Naples St. Patrick's Day Parade returns after funding crisis resolved

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — The Naples St. Patrick's Day Parade is back on and set to roll through downtown.

WINK News reporter Paul Dolan was at Third Street South and 10th Avenue South, where the action begins. The event mixes downtown Naples and a lot of Irish spirit.

The parade route and timing are all set for what organizers are calling the 50th St. Patrick's Day Parade. The highly anticipated parade started with Irish stepdancing through the city at 11 a.m.

The route began at Third Street South and 10th Avenue South, turned onto Fifth Avenue South, then moved to Eighth Street South and ended in front of Naples City Hall. The foundation behind the parade says its work also helps support local high school bands and scholarships.

Earlier in the year, concerns began swirling that the parade would be cancelled because of budget concerns. WINK News spoke with Kim Heaslip, the president of the Naples St. Patrick's Day Foundation, who says the skyrocketing fee costs were the reason it was cancelled.

"That's when we thought, we can't sustain this," said Heaslip. "It's something that I didn't feel right raising money to pay for city costs, to give them 70-ish thousand dollars in fees before I'm able to help any program."

After a generous donation, everything is back on track. Expect downtown Naples to be busy, so it might be best to get there early and save a spot.