http://coastalbeat.com/news/latest/coastalbeat.com Stories: Latest Storiesen-uslatesthttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jul/19/new-fairgrounds-arena-debuts-bull-riding-event/The Collier County Fairgrounds debuted its new rodeo arena Saturday night with its first bull-riding event. The event featured 20 members of Southern State Bull Riding, based in North Port on Florida’s west coast, and about 10 local riders. About 40 bulls were provided by three stock companies from Tampa, Sarasota and Arcadia. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:12:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jul/19/new-fairgrounds-arena-debuts-bull-riding-event//http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jul/17/firepit-city-grill-review/Walking through the front doors of Firepit Pizza Grille in Gulf coast Town Center the fresh aroma of fire grill delights filled my nose. The restaurant is arranged in a very interesting way. The first thing that caught my eye was the bar that glowed powerful colors of red, green, and blue through the amazing light fixtures. Throughout the restaurant there are light fixtures imitating burning flames that really give off a comfortable, yet different, vibe. If sitting inside is not what you have in mind, Firepit offers comfortable seating outside. They have even hung drapery from the outside ceiling to provide privacy for you and your guests. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:15:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jul/17/firepit-city-grill-review/latesthttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jul/17/when-customer-service-goes-bad/Living in Southwest Fort Myers most people realize that a lot of the population is college students. This fact is due to the local and fast growing state university, Florida Gulf Coast. Other than the growing population of college students, the budding of restaurant plazas are seen at every street corner. These two go hand-in-hand because I feel as if most restaurants around the Southwest Fort Myers area get a lot of their business from the college. Whether it is trying to enjoy a nice meal or the attempt to find apartments, college students experience the bottom of the barrel service. The terrible service received from servers and real estate agents is due to the stereotypes college students are brought into. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:43:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jul/17/when-customer-service-goes-bad/latesthttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jul/13/rain-cant-dampen-spirits-first-taste-coconut-point/Gray skies and rainy conditions marked the first Taste of Coconut Point festival Sunday but the stormy weather didn’t dampen any spirits. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:51:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jul/13/rain-cant-dampen-spirits-first-taste-coconut-point//http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/25/moes-hosting-fundraiser-bone-marrow-transplant-rec/Moe’s Southwest Grill, at 1016 Immokalee Road, is holding a fundraiser Saturday for the family of Garrett Kaulbars, an 8-year-old Naples boy who had a bone marrow transplant last month for a rare blood disorder. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:41:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/25/moes-hosting-fundraiser-bone-marrow-transplant-rec//http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/24/find-your-fun-fourth-july-celebration/Having trouble planning your perfect Fourth of July day? We've got all the best celebrations happening all around town for you to choose from! Whether you feel like relaxing and watching the usual firework show, or celebrating with a local bar, we've found some of the best festivities taking place! Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:17:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/24/find-your-fun-fourth-july-celebration/nightlifehttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/18/naples-quiets-music-fifth-avenue-sushi-restaurant/Fifth Avenue South just got quieter. Naples City Council has turned off the music at Sushi-Thai Too, one month after reports surfaced of scantily clad performers dancing on the bar. Council members on Wednesday voted unanimously to revoke the restaurant’s live entertainment permit after undercover police officers found it was operating outside the permit by hiring the dancers to perform on weekends. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:38:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/18/naples-quiets-music-fifth-avenue-sushi-restaurant//http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/18/summer-movies/It’s finally starting to feel like summer. And with the onset of the oppressive heat it is only a matter of time until we are dealing with rain everyday around late afternoon. The best way to beat the heat and rain? Movies. Whether you prefer to stay at home and rent DVD’s or go out and see the brand new movies, there are quite a few films slated for release this coming month. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:31:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/18/summer-movies/explorehttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/12/review-little-bit-spain-heart-naples/Spain. Long, sunny days, even longer, happening nights. Mid-afternoon lunches, followed by dramatic sunsets and no dinner in sight until midnight. How do the Spanish do it? How do they survive without food until 12 a.m.? Tapas. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:34:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/12/review-little-bit-spain-heart-naples/eatinghttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/11/swfia-screeners-find-unloaded-pistol-carry--luggag/Police at Southwest Florida International Airport briefly detained Vonzell “Baby V” Solomon on Tuesday after the former American Idol finalist and Fort Myers resident apparently forgot to remove a handgun from a piece of her carry-on luggage. Barbara-Anne Urrutia, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority Police, said Solomon was going through a security checkpoint at 12:15 p.m. when screeners from the Transportation Security Agency discovered the gun. The TSA agents contacted Port Authority Police, who gave Solomon a notice to appear in court and canceled her seat on the flight. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:42:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/11/swfia-screeners-find-unloaded-pistol-carry--luggag//http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/10/despite-neighbors-pleas-collier-commissioners-dela/Pebblebrooke Lakes homeowners will not get immediate relief from the noise and visual intrusion of Stevie Tomato’s. Collier County commissioners unanimously agreed to continue the issue — a proposed developer’s agreement — until it can be further discussed with County Attorney Jeff Klatzkow. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:55:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/10/despite-neighbors-pleas-collier-commissioners-dela//http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/10/naples-restaurant-may-lose-permit-having-scantily-/City officials don’t have a problem with what’s on the bar at one Naples restaurant during normal operating hours. After hours is a different story, though. Instead of serving up California rolls and spicy tuna rolls, promoters running a dance club at Sushi Thai Too have on at least one occasion used the restaurant’s bar as a stage for scantily clad women. And that has restaurant owners in hot water with the city. Naples City Council next week is scheduled to discuss revoking the live entertainment permit for Sushi Thai Too, 898 Fifth Ave. S., after a Naples police investigation showed that the restaurant violated its permit. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:20:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/10/naples-restaurant-may-lose-permit-having-scantily-//http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/10/castaway-dream/When I see Fort Jefferson appearing on the horizon in the bright midday sunlight I’m so astonished by its grandiose looks and massive size I am speechless. It took us 26 hours of motor sailing into the wind to get to the Dry Tortugas, the uninhabited islands 70 miles West of Key West, but the sight of the red brick giant in front of me is definitely worth the long trip. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:20:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/10/castaway-dream/explorehttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/04/live-entertainment-permit-approved-naples-restaura/Naples City Council approved a request Wednesday to renew a live entertainment permit for Vergina, 700 Fifth Ave. S. Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:10:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/04/live-entertainment-permit-approved-naples-restaura//http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/04/lazyflamingo/Sometimes the seaside fare of big chain restaurants can get tiresome and clichéd in a hurry, especially for the seasoned Floridian. It’s cute to see sunburned tourists getting “the real Florida experience” by having a nice dinner at, say, Shells or Hooters. But often times, the food isn’t good enough to justify putting on a T-shirt to dine inside. Now that’s not to besmirch the integrity of Shells or Hooters, which are both fine establishments in their own right, but the truth is it’s possible to get amazing food in an unpretentious, yet festive atmosphere that’s only steps away from a beautiful beach and is very reasonably priced. I’m not lying! Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:24:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/04/lazyflamingo/eatinghttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/03/day-golf-course/Lots of people play golf. It’s a sport that anyone can enjoy, so incredibly difficult that you can’t help but be hooked after only a few rounds. I find professional golf fun to watch because the pros manage to make everything look so easy. Armed with what I believed to be a pretentious patience to being a spectator to the game of golf, I went along to watch my friend Kevin attempt to qualify for the Florida State Am. Another aspect to golf often overlooked is the sometimes ungodly hours that we are willing to play; it is my understanding that the only thing happening in the world before 9 o’clock is golf. So I woke up at 7 to make it to his 8:30 tee time, upon arriving there I noticed everyone was riding around in golf carts. This might seem like a ridiculous observation to make, but most tournaments players, caddies, and spectators are relegated to walking the entire course. So when I saw that I would have my own golf cart I pictured myself sitting idly, sipping a drink while watching my friend play golf: all from the comfort of my moving umbrella. However, when Kevin went to check in, he was handed a piece of paper describing the rules which stated that while players were entitled to carts, all spectators had to walk. My cushy round of golf vanished, but I wasn’t walking without a fight. Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:26:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/jun/03/day-golf-course/explorehttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/may/28/dad-doesnt-need-another-tie/Dad is a good guy. He’s always there, ready to fix a leaky faucet or kill a spider on a moment’s notice. He’s always around to lift and move heavy objects, he’ll go out in the 100 degree Florida summer heat to mow the lawn, and he’ll risk his life on the roof to string up the Christmas lights. And through it all, he never complains. So, show Dad how much you appreciate all the jars he’s opened for you and all the money he put into your karate or ballet career in grade school. This Father’s Day, skip the tie or coffee mug and get him something that says “Thanks, Dad, for always being there to fix the sink. You’re the best!” Wed, 28 May 2008 16:59:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/may/28/dad-doesnt-need-another-tie/explorehttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/may/27/five-o-clock-shoot-every-hour-happy-hour/It’s 4:30pm. You are finally rounding the last leg of the ubiquitous eight-hour work day and, quite frankly, it’s just “about that time”. By now any trace of a coherent thought has turned to complete mush and your computer screen is as clear as mud. It seems the only thing you can muster up to justify squeezing out those last pain-wrenching thirty minutes is Mr. Buffet’s tried and oh-so-true thought process; It’s five o’clock somewhere. Let the good times begin! Check out what local bars have made it to our Happy Hour top 5! Tue, 27 May 2008 19:11:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/may/27/five-o-clock-shoot-every-hour-happy-hour/nightlifehttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/may/27/origami-more-just-paper-swan/As the years have passed, sushi has become a huge fad around the world. Originating in Japan as an everyday meal, like a hamburger to Americans, the sushi tradition has traveled the distances and made a big footmark on Southwest Florida. When I think of sushi, as this may be with others, the first restaurant that comes to mind is Blu Sushi. But there are other places in the area that serve good Japanese food. It’s time to expand your horizons and get a taste of Origami! Tue, 27 May 2008 16:38:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/may/27/origami-more-just-paper-swan/eatinghttp://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/may/27/summer-concerts-08/Any purveyor of live music knows there are two distinct differences in venues: the arena and the club. Both have their pros and cons, yet some swear by one or the other. The club setting provides an intimate locale perfect for getting close to your favorite band, while at the same time the smaller crowd keeps the parking lot hassle to a minimum. The more devoted follower of a band will most likely benefit more from this set-up. An arena on the other hand, gives you a chance to see your favorite bands from a hundred yards away for twice the ticket price. However, there is what I like to call “the arena experience.” At a small club the band’s set is relatively naked, and those attending the show are there to see the band. Arenas provide the band with a chance to show what they can do with the stage; depending on the band you’re watching you might see large fireballs, an assortment of props, lasers, etc., anything goes really. Also, another plus in arenas is the fact that you have somewhere to sit down. Granted once the show starts you’ll probably be up, but it’s always nice to take a rest in between sets. So depending on where your tastes lie, there are a plethora of bands coming to Florida this summer. Tue, 27 May 2008 16:28:00 -0000http://coastalbeat.com/news/2008/may/27/summer-concerts-08/nightlife