Cape Coral Weekend Breeze

Officials agree replacement sorely needed; additional travel lanes a must to handle traffic flow

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers

com

The Cape Coral Bridge is long past its prime and the Lee County Board of County Commissioners support replacing the aging structure with a six-lane, near $219 million rebuild Commissioners on Monday gave their backing to a full replacement of the Cape Coral Bridge which has served its purpose for nearly 60 years but has become obsolete as the population has boomed past the point traffic capacity Additional lanes for parallel spans will make the morning and afternoon commutes much more tolerable as three lanes of traf-

AOW

Popular weekly sports feature continues: The Cape Coral Breeze presents Athletes of the Week

Page 19A

“Our desire was to have at least three lanes in each direction and they were looking at one bridge that would be able to do that I would support doing one bridge and doing it now because one span is going to have to be replaced ”

Mayor John Gunter,

who agrees with the county commission supported option

fic from Cape Coral or Fort Myers currently try to squeeze into two lanes as they merge onto the bridge For Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter having three lanes in each direction will make things easier for travelers, but the

BOCC must first decide on its strategy

Our desire was to have at least three lanes in each direction and they were looking at one bridge that would be able to do that I would support doing one bridge and doing it now because one span (of the

existing bridge) is going to have to be replaced, Gunter said

The original Cape Coral Bridge opened as a two-laner in 1964, with the second span built in 1989 The bridge as well as two others the Mid-Point Bridge and the Sanibel Causeway are county toll bridges still being paid off Lee County has $75 million in outstanding debt on those three bridges, with the Mid-Point Bridge’s $35 million to be paid off by 2027 Once that happens work can begin on rebuilding the 2 3-mile Cape Coral Bridge, officials said

See BRIDGE, page 8A

City officials lambasted over canal cleanup

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers

com

It is agreed that debris cleanup following Hurricane Ian is an important part of making things whole again in Cape Coral

In recent weeks, though, some Cape residents and environmentalists have criticized the way city contractors have removed vegetation debris along canal shorelines City Council heard those concerns Wednesday when those residents used public input time to voice their concerns and show photos depicting mass amounts of greenery being removed resulting in barren

County eyes Cape Coral Bridge rebuild Proximity plan passes

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers

com

Apopular staple put on by the city of Cape Coral returns for the first time in 2023 and following Hurricane Ian

This Saturday from 5 to 10 p m on Southeast 47th Terrace, Cape Coral s full-throttle Bike Night will feature live music, best bike contest, and vendor village

“Kick the tires and light the fires Bike Night is back said Cape Coral Special Events Coordinator Todd King The hurricane is behind us, and it s time to rev it up

The line-up for the night consists of two bands made up of local first responders and a ZZ Top tribute band First Trip Hazard a group made up of local firefighters, will take the stage from 6 to 6:45 They will be followed by Deep Cover, a band of local police officers rocking from 7 to 7:45

“It’s cool to be able to have our local first responders be part of the night ” King said “I set it up a bit as a battle of the bands in a kind of way, we ll just see who can rock the hardest

ZZ s Best: The Ultimate ZZ Top Tribute Band takes the stage from 8:30 to 10 p m

The festivities will take place along Southeast 47th Terrace between Vincennes Boulevard and Coronado Parkway, with the main stage along Southeast 10th Place

This is our first outdoor major event for the city since Ian ” King said “It’s been a long road back and we’re excited to be able to put on our traditional Bike Night We want everyone to come out

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

A plan to assign elementary school students to schools closer to home has been approved

The Lee County School Board approved the district’s new elementary school proximity plan on Tuesday which could impact incoming kindergarten students students new to the district and kindergarten through fourth graders who don't want to change schools next year due to boundary changes

Proximity will replace the current three-zone choice assignment lottery with much smaller zones

This will address a broken transportation system Board Chair Armor Persons said, adding the district is the 19th largest transporter of students in the nation, causing a problem that is worsening

Three thousand students are

Diplomat Middle HOSA team advances to state

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

4A

ests them “It was something I didn’t know that I needed she said about being the HOSA Medical Club advisor Gross said her administration is great as she went to them with her idea and they asked her what she needed She said it is great seeing middle school students doing such things as blood pressure and taking vital signs S h e t e a c h e s t h r e e a d v a n c e d health classes with 70 students There are 35 HOSA students at Diplomat Middle School Out of the 35 HOSA students, 15 recently got ribbon and medals and 12 qual-

Charity Car Show & Model Airplane Display set for Feb. 25

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

Car-lovers and enthusiasts across Southwest Florida can gather later this month for a charity show filled with classics, moderns and more

The seventh annual Cape Coral Charity Car Show & Model Airplane Display takes place Feb 25 at Mariner High School and is sponsored by Cape Coral First United Methodist Church The event, expected to be packed with 300 different makes, models and styles, will run from 9 a m to 3

p m , with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the Cape Coral Caring Center

Last year the show raised more than $48 000 for the local food pantry and has raised close to $300 000 since its inception

Event organizer Phil Deems said they expect this year s exposition to be the largest car show ever held in the Cape, expecting nearly 3,000 attendees

“The great thing about this show is it's a family show ” Deems said “It’s not just about cars We have a salute to first responders and military and veterans We also have a very nice Seahawk model airplane display, and a stock car coming in to fire up its engine every once in a while It s a little something for everyone ”

Deems said their fundraising goal is $75 000 with the need this year being greater due to Hurricane Ian

It only takes a few generous people to make a difference

he said

The show includes a Tribute to the Military at noon including color guard pledge and live music; a DJ playing ’50s and ’60s music food; 50/50 drawings; and great door prizes

There will be many additional vendors plus information booths for the charity and church sponsor Judging will be done by co-sponsors with over 30 trophies being presented

For safety reasons, vehicle participants are asked to stay until 3 p m

Deems also noted the Cape Coral Caring Center which serves more than 12 000 people in need in the community and provides more than 143 tons of food to the less fortunate, can turn a $1 donation into $8 worth of food, making donations even more impactful

“We’re helping the community ” Deems said “A lot of people no longer have a table to sit down at because of the hur-

ricane The shelves at the Caring Center need to be stocked to help people, including those that have lost jobs or have other things going on in their life ”

Just a few months back the Cape Coral Caring Center helped 600 families receive Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners; 300 children receive toys from Santa; and 300 children were given school supplies in a backpack They provide special food for older folks with special dietary restrictions linked to disability and illness The Cape Coral Caring Center also helps people build resumes for job searches and provides free bus passes so they can get to interviews The center s Executive Director, Julie Ferguson, said donations have been more critical following Ian

“The Cape Coral Caring Center is so grateful to be the beneficiary of the charity car show now more than ever ” Ferguson said “We are seeing people daily that have many needs due to the hurricane With the proceeds we will continue to be able to make sure our community has food and other necessities We have seen many new people that have lost so much due to Ian and we give them a kind listening ear load them up with food and give them lots of resources to help get their lives on track ”

Deems shared his thanks to Mariner High School and its JROTC program, that will present colors

There is a $20 day-of-show entry fee and $5 parking for spectators The event is rain or shine and pets are not permitted

Sponsorship opportunities are still available Those interested can contact Deems at 239-945-4545 for details

Mariner High School is at 701 Chiquita Blvd North Visit capecoralcharitycarshow com for more information

Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad cj

Cape Coral Quest scavenger hunt under way

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

Exploring popular destinations and documenting your time around Cape Coral can now earn Southwest Floridians prizes

On Tuesday the city of Cape Coral in partnership with the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau announced a city-

wide scavenger hunt titled "Cape Coral Quest" that can be completed on a mobile device

Those interested in partaking can access the free app scan codes at various locations throughout the Cape, and earn prizes Cape Coral is proud to partner with Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau to highlight our growing city ” stated Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter “We invite our locals and visitors alike to visit the unique amenities Cape Coral has to offer It s a great way to explore the area, discover new things to do, and win prizes

Among the locations in the scavenger hunt are:

■ Cape Coral Museum of History

■ Coral Oaks Golf Course

■ Cultural Parks Theatre

■ Del Prado Linear Park

■ Gator Mike s Family Fun Park

■ Rotary Park

■ The 28-foot-tall Big John Statue

■ Nauti Mermaid Dockside Pool Grill

■ Wicked Dolphin Rum Distillery

The app includes attractions in the Cape Coral area and exclusive deals During the scavenger hunt, participants will search for clues to find a code at each location There is a chance to earn points and trade them in for prizes Once 20 riddles are solved participants will be entered in the grand prize to win a two-night stay with breakfast each day at the Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village The scavenger hunt runs through Nov 30

Participants should pay close attention to clues Codes may be inside or outside properties Each participant should play with their own pass on their own device Points can be saved to redeem prizes, such as Cape Coral and Lee County swag

For more information and to get the free app, visit www visitfortmyers com/cape-coral-quest

CAPE CORAL BREE ZE

RAYMOND M ECKENRODE Publisher

VALARIE HARRING, Executive Editor CHRIS STRINE, Editor 2510 Del Prado Blvd • Cape Coral, FL, 33904

Phone 239-574-1110 – Fax 239-574-5693

Member Florida Press Association

Two steps forward, no steps back

Sometimes a single person can right a very big wrong

And sometimes that person is a child with courage greater than their years and their time in history

In 1963 a high school senior named Rosalind Blalock wanted to attend a Lee County high school that would better prepare her for the career she was planning

Rosalind wanted to attend Fort Myers High School, which had the lab equipment and books she thought would help get her ready for medical technology coursework

There were two problems:

Rosalind was Black

And the only public school open to her was Lee County s all-Black high school in Dunbar

She was denied admission for Fort Myers High although it was nearly a decade after the U S Supreme Court ruled in Brown v Board of Education of Topeka Kansas that “segregating children in the public schools by race was inherently unequal and that districts across the nation must move with all deliberate speed to desegregate their public schools

Rosalind sued

She won

And all told it took 35 years for the School District of Lee County to reach unitary status meaning the district had finally eliminated its dual systems of education

The history synopsis above is from the United States District Court Middle District of Florida which did not find compliance until 1999 when it ended the consent decree under which the School District of Lee County had been forced to operate until full desegregation was reached

As the School District of Lee County prepares to end its cumbersome School Choice lottery system, which has its roots in Rosalind’s lawsuit let us dip back into The Breeze story archives

Rosalind Blalock vs Lee County Schools was filed in 1964 with the help of the NAACP The suit led to the desegregating of the school system in 1969-1970 with the school district implementing a new and, ultimately, troublesome boundary-based assignment system

From 1970-1995 the district moved school boundaries as Lee County’s population grew often resulting in long bus rides, particularly for minority students

Unhappy with the transportation issues and shifting boundaries that changed assigned schools, students and parents protested

In 1996 the school board approved a new policy for the 1998-1999 school year the creation of three geographic zones that would allow parents to rank the schools within their zone with assignment to be determined by a School Choice lottery

The plan worked well enough to get the district into compliance with the court-issued consent decree but parents have long complained about the issue upon which Choice has come to fail again, transportation

Long bus rides for many

Late drop-offs resulting in tardies and missed classes

So School Choice as originally formulated is coming to an end

In its wake will come a new elementary school proximity plan, approved by the School Board of Lee County this week to save on transportation wear-and-tear and the resultant cost on kids and buses alike

Something similar at the middle and high school levels is coming next

District staffers and School Board officials alike see some pain ahead as the transition takes place as some parents now face the choice of changing their child s school or getting them there themselves as bus transportation out-of-zone will not be provided

They also see positives getting kids into seats more efficiently and having more money for classrooms to boot

District officials assure us parents, guardians and taxpayers all that choice of school (small c as there will be fewer schools from which to choose) will remain thus ensuring that schools offer the same learning opportunities and environment

As well Lee County s schools certainly should and must

do

Let us also recall another courageous woman of color who painted a picture a tad more Orwellian

Former School Board member Gwynetta Gittens whose advocacy for the School District of Lee County s East Zone never lacked passion, pointed out that when looking hard at investments in infrastructure that schools may be equal but some schools seem more equal than others when it comes to adding seats and determining where and when to build or rebuild

For Proximity to be an improvement on Choice, not only the district staff, but the board itself, will need to follow the academic benchmarks and the money to make sure all schools are equal as in fair and appropriate among the new mini-zones

That will be the continuing task at hand and we urge our school system to make it a priority

May no school ever again be lesser-than

May no student find lesser-than their only option

Support Florida Right to Clean Water

Concerning the possible some say inevitable collapse of the local marine environment unless substantial changes are made in a timely manner there is some good news to report We the public are the key to it all by getting involved in an easy to do but vital service for our environmental future statewide

Here’s the deal if you like to fish boat swim, shell, surf, use a personal watercraft, row or just sit on the beach watching incredible gulf sunsets, the call is out, citizens of Florida! We need your help! These days millions across the nation feel frustrated invisible voiceless in the face of wasteful and intrusive big government, big money politics, incredible corruption, lawlessness and nowadays a politically charged media that too often helps cover it up No secret the enemy of clean water is green money and the big polluters spend lots of it each year to promote their agenda

Guest Commentary

I m sure the readers of this month s Florida Sportsman Magazine have read the recent extremely important article titled “The Right to Clean and Healthy Water ” I’ll gladly borrow a few important facts to pass on to non-readers

According to the article by Senior Editor Blair Wickstrom two major Florida polluters, the sugar and phosphate mining industry, spend millions yearly, as in $11 million last round, employing teams of lobbyists all to serve their corporate profit interests with Florida’s environment our environment always the causality

Certainly Southwest Florida has been getting the bad end of the east west Caloosahatchee River summer flow from contaminated Lake Okeechobee and its ongoing Army Corps mismanagement Once again I applaud the positive environmental efforts by Gov Ron DeSantis but now it’s time for the public to get seriously involved get things moving along helping make real change or leave nothing for future generations Picket? March? Sit-ins? No, nothing that strenuous The power is simply in your hand and the pen you hold in it

We the voiceless have the power through the state petition process to actually change the state Constitution

It s time yet again for citizens to do the work our legislators choose to ignore, Wickstrom says We need the Right To Clean and Healthy Water written into the state constitu-

tion”

This Florida petition process is not new and in the past has proved highly successful in the positive management of our environment and the creatures in it trying to survive the profit based war against them

Starting in 1994 concerned Floridians collected nearly a half million signed petitions which resulted in the great net ban legislation

A few more times petition drives like this resulted in other incredibly important constitutional changes in Florida s law favoring our environment

“Under this amendment a person corporation nonprofit or other entity could sue the state for harming water by introducing pathogens, contaminants, or toxins or disrupting the natural water flow, processes, or functions, Wickstrom writes

At the present rate of habitat loss steps currently being taken by the state of Florida further hampered by politics (spelled money interests) may be too little, too late

The plan, to amend the state constitution, the Florida Supreme Court must first review the wording To make that happen 223 000 signatures must be presented by March 1 2023

To qualify for the 2024 ballot we ll need a total of 892,000 signatures by Nov 30, 2023

To print your form, please go to: floridarighttocleanwater org Please fill it out and send it before the end of the month to: Florida Right to Clean Water

13300 S Cleveland Ave

Suite 56 Fort Myers, FL 33907

Time is short but the task has certainly shown to be doable requiring minimal time and effort on your part Please spread the word sign and get friends to sign then mail those petitions helping make a real and lasting change for the environment and for we the people, guaranteed to us forever by the Florida constitution

Capt George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide whose weekly fishing column appears in The Breeze You can contact him at 239-282-9434 or via email at captgeorget3@ aol com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Trust Council to do the right thing

To the editor:

As a councilwoman for the City of Cape Coral, I want to express my stance on the upcoming renewal of the city manager s contract After careful consideration, I had decided to vote to not extend the city manager’s contract

I understand that this is a significant decision and I take my role as a councilwoman very seriously I am committed to working with my fellow council members to find the best solution for the city, one that will benefit our residents and help the city continue to grow and prosper

I appreciate your understanding and support as we work together to find a solution that will serve the best interests of our community

Patty Cummings District 4

City manager does need to go

To the editor: The City Council made the right decision in not renewing the City Manager’s contract Rob Hernandez’s tenure as city manager has been anything but stellar To even describe it as average per the performance review of the PREVIOUS City Council (it should be note that there is a new Council with two new members, both of whom voted not to renew the City Manager’s contract) is perhaps an overstatement

Over the past three years under Rob Hernandez’s “leadership ” Waste Pro entered into a lawsuit with us millions of taxpayer dollars were appropriated to big business (during a period of inflation), parks have been delayed and the Yacht Club is far over-budget and unrecognizable to the original plan

According to Council discussion at the special meeting at which the vote was taken to not renew his contract Hernandez failed to apply for state funding for a burrowing owl sanctuary, a priority for Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife The funding, mind you, was for burrowing owl sanctuaries, and was created with Cape Coral in mind

Even worse according to one Councilmember he failed to apply for state and federal funding for the UEP As this wonderful paper recently reported, homeowners, UEP North 1 could be paying $34,000 per lot, or finance it with the city the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars

Most problematic though was Hernandez continuously trying to steer the agenda instead of allowing Council to steer it Mayor Gunter said it best when he asked if the dog (Council) was wagging the tail or the tail (Hernandez) was wagging the dog According to one Councilmember I spoke with Hernandez would often meet individually with Councilmembers who were opposed or on the fence to his particularly policy goals This was because Sunshine Laws prevent Councilmembers from meeting and coordinating privately, allowing him to use divide-and-conquer tactics

Multiple City Councilmembers have complained that Rob Hernandez would withhold information from the Council in presentations if that information would harm his policy goals with three Councilmembers stating he lied to them privately during the Special Meeting where they voted not to renew his contract

ments

The DeSantis administration is already well known for banning pro-LGBTQ books, demanding textbook publishers remove anything the religious right deems too “woke ” and encouraging school boards dominated by conservatives to purge teachers who enforce COVID-19 prevention measures

Religious authoritarians hope that by undermining public schools and twisting the version of history we teach our children; they can control future generations making it easier for them to further harm marginalized communities and seize power at any cost

Christians have a sacred obligation to fight for racial justice -- work that includes lifting up Black voices and standing against the white Christian-nationalist leaders who try to hide the truth about our history

Dennis Raube Fort Myers

The ‘Free State of Florida’

To the editor: Gov Ron DeSantis is always talking about freedom and labels his bills and projects with freedom I see it only as a distraction from the freedoms he is taking away from Floridians No abortion no race in history Don’t Say Gay NO WOKE! Watch what you say at work, or keep on your bookshelf, especially if you re a trained teacher as hundreds of books are banned, or GO TO JAIL!

Freedom? Remove your mask! Investigate vaccines! even if 85 000 Floridians died from COVID

The Governor’s “Shoot from the hip” leadership (No permit required) will also dissolve the Reedy Creek District from Disney, the largest employer in central Florida, increasing the taxes of millions of Floridians as much as 30% and possibly saddling them with over $1 billion in debt just because DeSantis didn’t like that Disney was opposed to his discriminatory Don t Say Gay law

DeSantis wants to bring accountability to the higher education system? He wants to ban Christian values like diversity, equality and inclusion from our education system Real history like racism and slavery may not be “factual” according to the Governor So students are NOT FREE to study racism in history Yet it is OK for the governor to fire an elected state attorney for comments he made about bills that were not laws yet So much for the First Amendment

What the state needs most is accountability from the governor!

Why is he spending $10 million on election integrity when there is no evidence of election fraud? Why is he flying legal immigrants from Texas to another state with our tax dollars? ($12 million )

DeSantis isn’t here for Florida He’s working hard to be the “Golden Boy” for the Republican Party Floridians haven’t the time or money to allow an elected official (unknown only a few years ago) pander to his uneducated ignorant supporters at the risk of the state of Florida s established institutions and laws to support his political ambitions He is a danger to the institution of democracy!

At the end of the day it comes down to Rob not really knowing our city We do not want to be like Broward County or Miami or Orlando or Tampa We are Cape Coral and we want to REMAIN Cape Coral “Broward Bob” was trying to make us into something we aren t to reinvent Cape Coral in his own image He needs to go, and we need a City Manager who knows and loves this city

An outrageous attack

To the editor:

Breeze editorial Agree?

Sean Hartman Cape Coral

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis ban of Advanced Placement (AP) high-school class on Black History is an outrageous attack on Black Floridians, civil rights and academic freedom

Floridians are calling on DeSantis to change course

We urge DeSantis to not diminish dismantle and destroy the teaching of Black studies and do more research about the power of diversity, equality, and inclusion

Throughout history, dismantling public institutions (like education) and scapegoating people of color have always been hallmark tactics of authoritarian politicians and fascist move-

Oh! One last thing Don’t forget to send in your teenage daughter’s menstrual information or she can’t play sports FREEDOM!

Brad Turek

Cape Coral

Who’s the money par ty?

To the editor:

A common myth by the left is that the Republicans are for the rich A recent letter accused Republicans of this 1950 marketing idea by the Dems Also mentioned was the wasted money on the Pentagon and that this should be diverted to social issues Biden has already sent trillions of dollars to social issues mortgaging our financial future to promote socialism and buy votes with taxpayer money

Blue States have spent the most on social issues and they are in the worse shape Cost per citizen in the red states, Florida being a prime example is about half the cost per person for state government vs blue states With all that tax money the blue states have cities that are unsafe with rampant

See LETTERS, page 14A

George Tunison

We e k ly B R E E Z E R e c ap

Cape’s ‘Catch the Vision’ set for March 13

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

An annual event providing residents all they need to know about what s coming to Cape Coral takes place next month

“Catch the Vision: Trends Tips and Forecasting ” a production that highlights Cape Coral’s growing real estate market, forthcoming projects, new trends and what to expect in the coming year, takes place March 13 starting a 5 p m at Cape Christian Fellowship

“Catch The Vision informs and educates residents on upcoming projects and new developments in their neighborhoods and throughout the city, said Gloria Tate of Raso Realty, who organizes the event each year, along with Linda Biondi

The 12th annual event will start with a 75-minute trade show (5 p m ) that includes prizes and giveaways, followed by a 75-minute presentation, which is always

Catch The Vision informs and educates residents on upcoming projects and new developments in their neighborhoods and throughout the city ” -- Event organizer Gloria Tate

entertaining and educational Tate said Catch the Vision is information for both residents of the community as well as local real estate community members

“Information is key to keeping the neighborhoods informed on who will be filling up the open land and the benefits that come with each new development or shop-

Thousands attend annual Gumbo Fest at Shell Factory

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

The Shell Factory & Nature Park needs one thing more than anything: To rebuild the nature park hardhit by Hurricane Ian

And under clear skies and warm temperatures the 21st annual edition of Gumbo Fest the attraction s largest fundraiser and homage to Cajun food and zydeco music was another huge success, with thousands coming in to enjoy food drink and good times

This year’s version is perhaps the most important in the event s history considering how devastated the nature park was following the near Category 5 storm

This fundraiser is something we need more than we have in 21 years because of our lovely Ian We want to have a good time and raise a little money to get those habitats rebuilt ” said Pam Cronin owner of the Shell Factory

More than a half-dozen vendors as well as the Southern Grill sold plenty of gumbo and other Cajun classics including boils jambalaya po boys and much more Cronin said she went a little heavier than usual with the trucks, since many businesses have struggled since the storm Cajun Gringos came and served a long line of customers that is until they ran out of food around 3:30 p m Owner Shawn Dumas was happy with the response

“We brought a little Cajun food to stir up business

We had a great day today The people were friendly the music was awesome and we want to come back next year, said Dumas, who had attended before as a customer, but not a vendor

As for the gumbo it got great reviews no matter who was dishing it up Cherie Zundel of North Fort Myers who has attended Gumbo Fest for a few years had the Caribbean seafood gumbo

The lines have been real long today This is the first gumbo I ve tried I love it I wish they would hold this over two days ” Zundel said “The music is the best part I’ll do that once I have the voodoo punch ”

Many came for the gumbo Some came for the music There was plenty to dance about as The P o r c h

y n e D o p s e y & a n d Z y d e c o

CHUCK BALLARO

To p p h o t o , f r o m l e f t , B r o o k e a n d J e n

McBreairty enjoy some gumbo with their friends Linda and Amanda Thompson at the 21st annual Gumbo Fest at the Shell Factory on Sunday Above, is a bowl of seafood gumbo at the Gumbo Fest

Hellraisers provided the high-energy, upbeat music

Dopsey said Gumbo Fest has a taste of home every time he comes and adds the music makes everyone feel good

“The atmosphere and the people here are so good and I love coming back Dopsey said The music is happy Nothing is going to bring your spirits down and lifts you up and makes you shake a foot Andy Burr of the Porchdogs said he loves coming back every year because of how they are treated by fans and the Shell Factory He loves how people react to their music

It s feel-good music, even the said songs and waltzes are high-energy It s also a very good niche Everybody plays Top 40 and classic rock ” Burr said

Pine Island Potters’ Guild Valentine’s Day Show Saturday at Koucky Studios

Be ready for Valentine s Day with a gift of local art!

The Pine Island Potters Guild's February showing will be held Saturday Feb 11 at Koucky Studios from 10 a m to 2 p m Avoid off-island traffic and come to the show in the outdoor courtyard of Koucky Studios (there is ample parking)

Visitors can meet island artists and craftsmen and find perfect gifts for your sweethearts

At 11 a m , check out the raku pottery firing demonstration, featuring the horse-hair technique of pottery decoration Chuck Koucky and some of his pottery students will be demonstrating this method for creating random lines and patterns on the surface of a red-hot raku clay pot using the hair from a tail or mane of a horse

All works by participating artists will be available for purchase This small venue provides a welcoming environment to meet local artists inquire about their craft and learn about opportunities in our area for classes and workshops

The Pine Island Potters Guild shows are held on the second Saturday of each month November through April from 10 a m to 2 p m , in the courtyard of Koucky Studios, located at 5971 Bay Point Road in Bokeelia, at the corner of Bay Point and Stringfellow Roads just after Mile Marker 11 on the east side of Stringfellow

For more information about the Potters Guild Valentine's Day Show and Sale, please call Nancy at 239233-3003 or email her at nrkdesigns@gmail com

ping and dining opportunity ” Tate said

Catch the Vision breaks down what’s on the horizon in one of the fastest-growing cities in the U S including details on the developers, job creation, and opportunities for residents

Attendees also will take home a resource guide that includes directories, flood zone maps, Waste Pro information and much more

“It will also feature the list of projects coming to Cape Coral ” Tate added “Job opportunities are abound with each new development after construction

Tickets to Catch the Vision are $20, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Cape Coral Caring Center Vendor spaces are still available (email catchthevisioncc@gmail com)

For tickets, additional information or to become a vendor, visit www catchthevisioncapecoral com

Cape Christian Fellowship is at 2110 Chiquita Blvd

City to Hernandez: Decision to not renew contract is not a termination

By VALARIE HARRING vharring@newspapers

com

In a pair of hand-delivered letters, the city has notified its top administrator that Cape Coral City Council's vote to not renew his contract is not a termination of employment subject to a charter-provided hearing and that the city anticipates his employment to continue until it expires in August

Council voted 5-3 Wednesday to provide City Manager Rob Hernandez with the six-months notice his contract calls for should either party opt not to renew The contract would have rolled over for an additional year had Council not taken any action

The first letter was a notice of non-renewal, the second a response to Mr Hernandez's request for a hearing as allowed by a city charter provision for terminations

The first letter states:

“Dear Mr Hernandez:

“As you are aware City Council voted February 1, 2023, not to renew your employment agreement as City Manager and to allow your contract to expire on its natural expiration date of August 11 2023 This letter constitutes the timely notice of non-renewal required by Section 1, Term, of your employment agreement “The city appreciates the professional contributions you have made to the city ”

It is signed by Mayor John Gunter

Hernandez

The second letter, in response to Hernandez' request for a public hearing to be scheduled in March, rejects that request saying the charter only provides for a hearing when Council terminates a city manager for cause This is not the case the letter states:

Dear Mr Hernandez:

On Feb 3, 2023, the City received your e-mail requesting a public hearing pursuant to the City's Charter to discuss the February 1 2023 decision by City Council to not renew your employment contract Please be advised however that a public hearing as provided by Section 5 02, Removal, of the Charter is only available if Council is proposing to terminate a city manager for cause You have not been removed from your position as City Manager and your employment has not been terminated Rather your employment is anticipated to continue until the end of your current contract term

It is signed by Mayor John Gunter

The special council meeting held Wednesday had members of council about evenly split between nonrenewal and allowing the contract to roll over for an additional year

Voting against renewal was Gunter and Councilmembers Dan Sheppard, Keith Long, Patty Cummings and Bill Steinke with Gunter, Sheppard, Long and Cummings citing areas of performance or problemsolving they deemed problematic

Supporting an extension of Hernandez’s contract were Councilmembers Jessica Cosden, Robert Welsh and Tom Hayden, each of whom spoke in favor of rollover

Steinke, who cast the deciding vote but did not weigh in with arguments against renewal said what was shaping up as a 4-4 deadlock was in essence a no-confidence vote The effect of that was that Hernandez was not going to stay beyond his current contract term either way

He then cast his vote for non-renewal at the end of a meeting that featured impassioned discussion on both sides Hernandez who was not present at the meeting due to medical-related time off responded by telling council he deserved better than to hear of the decision from a reporter, adding he was entitled to have an opportunity to respond

“Words cannot express the depth of my disappointment in learning of council decision to terminate my employment for performance reasons from an NBC2 reporter I think I deserved better than that, he said via email

“As provided for in the City Charter I am requesting a public hearing be scheduled in March to discuss this decision with me present Given my current medical condition I cannot prepare for a meeting before then

Those who voted to not renew also listed concerns they said have arisen since the evaluation and in the wake of Hurricane Ian

Hernandez took over as the city’s top administrator on Aug 12 2020

He was hired by the city from a field of five finalists, replacing former city manager John Szerlag, who retired after serving as the Cape s city manager for eight years

City Manager Rob

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e c r e t a r y

s h

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Diplomat: Students will head to state competition in April

From page 1A

ified for states at a competition held at Mariner High School There are a variety o f w r i t t e n t e s t s s p e a k i n g a n d c a r e e r research for three different levels

The students who qualified for state will head to Orlando April 13 through April 16 to compete They will take what they have and refine it make it neater to become prepared

The first place winners, and those who qualified for states, for Exploring Medical

Innovations include eighth graders Martin Garcia Nicholas Garcia Nhu Nguyen and Nathan Zukowski

The first place winner, who qualified for states, for prepared speaking is seventh grader Ivan Langeny

The Health Career Display first place winners for Forensic Science includes seventh graders Ashleigh Russell and Leslie Nichols

a s s e

w

Future Health Professionals

of Health and Human Services as well as federal and state agencies is a student led global organization The mission is to help empower students to become leaders in the global health community, through education, collaboration and experience

“It increases their test scores builds confidence I have kids that weren’t good at things and now are winning at this and fitting in with different groups they never would have fit in, Gross said

11 schools receive Highly Reliable Schools Level 1 certification

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

Eleven Lee County schools have been honored for their efforts to engage students

The awards were made by Marzano Resources at the High Reliability Schools Summit, which was held in San Antonio, for achieving Level 1 Certification

Leadership and Professional Development

Executive Director Lynn Herrell said the district s goal is to continue to engage learners in meaningful and relevant activities to ultimately support and increase student achievement

“Student achievement is the bar in which we measure our work, she said Second only to classroom teachers, leadership contributes to what students learn at our school ”

The schools that achieved Level I certifications include:

■ Bayshore Elementary

■ Cape Coral Elementary

■ Challenger Middle

■ Cypress Lake Middle

■ Diplomat Middle

■ Edgewood Academy

Student achievement is the bar in which we measure our work Second only to classroom teachers, leadership contributes to what students learn at our school

Lynn Herrel, School District of Lee County Leadership and Professional Development executive director

■ Hancock Creek Elementary

■ Lexington Elementary

■ Orangewood Elementary

■ San Carlos Park Elementary

■ Trafalgar Elementary

The schools in the first cohort were excited to work towards the certification, Herrell said, adding currently, in cohort three there are three or four high schools participating as well as K-8 schools “ W e a r e g o i n g t o h a v e f o u r m o r e cohorts coming The beauty of this system is that it won t matter who you put in the seat if the system is already in place, she said of leadership There is a five-person team that goes through the training which requires the principal, three teacher leaders and someone from the district

If the principal was replaced they have the leadership right there They know the

indicators, Herrell said, adding that with a new principal there is a new personality, but you can trust the system Can you imagine how amazing that will be? With higher reliability we know all of these factors are in place

Herrell said this year there have been eight new principals and 21 new assistant principals

Superintendent Dr Christopher Bernier said you have to look at the feel of the building to understand the success of a principal That includes areas such as retention and turnover to understand the health of the building The student data piece is also important because with the principal and staff working together you should see a movement in student achievement, Bernier said Professional Development Director Dr Helen Martin said there are 25 essential

leadership actions to create a school-wide plan for student achievement with Highly Reliable Schools Those are broken down into five levels, which includes safe, supportive, and collaborative culture; effective teaching in every classroom; guaranteed and viable curriculum; standards-referenced reporting and competency-based education

The culture of the school cannot be underestimated, Martin said Level one certification means each school has implemented systems to address school culture and collected data on the systems to have desired impact

She said the data is monitored over time with changes being made in real time to correct them “ T h e s c h o o l s s u b m i t t e d d o c u m e n t s videos and student data Level 1 certification creates conditions and foundation for student achievement, Martin said They were recognized last month during the summit They are really ready to move onto Level 2 and 3 The hope is that all schools will achieve Level 1 certification ” Marzano Resources created the high reliability school program to help schools t r a n s f o r m i n t o o r g a n i z a t i o n s t h a t t a k e proactive steps to ensure students success

Cape Coral City Council discusses city attorney search

e w s @ b r e e z e n e w s p a p e r s c o m T h e j o b o f a c i t y a t t o r n e y i s a d i f f i c u l t o n e T h e p e r s o n h a s t o b e v e r y v e r s a t i l e w i t h l e g a l k n o w l e d g e o f a v a s t n u m b e r o f i s s u e s O n W e d n e s d a y , d u r i n g a w o r k s h o p , t h e C a p e C o r a l C i t y C o u n c i l h e a r d f r o m t h e f i r m t h a t w i l l b e t a s k e d w i t h f i n d i n g t h e c a n d i d a t e w h o w i l l t a k e o v e r f o r C i t y A t t o r n e y D o l o r e s M e n e n d e z w h o h a s b e e n i n t h e r o l e s i n c e 2 0 0 1 T h e y a l s o d i s c u s s e d t h e p o s s i b l e e x i t s t r a t e g y f o r M e n e n d e z , w h o h a s s t a t e d a d e s i r e t o r e t i r e i n O c t o b e r 2 0 2 4 b u t i t c o u l d h a p p e n s o o n e r d e p e n d i n g i n w h a t o p t i o n c i t y c o u n c i l d e c i d e s u p o n i n a M a r c h 1 m e e t i n g H e r c o n t r a c t o n c e

a g a i n c o m e s u p f o r c o n s i d e r a t i o n i n A p r i l R e n e e N a r l o c h o f N a r l o c h & A s s o c i a t e s , t h e e x e c u t i v e s e a r c h f i r m t h a t w i l l f i n d t h e c a n d i d a t e s f o r t h e p o s it i o n s a i d t h e r e w i l l b e p a r a m e t e r s a n d r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r t h e p o s i t i o n “ T h e c a n d i d a t e s h o u l d h a v e 1 0 y e a r s o f l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t e x p e r i e n c e a t t h e e x e c u t i v e l e v e l W e a l s o l i k e c a n d i d a t e s w h o h a v e l e g a l e x p e r i e n c e i n l i t i g a t i o n , a d m i n i s t r a t i v e l a w t r i a l l a w o r a p p e l l a t e w o r k ” N a r l o c h s a i d “ W e w o u l d l o o k f o r s o m e o n e w h o h a s w o r k e d f o r s i m i l a r s i z e d a g e n c i e s t o t h e c i t y a n d e i t h e r a s d e p u t y o r l e a d a t t o r n e y f o r a l a r g e r o r g a n i z a t i o n S h e a l s o s a i d t h e n e w c i t y a t t o r n e y w o u l d n e e d t o b e a p p r o a c h a b l e a g o o d

f i t f o r t h e c i t y a n d h a v e b r o a d l e g a l e x p e r i e n c e W e w a n t s o m e o n e w h o c a n f i t i n t h a t c a n b u i l d t r u s t q u i c k l y a n d u n d e rs t a n d t h e y a r e t h e r e t o s e r v e e v e r y o n e , N a r l o c h s a i d “ W e h a v e a g r e a t p r o c e s s w h e r e w e w o r k w i t h y o u a n d s t a f f t o m a k e s u r e w e g e t q u a l i f i e d c a n d i d a t e s a n d w h a t t h e y b r i n g t o t h e t a b l e N a r l o c h s a i d s h e w o u l d g e t f i v e t o s e v e n q u a l i f i e d c a n d i d a t e s f o r t h e c i t y t o c o n s i d e r T h e q u e s t i o n t h e n b e c o m e s w h e n t h a t p e r s o n w o u l d t a k e o v e r h o w m u c h o v e r l a p t h e r e w o u l d b e b e t w e e n t h e n e w a n d o l d c i t y a t t o r n e y , a n d w h e n t h e o l d c i t y a t t o r n e y l e a v e s O n F e b 1 , C o u n c i l d e c i d e d i t w o u l d f i n d a n e w c i t y a t t o r n e y a n d n o t f i n d s o m e o n e w h o w o u l d s e r v e a s a d e p u t y

f o r 1 4 m o n t h s u n t i l M e n e n d e z r e t i r e s a s a p o t e n t i a l s u c c e s s o r m a y n o t b e c o mf o r t a b l e w i t h t h a t W i t h M e n e n d e z s c o n t r a c t u p f o r r e n e w a l o n A p r i l 9 ( t h e c o n t r a c t e x p i r e s O c t 9 ) i t a p p e a r s t o b e c e r t a i n t h a t h e r c u r r e n t c o n t r a c t i s n o t g o i n g t o b e r e n e w e d a n d i t m a y b e i n t h e c i t y ’ s b e s t i n t e r e s t t o g i v e a n o t i c e o f n o n - r e n e w a l , s a i d M a y o r J o h n G u n t e r I t h i n k t h a t i s t h e d i r e c t i o n c o u n c i l i s g o i n g a n d w e w i l l h a v e t h a t t o p i c i n o u r f i r s t m e e t i n g i n M a r c h f o r d i s c u s s i o n ” G u n t e r s a i d “ A f t e r t h a t o n c e s o m e u n k n o w n v a r i a b l e s a r e i d e n t i f i e d , m a y b e a n e w c o n t r a c t c a n b e e n t e r e d i n t o f o r a p e r i o d o f t i m e , w h e t h e r i t s u n t i l O c t o b e r 2 0 2 4 o r s h o r t e r ”

Bridge: ‘Cheaper’ phased-in replacement would cost more overall

From page 1A

County officials have two options

One is to rebuild the entire bridge (which links Cape Coral and College parkways between Cape Coral and Fort Myers) for $218 6 million The county is seeking grants to help fund some of the cost of the new bridge

The other is to rebuild only the westbound lanes and widen the eastbound lane as vessel collision protection system This option would come it at an estimated $20

million less

The eastbound span is said to have about 35 years of life left A new westbound span would have a service life of about 75 years, the same as an entirely new bridge

In addition to three lanes in each direction the new bridge is designed to have bike and breakdown lanes in each direction

The county will perform a toll study to

determine how much it would cost to pay for that bridge

Commissioners expressed concern over a toll increase, especially with all the work that needs to be done with the Sanibel Causeway Gunter agreed with county officials it s a no-brainer to build an all-new span if the cost difference is only $20 million

The mayor used a project the city is doing as an example for spending a little

more to get a lot more

There will come a time when the eastbound span needs to be replaced It will probably be cheaper if you do it now versus half a bridge now and the other half years from now ” Gunter said “It’s similar to Lake Kennedy We had six tennis and 16 pickleball courts It wasn t much more to do Phase 2 and double the size because there was only a small difference

Canal cleanup: City staff says work performed is permit compliant

From page 1A

shorelines in the Ceitus and Embers Parkway areas Wildlife advocates especially are concerned with the proximity of crews to the habitats of protected species such as the burrowing owl, gopher tortoise, and many birds

Hurricane Ian destroyed so much foliage, so many trees

Cape Coral has the least amount of green space of probably any city in Florida and here they are raping 400 miles of canal banks of foliage and trees ” said Cape resident Lori Haus-Bulcock, who spoke and shared photos of work that had recently been performed along canal shorelines What do they think is going to live here anymore? Cape Coral has become ‘pave paradise and put up a parking lot ’”

A large contingent representing non-profit Cape Coal Friends of Wildlife spoke at the meeting They feel the current operation of debris collection has seen an over-removal of vegetation that they say has disturbed and destroyed wildlife habitats, resulted in an unprotected shoreline, and has lowered quality of life for property owners They are also worried that what they called over-removal could correlate with how contractors are compensated which the city has said is by cubic yard CCFW board member and Friends of Wildlife Trust President Cheryl Anderson said it is the group’s mission and they will fight tooth and nail to protect all wildlife species in the city

The city has sent us the permits they received from the Army Corps and the (Department of Environmental Protection) -- and they all specify clearly it s for removing hurricane debris it says nothing about live vegetation ” Anderson said to City Council “It says nothing about stripping the banks -- it says hurricane debris And we all know what that is, we picked up lots of debris following the storm I did You did It s dead branches and leaves, that's not what we re seeing being picked up

She added while there are lots of owl and tortoise burrows marked there are a many that are unmarked as these species relocate to look for food and shelter Additional concerns are that next week starts nesting season for the burrowing owl

On the topic of erosion, Anderson said, A lot of these homes were safe from flooding by the plants and the roots, and the vegetation that was on the banks of these canals Now that’s been eliminated ” Anderson worries that the first big rain following this work will see silt, soil, and runoff enter the canal

Then what happens? We have to get it dredged And that’s what you should be using in the first place -- you should have a barge to remove this debris And now you’re going to have to dredge these canals because all of that soil is going to go back in the water

I ll say what I said while I sat in a Category 4 hurricane at my friends house; Make this stop Please, make this stop ’”

Resident and CCFW member Dan Carney said his concern is what he called the lack of activity on the part of the city of oversee the process I think it s really important for all the citizens of Cape Coral to maintain whatever wildlife we ve got It s precious, he said “A lot are either endangered or threatened I just don’t understand how this kind of program can be put in place with no accountability and it’s up to the citizens that live there to come to (Council) and tell you what s going on in your own city and own neighborhood

Carney said the work being done has damaged not just the wildlife that live there but the opportunity for visitors to come and explore and enjoy these special creatures and waterways that Cape Coral has to offer

We re destroying the very reason people come here, Carney said

CCFW past president Pascha Donaldson said she s spent the last four days out where the crews (Tetra Tech and Ceres Environmental) were working and was told they should not discuss any happenings with her

“Some of the issues I have is -- those people who are walking the field that so- called are qualified from Tetra Tech to identify wildlife -- do they know what an indigo snake is? Do they know what a gopher tortoise burrow looks like when it s only 3 inches wide as opposed to a huge burrow? The answer given to me was yes in this one incident The person grew up here in Cape Coral and is familiar with it Lots of people grew up in Cape Coral, but they re not familiar with it They re not certified They re not trained

The people out in the field -- I don t understand why they weren’t trained from the beginning We’re into February this started in November I don’t understand why Fish and Wildlife weren t consulted Donaldson shared her frustration that if a crew needs to get to one piece of debris that may be hanging over the water, they have to remove anything in their way

“It’s unnecessary ” she said “I’ve been out there I’ve witnessed it I saw rabbits running into the street getting killed I ve seen dead snakes on the road This is changing the ecology of our waterways; the most precious thing we have here in Cape Coral We re approaching and in nesting season for our real snowbirds that come down here to have their babies What’s going on?”

City staff responds

Following the public criticism, Public Works Director Michael Ilczyszyn and Solid Waste Manager Terry Schweitzer addressed the topic and thanked CCFW for what they do for the community

“I committed to (Donaldson) that I would go out in the field, I would speak to debris contractors, I would speak to debris monitors and observe crews, and I ve done that, Ilczyszyn said Terry and I have both looked at ways to improve what we’re doing and we’re continuing to do that

“The task that Terry and I have is to deal in fact and to deal in the regulatory scope that we have ”

Ilczyszyn said he understands that residents have indicated that green vegetation is being removed, which he doesn t dispute I ve seen it I ve been there I ve observed it It s unfortunately part of the recovery efforts ” he said

PROVIDED

I ve seen it I ve been there I ve observed it It s unfortunately part of the recovery efforts ”

Cape Coral Public Works Director Michael Ilczyszyn of the removal of green vegitaton along canals that have hurricane debris

Ilczyszyn added that damaged trees can still have green branches and leaves for up to 6 months despite the inevitability it will die

The city s Army Corps permit states that crews have to cut a damaged tree at the root, and then stand it back up on the canal in order to prevent erosion They are not allowed to remove in its entirety Ilczyszyn said they basically chainsaw it at the waterline and then use a bucket to peel it back and fold it back into place If there s other vegetation in the way of that machinery getting to the canal bank or to that fallen debris in the canal crews are required by the permit to basically cut their way into it

“They are authorized to remove that green stuff to get to it, Ilczyszyn said It s part of the process It s not perfect

Ilczyszyn said there are independent monitors on-site with each crew to make sure they re not being overly aggressive and clearing properties and are looking out for endangered species such as burrowing owls and gopher tortoise

“Debris monitors their job is to make sure it’s not that free-for-all that is being described, Ilczyszyn said They verify the stuff being taken out is eligible They have no incentive to take out more than what is required

City officials this past week met with the National

See CANAL CLEANUP, page 19A

Debris removal is under way along canal banks and canals in Cape Coral City-contracted crews have come under criticism from local wildlife advocate groups and homeowners City officials say the work is being monitored and is being performed in compliance with city permits and that the clearing of green vegetation is part of the process

Proximity: District urges parents to become informed

From page 1A

showing up to school late and getting home late every day Next year it could be 10,000 because we are growing, Persons said

This plan offers the opportunity for rising elementary students to be grandfathered under the plan, meaning they would be allowed to remain at their school until they complete the highest grade offered

The district though would not provide transportation for students who stay at a school outside their new proximity zone

The plan provides the option to remain enrolled at their current school, but parents “must provide transportation if they live beyond new attendance zones ” The plan states that “students will only receive transportation for elementary schools within the residential choice proximity zone in which they reside

A concurrent window will be provided for those who wish to enter the new proximity lottery The plan states that the families who do not make an enrollment decision by the end of the lottery period will be automatically entered into the new proximity lottery so that school bus transportation will be available to them ”

There also is a sibling preference for those incoming kindergarten students who have a sibling already enrolled in an elementary school

In the current West Zone the elementary school proximity plan zones are:

A:

■ Hector Cafferata Jr

■ Patriot

■ Skyline

■ Trafalgar

B:

■ Caloosa

■ Diplomat

■ Hancock Creek

■ Littleton

■ Tropic Isles

C:

■ Bayshore

■ J Colin

■ North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts

F

■ Cape

■ Gulf

■ Pelican

Pine Island, The Sanibel School and Fort Myers Beach are each within their own proximity zone

The hard work just started by passing this proximity plan tonight, the hard work begins with communication, School District of Lee County Superintendent Dr Christopher Bernier said

The Student Enrollment Plan for 20232024 was passed unanimously

The proximity map reduces the number of elementary school choices from 12 to

Open Enrollment begins Monday

Open Enrollment for elementary schools starts Monday, Feb 13, and runs through Friday March 10

Elementary families are encouraged to determine what schools are in their new proximity zone through an interactive map at https://www leeschools net/our district/departments/academic services/student enrollment/elementary open enrollment Parents then must make a choice for their child:

■ Stay in their current school

■ Transportation will not be provided if the school is outside the proximity zone

■ Enter the student assignment lottery for a new school in their proximity zone

Students enrolled in a school in their proximity zone, who want to stay in that school, do not need to take action Students enrolled in a school outside their zone, who wish to stay in that school, must confirm their choice to provide transportation through their FOCUS Parent Portal Students who want or need to enter the assignment lottery for a school in their new zone must use their FOCUS Parent Portal to rank their choices

Families can create a FOCUS Parent Portal or log into their existing one at https://www leeschools net/our schools/focus

Incoming kindergarten students should also use this open enrollment period to register for the 2023/2024 school year and/or rank their school choices for the assignment lottery through their FOCUS Parent Portal

Elementary school students transferring from charter or private schools or new to the District, must visit the Student Enrollment Office at 2855 Colonial Blvd in Fort Myers before March 10, to register for the student assignment lottery

four, as well as reduces the scale of transportation by more than 100 square miles, on average In years two and three, middle school choices will be a goal as they will be aligned with proximity maps with the transportation moving to a three-tiered system, allowing for the ability to adjust high and middle school start and end times

Board member Melisa Giovannelli said it is time to rip off the bandage “I think that the only way people are going to listen (is when) they have to enroll their child and find out their options are going to be different, she said Parents aren’t going to pay attention until they have to If this plan doesn’t work I want everyone to contact every board member That is the only way we can make a difference and change

Board member Jada Langford-Fleming also supports the plan

“I do believe there are going to be some bumps in the road ” she said adding that there will need to be some tweaking along the way We don't know until we put this into plan

Board member Sam Fisher was also a supporter of the plan stating this is one of the biggest changes in decades for the school district

The board member shared that his son used to attend a school in the northeast Cape They then moved to a different part of Cape Coral and tried to transfer him but it was within the same Choice zone

We had him on the bus for 45 minutes, an hour, an hour and a half This model was not sustainable Frankly there is not another way to do it ” Fisher said “I know it may not be easy in the beginning but it is the right thing to do

Board concerns included communicating with parents, as many are still unaware of the proximity plan, the grandfathering clause and how that affects whether the child can continue to ride a school bus

I definitely want to make sure every parent knows and are well aware that there may be a huge change in their family and transportation issues could arise ”

Langford-Fleming said

Board member Debbie Jordan agreed

If I have to knock on doors I will be willing to knock on doors to make sure that information is getting out, she said

One of the greatest concerns during public comment rose from the North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts community

Lori Madl, the dance director at North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts, said there are 200 students who have grown and have learned within the walls of the K-8 school who will be affected

“How will this affect the learning of students who want to stay, but may be uprooted because of a bus stop? she said Of course we will welcome any student in our doors but we really want to keep the culture we have at the school for the students we know love the arts

North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts Theater Director Kathy Rivadeneira said they enrich the lives of thousands of students through the arts She asked the board to make an amendment to allow for the important social economic diversity to continue by holding seats open for those outside of Zone C

Please don t allow students from only one area, one background, one income level to fill these spots leaving no room for the rich blend we currently have Think about what is right for all of our students ” she said Caleb Lowman, a past board member for the North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts Foundation said there will be the power of unintended consequences as a result of the plan Something that has taken more than 20 years to build can be destroyed very quickly the arts program as there could be more than 100 new incoming students to the school he said Lowman asked the board to open up the seats to the elementary school and allow it to have an audition process, so the school can attract children that are interested in the arts

“You are not going to be able to turn that back around and fix it The arts program that program is going to be heavily impacted You will have an influx of students that have no inclination of the arts whatsoever As you make this choice you are going to influx a bunch of students that don’t have this priority ” Lowman said

Bernier said North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts is a gem of a program and could be the diamond and crown of the School District of Lee County

“All schools should have a viable arts program Every child based upon where they go to school and where they are located in this community deserves an opportunity for fine arts, drama, music, orchestra to ensure a whole child is educated ” he said “We have to ensure each zone and each school has certain programs

Bernier also spoke about the community s question of turning North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts into a magnet program He said to him a magnet school is where kids from all of Lee County could choose to go

Our system is broken, Bernier said of transportation We need to do something different or 3 000 students that are late every day is going to increase ”

The district has to take the first step of the plan and see what transpires with those grandfathering students

We expect there could be an impact We may be solving an issue we don't have right now Each week we will have updates of the number of parents choosing to grandfather If it doesn t stabilize, we may have to come back to the board for an exception to the rule, Bernier said

Letters to the Editor:

From page 4A

crime and education is marginal particularly after the pandemic when the blue states took classroom school away Many students did not have sufficient home support to keep their education going

It’s an oxymoron that people in blue states look at red Florida as paradise

Of equal importance is the protection from foreign aggression We are the target of every aggressive nation Nothing is more protective than strength One never attacks a dangerous stronger foe Technology in weapons is now beyond our imagination and our foes force us to stay ahead of them Is there waste in defense spending? Sure As much as in Medicare? Not even close Other government programs? Always major waste in government! Do Dems think spending money is the way to solve problems? Or is it to buy votes?

A current example buying votes is Biden s effort to pay off education loans That is terribly unfair for all those who have paid their way many who have worked their way through college It s a clear effort to take the responsibility away from those who have

benefitted Of course the bloated universities bask in student loans Is this a round-about reward for the universities’ enormous support of Democrats?

In regard to Republicans being for the rich, note that 65% of all voters who earn a minimum of $500 000 vote Democratic! Then you look at some noted Dems and you see Pelosi worth $135 million Clintons worth $120 million, and Obama worth $70 million already That is a lot to accumulate on a government salary Do the Dems have billionaires? Gates Soros Buffet Zuckerberg and Bezos all support Dems Those five have close to $500 billion net worth That is 5 with 11 zeros

Accusing the Republicans of invading Social Security is another 1950 idea It was the Dems who first raided our Social Security bank for the War on Poverty that basically broke up the poor families but won their eternal vote

May I suggest to the lefties that they step out of the 1950s and update their rhetoric to current America and the now Dems a special interest money party John Benedict Cape Coral

February is prime time to fish for sheepshead

From backyard Cape canals to nearshore reefs February is prime sheepshead spawning time for those willing to donate some bait to try and fool these hard-fighting, hungry and, for the novice, tricky-to-hook fish that are as much fun to eat as they are to catch

If you’re new to the game start your search in the classic deep-water spots like bridge and dock pilings where baits are presented vertically hugging the piling on the drop all the way to the bottom then lightly jigged or crawled along the bottom, as in inches at a time

Remember its winterslow down

This popular catching and eating fish is readily available to the walking angler as well by using the many public docks jetties and riprap-lined seawalls throughout the area

Most anglers burn expensive fuel to get to their nearshore sheepie bite while others stay near home simply idling along Cape canals, using their electronics to find schools Once found, these new locations will often become dependable winter hot spots for years to come

Others will encounter this fish’s second choice home in shallower waters --oyster beds or bars especially those connected to a cut or channel running by or around it

Lately I ve had success fishing docks near the ICW, even catching a few double-digit fish and have also had reports from anglers hunting Boca Grande Pass fish-holding structures

These sharp-eyed bait stealers call for light line to fool them at the same time putting the angler at a distinct disadvantage as sheepshead territory is also razor-sharp, barnacle-encrusted, line-parting territory as well When you hook up the fish will instinctively use the available cover to try and break off so put maximum heat on it to keep it out of cover Like grouper fishing the battle is often won or lost in the first minutes -- actually seconds, as the fish heads back to the safety of its underwater cover Rig up with 15 to 20-pound braid and a long fluorocarbon leader Use the lightest leader you think you can get away with Often I’ll go way down to 12-pound test but never lighter

Various rigs would include a dropper rig That is a weight at the end of the line and a 3-way swivel above for the other short line and hook, a simple hook and split shot rig, even a plain 1/8-ounce jig head all work for live or various dead bait presentations

A quality size 1 or 2 thin wire ultra-sharp J style or octopus hook seems to work best on these hard mouthed, hard scaled and toothy fish

Whatever your method, line watchers catch the most fish Those that have a good feel also catch the most fish You’ll definitely lose some before you get the hang of it so focus and pay attention

Sheepshead are crunchers enjoying food that comes in shells like tiny crabs, barnacles and shrimp, so if you re dock fishing, look for older docks with heavy growth on the pilings that support life underneath the water I like making a cast or two to a piling then quietly moving to the next till I cover each one in the row finally finding the ones holding the fish Quiet is key here as they spook quite easily being right below the boat's hollow hull No luck? Try chumming Take your shovel and bucket and scrape off a bucket full of piling barnacles and dribble them out while fishing to attract fish to your location

The usual baits -- fiddler crabs shrimp bits, clams, barnacles and oysters -- all are favorites, but today I saw a You Tube clip of a guy slaying huge sheepies using a tub of plain old earthworms a split shot and a number 2 hook Sheepies can also be sight-fished using realistic fake crabs from Savage Canka and Crusty Crab

Capt George Tunison is a Cape

Mariner girls cruise to regional soccer win

Acosta's hat trick, two assists help lead Tritons past St Petersburg, 8-0

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

The road to defending a state championship started with a dominating win for the Mariner girls soccer team Tuesday night

The No 1 seed in the FHSAA 5A Region 3 bracket dispatched of its opponent in convincing fashion as the Tritons (15-4-

1) toppled No 8 seed St Petersburg 8-0 in a shortened match

Mariner scored roughly 30 seconds into the match and never looked back, led by junior and Florida State commit Ryleigh Acosta's hat trick and two assists

“We're taking it one game at a time and we re not looking ahead, and we re not looking back, said Mariner head coach Jami Hagy, now in her sixth season as head coach “We're focusing on each game individually ”

Senior captain Sarah Paddock opened the scoring in the first minute for the home squad as she dribbled past and through defenders into the penalty area and landed her shot In the 12th minute freshman Kelsi Longbardi notched Mariner's second goal as she beat the keeper to a 50/50 ball in space and took a shot that went off the far crossbar and in

Shortly thereafter Acosta lined up to take a free kick about a yard outside of the penalty area and couldn't have struck the ball any better Her shot cleared the wall of defenders and slotted perfectly in the top right corner of the net

“I knew the free kick was a crucial chance for us ” Acosta said of her dazzling goal “I just knew I had to finish the chance so we can continue our season

The Tritons connoted to pour it on in the first half when in minute

19, freshman

Carly Paz sped past the Green Devils' back line and fired a shot past the keeper Nearly 10 minutes later senior captain Kira Wilson headed one in off of an Acosta corner and took a 5-0 lead into the break Hagy said at this point in the year, there's no time to take any opponent lightly This was somewhat of a statement win for

CJ HADDAD

Mariner junior and University of Florida commit Ryleigh Acosta s (20) hat trick and two assists led the Tritons to an 8-0 win in the regional opener Tuesday night

Mariner after losing a heartbreaking district final to North in penalty kicks last week

"We worked hard in practice " Hagy said Obviously we came off that PK loss and the girls were ready to go " Mariner did not take the foot of the gas in the final 40 minutes (though they would not all be needed) as Acosta netted her second of the match just a minute into the second half, as a nifty passing sequence found her one-on-one with the keeper, and she didn't miss her mark In the 60th minute, Acosta found the back of the net once more completing the hat trick

It felt really good especially after the loss against North, Acosta said of her and her team's performance We came into tonight wanting to play our best and how we always play ”

Sophomore Caroline Pelkofski drilled a

long-range shot past the St Pete keeper just after the 60th minute to end the match at 80 and send Mariner into the regional semifinals Friday night The Tritons will host No 4 seed Naples at 7 p m

We're going to just try and rest up and focus on our game plan for the next team and go get the job done ” Hagy said

If both Mariner and No 2 North Fort Myers (hosting a regional final versus Baron Collier) advance, both clubs will meet again in the regional final on Feb 14

As for what it will take to repeat as state champs Acosta said “Just taking it one game at a time and playing our brand of soccer

Connect with Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad cj

Charlotte ends North Fort Myers' season, 69-52 Red Knight boys stumble in district tournament battle

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers

com

A season filled with milestones for the North Fort Myers basketball team came to a n e n d W e d n e s d a y n i g h t a s t h e R e d Knights fell to Charlotte High School 6952 in district play

A tight first quarter turned into an out-ofr e a c h t a s k f o r N o r t h a s t h e T a r p o n s dropped in 26 points in the second quarter to pull away and never look back

It's just too many empty possessions

(for us) That's really what it is, said North head coach Leland Clifford “It's been the problem all year is that we'll go five possessions without getting a shot ”

The traveling Red Knights stayed even with the No 1 seed in the District 6A-11 tournament in the opening five minutes Early on North went on a 7-0 run highlighted by a Levontai "Bo" Summersett 3point shot to take a lead At the end of the first, the Red Knights only found themselves down 15-11

The second quarter is where things changed as Charlotte went on a 5-0 run to start the quarter The fast-break game size inside and high-percentage shooting from deep put the Tarpons up by 13 halfway through the quarter and take a 20-point lead into halftime Charlotte sustained its 20-point lead when the buzzer sounded to end the third and ultimately won decisively to advance to Friday's District Championship

Wednesday BOYS SOCCER

REGION 5A-3

Seminole Osceola 3, Mariner 2 (2OT):

Maximo Gorosito scored for Mariner in regulation and came within a goalie's fingertips of leveling the match in the final seconds Thomas Castano scored off a corner kick in the second OT for the Tritons (10-85) Golden Gate 2 Parrish Community 1

Barron Collier 4 Northeast 0 Naples 2 Braden River 1 Saturday's semifinals Seminole Osceola at Golden Gate

The Red Knights' usually high-powered o f f e n s e , l e d b y S u m m e r s e t t , Q u e n t i n Wimbush and Atavious Weaver, was held in check after finding openings in the first quarter

C l i f f o r d s a i d h i s t e a m had a difficult time dealing with a change in defensive style from Charlotte (Charlotte) did a good job ” Clifford said “Their game plan was clearly to come in sit in a zone -- we spent a lot of time working on that We broke it and had the lead for a little bit there Then when they switched to man we just mentally didn't make the switch back to our man offense So all night long, they were just still stuck in that idea that they were going to keep running that trap ” T h e R e d K n i g h t s a l s o p l a y a z o n e defense -- one that Clifford said had been battle tested all season long, and successfully “We're a zone team ” he said “We're forcing 24 turnovers a game We're holding teams to shooting roughly 25% from the 3point line We hold teams to about 10 free throws a game The defense has never been the issue here While things didn't end how the squad would have liked it's been a season of mile-

Naples at Barron Collier

Wednesday Feb 15

Semifinal winners

REGION 3A-2

Tampa Prep 6, Oasis 0: The region's top seed ended the Sharks first trip into the regional playoffs at 12-6-2

Bishop Verot 1, Windermere Prep 0: Verot (9-5-6) won its third in a row, moving into the 3A-2 semifinals against No 1 seed Tampa Prep

Lake Highland Prep 2 Fort Meade 1

Tampa Catholic 2, Berkeley Prep 1 Saturday's semifinals

stones for the Red Knights Weaver became the first Red Knight in history to record 1,000 rebounds and score 1,000 points in his career Shortly after, Wimbush became the second player in school history to score 1 0 0 0 p o i n t s a n d h e accomplished that feat in just three seasons Earlier in the week, Wimbush also broke a long-time record set by Dion Sanders when he scored 45 points in a win over Riverdale setting t h e a l l - t i m e r e c o r d f o r points in a game That's something that can't be forgotten, Clifford said of his players' accomp l i s h m e n t s “ T h e y ' r e t h e only senior class in the last 2 5 y e a r s t h a t s b e a t e n Dunbar, Bishop Verot and Fort Myers None of those guys had to come here There was nothing here when they did You look at guys like (Wimbush) and (Weaver) and (Summersett), they re as integral to this program being built that anything that I've done Without them, we're not where we're at ” Cape Coral High School dropped its 6A11 semifinal game versus Fort Myers The Green Wave will travel to Charlotte Friday for the district title

Connect with Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad cj

Bishop Verot at Tampa Prep Lake Highland Prep at Tampa Catholic Wednesday, Feb 15 Semifinal winners

BOYS BASKETBALL DISTRICT 6A-11

All games 7 p m Charlotte 69, North Fort Myers 52: North's season came to an end, with the Red Knights 10-16 on the year Fort Myers 53, Cape Coral 47: The Seahawks finished the season at 13-11 with See PREP REPORT, page 19A

Capt George Tunison

Cape Coral Breeze Athletes of the Week

Cape Coral Breeze Athletes Week of the

(Selected by the Breeze Sports staff)

Sponsored by:

PREP REPORT

Fort Myers 53, Cape Coral 47: The Seahawks finished the season at 13-11 with their loss in the semifinals Friday's championship

Charlotte

Charlotte 67, Dunbar 62 Mariner 80, Cypress Lake 65: The Tritons (17-9) move into Friday s district final against top seed Port Charlotte

From page 18A CJ

at Port Charlotte

championship

TENNIS

School of Naples 7, Oasis 0: The Sharks (1-1) are home Monday against Gateway Charter Tuesday GIRLS SOCCER REGION 5A-3 All matches 7 p m At higher seeds North Fort Myers 5, Braden River 1: Freshman Hannah Busenbark scored twice for the Red Knights (13-2-3), and Lexi Neumann made three assists Carolina Jenkins had a goal and an assist, Sohia Quartuccio and Brianna Sullivan scored a goal each and Evie McCarthy made an assist Next up is a semifinal date with Naples on Friday Mariner 8, St Petersburg 0: The

(15-4-1) are home against Barron Collier in the semifinals

From page 9A

Resource Conservation Society to do a field tour The NRCS said these areas would be eligible for shoreline restoration such as plantings

The problem that we re going to have is (the NRCS) told us in those same meetings, they have no funding available to even help us ” Ilczyszyn said

Ilczyszyn said he and Schweitzer this week also reviewed policies for the monitors and contractors performing work He said there is no guideline that states an ecologist must be on-site Ilczyszyn said they are setting up a training for all contractors to give them additional knowledge on what to look for in addition to pamphlets they received earlier

This week, city officials have also asked contractors that when they do find a burrow that is unmarked to report it to the city so it can be added to the database

Schweitzer added, We are not doing land clearing on behalf of any future growth or contractors’ behalf Part of that misconception comes from the way we have to approach it from land-based removal operations We have to travel from the roadway down the easement to the back of the lot, and then work on the back easement of the lot So there is some removal of vegetation that is incidental to the actual removal of the vegetation debris ” Schweitzer said there have been instances during the removal process where wildlife were identified, and work was stopped until a best practice method could be found or left

Ryleigh Acosta

one of her three goals in the Mariner Tritons' 8-0 regional opener win over St Petersburg Tuesday night

Dunbar 64, Island Coast 53: The Gators season ended at 10-14 Kobey Babernitch led Island Coast with 19 points, w i t h I s i a s O r t i z - T o r r e s s c o r i n g 1 4

Wednesday GIRLS TENNIS Fort Myers 6, Ida Baker 1

Singles: Gabriela Whitmer (FM) d

K a t h r y n e J o n e s 6 - 3 , 6 - 3 E l i z a b e t h

Ida Baker 43: T h e R e d K n i g h t s ( 1 0 - 1 5 ) s c o r e d 3 2 fourth-quarter points to pull away from the B u l l d o g s G a v i n H o l l o w a y s c o r e d 1 2 points and pulled down nine rebounds for Ida Baker

DISTRICT 5A-11 All games 7 p m

K r e m e n c h u c k e r ( F M ) d A l e x a n d r a Hamilton 60- 6-2 Maddi Welsh (FM) d Ella Peterson (6-0 6-1 Isabelle Rose (FM) d Brooke Robinson 6-1, 6-2 Amber A b e r ( F M ) d J u l i k a F e i x z 6 - 0 , 6 - 0

D o u b l e s : J o n e s - H a m i l t o n ( I B ) d

W e l s h / A l e x a n d r a B o c a n e g r a 8 - 4 L i l i

F a b b r i n i / A a n i k a S h e i t y ( F M ) d Peterson/Robinson 8-2 Record: Ida Baker 0-1

Canal cleanup: Council says city committed to proper process

ing well and are making every effort to improve the process ”

Mayor John Gunter said “For me I want to make sure that we police ourselves to make sure that we are working within the confines of the specified permit I think that s our responsibility as a city to make sure that happens -- whether it’s Tetra Tech or the subcontractors that do that removal -- it still falls upon us to make sure that they are doing what they re supposed to do It sounds like we are, but I want to make sure we're dotting our Is and crossing our Ts Councilmember Bill Steinke inquired if there would be a way to drag a large piece of vegetive debris over healthy debris instead of clearing everything out to get to it

(The crews perform) I guess the most time-efficient and cost-effective way that they can get it ”

Schweitzer said “Yes they are paid by the cubic yard of anything they remove but if they have to do something to get to the canopy (and) they ve got to remove more vegetation to get to it, that s what they'll have to do ”

Hurricane debris removal has some waterfront property owners concerned Pictured is a portion of the bank of a canal off of Embers Parkway West where most all vegetation has been removed

think we’re doing enough District 2 Councilmember Dan Sheppard said, It seems to me there s no intent of malice I think staff respects wildlife as well and it seems to be that they’re going to do what they can to improve I think staff is respond-

CCFW officials said they are looking into any potential environmental legal action pertaining to the work

The Breeze did confirm with Florida Fish and Wildlife that they are looking into the sites

Debris removal being done is part of the FEMA reimbursement program

To report a burrowing owl or gopher tortoise burrow, residents can call 311

Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad cj

PHOTO PROVIDED

scores

CAPE CORAL BREEZE

LOCAL LIVING

Business I Homes I Health I Education I Leisure

Taking care of you while taking care of your garden

By JANETTA FOX news@breezenewspapers

com

During the most recent UF/IFAS Extension Florida

M a s t e r G a r d e n e r V o l u n t e e r T r a i n i n g C o n f e r e n c e

Madeline Hooper and fitness trainer Jeff Hughes, the hosts of the PBS series GardenFit, offered a number of useful and safe approaches to staying healthy and aligned Following are a few of the highlights from both that presentation and their television program

GARDEN CLUB OF CAPE CORAL

We know how important having the right gardening tools in the right condition are to ensuring landscape plants receive the proper care they need to survive and thrive All too often, though, it seems w e n e g l e c t t h e m o s t important tool of all ourselves We tend to dig into our outdoor chores giving little attention to preparing ourselves for the day’s activities The result: our bodies remain out of balance, resulting in a mixed bag of aches and pains

What can we do about this situation? Rather than proceeding full speed ahead begin by scanning your posture and stance and paying attention to body positioning when preparing to work in the garden Take note of what may be keeping you out of balance and take steps toward correction Some suggestions include feet grounded a distance apart rather than close together, upper torso lifted and shoulders squared for good posture and positioning Keeping grounded and mindfully aware of your posture is an important first step toward alignment

Have you considered mixing it up when gardening? If you have a few items to tend to in your lands c a p e s u c h a s w e e d i n g p r u n i n g t r i m m i n g a n d mulching rather than focusing all your effort on one task before moving on to the next item on your list, consider trading out activities to lessen wear and tear on your body

For example rather than spending your entire morning weeding by hand or laying mulch which could cause considerable lower back strain change to another activity after a half hour or so You could reach up to prune a tree for a short while, again keeping your feet firmly planted, and then move on to pruning bushes before returning to weeding Rather than standing with your feet together when tending to bushes try placing one foot in front of the other with the front knee slight-

See TAKING CARE OF YOU page 11B

Concert at Rack’em Spirits & Times to feature four up-and-coming bands

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

The live music scene and youth movement across Southwest Florida is a growing one, and next weekend, one local venue will feature a several bands looking to make their mark

On Feb 17 starting at 8 p m , Rack'em Spirits & Times serves as the venue for up-and-coming groups Red Letter Day Offset Era Social Infants and Rath & The Wise Guys

Red Letter Day is making its first appearance in Cape Coral and hails from Gainesville; Rath & The Wise Guys is a band formed in Tampa and Offset Era and Social Infants are local to Southwest Florida Rack'em has always tried to support original music coming through the area,” said owner Andrew Gray Red Letter Day serves as the headliner and will feature s o n g s f r o m i t s n e w l y - r e l e a s e d E P “ I t E n d s U p I n

Everything” highlighted by single “King John ” The group was formed at the University of Florida last year where lead guitarist Sam Reasor, rhythm guitarist (and vocals) Kyle Wampler and vocalist Eduardo Giralt studied The group had an additional member that is no longer with the

group and has recently added drummer Daniel Klohr and Sam Graf on bass

“Most of our shows are in and around Gainesville but we like to branch out and reach other audiences ” Reasor said We ve been playing in Orlando and have performed at shows in Tampa and Sarasota

The other bands we have on our lineup have played local to Cape Coral before so we're excited to be able to play there ”

R e d L e t t e r D a y d r a w s i n s p i r a t i o n f r o m a punk/emo/post-hardcore style Giralt wrote the six songs on the EP over the course of a year, brought them to the band and crafted their vision together Reasor and other members of the band have also written tracks that have been released by the group

“We all are really obsessed with music and we all tend to have a completed idea of what something is in our head, and we'll bring that to practice, Giralt said We bounce around ideas for transitions and intros and different things like that ”

Giralt said his vocal stylings and inspirations come

See CONCERT, page 6B

PHOTO PROVIDED

City force main transmission installation continues in South Cape

Ride in an air-conditioned bus with e x p e r t b i r d e r / p h o t o g r a p h e r s T a m m y & Dave McQuade and Eary Warren The tour i s o f f e r e d b y C a p e C o r a l F r i e n d s o f W i l d l i f e i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h t h e 2 1 s t

Annual Burrowing Owl Festival - Wildlife & E n v i r o n m e n t a l E x p o s i t i o n S a t u r d a y

Feb 25 at Rotary Park in Cape Coral

The McQuades were high school sweethearts, have been married for 36 years, and

are big year birders They have observed over 700 species of birds in the U S in each of the last four years Dave now holds the distinction of being number 1 on e Bird, having the most species ever photographed in the US: 877

In addition the couple administers the SW Florida Bird Alert Group on Facebook and Dave is on the board of the American Birding Association They love to share

about their birding experiences and help other birders!

Florida native and Cape Coral resident

Eary Warren has a great passion for the outdoors His love of wildlife started at a y o u n g a g e a n d h a s s t a y e d w i t h h i m throughout his life He enjoys sharing his knowledge of Florida flora and fauna with everyone he meets In 2019 Eary and his wife Jennifer set the Florida state "Big

Year" record for most bird species seen in one year They accomplished this feat while working full-time with two children Eary also holds the Lee County Big Day r e c o r d H e i s a n a

r o f

Florida Bird Alert on Facebook He can

Spring Talent Recruitment Fair scheduled for April 29

EDUCATION NOTES

represent nearly all of Rhode Island's cities and towns all six New England states New York and New Jersey and many other states and countries

exemplifying excellence in the attainment of their educational goals

To qualify for Dean's List at VSU students must achieve a semester grade point average of 3 50 or higher on nine or more semester hours with an institutional grade point average of 3 00 or higher Please note that developmental studies transient and graduate students are not eligible for Dean s List status

Established in 1906, Valdosta State University is a comprehensive university offering both extensive academic cultural and social opportunities of a major university and small classes and close personal a t t e n t i o n o

t i t u t i o n s V S U b o a s t s n e a r l y 2 0 0 a c a d e m i c p r o g r a m s leading to associate, bachelor, master, specialist and doctoral degrees as well as o p t i o n s t o a d d a c e r t i f i c a t i o n m i n o r endorsement or certificate to that degree

For more information, visit www valdosta edu

Varkoly ear ns degree from University of Mar yland Global Campus

ADELPHI, Md -- Evelyn Varkoly of Cape Coral earned a bachelor of science cum laude in psychology from University of Maryland Global Campus in fall 2022

Varkoly was one of more than 7,600 students worldwide who earned degrees from UMGC in the fall Graduates came from all 50 states five U S territories and 18 countries C e l e b r a t i n g i t s 7 5 t h a n n i v e r s a r y University of Maryland Global Campus was established in 1947 to serve adults in t h e w o r k f o r c e T o d a y , U M G C e n r o l l s some 90 000 students annually offering bachelor's master's and doctoral degree programs as well as certificates in more than 125 fully online, hybrid and face-toface programs and specializations

UMGC now offers classes to military service personnel and their families at more than 180 locations in more than 20 countries More than half of the university s students are active-duty military personnel, their families, members of the National Guard and veterans

For additional information please visit https://www umgc edu/

Noetzel named to University of Rhode Island

Dean's List

KINGSTON RI -- The University of Rhode Island has announced that Abigail Noetzel of Cape Coral has b e e n n a m e d t o t h e F a l l 2022 Dean's List Students named to the Dean's List

To be included on the Dean's List, fulltime students must have completed 12 or more credits for letter grades which are GPA applicable during a semester and achieved at least a 3 30 quality point average Part-time students qualify with the accumulation of 12 or more credits for letter grades which are GPA applicable earning at least a 3 30 quality point average

To view the entire Dean's List visit: uri edu/academics/deans-list/

Founded in 1892, the University of Rhode Island is the principal public flagship research and graduate institution in Rhode Island It has more than 14 500 undergraduate students and 2 200 graduate students representing 48 states and 76 countries across the globe With 203 academic programs, URI offers its undergraduate graduate and professional students educational opportunities To learn more visit: uri edu

Kenna-Shadrick

ear ns Dean's List honor at Lee University CLEVELAND Tenn -- Lee University h a s a n n o u n c e d t h a t C a l e i g h K e n n aShadrick of Cape Coral has earned Dean's List honors during the Fall 2022 semester Dean's List recognition is earned by full-time undergraduate students with a semester grade point average between 3 7 and 4 00 Lee University is a private, Christ-cent e r e d u n i v e r s i t y l o c a t e d i n C l e v e l a n d , T e n n e s s e e i n t h e f o o t h i l l s o f t h e Appalachian Mountains Over the past t h r e e d e c a d e s L e e h a s e x p e r i e n c e d remarkable transformations including significant growth in academic programs, athl e t i c s , i n s t i t u t i o n a l f a c i l i t i e s , s t u d e n t enrollment and faculty expertise and diversity For more information visit www leeuniversity edu

Alliance for the Ar ts to host popular Spring Break Ar ts Camp

The Alliance for the Arts will be hosting its popular Spring Break Arts Camp again this year March 20-24 Registration opened Jan 27, and is limited to 45 participants This camp is open to any student currently enrolled in first grade through sixth grade

See EDUCATION NOTES, page 11B

REAL ESTATE

Request for another signed deed to transfer property causes confusion

Mr Feichthaler: We visited with an attorney in Fort Myers in 2018 for an estate plan We didn’t get a good feeling about the attorney when we met but we wanted to make sure our house wouldn t go through probate if we died So the attorney suggested that we form a Living Trust and transfer the property to it, which we did However, in the deed that made the transfer to trust, it also reserved a life estate in us so that we could use the property during our lives Why would we need to reserve this right when we own and control the trust?

Last year, we sold the property, and the title c o m p a n y a p p e a r e d t o ignore the trust and had us deed out as husband and wife We thought t h e y k n e w w h a t t h e y were doing, so we didn t question it Now that same title company six months later is asking us to sign another deed to transfer to the same buyers, this time from the trust After all that has happened we don’t know if we should sign this or not - Don P

Dear Don:

Anatomy of real estate recessions, corrections and crashes

C u r r e n t l y , t h e g e n e r a l l y a c c e p t e d broad view of the U S housing market is that it has been forced into a recession caused by the actions of the Jerome P o w e l l - l e d F e d e r a l R e s e r v e a n d h i s predecessors Following the last lengthy bear market in real estate, which was caused by the massive levels of fraud related to the mortgage-backed home flipping scandals that led to the infamous Great Recession of 2008 the Fed rode to the rescue by manipulating the mortgage market with abnormally low interest rates T h e F e d a l s o “ b o u g h t b a c k ” m a s s i v e a m o u n t s o f m o r t g a g e d e b t b y p r i n t i n g e l e c t r o n i c m o n e y h o l d i n g t h i s d e b t o n t h e i r b a l a n c e s h e e t t o l e n d a d d i t i o n a l f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t t o t h e l a r g e W a l l S t r e e t i n v e s t m e n t b a n k s T h e F e d ’ s “ e m e r g e n c y ” z e r o i n t e r e s t r a t e p o l i c i e s i n p l a c e f o r t h e b e t t e r p a r t o f 1 2 p l u s y e a r s p r o v i d e d t h e f r e e m o n e y t h a t f l o o d e d o u r e c o n o m y w i t h d o l l a r s a n d h e l p e d f i n a n c e t h e w i l d s p e n d i n g s p r e e o n b o r r o w e d m o n e y b y o u r e l e c t e d o f f i c i a l s i n W a s h i n g t o n , D C F i n a l l y i n 2 0 2 2 t h e F e d f i g u r e d o u t t h a t t h e s u r g i n g l e ve l s o f o u t o f c o n t r o l i n f l a t i o n w e r e n o t “ t r a n s i t o r y ” i n n a t u r e a n d t h e y b r o u g h t a s w i f t e n d t o t h e i r e c o n o m i c p a r t y b y r e m o v i n g t h e f r e e m o n e y p u n c h b o w l , a s t h e y j a c k e d u p i n t e r e s t r a t e s a t t h e f a s t e s t p a c e e v e r a n d d e c l a r e d t h e i r w a r o n i n f l a t i o n

and Geri Quinn Homing In

a large number of people were able to tap the equity in their primary residences to speculate on building and flipping new construction homes

Just about everyone was sold on the idea that home prices could only go higher and that they could leverage their investments in this new risk free way to become wealthy overnight It was estimated that 40 percent of all the new homes being built in Cape Coral back t h e n w e r e i n v e s t m e n t h o m e s b e i n g flipped between investors with no end u s e r s m o v i n g i n t o a l l o f t h e v a c a n t homes The city even built a new water treatment plant based on the recommendation of highly paid consultants to service what turned out to be imaginary growth Then the music stopped, the market collapsed and there was an explosion of foreclosures that decimated the community

Eric P Feichthaler Real Estate Law

First you and your spouse should be commended for taking the steps necessary to avoid probate

The peace of mind typically gained through planning, along with serious cash and time savings for your heirs is very valuable However as I have noted in prior responses some attorneys may suggest extensive planning even when it does not provide a benefit to the client From the facts provided, this may have occurred here

It appears your goal was to ensure the home passed to your heirs without probate If so having an Enhanced Life Estate deed prepared naming your heirs is the most cost-effective and efficient way to meet this goal If you also had other objectives, such as managing assets like your home after death due to needs of your family then a trust may have been appropriate

The initial problem you faced is using an attorney that may not have extensive experience in real estate or estate planning The deed you describe, as you note, both conveyed the property to the trust AND retained a life interest This shows a lack of understanding of living trusts and/or life estate deeds

Your

See CONFUSION, page 5B

Although most people ignored the Fed’s warning last year that they would be “willing to break things” in the economy to regain control of inflation they were clear that they were targeting what had been a red hot housing market by forcing mortgage interest rates higher With home prices surging to record levels and mortgage rates more than doubling last year homes became even more unaffordable for a larger number of potential buyers who could no longer qualify for a mortgage

All of the above factors, along with a lot of things we are leaving out due to space limitations, gives us the anatomy of a real estate recession, albeit an abnormal looking housing market recession thus far Expert opinions vary widely going forward from here with some calling for a housing market debacle resembling 2008 while others think the worst is already over So let’s dig deeper into what we are seeing in our local market where the number of closed sales have experienced a significant decline throughout Southwest Florida, and prices are generally well below their record highs from last year in what we would currently describe as more of a softening in prices, and not a collapse

As crazy as our housing market boom was from the second half of 2020 through the first quarter or so of 2022 there are some significant differences in these market conditions compared to the local market conditions back in 2005 through 2008, and beyond Back in 2005 through 2008, the run-up in home prices was driven by wild speculation fueled by home flippers playing a dangerous game of highly leveraged musical chairs

Average people on main street were able to take their shot at striking it rich by obtaining mortgage financing on second and third homes as investments through liar loans” and their ability to qualify for a mortgage by simply “fogging a mirror ” As home values increased every week

What did that crash look like? Median sales prices in the overall Cape Coral single-family home market actually peaked at $285,450 in January of 2006, and pretty much moved steadily lower month after month But lenders kept lending and people kept speculating on homes for a few more years as prices fell Eventually the bottom was hit in October 2010, with the overall median sales p r i c e f o r a s i n g l e - f a m i l y h o m e i n t h e C a p e h i t t i n g $115,000 that month, for a top to bottom decline in home prices of 59 7 percent So there you have the anatomy of a real estate market crash

Median home sales prices started their long recovery from the bottom in 2010, by posting a year-over-year gain of 7 1 percent in 2011, finally surpassing the old high from back in January 2006 for good in the second half of 2020 Through December 2022 we have now had 12 consecutive years of increases in our median sales prices with outsized gains of 30 percent in 2021 and 21 8 percent in 2022 This track record would lead one to logically think it would be healthy for our market prices to flatten out and pause for a period of time, if not experience at least some level of a price correction which is already occurring

Median sales prices in the Cape s overall single-family home market peaked at $470,000 in April 2022, and have trended lower from there, now posting three consecutive months (from November 2022 through January of this year) at $400 000 Additionally based on our weekly market surveys median list prices for single-family homes in the Cape peaked at $610,000 on April 19, 2022, and have been mostly hovering around $500,000 recently So far, this is the anatomy of a market correction in prices, which leads to the question of whether it will become a crash We will pick up on our thoughts about that next week along with more about whether this is a recession in the number of closed sales, or simply a return to normal pre-COVID market levels

As of Tuesday, Feb 7, there were 1,307 active singlefamily homes listed for sale in Cape Coral through the Multiple Listing Service at prices ranging from $275 000 to $4 5 million with the median list price rising to $517,000 A total of 498 of these 1,307 listings, or 38

See ANATOMY, page 6B

REAL ESTATE BRIEFS

Groundbreaking Feb. 16 for Towles Garden

townhomes in For t Myers

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony at Towles Garden Thursday, Feb 16, at 1 p m , on the corner of Edison Avenue and Veronica Shoemaker Boulevard in Fort Myers Towles Garden is an affordable and attainable housing development featuring 141 one, two and three-bedroom townhomes Now is your chance to prequalify for one of over 140 homes in Towles Garden For more information, call 239-332-0744 or visit www tgfortmyers com

Salas new marketing director for Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association

T h e R o y

P a l m C o a s t R e a l t o r Association as welcomed Erik Salas as marketing director Salas will be working under the direction of Allyson Teevan director of Marketing and Communications, in her efforts to further develop the role of marketing and communications at RPCRA

Originally from Palm Springs California Salas spent 22 years as a chef before moving to Sarasota and making the transition to the professional world of marketing

Previously, he spent four years as marketing coordinator for the Windward Design Group before relocating to Fort Myers in January 2023

Salas will be a member of the newly established marketing department that will help best serve the interests of the members, employees, and community, while delivering on all aspects as they relate to

RPCRA’s strategic marketing direction and vision

For additional information call 239936-3537 or visit rpcra org The RPCRA is located at 2840 Winkler Ave, Fort Myers

Weicher t, Realtors –Agency ONE welcomes Gonnelly

Weichert, Realtors - Agency ONE has welcomed Kena Gonnelly to its team of agents Gonnelly will serve home buyers and sellers in Cape Coral Fort Myers and surrounding areas with all their real estate needs

As a Weichert affiliated agent, Gonnelly has access to in-depth training programs the latest technology and sales and marketing tools to help provide the best possible real estate service to her clients Gonnelly, who has nearly three years of experience in the real estate field, is a member of the Naples Area Board of Realtor and Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association Prior to becoming an agent she cared for patients in the medical

Weichert, Realtors - Agency ONE is an i n d e p e n d e n t l y o w n e d a n d o p e r a t e d Weichert® affiliate The company serves Cape Coral Fort Myers Naples and surrounding areas in Southwest Florida

For more information about Weichert, Realtors® - Agency ONE, with offices located at 8191 College Parkway Suite 206 in Fort Myers and 1113 S E 47th Terrace Suite 7 in Cape Coral contact Megan Eister at 239-415-6500 or visit weichertagencyone com

See REAL ESTATE BRIEFS, page 6B

Bob

ing the remainder interest, any sale or transfer would need to include both of you AND the trust as sellers/grantors The title company erred in excluding your trust from the deed out to your buyer which led to the property not being legally transferred This is what has led to your recent communication from them asking for you to sign the additional deed

The good news is that the multiple errors that have led to today should not lead you to any financial harm So long as this title company isn t asking you for money signing should not create any liability to anyone and should settle the disposition of the property

Whether you are seeking legal services, law firm or title company escrow services, roofers or any other professional service research the reputation and experience of who you intend to use The majority of clients I represent with disputes put their trust in the wrong professional In your case, it sounds like the only harm you suffered in addition to wasted time was paying for a trust you likely didn’t need You may want to seek counsel from an attorney to ensure you are signing nothing

more than a deed to correct the mistake m a d e b y t h e t i t l e c o m p a n y b u t y o u should be fine

Eric P Feichthaler has lived in Cape Coral for over 35 years and graduated from Mariner High School in Cape Coral

A f t e r c o m p l e t i n g l a w s c h o

Concert: Four bands set to perform

From page 1B

from bands such as Radiohead and The Strokes

This year proves to be a busy one for Red Letter Day, as it

Feb. 17 at Rack’em Spirits & Times

The high-energy group is ready to entertain all who turn out next weekend, Come out if you're looking for something a little more alternative, Reasor said We tend to be unique If you like fast rock that is a little bit smart come on out ” Giralt added “I'm super stoked for the show I think the lineup is cohesive and the bands are all great We're looking forward to the atmosphere and a great time

Anatomy: Analyzing real estate recessions, corrections and crashes

From page 4B

percent of our market, were priced at $450,000 and under, including 15 homes priced below $300,000 At the other end of the price spectrum there were 182 homes listed at $1 million and above

Just over a month ago on Jan 3 there were 1 330 active home listings in the Cape and the median list price was $509,873 At that time, there were 151 homes listed at $1 million and above, and 531 homes listed for $450 000 and under including 19 homes priced below $300 000 On a positive note the number of pending home sales in Cape Coral has increased by 42 5 percent from 522 homes under contract on Jan 3, to 744 homes under contract on Feb 7, with 50 4 percent of these homes at $400,000 and under, including 36 homes pending below $300 000 Almost two-thirds of the homes under contract in the Cape are at $450 000 and under while only

31 homes or 4 2 percent of our pending sales are at $1 million and above The differences in the price points for pending sales versus the price points for active listings indicates a continued downward pressure on sales prices compared to list prices

The sales data for this article was obtained from the Florida Realtors Multiple Listing Service Matrix for Lee County, Fla , as of Feb 7, 2023, unless otherwise noted

It was compiled by Bob and Geri Quinn and it includes information specifically for Cape Coral single-family homes and does not include condominiums short sales or foreclosures The data and statistics are believed to be reliable, however, they could be updated and revised periodically, and are subject to change without notice The Quinns are a husband and wife real estate team with the RE/MAX Realty Team office in Cape Coral They have lived in Cape Coral for over 43 years Geri has been a

full-time Realtor since 2005 and Bob joined with Geri as a full-time Realtor in 2014 Their real estate practice is mainly focused on Cape Coral residential property and vacant lots

REAL ESTATE

BRIEFS

From page 4B

Norris Fur niture designing, fur nishing interiors of model homes for Seneca at Oak Creek

S a g e C o m m u n i t i e s h a s p a r t n e r e d w i t h N o r r i s Furniture & Interiors and Southwest Florida Designs to design and furnish model homes and the Amenity Center for Seneca at Oak Creek at 7621 Green Sage Circle North Fort Myers FL 33917 Seneca at Oak Creek a 55+ all-inclusive maintenance-free rental community under construction in North Fort Myers, will have 184 one- and two-bedroom units that feature a full kitchen, living room and private porches, along with an option for an attached garage Norris Furniture is completing interior designs and will provide living room bedroom and den furniture as well as home décor for model residences

The first residences are scheduled to be completed in early 2023 Five floor plans range from 874 to 1,559 square feet All residents will have access to planned activities the fitness center a community swimming pool and dog park

Introductory rental prices for Seneca at Oak Creek start at $1,890 per month For more information, please visit SenecaOakCreek com or call 239-230-3910

Southwest Florida homebuilder names Anderson director of sales

Christopher Alan Homes has announced the selection of Carissa Anderson as its director of sales Anderson will be responsible for all sales operations for Southwest Florida regional emerging markets and managing all aspects of the Christopher Alan Homes customer experience Anderson is an accomplished real estate leader with more than 15 years of experience in strategic direction and sales execution marketing and branding She has managed teams at several of the top homebuilding companies in the nation and holds a bachelor of science in e n g i n e e r i n g a n d t e c h n o l o g i c a l m a n a g e m e n t f r o m Arizona State University

Prior to joining Christopher Alan Homes Anderson was a director of sales for a national homebuilder where she managed a team of over 40 including sales professionals, interior designers and online sales agents across neighborhoods in Southwest Florida, encompassing more than 2 700 closings

Christopher Alan Homes is a builder-owned organization affiliated with Barron Collier Companies

For more, visit www ChristopherAlanHomes com or call 855-44-MYCAH

Nor-Tech, Mercury Racing raise funds for Cape Caring Center

A fundraising effort launched by NorT e c h P e r f o r m a n c e B o a t s a n d M e r c u r y

Racing brought in $114,983 for the Cape Coral Caring Center to help the non-profit purchase food for individuals and families w h o s u f f e r e d s i g n i f i c a n t l y b e c a u s e o f

Hurricane Ian

The fundraiser started with matching donations of $25,000 each from Nor-Tech and Mercury Racing The two marine manufacturing companies then sought matching donations from other individuals and businesses resulting in the final amount Nor-Tech, based in Cape Coral for over 30 years, and its engine supplier, Mercury

Racing focused on Hurricane Ian recovery and the efforts by the Cape Coral Caring Center to provide food and financial assistance for individuals who need help paying utility bills

“What an incredible effort by these two companies – and many others - to help families in need, Cape Coral executive director Julie Ferguson said Our community was devastated because of the storm, and their generosity will certainly make a difference for families here ”

The Cape Coral Caring Center’s main objectives are to assist individuals and families in critical need to help them cope

Black History Month activities planned at Roberto Clemente Park

Both events will be held at Roberto Clemente Park at 3265 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Fort Myers F o r m o r e a b o u t t h e B l a c k H i s t o r y S o c i e t y , v i s i t L e e C o u n t y B l a c k H i s t o r y Society org email blackhistory@lesscountyblackhistorysociety org or call 239-3328778

with a negative economic situation on a short-term basis The center provides food electric bill assistance and referrals to other

Lee Health introduces new state-of-the-art Blood Mobile

The Lee Health Blood Center has a new state-of-the-art blood mobile

The new blood mobile was built completely from the ground up, and it s larger and roomier than its predecessors giving donors a more comfortable experience This new addition will help the blood supply remain at a healthy level and ensure the health and safety of the Southwest Florida community All blood donations will stay within Lee County

Blood and blood products are used to treat trauma victims surgical patients premature babies, cancer patients and a variety of other conditions

This new blood mobile will join Lee Health’s three other blood mobile buses which is how the blood center collects 7080% of its blood donations

Health needs about 800 units of blood per week

single donation can be

separated into a variety of blood components the platelets may go to a child with leukemia, the plasma to a patient with a clotting problem and the red blood cells to an accident victim In addition to visiting one of the blood mobiles donors can also come to one of Lee Health s four blood centers, which are open Monday through Friday Their locations

Physicians’ Primar y Care of Southwest Florida offices ear n recognition

The National Committee for Quality Assurance has announced that two more offices of Physicians Primary Care of Southwest Florida have received NCQA P a t i e n t - C e n t e r e d M e d i c a l H o m e R e c o g n i t i o n f o r u s i n g e v i d e n c e - b a s e d patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long‐term participative relationships

The offices receiving the recognition are the Pediatrics South location at 18070 S Tamiami Trail and the Fort Myers Adult Medicine office at 13196 Metro Parkway both in Fort Myers The two offices are the latest PPC locations to receive recognition All other offices of PPC received the annual renewal designation earlier this year T o e a r n r e c o g n i t i o n P h y s i c i a n s ’

Primary Care of Southwest Florida demonstrated the ability to meet the program s key elements, embodying characteristics of t h e m e d i c a l h o m e N C Q A s t a n d a r d s aligned with the joint principles of the P a t i e n t - C e n t e r e d M e d i c a l H o m e e s t a bl i s h e d w i t h t h e A m e r i c a n C o l l e g e o f P h y s i c i a n s , t h e A m e r i c a n A c a d e m y o f Family Physicians, the American Academy o f P e d i a t r i c s , a n d t h e A m e r i c a n

Osteopathic Association

Physicians’ Primary Care of Southwest Florida a physician-owned and operated medical practice, was formed in 1996 by m a n y l o n g - p r a c t i c i n g l o c a l p h y s i c i a n s PPC has grown to become the largest physician-owned primary care practice in Southwest Florida with family medicine internal medicine and pediatrics Offices are conveniently located in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Lehigh Acres For more information, visit www ppcswfl com

HEALTH NOTES

‘Purple Tea’ symposium on breast cancer Feb 23 at Broadway Palm Theatre

Women across Southwest Florida are invited to a free symposium on Feb 23 that outlines encouraging developments in the fight against breast cancer

Purple Tea, a two-hour event, features a panel of distinguished breast health experts who will discuss advancements in prevention screening and treatment of breast cancer in a supportive, inspiring environment Featured speaker Dr Alan Brown, a b o a r d - c e r t i f i e d r a d i a t i o n o n c o l o g i s t a t

Advocate Radiation Oncology is nationally recognized for his community involvement and cancer research efforts He is former chairman of the Lee Health Regional C a n c e r C e n t e r M u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y B r e a s t

Clinic A d d i t i o n a l s p e a k e r s f o r P u r p l e T e a include Dr Magali Van de Bergh a medical oncologist and principal investigator with Florida Cancer Specialists who has led multiple clinical research studies with a focus on lymphomas chronic leukemias a n d l y m p h o p r o l i f e r a t i v e d i s o r d e r s ; D r

Natalia Spinelli a board-certified breast s u r g i c a l o n c o l o g i s t w h o s p e c i a l i z e s i n benign and malignant diseases of the breast a n d i s t r a i n e d i n t h e l a t e s t s u r g i c a l a p p r o a c h e s i n b r e a s t c a n c e r c a r e ; a n d D e b r a W i l s o n M S N R N O C N w h o serves as the vice president of oncology services at Lee Health

The honorary chair for The Purple Tea is Geraldine Gerri Ware, who earned a n u r s i n g d e g r e e f r o m F l o r i d a A & M University before returning to Fort Myers where she served as a hospital nurse public health nurse and school nurse She also taught nursing classes in Collier County schools for 15 years

The Purple Tea will be held from noon

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380

Colonial Blvd in Fort Myers Attendees are encouraged to dress in purple The event is free but advance registration is required by visiting eventbrite com/e/purple-tea-tickets-503552447927 or calling Sherri Kubesh at 239-839-6015

locally owned practice with convenient locations in South Florida

‘Nor mal is Overrated’ event addresses mental health among students

Worldwide 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental health disorders and the stigma surrounding mental and behavioral health issues can be a challenge for many students These mental health disorders are often heightened after a traumatic event like Hurricane Ian

To help break barriers and improve communication Healthy Lee Behavioral Health Coalition of SWFL, Kids Minds Matter and community partners invite area teens and their families to its annual Normal is Overrated”

Southwestern State College Normal is Overrated is a free community event aimed at shining a light on the struggles of students with behavioral and mental health issues and to help them achieve greater acceptance in our community The program features three local students who will share their first-hand experiences with behavioral and mental health issues and will provide live insightful commentary on the additional toll misunderstanding and fear can have on those already

struggling There will also be an interactive and informative Q&A expert panel The event is free, but tickets are required to reserve a spot Visit: https://www event b r i t e c o m / e / n o r m a l - i

For more, visit HealthyLee com

Lee Health expands affiliation with WellWay ser vices in the community

To further develop its wellness services in the Southwest Florida community, Lee Health has bolstered its affiliation with WellWay which offers a unique model of care that focuses not only on fitness but a l s o o n l i f e s t y l e n u t r i t i o n a n d o v e r a l l holistic wellness

On Feb 1, WellWay purchased both the Cape Coral 609 S E 13th Court and Babcock Ranch 42880 Crescent Loop S u i t e 1 0 0 w e l l n e s s c e n t e r s f r o m L e e Health, and they have become WellWay co-branded locations

This change is part of Lee Health's strategy to focus on its core strengths and establish collaborative relationships with expert p r o v i d e r s a n d o r g a n i z a t i o n s o t h e r w i s e independent from the health system

Four years ago, Lee Health began an affiliation with WellWay to support the day-to-day operations of our wellness centers in Cape Coral and Babcock Ranch Through the years the WellWay team has been very successful in growing membership and managing the facilities while building a bridge between clinical and wellness services

If you are looking for services to help you lose weight improve stress management or simply feel better, WellWay s custom health plan is available free of charge No membership is required to access these s e r v i c e s a n d v i r t u a l a p p o i n t m e n t s a r e a v a i l a b l e L e a r n m o r e a t https://wellway com

Cape Coral Computer Club Zoom meeting Wednesday

The Cape Coral Computer Club meets over Zoom the first and third Wednesday of each month, with the next meeting being from 2-4 p m , Feb 15 This meeting will address “In Depth Security” information with time for questions and

answers Who couldn't use a little more security when it comes to your digital footprint?

All skill levels are welcome to join For information visit the club website at https://www capecoralcomputer club/

Garden Club of Cape Coral

‘Fun with Flowers’ Feb. 22

Fundraiser will benefit ‘Cups of Cheer’ program

The Garden Club of Cape Coral invites the public to participate in its class, Fun with Flowers, where you will create a flower arrangement to take home You do not need to be a member to join This fundraiser is to benefit “Cups of Cheer assisted living program All supplies container, greens, flowers, as well as the use of any tools needed, will be included for $25

This session is Wednesday Feb 22 from 10 a m to noon at the Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Ave

Taking care of you: Gardening

From page 1B

ly bent for a nice stretch and better control

Mindfully working a variety of muscles while gardening is great exercise

While the tendency is often to work with our dominant hand and from our dominant side consider switching back and forth between your dominant and non-dominant sides when working in the garden For example, alternate between right and left hands when using your trusty pruners

Doing so will help to balance you out

Although the switch will probably feel very awkward at first with practice and over time you should feel more comfortable and you will be building a positive habit along the way

Final thought: Always adhere to safe gardening practices and keep your health care provider in the loop If you happen to have some pre-existing health issues and are wary of doing anything that may aggravate those conditions, you may find that, with some simple adjustments and mindful exercises you can handle more than imagined!

Until next time happy gardening!

Janetta Fox is a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer and member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral Visit us at www gardenclubofcapecoral com

Master Gardeners program set for Thursday

The following events are sponsored by the Lee County Master Gardeners

Volunteers

■ Thursday, Feb 16, 2:30-3:30

t i c k e t s -

377427845847

EDUCATION NOTES

From page 3B

This session of camp will focus on visual arts with students learning a new medium each day This will be a part of the new concept for the Summer Arts Camp that will be unveiled later this spring

Adults are able to register students for single days or the full week Prices for Spring Break Arts Camp start at $175 for Alliance members with a daily rate of $50

Non-member weekly price starts at $225 and $60 per day

Discounts per sibling are available as well as scholarship options

Regular camp hours are 9 a m to 4 p m

Before and after-care are available 8-9 a m and 4-5 p m for an extra $10 per child

Individuals aged 17 and up who are interested in a paid counselor position should visit our website, ArtInLee org for more information and to apply

The Alliance for the Arts is a nonprofit community arts and cultural center located in Fort Myers F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n p l e a s e v i s i t ArtInLee org or call 239-939-2787

To register, visit the Alliance website or Activ page

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