Fifth Annual Naples Memorial Stair Climb Moves to Marco Island to Honor 9/11 First Responders

The fifth annual Naples Memorial Stair Climb was held Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa, 560 South Collier Boulevard, according to the event's own listing and reporting from Florida Weekly published two days beforehand. Check-in opened at 7 a.m., an opening ceremony followed at 8 a.m., and the climb itself began at 8:46 a.m., the exact minute American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower on September 11, 2001.

I am Kris Asquith, Broker Associate at Premiere Plus Realty, and I sell across nine Southwest Florida markets including Marco Island. A long-running regional tribute event choosing this island as its new home for the first time is worth understanding on its own terms.

Participants climb the equivalent of 110 flights of stairs, the height of each of the Twin Towers, according to the event listing. The climb is done in tribute to the civilians, workers and emergency responders, including firefighters, law enforcement officers and EMS personnel, who died on September 11, 2001. Registration was available in advance through Eventbrite and also on the day of the event, and the first 200 people to register were offered a commemorative event challenge coin.

The event benefits Brotherhood Ride, a nonprofit organized by firefighters, law enforcement officers and EMS personnel. Brotherhood Ride was founded by Jeff Morse, a firefighter with North Collier Fire Rescue, after a fire at a furniture store in Charleston, South Carolina, in June 2007 killed nine firefighters. The first Brotherhood Ride took place in 2008, a roughly 600-mile bicycle trip from Naples to Charleston meant to support the loved ones of the firefighters who died in that fire. In the years since, the group, made up of first responders from multiple states, has continued organizing rides and events across the country to support the loved ones of first responders killed in the line of duty.

Yes. Earlier editions of the Naples Memorial Stair Climb were held at the Naples Grande Hotel, according to prior local news coverage of the event. This year's move to the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa is the first time the climb has been held on the island. Organizers have not publicly stated a reason for the venue change, and none of the reporting on this year's event addresses why.

Nobody can honestly put a number on what a single tribute event does to property values anywhere, and it is fair to be skeptical of anyone who tries. What a first responder memorial event moving to a major island resort does show is that Marco Island's hospitality venues continue to host regional civic and charitable events with a history well beyond a single year, separate entirely from what any specific home or condo here is worth.

A community event like this is worth knowing about if you are weighing a move to Marco Island, but it does not replace the numbers that actually decide what a property costs to buy and keep: recent comparable sales, association reserves where one applies, flood insurance once elevation is confirmed, and what an inspection turns up on the specific address. The home buying process walks through where each of those gets checked, in order, before you are ever under contract.

If you are weighing a property on Marco Island, including Marco Island waterfront homes, Marco Island Gulf access homes or Marco Island luxury homes, get in touch or call (239) 300-1427 for a straight read on a specific address rather than the island in general.