In Pelican Bay, the Surest Opening This Season Is Sunday Brunch at Marker 36

Pelican Bay's most certain new arrival this season has a date, a time and a location. Sunday Brunch starts at Marker 36 on Nov. 15, from 9 to 11 a.m., at the end of the Foundation's Welcome Back Weekend. Most of the bigger openings across Seagate Drive at Waterside Shops have only a season attached to them so far, like "late 2026," "Holiday 2026" or "early 2027."

The brunch is new, and so is the team behind it. Over the summer and early fall, the Pelican Bay Foundation upgraded the kitchens behind its beach restaurants and put a new leadership team over all three dining rooms. The November weekend is the first time members will see both changes at once.

The Work Was Done Over the Summer

The July/August/September 2026 issue of the Pelican Bay Post listed storm-preparedness projects that are now complete:

• Backup generators at Marker 36 and The Commons
• Flood panels to protect The Commons' ground-floor refrigeration
• Hardened lift stations and grease traps at Marker 36 and Sandbar
• Measures that let equipment at The Commons be moved when needed

Marker 36 appears on that list twice and Sandbar once. In that same issue, the Foundation reported that its member-experience study has moved into a design-and-capacity phase. The stated priorities are restaurant access, Community Center space and equipment, and better information about tram arrivals and disruptions.

Dining leadership changed next. The October 2026 Pelican Bay Post introduced a five-person food-and-beverage team covering Marker 36, Sandbar and The Nest. Marco Garnica leads it as Director of Food and Beverage. Chef Fabio Bermudez, Director of Culinary for the North, and Christopher Wright, Director of Operations for the North, are based at Marker 36. Chef Rushaune "Rush" Thompson, Director of Culinary for the South, and Kevin Adames, Director of Operations for the South, cover Sandbar and The Nest.

The North and South split follows the shape of the community. Each restaurant now has its own culinary lead and operations lead, and Garnica coordinates across all three. The magazine described the goal this way:

"Across Marker 36, Sandbar and The Nest, these leaders will work alongside our dedicated employees to deliver improvements you can see, taste and feel."

The same article says each restaurant will keep its own personality while the team works on consistency, quality and service. It also says members can expect to see these five leaders in the dining rooms, working with their staff.

Welcome Back Weekend, in Order

The weekend schedule in the October 2026 Pelican Bay Post is the first real test of all that work. Some events are already full, so here is the current status of each:

1. Friday, Nov. 13, Welcome Back Beach Bash, 5 to 9 p.m., South Beach. Registration required. Includes a complimentary welcome drink, chef-attended food stations, a cash bar, DJ Bam, and Never Stop Believin', a tribute to Journey, on a stage set on the beach.
2. Saturday, Nov. 14, Tennis and Pickleball Kickoff, 9:30 a.m. to noon. Sold out. Round robins and doubles with the Pelican Bay pros.
3. Saturday, Nov. 14, Polynesian Show at Sandbar, 3:30 p.m., South Beach. Tuika's Polynesian Island Magic performs music, drumming and dances from Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa and New Zealand, ending with a Samoan Fire Knife Dance. Reservations are closed, but the Foundation invites members to come watch the show.
4. Sunday, Nov. 15, Sunday Brunch debut at Marker 36, 9 to 11 a.m. Sold out. The opening weekend features a special brunch buffet, with Foundation leadership and management joining the Marker 36 team to greet members.
5. Sunday, Nov. 15, Beach Bocce, afternoon. No registration required.

The brunch slot filled before the season officially started, which tells the new dining team plenty about demand. Members who missed it can still go to the Saturday show and Sunday bocce. Neither requires a reservation.

The same issue includes a smaller piece of news. Pelican Bay: A History of Our Home in Paradise, the 144-page hardbound book commissioned by the Foundation, won a 2026 Silver Medal from the Independent Book Publishers Association in the Best Regional eBook, Nonfiction category. Copies are available at The Commons, the Community Center, the North and South Racquets Centers, and The Baker Museum Store.

Across Seagate Drive, Most Dates Are Still Estimates

Waterside Shops had a busy summer. According to Gulfshore Business, Eddie V's opened June 7 in a 9,991-square-foot freestanding restaurant at Seagate Drive and Myra Janco Daniels Boulevard, and Dior opened a 6,000-square-foot standalone boutique on June 11. Vuori followed on Sept. 4 at 5475-7 Tamiami Trail N., near Sephora.

Most of what's next at Waterside is still a projection. Here is the status as of Oct. 12, 2026:

On Oct. 10, WhatNow was still reporting RH's arrival as "late 2026." Buck & Rider's estimate has already moved once. Waterside's April announcement said late 2026. A later Gulfshore Business report put it at early 2027. Waterside's own post on the Anthropologie move asks shoppers to watch for an opening announcement, so there will be a gap between the old store closing and the new one opening.

RH and Buck & Rider are the two dining additions at Waterside, and neither has a firm date yet. In mid-November, the restaurant openings within walking or tram distance of a Pelican Bay residence with a confirmed time are Pelican Bay's own.

The Neighbor That Publishes Dates

Artis-Naples is the exception. Its 2026-27 season, announced July 13 under the theme "To Light: The Art of Hope," runs on a published schedule. The season release includes Alexander Shelley leading the Naples Philharmonic through all nine Beethoven symphonies over two weeks.

The Baker Museum opens its season this Saturday, Oct. 17, nearly a month before Pelican Bay's beach party:

• "The Surrealist International: Fifty Years of Dreams," opening Oct. 17
• "Florida Contemporary 2026-27," opening Oct. 17, with work by Dustin Harewood, Nicario Jiménez-Quispe, Savannah Magnolia and Anastasia Samoylova
• "Baron Wolman: Capturing the Sound of an Era," Dec. 5, 2026, through June 13, 2027
• "Louise Nevelson: Dawn to Dusk," Feb. 13 through July 11, 2027

That gives Pelican Bay residents a clear order for the coming weeks. The museum opens first on Oct. 17, the beach weekend runs Nov. 13 to 15, and Waterside's new stores and restaurants follow on their own timing, with RH estimated for late 2026, LoveShackFancy for the holidays, and Buck & Rider and TWP for early 2027.

The Change Planned for 2027

One more change is on the way, and it's scheduled for next year. According to a June 18, 2026 memo in the Foundation's FY2027 budget package, the tram fleet is planned to drop from 38 vehicles to 22 in mid-2027 as the Foundation switches from lead-acid to lithium batteries. The memo explains that lithium trams are significantly more efficient and need less downtime for charging. The Foundation does not expect staffing hours or personnel needs for daily operations to change.

This is a budget plan, not a finished project, and the package itself calls some figures proposals. The same document lists a Community Center renovation under "Projects under Consideration." It shows $217,000 spent in FY2025, $101,000 forecast for FY2026, and no FY2027 amount. Both items match priorities from the member-experience study: tram information and Community Center space. Restaurant access was also on that list, and it's the priority the Foundation has already addressed, with hardened kitchens, a new leadership team and a brunch service that sold out before its first seating.

If you're coming back to Pelican Bay for the season, or thinking about owning near Marker 36 and the tram line, Armand Alikaj can walk you through how the beach, the Foundation's amenities and the Waterside and Artis-Naples area fit into daily life in each part of the community. Call or text Armand for a personal Naples consultation, in English, Spanish or Italian.