Business Notes
FLORIDA TRUST TO OFFER SEMINAR SERIES
Florida Trust Wealth Management will offer Domicile Day — a seminar series on Florida residency, domicile status and estate planning — on Dec. 18 from 1 to 2 p.m. at its Sanibel office.
It will include a presentation and Q&A led by the company’s team members, along with guest presenter and local estate planning attorney David M. Platt.
Afterward, the presenters will be available answer additional individual questions.
Seating is limited, and reservations are required.
To register, contact Frances Steger at fsteger@sancaptrustco.com or 239-472-8300.
Florida Trust Wealth Management is at 2450 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.
HM RESTAURANT GROUP OFFERS PROMOTION
The HM Restaurant Group announced that it is celebrating the holiday season with an online gift card promotion from now through Dec. 31 for its family of Southwest Florida and St. Petersburg restaurants.
Online shoppers will receive a free $20 gift card with every $100 gift card purchase.
Recipients can redeem their gift cards at the Bonita Fish Company, Dixie Fish Company, and Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille.
To purchase a gift card or for more information, visit shopdocfords.com.
COASTLINE COTTAGE EARNS ACCREDITATION
Coastline Cottage Home Watch has earned accreditation from the National Home Watch Association for the ninth year.
The association was formed in 2009 in order to establish and maintain the highest industry standards for Home Watch and absentee homeowner services throughout the United States and Canada.
Coastline Cottage Home Watch owner Karen Curtin is a graduate of the association’s Home Watch Boot Camp.
The company serves Sanibel and Fort Myers.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/cchomewatcher or contact Curtin at 239-771-3125 or at cchomewatcher@gmail.com.
SUNCOAST PRESENTS AT ISLAND SCHOOL
Suncoast Prosperity Advisors Senior Vice President and wealth advisor Robin Cook recently visited The Sanibel School to share an “Investing Basics” presentation.
She met with middle school students in teacher Kelly Sigfrids’ home economics class.
Robin Cook shared that financial literacy is a key driver of long-term financial well-being, and it is linked to smarter money decisions, reduced debt and greater financial resilience.
Suncoast Prosperity Advisors, a division of Suncoast Equity Management, reported that it is dedicated to promoting financial literacy and empowering future generations.
100+ WOMEN HOLDS INFORMATION SESSION
100+ Women Who Care Sanibel & Captiva held an open information session on Dec. 2 at the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors on Sanibel.
Powered by the Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI), the giving circle is focused on strengthening the community through collective philanthropy.
The meeting highlighted how the power of many can create lasting change, as members continue to support organizations making an impact on the islands. Attendees also celebrated the growing impact of the giving circle and reflected on last year’s achievements.
Also at the meeting, 100+ Women Who Care Sanibel & Captiva announced that Florida Trust Wealth Management is the 2026 presenting sponsor for the program.
For more information, visit SanCap100.org or contact 100women@sancapcfi.org.
TRAILWAYS WELCOMES STAFF MEMBER
Trailways Camps announced that Margaret Lowman has been hired as operations coordinator.
She will join Executive Director Jamie Senkeleski as a full-time staff member.
Lowman’s responsibilities will include managing the selection of campers for each session, leading volunteer communications, counselor recruitment, and ensuring the camp is ready to receive the campers, whose various special needs require specific health and safety protocols.
She has spent more than two decades working with people with disabilities, as a floor supervisor at the Sandy Park Development Center in North Fort Myers and house manager at the Adonis Group Home for those with autism.
Lowman has also worked as a Trailways Camp counselor.
The organization noted that her experience makes her a good fit for the new position.
SCCF STAFFERS ATTEND CONFERENCE
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) reported that Wildlife & Habitat Management Director Chris Lechowicz and wildlife technician Nadine Cobb attended Florida SouthWestern State College’s Herpeton: The Florida Herpetology Conference from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at the Naples Botanical Garden in Naples.
The team staffed a table with educational literature and giveaways highlighting the SCCF’s programs and volunteer opportunities.
In addition, Lechowicz gave a lecture on the “History, Current Status, and Future Sustainability of Amphibians (Anurans) on Sanibel Island, FL after Sequential Storm Surge Events.” The talk focused on the frog and toad species that inhabit Sanibel and how the species were affected by saltwater intrusion from the storm surges of Hurricanes Ian, Helene and Milton based on data from 2017-25.
SAN CAP COMMUNITY BANK HIRES FOUR
Sanibel Captiva Community Bank recently welcomed to the team Walter Sanchez as a credit analyst, along with Tara Farlow, Jared Laez and Naiomi Santiago as tellers.
Located at the operations center at the Bridge Branch in Fort Myers, Sanchez is responsible for analyzing financial statements, evaluating credit risk and recommending appropriate loan structures.
He will also collaborate closely with loan officers and senior management to ensure that lending decisions align with the bank’s risk management policies and regulatory requirements.
Sanchez has more than 15 years of experience in commercial, industrial and commercial real estate underwriting, credit analysis and investor relations experience. Before joining the bank, he was an officer and commercial credit analyst at a global financial services company.
Sanchez graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University with a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting and finance.
Located at the Main Office on Sanibel, Farlow is responsible for assisting customers with personal and business banking transactions.
She has an extensive background in the hospitality and service industry, holding various retail and server positions in Southwest Florida, Maine and Pennsylvania.
Located at the Bridge Branch, Laez is responsible for assisting customers with personal and business banking transactions.
Prior to joining the bank, he held a teller position at a regional credit union. His background also includes experience in the customer service industry.
Laez is currently pursuing a degree in business marketing at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Located at the Downtown Branch in downtown Fort Myers, Santiago is responsible for assisting customers with personal and business banking transactions.
She has a background in office administration, customer service and retail industries.
BANK OF THE ISLANDS TO SERVE AS SPONSOR
Edison National Bank/Bank of the Islands is a Santa’s helper sponsor for The Heights Foundation’s Christmas Outreach on Dec. 20 at the The Heights Center, at 15570 Hagie Drive, Fort Myers.
Donations of toys, new with tags clothing, and gift cards are being collected for children from infancy through teen. Unwrapped items can be dropped off at the center on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The deadline for donations is Dec. 17.
At the Christmas Outreach, parents in the Harlem Heights community will be able to choose gifts for their children, while keeping them a secret until Christmas.
This year’s event is also part of the yearlong celebration of the foundation’s 25th anniversary.
For more information, visit www.heightsfoundation.org or call 239-482-7706.
LUMINARY HOTEL, OUTLETS SUPPORT CROW
The Luminary Hotel & Co. announced that it is offering a limited-edition cocktail, The Curious Coyote, at select dining outlets from now through Dec. 31 in Fort Myers.
The locations include the Beacon Social Drinkery, Chips Sports Pub & Topgolf Swing Suite, Lobby Bar, and The Silver King Coastal Kitchen.
For every cocktail sold, it will donate $1 to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel to bolster its rescue and rehabilitation programs for native wildlife throughout Southwest Florida.
The drink blends blanco tequila, fresh lime, agave and grapefruit soda.
For more information, visit https://www.luminaryhotel.com/.
The Luminary Hotel and its dining outlets are at 2200 Edwards Drive, Fort Myers.