Commentary: East Naples is Collier County's land of opportunity
As Collier County grows, one thing will remain the same: East Naples will continue to be the land of opportunity.
For almost 70 years, East Naples has grown and developed into a prosperous and dynamic community. It had humble beginnings as a blue-collar community, supporting the growing town of Naples. After Hurricane Donna devastated Everglades City in 1960, the state Legislature relocated the county seat to East Naples in 1962.
East Naples mirrors other parts of the county with both lavish and impoverished neighborhoods and has continued to grow with new communities like Isle of Collier Preserve, Treviso Bay, Hacienda Lakes and more continuing to develop.
East Naples is home to our area’s oldest higher education institution, the Collier campus of Florida SouthWestern State College, which opened in 1992 on 80 acres within Lely Resort.
East Naples holds many of our area’s cultural jewels, from the Collier County Museum in the government center to the up-and-coming Bayshore Arts District. Bayshore, an area that for years was an epicenter for blight and crime, is now home to a great number of new businesses fitting the mold for our area’s art district: A. Jaron Fine Jewelry, the Black Fox Barbershop, and now Celebration Park, which has been breaking at the seams since opening just a short time ago.
Many new businesses have opened in this area in recent years and more are following, like Ankrolab Brewing Co., which will no doubt continue to spur more growth for the area.
Ecotourism is also prevalent in East Naples, beginning with Rookery Bay, which in 1971 was saved from road construction and development when the community rallied. Thousands of Naples-area schoolchildren (my mom, uncle and cousins included) ran a "penny drive' to save one of the few remaining mangrove estuary habitats.
The East Naples Civic Association has led the charge in shaping our community. One of its popular events is the Santa Run, in its 30th year, in which partners from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Greater Naples Fire and Rescue District, Kiwanis of East Naples and Parkside Elementary School parade through Naples Manor with the big man himself to deliver candy to hundreds of kids and families in the area.
The association has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for scholarships benefiting students throughout East Naples who continue to shape the future of this special place we call home.
We’ve also gone to bat to tackle important issues, such as the development of Physician’s Regional Medical Center on Collier Boulevard, the South Regional Library, the U.S. 41/County Road 951 Corridor Study and now the first Community Development Plan for East Naples. Health care, infrastructure, arts and culture, workforce housing and the environment — there isn’t an area of public policy in which the association hasn’t played a major role.
It hasn’t been until the last two decades that the area has really been able to gain traction, despite its challenges. Nevertheless, East Naples remains a crown jewel of culture, education, economic development and recreation. Some things never change, and that goes for our quaint community as well.
The East Naples Civic Association will continue to lead the way on the tough issues and I am ready for those challenges as I begin my term as president on Jan. 25. If you live in East Naples, I encourage you to attend our luncheons, join our membership and get involved. Visit our website at www.eastnaplescivic.com.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Winge is the incoming president of the East Naples Civic Association.
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