"Our location gives us the opportunity to contribute to improving our aquatic neighborhood and giving back to the GSAC community." That is how Candice Lopez, Director of Marketing for The Village Shops on Venetian Bay, described a project that most people walking the waterfront at 4200 Gulf Shore Blvd. N. have never seen. Her quote ran in an April 2024 article from the Gulf Shore Association of Condominiums. That year the Village finished putting 215 concrete reef balls into the bay along the seawall that wraps around the property.
Two years later, in September 2026, the Village wrote about it again and put the full inventory in one place: 215 reef balls, more than 4,300 cubic yards of riprap, and over 50 underwater lights. Set next to the public reef work on Naples' other bays, the timing stands out. The reef under the Village is finished. Some of the public projects are still waiting on funding, and others exist only on paper.
What Sits Below the Railing
The GSAC article credits the idea to Village Shops owner Jeff Tayon. It says the reef took more than two years to build and cost him more than $2.5 million. It came together in stages. A February 2024 Village post includes a construction photo captioned "22/215" reef balls. Another photo shows the riprap running along the waterfront from Patchington to M Waterfront Grille.
The two materials do different jobs:
- Riprap is the loose rock along the seawall. The GSAC article says it prevents erosion and helps plants and crustaceans grow.
- Reef balls are porous concrete domes. Water flows through the holes, and algae, oysters, barnacles and coral attach to the rough surfaces.
- Underwater lights are the newest number in the count. The 2024 materials gave a figure of 50. The September 2026 post says "50+," which suggests a few have been added since.
Lopez described the reef as a food chain. Algae grows on the rock and concrete. Crustaceans and small fish feed on the algae. Larger fish follow the small ones, and dolphins follow the larger fish. The Village's 2026 post says it has seen the reef take effect "very rapidly since their installation." It also mentions schools of fish along the walkways, dolphins in the bay, and the occasional manatee passing the restaurants and boutiques.
What Might Be Swimming Through It
The Village's own posts describe schools of fish without naming species. The best nearby reference is the City of Naples' natural resources pages. The City's page on Moorings Bay shows sheepshead, banner goby, pinfish, pipefish, lizardfish, bumper, decorator crab, sea robin and emerald goby as examples of what lives in that bay. The City describes Moorings Bay as heavily urbanized and historically altered. It connects to the Gulf through Doctors Pass and to Clam Pass through culverts. The City samples its water quality monthly and runs trawls quarterly.
Another City page explains why a reef might attract a particular fish. It describes mangrove snapper as common near bottom structure or reefs, and it notes that grass squid have turned up in both Naples Bay and Moorings Bay. Neither page documents these species at the Village. They describe the kind of animal that tends to move into new structure, and 215 concrete domes along a seawall are exactly that.
Where the Public Reefs Stand
The City of Naples has run its own reef program on Naples Bay for years, using oysters. Its stated goal is five acres of oyster habitat across three sites, built from concrete, limestone rock and shell. The aims are habitat, shoreline resilience, better water quality and the recovery of fish and invertebrates. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida's July 2026 Naples resilience blueprint goes further. It names reef balls, oyster reefs and living seawalls among its nature-based treatments. It also lists pilot sponsors, feasibility work, design and permitting as next steps.
Here is where each project stands, based on what has been published:
| Project | Location | Status in published sources |
|---|---|---|
| Village Shops artificial reef | Venetian Bay, Village seawall | Complete by 2024; inventory updated September 2026 |
| City oyster restoration, Site 1 | Naples Bay | Completed May 2019 with 23 new reefs |
| City oyster restoration, Site 3 | Naples Bay | Built May 2019 to December 2020 |
| City oyster restoration, Site 2 | Naples Bay | Permitted; awaiting funding |
| Conservancy resilience blueprint | Citywide concepts | Proposed July 2026; next steps include feasibility, design and permitting |
The City's completed sites are working. Its monitoring found oyster recruits and mangrove seedlings at both finished locations. One monitoring photo shows a goby tucked inside an oyster at Site 3. Those reefs sit out in Naples Bay, though, not beside a walkway. The Village reef is the one in Park Shore you can reach on foot after dinner, and it has lights.
The Village sees itself as part of this broader effort. Its 2026 post says artificial reefs are spreading as long-term habitat investments across Florida, with other Naples locations following suit. It also says the Village is "fully committed" to letting the habitat keep developing for years.
Evenings That Put You at the Seawall
Late fall is when the Village holds most of its evening events. The schedule for the rest of 2026 is on the center's official calendar and event pages:
- Friday, October 16, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sara Campbell hosts a fundraiser for the Cancer Alliance Network, with pink bubbles, light bites and new arrivals.
- Saturday, November 21, 3 to 7 p.m. Grand Illuminations features complimentary Santa photos, Dickens Carolers, and the lighting of what the Village calls Naples' tallest Christmas tree, along with more than 100,000 lights. A snow show starts at 6 p.m.
- Thursday, November 26, 7:30 to 11 a.m. The Gobble Gobble Thanksgiving Day 5K runs through the Village and nearby streets. The Village calls it Naples' original Thanksgiving Day race, and proceeds support St. Matthew's House.
- November 27 to 29. Black Friday Stroll & Shop runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, with promotions at participating boutiques.
- Thursday, December 10, 4 to 7 p.m. Santa Paws offers complimentary Santa photos for dogs.
- Saturday, December 12, 3 to 7 p.m. Holiday on the Bay brings Santa photos, carolers, more than 100,000 lights, and another snow show at 6 p.m.
The November and December events all run into the evening. If you want to look at the water, the 6 p.m. snow shows are a natural cue to step over to the railing. Walking the length of the riprap, from Patchington to M Waterfront Grille, covers the stretch shown in the 2024 construction photos.
The Village's 2026 dining roster includes several places that sit on the water. They are Bayside Seafood Grill & Bar, Fish Restaurant, M Waterfront Grille, MiraMare Ristorante, T-Michaels Steak & Lobster and The Village Pub. For something earlier or lighter, there are Black Letter Coffee + Cafe and Ben & Jerry's.
The season's first big evening has already raised money tied to the bay. Wine Around The Water on September 12 drew more than 400 people and raised $17,800 for SNIP Collier. That brings the total raised for SNIP Collier through this partnership to nearly $80,000 since it began in 2019.
What Is on Record
What is on record is the inventory, the cost, the two-plus years of construction, and the seawall it surrounds. The Village calls the work it can show "what it actually looks like" to talk about sustainability.
If you want to talk about the bayfront parts of Park Shore, from the buildings that face Venetian Bay to the walkways where the reef is easiest to see, Darlene Roddy and the Roddy Luxury Group are glad to compare notes over coffee at the Village. Contact Us whenever it suits you.
