Member News

Fort Myers, Florida — The law firm of Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., is pleased to announce that Attorney Michael McCabe has been elected stockholder.
McCabe represents insurance carriers, third party administrators, and employers in the defense of workers’ compensation claims. He also has extensive experience handling matters on appeal before the 1^st District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee. McCabe also assists businesses, contractors and individuals who have received Stop Work Orders and Penalty Assessments from the Department of Financial Services, Division of Workers’ Compensation’s Bureau of Compliance.
McCabe is an approved instructor with the Florida Department of Financial Services and is a frequent speaker on workers’ compensation risk management practices to industry associations, as well as at Henderson Franklin’s annual HR Law & Solutions seminar.
Prior to becoming an attorney, McCabe graduated from the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and served as a Russian Linguist for the United States Navy. He is a veteran of Desert Storm/Desert Shield and is a recipient of the Naval Achievement Medal. McCabe also holds the highest AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell.
McCabe received his undergraduate degree from Florida Gulf Coast University (B.A., 2000, summa cum laude) and his law degree from the University of Florida (J.D., 2004, cum laude). He may be reached at 239-344-1218 or by email at [email protected].
Henderson Franklin is the largest, locally-based law firm between Tampa and Miami with over 55 attorneys dedicated to providing a wide range of legal services in the areas of business and tax planning, estate planning, family law, business and civil litigation, eminent domain, intellectual property, workers’ compensation, employment law, real estate, and land use and environmental law. Since 1924, Henderson Franklin has been assisting clients to build their homes, businesses, and communities in Southwest Florida. Henderson Franklin operates offices in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Naples and Sanibel Island. For more information on McCabe, please visit www.henlaw.com.

Fort Myers, FLA (January 12, 2018) – IBERIABANK, a 130-year-old subsidiary of IBERIABANK Corporation, will continue the Health Plus Lecture Series with the topic of “Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease” on Wednesday, February 7 at the IBERIABANK branch located at 7580 Winkler Road in Fort Myers. A welcome reception will begin at 5:00 p.m. with the presentation starting at 5:30 p.m. This free lecture is open to the public, however, seating is limited. Reservations are requested by calling (239) 481-2875.
The featured speakers will be Amy Schenk, RN, BSN, MS Ed who will talk about the basics of memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer ’s disease including symptoms and diagnosis. She will be followed by Chuck Conrad, a Fort Myers resident who founded Interim Healthcare, a group dedicated to assisting and educating family members and friends who provide caregiving services. Lastly, Larry Witzleben an orthopedic massage and polarity therapist will discuss the importance to taking care of the caregiver through support groups and health care initiatives.
About IBERIABANK
IBERIABANK Corporation is a financial holding company with 319 combined offices, including 216 bank branch offices and three loan production offices in Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Florida, and Georgia, 24 title insurance offices in Arkansas and Louisiana, and mortgage representatives in 63 locations in 10 states. The Company has 14 locations with representatives of IBERIA Wealth Advisors in four states, and one IBERIA Capital Partners, L.L.C. office in New Orleans. Follow IBERIABANK on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

January 12, 2018 – Fort Myers, FL – Willie Jones and Friends bring their sultry jazz sound to downtown Fort Myers on Thursday, February 15th! Experience acclaimed jazz drummer Willie Jones in an intimate setting at 8pm, with cocktails at 7pm. Don’t miss the final Jazzy Nights concert of the season! The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center is located at 2301 First St. in the historic downtown Fort Myers River District.
Willie Jones and Friends
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Performance: 8pm | Cocktails: 7pm
Tickets: GA – $35 in Advance / $40 Day of Concert
Table of 4: $220
Table of 8: $440
For tickets, visit www.sbdac.com.
With an unparalleled style of rhythmic expression, drummer Willie Jones III is one of the world’s leading jazz drummers. In addition to honoring his monumental influences – the late greats Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey and Billy Higgins – Jones’ bold articulation and constantly innovative sense of swing are results of his lifelong musical experience.
Born in Los Angeles, California on June 8, 1968, Jones’ completed his academic training after receiving a full scholarship to the California Institute of the Arts where he studied under the tutelage of the legendary Albert “Tootie” Heath. Before he was a semifinalist in the 1992 Thelonious Monk Jazz Drum Competition, Jones co-founded jazz band Black Note. Influenced by the rich soulful energy of the West Coast bop movement, Black Note’s hard-swing sound propelled them to first place in the prestigious John Coltrane Young Artist Competition in 1991. Jones contributed his skillfulness as both musician and producer on all four Black Note recordings: 43rd & Degnan and L.A. Underground (World Stage Records), Jungle Music (Columbia) and Nothin’ But the Swing (Impulse!). By 1994, the band had toured Europe and across the U.S. and was the opening act for Wynton Marsalis.
Near the end of 1994, while Jones was reaching for a higher level of drumming dexterity, he gained the privilege of playing sideman to the renowned vibist Milt Jackson, where Jones learned the importance of pacing and sensitivity. Meanwhile, his musical career continued to unfold. From 1995 through 1998, he was a member of Arturo Sandoval’s band and is featured on Sandoval’s GRAMMY award winning release Hot House (N2K). Subsequently, Jones recorded with Horace Silver on Jazz Has a Sense of Humor (Impulse!).
From 1998-2005, Jones was a member of Roy Hargrove’s Quintet and is featured on Roy Hargrove’s CD releases on Verve: Moment To Moment, Hard Groove, Nothing Serious and RH Factor’s Distractions. Jones can be heard on a host of recordings including Kurt Elling’s GRAMMY® nominated Night Moves (Concord) and Eric Reed’s Here (Max Jazz). Jones has worked with Sonny Rollins, Ernestine Anderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Wynton Marsalis, Cedar Walton, Frank Wess, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, Houston Person, Billy Childs, Eric Reed, Ryan Kisor, Eric Alexander, Bill Charlap, Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock and Hank Jones. In 2000, Jones’ released his debut CD, Vol 1…Straight Swingin’ on his own label, WJ3 Records. He continues to reveal his proficiency as a composer as well as a producer on Vol II…Don’t Knock The Swing (2002); Volume III (2007); WE 2 (2008), a trombone and piano recording featuring Wycliffe Gordon and Eric Reed; and Jones’ latest release The Next Phase (2010). Fore more info, visit http://www.williejones3.com/.

January 12, 2018 – Fort Myers, FL – The Famous Author Lecture Series features critically acclaimed writers for a lecture and lunch! On Monday, February 12th, hear from Michael Byrnes, author of The Sacred Bones, The Genesis Plague, and Bounty. Enjoy a savory lunch from G3 Catering, plus a Q&A and book signing opportunity with the author! The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center is located at 2301 First St. in the historic downtown Fort Myers River District.
Famous Author Lecture: Michael Byrnes
Monday, February 12, 2018
Lecture & Lunch • 12pm – 2pm
Tickets $35 • Tables of 8 $280
For tickets and info, visit www.sbdac.com or call 239 – 333 – 1933
Michael Byrnes is the internationally bestselling author of The Sacred Bones, The Sacred Blood, and The Genesis Plague. Bounty is his latest novel. Mike earned his undergraduate degree from Montclair State University and his MBA from Rutgers University. He currently lives in Orlando, Florida with his wife and three children.
Relentlessly suspenseful and disturbingly timely, Bounty summons a chilling vision of our Internet culture gone mad, where freedom, privacy, and the rule of law are demolished by a crisis of nightmare proportions—and the future of justice lies in the hands not of the bravest but the most brutal. For more information, visit http://www.michaelbyrnesauthor.com/.

January 12, 2018 – Fort Myers, FL – On Friday, February 2nd, experience a live recording session at Six Fingers Studios! From 6pm – 10pm, Six Fingers Studios will host singer-songwriter Kyle Anne Duggan and her band for a live recording session. Audiences are invited to experience the Six Fingers sound, and enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center is located at 2301 First St. in the historic downtown Fort Myers River District.
Six Fingers Studios Open House
Friday, February 2, 2018
6pm – 10pm
Free to Attend
Fore more info, visit www.sbdac.com.
Six Fingers Studios invites audiences to experience the art of recording! During this one-night-only engagement, Six Fingers hosts singer-songwriter Kyle Anne Duggan with backing musicians Drew Richard, Shawn Ayotte, and Marc Davis for an open house recording session. Tour Six Fingers Studios, meet the studio manager and sound engineers, and see Kyle Anne record her original songs!
Kyle Anne Duggan is an accomplished singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and performer. She studied Songwriting at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, with voice as her principle instrument. Kyle’s EP, Florida, was released last year, and since has received great reviews from local and national outlets. Learn more about her at https://www.facebook.com/pg/KyleAnneMusic.
When SBDAC director Jim Griffith first began renovations on the historic First Street building, he always imagined it as a multi-discipline art center. Part of that vision was to build a multi-use Fort Myers recording studio. Last year, that dream was realized. Six Fingers Studios boasts a unique set of sound rooms that are unlike most you’ll find in the area. There are three sound rooms — the Thumb, the Bird, and the Pinkie — that are perfect for multi-track recordings, live instrument tracking, and vocal tracking or voice over recording. What’s more, all three rooms are soundproof, which provides the cleanest, most defined sound capture possible. Built with StudioBricks, these floating dead rooms can’t be matched when it comes to producing commercial quality recordings. For more info, visit https://www.sbdac.com/six-fingers-studios/.

FORT MYERS, FLA., January 11, 2018– Middle school students of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School will have a rare opportunity to hear nationally acclaimed pianists Andreas Kern and Paul Cibis Tuesday, Jan. 30, when the duo performs a private concert for the students in the school auditorium.
The concert is provided courtesy of the Fort Myers Community Concert Association as part of its outreach program for Lee County public school students.
“We provide seats for each of our concerts at no cost to students in Lee County public schools, but we realize that not all students have the ability to get to our weeknight performances.  To expose as many young people as possible to classical music, our Board of Directors decided to take some of our concerts to the students,” said Community Concert Association President Mary Lee Mann.
The musicians will perform for about an hour beginning at 10 a.m. and answer questions from students interested in the arts and music.
Mann said the Community Concert Association Board of Directors chose Kern and Cibis for its school outreach because “they have been so well received by other communities and we thought they would be perfect for our student outreach program.”
The school performance precedes the duos’ performance that night when they will go head-to-head in a piano duel featuring a variety of classical and contemporary music. The audience will decide the winner.  About 1,700 people are expected to attend the performance at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on the Florida SouthWestern State College campus in Fort Myers.  For tickets, call 239-481-4849. Prices are $45 for orchestra seats, $35 for lower balcony seats and $25 for upper balcony seats.
Born in South Africa, Kern has extensive experience as a soloist and chamber musician in Europe, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Japan, India and South Africa.  He created the critically acclaimed “arte lounge” for the French-German TV channel Arte and served as its co-host. He also was the architect of the Piano City Berlin Festival in 2010, which featured more than 100 piano performances within one weekend.  Kern recorded an album of original piano creations in 2014.
Cibis has performed at international festivals in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, South Africa, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.   In addition to his many concert performances, he has been featured in radio and television programs around the world.  Cibis has released several albums, including a collection of French melodies and piano works.  He also has taught at Trinity College of Music in London and frequently gives master classes in Germany, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.
 
About the Fort Myers Community Concert Association
The Fort Myers Community Concert Association is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization founded by the late Barbara B. Mann in 1949 to bring world-class entertainment to Southwest Florida at affordable prices.  The association consists of more than 1,700 members, underwriters and sponsors.  Performers brought to Fort Myers recently by the association include Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with violinist and conductor Joshua Bell, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Pinchas Zukerman, the Russian National Ballet Theater production of “Sleeping Beauty,” and pianist Emanuel Ax. For more information, visit www.fortmyerscommunityconcerts.org.

Annual event connects homeless individuals, families with much-needed services

FORT MYERS, FL (Jan. 11, 2018) – In an effort to provide the homeless and veteran populations in Lee County with access to essential goods and services, the Lee County Homeless Coalition will host the 18^th annual Homeless Service Day and Veterans Stand Down on Saturday, January 20.
The event will take place at City of Palms Stadium located at 2201 Edison Avenue, Fort Myers; from 8:45 a.m. until approximately 12:00 p.m. Services provided during the event to anyone who is homeless will include provisions for food, hygiene kits, backpacks, flu shots, haircuts and information on VA benefits. Referrals for substance abuse and mental health counseling will also be available.  During the event, the Lee County Homeless Coalition will conduct their Annual Homeless Census, which provides critical information on the scope of homelessness in our community.
“A Stand Down is a military term used to describe a brief respite from combat where troops could access a variety of services,” shared Janet Bartos, executive director. “Our hope is to help homeless individuals get what they need by providing these services in a one-stop setting.”
At no charge, the effort to provide these “one-stop” services in one day is a collaborative endeavor which includes several agencies and civic organizations committed to supporting the needs and services of the homeless. There are over 30 agencies registered to attend this year.
The Lee County Homeless Coalition is a non-profit organization comprised of community and faith-based service providers, local businesses, people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, and other advocates committed to ending homelessness. The Coalition’s mission is to advocate, educate and promote awareness of issues and obstacles facing homeless individuals in Lee County through community collaboration, planning, and implementing solutions.
To learn more about how you can help join the fight against homelessness, contact Janet Bartos at 239-322-6600. For more information on the Lee County Homeless Coalition, visit www.leehomeless.org.

(Fort Myers, Fla. – January 10, 2018) – Kathryn Kelly, President, CEO and Founder of The Heights Foundation and The Heights Center, non-profit organizations that work to build strong, self-sufficient families in the Harlem Heights neighborhood,  has earned her certificate in Fund Raising Management from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
The Fund Raising School is a vital part of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the most established and comprehensive institution in the world teaching the art and science of philanthropy.  The Certificate in Fund Raising Management recognizes and substantiates a commitment to fundraising leadership through the completion of key courses including Principles & Techniques of Fundraising, Developing Major Gifts, Developing Annual Sustainability,
Planned Giving and Managing the Capital Campaign.
Kelly has distinguished herself in creating meaningful, positive change in the lives of others. She has dedicated the past 17 years of her life to the families of the Harlem Heights community.  Created to meet the physical needs of a few families, The Heights Foundation and The Heights Center have grown exponentially to become organizations that addresses fundamental challenges faced by families living in poverty.   The Foundation removes obstacles so families can meet their personal goals and offer practical solutions such as job skills building and financial planning.  Kids struggling in school are paired with tutors and mentors in afterschool and summer camp. The Harlem Heights Community Charter School was founded in 2016 to focus on the education of children in Harlem Heights.
For more information about The Heights Foundation and The Heights Center visit www.heightsfoundation.org or call (239) 482-7706.
About the Heights Foundation and the Heights Center
The Heights Foundation works to build self-sufficient families in the Harlem Heights neighborhood.  The mission is to support education and wellness, promote family and community development, and provide the benefits of enrichment and the arts.  The Heights Center, supported by The Heights Foundation, is a place for Education, Opportunity, and Enrichment.
Harlem Heights was originally settled as a rural agricultural community.   Approximately 780 children live in a mixture of single-family homes and multi-family apartments. Demographically, the population is approximately 70% Hispanic, 20% African-American, and 8% Caucasian. The poverty rate for children in Harlem Heights is more than twice the county average, with family income 40% below the county average. Families are not able to easily access family support services located in downtown Fort Myers, and benefit greatly from programs located within the neighborhood.

Picture of namesake to grace Melvin Morgan Constitutional Complex in Fort Myers
 FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 11, 2018) – One of the faces of Lee County history will soon appear in the building named in her honor. Administrators of the Melvin Morgan Constitutional Complex, along with Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann, will unveil a portrait of Melvin Morgan during a public ceremony at noon Friday, Jan. 12 on the third floor of the complex at 2480 Thompson St., Fort Myers.
Morgan is the only African American person ever to serve on the Lee County Commission. She was appointed in 1983 by Gov. Bob Graham, at the recommendation of Mann, to serve out the term of Fred Bartleson, who had resigned for health reasons.
The Dunbar native and longtime Lee County schoolteacher made a strong impression, building a reputation for being pleasant but firm and committed to fairness, justice and helping others. She brought experience as a mediator during the desegregation of Lee County schools. Morgan was the 1954 Dunbar High School salutatorian and later taught at the school. She was one of the first teachers to voluntarily leave her post to teach at an all- white elementary school.
In 1984, she returned to the school system, where she remained until her retirement in 1997. In 2013, the commission renamed the building that had been known as the Lee County Constitutional Complex after her.
A reception will be held in Morgan’s honor Friday at the unveiling, including a brief program with refreshments served to all in attendance.
About Lee County Tax Collector
Lee County Tax Collector (LCTC) exists to serve the citizens of Lee County. The office takes pride in organizational excellence and offering exemplary customer service, and operates by the credo of “We’ve got your back.” LCTC operates LeeTC.com, the official interactive website of the tax collector that allows county residents to quickly and easily take care of motor vehicle and vessel registration, pay property taxes, make appointment for concealed weapon permits and more. The agency operates six service centers open daily throughout the county to provide efficient, convenient services. LCTC works to provide innovative and quality service that supports the growth and sustainability of the community. For more information, visit LeeTC.com or follow Lee County Tax Collector on social media.

Host: Anthony J Leopizzi, Verita Wealth Advisory Group
Date and time: Saturday, January 13^th, 10:00am-2:00PM
Location: Florida Gulf Coast University, Cohen Center 162. 11090 FGCU Blvd North, Fort Myers, FL 33965
Description: SSW is three hour FREE in-person workshop where attendees can become educated regarding divorce in a private, relaxed environment. These workshops are headed by three divorce professionals- an attorney, mental health professional and financial professional. During our 3 hour presentation you can begin to get your questions answered regarding the legal, financial, and family aspects of divorce. Regardless of where you are in the divorce process- either contemplating a separation, in the middle of a divorce action and feel you need unbiased information, or considering a change of divorce process, we can help you feel more confident and secure in your decisions.