Wednesday, June 24, 2026
6,700 homes are coming to Ave Maria
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Sunny morning, then the usual June drama — we top out near 91° before thunderheads build off the Gulf after lunch. The bigger news is inland: commissioners just cleared 6,700 new homes for Ave Maria, the kind of number that reshapes a whole town.
Today
Get your beach morning in early
Sunny and 91° until the storms stack up after lunch — the standard summer rhythm. High tide hits 8:41 a.m., so the morning's your window before the afternoon lightning rolls in.
Local News
Ave Maria is about to take a generational leap
Commissioners approved 6,700 homes and nearly a million square feet of commercial space, over objections from residents and environmentalists worried about traffic and wildlife. For a town conjured out of the eastern Collier flatlands less than 20 years ago, that roughly doubles the place.
$27 million — in the quiet season
A beachfront house at 26 Second Ave. S. just set the year's high mark for an existing Old Naples home: 8,770 square feet on a half-acre with 120 feet of Gulf frontage. Proof the trophy market never really takes the summer off.
A new Publix is headed for North Naples
Tim Aten reports a store set to open midyear 2027 up north — the kind of quiet announcement that tells you where the next rooftops are really going. File it under things that make somebody's commute shorter.
From one classroom to 530 kids
The youth music camp that opened with two dozen students at Golden Gate High in 2006 now crams 530 into every corner of North Naples Church. It's quietly become one of summer's great local rites — and a reminder of how much homegrown talent runs through here.
Food & Drink
Flavors of Fifth returns for the off-season
From July 8 through Sept. 30, Fifth Avenue South restaurants run prix-fixe menus at a few price points — and locals' season is exactly when these deals are worth booking. Year three doubles as a fundraiser for Beverly's Angels.
A celebrity chef signs on for Wine Fest
Award-winning chef Charlie Palmer will run the kitchen as chef de cuisine for the 2027 Naples Winter Wine Festival, Jan. 29–31, benefiting the Naples Children Foundation. Worth marking now — those seats are among the hardest tickets in town come winter.
A caviar bar on wheels
Nisha Singh just rolled out the Gourmet Chariot, a cherry-red mobile caviar bar for private events around town — very Naples, in the best way. Book it when you want the backyard party to outdo the club.