The Corner of Third and Broad Has Been Dark Since 2006. Here's What the City Has Actually Approved.

The little building at 1148 Third Street South has been closed for longer than some of the shops on the street have existed. It dates to 1921 and has been empty since Fantozzi's of Olde Naples closed in 2006. Before that, Fantozzi's ran a deli and wine and cheese shop there for 20 years, as Naples Press recounted this spring. The same column lists what the building held before that: Naples' first town hall, courthouse, movie theater, playhouse, doctor's office, library, church and real estate office.

Since May, the corner has also had new neighbors. The Olde Naples Hotel opened around the building and now wraps two of its sides. The hotel is open, and the oldest building on the block still has no lights on.

The approvals that kept this restaurant stuck for four years are now on the city record. In August they passed to a new operator, and the patio layout, seating and hours stayed exactly as before. No opening date has been published, and the restaurant's name hasn't either.

Four Years Spent on a Patio

The earlier restaurant plan shows where the time went. Restaurateur Rick Doody signed a lease with the Camalier family in February 2022. The family owns both the Olde Naples Building and the hotel property. Doody planned JoJo's Bar, which he described as a high-end Italian-American steakhouse. Naples Press reported that the project then had to deal with storm surge from Hurricane Ian and setbacks from the city over outdoor dining and parking permits.

According to that report, the patio was the deciding issue. Doody said the lease had always depended on getting outdoor seating, because he did not think a restaurant could compete in Naples without it. City Council approved outdoor dining at the Olde Naples Building on December 10, 2025, under Resolution 2025-15789. That came almost four years after the lease was signed.

Less than six months later, the plan changed again. On May 15, the day the hotel opened, the landlord told Doody by phone that the family was "thinking about going in another direction." A letter ending the lease followed on May 19.

What Changed Hands in August

On June 18, the Naples Daily News reported that "a well-known and prolific restaurateur" had signed a lease for the building. The city filings show who it is. The outdoor dining application names the new operator as ONB, LLC, with Stefano Frittella as manager.

Frittella already has a large presence downtown. Gulfshore Business identifies him as a partner in several Fifth Avenue South restaurants, including BiCE, Caffe Milano, La Trattoria and Vergina. Last fall he turned The Bevy at 360 12th Ave. S. into La Salière. That restaurant is a Naples version of the Italian concept he started in Monte Carlo more than 40 years ago.

The patio approval did not move automatically to the new operator. City code requires a new operator to get council approval again. As the Naples Daily News put it, the earlier permit "wasn't transferable." The application asked for one change only. Its summary says the outdoor dining area, seating layout and hours of operation "remain exactly as approved."

On August 19, council approved Petition 26-OD4 as Resolution 2026-15927 by a 7-0 vote. The application had taken the patio fight that lasted from 2022 to late 2025 and finished it in one council meeting, because nothing about the patio was up for debate. The newspaper's headline over the decision was "Italian restaurant moving to Olde Naples Building."

The Corner Neighbors Will Actually See

The 2025 and 2026 city filings spell out how the corner will look once it opens. The August vote kept the original patio terms, so the details below still apply.

The 2025 application addresses the homes north of the site directly. It notes residential units across Broad Avenue and says landscape planters provide screening, including buffering for noise. It also says the off-site parking is enough to keep overflow out of residential areas, and that guests will reach the restaurant on existing public streets, alleys and sidewalks without adding traffic through residential neighborhoods.

The voting record adds the condition behind those assurances. The August approval only stands as long as Resolution 2025-15788 and its recorded off-site parking agreement stay in place. Council also removed two of the earlier conditions, numbered Two and Five. The record we reviewed does not say what those two conditions required.

The recording date is significant. The parking agreement was recorded in March 2026, before the first lease ended. It belongs to the property's records, and the new approval depends on it. A restaurant still needs both a patio and parking to open on this corner, and both are now on file.

What Still Isn't Public

As of October 12, 2026, the published record leaves these questions unanswered:

• The restaurant's name. The application names an LLC and its manager. The Naples Daily News describes the restaurant as Italian and says it is "moving." Neither source names the concept or says which restaurant is relocating.
• An opening date. We found no target month or season in any report or filing.
• The current location. La Salière's website was still taking reservations at 360 12th Ave. S. on October 12. No source we reviewed says any Frittella restaurant will close because of this move.

The building's city land use is listed as "restaurant under construction," which is the best clue to timing so far. Whatever opens will have a patio for 76, lit by tabletop lamps, at the corner of Third Street South and Broad Avenue.

The Block Around It This Week

The rest of Third Street South has its own events this month. The street's Bon Marché Sidewalk Sale runs Thursday, October 15, through Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. More than 25 businesses are taking part, each with its own promotions, according to the Third Street South calendar.

The Saturday farmers market is also running. The district's listing for September 26 gave hours of 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. and placed it in the parking lot behind Tommy Bahama's. The listing still calls it the "Summer Market." From that lot to the Olde Naples Building is a short walk along Third Street.

If you live near Third and Broad and want to understand how outdoor dining approvals, recorded parking agreements or nearby development might affect a particular property, Gulf Coast Luxury Group can go through the public record with you. Our team includes an in-house attorney who can review filings like these alongside you. Schedule a Private Concierge Consultation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.