTime won that public vote 208 to 110. On August 19, 2026, Council unanimously approved spending $749,037.01 on a new inclusive playground and shelter at River Park, under a city purchase order with Gametime (Playcore Wisconsin). That is a bit under the $760,000 already set aside in the budget, and it uses a pricing agreement the city had already approved with that vendor.

Nobody named River Park, Gametime, or the dollar amount out loud that night. Two unrelated special-event requests got pulled for separate talk. Everything else on the routine batch, including the playground, passed without debate. For neighbors waiting on new equipment, the signal is simple: it cleared quietly, and every Council member voted yes.

More detail: https://www.naplesgov.com/media/185011

Meeting video and transcript: https://naplesfl.new.swagit.com/videos/396683

For years, people who use Charlie C. Anthony Park have asked the city for outdoor security cameras. That request showed up in park planning meetings as far back as 2016.

In spring 2026, Collier County gave the city a conditional Community Development Block Grant of $80,368 toward cameras and related gear at the park. Staff estimate the full project closer to about $200,000. If the grant does not cover everything, they may tap other city funds, including a CRA project line. The county award letter says this grant does not pay for license-plate readers. Federal money for the work would not be available until after October 1, 2026, and reimbursable work cannot start until the county issues a notice to proceed.

On September 2, 2026, Council unanimously approved that county grant agreement for security cameras and supporting infrastructure at Charlie C. Anthony Park. Two other routine items were set aside for a later meeting; the cameras were not among them. Anthony Park, the cameras, and the $80,368 figure were never spoken aloud. Like the playground, the cameras cleared in the quiet middle of the meeting, with every member voting yes.

More detail: https://www.naplesgov.com/media/185436

Meeting video and transcript: https://naplesfl.new.swagit.com/videos/399817

Every fall, Naples sets the property tax rate (the millage) and the city budget for the year that starts October 1. Staff first floated a General Fund rate of 1.2300 mills, then raised the proposal to 1.2900 to fund about $1.15 million in public safety staffing: $750,000 for police and $400,000 for fire-rescue. At that higher rate, the General Fund spending plan sits around $75.6 million.

At the first public hearing on September 8, 2026, Council set a tentative General Fund millage of 1.2900 on a 5-2 vote. Blankenship and Schultz voted no; Krol, Barton, Kramer, Penniman, and Heitmann voted yes. The tentative General Fund budget passed unanimously the same night. Council also set East Naples Bay millage at 0.5000 and Moorings Bay millage at 0.0125, each unanimously, with matching tentative district budgets.

At the second hearing on September 16, 2026, Council locked the final General Fund millage at 1.2900 on a 6-1 vote (Blankenship no). The final General Fund budget passed 6-0 after Kramer left the meeting at 5:26 p.m. East Naples Bay and Moorings Bay rates and budgets were finalized the same night at 0.5000 and 0.0125, both 6-0.

Staff presentations at both hearings put the citywide rolled-back rate at 1.2253 and the aggregate millage at 1.3074, about 6.70 percent above rolled-back. In plain terms: the city raised the operating rate above the first draft so police and fire staffing could grow, and Blankenship stayed a no vote through both hearings.

First-hearing packet: https://www.naplesgov.com/media/185471

Sep 8 minutes: https://naplesfl.new.swagit.com/videos/400199

Sep 16 minutes: https://naplesfl.new.swagit.com/videos/401295

Hurricane Ian wrecked Gulf Shore Boulevard North. The Miracle Mile stretch runs about 1.3 miles from Doctors Pass toward the Naples Beach Club. Roughly a third of the buildings there may be rebuilt in the next few years. Neighbors and the city are still sketching how the street, sidewalks, and drainage should work when that happens.

On Monday, September 14, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., City Council held a workshop on a conceptual streetscape plan for the corridor between 1065 and 2150 Gulf Shore Boulevard North. Ideas already on the table include a wide central green median, parks along both sides of a two-lane road, or planted drainage swales that help clean stormwater. Near-term asks include fixing cracked sidewalks, more shade, parking tweaks, and short-term flooding fixes. The city put $59,260 toward that planning work.

If you walk or live on that stretch, watch later Council agendas for any follow-up vote.

Workshop materials: https://www.naplesgov.com/media/185561

Naples Airport is not supposed to lean on your city tax bill for day-to-day operations. The Airport Authority says it runs on user fees and fuel sales, with federal and state aviation grants helping many building projects. Its draft materials put recent economic impact around $781 million a year and about 200,000 passengers in the last fiscal year.

On September 14, 2026, at the same morning workshop, the Authority walked City Council through its draft Fiscal Year 2027 operating and capital budget. The draft capital plan is about $36.7 million. The overview also notes a letter of intent from American Airlines to bring airline service back in December 2026. If airport noise, jobs, or commercial flights matter to you, watch later Airport Authority and Council agendas for next steps.

Workshop materials: https://www.naplesgov.com/media/185561

When North Naples dining defaults to another beach-road steak or Italian table, Bicyclette Cookshop is the chef-driven detour at 819 Vanderbilt Beach Road. Chef Kayla Pfeiffer cooks seasonal New American plates meant for sharing, with lunch, an afternoon snack window, and dinner every day. The gap is playful, high-low cooking close to Vanderbilt Beach and Mercato instead of a predictable special-occasion room.

People talk about creative small plates, fresh seafood, and desserts that do something unexpected; reservations help on weekends and in season, though walk-ins work when the room is open. Lunch runs 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., snacks and shareables 2:30 to 5 p.m., dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Call (239) 514-3333, or order takeout through the site if you want the food without the stay. Dogs are welcome on the shaded patio.

Pronounce it "bee-see-klet," then linger at the bar for wine or a cocktail before a plate you will want to pass around the table.

On a slow afternoon you can lose an hour among the curated shelves at Books on Third, settle into a reading nook with a kids space nearby, and leave with a stack and a reason to come back for the next signing, storytime, author talk, or book club. That is the kind of literary afternoon Naples keeps upstairs on Third Street South.

The shop sits at 1300 3rd Street South, Suite 201, above The Ridgway. Summer hours run Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Extended high season hours begin on October 1st: Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is available behind the building off 14th Avenue South, with an elevator entrance for strollers and ADA access. Call (239) 331-3960 or email hello@booksonthird.com with questions.

The Story Table Immersive Book Discussion on "Strangers" by Belle Burden is Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Books on Third. An Author Talk with Carla Vass on "The Rally" is Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the store. Liz Molloy's The Olympian Artifacts, by a local Naples author, was just recently released in mid-September; come by to pick it up, or shipping is available. RSVP to these events and others at https://booksonthird.com/pages/events

When the drugstore aisle is fine for basics but you want natural soap, shampoo bars, or a gift that smells like Florida citrus instead of warehouse plastic, Naples Soap Company has two local stops: Fifth Avenue South at 614 Fifth Avenue South and Tin City at 1200 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 102. Founder Deanna, a former nurse, started the brand in 2009 after wrestling with psoriasis and eczema and looking for cleaner ingredients; the company now runs more than a dozen Florida stores and sells online, with sea salt soaps, sugar-and-salt scrubs, face care, hand creams, and shampoo and conditioner bars among the regular draws.

At both Naples locations, plan on staff who help with gifts and packaging, shampoo bars that leave hair soft without an itchy scalp, sensitive-skin soap and body butters for dry or reactive skin, and scrubs that feel luxurious rather than harsh.

Fifth Avenue hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tin City hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Browse at naplessoap.com.

Call ahead for the cake. At Mikkelsen's Pastry Shop, 1068 Business Lane #2 in North Naples, celebration cakes are made to order, not pulled finished from a shelf. Paw and Elizabeth Mikkelsen opened the scratch bakery in 2000; the counter turns out cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, tarts, pastries, and specialty breads, plus custom and wedding cakes by appointment.

Walk in for the daily pastry case, then plan cakes with a date, size, and flavors by phone or email. Wedding tastings run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment on weekdays the bakery is open. Regulars come back for custom flavors (including off-menu requests when the team can manage them), German chocolate and dulce de leche style cakes, and cookies you can buy by the piece or the pound.

The counter runs Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. From November through April they add Mondays; the other months, Monday is their day off. Call (239) 596-5996 or email cakes@mikkelsenspastryshop.com. Menu and ordering notes live at mikkelsenspastryshop.com.

Press coverage and community buzz do not land by accident in Naples. Beth Preddy has run Preddy PR here since 1997, after years as public relations director at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, and she still works like an idea partner for owners who need someone who can talk to journalists and neighbors in the same week.

Her early tourism work helped Visit Naples and the Tourism Alliance of Collier County tell the destination story before Collier had its official convention bureau. That local memory still shows up in how the shop builds campaigns for lifestyle, hospitality, nonprofit, arts, medical, real estate, and construction clients: earned media, digital and social, ads, promotions, events, community relations, and websites, shaped around what actually sets a business apart rather than a one-size kit dropped from afar.

If you run a restaurant, gallery, clinic, or builder and want attention that fits this market, this is the lane. Florida Weekly has given her a nod as a Naples marketing expert, and select organizations can apply for a complimentary consultation built around a SWOT look at strengths and gaps. Call 239.404.5014 or email beth@preddypr.com when you are ready to map a campaign to your calendar. Details live at preddypr.com for owners comparing PR partners who already know how attention works here.