Southwest Spotlight Newspaper - December 1 Edition

S O U T H W E S T

DECEMBER 1-15, 2012Vol.3, No.13 FREE

™

Events, things to do and opportunities to give back to our community in and around Bonita SpringsPRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDFT MYERS, FLPERMIT #980

RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERECRWSS

English Without Borders 15

Giving Locally 16 to 17

Restaurants 33 to 36

This Hickory Boulevard mailbox on Little Hickory Island is dressed for the holidays.

Pages 12 to 19

SS_Wrap.Dec.12.12_Layout 1 11/27/12 7:34 PM Page 1

SS_Wrap.Dec.12.12_Layout 1 11/27/12 7:34 PM Page 3SS_Wrap.Dec.12.12_Layout 1 11/27/12 7:34 PM Page 2



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Page 6 December 1-15, 2012

8 Downtown Upbeat Community Redevelopment Agency a potential catalyst

11 Muted Colors for a Bright Future Color palette designed to boost retail on Old 41

11 Sheldon Kaye Has His Say Lee Library Director says Bonita benefits from system

12 A Hundred Hugs Volunteers knot blankets that offer comfort to kids

News & Features15 English Without Borders An international community greets students at Literacy Council

16 Giving Locally Local organizations for giving your time and treasure

18 Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree Rotary Christmas tree sale helps local charities

Arts & Entertainment24 Calendar What’s happening this month in Bonita?

26 Off Broadway is Right On Laughter at the Off Broadway Palm Theater

Columns28 The Other Ben When a stranger visits

30 Bonita’s Best Friends Phoebe Jo, adopted in Hannibal, Missouri

31 Tee Box Tips Time for a tune up

32 Neighbor Spotlight Russ and Angelia Winn have a unique ministry

Restaurants34 Restaurant Guide

S O U T H W E S T™

Locally owned and operated since 2010

(239) [email protected]

PO Box 1946Bonita Springs, FL 34133

Southwest Spotlight, LLC

swspotlight.comPublisher & Editor

Peter A. O’[email protected]

Advertising SalesTeri LamaineKathy O’Flinn

Office ManagerKatie O’Flinn

Contributing WritersCharles J. CavaliereD.K. ChristiMartha CriderMeghan EasterlyMark GeneralesMax HarrisJoyce McDonaldJosh MusselmanBen Nelson, Jr.Peter R. O’FlinnStan J. Strycharz, Psy.D.

Contributing PhotographersDavid Michael

Commentary22 Remember the Needy Please support local charities this holiday season

22 Councilman Simmons Track Agreement a win for city

22 Letters to the Editor

Business20 Real Estate Watch Fourth quarter off to a strong start

21 A Love Story from New York Manhattan Steakhouse has roots in New York

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Figure 1Old 41 Redevelopment District

City of Bonita SpringsBonita Springs, FL

City of Bonita Springs Community Development

0 1,000500

Feet

LEGEND

Old 41 Redevelopment District

Bonita Beach Road Corrdior

Old 41 Redevelopment District and Bonita Beach Road Corridor

NORTH

Downtown Upbeat

The preliminary boundaries of proposed downtown CRA area are outlined in yellow in this map provided by City of Bonita Springs.

Community Redevelopment Agencies are financial catalysts for downtown renewal.

By Peter R. O’[email protected]

Bonita Springs – A few days before Bonita Springs City Council rolled up its sleeves for a four-hour workshop on Old 41 redevelopment, Mayor Ben Nelson sat down with Jacqueline Genson of the City’s Community De-velopment Office to review that department’s handi-work, a hundred pages of presentation material for the meeting.

Nelson had just returned from visiting his daughter, who lives on the east coast. “We took a ride over to Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach,” he told Genson. “It was awesome.”

“I think you will like these slides,” said Genson, as she clicked on her Pow-erPoint. Photos of Delray Beach were displayed on the screen, showing the transformation of dilapi-dated streetscapes into one of Florida’s most vibrant downtowns.

“No other area really hits the button as to what we have downtown and what we want to be,” said Nelson in an interview with the Spotlight. “But Delray Beach is a great example.”

A Community Redevelopment Agency

In Delray Beach and oth-er Florida areas, Communi-ty Redevelopment Agencies are financial catalysts for downtown renewal.

At the November work-shop, City Council gave initial approval for forma-tion of a Community Rede-

velopment Agency for the Old 41 area, now dubbed “downtown.” City Council likely will serve as its gov-erning board. Other details remain, including the exact contours of the redevelop-ment area and the term of the CRA, likely to be 20 to 25 years.

The CRA will focus on needed infrastructure downtown. “We are going to do parking and drainage,” said Nelson. “Those two things are bargaining chips to attract new businesses.”

A Financial Engine In a CRA, taxes on

property value increases are plowed back into the rede-velopment area for infra-structure improvement. For example, if property worth $100 at the start of the CRA increased in value to $125, then property taxes on the $25 increment would be available.

“There can be a multi-plier effect,” said Nelson. Reinvesting taxes in the area can encourage more growth and, in turn, more reinvest-ment.

Property values in the redevelopment area, cur-rently about $65 million, have dropped significantly in recent years.

Ironically, depressed val-uations present an opportu-nity for a new CRA, because of future growth potential. “This is the perfect time to do this,” said Nelson.

A Prior ProposalThe timing was inop-

portune earlier in the 2000s when the City approached Lee County about a differ-ent Old 41 CRA.

County approval is need-ed, and its financial interests are in play. Lee property tax on Bonita property is four times the City tax, and a CRA will receive tax incre-ments that would otherwise accrue to the County.

“The County would not do it, and for good reason,” said Nelson, recalling the previous proposal. “There was a lot of speculation in the Old 41 area and prop-erty prices were way up there.” The City’s consultant kept expanding develop-ment district boundaries to include areas with more po-tential for value growth.

“Don Stillwell, who was Lee County Manager, fi-nally said, ‘I am not doing that. It’s just way too big,’” recounted Nelson.

Times Have Changed

“Today, it makes way too much sense not to do it,” said Nelson.

When the term of the CRA expires, “it is money in the bank for the County,” he said. “It takes vision and politicians who are willing to wait. But if nothing is done, property values could just stay where they are.”

“I am not blaming the County,” said Nelson, “but

there is a good argument that this infrastructure work should have been done a long time ago, before we were a city.”

“So now we are going to do it ourselves. All we are asking is to reinvest the benefit of doing something good.”

Bonita’s City CouncilsNelson said he was

proud of City Council in moving forward with the CRA. “It looks like they

have made the connection between the people, via their government, investing in themselves and knowing that if they did that there would be a tangible return.”

A CRA will build on ac-tions of past City Councils, he said, including Liles Ho-tel and Riverside Park reno-vations, the Bamboo Village purchase, and Downtown Master Plan creation.

Nelson recalled, as an example, support from the former City Councilman

from Little Hickory Island. “Bob Wagner could have said, ‘The heck with that. I am more interested in the beach.’ But he didn’t.”

The impact of a CRA can be substantial. In 25 years, the Delray Beach CRA has funded more than 40 proj-ects.

“We have to temper our expectations, but things are starting to happen,” said Nelson. “It is an exciting time.”

Contributed | Special to the Spotlight

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Up and Down the TrailNews and ViewsBy Peter R. O’[email protected]

Muted Colors for a Bright FutureAt a recent workshop, City Council

approved a range of colors, or palette, for buildings in the Old 41 area.

“The goal is to encourage shopping and to make people feel good about being down-town,” City Architect Sam Vincent said at the workshop.

Many Florida cities have designated color palettes. The palette suggested by Vincent contains many colors. They all have muted tones, running from warm to cool hues.

“We want to provide merchants with a cost effective way to create unifying relation-ships” among buildings, said Vincent. “It’s a way to say we are fresh, we are new and here for the people of Bonita.”

Vincent’s career as an architect includes over fifteen years with a retail focus. “Color was one of the things we used to get shoppers to stores,” he said.

Vincent pointed to an example right up the road.

“Simon brought harmonious colors into Coconut Mall,” he said. “They limit the use of bright and garish colors that tend to distract and isolate buildings rather than provide a more uniformed streetscape.”

In the City’s new palette, the colors are “pleasing,” said Vincent. “None stand out more than another.”

“I spoke with some people down on old 41 who just want their buildings to jump out and yell. They want to paint them a real bright garish color,” said Vincent.

“We don’t want garish,” said Mayor Ben Nelson, a view shared by other Council mem-bers.

“The residents are saying that for their community they want a pleasant palette,” said Councilmember Janet Martin.

“The word pleasant makes a lot of sense to me,” said Councilmember Steve Slachta. Martha Simons agreed, but observed that “perhaps the palette is a little too beige.”

Details remain, including transitional ar-rangements, and a community outreach ef-fort. The City’s recent budget contains some funds for Old 41 painting.

Lee Library Director: Stay With UsAn “Up and Down” column in our last is-

sue prompted a call from Lee Library Director Sheldon Kaye.

The column described efforts of Bonitians who believe a new Lee County library is need-ed in town. County staff has moved forward with preliminary plans but, after more than five years of discussion, the Lee County capital budget contains no funding for the project.

One particular statement in that column caught Kaye’s eye. “From a Bonita perspec-tive,” it said, “there is a certain appeal to go-ing it alone,” with its own independent library, as Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach have done. That would require County approval, to avoid double taxation.

In Kaye’s view, an independent Bonita li-brary is a bad idea for Bonita Springs and the

Lee County library system. In an interview at Lee library adminis-

trative offices, Kaye, together with his senior staff, discussed the benefits to Bonita of being part of an integrated Lee County system, and other issues relating to a new Bonita library.

“A single library operating in isolation can’t do nearly the job of meeting the needs of the people it serves as it can when it’s part of a larger system,” said Kaye. “The sum of the aggregate parts is huge.”

The Lee library system has a staff of 245. The 1.5 million items in its collection can be reserved through an on line system. In spite of budgetary constraints, the system has stayed on the cutting edge of electronic services. Last year, members downloaded a half million magazines, audio books, music and e-books.

“It seems like no matter how many times we talk about these benefits, they are disre-garded in favor of a discussion of hard num-bers,” said Kaye, referring to the disparity be-tween library property taxes paid by Bonitians and the cost of running the Bonita branch.

Bonitians currently pay Lee County about $1 million more in library property taxes than the operational cost of the Bonita branch. In the last decade the aggregate gap was about $25 million.

Kaye offered his perspective on this dispar-ity. The library system tries to maintain “fairly even” service levels throughout Lee County, he said. “Communities that are more wealthy don’t get a disproportionately higher level of service…I think that is a virtue.” Kaye and his senior staff said they do not get complaints about the Bonita library from its users.

Under current practices, members of Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach independent libraries are eligible to use Lee County library services. Kaye said that, particularly consider-ing Bonita’s proximity to the South County regional library in Estero, it would be unrea-sonable for Bonita to expect to use Lee library services for free if it formed an independent district. “I would encourage the Lee Commis-sioners not to forgive the Lee library tax (in Bonita),” he said.

“We have joined hands with Bonita Springs, and support the need for a larger li-brary,” said Kaye. In December he will meet with Bonita’s volunteer Library Task Force.

Kaye has recommended a countywide library tax increase to meet operating needs, and to replenish depleted library reserves for building projects.

Kaye said he is considering a new North Fort Myers library at the same time as a new Bonita Springs library. This year or next, Lee Library staff plans to seek community input for a “program statement,” a document which is a starting off point for planning a new library.

What about expectations of County fund-ing for a new Bonita library?

“It would distress me if the Lee County Commission was seen as not fulfilling a promise that they made,” said Kaye, “because they never really made it.” Correction…The cost of the new Fort My-ers library is estimated at $20 million in Lee County funds, plus approximately $3.9 mil-lion reportedly spent by The City of Fort My-ers for land acquisition, not $30 million as previously reported in the Spotlight.

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A Hundred HugsBy D.K. [email protected]

Naples – Kermit the Frog sat on a fleece blanket with knotted fringe, accom-panied by a menagerie of stuffed lambs, dogs, mon-keys and turtles. The “Hugs for Kids” sets were gather-ing on Carol Greenberg’s couch, awaiting a hundred more brightly colored blan-kets with huggable stuffed animals. Women seated around tables in the living room and on the lanai tied knots around the edges of colorful blankets on a cool November day. Several husbands prepared lunch in the kitchen for nearly 50 participants at this annual “sewing bee.”

“I’ve been with the Hugs for Kids project since it started; I met Carol in our Walking Club,” said Margo Peyrot of Bonita

Springs. “Carol cuts two to three inch strips around the edges of the blankets; we simply tie them in knots to make a colorful fringe finish. I look for-ward to our Hugs for Kids day each year. It’s a joy to bring some comfort to a young child. We also make slightly larger blankets for adults around Valentine’s Day.”

“It started as a small project,” added Carol Greenberg who spent her career managing projects and who thought that chil-dren in difficult situations needed something hugga-ble during the holidays. She purchased colorful fleece material that she cut into 1½ yard pieces and added the knotted trim. Later she added a variety of stuffed animals that matched the blankets. A small group of Greenberg’s friends and

neighbors finished the first 30 Hugs for Kids sets in November 2006 and deliv-ered them to the Battered Women’s Shelter. The chil-dren’s excitement as they picked their favorite stuffed toy and blanket led to two more recipient organiza-tions that include children from Bo-nita Springs to Naples: Grace Place and Youth Haven.

“The few friends I in-vited before Thanksgiv-ing to help with tying the knots on the fleece turned into an annual pre-Thanksgiv-ing project open to more women,” said Greenberg. She bought stuffed ani-mals and fleece on sale right after Christmas and

continued throughout the year. Women also donated materials and money to purchase them. Initially, Greenberg did most of the cutting for the fleece trim. Now, small groups of women gather for cutting time also.

“It’s a mindless activ-ity where we can chat and have a good social time. It

takes no tal-ent,” smiled Greenberg. “One year, we made 200 ad-d i t i o n a l blankets for w o u n d e d service men and wom-

en. If there is a need, I put out the word and women gather. It’s like a calling for me.” The Valentine’s project group makes fleece blankets for people in Bo-nita Springs and Naples receiving Meals on Wheels

or in nursing homes. It was quite a surprise to those that received the Valentine gifts, perhaps their only valentine. One recipient just couldn’t believe it was hers at no cost, suspicious of something free.

“We’re open to pro-viding the blankets and stuffed animals to other organizations, especially those for our Thanksgiv-ing and Valentine’s proj-ects,” added Greenberg. They give children the sets before Thanksgiving to help them through holiday stress.

Women watch for fleece fabric sales during the year to donate. Others watch for huggable, new stuffed animals that are safe for young children and tie in with fleece pat-terns. Monetary donations fill the gaps, especially for the stuffed toys. Some do-nations come from those who can’t participate in the

knot-tying activity but just like the project.

Greenberg puts out a flyer at a few churches and women’s groups just be-fore the November event. The women from Bonita Springs and Naples en-joy the chance to give of the heart with a task that leaves the mind free to visit and meet new and inter-esting people. Friendships develop during their after-noon of food, friends and knots. It’s reminiscent of the old fashioned quilting bees with a modern twist: the following week, a small contingent delivers the blanket sets to the recipient organizations.

To Volunteeror Donate

Email Carol Greenberg treasurescj@

embarqmail.com

I look forward to our Hugs for Kids day

each year. It’s a joy to bring some comfort

to a young child. – Margo Peyrot,

Bonita Springs

Volunteers knotting blankets for Hugs for Kids Margo Peyrot of Bonita Springs tied this blanket and added a huggable toy to go with it during Hugs for Kids.

Carol Greenberg shows the blanket she knotted and the frog that will go with it for some child in need of comfort.

Staff | [email protected] Staff | [email protected] Staff | [email protected]

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By D. K. [email protected]

Bonita Springs — They come by bus, on bicycles and carriages. When the doors swing open, deter-mined students from the four corners of the world know they are taking posi-tive steps as they learn a new culture and a new lan-guage. The attractive Lit-eracy Council Gulf Coast building faces Old US 41 in the center of Bonita Springs. “Eight hundred volunteer tutors serve 3200 students from 41 countries annually,” said Susan Acu-na, President and CEO. An international community greets visitors to the active center.

Students from China, El Salvador, Spain, Mex-

ico, Honduras, Colom-bia, Quebec, Thailand, Guatemala and Uruguay engaged in conversations with tutors in classrooms and the Mom and Tots room on a busy Monday morning. Students eagerly attend classes for a variety of reasons.

Gui Lin Zheng helps her husband at their Bo-nita Springs Chinese Res-taurant, China King. “I take orders and make de-liveries; better English is needed. My children speak English.” When her young-est was complimented for being a pretty Chinese girl, she said in perfect Eng-lish, “I am American. My mother is Chinese.”

Sandra Sanchez plans to teach English in Costa Rica. She learned to write

English well in her native Spain; it’s conversation that’s difficult. “I am so grateful I can study Eng-lish here,” she said with little accent.

“I didn’t need English in Los Angeles,” said Ofilia Ramirez from El Salvador. She stopped for her Eng-lish practice on her way to work; her uniform had a “Nordstrom’s” nametag. “People see my uniform tag and ask me for informa-tion; I want to help them.” Her youngest grandchild also asks eagerly, “Granma, are you learning English?”

Citrus Park is the win-ter home for Daniele For-tin and her spouse, Michil Simard from Quebec, Can-ada. “We love each other,” said Fortin, “but we need other friends too.” They are improving their con-versational English to help make new friends in their winter home.

Jarica Martinez from North Coahuila, Mexico wants to improve her Eng-lish so she isn’t so shy, to help her son and daughter and to speak English when

shopping.“I love this country and

my job at Capital Grill Res-taurant where they have the best steaks,” smiled Gia Crespo from Guanajuato, Mexico, “more English may help with new oppor-tunities; perhaps someday my own business.”

Ray Espinosa, also from Mexico, is already speak-ing English quite well.

Ancharee Romei from Thailand wants to learn English because, “My hus-band is American and when he gives me docu-

easier as she learns English with her Literacy Council family.

Volunteer tutor Jeff Tarallo also found a sec-ond family. Suddenly alone with the passing of his wife, his students helped fill that empty space in his heart. Family is a key component of the Literacy

on large, colorful boards followed by songs that in-cluded arms and hands il-lustrating the words. Her assistant, Heather North, is a freshman nursing stu-dent at Florida Gulf Coast University, earning her re-quired ten hours commu-nity service at the Literacy Council.

English Without Borders

Volunteer Carolyn Lepore gets enthusiastic respons-es when she drills the students on their alphabet at the Literacy Council Gulf Coast in Bonita Springs.

Staff | [email protected]

This English class at the Literacy Council repre-sents several countries: (Standing left to right) Ray Espinosa, Mexico; Michil Simard, Canada; Daniele Fortin, Canada; Adriana Perez, Mexico; Jarica Mar-tinez, Mexico; Instructor Jeff Tarallo; (seated) Clau-dia Mejia, Colombia; Maryory Baradaranghasemi, Colombia, Gia Crespo, Mexico; Ancharee Romei, Thailand.

These youngsters are absorbed in their books during the Moms and Tots program.


Center, expressed by staff and students.

In the Moms and Tots program, the mothers learn English in three dif-ferent class levels while the children, as many as 14 to 20 each day, ages one to three, interact with each other and their teachers. Volunteer Carolyn Lepore had eleven children ea-gerly helping her with let-ters, numbers and shapes


I am so grateful I can study

English here. – Sandra Sanchez

To volunteer or donate:

Call 676-5202 or visit literacycouncilgulfcoast.

com

ments to sign, I want to know what they say.”

Claudia Mejia found she was in a lonely place without command of the language. “It’s difficult; I left my job, my family and everything I know in Co-lombia. I am totally depen-dent on my friend. English will help me understand things on my own.”

Adriana Perez from Mexico City is a home-maker who wants to learn English to help her chil-dren.

Maryory Baradarang-hasemi celebrated her 34th birthday with her multi-cultural classmates who help her overcome the loss-es from leaving Colombia – family, friends, career and all that’s familiar –made

The Literacy Council offers students a new cul-ture and a new language and for both its students and teachers, it offers fam-ily.

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Giving locallyListed below are some of the many local charities that can use your time and contribu-tions this holiday season.

Blankets for BonitaTh e Lighthouse Fellowship Congregational Church, in conjunction with the Bonita Springs Assistance Offi ce, is holding its second annual “Blankets for Bonita”, col-lecting new blankets to help the needy in Bonita Springs. New blankets can be dropped off at the Bonita Springs As-sistance Offi ce, 25300 Bern-wood Drive, Unit 6 in Bonita Springs or call Jim at 267-6661 to arrange for a pick-up. Th e fi nal collection will take place at Bonita’s “Holiday in the Park” at Riverside Park on December 4.

Bonita Springs Assistance Offi ce For over 34 years the Bonita Springs Assistance Offi ce has served as a primary so-cial service agency in Bonita Springs. Th eir objective is to provide emergency relief for Bonita Springs residents to lessen the impact of fi nan-cial and personal crises. Each donation to the 2012 Stock-ing Fund means that another family is helped to fi ght hun-ger and prevent home dis-placement. Mail your check to Bonita Assistance Offi ce, P.O.Box 16, Bonita Springs, FL 34133 or go online to www.bonitaassistance.org and donate securely.

Bonita Springs Lions ClubTh eir weekly farm markets, thrift store and pancake breakfasts during season help them operate a charita-ble eye clinic and contribute to the support of many local

charitable organizations. For more information visit their website bonitalions.org.

Café of LifeTh e Café of Life has become a fi xture in Bonita Springs, serving luncheon meals Monday through Friday to individuals and families from all walks of life. Volunteers contribute over 10,000 hours in shopping for groceries, preparing and serving meals, serving on the Board of Di-rectors, arranging special events such as Th anksgiving and Christmas luncheons. To donate or volunteer email volunteer@cafeofl ife.org or call 239-495-9325.

Center for the Arts Bonita Springs Because of the Annual Fund and generous contri-butions from caring donors, thousands of deserving children and adults receive scholarships and for many more it helps keep the arts aff ordable. Make a pledge or send in a contribution. Call 495-8989 or visit www.art-centerbonita.org.

Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest FloridaScheduled to open in 2016, this lifesaving facility will house 128 beds and provide new and expanded specialty pediatric health care ser-vices to children from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. Now through May of 2016 all do-nations to the Golisano Chil-dren’s Hospital capital cam-paign will be matched dollar for dollar. Th e Sixth Annual FineMark Tour Players Ten-nis Classic, scheduled for February 22, 2013 benefi ts

the hospital. Visit www.tour-playerstennisclassic.com or call 239-343-6950.

Habitat for HumanityHelp make home ownership a reality. Sponsor a project, volunteer to help build by calling 239-652-1684 or do-nate used furniture to the Bo-nita Springs Habitat Restore. Visit www.habitat4humanity.org for more info.

Harry ChapinFood Bank of Southwest FloridaTh e food bank depends on volunteers who help dis-tribute millions of pounds of food throughout south-west Florida. During regular weekday business hours and most Saturdays, volunteers help the warehouse team prepare orders for agencies, receive incoming donations, or answer telephones. To volunteer or donate email [email protected]. or call 334-7007.

Joanne’s House at Hope HospiceHospice serves anyone facing a life-limiting illness, regard-less of age or illness. Joanne’s House at Hope Hospice is located in Bonita Springs.

Bonita Springs Assistance Office2012 Stocking Fund

PROUD PARTNERS WITHThank You for Your Support!

2012 Stocking Fund

For many years my three children and I lived with an abusive, alcoholic husband and father. Although he was offered help to repair the damage he had done to his family, he stubbornly refused. He became increasingly unpredictable, and in August of this year it became clear that we could no longer subject ourselves to the instability and unhealthy life we had suffered so long. I obtained a restraining order and our home became a more peaceful and harmonious place.

This also meant that we were destitute. I had been a stay at home mom for 11 years. I found work a few hours a week, but this was not sufficient to support our family. I could not afford groceries, utilities, diapers or health care. I learned about Bonita Springs Assistance Office from a friend, who urged me to see what options were available. I was hesitant. I had never asked for assistance. BSAO took me under their wing, and what once looked hopeless became hopeful. They helped me apply for emergency benefits, provided food for my family and helped with past due bills. They made referrals to other local agencies to assist with other needs, including counseling.

I do not know where I would be without the help I received from the Bonita Springs Assistance Office. They were a valuable resource at a time when we were completely out of options. The Bonita Springs Assistance Office should be commended for its helpful, knowledgeable and caring staff, as well as the high quality of their well-organized (and very clean!) self serving food pantry. I am extremely grateful.”

~ Carolyn

Because of people like yourself, Bonita Springs Assistance Office has been able to provide emergency food and financial assistance to neighbors in need for over 34 years. With more than 4,200 people served in 2012, it is more important than ever that BSAO continue to provide a hand up, not a hand out.

You can help someone like Carolyn who recently visited the office and was able to regain control of her and her children’s lives despite adverse circumstances.

Every donation that comes in means that another family is helped.

You can make a meaningful difference in your own community.Each donation will help to fight hunger and prevent home

displacement, so please act now and contribute what you can to:Bonita Springs Assistance Office

P.O. Box 16, Bonita Springs, FL 34133or go online to www.bonitaassistance.org and donate securely.

Thank You!

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Th ere are many ways to give Hope. Visit www.hopehos-pice.org

Literacy Council Gulf CoastTh e Literacy Council Gulf Coast, located in Bonita Springs (which is its new name aft er merging with Literacy Volunteers of Lee County) provides free in-struction in reading and writing in English for adult speakers of other languages. Th ey also off er a Moms and Tots Family Literacy pro-gram for mothers and their preschool children. Th eir programs serve residents of Bonita Springs, San Carlos Park, Estero, Fort Myers and North Naples. Th eir motto is “Each one, teach one” and they are always looking for volunteer tutors. For more information call 239 676-5202.

Love INCLove INC-Love in the Name of Christ-operates a phone-in clearinghouse where trained church volunteers screen re-quests for help from callers within their service area-Alico Road to Immokalee Road. Love INC verifi es the need then connects individ-uals and families to a church ministry, church volunteer and/or local service agency best equipped to meet those needs. Love INC assistance may come in the form of needed transportation, job search assistance, clothing donations, etc. Prayers, vol-unteers and donations are needed to transform lives. To contact Love INC call 239 405-8595.

Make a Wish Southern FloridaLast year 546 heartfelt wishes were granted because of the generosity of the South Flor-ida community. It relies on donations from individuals, corporations and family and private foundations in the lo-

cal community to fund each wish. Children up to 18 years of age with life-threatening medical conditions are con-sidered. Help make a dif-ference in a child’s life. For more information call Lesley at 239-992-9474.

Meals on Wheels of Bonita SpringsFor over 40 years this orga-nization has served prepared meals to homebound people in Bonita Springs. It is a non-profi t organization operated by local volunteers. Last year they delivered over 9,000 meals to anyone who needed a meal. Th ey deliver to clients from Coconut Point Road south to Bonita Beach Road and from the Gulf of Mexico to Bonita Grande Road. If you would like to become a volunteer delivering meals to the homebound, call 239-775-0443.

Music for Minors FoundationTh e Foundation works close-ly with middle school string orchestra and band leaders to identify qualifi ed seventh grade students that demon-strate a sincere desire, and that have a fi nancial need. Th e students that are accept-ed into the program receive a yearly grant for the instru-ment of their choice. Th e or-ganization off ers a variety of volunteer opportunities for individuals or groups who have an interest in further-

ing the musical education of children. For more informa-tion, call 239-947-1943

New HorizonsSuper Kids Club is part of a Christian ministry outreach to children provided by New Horizons of Southwest Flor-ida, serving over 200 at-risk children and their families at four sites in Bonita Springs and East Naples. New Ho-rizons’ students learn to become productive and re-sponsible members of soci-ety through education, career development and communi-ty service. During the school year it provides over 20,000 hours of tutoring and men-toring. Th ere are many ways you can help. For informa-tion, call 239-565-6714.

Shoes That Fit Foundation-Bonita Springs ChapterShoes Th at Fit is a non-profi t organization created to eas-ily and quickly get new shoes and clothing to school chil-dren in need. Th e Bonita Springs Chapter has donated over 45,000 articles of cloth-ing and 3,500 pairs of shoes to local school children. Th e school identifi es the children in need, provides the correct shoe and clothing sizes, then needed items are purchased by individuals or sponsor-ing group. Th e items are de-livered to the school and the school distributes them to the children. To learn about volunteer opportunities and for more information go to www.leggettshoefoundation.com

YMCA of Bonita SpringsOur local Y off ers numer-ous programs including sports, aquatics, gymnastics and many opportunities to volunteer. Help your local Y fund scholarships for fami-lies and children. To donate contact Michelle Butler 941-375-9104.

In matters of money and managing wealth, it’s not about luck. It’s about expertise, attention-to-detail, superior asset management and building trust with a team of professionals dedicated to doing what’s right for you and your family.

At FineMark National Bank & Trust, we believe trust is earned, not assumed. That’s why we place particular emphasis on earning your trust. Choose FineMark. Make your mark.

What’s Luck Got To Do With It?

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Trust and Investment Services are not FDIC insured, are not guaranteed by the bank and may lose value.

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Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree…

If you go:Christmas Tree Sale

Where: Sunshine Plaza (Bonita Beach Road)

When: Now through December 22 Mon. to Fri. 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Sat 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sun noon to 8 p.m.

Why: To support local charities.

Don’t wait for the last minute or you

might be disappointed.

By D.K. [email protected]

Bonita Springs — Over-night, it seems, a grove of Christmas trees grows in the parking lot of Sunshine Plaza on Bonita Beach Road. It’s been a peren-nial event for more than 20 years, as the Rotary Club of Bonita Springs hosts its Christmas tree sale to raise money for local chari-ties. This year’s sale runs through December 22.

The lot boasts the fin-

est Fraser, Douglas and Noble firs from as far away as Oregon and as close as the Carolinas, hauled in by air-conditioned semi’s. Some are accompanied by snow. Trees are available from four feet to ten feet. Rotarians listen carefully to each family’s specifica-tions. They will help you pick out the perfect tree, run your credit card and tie it onto your car.

Rotary Christmas trees are special beyond the quality of the timber; 100

percent of the profits are returned to the commu-nity, nearly $20,000 each year. Bonita Springs As-sistance Office, Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life and the YMCA are some of the recipient charities.

“When I started with the tree lot in my forties, I hauled trees and chain saws, hacked stems, drilled holes and tied a tree on a car with the best of them. Now in my sixties, I sign onto a shift with the young-er members and claim the position of cashier for the night,” shared George Co-han, past “Rotarian of the Decade.” All Rotary Club of Bonita Springs mem-bers volunteer for sales lot shifts.

“This year marks nearly 20,000 trees sold under the tent at Sunshine Plaza,” said Jay Berube, in charge of the Christmas tree project for the last four years. At least 75 percent of the purchas-

ers are returning custom-ers, through the genera-tions. Last year, Shangri-la’s Open House event includ-ed trees and wreaths from the Christmas tree sale. Don’t wait for the last min-ute or you might be disap-pointed. They expect to sell out again this year.

The Wynn family pro-vides the parking lot at no fee to the charity so that children and the young at heart might enjoy the northern pine scent at home on a brightly lit Christmas tree from snow country.

“The best part of my week is my Rotary meet-ing; seeing all my friends and knowing we’re making

the world a better place. Don’t be surprised if May-or Ben Nelson or Joe Mur-galo, the General Manager of the Hyatt and Chair-man of the Bonita Springs Chamber, is hauling and preparing your tree. It’s a good time to catch up with your city council members, too,” smiled Berube. Sell-ing Christmas trees is more than another opportu-nity to give back and raise money for charity. It’s an opportunity for Rotarians to share fellowship outside of their weekly breakfast

The Rotary Club of Bonita Springs is selling Christ-mas trees to raise money for local charities this Christmas season.

meeting. “One year,” Berube con-

tinued, “we sold a tall tree to a young man with a wife and child who had just re-turned from Iraq; Afghani-stan was next. All of us on the lot chipped in to buy his tree. The surprise and joy on his face were the reason we are Rotarians.”

The high-quality trees can last well through Janu-ary with water and Tree Life food. The money that goes back to the community will last much longer.


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REAL ESTATE LAW

henlaw.com • 239.344.1100 Blog: legalscoopswflre.com Fort Myers • Bonita Springs • Sanibel

©2011 Henderson Franklin Starnes & Holt, P.A.

We’re committed to re-energizing

Southwest Florida.

Adapting. Changing. Moving forward.

HEndERSon FRAnkLin HAS HELpEd ouR cLiEnTS And THEiR buSinESSES WEATHER mAny Economic doWnTuRnS. As the economic recovery continues, there are vacant or distressed commercial and residential properties that may still be good investments.

As a full service law firm, Henderson Franklin handles a variety of real estate matters, including:

• Evaluation of distressed properties and unfinished projects as opportunities for investment and development

• Purchase and sale of residential and commercial projects

• Title Insurance

• Preparation and review of condominium and property owners’ association documents

• Commercial leasing

HF 8304 Resize Real Estate ad for Bonita pub.indd 1 10/14/2011 9:37:32 AM

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Business & Real EstatePage 20 December 1-15, 2012

Spotlight Real Estate Watch 2010

June 216 February 175

July 183

March 219

August 189 April 263

September 183

May 174

October 133 June 179

November 153

July 144

December 188 August 132

2012

September 121

January 195 October 80

February 170

November 125

March 256 December 177

April 294

2011 May 272 January 165 June 257 February 215 July 200 March 271 August 196 April 312 September 158 May 236 October 228

Monthly TransactionsNumber of real estate transactions in the Bonita Springs Estero market

Monthly Snapshot

One-Year Change inClosed Sales

Single-Family Homes

One-Year Change inMedian Sales PriceSingle-Family Homes

One-Year Change inHomes for Sale

Single-Family Homes

+ 76.3% - 10.6% - 24.3%

Spotlight Staff [email protected]

Bonita Springs – The fourth quarter was off to a strong start in October, with significant improvements in the Bonita/Estero area in several key metrics, when compared to October of 2011.

In the single-family market, closed sales were up 76.3% and pending sales were up 83.7%. New listings were up 12.4%.

Reflecting the sales activity, homes for sale dropped 24.3%. Time on the market decreased to an average of 119 days, and the average home received al-most 92% of sales price.

The townhouse market also saw October-to-October improvements in pending sales and closed sales, up 68.8% and 34.3%, respectively.

Year to date numbers also point to a continuing recovery, with improve-ments in key metrics in both single fam-ily and townhouse markets, when com-

pared to 2011. Pending and closed sales were up, and median and average sales prices were up.

The Bonita Springs- Estero Asso-ciation of Realtors also reports a general easing of foreclosures and short sales, with less resulting drag on prices.

Monthly Snapshot

One-Year Change inClosed Sales

Single-Family Homes

One-Year Change inMedian Sales PriceSingle-Family Homes

One-Year Change inHomes for Sale

Single-Family Homes

+ 76.3% - 10.6% - 24.3%

Closed Sales

A count of the actual sales that closed in a given month.

5950

76 70

134

94

October

990 975

1,1721,242

1,330 1,328

Year to Date

Days on Market Until Sale

Median number of days between when a property is listed and when an offer is accepted in a given month.

87

124130

110911911

October

99

125115 121

113 116

Year to Date

New Listings

A count of the properties that have been newly listed on the market in a given month.

223

289

242271272 271

October

2,425 2,4902,332

2,4852,3702,166

Year to Date

Townhouse/CondoSingle-FamilyTownhouse/CondoSingle-FamilyTownhouse/CondoSingle-FamilyTownhouse/CondoSingle-FamilyTownhouse/CondoSingle-FamilyTownhouse/CondoSingle-Family

2010-2.3%

2011-3.8%

2012+1.6%

2010+5.6%

2011-0.2%

2012-12.8%

2010+26.8%

2011-6.2%

20120.0%

2010-13.2%

2011+8.5%

2012+12.4%

2010-37.9%

2011+28.8%

2012+76.3%

2010-49.5%

2011+40.0%

2012+34.3%

2010-1.7%

2011+18.4%

2012+13.5%

2010+13.5%

2011+27.4%

2012+6.9%

2010-13.9%

2011+49.4%

2012-8.5%

2010+5.1%

2011-11.7%

2012+8.7%

2010-3.9%

2011+16.2%

2012-1.7%

2010+7.8%

2011-3.6%

2012-3.7%

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Business & Real Estate Page 21www.swspotlight.com

Bonita Business Beat

A Love Story from New York


Bella Purisic, owner of Manhattan Steakhouse, extends her personal welcome to each arriving guest.

By D.K. [email protected]

Bonita Springs — Bella Purisic and her husband Kenny worked together at their popular Moli-no’s Italian Ristorante at the Promenade, Bonita Springs where she learned the business from the ground up. Her roots are in New York where her family’s restaurant success is famous. The bar was set high for her dream.

In February, Purisic spread her wings. This mother of three and loving spouse of 16 years (a poet-ic tribute to their romance currently hangs on the res-taurant wall) opened the Manhattan Steakhouse in Bonita Springs. “I wanted to bring a bit of New York to Bonita Springs,” she said. Mahogany paneled walls, embossed ceilings and tables set with fine linen greet diners with an aura of sophisticated elegance. A full bar and wine cellar add to the ambiance.

Purisic extends her per-sonal welcome to each ar-riving guest and continues her gracious attention until she walks them to the door at the end of their meal. Home and family are im-portant to her; she brings those values to her restau-rant. “It’s so nice to see you” and “welcome back” ring out as new and repeat guests arrive. A “family meeting” with staff each day highlights the smallest quality details. “I sit with my children at home to go over their day; my meet-ings at the restaurant just have a different slant. My family is first at home; the customer is the priority at Manhattan Steakhouse,” she said.

A la carte entrees and sides are generous enough to share “just like dining at home in some respects,” smiled Purisic. Sizzling porterhouse steaks arrive on plates at 1800 degrees, expertly tipped by the waiter who drizzles the fla-vor on the prime beef, dry

pare a child’s meal. “As a parent, I know the atten-tion needed for children,” said Purisic. The fine din-ing environment entices patrons to dress in their finest for a special evening. However, “this is Florida,” Purisic advised a potential customer on the phone, “casual is appropriate ev-erywhere.”

Purisic and her fam-ily spend time in New York and Southwest Flor-ida since their first hon-eymoon trip to Miami. “Florida just sort of grows on you. Now we have the best of both worlds.”

The poem on the wall at Manhattan Steakhouse ends with, “Kenny and Bella were young when they met; still, they knew it was love from the start; he told her he’d give her all that she deserved; in re-turn, he only wanted her heart.” Manhattan Steak-house at 24940 S. Tamiami Trail is a dream come true for Bella Purisic and offers Bonita Springs a New York dining experience seven evenings a week. Reser-vations are required 676-8687.

Home and family are important to her; she brings those values to her restaurant.

aged 21-28 days, cooked to perfection and cut with a table knife. Cashews re-place croutons in the crisp Caesar salad (Purisic’s personal touch). Gourmet desserts include Purisic’s own tiramisu, apple stru-del and pecan pie with crème brulee by her New York chef.

Fish entrees include a large Maine lobster en-joyed by Alfred C. Desecki of Bonita Springs and his wife. “We dine here two times a week – everything is excellent!”

They will custom pre-

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Letters to the Editor

I hope and trust each of you is well, enjoying our great fall weather, and a special welcome back to the snowbirds! Recently the Bonita Springs City Coun-cil voted 7 – 0 in favor of entering into an agreement with the Ft. Myers – Naples Greyhound Track that could generate substantial tax rev-enues for the city. I heard from several folks on this is-sue – both pro and con – and I feel it is important that you know why I am supportive of this measure.

Our agreement was contingent on the voters of Lee County approving the referendum to allow slot machines in Bonita Springs – which they did with an overwhelming margin on election day November 6, 2012 by a 63% - 37% margin – there were three precincts in Bonita Springs that voted in favor of it with a 70 - 71% approval. The final step in the process is obtaining approval by the state legislature. If ap-proved by the legislature, the referendum will create over 500 full time good paying jobs in Lee County – and a minimum of 200 – or 40% of the jobs – will be for Bonita Springs residents. The plan is to break ground in June, 2013 – which will create 900 construction jobs – and for the facility to open the sum-mer of 2014. The 99 acre site calls for an expansion of 200,000 square feet in all that will include a clubhouse, several retail shops, offices, a night club and restaurant space.

The agreement calls for the City of Bonita Springs to receive 1.5% of the tracks an-nual slots revenue up to the first $250 million dollars, and any amount over $250 mil-lion will result in the city re-ceiving 2.5% of the revenues. One thing that the residents of Bonita Springs should know is that this is a com-

pletely voluntary agreement. The owners of the track – the Havenick Family – did not have to enter into this agree-ment. The Havenick Fam-ily has owned the track in Bonita Springs for 52 years. This is not a new group or new business with grandiose dreams. They have been in-vested in Bonita Springs for years – long before the vast majority of us reading this ever moved to town. Izzy Havenick has been quoted as saying, “We plan on do-ing everything with locals.” I commend the Havenick family for their dedication to Bonita Springs.

We heard testimony from the Lee County Sheriff ’s of-fice that they do not antici-pate an influx of new crime.

City Council Corner

Track Agreement a Win for City

Peter SimmonsCouncilmember

In fact, given the increased amount of track security and police monitoring the coun-ter intuitive effect should happen…very little crime at all. The track should have more security and police pro-tection than anywhere else in the county. All of this new activity will spur new busi-ness and economic develop-ment in Bonita Springs and beyond. The referendum will also generate millions of dol-lars for the state of Florida’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, which provides funding for public schools.

In my humble opinion this is a win for the City of Bonita Springs…a win for the Bonita Springs Econom-ic Development Council…a win for the local economy…a win for the local work-ers…and goes a long way in helping us adhere to our city motto - Bonita Springs – Small Town Charm, Big Bright Future!

Wishing you and your family a warm and wonder-ful holiday season.

Please contact me any-time peter.simmons@ cityofbonitiasprings.org 230-949-6262; I look for-ward to hearing your thoughts and ideas!

Peter Simmons is a Coun-cilmember from District 4 in Bonita Springs.

In my humble opinion this is a

win for the City of Bonita Springs.

Thanks to Supporters and Friends

150 votes was the difference in my election, out of 14,789. The incumbent won by only 1.1%. Here are some things you deserve to know.

First. From the bottom of my heart, all of you have made myself and my family extremely proud with your consistent and unwavering support and enthusiasm. Simply put, I thank you so much. This journey began 12 months ago as you recognized the need to address the inadequate representation of the current Fire Commis-sioners.

Second. We beat the third candidate in every precinct, but one.

Third. Our planning was right on, we won the absen-tee vote, and made all the right connections, and reaching out at the right folks at the right time. Sheriff Mike Scott, a true friend, set it all in perspective properly.

We were so close. I am extremely fortunate to know all of you, I am so proud of meeting so many new friends, and I feel so rich, that all of you have the confidence in me, I hope you still will, in the future.

Bob Sharkey, Bonita Springs

Letters to the Editor PolicyThe Southwest Spotlight publishes letters to the

editor as space allows. All letters represent the views of their authors, not of the Southwest Spotlight. Please write thoughtfully on local topics and be respectful of others. Letters containing personal attacks and abu-sive language will not be considered for publication. Include a phone number to verify writer’s identity. Letters are published at the Spotlight’s discretion. All letters are subject to editing for space, grammar and factual accuracy. Send to [email protected]

Eight Years and Two Fire Chiefs Later

I was elected in 2004 to the Board of Fire Commis-sioners in Bonita Springs, and rapidly learned of the machinations that ruled the conduct of the Board of Fire Commissioners. What I believed I was joining were the voices of the taxpayer; what I found was a group of men who tended to follow the lead of the Fire Chief.

I was aware that I was in for a rough ride when I de-cided to run as a reform Fire Commissioner. But I felt that I had the support of the residents of Bonita Springs, and that my goals and intentions were honorable. Little did I know, at the time, just how difficult the road would be; nor did I know why it had to be so. What I did learn quickly was that I was often alone in my goals.

Eight years and two Fire Chiefs later the struggle con-tinues in Bonita Springs; my accomplishments are mea-sured, and the barriers to making progress are as strong as ever.

The results of the November election for Bonita Fire Commissioners will make it very difficult to make sig-nificant changes in the department for the next two years; those still in control of the Board of Fire Commissioners will continue as in the past.

A “ray of hope” that I see for the Bonita Springs Fire Department is the newly appointed Chief of the Depart-ment Joe Daigle. Joe brings to his new position a profes-sionalism that is rooted in service to the public before commitment to the culture of the fire service. Rare is such commitment among fire chiefs, but so desperately needed in these times of economic pressure that it may become a hallmark for the Fire Chiefs Association of Lee County.

Over the next two years, I ask that everyone pay more attention to decisions made at the monthly Fire Board meetings as reported in the news media, watch the re-broadcasts of the meetings on Bonita’s Channel 98 during the week, attend fire board meetings and write to: Com-missioner Ed Fitzgerald, 27701 Bonita Grande Road, Bo-nita Springs 34135, or email me at [email protected]. I will respond to all questions, complaints or com-mentary.

I offer a special thanks to Southwest Spotlight for hav-ing the only reporter at the November Fire Board meet-

ing. I hope that they will continue the practice in the fu-ture. Ed FitzGerald, Bonita Springs

Ed FitzGerald is a member of the Board of Fire Commis-sioners of the Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue Dis-trict.

Commentary

By Peter A. O’FlinnPublisher

A few weeks ago I was chatting with a Bonitian who, for more than two decades, has been heavily involved in local volunteer efforts. He told me about a service initiative his volun-teer organization started a year ago.

Today, the demand for that service has reached levels no one thought imag-inable.

“You know,” he said, “we just never realized how much need there really is in Bonita.”

Even as the local econo-my seems poised to finally turn the corner, our local charities continue to deal with the persistent diffi-cult realities of the needy among us.

Since the Southwest Spotlight started, we have sought to spread the word about organizations that give back to the communi-ty, year in and year out. In this, our “Giving Issue,” we have included an expanded “Giving Locally” listing of opportunities to give back

on pages 16 and 17.Please remember the

needy, particularly in this holiday season.

Inevitably and uninten-tionally we have left some organizations out. Please pardon us for that, and let us know.

Peter O’Flinn is the pub-lisher of the Southwest Spotlight News Maga-zine. He can be reached at [email protected]

E D I T O R I A L

Please Remember the Needy

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Monika Tuttle | [email protected]

Monika Tuttle took this photo of Joe Tuttle with his two daughters enjoying another day in paradise. Send your best sunset photos to [email protected] and your photo could be the next Spotlight Sunset.

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All dates, times and prices are subject to change.

The Farm Fresh MarketSat., Dec. 1, 8 & 15, 7:30a.m. to noonCome to one of the most popular markets in the re-gion. Fully stocked farm-fresh vegetable vendors plus vendors selling frozen fi sh, baked goods, cut fl ow-ers, orchids, cosmetics, antiques, fashions, jewelry, books, and more. Where: Promenade at Bonita Bay B. For more information, visit bonitalions.org.

B. For more information, visit bonitalions.org.

Bonita Springs Christmas Boat ParadeSat., Dec. 8, 6 p.m.Th is is the 27th Annual Boat Parade and it is expected to be bigger than ever. Begins and ends at Fish House Restaurant. Viewing areas are at Th e Fish House and Imperial River Boat Ramp. For more info call 239-495-0455 or visit www.bonita-boatparade.com

Sports

Red Sox Spring TrainingSat., Dec. 8, 10 a.m.Tickets go on sale Saturday, December 8; fi rst workouts scheduled for February 12; fi rst game is February 21. All workouts at Player Development Complex are open to the public, free of charge. Th e Red Sox will host 28 games at JetBlue Park. Where: JetBlue Park box offi ce, online at red-sox.com or by phone at 888-REDSOX6.

Great Outdoor Adven-ture Day—Lovers KeySat., Dec. 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Food, music, touch tanks, children’s activities as well as guided kayak tours, walking nature tours, Black Island bike tours, geocach-ing and fi shing clinics. Where: Lovers Key State Park, 8700 Estero Blvd., B. Cost: FREE with regu-lar park entrance of $8 per vehicle of up to 8 people. Guided kayak tours will

be $10/per person, kayak rental included.


Concert in the ParkSun., Dec. 9, 2 to 4 p.m.Bring a chair and a friend and enjoy the Bonita Springs Concert Band as they perform Christmas music at the band shell. Where: Riverside Park and Old 41,B. Cost: FREE.

Naples Philharmonic Orchestra Brass QuintetWed., Dec. 12, noon and 2 p.m.Trumpets, horn, trom-bone and tuba combine for an outdoor holiday music performance. Where: Wa-terside Shops Pavilion, N. Cost FREE.

The Second Annual Holiday ShowcaseFri., Dec. 14, 6 to 7 p.m.Bring a lawn chair, fam-ily and friends and expe-rience a holiday fun-fi lled evening presented by the Bonita Academy of Dance and its young dancers. Where: Riverside Park band shell off Old 41. B. For more info call 239-777-3933. Cost: FREE.

Youth Art Competition— Call for EntriesSat., Dec. 15 deadlineTh e 11th Bi-Annual Es-tero Fine Art Show invites young artists in grades K-8 or ages 5 to 12 to submit their original art for en-try with a chance to win a cash prize in the Youth Art Competition being held on Jan. 5 & 6, 2013. Where:

CALENDARB: Bonita Springs E: EsteroFM: Fort Myers N: Naples

FREE! FUN!

DECEMBER 9 2:00 - 4:00 PM

RIVERSIDE PARK, OLD US 41

BRING A CHAIR OR A BLANKET AND HAVE A PICNIC IN THE PARK SPONSORED BY:

SUNDAY P.O. Box 367872. Bonita Springs, FL 34136 Tel: 239-405-3320 Fax: 239-236-3630

email: [email protected]

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

www.bonitaspringsconcertband.com

Continued on next page

Holiday in the Park & Annual Tree LightingTues., Dec. 4, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.Enjoy holiday music , bliz-zard in the park with giant snow slide, snow pile, train rides, free cider and cook-ies. See Santa Claus & Mrs. Claus arrive by horse and carriage. Holiday train rides and horse and car-riage rides are free. Where: Riverside Park, off Old 41. B. For more info call 239-949-6262. Cost: FREE.

Farm Growers MarketWed., Dec. 5, 12 & 19, 8a.m.-1p.m.If you can eat it and watch it grow, it’s here! Where: Old 41 and Childers St.

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Application at www.hot-works.org Cost: There is a $3 fee for each entry.

Winter Wonders!Sat., Dec. 15, 2 p.m.Head to the library for a winter-themed children’s program. Listen to a chilly story, do some wintry ac-tivities and make a “cool” craft. Registration is re-quired. Call to register 239-533-4860.Where: Bo-nita Springs Library, 26876 Pine Ave. B. Cost: FREE.

Films for Film LoversMon., Dec. 17, 7 p.m.This fictional story, Callas Forever, starring Fanny Ardant as Callas, has par-allels with real life. It is in English, French and Ital-ian with English subtitles with discussion afterward. Wine, non-alcoholic bev-erages, snacks and pop-corn are available. Where: Center for the Arts, B. For more info call 239-495-8989. Cost: $8 per person.

The Santaland DiariesWed., Dec. 19 to Sun., Dec. 30, matinees & eve performancesPhone box office for timesCrumpet the Elf is back for the fourth smash sea-son of yuletide mischief in this thorny comedy from acclaimed satirist David Sedaris. The Santaland Diaries exposes the un-derside of Santa’s work-shop when David, a down and out-of-work cynical writer,desperately takes a job as Macy’s elf dur-ing the holiday crunch. Where: Florida Repertory, 2267 Bay Street FM. Cost: all seats $25. For more info call 332-4488 or visit flori-

darep.org.

Galleries & Workshops

Center for the Arts of Bonita SpringsKids Single Session Art Classes Saturdays through Dec. 22, 9- 11a.m. and 11a.m.-1p.m.These will be 2 hour art classes for children that range from duct tape crafts to painting. Where: Cen-ter for the Arts of Bonita Springs, 26100 Old 41 Rd. B. For more information, call 239-495-8989, or visit artcenterbonita.org. Cost: $20 per class.

Painting Watercolor Still LifeFri., Dec. 14 & Sat., Dec. 15, 9 a.m. to noon This class, with instructor Anne Chaddock, will be-gin with a demo and then artists will work on their own with plenty of time for one on one. Learn to “see as an artist”…color, texture and more. Where: Center for the Arts, 26100 Old 41 Rd. B. For more info call The Center for the Arts 495-8989. Cost: $54.50 members, $104.50 non-members.

Naples Museum of Art

“Art After Hours”Last Wed. of every month, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.Entertainment, interactive activities and wine and light fare from the Phil-harmonic Café. Where: Naples Museum of Art, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. N. Cost: FREE. For more info call 239-597-1900.

Fletcher Benton: The Artist’s StudioTues.-Sat., 10a.m.-4p.m. & Sun., noon-4p.m.,

through Jan. 20.An experiential and inter-active exhibition exploring the methods and attitudes of the world renowned ki-netic and constructivist sculptor. Where: Philhar-monic Center for the Arts, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. N. For more information call 239-597-1900. Cost: Adults $10, Students $5.

Meetings

Bonita Springs City CouncilWed. Dec. 5, 9 a.m.Wed., Dec. 19, 9 a.m.Come watch local govern-ment in action. Where: City Council Chambers, 9101 Bonita Beach Rd. B.

Democratic Club of Bonita Springs and South Lee CountyThur., Dec. 18, 7 p.m. Where: Center for the Art of Bonita Springs B. For more information call Lar-ry Byrnes 239-634-6469.

Bonita Springs Newcomers Club Luncheon MeetingThur., Dec. 20, noon and the 3rd Thur. of each monthMembership is open to women who reside in Bonita Springs and sur-rounding communities. The club offers an opportu-nity to meet other women, develop friendships, share common interests, and participate in a variety of other activities organized by club members. Where: community clubhouses is the local area B. For more information, visit boni-taspringsnewcomersclub.com. To attend a luncheon, e-mail [email protected] or call Joan at 239-947-2944.

Calendarfrom page 24

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Off Broadway is Right On

The cast of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change now performing at the Off Broadway Palm Theater.


Caitlin Newman…repeatedly steals

the show.

If you go: Off Broadway Palm

Theater 1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers. Tick-ets: 239 278-4422 or

visit broadwaypalm.com

By Joyce [email protected]

Fort Myers–Laughter, they say, is one of life’s best medicines. Add to that a dose of lively music and you’ll have a prescription for a wonderful evening of entertainment at the Off Broadway Palm Theatre’s performance of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now

Change.The show, one of the

funniest spoofs on love and marriage, is a series of hilarious vignettes of the various stages of dat-ing, falling in love, and the foibles of marriage, even into parenthood and retirement. The show was one of the longest running off Broadway musicals and has been performed in

400 cities worldwide and translated into eleven dif-ferent languages. It was written by Joe DiPietro and composed by Jimmy Roberts, premiered at New York City’s Westside The-ater in 1996 and ran for 5,003 performances.

The Off Broadway Palm Theatre is an inti-mate theatre, seating fewer than 100 music lovers and is located just off the main lobby of The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers. Here you can find those off-Broadway hits that didn’t quite make it to the big stage but were, nevertheless, hits all over the country and interna-tionally.

The four-person cast of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is made up of two men and two women who play as many as twen-ty different roles through-

repeatedly steals the show with her strong soprano voice and her acting abil-ity. Her contorted facial expressions bring down the house, and leave the audience in no doubt as to her feelings. She last played here in A Christmas Sur-vival Guide and has sev-eral national tours to her credit. Kate Marshall, the play’s other female star is a versatile performer with a crowd-pleasing voice. She can convince you she’s a twenty-something gal on

out the evening, complete with makeup and costume changes as they age along with the relationships.

Caitlin Newman, who hails from the mid-west,

the prowl or a sixty-some-thing widow who still has an eye for the gentlemen. You may have seen her as Vivienne in Legally Blonde at Broadway Palm’s main theater.

Adam Clough and Erik Hogan are the two male actors in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. They are both mid-westerners and are enjoying the Flor-ida hiatus. Playing many roles is nothing new to Adam. He appeared as both Curly and Jud in Oka-loma! and as Billy and Jig-ger in Carousel. Erik can be remembered playing the part of Rodney Dan-gerfield in Las Vegas Leg-ends at the Off Broadway Theatre eight years ago.

The entire performance is held together by pianist-par excellence, William Asher, who returns to the Off Broadway Palm after a stint as music director for productions of Chicago and The Sound of Music. You may remember him

as music director for Off Broadway Palm’s produc-tion of Forbidden Broad-way. Also a composer, Asher recently did the musical score for the stage productions of Tuesdays With Morrie, and Dracu-la.

The Off Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre is sure to please both din-ers and theatre-goers. The buffet has a nice variety of soups, salads, main cours-es, and of course, elegant desserts. The theater pre-sentations are top-notch. I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change plays through December 23.

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Bonita Springs – In 1975 I took a trip to Kentucky with a friend who wanted to visit with his relatives. Before the Dukes of Haz-ard, before I decided to cut my shoulder length blonde hair...bell-bottom jeans and all, I spent a week in Haz-ard, Kentucky.

Despite my apprehen-sion, when we got to my friend’s aunt’s house it was all hugs and kisses. And although her house wasn’t fancy and was missing an indoor toilet, it was clean and charming. Soon aft er we arrived, as the grandfa-ther clock patiently ticked off the time, Tommy and

his relatives sat in the liv-ing room and began catch-ing up. As I listened to the conversations, I noticed that they all seemed to re-volve around relatives that had passed away from vari-ous horrible diseases. “You remember Uncle Billy?” “Sure...He’s a great guy! How’s he doing?” (Tick, tick, tick...) “He’s dead. Died of the consumption last year.” (Tick, tick, tick...)

Before they could kill off another relative, I ex-cused myself and went out for a walk in the sunshine through the tobacco fi elds. It wasn’t long before I ran straight into an old man hunched over, hoeing be-tween the rows of tobacco. He looked up at me like he had been expecting me, wiped his brow and gave me a nod. “Howdy!” I sud-denly felt like a trespassing stranger that was about to be shot and held up my hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...” “Where you from?”

asked slowly. “So you can look in all three diff ernt’ directions and see water?” I shook my head. “No, It’s big... I mean... when you’re near water and you look out at it, you can’t see anything but the water. And when you’re not near it you can’t see it... the water... that is.” I rubbed my neck. (Why was this so diffi cult to ex-plain?) Th e nice lady leaned forward as if to help. “So, when you look out ‘cross the water, what place do you see on the other side?” I leaned back in my chair and rocked a bit. Having lived in Florida my entire life, it never occurred to me that some people had never seen a horizon. I shrugged. “Well... all you can see is a line.” Her hand went across her mouth, and then she al-most whispered. “A line of what?”

An hour later, aft er de-scribing what a horizon was and why you couldn’t see Mexico from Florida, they told me that they had never been out of the valley, never watched television, and had never been to school. Th is beautiful valley was the

Th e StrangerThe OtherBEN

BEN NELSON JR.

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he interrupted. I turned and pointed cautiously. “Well, I’m staying with…” “Nooo!” He spat on the ground and then pointed at me. “Where YOU from!” “Oh! I’m from Florida, south of...” “FLORIDA?” he said, amazed. “Yep!” I said nodding my hippy head. He threw his hoe over his shoulder, turned and began walking away. “Will you go with me?” he said without turning around. I had no idea what he meant. “What?” He turned towards me and pointed down the hill. “Will you go with me?” “OH!” I said, pausing at the thought of what might be in store for me. But then… “Yeah, sure!” and I ran to catch up.

Soon, we came upon a colorless old wooden house with a pleasant looking old-er lady in a freshly pressed dress on the porch. “Mar-gret... we got company! From FLORIDA!” the old man yelled proudly, prop-

ping his hoe against the porch. “Ooohh!” she mar-veled. “I’ll get some lemon-ade.”

We sat there for a bit, their smiling at me until fi nally the lady announced matter-of-factly. “So, Flor-ida is an island!” My eye-brows popped up. “Umm... no. It’s a peninsula.” Th ey

only world they had ever known.

As evening came and the shadows grew long, the couple graciously thanked me for the conversation, hugged me, gave me a gen-erous portion of cornbread and pointed me towards home. I oft en think about them and the stories they must tell about their en-counter with the skinny young stranger with the long hair, who appeared in the tobacco fi eld one day. But more oft en it reminds me that although we are all products of our environ-ment and preconceived no-tions… it’s never too late to learn from each other.

My new friends in Ken-tucky learned a simple les-son in geography that af-ternoon… I learned how a simple act of kindness and acceptance can make our fear of others fade, turning strangers into friends.

Read more antics from the life of Mayor Ben Nelson Jr. at www.swspotlight.com or www.theotherbennelson.blogspot.com

looked at each other then back at me. “You see, it’s only surrounded on three sides by water, not four.” I said making a U in the air. Th ey looked at each other again. Th e old boy scratched his chin and

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adds that statistics support pet ownership as contrib-uting to lower blood pres-sure and a longer life, fit-ting well with the healthy concepts in the non-profit business she founded.

“Owning Phoebe is like having a four-legged tread-mill; I have to keep moving and take her walking. Just the mention of a walk and she has her leash ready. Sometimes we go to Dog Beach so she plays with other dogs and goes for a swim.” Phoebe also loves staying at her favorite Bo-nita Springs kennel when Nayer travels, a truly social animal.

Phoebe is a lab mix. Ac-cording to the American Kennel Club, Labs are ideal family dogs and thrive as part of an active family. Because of an even tem-perament and trainabil-ity, millions of Americans own Labrador Retrievers as pets.

Nayer’s work life centers around “benefits, risks and rewards.” Phoebe provides all benefits and rewards; no risks.

Bonita’sBest Friends

D.K. CHRISTI

By D.K [email protected]

Bonita Springs — Phoebe Jo was about 14 pounds of black fluff in a precari-ous position, looking out from under another dog in the cage sitting on the St. Louis, Missouri Pet Smart table on Adoption Day. Two years had passed since Cyndy Nayer had a pet. She told her friend that Phoebe looked at her as if to say ‘Rescue me’ and she just had to adopt her. Her friend replied that Nayer didn’t pick Phoebe, “Phoe-be picked you”. Phoebe had been in foster care. The man who brought her from Hannibal, Missouri on that special day was very grateful to Nayer and she wondered why. “Black dogs don’t adopt well;” he told her, “we usually have to put them down.”

Nayer always adopted rescue dogs; the exception was her first dog as a child: a beagle that she won at a state fair, the beginning of her love for dogs. Phoebe receives a little more at-tention than previous pets

us hugging, she wants part of the group hug.” When Nayer first picked Phoebe up from the adoption table and held her, the affection-ate nature was evident: she laid her head on Nayer’s shoulder with a sigh of re-lief. She had a home at last where she has lavished love on her Bonita Springs fam-ily for seven years.

Phoebe’s empathetic nature is particularly ap-pealing. “I’ve been making

“Owning Phoebe is like having a four-legged treadmill; I have to keep

moving and take her walking.”— Cyndy Nayer

Phoebe Jo enjoys playing with other dogs and going for a swim at Dog Beach.

Bonita’s Best FriendsIf you have a dog that you think is particularly wonderful, contact us at [email protected] and he or she could be the next dog featured

in this column.

Phoebe Jo from Hannibal, Missouri

since she is the first dog without children at home. Nayer’s two daughters are grown and enjoying their own careers and homes. However, when the girls visit, Phoebe claims them immediately as family.

“My husband and I are celebrating 40 years of mar-riage this year; we travel a lot with different careers; but when Phoebe catches

a job transition lately that has caused me some con-cern and serious thought. Phoebe stays at my feet as though she knows I am in a difficult time and need ad-ditional support. My work supports employers that manage employee insur-ance plans to give employ-ees more leverage in seek-ing healthier lifestyles – it affects many lives.” Nayer


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By Martha CriderSpecial to the Spotlight

Spanish Wells—December will be kicked off with the annual Golf Cart Parade. Spanish Wells club mem-bers decorate their golf carts in festive holiday dec-orations, are judged and then they parade through-out the community. The members have amazing talents, with Christmas and Hanukah decorations, music, flashing lights, fake reindeer, and real decorat-ed dogs.

A highlight for the 9 hole and 18 hole women’s

golf leagues is their Charity event December 5. Mem-bers of the leagues donate books for children of the Bonita Springs Elemen-tary School; the books are delivered for the children’s selection shortly after the collection. The books are for the children to take home, often the only book the child owns. The fol-lowing week, December 12 will be the annual 9 hole and 18 hole drop out scramble and luncheon.

The members’ Holiday Party will be held in the Clubhouse December 7. This is the time for mem-

bers to leave their golf and tennis attire behind and wear their finest.

Other events at the Club include Interclub Bridge December 6, the Book Club December 28, and the New Year’s Eve Party.

Homes will be bright, Christmas trees decorat-ed, cookies baked and all the usual December par-ties and activities will be celebrated throughout the community with family and friends.

Happy Hanukah , Christ- mas and New Year.

Spanish Wells Snippets

By Josh [email protected]

Bonita Springs – This time of year many golfers are returning from out of state and getting settled in for the season. With all the tasks on the “to do” list, golf equipment is typi-cally not a top priority, but it should be. Similar to a car, boat, or anything that takes frequent abuse, you need to address a few items to maintain peak perfor-mance. Since your Florida set of clubs have probably sat the entire summer, it’s crucial you first review these suggestions to pre-serve their optimal playing potential, before taking them to the course.

First and foremost, it is likely time to change your grips. These should be changed twice a year (or more frequently if you’re a daily golfer) and cleaned between every other round. Every time the grip is cleaned, it extends the life of the grip and maintains the best tack or stickiness the grip can provide.

As you can imagine, when the grips are tacky,

it requires less grip pres-sure to hold the club. Less grip pressure can easily in-crease club head speed and distance. It is extremely difficult to make solid con-tact and maximize club head speed when you need to squeeze the grip, result-ing in tension throughout your hands, wrists, arms, etc.

Your grips can be cleaned with denatured al-cohol or acetone on a tow-el, which easily removes oil and dirt, or simply use soap and a scrub brush. However, be advised, ac-etone should not be used on Winn grips, because of their soft material acetone will quickly cause this particular brand to dete-riorate. If your grips are

Less grip pressure can easily increase

club head speed and distance.

— Josh Musselman

Time for a Tune Upcourse of a season these angles can change up to 3 degrees. Reason being, the force of impact each time you strike the ball. For an illustration, imagine that your 7 iron is hitting the ball at least 50-70+ MPH (average club head speeds) as well as colliding with the ground. Over time this will generally cause the lofts to get weaker, and the lie angles get flatter, also known as toe down. Flat-ter angles result in a weak or short right miss. If your lofts decrease by 2 degrees you will lose around 5-7 yards in distance. Since wedges up through the 6 iron are utilized more fre-quently, these clubs will have more obvious conse-quences of unchecked loft and lie angles. Another an-gle to focus on and check often is the loft angle. The correct sequence of lofts will be around 4 degrees of loft between each club, which will produce a 10-12 yard progression. A profes-sional club fitter can check, alter and provide recom-mendations on the accu-rate angles for your swing as well as fit you for new grips. At the start of each season, take these sugges-tions seriously, and your clubs will be fine tuned machines adjusted for op-timal performance.

Josh Musselman is a PGA professional, 2008 Horton Smith Award recipient, 2006-2012 “World’s Top 100 Club Fitter” recipient and can be reached via email at [email protected].

glossy, shiny or hard like plastic, you are way over-due for replacing them and will no doubt benefit from the new ones. When you purchase new grips it is vital to get the correct size for your hand because an inappropriate size will affect direction and con-trol. For example, too large you will miss more to the right, and too small of a grip causes the ball to go to the left.

Next on the mainte-nance list is the clubs’ loft and lie angles. Over the

TEE BOXTIPS

JOSH MUSSELMAN

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Neighbor Spotlight

Russ & Angelia WinnBy Mark [email protected]

Bonita Springs — Having people and places that are supportive and not over-ly judgmental provides welcome relief. Russ and Angelia Winn off er this unique approach in their ministry while their lo-cal work also fi lls several needs in our community.

Russ is pastor of “Springs of Bonita”, a non denominational Chris-tian congregation. Th e “Springs” is unique not only in its worship focus, but also in its followers di-versity and the physical lo-cation of its Sunday off er-ing – outside at Riverside Park in Bonita.

Originally from New-port News, Virginia, and with his Masters in Di-vinity from Southwest-ern in Texas, Russ came to Southwest Florida in 1995 to lead Living Waters Church as pastor. He be-gan the Springs at Easter Service in 2011, and one year ago had 40 in atten-dance. Today, 100 folks join Russ and Angelia in the Park and as the word of mouth spreads, and if Russ’ dreams are realized, in 5 years that 100 will swell to 500 each and ev-ery Sunday.

ents and a diverse, grow-ing following.

Russ teaches that our lives are fi lled with fl ops, fumbles and failures. He calls them trainwrecks. “For those that can’t fi nd a place to recover, we off er restoration to help them get into the game of life again, “ he said. It’s the strength of God that gives us the ability to recover, renew and regroup. Th e message is uplift ing and positive and recognizes human frailty.

A typical Sunday fi nds a row of MD’s in atten-dance; rows with retirees from Bonita Bay, a group of the disabled being as-sisted by LARC, many Bo-nita families and several folks we might call home-

measure of his week as a “Wedding Offi ciant”, per-forming wedding services from Marco to Sanibel. A typical week will fi nd Russ conducting 5 to 6 wed-dings, and assisting fami-lies with funeral and other public services.

Russ and Angelia met in Bonita years ago. Both had been married previ-ously and they tied the knot in 2010. Between them they have fi ve chil-dren, four girls and a boy,

“For those that can’t fi nd a place torecover, we off er restoration to help them

get into the game of life again.”— Russ Winn


If you go:The Springs of Bonita,

Sundays 9:30AM,Riverside Park. For more info call Pastor Russ at

293-3310 or visit www.thespringsofbonita.com

Angelia, a self described Florida cracker from Ti-tusville, owns and operates her faith-based preschool called Noah’s Ark. With an average of 100 full and part time children attend-ing daily, Angelia and her staff of 15 have their hands full. From infants to be-fore and aft er school chil-dren up to age 12, Noah’s Ark is not only a member of the Florida League of Christian Schools, but is licensed by the State of Florida under the De-partment of Children and Families. For Angelia and parents, this assures both accountability and the as-surance the children will receive a core foundation of biblical knowledge.

Russ spends the large

Russ and Angelia leave home early every Sunday morning and bring their truck and trailer full of chairs and equipment to the park. Th ey are met by those that provide music – a blend of traditional hymns and some more contemporary songs, and the children and their par-

less in attendance. Th e children’s program while nearby, is away from the adults where they can play and be children. Imag-ine how much easier it is to get the kids to church when they know they’ll be outside and can play.

Th e Winn’s Sunday follows a very busy week.

Russ and Angelia Winn have a unique ministry with Sunday services in Riverside Park.

and one grandson. If all this work and commit-ment weren’t enough, An-gelia volunteered to help her best girlfriend in Cali-fornia by acting as a surro-gate mother for her child and is pregnant expecting delivery in 2013.

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A Table ApartChef Jeff Acol’s profound love forthe ocean is rooted in his early childhood years growing up in Hawaii and helps explain his commitment to serving sustainable seafood and seasonal ingredients. This talented chef offers a limited but diverse menu. Dishes offer global fair with Asian and French influence. Open for dinner 7 days a week 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.4295 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs. 239-221-8540. www.atableapart.com

BellissimoRistoranteChef Jose Benavides and partner EdFalcone are looking forward to their first season together in Bonita Springs. Chef Benavides has fine-tuned his culinary skills in area restaurants for years. Together he and Ed Falcone, a former restauranteur, will be offering specialties like Bellissimo Paella and Veal Scallopini Di Vitello Alla Pizzaiola. Open for lunch Mon thru Sat and dinner 7 days a week. 26251 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 9, Bonita Springs. 239-405-8957. www.bellissimobonita.com

Buffalo ChipsAl, Chip and JC Greenwood’s Old 41original for 30 years strong. It’s“where locals go.” 1st place winner,Florida State chicken wing and chilicook-offs. Full menu including burgers, fish and steak and spuds. Boars Head premium deli sandwich-es. Featuring Bonita’s Hall of Fame. “If it looks good, we’ll find a place for it on the walls or ceiling,” says Al. Lunch and dinner daily. 26620 Old 41 Rd. 239-947-1000. www.buffalochipsrestaurant.com.

Gatsby’s PizzaOwners Greg and Jackie Chapin arereopening in a new Bonita location.Gatsby’s, making pizza since 1977,is famous as the home of the Buck-eyes. Plenty of TV’s for all those Buckeye fans and a piano. Open Mon. thru Thur. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sat. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Sun. 4450 Bonita Beach Road in Liberty Bank Plaza. 239-676-5011.

HemingwaysIsland GrillExperience a taste of the islands with Caribbean inspired dishes. The tropical flavors will take you on a

sea cruise with seafood, chicken and steaks infused with coconut, key lime, rum sauce, cilantro or jerk barbecue sauce. Make your selections from an extensive menu. There’s even a kid’s menu. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.The Shops at Coconut Point 8001Plaza Del Lago #113 Estero. www.hemingwaysislandgrill.com

Hungry HoundDawgsOutdoor picnic tables invite Bonitians to enjoy locally made frankfurters and sausages with only the freshest ingredients. Owner Rick Price, a 30 year Air Force veteran, dreamt for years of own-ing a hot dog vending company. He developed his passion for German sausages while stationed in Europe and now offers a full menu of dawgs and sausages. Pick one ofhis specialties or create your own!Open Mon-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat until2pm, closed Sun. Corner of Old 41 & Abernathy Street. 239-877-6501. www.hungryhounddawgs .com.

10530 Wilson St • Downtown Bonita • 992-2233thesurveycafe.com • Facebook/surveycafe

Across from Riverside Park one block east of Old 41

SIMPLE FLORIDA CHARM... CASUAL... LAID BACK... DELICIOUS!

Free Wi-Fi!

Dog friendly!

“A hidden gem in Bonita Springs. The food is just fantastic. Lots of great avours... BLT great, French

toast great, Sandwich Cubano great.” Trip Advisor Aug. 2012

“The ambience was so quaint and friendly it made us want to move in... a delicious omelette with bacon & mushrooms covered in gravy & the best French toast

ever with a homemade sauce.” Trip Advisor Oct. 2012

Come see what everyone’s talking about!

Open Tues-Sun 8:00 am - 2:30 pm Breakfast available all day and Brunch all day on Sunday!

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Johnny Malloy’sThey say it’s game day everyday atJohnny Malloy’s. Come for the game but stay for the food. Try the Shredded Pork or Classic Rib Eye Steak Sandwich, Specialty pizzas, the Malloy Classic Burger, or a fresh tortilla wrap. Watch the game on the new outdoor patio with TVs everywhere. 10347 Bonita Beach Rd. #101 (corner of Old 41). 239-992-5000

La FontanellaRistorante Owner Moe has over 35 years inthe business, and the experienceshows. He and his staff assure customers the finest dining experi-ence. Serving gourmet Italian cuisine, specializing in pasta, veal, chicken, seafood and steak. “If you can’t cut the veal with a fork, the meal is free.” Specials daily. Open daily 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. 24600 S. Tamiami Trail at the Shoppes at Pelican Landing. 239-498-6808. www.lafontanellarestaurant.net.

Lake HouseBar and Grill An open air café with one of Bonita’s finest water views. A hot spot for lunch and dinner, popular among both locals and tourists. Featuring the Bonita Burger, veggie rollup, tuna salad and sandwiches and more sandwiches. Plus tacos, fish and chicken dinners. Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., happy hour 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Located next to the Trianon Hotel. 3401 Bay Commons Dr. 239-948-4400. www.lakehouseba-randgrill.net.

ManhattanSteakhouse Specializing in USDA Prime Dry Aged steaks and sizzling platters up to 1800 degrees. Enjoying its second season, Bella Purisic oversees this relative newcomer to the Bonita Springs restaurant scene. The extensive menu includes fresh catches such as grouper, tuna and jumbo Maine lobster. Ask about their extensive wine list. Open daily

for dinner 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. 24940 S. Tamiami Trail #103 (Behind Zazou in Bonita) Reservations are required. 239-676-8687. www.manhattan1steakhouse.com

Molino’sRistoranteClassic Italian in a beautiful indoorroom and an al fresco patio setting,featuring pasta, meat and fish din-ners. Family owned since 2003. Try the Vitello alla Saltimboca or one of the many other specialties of the house. Full bar and wine cellar. Summer hours, serving dinner only. Smoking section available. Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 9 pm. 26841 South Bay Dr. at the Bonita Bay Promenade. 239-992-7025. www.molinosristorante.com.

Old 41 Restaurant A sure bet since the day it opened in Bernwood. Specialties include eggs, omelets, pancakes, waffles, homemade soups, salads, sand-wiches, Angus burgers, chili, Taylor pork roll, sausage gravy, creamed chipped beef, home cooked roast beef and turkey and “real” Philly cheese steaks. Open daily 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Corner of Old 41 and Bernwood Parkway. 239-948-4123. www.old41.com.

Pino’s Pizzeria Joe and Linda Russo, are the own-ers and operators of Pino’s where, “It’s all about the taste.” They offer the kind of Brooklyn family owned and operated business you don’t often find these days. Their big portions, low prices - and friendly attitude will have you coming back for more...and more…and still

more! OpenMon. thru Fri. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sat. & Sun 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Pelican Landing Publix Plaza, 24600 S. Tamiami Trail. 239-676 5332. www.pinospizzeria.net.

Ristorante Enrico Owner Enrico Costagliola was born in his mother’s restaurant in Torregaveta, Italy, south of Naples. “I still cook like my mother, with only the freshest ingredients.” Fresh pasta, seafood and Italian specialties. Antipasto salad, penne, lasagna, lobster ravioli, linguini with white clam sauce, zuppa di pesce, veal, chicken and shrimp. 18 pizza and calzone creations. Lunch and dinner specials. Open daily Mon-Sat 10am to 10 pm; Sun 11am to 10pm; 26831 S. Tamiami Trail near Publix across from Bonita Bay. 239-949-2204.

Royal ScoopLife’s short…eat dessert first! Theoldest homemade ice cream store in Bonita. 35 ice cream flavors, 12 lowfat and sugar-free choices. Theirscoopologists make the thickest shakes, biggest sundaes and best cones. Delicious lunches featuring Boar’s Head meats and cheeses and fantastic family recipes for chicken, egg and tuna salad. Kids menu. Open til 10 p.m. at Vanderbilt Dr. & 8th Street in Bonita Springs 992-2000; open til 9:30 at Pavil-lion Shoppes (Vanderbilt Beach Road & 41) 239-597-4043. www.royalscoop.com

The Survey Café Lori Nelson’s tribute to old Florida,oozing with southern charm andupdated with an organic sensibility.Fresh ingredients, wraps, salads,panini, flatbreads and the house specialty…Grandpa’s Gator gumbo. Try the Chokoloskee Chicken sandwich. Shade grown coffee from Grounds for Change. Dine inside or out. Summer hours, open Wednesday thru Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 10530 Wilson Ave.off Old 41. 239-992-2233. www.thesurveycafe.com.

MolinosMolinos’’# 1 Ê I T A L I A N Ê R I S T O R A N T E

OPEN DAILY FOR LUNCH & DINNER, 11:30AM TO 9PMOPEN DAILY FOR LUNCH & DINNER, 11:30AM TO 9PMOPEN DAILY FOR LUNCH & DINNER, 11:30AM TO 9PMReservations Required - 992-7025

Maximum 6 people • Expires January 1, 2013Does not include any other promotion

IN THE PROMENADE26841 South Bay Drive - Bonita Springs

olinosolinosolinos’’’olinosolinosolinos’olinosolinosolinos’olinosolinosolinos’olinosolinosolinos’’’’’’’VOTEDÊ★ ★ ★ ★

Must Present Coupon • Must be seated by 5:30 PM

Open Christmas Eve & DayOpen New Year’s Eve & Day

Regular menu

2 FOR 1 DINNERS

Reservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations RequiredReservations Required - 992-7025 - 992-7025 - 992-7025 - 992-7025Reservations Required - 992-7025Reservations RequiredReservations Required - 992-7025Reservations RequiredReservations Required - 992-7025Reservations RequiredReservations Required - 992-7025Reservations Required - 992-7025

IN THE PROMENADEIN THE PROMENADERESERVE A PRIVATE WINE CELLAR DINING ROOM

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Southwest Spotlight Newspaper - December 1 Edition