Is Naples the New Palm Beach?

The city has seen an influx of cultural capital as well. Theater producer Kristen Coury moved to Naples from New York 20 years ago after discovering the city on her way to Marco Island. She stayed the night and never left. She went on to establish a local theater, Gulfshore Playhouse. Her first board member was her real estate broker, because she didn’t know anyone else. Fast-forward to this fall, and after a $72 million campaign the Gulfshore Playhouse will have its own campus, in the new Naples Design District. She expects a larger, younger audience than in years past. “People came in droves during the pandemic,” she says. “They just stayed.”