Developer again eyes citrus grove off Sabal Palm

A Naples developer is renewing his effort to develop a 169-acre citrus grove off Sabal Palm Road in East Naples.

Residents in the area received notices in the mail last week announcing a public meeting will be held June 25 to discuss the possibility of turning the parcel at 341 Sabal Palm Rd. into a “golf course with recreational accessory uses and a maximum of 10 member/guest cabins.”

The proposed development would require the land to be rezoned from its current agricultural designation.

The applicant pursuing the rezoning request is SWJR Naples I LLC, led by longtime Naples developer Jon Rubinton.

The same developer unveiled plans last year for a proposed 423-unit housing development on the same property, which went before the Collier County Planning and Zoning Commission in April 2025.

At that meeting, certified planner Wayne Arnold touted the fact that 15% of homes in the proposed neighborhood would be affordable housing. He also claimed the citrus industry had fallen on difficult times and the family that owned the property wanted to sell it.

The property is home to South Naples Citrus Grove, one of the area’s last remaining groves. The grove plans to come back for the season in November, but Florida’s citrus groves have been ravaged by the incurable Citrus greening disease since it was first detected in the state 20 years ago.

“Groves are not what they were,” Arnold said. “The citrus industry has been decimated, and I think long-term citrus is probably not the most viable use for the property.”

The Planning Commission voted 4-1 to favorably recommend the project, and County Commissioners unanimously advanced it to review by the State Department of Commerce in May.

However, the 60 residents who attended a public meeting on the project at South Regional Library in August 2025 were vocal and unanimous in their opposition. In response to the pushback, County Commissioners voted 3-2 to postpone the item when it came back before them in January 2026.

Some residents called for the county to purchase the property using Conservation Collier funds and set it aside for preservation, but it is unclear if commissioners seriously pursued that option. County officials did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.

Now, Rubinton and SWJR appear to be renewing their push to develop the property.

Yovanovich will host the aforementioned meeting at 5:30 p.m. on June 25, which will be held at New Hope Ministries Room 209, located at 7675 Davis Blvd.

The purpose is to gather input from the public and give residents an opportunity to engage with the applicant. Those wishing to attend the meeting remotely can email Sharon.Umpenhour@pape-dawson.com to make arrangements.

Neither Yovanovich nor Rubinton responded to request for comment on this story.