By Stan Karpf, GSAC Board Member
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A year ago this month, members of the City of Naples Parks, Recreation, and Facilities Department, formerly the Community Services Department, began the multi-month-long clean-up and replanting of the Gulf Shore Boulevard North medians. As you remember, the median plantings were severely damaged by Hurricane Ian in September 2022.

City staff commenced cleanup last February, and planting was completed in July.

It was a very rainy summer which created the perfect environment for the new plantings to thrive in, never has the boulevard landscape been so green and lush.

Normal annual rainfall in Naples is less than fifty inches, and we received in excess of sixty-five inches last year, according to the Naples Daily News.

Our neighborhood looked beautiful!

Then Hurricane Helene came followed by Milton, the two storms did significant damage to the new landscaping which was planted only months earlier. What was green and lush quickly turned brown.

GSAC has received numerous inquiries from members asking when residents can expect to see the cleanup and replanting of the medians begin after last fall’s damage.

In a recent meeting with Chad Merritt, City of Naples Director of Parks, Recreation, and Facilities this is what we learned.

This will be a multi-phase project beginning at the medians in front of the Admiralty Point Condominium (Doctors Pass) located at the south end of Gulf Shore Boulevard North (2300 GSBN) and moving north to Le Parc Condominium (Seagate Beach) located at north end of Gulf Shore Boulevard North (4951 GSBN).

Phase 1 will begin within a week or two and include the removal of dead vegetation, shrubs, and trees. The irrigation systems will be checked, repaired and replaced if needed, then the medians will receive new mulch.

Phase 2 will include the replanting of shrubs and trees that were damaged or destroyed by last year’s storms. Since there is significant damage, this phase will likely be performed by an outside contractor. The original landscape plan will be followed therefore all replaced shrubs and trees will be replaced by the same thing.

Replanting is targeted to commence around late April or early May with completion by the end of summer, this schedule should ensure plenty of rain for the new vegetation, shrubs, and trees.

By next fall our medians will be lush and green once again.

Also, The City of Naples has recently entered into an agreement with the owner of the Village Shops on Venetian Bay to maintain the two medians located at the Park Shore Drive entrance to The Village.

The City has recently replaced the shrubs, fixed the irrigation system, and mulched the area, it looks terrific.

We look forward to the completion of this project and with a little luck we will get through this year’s hurricane season without incident!