Two Pieces of Paradise Up for Auction

There’s a saying among environmentalists that developers name projects for the thing that they’re destroying. According to environmental attorney Marc Chytilo, that describes the two properties along the Gaviota coast that are being auctioned on Wednesday. The combined 130-acre properties that carry an asking price of $25 million are known as Paradiso del Mar and Paradiso del Norte. 

The two properties are located just east of Naples, the 57-acre undeveloped Gaviota coastal area that has been a battleground between developers and environmental conservationists, including Chytilo, the Gaviota Coast Conservancy, and Surfrider, for many decades. 

Naples held special horrors for those opposed to developing the pristine Gaviota coast because it was originally conceived as a township over 100 years ago, and the property had been zoned for homes and infrastructure.