MAYOR’S CORNER

Why did I switch my title page from State of the City to Mayor’s Corner?
Well, State of the City just sounds too formal for me. Although a lot of my articles are of course about our City of Naples a good part of them is about Naples in general which works just fine for me and hopefully for you.

The kudos just keep rolling in for Naples, Florida. This past month we learned that our metro area was the number one spot in the nation for longevity! Now one used to be able to say that Naples was plain and simple a retirement community made up of all senior citizens and very few young people, and maybe it was, but definitely not anymore. We are a healthy, vibrant, community with exercise on our daily schedules whether it’s walking, biking, running, fitness and a myriad of others it is there! Our City is striving to make the above even better with more walkable, bikeable and pedestrian friendly roads. The recent longevity statistic was a huge accomplishment for us and it wasn’t just happenstance that the above occurred. In the last few months we have been in the top ten nationally for our cutting edge restaurants, our friendliness, our healthy lifestyles, and the list continues. The real question is why us?

There are many theories to this question floating around out there and certainly all have relevance. I’m no statistics guru and wouldn’t even think of quoting any, but let’s face it, in my opinion the catalyst that drives them all is the simple fact that our residents are a unique mix of people that when combined bring the overall ambiance of our Naples community to a level that is second to none. I have been enamored with the word “Ambiance” when referring to Naples since that first day I visited it and moved here in July of 1973.

Today there are very few days that go by that a new resident who just as I did many years ago has recently discovered Naples and starts to tell me the wonders that they have discovered and why they decided to move here. Although much has changed over the years the ambiance of Naples remains as strong as it ever did, thanks to all of you!

2017 will be a big year for our City. Just go online to our City Website www.naplesgov.com and take a few minutes to browse it. It is amazing to see just how much information is displayed on it for those who like reading financial documents to the progress of our Baker Park it’s all there and is constantly being updated. We are working on a new website and a new Facebook page.

Speaking of Baker Park it is our intention and our goal to have the plans completed and start the building process this year and we are well on our way. Just prior to writing this month’s article one of the City’s property owners associations sent a newsletter out to their members discussing Fifth Avenue South and their opinions of what has been transpiring there. Unfortunately I don’t have enough space left in this article to be able to explore it and express my opinion, but next month for sure! Enjoy all that we have to offer and be thankful to be a part of our great community.

I do respond to e-mail at: mayorbill@naplesgov.com

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