Fort Myers Real Estate News and Information
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According to the Milken Institute's 2004 Best Performing Cities Index, Ft. Myers-Cape Coral tops the list! The institute's report cites "a robust recovery in tourism" and "growing populations of retirees" as key drivers for metro job growth in the nation.
Who were the rest?
2. Las Vegas
3. Phoenix-Mesa
4. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton
5. Daytona Beach
6. Sarasota-Bradenton
7. Fayetteville (Ark.)
8. Riverside (CA.)
9. Ft. Lauderdale
10. Monmouth (NJ.)
11.Washington D.C.
12. Tampa-St. Pete.
In a scene reminiscent of "Who's On First?" the five Town Council members finally agreed on Bill Van Duzer as Mayor for the coming year and Howard Rynerson as Vice-Mayor. They also voted to have the disputed election for three Town Council seats, this coming November. This should be interesting. If it's half as nasty as the last election, we're in for some real fireworks.
Town Attorney Richard Roosa appears to be on the way out.
The Council voted unanimously to hire an interim attorney before voting to fire Roosa at the upcoming April 4th session. Mayor Bill Van Duzer said that many residents were not happy with Roosa's job performance. Councilman Reynolds said "A lot of folks believe that the attorney has given not very good direction to the Council." Town Manager Marsha Segal- George has been instructed to hire an interim replacement.
At a meeting with the Ft Myers Beach Civic Association, attorney Charles Meador explained his reasoning behind the lawsuit he filed to overturn the decision by council members a few years back to change their terms from three to four years. He also reiterated his decision to run for Bill Van Duzer's seat in the fall election. According to Mr. Meador, "When Ms. Segal-George equated Ft Myers Beach residents to some lower form of life on the evolutionary scale as compared to Sanibel residents, that's all I need to source. That's my hidden agenda."
Work on the $39.4 million Summerlin Road project has been scheduled for early April.
It will include an overpass on San Carlos Blvd., which will widen Summerlin Rd. from four to six lanes from San Carlos to Gladiolus Blvd. Two flyovers will be constructed at the intersection of Summerlin Blvd and Gladiolus Dr to help east- and west- bound traffic turn left onto Summerlin. A reverse flyover will be constructed on eastbound Gladiolus for motorists turning left onto Summerlin. Confused? Weekly meetings will be conducted throughout the construction to address business owner concerns about how it will affect them.
Concerning traffic on our Island: If they don't want to (1) put a pedestrian over/underpass at Times Square-thus eliminating the red light, (2) close the left turn lane to the north end of the Island and reroute it to Crescent Street, then reroute all exiting traffic off the north end through Old San Carlos Blvd., then the only long term solution that makes any sense is a mid-island bridge. I should think there is enough of a tax base on this Beach to enable our council members to lobby for this project, don't you?
Ballet and Men (Why doesn't it work?)
Let's try to solve this riddle once and for all. Ladies, I'm afraid you're never going to get men to love or even like ballet. Isabelle bought tickets to "Coppelia" by Clement Philibert Leo Delibes, at the Naples Philharmonic, so I had to go. I think my experience was like that of most men: it feels like there's a noose around your neck and you're being led to a gallows.
This is how most ballets go, and this one was no exception: The curtain rises to a soft strain of violins; then the corps de ballet comes out on tiptoes (these are the lesser ballerinas who set up the main action- they also look like the only ones who are having fun), harps strum an idyllic mood until the prima ballerina makes her entrance- she's the one with the twelve-inch neck and the most makeup- then her suitor/prince prances on in tights and begins mincing around and...Sorry, but this is where it all ends for us guys. It's embarrassing! We start to look at the set design or maybe speculate on the sadist who invented the ballet slipper (I once saw a photo of Rudolf Nureyev's feet and it looked someone had dropped a bowling ball on them), or you might begin counting the moles on the person's neck in front of you. Unfortunately, about now, there is a fifteen-minute intermission to prolong the agony. You hear all the women around commenting ecstatically on the music, costumes, etc. and all you can think of is your couch and ESPN.
The second act starts with the bad guy/gal trying to break up the young lovers. Betrayal, confusion, desolate looks, all mimed to the limit. Someone finally clues them in and they hurriedly set about with the other ballerinas and tight wearers to set things right.
In the third act the suitor/prince leaps exuberantly around the stage in a bravura solo that gets everybody clapping. The prima flies on to join him, he picks her up repeatedly, letting her down oh so nimbly onto her tippytoe. Love triumphs, the corps de ballet with their own flock of suitors flutter around the principals and the curtain comes blessedly down. You start to fumble automatically for your car keys but then look over at your spouse and notice she has a golden glow that you've seen very few times in your marriage (sort of the same glow we would get if we broke 80 or our team won the Super Bowl). Gentlemen, I put it to you: perhaps the best advice- other than real estate, of course- that you will ever glean from this newsletter: Go to the ballet with your wife every five years. You'll score a lot of points believe me (and god knows we need as many of those as we can get!).
Best Books Read Recently:
"I Am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe
Mr. Wolfe takes on collegiate life in his latest novel. Our heroine, Charlotte Simmons, is a backcountry Carolina high school senior with a straight A average, class valedictorian, etc. etc. etc.; she's also quite pretty. She wins a scholarship to Dupont University, one of the two or three most prestigious colleges in the country (you'll have fun trying to figure out which school it's modeled on). How she deals with this environment and it's myriad pressures: social, sexual, and intellectual, add up to an unsettling view of campus life. If you have a son or daughter about to enter college, this book might give you a few sleepless nights. Tom Wolfe has been a tremendous talent for a long time, but I have a feeling that he hasn't written his best book yet. Now, let's see… which actress is going to play Charlotte in the movie version?
"Running With The Bulls" (My years with the Hemingways) by Valerie Hemingway
In 1959 nineteen year old Valerie Danby-Smith, on assignment in Madrid, was sent to interview Ernest Hemingway. A native of Dublin, she wasn't in awe of the famous writer, and this no doubt helped overcome any mawkishness Hemingway might normally feel. In short order she became a kind of personal assistant to him, and was swept up in the frenetic pace of bullfights, partying, and bravado that trailed behind the famous man and his wife Mary as they traveled through Spain and France. She joined the Hemingways at their house in Cuba and watched helplessly as Castro and the revolution took over, forcing them out. Dispossessed from his home, and his creative powers quickly waning, Ernest lost his will to live and all too shortly afterwards, committed suicide. At his funeral in Ketchum, Idaho she met his estranged son Gregory, and ended up marrying him. That Gregory was a closet transvestite, who ended up getting a sex change operation, is a story that you couldn't have made up on a bet.
Restaurant Review: Zorba's Greek Restaurant
I've only been here for lunch, but each time it's been delicious! I usually get the same thing: Greek salad and gyro sandwich combination. In ten years, when I get tired of that, I'll order something else. Isabelle had the mousaka, which was perfect. The waiter told me they have belly dancing in the evening, and of course a more expanded menu. There is outside seating as well. It has a nice family-run feel to it. Address: 9106 Bonita Beach Road Tel: 992-5005 In the Sunshine Plaza Shopping Center.
Real Estate Update:
The following are closed sales taken from the Multiple Listing Service for the period January 23rd to March 22nd of this year.
Condominiums Single Family Homes
Waterside #4H4 $760,000 1661 I St. $1,375,000
Riviera Club #1201 $715,000 5120 Williams Dr $825,000
Sunset #500 $675,000 380 Donora Blvd $689,000
Waterside #1P1 $665,000 310 Jefferson Ct $685,000
Islands End #705 $595,000 227 Ibis St $675,000
Waterside #144 $585,000 445 Madison Ct $600,000
Waterside #173 $580,000 22 Palmview Blvd $575,000
Islands End $501 $565,000 290 Dundee Rd $565,000
Islands End #303 $540,000 5545 Avenida Pescadora $550,000
Sandarac #211-A $485,000 6021 Gulf Rd $525,000
Creciente #503 $485,000 8057 Estero Blvd $510,000
Creciente #507 $479,000 21072 Saint Peters Dr $464,000
Terra Mar #507 $479,000 129 Falkirk St $400,000
Sand Caper #506 $460,000 5551 Estero Blvd $400,000
Terra Mar 406 $449,000 260 Miramar St $376,000
Creciente #915 $441,250 915 North St $370,000
Creciente #214 $440,000 222 Delmar Ave $368,000
Hibiscus Pointe #763 $439,000 5542 Palmetto St $332,000
Casa Marina #741 $430,000
Bermuda Dunes #202 $415,000
Terra Mar #301 $400,000
Hibiscus Pointe #112 $394,000
Terra Mar #203 $390,000
Leonardo Arms #317 $385,000
Harbour Pointe #322 $378,000
Bay Village #205 $295,000
Royal Pelican #312 $305,000
Admirals Bay #155 $275,000
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