Passenger count continues to climb at RSW

During April, 1,221,628 passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. This was an increase of 10.4 percent compared to April 2021. Year-to-date, passenger traffic is up 34 percent compared to last year.

The traffic leader in April was Delta with 267,699 total passengers. Rounding out the top five airlines were United (172,727), Southwest (170,801), JetBlue (154,100) and American (130,291).

Southwest Florida International Airport had 9,994 aircraft operations, a decrease of 5.8 percent compared to April 2021. Page Field saw 15,665 operations, a 31 percent increase compared to April 2021, which was the best month recorded in nearly 40 years.

Southwest Florida International Airport served more than 10.3 million passengers in 2021 and is one of the top 50 U.S. airports for passenger traffic. No ad valorem (property) taxes are used for airport operation or construction. For more information, visit flylcpa.com or facebook.com/flyRSW.

Home Watch Group of SWFL earns accreditation

Home Watch Group of SWFL has earned accreditation from the National Home Watch Association for the 12th year. The NHWA 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. Home Watch is a visual inspection of a home or property, looking for obvious issues, which means that it is a service that “keeps an eye on things” at your vacation or primary home while you are not in residence.

Owner Dave Nelson is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and now lives in Fort Myers. Most of his career has been in customer service. From owning his own business to working in the IT service industry, he knows what customers want and need. He worked at Home Watch Group of SWFL for several years before purchasing it in 2017.

Home Watch Group of SWFL serves Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties, including Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero, Bonita Springs, Lehigh Acres, Babcock Ranch and Punta Gorda. Contact the company at 239-980-0366 (for Lee and Collier Counties) or 941-769-2967 (Charlotte County), or email info@homewatchgroupswfl.com. Learn more at www.homewatchgroupswfl.com.

Sanibel Captiva Community Bank hires Amalfi

Mallory Amalfi has joined Sanibel Captiva Community Bank as a teller at its Bridge Branch, located at 9311 College Parkway, Fort Myers. She is responsible for assisting customers with personal and business banking transactions.

Amalfi has four years of banking experience, primarily at a large, national financial institution. She also has experience in customer service and training within the food service industry.

Founded in 2003, Sanibel Captiva Community Bank has two locations on Sanibel Island and six more locations throughout Lee County. Sanibel Captiva Community Bank’s team members provide customized individual and business banking services and specialize in residential and commercial lending. The bank offers free personal and business checking, deposit accounts with competitive interest rates, instant issue debit cards and a full array of digital banking products and services. To learn more, visit www.SanCapBank.com.

Family law attorney Zekri featured in Authority Magazine article

The law firm of Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., has announced that Florida divorce, marital and family law attorney Iman Zekri was featured in the article: “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Attorney,” published by Authority Magazine.

Authority Magazine shares interviews and insights of celebrities and professionals in diverse industries. The publication is an advocate for the work that Arianna Huffington and Thrive Global are doing to help individuals, companies and communities improve their well-being and performance and unlock their greatest potential.

Zekri serves on The Florida Bar’s Student Education & Admissions to the Bar Committee and assists in reviewing whether Florida law schools are adequately preparing their students for the practice of law.

Zekri graduated from Riverdale High School’s International Baccalaureate program, Florida Gulf Coast University (B.A., summa cum laude) and the University of Florida Levin College of Law (J.D., cum laude). Zekri may be reached at iman.zekri@henlaw.com or by phone at 239-344-1119.

Henderson Franklin is one of the largest, locally-based law firms 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. Henderson Franklin operates offices in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Naples, and Sarasota (by appointment only). For more information on Zekri or Henderson Franklin, please visit www.henlaw.com.

Montgomery vying for a $15,000 grand prize in LongHorn Steakhouse’s Steak Master Series

Fort Myers resident Jacob Montgomery knows a thing or two about the grill. That expertise and passion has him on the cusp of elite grilling status as he prepares to compete in the finals of LongHorn Steakhouse’s fifth annual Steak Master Series – a national competition that lets grill masters from across the country put their skills to the test.

A team member at the LongHorn Steakhouse on South Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers, Montgomery has worked for the company for seven years. He is one of seven finalists, out of thousands of participants, was set to compete for the $15,000 grand prize and the title of Steak Master Series Champion on May 26 during a one-day grill-off in Orlando.

The Steak Master Series recognizes LongHorn Steakhouse’s commitment to quality while also celebrating the expertise of grill cooks across the brand’s more than 540 restaurants nationwide.

For more information and to find a location near you, visit www.LongHornSteakhouse.com. Fans can like or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Fort Myers Brewing Company earns international honors at 2022 World Beer Cup

Fort Myers Brewing Company has earned a gold medal at the 2022 World Beer Cup, a global beer competition recognizing the most outstanding brewers and their beers.

The brewery was awarded gold in the Chocolate Beer category for its popular Chocolate Stout, an imperial stout that’s chock-full of sweetness and decadent layers of rich chocolate seamlessly melding with subtle wisps of roasted barley and espresso.

Regarded as “the Olympics of beer,” the World Beer Cup is the most prestigious beer competition in the world, presented biennially by the Brewers Association in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America, which was held this year on May 5 in Minnesota. The 2022 competition attracted 10,542 entries across 103 categories from breweries in 57 countries, and winners were selected by an international panel of 226 judges.

Established in 2013, Fort Myers Brewing Company was the first microbrewery to open in Lee County and continues to be a leader Southwest Florida’s surging craft beer movement. Founded by Rob and Jen Whyte, Fort Myers Brewing carries a signature line of flagship beers in addition to seasonal brews and small batch specialties. Its ales, pilsners, stouts, IPAs and hard seltzers are winners of multiple prestigious awards. Its beers are poured at 1,041 locations, including 620 bars and restaurants, and are available for purchase in 421 retail outlets, including grocery, package and convenience stores. The brewery is located at 12811 Commerce Lakes Drive, Suite 28, in Fort Myers. For more information, visit FMbrew.com or call 239-313-6576.