[Sandybaks]

Originally Posted by freeandclear

What kind of neighborhood is Golden Gate Estates in Naples? What are the problems? What is good about it? I would appreciate any kind of feedback.
Brutal honesty is what I am looking for. Just tell me what you know about it.
Thank you in advance.

I live in GGE and love it to bits. Great area. Big lots. Not overregulated. The "growhouse" issue is way overrated. Crime is a bit up now, but mostly because of a big number of foreclosures and resulting looting attempts. No big deal. Best area IMO is 10 streets on Golden Gate Blvd either way of Wilson Blvd. When looking for a house one needs to remember that Golden Gate and Wilson will be extended (so if you have a house there you may one day get a 4 lane highway on your doorstep) and Wanderbilt Beach Road will be put through somewhere around 10-12th Ave and Wilson. Also a Publix like supermarket and a plaza will be built on the corner of Wilson and Golden Gate (across the road from Walgreens). All people I know there are great. No problems whatsoever. Prices dropped dramatically lately, especially if we talk foreclosures, but are recovering rapidly from what I see. GGE is the best place in SWF if you are looking for piece of mind and some privacy.

[Sandybaks]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

Here is the crime report for Golden Gate Estates - 8/25/08 through 9/7/08

Deputies: Greeting Triggers Gunfire

A woman's walk to get her trash cans ended in a neighbor's arrest after she told deputies he fired a gun at her after she said hello.

Radley Pierre, 22, 56114th St. N.E., Golden Gate Estates, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm in public.

Arrest reports say Renee Brandenburg told deputies that she was going to retrieve her trash cans from the street when she saw Pierre in his driveway and said hello to him.

Pierre made a derogatory comment to Brandenburg and then showed her a gun, reports said.

Pierre a aimed the gun at Brandenburg and began firing, reports said. She ran inside and called authorities, reports said.

Deputies found a black semiautomatic pistol on the roof of a car in Pierre's driveway, reports said.

Burglaries:

• 1440 8th St. NE, Thurs., between 10:44 and 10:46 a.m. Property taken: none. Entry: cut screen side garage door.

• 1460 8th St. NE, Thurs., between 10:45 and 10:46 a.m. Property taken: none. Entry: cut screen side window.

• 4285 16th Ave. NE, between 11 a.m. Mon., 8/25, and 12:30 p.m. Sun., 9/7, 12:30 p.m. Property taken: none. Entry: smash side window.

• 914 Grand Rapids Blvd., Wed., 8/27, between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Property taken: laptops, television, jewelry. Entry: pry rear sliding glass door.

• 1815 47th Ave. NE, Wed., 9/3, between 2 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Property taken: none.
Entry: pry side door.

• 4335 45th Ave. NE, Mon., 8/25, between 6 and 6:45 p.m. Property taken: air conditioning handler. Entry: unknown.

• 1449 Redhawk Lane (Adventure Training & Concepts), between 8 a.m. Wed., 8/27, and 11 a.m. Sat., 8/30. Property taken: lawn tractor, pressure washer; white 2006 utility trailer. Entry: cut lock front door/unknown.

Vehicle Burglaries:

• 384 Randall Blvd., (BP Gas Station), Tues., 9/2, between 12:50 and 1:10 p.m. Property taken: driver’s license, checkbook, currency. Entry: unlocked white 1998 Ford truck.

• 2699 Orange Grove Trail, between 6 p.m. Sat., 9/6, and 8:30 a.m. Sun., 9/7. Property taken: purse, cell phone, jewelry. Entry: unlocked passenger front door on a green 2004 Kia SUV.

Grand Theft Autos:

• 960 24th Ave. NE, Sun., 9/7, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Property taken: black 2005 Emerson trailer, gutter machine (Recovered). Entry: towed vehicle from driveway.

• 2825 10th Ave. SE, between 9 a.m. Thurs., 8/28, and 9:30 a.m. Mon., 9/8. Property taken:
maroon 2008 Chevrolet Suburban. Entry: unknown.

• 4333 20th Ave. NE, between 10 p.m. Wed., 8/27, and 6:30 a.m. Thurs., 8/28. Property taken: silver 2007 Honda Accord. Entry: unknown.

Also to Christopherdent, don't expect any are in South Florida to suddenly start shooting up in price. In case you hadn't heard there is a bit of a decline in home sales in many areas.

Yeah, most of the Vehicle Burglaries happened with unclocked vehicles. Sounds indicative to me My brother and his wife also have a house in the area and they love it too. Infrastructure is coming rapidly. Lots of people who moved in here 20 years ago complain of a "big city feel" already, but to me coming from a megapolis it looks and feels lovely. With 2.5 acres there is no problem with parking your car or your boat and you do not have a problem of finding a spot for your swimming pool Prices may never come back to 2006 level (we'll see in a couple of years), but a house on a 2.5 acres for 120K is a steal in my book. And those can still be found. However, if 5 months ago they stayed on sale for days, now they go in a couple of hours. With these prices you can buy 3 houses, live in one and rent two others out. Here is your cost of living covered. Another interesting indicator, by the way, is the number of europeans buying houses in GGE now.

[BrownBomber]

We are just looking at making an offer on a house in your neighborhood. Anything new anyone can tell us? We are also curious about how deep the main canal is? Thanks for all the great information.

[jetsettera]

I am not a resident of Golden Gate Estates yet, but own a lot there. My lot escaped the fires. I visited in April and admired my forest, did some cleanup and left it looking better than ever. Someone recently destroyed the forest on my land. Per the county there was heavy machinery clearing my land without a permit. Has this happened to anyone else? Did they mistakenly clear the wrong lot? Were they stealing trees for lumber? How does this happen? What recourse do I have? How does this affect the value of my land?

[RMD3819]

How did you find this out?

Sounds like a mistake. I haven't heard of stealing timber from lots.

Did they clear the entire lot-no trees at all?

[jetsettera]

I found out that the Forestry Department cut a fire break through my land and cleared out the underbrush. Some trees are left. Code Enforcement closed the case.