Mold Remediation in Fort Myers, FL

Tom Golisano, entrepreneur, the founder of Paychex, philanthropist, and former candidate for the governorship of New York, announced his second series of major gifts totaling $85 million to 41 nonprofit organizations across Southwest Florida.

“One of my favorite sayings is ‘the only wealth you keep is that which you give away,’ and this year I’ve decided to act on that saying. Thanks to the success of Paychex, and its employees I can make it my reality. I’m glad to provide support to nonprofits across Southwest Florida, where I now call home,” Golisano said in a prepared statement. “There are so many organizations in this region doing great work and I know that it’s not easy successfully running a nonprofit. I am impressed with the dedication and perseverance of the organizations that I’ve invited here today. I hope this unexpected funding helps them broaden their impact and strengthen their organizations so they can expand their services and those they serve.”

Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, which bears his name, was granted $10 million. Among the other 40 organizations, Cape Coral based Family Initiative was awarded $5 million, the Cape Coral Animal Shelter $1.5 million and Guardian Angels for Special Populations $1 million.

“The awards, which range from $150,000 to $10 million each, are being made to a diverse range of causes, all of which are meaningful to Golisano. They span healthcare, education, intellectual and developmental disabilities, other critical community needs and animal welfare. The gifts will be paid over four to five years, are unrestricted and may be used at each organization’s discretion,” a release announcing the gifts states.

The announcement, made at Artis-Naples, brings Golisano’s philanthropy this year to half a billion dollars and his life-long philanthropy to $860 million. It follows his Sept. 17 announcement of 82 major gifts totaling $360 million to organizations in Upstate New York, including $52 million to the Golisano Foundation, increasing its assets to $120 million. This infusion of funding increases the Golisano Foundation’s giving from approximately $3 to more than $5 million annually, allowing even more opportunities for nonprofits to access grant funding.

“We encourage non-profit organizations to visit our website to learn more about Tom’s philanthropy and the Foundation’s mission,” said Erica Dayton, executive director of the Golisano Foundation, which Golisano founded in 1985. It has awarded more than $41 million in grants, primarily to organizations devoted to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It also helps animal welfare organizations through Bailey and Friends, an initiative of the Golisano Foundation founded in honor of Golisano’s two dogs, both of whom were named Bailey.

“We look forward to the new influx of agencies we’ll be introduced to through the widespread news of Tom’s most recent giving. Understanding the needs of the communities we support and the organizations that devote their expertise to serving them is a constantly evolving process. We are always looking to learn more and determine how we can be supportive with the resources available,” Dayton added.

$85 Million in awards as announced on Nov. 19:

Health – Two organizations – $15 million

• Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida – $10,000,000

• Naples Comprehensive Health – $5,000,000

Education – Two organizations – $13 million

• Ave Maria University – $10,000,000

• Guadalupe Center – $3,000,000

Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (IDD) – 12 Organizations – $32 million

• Best Buddies Southwest Florida – $1,000,000

• Beyond the Spectrum, Inc. $1,000,000

• Easterseals Southwest Florida – $5,000,000

• Family Initiative – $5,000,000

• Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida – $5,000,000

• Guardian Angels for Special Populations – $1,000,000

• LARC, Inc. – $5,000,000

• Protected Harbor – $1,000,000

• Special Olympics – Florida – $1,000,000

• STARability – $5,000,000

• Sunrise – Naples – $ 1,000,000

• The Haven – $1,000,000

Community – Five organizations – $15 Million

• American Red Cross Southwest Florida – $3,000,000

• Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida- $2,000,000

• Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples – $4,000,000

• Meals of Hope – $3,000,000

• Youth Haven – $3,000,000

Animal Welfare – 20 organizations – $10 million

• Animal Rescue Coalition – $1,000,000

• Cape Coral Animal Shelter – $1,500,000

• Gulf Coast Humane Society – $1,500,000

• Humane Society Naples – $500,000

• SNIP Collier – $1,500,000

• Anna Maria Island Pup Rescue – $150,000

• Big Dog Ranch Rescue – $500,000

• Florida Coastal Cocker Rescue – $150,000

• For the Love of Cats – $150,000

• Fur and Tails Animal Rescue – $150,000

• Canine Castaways, Inc. – $150,000

• Guardians of Florida Animal Rescue – $500,000

• Haven on Earth Animal League – $150,000

• Humane Society of Manatee County – $500,000

• Humane Society of Sarasota County – $500,000

• Max`s Ark Rescue – $150,000

• Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue Center – $500,000

• Pawtcake Refuge – $150,000

• Purradise Gardens – $150,000

• Shy Wolf Sanctuary – $150,000

About Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation

Golisano is the founder of Paychex, Inc., the nation’s largest human resource company for small to medium-sized businesses, providing integrated human capital management solutions for payroll, benefits, human resources, and insurance services for more than 745,000 clients in the U.S. and Europe. His personal philanthropic contributions to hospitals–including three children’s hospitals that bear his name–and numerous educational institutions, his Foundation, and other organizations now exceed $860 million.

Golisano established

the Golisano Foundation to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With more than $120 million now in gross assets, it is one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. devoted to supporting programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities awarding about $5 million annually to nonprofit organizations in Western New York and Southwest Florida.

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There were no social media announcements, signs or banners when Vicky Bakery quietly made its Fort Myers debut in the El Dorado Plaza on Thursday, Dec. 5. Apparently, there didn’t need to be.

Fans of the beloved Miami-based bakery quickly found their way to the wildly popular pastelitos and other Cuban classics.

“We’re so happy to be in the community,” franchise owner Andretti Tomeu said. “(Opening day) went better than expected. Fifteen people have already come back twice to try more things.”

We’re right there with them. We’ve been once and can’t wait to go again.

Here are five things about Vicky Bakery and its newest location on the northeast corner of U.S. 41 and Colonial Boulevard.

Vicky Bakery has been a customer favorite since 1972

Antionio and Gelasia Cao, who met while working in Cuba’s famous La Vencedora bakery half a century ago, opened their first Vicky Bakery in Hialeah. Five more flagship Miami-area locations followed. Since franchising began in 2016, the family-owned business has 20 more spots. Most are on the east coast of Florida with Orlando, Ave Maria and now Fort Myers being the exceptions. Demand for a franchise in this area was high.

“We chose here based on social media requests,” Samantha Sanchez-Cruz, Vicky Bakery’s corporate marketing manager, said. “People were always asking for us to come here.”

Meet the owner of the Fort Myers location

Tomeu, nephew to one of the founding board members, “grew up working at Vicky.”

“I worked in the back, in the kitchen of the Miami Lakes store when I was 15 or 16,” he said. “It was the third bakery. Early mornings and weekends were not ideal but I worked there through high school. I always dreamt of owning one.”

Tomeu, who worked his way through the franchise process like everyone else, moved to Cape Coral in July with his girlfriend and three kids, ages 3, 5 and 11.“I want to put roots in the area,” he said. “The city (of Fort Myers) has been so supportive. You don’t always get that in a big city like Miami. The whole process went pretty quickly.”

His goal of opening by Thanksgiving fell just short.

“First impressions are so important,” he said. “It’s hard to make up for that if something goes wrong. We opened when we knew it would be great. We want to be here for a long time.”

The excitement was there before the first customer walked through the door.

“We have 25 employees,” Tomeu said. “We had 150 applications in 48 hours. I filled 25 positions in one day. People have been waiting for us to get here.”

Traditional Cuban breakfast, lunch and pastries on Vicky's menu

Customers entering Tomeu’s bakery (on the Colonial Boulevard side of the plaza, down from Ginza) are greeted with row after row in display case after display case of classic Cuban pastries, cakes, cookies, bread and more baked goodness. Signs are in English and Spanish.

“We want to have a bilingual staff,” Tomeu said. “The goal is to have everyone feel comfortable when ordering or asking questions.”

All-day breakfast includes croissants, tostadas, steak & eggs and the classic eggs, ham or bacon, tostada and café con leche combo.

Pork, chicken, ham & cheese, steak and turkey & Swiss are some of the sandwiches. Hot options feature empanadas, meat pastry, pizza pastel, croqueta, tequeno and papa rellena.

“We want to get people in, get them fed quickly,” Tomeu said. “We know everyone is in a hurry. We open at 6 for breakfast and stay open. For dinner, you can get a Cuban bowl or platters to feed yourself and a family.”

In case you missed it:Upscale and trendy restaurant, bar with rooftop deck coming to Bell Tower in Fort Myers

Vicky Bakery is coming to Cape Coral

Tomeu isn’t going to stop with one location. He plans to open a second on Del Prado Boulevard.

“It will be a new building so it will take longer than this one did,” he said. “This one was about 4½ months. That one will be in late 2025.”

It will be located at 602 Del Prado Blvd. N, on the west side, just south of Pine Island Road.

The where and when of the Fort Myers location

In the meantime, swing by the Fort Myers shop to say hello to Tomeu.

“I’m an active owner,” he said. “I will always be here.”

Vicky Bakery is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at 4429 Cleveland Ave. Call (239) 270-5133 or go to vickybakery.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram for more.

Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com

UPDATE 12/9/24 12:03 p.m.In the arrest report from the Lee County Sheriff's Office, investigators say the 16-year-old carjacked a woman in the parking lot of Southwest Florida Christian Academy on Friday.

Deputies says Felix Marcial Ayala threatened to shoot the woman if she didn't hand over the keys.

Investigators say Ayala spotted the keys in the backseat, grabbed them and drove off.

Three hours later, troopers say they spotted the stolen red van near Daniels Parkway and Paul J. Doherty Parkway.

LCSO says FHP tried to pull the van over.

In this dashcam video from FHP, you can see the van swerving off the road and taking off.

Troopers followed the van to a parking lot where it crashed into empty parked cars.

Then, deputies say the two people inside the stolen van got out and ran toward RSW.

LCSO says Ayala trespassed through the secure fence, and made it onto the tarmac with a trooper right behind him.

Watch video from the LCSO here:

FHP arrested Ayala and a 17-year-old boy, Cecil Bernard Woodard Jr, who they say was driving Ayala in the stolen car.

Ayayla was arrested for carjacking without a firearm, trespassing and resisting an officer without violence.

Fox 4 reached out to RSW about its security measures, but they didn't respond.

Southwest Florida Christian Academy also did not respond to our request.

This isn't Ayala's first run-in with law enforcement.

Back in 2022, Ayala and his brother were arrested for breaking into a gun store and stealing 22 guns in Cape Coral.

They also took ammunition and magazines.

Police say they located a notebook in which the pair planned the heist in great detail. Ayala had already been on probation for an unrelated robbery when he arrested for the burglary.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Felix Marcial Ayala, 16, after they say he carjacked a woman within a parking lot on Colonial Blvd on Friday.

Deputies say Ayala approached the victim and demanded her keys. Due to the nature of the incident, LCSO says members of the Violent Crimes Unit immediately responded and began to track down Ayala.

With the assistance of Florida Highway Patrol, the vehicle was located traveling on Paul J Doherty Pkwy.

WATCH THE PURSUIT HERE:

As FHP and LCSO Patrol attempted a traffic stop, the driver and passenger, Ayala, fled from law enforcement and crashed into several unoccupied vehicles. The driver of the vehicle and Ayala attempted to flee on foot, resulting in immediate apprehension of the driver, followed by Ayala being apprehended on Southwest Florida International Airport property.

Ayala was charged with carjacking without firearm or weapon, trespassing on critical infrastructure property, and resisting an officer.

FHP took custody of the driver.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno gave the following statement:

“I will not tolerate anyone putting residents of Lee County at risk through actions like this,” said Sheriff Carmine Marceno. “I am incredibly proud of my deputies, detectives, and members of our Aviation Unit for swiftly removing this suspect from our streets. I also want to thank our surrounding law enforcement agencies. It is our great partnership that ensures the safety and order of Southwest Florida."

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Social media is full of people sharing their frustrations about the ongoing construction for the Florida Department of Transportation's Diverging Diamond Interchange at Colonial Boulevard and I-75.

The News-Press published its first story about the massive transportation system project in December of 2020. The headline that we wrote said: "$52.7 million project to improve Colonial Boulevard, I-75 traffic flow."

Four years later and with another season upon us in Southwest Florida, patience is wearing thin for many drivers as far as actually seeing the promised improved traffic flow. It's currently the opposite, which has led the Diverging Diamond Interchange project to become a popular topic in various Facebook groups and other social media apps like NextDoor.

TAKE OUR SURVEY: How bad is the traffic is Southwest Florida?

A recent thread on the NextDoor app had a variety of comments:

Cat. P posted: Whoever dreamed up of what is happening on colonial with this diverging diamond should be fired. It's an absolute disaster.

Ginny Huking posted:It's the project that will never end.

Lynn Knudson posted: Worst design ever. I never go that way any longer. Maybe that is what they were hoping.

Others on the same thread were kinder:

Don Oh posted: There's a lot more to be done before it's finished. Suggest we hold off final decision until then. However, agree, it's a mess now.

Linda Reffner posted: Here's hoping that it will be better when the construction is finished and all of the lanes are open.

Debra Grey posted: Divergent Diamonds have been in use since the 70s. Numbers don't lie ... they work. Like anything new it will take a little time for people to get used to it, but it will ultimately make the intersection faster and safer.

When will the Colonial-I75 Diverging Dimond be completed?

We reached out to FDOT spokesperson Jason Heironimus with some questions, including the one everyone is asking the most: When will the project finally be complete?

Answer: Spring 2025

Probably not the specificity people are looking for since the first day of spring in 2025 is March 20 and the first day of summer is June 20. So, sometime it will happen in that 92 day period.

It also means another winter season of having to deal with a transportation system project that is still developing.

More:Fort Myers diverging diamond interchange now open at I-75 and Colonial Blvd. What to know

Other questions we asked:

More Diverging Diamonds coming to SWFL

FDOT has announced tentative plans for more Diverging Diamond Interchanges along I-75 in the coming years in Lee County and Collier County.

More:Traffic news: FDOT schedules public hearing with details on improving transportation system

Diverging diamond interchanges reduce the number of conflict points where traffic crosses, merges or diverges and have been shown to reduce crashes by 50 percent, FDOT has said.

This type of interchange is also planned at:

Posted

FORT MYERS, FLA. — The buildings that used to house Sears inside the Edison Mall were sold for $5 million dollars.

Watch Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price's report of the purchase:

"The intent of the ownership group is to put in an Asian-focused food services, multi-concept restaurant, and Asian market in the property," says Gary Tasman. His company, Cushman and Wakefield, partnered with the Hong Kong based investment group to start the plan.

"The Asian population in Southwest Florida is growing at a faster rate than overall population growth, so the trend for healthy Asian food is a national trend," says Tasman.

On top of the market, Tasman says the new owners will lease out space they're not using to other businesses.

This building has been vacant since 2020. The new owners bought the property in November for $5.8 million.

"I remember when there was no Edison Mall," says Greta Campbell, who was shopping at JCPenney for the holidays. Campbell says brick-and-mortar stores are dying out.

She hopes there's a way to breathe new life into her mall.

"What's needed is something that's going to attract people that online stores don't offer," says Campbell. "So it has to be different."

"The saying is, you build it, and they'll come," says Campbell. "Well, if they bring something different and affordable, they will come."

I contacted the Economic Director for the City of Fort Myers, who commented on the new project: "We, the city, look forward to seeing new investment capital, new development, and new jobs being created at the site."

"My expectation is that, over the next five or 10 years, this section of Cleveland Avenue, let's say from Colonial Boulevard north to downtown, will be one of the hottest redevelopment sub-markets and quarters in Southwest Florida," said the new owner.

Tasman does not share all of the details about the Asian-themed experience. Still, he says that architects are drawing out the plans, and he will be working on leasing the excess spaces for similar or compatible property uses.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.