Cape Coral Weekend Breeze

Elementary enrollment deadline is March 10

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

A message was from School District of Lee County personnel to parents during a Facebook Live discussion was loud and clear: participate make your voice heard during the elementary school open enrollment period

Participation is key, Office of the S u p e r i n t e n d e n t C o o r d i n a t o r D r A d a m

Molloy said “That is your key to participate in the enrollment process You have to participate Our percentages that got their first and second choice are always very high for those who participated You have to take action and you have to participate if you're outside of the zone or an incoming kindergarten family ”

AOW

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

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“If your student is at a school that is out of your new zone, you need to let us know if you want that child to stay there with the understanding that you are going to provide transportation, or you have to decide to enter into the lottery for a school closer to home If you are in one of the schools that is in your attendance area and you like that school you don’t have to take any action But if you are interested in that attendance zone of changing schools you do need to enter into the lottery ” Rob

The change in the proximity zones had to take place as the district had to put emphasis on the classroom and school buildings and not on the buses he said We hit the 3,000 students late every single day and it was only going to get worse We had to do something now if we wanted to improve ” Molloy said

T h e d e a d l i n e f o r e l e m e n t a r y o p e n enrollment is 4 p m Friday March 10

District Spokesperson Rob Spicker said t h e n e w e l e m e n t a r y p r o x i m i t y z o n e s require parents to take action If your student is at a school that is out of your new zone, you need to let us know if you want that child to stay there with the

understanding that you are going to provide transportation or you have to decide to enter into the lottery for a school closer to home he said If you are in one of the schools that is in your attendance area and you like that school you don t have to take any action But if you are interested in that attendance zone of changing schools you do need to enter into the lottery ”

There were a couple of themes and questions that were prevalent during the discussion, some of which included ESE students The first question pertained to if a child is in ESE and the school is now out of their attendance zone, are they able to remain and still be able to get transportation

‘Catch the Vision’ set for March 13

B y C J H A D D A D

Fifth annual celebration to take place this weekend in South Cape

B y C J H A D D A D c j h a d d a d @ b r e e z e n e w s p a p e r s c o m

Aw e e k e n d c e l e b r a t i n g d i v e r s i t y i n c l u s i o n a n d l o v e w i l l t a k e p l a c e t h i s w e e k e n d i n t h e S o u t h C a p e T h e f i f t h a n n u a l P R I D E C a p e C o r a l e v e n t i s s e t f o r S a t u r d a y a n d S u n d a y a l o n g S o u t h e a s t 4 7 t h T e r r a c e a n d w i l l f e a t u r e a p a r a d e l i v e e n t e r t a i nm e n t a n d a f u n d r a i s i n g b r u n c h P R I D E C a p e C o r a l o r g a n i z e r s s a i d t h i s i s a f r e e o u t d o o r f a m i l y - f r i e n d l y e v e n t c e l e b r a t i n g t h e l e s b i a n , g a y , b i s e x u a l , t r a n s g e n d e r , a n d q u e e r ( L G B T Q ) c o m m u n i t y i n C a p e C o r a l a n d a c r o s s S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a V i s i b i l i t y i s s o i m p o r t a n t s a i d P R I D E C a p e C o r a l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e S h a n n o n C o k e I t i s h o w w e b r e a k d o w n t h e b a r r i e r s o f m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g a n d p r e j u d i c e i n o u r s o c i e t y T h e r e i s a l a r g e L G B T Q c o m m u n i t y i n S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a a n d m a n y a l l i e s w h o s u p p o r t t h e i r L G B T Q f a m i l y m e m b e r s a n d f r i e n d s P R I D E i s a n o p p o r t u n i t y f o r u s a l l t o c o m e t o g e t h e r t o c e l e b r a t e o u r d i v e r s i t y , s h o w o u r s t r e n g t h i n n u m b e r s , a n d t o c o n t i n u e b u i l d i n g t h e w e l c o m i n g c o m m u n i t y w e a l l w a n t t o l i v e i n W e w a n t a l l p e o p l e t o f e e l w e l c o m e i n C a p e C o r a l ” M a r c h 4 a c t i v i t i e s a r e f r o m 3 t o 1 0 p m a n d i n c l u d e a p a r a d e , l i v e e n t e r t a i n m e n t w i t h l o c a l a n d n a t i o n a l p e r f o r m e r s , f o o d a n d d r i n k s , c a r n i v a l g a m e s a n d a t u t u d r a g r a c e c o m p e t i t i o n A n o f f ic i a l a f t e r - p a r t y b e g i n s a t 1 0 p m a t C r u i s e r s

L o u n g e a t 1 5 1 7 S o u t h e a s t 4 7 t h T e r r a c e M a r c h 5 f e a t u r e s a D r a g B r u n c h o n S o u t h e a s t

1 0 t h P l a c e , w i t h s e a t i n g s a t 1 0 a m a n d 1 p m T h e b r u n c h i n c l u d e s c a t e r e d f o o d a n d s p e c i a l t y d r i n k s f r o m S o u t h C a p e r e s t a u r a n t s a n d a d r a g s h o w T i c k e t s f o r t h e b r u n c h a r e $ 3 0 T h i s y e a r s e n t e r t a i n m e n t i s h e a d l i n e d b y

INDEX

Editorial 4A Education 1B

Garden Club 1B

Homing In 4B

Letters to Editor 4A

Obituaries 12A

Puzzles 5B Real Estate 4-6B Real Estate Law 4B

Web Poll 4A

If You Go:

What: PRIDE Cape Coral

Where: Along Southeast 47th Terrace

When: March 4-5

More Information: For more information visit www pridecapecoral com or search @pridecapecoral on Facebook and Instagram

e m c e e A x e l A n d r e w s a n d P l a s t i q u e T i a r a , T h e Q u e e n o f T i k T o k , a n d a c o n t e s t a n t f r o m s e a s o n

1 1 o f R u P a u l s D r a g R a c e E n t e r t a i n m e n t a l s o i n c l u d e s D J M a d M e l S o u t h F l o r i d a E n t e r t a i n e r o f t h e Y e a r A l y s s a L e m a y M i s s C a p e C o r a l P r i d e 2 0 2 2 D a y e N a d a a n d a d d i t i o n a l p e r f o r m a n c e s f r o m l o c a l d r a g e n t e r t a i n e r s O u r h o p e i s t h a t e v e r y o n e w h o a t t e n d s f e e l s w e l c o m e d w h e t h e r t h i s i s y o u r f i r s t P R I D E e v e n t See PRIDE, page 15A

cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com W a n t t o b e i n t h e k n o w r e g a r d i n g a l l t h i n g s c o m i n g t o C a p e C o r a l ? A n a n n u a l e v e n t p r o v i d i n g r e s i d e n t s v a l u a b l e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t f u t u r e d e v e l o p m e n t s i n t h e C a p e i s f a s t a p p r o a c h i n g C a t c h t h e V i s i o n : T r e n d s , T i p s a n d F o r e c a s t i n g ” a p r o d u ct i o n t h a t h i g h l i g h t s C a p e C o r a l s g r o w i n g r e a l e s t a t e m a r k e t f o r t hc o m i n g p r o j e c t s n e w t r e n d s a n d w h a t t o e x p e c t i n t h e c o m i n g y e a r t a k e s p l a c e M a r c h 1 3 s t a r ti n g a 5 p m a t C a p e C h r i s t i a n F e l l o w s h i p G l o r i a T a t e o f R a s o R e a l t y , w h o o r g a n i z e s t h e e v e n t e a c h y e a r , a l o n g w i t h L i n d a B i o n d i , s a i d “ T h i s y e a r w e ’ v e b e e n g e tt i n g a l o t o f q u e s t i o n s a b o u t , ‘ W h a t ’ s g o i n g i n t h i s v a c a n t l o t ? W h a t s g o i n g i n t h a t v a c a n t l o t ? H o w m a n y m o r e a p a r t m e n t s c a n w e g e t ? W h a t a r e t h e n e w d e v e lo p m e n t s c o m i n g i n ? A n d t h i s y e a r , w e r e g o i n g t o h i g h l i g h t t h o s e ” T h e 1 2 t h a n n u a l e v e n t w i l l s t a r t w i t h a 7 5 - m i n u t e t r a d e s h o w ( 5 p m ) t h a t i n c l u d e s p r i z e s a n d g i v e a w a y s f o l l o w e d b y a 7 5 - m i n u t e p r e s e n t a t i o n , w h i c h i s a l w a y s e n t e r t a i n i n g a n d e d u c a t i o n a l T a t e s a i d C a t c h t h e V i s i o n i s i n f o r m a t i o n f o r b o t h r e s i d e n t s o f t h e c o m m u n i t y a s w e l l a s l o c a l r e a l e s t a t e c o m m un i t y m e m b e r s “ I t ’ s g o i n g t o b e a l i t t l e d i f f e re n t o f a f o r m a t T a t e s a i d W e r e h a v i n g a c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h t h e d e v e l o p e r s T h e y a r e o n f i l m , b u t i t s a c o n v e r s a t i o n “ O n e o f t h e o t h e r t h i n g s w e ’ r e g o i n g t o h i g h l i g h t t h i s y e a r i s p u b l i c s a f e t y I t ’ s e x t r e m e l y i m p o r t a n t t o p e o p l e w h e n t h e y m o v e h e r e t o k n o w h o w s a f e w e a r e T a t e s a i d t h e p r o g r a m w i l l h i g h l i g h t t h e p o l i c e a n d f i r e t r a i n i n g f a c i l i t i e s a n d d i s c u s s

Raso Realty office reopens in wake of Hurricane Ian

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers

com

Five months after its ceiling c a v e d i n , w a t e r r a n r a m p a n t throughout the building, and personal treasures were lost Raso Realty on Tuesday reopened its o f f i c e s f

was certainly a labor of love to reopen but this agency and this family were determined to bring

LCEC: Utility has not yet received fuel cost decrease

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

With the price of natural gas is seemingly declining, many homeowners are wondering why their Lee County Electric Cooperative bill is still reading high

In an email on Wednesday LCEC spokesperson Karen Ryan told The Breeze LCEC has not received a decrease from our power supplier at this time based on fuel costs We continue to evaluate potential power cost adjustments based on the costs received from our supplier

Our supplier has a diverse fuel mix and not all codes are tied to natural gas Investments in solar also play a factor in power cost recovery ”

It is important to note that natural gas is not the same as gasoline Crude oil is used to manufacture gas and diesel Natural gas is the fuel used to generate most of the electricity in Florida

During a Cape Coral City Council meeting Wednesday, Mayor John Gunter shared details of when Council last spoke to LCEC representatives months ago

At that time they said hopefully in an eight-month period, they would take a look at it again, and hopefully reduce that power cost adjustment, Gunter said

Ryan told The Breeze last August that the Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) is based on increased or decreased fuel costs from the LCEC

Final weekend for the Lee County Fair

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

The Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair will roll into the final weekend of its 99th edition with a continuation of entertainment rides exhibitions and fair fare Festivities continue tonight through Sunday at the Lee Civic Center, which has served as the venue since 1979 after the event spent nearly 60 years at Terry Park

Today, Friday, March 3, features the second Moonlight Madness from 8 p m to 1 a m where $30 gets you on all the rides Fast passes are $15 Saturday March 4 offers $40 ridebands after price of admission Saturday is also First Responders Day, with free gate entry and a $40 wristband for all day All must show their valid IDs and proof of service

Gates open at 11 a m

The final Sunday March 5 is the Last Blast Special with $40 wrist bands all day plus gate admission Gates open at 11 a m

For those who have one, a Mega Pass can be used any day of the fair Gate admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children

Kids 3 and under are in for free

Retired and active military get free admission all day every day

Although the fair is advertised as “Making Memories since 1924 ” its roots run deeper

In 1910, a carnival on McGregor Boulevard served as a precursor to the fair, featuring a Seminole Indian tribe that performed its tribal dances The carnival ended in 1917 when the United States entered World War I

Two years later, the first Lee County Fair was held at Terry Park a former cow pasture located just a couple of miles east of downtown Fort Myers on Palm Beach Boulevard The Lee County Commission-ers allocated $250 to staff for the first fair

In 1924 the name was changed to the Southwest Florida Fair, which it has been named ever since, making just one move in all those years

The fair is not all rides

One of the main attractions is always the livestock The kids at 4-H have put up the animals they have raised for months Pigs rabbits chickens beef and more are judged and auctioned

There also are ribbons for artwork, crafts, fabrics and threads, home gardening, horticulture, photography, decoration and tablescapes

As for the entertainment, there always are local performers on the civic center stage dancing and singing The Cowboy Circus with Danny Grant is returning but aside from that it was still a little too early to determine who exactly will be there, Peak said in a January interview

There will also be a new policy at the entrance gate, requiring all who come to the fair to have clear bags for safety and because the insurance company has requested it as it has become a national trend at the larger venues

The Lee Civic Center is at 11831 Bayshore Road, North Fort Myers

Visit swflcfair com for more information including daily specials calendar of events and hours of operation

UEP assessments coming, use information resources

An estimated 8 400 property owners in the northeast Cape have received, or will receive early next year, a notice of pending assessments from the city of Cape Coral for utility expansion

The city is nearing the start of North 1 the next component

To be completed in two phases the project will bring city water, sewer and irrigation water services to a 4 3-square-mile area of mostly single-family homes and lots

North 1 West is set to begin this spring North 1 East, with about 70 percent of the design finished is about a year out

The new Utility Expansion Project area is roughly bounded on the west by Santa Barbara Boulevard and Andalusia Boulevard; on the south by Hermosa Canal, Arrowhead Lake, Fairmont Canal, Balmoral Canal, Lake Zurich, Zurich Canal and Banjo Canal; in the east by Northeast 24th Avenue, Diplomat Parkway and Corbett Road; and on the north by Northeast 28th Street

Del Prado Boulevard serves as the border dividing the West and East

The UEP assessment will affect about 3,000 homes and approximately 5,400 vacant lots

By how much?

Property owners in North 1 West have their numbers

Their share of the $249 6 million piece will be $33 367 to $35,931 in assessments and fees, depending whether and when they pre-pay Pre-paying from March 23 – Sept 1 comes with the greatest discount Paying between Oct 1 to July 31 2024 offers another nearly $3 000 less than the first

Those who can’t pay upfront and so opt to add an annual payment to their property tax bill beginning November 2024 get no discount and the final cost will be much higher

The city is offering 20-, 25- and 30-year payment plans At 6 5 percent interest the final cost could top six figures

That’s for a standard 10 000-square foot building lot

Those with an oversize parcel will pay proportionally more

Connection costs and the cost of filling any existing septic system are not included

So it s a hefty levy

In fact it is the largest assessment ever imposed in the history of the UEP since the funding method began in 1999

What’s next?

For those in North 1 West, a few things

One, those with questions will have an opportunity to ask them and get more information next Wednesday

The city will host an informal informational meeting about the UEP from 5-8 p m on March 8 on the second floor of City Hall at 1015 Cultural Park Blvd

The meeting will be open house style and residents are invited to come and talk with a representative on a variety of topics:

What to expect during UEP construction

Septic tank abandonment

Endangered species in the project area

The city s hardship program for those of limited means

There will be an opportunity for one-on-one discussions regarding payment options (Attendees will need to check-in for these sessions to secure a time slot with city staff Bring your assessment notice to assist staff in answering questions )

Attending will be the six project contractors for North 1 West, Health Department representatives and city reps who can discuss the hardship program one-on-one or answer other questions

If you can’t attend or want to familiarize yourself with the project including how the assessment has been computed and the payments options available, the city has prepared a very comprehensive 40-page information packet

The report outlines not only the money aspects but explains in depth how construction will affect properties and roadways

The FAQ portion is extensive

It is a must-read for those in North 1 West and a look ahead for those in North 1 East who can expect notifications as to their assessments next year

The packet is available at https://www capecoral gov/uep/north 1 php and will be attached to this editorial online at capecoralbreeze com

Meanwhile there is one final official step in the process

The final public hearing for the Final Assessment Resolution has been set for March 22 in the Council Chambers at City Hall

The meeting which will include public input will begin at 4:30 p m and is open to the public

So where are we?

If you own property in North 1 West, we suggest taking the time to look through the city s very-well prepared guide

If you still have questions we suggest attending the March 8 info session at City Hall

If you’re unhappy and want to voice your views?

You do have a last opportunity to do so but, please, it s not at the March 8 information session

It is at the March 22 public hearing where Council will take input in person and via e-comment at capecoral gov/department/clerk/ecomments

The assessments are coming and the impact on affected property owners will be huge

It s your money

Be informed Know your options

H B 9 9 1 : B a d f o r F l o r i d a , b a d f o r A m e r i c a

Imagine a world in which newspapers have been bankrupted and shuttered

Imagine that Reddit the Drudge Report and Red Pill are no more and that social media platforms forbid political discussion of any stripe

Imagine that while some television and radio news show still exist, they only feature endless stories about cats and dogs and fawning coverage of those in power

Imagine a world in which robust political discussion has been cowed into silence, and all government business takes place behind closed doors, and nobody can talk about what might have transpired in this darkness unless they want to end up broke unemployed and homeless

This is not the backdrop of some new Netflix drama about a dystopian future in a galaxy far far away No This is a possible reality right here in Florida if lawmakers succeed in passing a bill that would lower the threshold for the rich and powerful to sue anybody who says something they don t like HB991 is officially called the Defamation, False Light, and Unauthorized Publication of Name or Likenesses Bill

Block Guest Commentary

But First Amendment activists like me who have read it call it the “Death to Public Discourse Bill ”

Key supporters of HB 991 want you to believe the legislation is about taming the excesses of the liberal corporate media by giving the little guy a chance to avenge “bad” coverage But the truth of this bill is all about making it easier for government officials and their rich and powerful allies to use the courts to punish those who criticize them

And despite the belief by some conservatives that HB991 would only affect the New York Times, the Miami Herald and CNN if it were to become law the reality is no information outlet would be spared the depredations of punitive lawsuits under its provisions Fox Newsmax conservative talk radio stations will all feel the sting of this new law as public figures across the political spectrum look to exact their vengeance against inconvenient news coverage and commentary The fallout would just as likely crush Fox’s Tucker Carlson as it would the NYT’s Paul Krugman More than that, this legislation would also subject bloggers, community groups, average users of social media in short everybody who wants their voices heard to the untold financial and emotional burdens of lawsuits

And the way HB991 is currently written a story does-

In the wake of Ian, anti-drowning precautions especially needed

To the editor

Hurricane Ian devastated most of Southwest Florida As we are all rebuilding, finding businesses that can repair our house/property is understandably hard

The Lee County government is asking homeowners if you cannot find a business to replace your pool cage or fence in a timely manner, to put up a temporary fence around your pool or yard to prevent accidental drownings

Florida is one of three states with the most accidental drownings

Accidental drownings occur primarily in home swimming pools The second-leading causes of drowning are lack of swimming abilities and no barriers around pools

The state of Florida and local facilities offer an opportunity to take water safety courses Some have free classes; you can inquire at your local YMCA or your city may have other programs available There are two free water safety resources offered at www myfamilies com Eyes on the Kids and Water Safety for Kids These resources have very helpful information for all ages CPR classes are also highly recommended for all

Be safe!

Cindy Hubble

Abiding Love Preschool and Childcare Director Cape Coral

Tallahassee silence

To the editor:

I have a message I would like to share with Gov DeSantis:

Good morning Governor DeSantis

I was part of your historic landslide re-election and do appreciate many of the things you have done for Florida However there are two areas of your administration that are of great concern

One is the usurpation of power from local levels to the state level The other is a perceived failure to properly address environmental concerns, particularly water

Let me start first with it is my understanding that government in our country is predicated as being from the bottom up I have always thought that our government starts with the people and is/was for the people Why does this present Florida administration seem to think otherwise?

n t have to be wrong and damaging to an official to land a reporter, blogger or housewife Facebooker in court It can merely cast the subject of the story in an unfavorable light

Gov Ron DeSantis called for a new defamation bill, saying he wanted to give the Average Joe a chance to clear their name when the press sullies it But the truth is that defamation and libel suits have never been the tools of ordinary people who often don t have the means to go to court But these lawsuits have all too often been part of the repertoire of powerful figures seeking to bring their critics to heel

This legislation is hardly a novel move Throughout history, tyrants on the left and the right as well as powerful Robber Barons have often moved to crush the press in order to control messaging And the easiest way to crush the press is to weaponize the law against commentators just as HB991 seeks to do

For those who doubt this could be the rationale of HB991’s supporters look at recent rules by the state forbidding events that do not “align with the state’s mission” from taking place at the Florida Capitol This pre-vetting of purpose is another clear violation of Floridians First Amendment rights to gather and have their voices heard Looking at these measures, one can only conclude that free speech is under attack in Florida

Contrary to what its supporters will say over the next weeks HB991 is not good for Florida or Floridians It’s not good for Americans as a whole It would establish a dangerous precedent that impacts all of us by chilling the kind of free discussion that only takes place in free societies

Even conservative Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito noted this in a ruling a few years ago writing: The core purpose of the constitutional protection of freedom of expression is to ensure that all opinions on such issues have a chance to be heard and considered ”

So please protect your freedom of speech by using yours to tell your representatives to throw out HB991

Bobby Block is the executive director of the First Amendment Foundation which was founded in 1985 to advance and protect Floridians’ rights to free speech open government and public records

help the people that are Florida residents? Or could this have something to do with Brett Hage who introduced the legislation being paid in excess of $1 400 000 by The Villages over three years? (The Villages Commissioners decided that impact fees should be part of the construction cost and that is what provoked the legislation )

Your administration passed legislation strengthening the Bert Harris Act This makes it difficult to adhere to the plans the state mandated each county draw; plans that were drawn with expert input in order to protect the valuable resources of Florida Or, was it done to provide a better shield for local governments to hide behind? Why? How is this in the best interest of the people?

Now you have HB359 which is totally onerous to the little guy pending Are you going to approve or veto this legislation?

On to the second area of concern, the environment You just allocated $3 500 000 000 of OUR money to restore the Everglades Please show me where in this legislation you directed any of this money towards stopping the root causes of the problem All I see is multi-milliondollar Band-Aids being applied Why? How is this in the best interest of the people?

You previously allocated $1 600 000 000 of OUR money for this same project Included was the appointment of a study group to determine what was/is needed Yet when this group turned in its report, you saw fit to ignore 96% of it (By the way, how many more study groups are needed? Someplace out there a lot of money is being made by “study groups ”) Why? How is this in the best interest of the people?

T h e f i r s t p a r t o f t h i s l e n d s t h e p e r c e p t i o n t h a t Tallahassee is owned by developers and the second part that what little is left over is owned by agriculture Someplace out there in the cold are the PEOPLE you swore to protect

Awaiting your response

Norman Cannon Fort Myers

Fueling higher costs with record profits

Breeze editorial

An Administrative Judge in Martin County ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by a citizen who did not want to see more animal habitat trashed by developers Then you and Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, sitting as the state Board of Administration, summarily overturned an experienced judge s decision Why? How is this in the best interest of the people? Or perhaps it has something to do with one of the developer’s partners donating $100 000 00 to the Florida Republican Party?

An amendment to the Orange County Charter was placed on the ballot to give citizens the ability to protect water (Without this right it is/was impossible to bring a case to court to protect a citizen’s right to clean water ) This was driven by government and big business refusing to recognize/admit their past and continuing contribution to the contamination of man s most valuable resource, water The amendment passed with a whopping 89% approval by Orange County voters Your administration then proceeded to pass legislation at the State level ensuring the public’s wish to protect water would never be allowed to come to fruition Why did you sign legislation preventing this at the state level? How can this be in the best interest of the people; the people you have sworn to serve?

You signed legislation in 2021 preventing local governments from raising impact fees Without sufficient impact fees, people are left with inadequate infrastructure, congested roads and a massive bill Why? How does this

To the editor: Exxon oil corporation reported to its shareholders record breaking profit of $55 7 billion in 2022 Not problems with supply chain just rapacious greed motivated the rise in cost at the pump Of course, the cost of gas rose accordingly with these higher pump prices This in turn, made all product from field to market rise in price to meet the additional cost imposed seemingly without legitimate need beyond avarice You paid more for your gas but also more for all foodstuffs etc that rely on a gassed up truck delivering the good to market Tax policy can generate revenue, but it can also modify business policy Windfall taxes; corporations pay more in taxes when gouging can cull from super-profits funds to the treasury This can affect whether the corporations decide to gouge the public After all we all hate paying higher taxes If the government were to tax uber profiteering, wouldn t that be a disincentive to the corporation gouging the public? When we fail to impede profiteering from the corporations that control our vital national resources we miss the opportunity to discourage price gouging If Exxon expected to see a tax offset they would have no self interest to throw the economy into a tailspin by increasing the price of gas

Lacking a will to impose windfall taxes far from being a fair distribution of tax burden becomes a tax to the benefit of oil oligarchy to increase ever higher gas prices

Imposing a tax offset to modify the behavior can have an effect

Instead, we taxed ourselves with higher gas prices to funnel more wealth to the already well heeled That is the opposite of a progressive tax policy

Ellen Starbird Cape Coral

Bobby

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

Lt. Gov. Nunez announces cybergrant program

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

These days it doesn’t take much for a cyberterrorist to create mayhem inside the computers of a city county or even a state

On Friday, Lt Gov Jeanette Nunez visited Fire Station No 2 in Cape Coral to announce a state grant program to equip local governments with improved cybersecurity capabilities Local and county dignitaries attended this invitationonly event that served as a kickoff to the program created to improve cybersecurity for local governments fire and law enforcement and much more

Nunez said the state is ready to help build the infrastructure needed but cybersecurity is a priority, as evidenced by the $250 million invested since Gov Ron DeSantis took office

This $30 million competitive grant program funded through the state’s 2022-23 budget is geared toward the local governments to help keep databases safe as the number of cyberattacks continue to rise

We want to protect the citizens data and making sure we collaborate together We will have cybersecurity capabilities for local governments that this program will help, Nunez said

We re getting rid of all the things the federal government does wrong keep the things they do right and doing it faster better and with less bureaucracy ” said Pedro Allende secretary of the Department of Management Services

The application process was launched last week The window for applying will close at the end of March with awards being made April 18 No match is required

The program is designed to allow local governments to augment and improve their cyber capabilities, regardless of size or resources

If awarded, local governments will gain access to cybersecurity solutions that integrate into the State Cybersecurity Operations Center

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the state and local and county authorities have created a great team and that the way it has helped secure the internet is a game-changer

This provides a turn-key ability to let us work sooner and immediately Cooperation and intelligence sharing is a model for the country These programs keep us catching criminals and adapt to threats ” Marceno said “This is a critical program for us to keep your information safe ” For the city of Cape Coral this important Fire Chief Ryan Lamb said the city uses IT services and the internet more than ever and it needs to be protected, since lives are at stake

We re all impacted by cyberattacks and how it affects our ability to provide city services, Lamb said, adding the city's application is in the mail “It’s important that we safeguard that critical infrastructure ” Mayor John Gunter said having the state provide that for all agencies is key

I m sure the city will look into this program and par-

Burrowing Owl Festival draws thousands to Rotary Park

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers

com

Every year, the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife pay homage to the official bird of the city, a bird that is seeing its habitat destroyed by development

The CCFW held its 21st annual Burrowing Owl Festival at Rotary Park on Saturday

Featured were dozens of vendors, a near record number of attendees and enough activities for attendees to easily make a day out of it

The event serves as the biggest fundraiser for the CCFW with money raised used to purchase land to provide habitat for the owls as well as gopher tortoises

The biggest challenge will probably be the heat We have a lot of people in the butterfly house and lots of good things to buy, said CCFW's Cheryl Anderson

“Our vendors have a lot of good information and we’re trying to encourage people to build starter burrows in their yards

The last item is the most important Anderson said if residents don t make the owls feel welcome, the city will lose them as vacant lots are disappearing to development

Wherever animals go and their habitat is destroyed, they mostly die I live on a cul-de-sac with no empty lots I helped a neighbor build a starter burrow in his yard ” Anderson said “Six babies were raised there last year This year there are three nests on the street

Richard Falasco and his wife Kim have four burrows in their yard He built a starter burrow four years ago and it took two years for owls to come because he is in a developed neighborhood

Once I got one, I got a mate Last year we ended up with six babies and I dug three more holes and they re using those holes ” Falasco said “We have a camera set up and we watch them all day long ”

The Burrowing Owl Festival included a photographer s bus tour, several burrowing owl bus tours, tours of the butterfly garden guest speakers on the owls and other environmental topics

It also included numerous environmental related vendors who displayed animals, birds and merchandise, which was where much of the action occurred

A d a m P o t t r u c k o w n e r o f A d a m ’ s A n i m a l Encounters brought several of his animals including a snake, for the trip to teach visitors about animals

We love going to schools to do all different programs all the way through college level veterinarian classes and preschool ” Pottruck said “Most of our 160 animals from 56 species are surrendered

Starlee Smith of the Peace River Wildlife Center out of Punta Gorda brought three live birds including two owls to the event to educate attendees

All our rescues cannot be returned to the wild because they have been injured or illegally imprisoned by humans and never learned to hunt ” Smith said “We want to educate people on how to protect the wildlife ”

For additional information about the CCFW please visit http://ccfriendsof-wildlife org

Above from left, Patricia Ellan, a burrowing owl mascot and Donna Jones at the 21st annual Burrowing Owl Festival held Saturday at Rotary Park The burrowing owl is the city of Cape Coral's “official bird ” At left, Maggie, a barred owl, chills and looks at its admirers at the festival

CHARLES BALLARO

CHUCK BALLARO

Lt Gov Jeanette Nunez at the press conference at Fire Station No 2 in Cape Coral

ticipate The state has put in a lot of hard work and dedication to get this implemented, Gunter said For the city as a whole, this program is for a multitude of agencies and we will utilize whichever agency we feel will benefit

Habitat holds dedication for planned 36-home community in NFM

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

The journey may have taken nearly 2 1/2 years but on Thursday Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties held a dedication for McNeill Village a new affordable home community to be built north of Pondella Road in North Fort Myers

Local advocates, recipients and dignitaries came for the early morning ceremony to celebrate the future site of 36 single-family Habitat homes in a community that will include a lake and a small park

Becky Lucas, president and CEO of the local Habitat chapter, said Habitat has owned the property on Tanya Circle for several years but was unable to develop it until the organization got a grant for the site work needed including utilities and roads

We didn t have the funds for the infrastructure That s when the Board of County Commissioners stepped and gave us a grant for the infrastructure of this property ” Lucas said “Now we can go vertical and start building these homes ”

Commissioner Brian Hamman said these communities provide the opportunity at real homeownership, build equity, provide affordable housing and work toward their version of the American dream

“For the last couple years the biggest concern that has been brought to the commissioners is what we’re going to do about the skyrocketing housing crisis It s something that takes a toll on teachers and first responders, folks like us who make normal amounts of money, Hamman said “It would have been hard for me to afford a $400 000 home early in my career so the gives people the opportunity to start building wealth and owning a home

The homes will go to hard-working, low-income families who earn between 30 and 80 percent of the area s median income and are willing to put in 300 hours of sweat equity to help build their home or other homes They also take budgeting and home maintenance classes under the umbrella of financial literacy to become successful homeowners

The homes will be paid for with a Habitat mortgage loan at zero percent interest

“Homeowners are chosen based on their need their ability to pay and willingness to partner with us ” Lucas said We look at work history, perform background checks and they have to be willing to put in the sweat equity It s a process and it takes between six months and a year to go through it before we close on a home ” Communities like these are becoming more important with the cost of rent homes and insurance skyrocketing by the day Lucas said it s been a challenge to offer affordable housing with the increase in regulations and insurance

“All these things contribute to homeowners minimizing their ability to purchase a home This is the most overvalued rental market in the country according to a December study done by FGCU, Florida Atlantic and the University of Alabama, Lucas said, with rentals averaging around $2,200 per month “This is the solution Being able to provide 36 families with an opportunity to have an affordable home they would otherwise not have an affordable place to live

Becky Lucas, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties, presents a key to the village to County Commissioners Ray Santelli, left, and Brian Hamman during the dedication of McNeill Village

CHUCK BALLARO

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c j h a d d a d @ b r e e z e n e w s p a p e r s c o m T h e c i t y o f C a p e C o r a l w i l l b r i n g a c o m b i n a t i o n o f m u s i c a n d a r t s t o t h e d o w n t o w n a r e a n e x t F r i d a y n i g h t T h e c i t y s P a r k s a n d R e c r e a t i o n D e p a r t m e n t w i l l p r e s e n t t h e C a p e C o r a l M u s i c a n d A r t s F u s i o n W a l k o n F r i d a y M a r c h 1 0 f r o m 5 t o 9 p m a l o n g S o u t h e a s t

4 7 t h T e r r a c e T h e c i t y i n v i t e s t h e c o m m u n i t y t o e n j o y a f a m i l yf r i e n d l y s h o w c a s e o f l o c a l m u s i c i a n a n d a r t i s t s , g o i n g d o w n b e t w e e n V i n c e n n e s B o u l e v a r d a n d S o u t h e a s t 1 5 t h A v e n u e “ A f t e r t h e S o u t h C a p e C o m m u n i t y R e d e v e l o p m e n t A g e n c y c o v e r e d u t i l i t y b o x e s i n D o w n t o w n C a p e C o r a l w i t h v i b r a n t , l o c a l a r t w o r k , w e w a n t e d t o l i v e n u p t h e a r e a e v e n m o r e a n d p u t t o g e t h e r a m u s i c a n d a r t e v e n t f o r t h e c o m m u n i t y ” s a i d S e n i o r R e c r e a t i o n S p e c i a l i s t

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department will present the Cape Coral Music and Arts Fusion Walk on Friday, March 10, from 5 to 9 p m along Southeast 47th Terrace

First fundraiser is set for March 13, donations needed for the planned silent auction

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers

com

A non-profit tied to a music legend that provides local youth with the gift of reading is now in Lee County

The Lee County Imagination Library, an affiliate of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is welcoming all children ages 5 and under to enroll in its program that will see a book mailed to their home once-amonth The program is free with the purpose to promote early childhood development encourage parent-child interaction enhance children's literacy and better prep a r e y o u n g s t e r s f o r k i n d e r g a r t e n A l l books are age appropriate, and teach colors, numbers and word recognition They include fiction and non-fiction titles, are culturally diverse and teach children about the world around them

Judie Baker-Basil is the president of L e e C o u n t y I m a g i n a t i o n L i b r a r y a n d brought the program here with the help of her husband’s music business ties and the C h a r l o t t e C o u n t y I m a g i n a t i o n L i b r a r y family Baker-Basil received 501(c)(3) certific a t i o n i n m i d - 2 0 2 2 a n d e x p e r i e n c e d delays with Hurricane Ian Now, the program is ready to enroll children and already have more than 1 200 youths signed up

“Everybody is very excited in the county, Baker-Basil said Literacy is extremely important Reading lays the foundation in life That s what this program is all about ”

There are approximately 37 000 children under the age of 5 in Lee County Baker-Basil said if you were to compare children born to low-income families vs middle income families one would find:

∫ Low-income children are twice as

likely to have developmental delays

∫ Sixty-one percent (61%) of lowincome children have no books in their homes

∫

By kindergarten low-income children are 12-14 months behind in pre-reading skills

∫ The gap between low- and middleincome students continues to grow and low-income students are 13 times more likely to drop out of school

By third grade, low-income children are 2- to 2-and-a-half years behind in reading skills, Baker-Basil said Because some parents or caregivers work two jobs there is no time to read with their children Let alone interact with them to teach early learning skills Some children don t even have books in their houses It s my goal to get a book in every child's hand

The Lee County Imagination Library delivers free books to all registered children no matter their income level They are addressed to the child and mailed by the United States Postal Service to their home

The Dollywood Foundation provides all the organizational and technical support but the Lee County affiliation raises the funds to pay for the books It costs $25 annually for each child to receive 12 books

“What child doesn’t like to get mail in

their name? It makes them feel special, Baker-Basil said

If the house hold has three children under the age of 5 each child will receive a n a g e - a p p r o p r i a t e b o o k a d d r e s s e d t o them The only information necessary to register is the child s name, birth date, the parent s name, a phone number, mailing address and email address Once a child is registered the first book will arrive in eight to 12 weeks

Baker-Basil volunteers at the United Way, reading to pre-kindergarten children each week She said the ability to read at a younger age is much more prevalent than schooling most parents experienced “Kindergarten is completely different ” she said They want you reading before you get there

There is no limit to number of children throughout the county who can enroll and Basil-Baker wants to see the number books coming to youth in Southwest Florida rise

There are a lot of families in Lee County that are disadvantaged, and I d like to reach out and help as many as I can, Baker-Basil said “I will speak to anybody that wants to learn about the program ” S h e h a s a l r e a d y h a d c o n v e r s a t i o n s

about the Lee County Imagination Library with Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, and the School District of Lee County

The first fundraiser for the program takes place March 13 from 6 to 9 p m at The Grill at 1951 in Port Charlotte

They are looking for items donated by local businesses for a silent auction

c a t e g o r i e s a r e c a n d l e s , c l a y , d i g i t a l , g l a s s , j e w e l r y , l e a t h e r , l i v i n g p l a n t s , m i x e d m e d i a , p a i n t i n g s , p h o t o gr a p h y s o a p s / l o t i o n s a n d w o o d w o r k “ V e n d o r s w i l l o f f e r a w i d e v a r i e t y o f a r t a n d h o m em a d e g o o d s r a n g i n g f r o m c a n d l e s s o a p s a n d l o t i o n s j e w e l r y , f i n e a r t , r e f u r b i s h e d a r t , e p o x y h o m e d e c o r , a n d m o r e , H a e g e r s a i d T h e e v e n t w i l l f e a t u r e t h r e e l o c a l m u s i c i a n s , s p r e a d a c r o s s 4 7 t h T e r r a c e w h o w i l l b e p l a y i n g a t t h e s a m e t i m e A s g u e s t s m o v e t h r o u g h t h e v e n u e t h e y w i l l h e a r t h r e e d i f f e r e n t m u s i c a l o f f e r i n g s D r e s s f o r t h e w e a t h e r a n d e n j o y a n i g h t w i t h n e i g hb o r s a n d f r i e n d s s u p p o r t i n g l o c a l a r t i s t s a n d s m a l l b u s in e s s e s w h i l e l i s t e n i n g t o s o u l f u l p e r f o r m e r s p l a y a v a r ie t y o f m u s i c a l i n s t r u m e n t s ” H a e g e r a d d e d “ T h e r e w i l l b e n o f o o d t r u c k s i n a t t e n d a n c e W e i n v i t e a l l g u e s t s t o e n j o y a m e a l o r d r i n k a t t h e w i d e v a r i e t y o f s u r r o u n di n g , l o c a l r e s t a u r a n t s T h i s e v e n t s e c t i o n o f S o u t h e a s t 4 7 t h T e r r a c e w i l l b e b l o c k e d o f f t o t r a f f i c s t a r t i Page 7A CAPE CORAL BREE ZE w w w capecoral breeze com March 3 2023 Cape Coral Music and Arts Fusion Walk set for next Friday Free book program for Lee pre-schoolers gearing up The Lee County Imagination Library, an affiliate of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, is welcoming all children ages 5 and under to enroll in its program that will see a book mailed to their home once-a-month The program is free with the purpose to promote early childhood development, encourage parent-child interaction, enhance children's literacy and better prepare youngsters for kindergarten

More than 40 items have already been donated and will be available to take home including Disney tickets golf and fishing outings and gift cards to local restaurants T h e e v e n t i s i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h t h e C h a r l o t t e C o u n t y I m a g i n a t i o n L i b r a r y established 11 years ago, that has 40% of youth under 5 registered

Those interested in donating can email Baker-Basil at judie@leecountyimaginationlibrary org

D o l l y P a r t o n s I m a g i n a t i o n L i b r a r y originated in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1995 It was started as a tribute to Parton’s f a t h e r w h o c o u l d n o t r e a d S i n c e September 2022 more than 2 million books have been given to children across the United States, Canada, the United K i n g d o m , R e p u b l i c o f I r e l a n d a n d Australia

Lee County's Imagination Library website is still in the works but those who would like to register can do so at imaginationlibrary com ZIP codes corresponding to Lee County will be taken care of by Baker-Basil

Council eyes rezoning requests affecting commercial

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

Something that the Cape Coral City Council has known for years is commercial business that is proportional to its population

Despite an abundance of new businesses the city is currently 92 percent residential the same it has been for years

Yet many of the ordinances that have come to the governing body have involved rezoning commercial property into residential

On Wednesday Council said “enough ” Council shot down two ordinances that would have turned commercial property into something else

One ordinance which would have rezoned property west of Nelson Road and south of Tropicana Parkway from Commercial to Neighborhood Commercial, was unanimously rejected after Councilmember Keith Long, who represents the district where this would go questioned the zoning district and the fact it rarely ever ends up being commercial

“If we continue down this path, when the time does come where you need commercial, we may not have that opportunity If our goal is to have 20 percent commercial, we re only shooting ourselves in the foot

Mayor John Gunter

Boulevard and Southwest 8th Place was also shot down 6-2 for pretty much the same reason Councilmember Robert Welsh said it would be hard to allow this ordinance to go through after having rejected the previous one

Councilmember Patty Cummings said the property can be used for a small office, while Long said there could be the possibility for assemblage

That s my problem and it will always be my problem There s no purpose and it s misleading because there’s hardly any commercial there ” Long said “We’re just changing this from a commercial to a multifamily development It s a hill I m willing to die on I m opposed to this Long reasoned the lack of commercial development as being because it hasn’t made its way north and there’s a need to keep the commercial nodes Mayor John Gunter was also concerned, seeing as the city has limited commercial space “If we continue down this path when the time does come where you need commercial

we may not have that opportunity, Gunter said If our goal is to have 20 percent commercial we’re only shooting ourselves in the foot ”

Councilmember Bill Steinke lamented the number of ordinances that have come through changing the zoning or land use from commercial to residential “Out of one side of our mouths we’ve said we need to increase the commercial tax and every proposal that comes before us turns commercial into something not commercial, Steinke said A second ordinance that would have changed the land use from Commercial/ Professional to Multi-Family on Skyline

Let s not look at these individually We can use these and put them together for some larger tract, Long said

Councilmembers Jessica Cosden and Tom Hayden voted to approve the ordinance

In other business the city council made some decisions involving meetings The workshop meeting for March 8 was cancelled because there was nothing on the agenda to discuss

A special meeting was added for Thursday March 30 at 4:30 p m The topic is expected to be Hudson Creek, with several presenters who are expected to take a bit of time

Council moves with transition plan to fill city attorney post

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers

com

The Cape Coral City Council moved forward with its succession plan of choice Wednesday, voting unanimously to give soon-to-be retiring City Attorney Dolores Menendez a notice of non-renewal of her contract

This was not any notice of termination and does not rule out the possibility of giving her a new contract if the need arises during the search for her replacement

Mayor John Gunter wanted there to be a transition from one city attorney to another to give the incoming person a chance to pick the brain of Menendez who has 30 years of local eager knowledge

We could do this with the knowledge we can give her another contract from October of this year to September the following year ” Gunter said adding that he spoke with Menendez to discuss his idea of transition

“In a perfect world there would be a period of time where they would work together That s where a second contract can be negotiated Councilmember Bill Steinke said he approved of a letter of non-renewal but not to disengage with the city attorney

It gives us flexibility of what a contract would look like with the transition plan we would need to put in place, Steinke said “Not knowing what kind of candidates we would get through the search ”

Menendez has announced her intention to retire in October 2024 Several on council restated that they are not trying to remove her, as some on council said their constituents were wondering

On what was a relatively light agenda

Council also got an update on the EnerGov system, in particular on roofing permits and inspections, which have gone through the roof in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian

Matt Grambow special projects coordina-

tor with the city manager’s office said the city has issued more than 21,000 roofing permits since Ian, going up from 162 per week before to 1,062 per week after

The city added a sixth private provider last week which has helped reduce wait times for roofing inspections since Feb 14 from six weeks to four

The city has also increased its average weekly inspection numbers by 239 percent, from 1 934 per week to 4 641 weekly Last week the city did 959 inspections per business day

The city is considering a final roofing inspection affidavit, which would include a sheet explaining the process The contractor and property owner would have to sign the affidavit and have it notarized The contractor would then submit the completed form to the city through EnerGov City staff would process the forms and submit the results

This would result in a reduction in final roofing inspection demand and shorter wait

times at minimal cost though it would also result in increased workload and some administrative delay in processing other documents

Steinke was concerned that having both parties sign off on the affidavits was like having the fox guard the henhouse Granbow understood the concern and added the city is trying to come up with ways to decrease wait times He said that the city of Jupiter is doing something similar Councilmember Keith Long praised the outside-the-box thinking but was concerned about contractors complaints that they were waiting four weeks for dry-in inspections, and they couldn’t get the final inspection without that being done first

“That becomes an issue when we get to rainy season and you have to have that up there for four weeks and the rain would cause water damage, Long said I can support this ”

Catch the Vision: Tickets on sale, vendor spaces still available

From page 1A

h o w i m p o r t a n t f i r s t - r e s p o n d e r s a r e t o t h e g r o w t h o f t h e c o m m u n i t y C a t c h t h e V i s i o n b r e a k s d o w n w h a t s o n t h e h o r i z o n i n o n e o f t h e f a s t e s tg r o w i n g c i t i e s i n t h e U S i n c l u d i n g d e t a i l s o n t h e d e v e l o p e r s j o b c r e a t i o n a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r r e s i d e n t s A t t e n d e e s a l s o w i l l t a k e h o m e a r e s o u r c e g u i d e t h a t i n c l u d e s d i r e c t o r i e s f l o o d z o n e m a p s , W a s t e P r o i n f o r m a t i o n a n d m u c h m o r e

This year, we ve been getting a lot of questions about, What s going in this vacant lot? What s going in that vacant lot? How many more apartments can we get? What are the new developments coming in? And this year, we re going to highlight those organizer Gloria Tate

“ T h i s i s f o r e v e r y o n e ” T a t e s a i d A n y o n e w h o s a y s t h e y w a n t t o b e a r e si d e n t o f C a p e C o r a l w h o i s a r e s i d e n t

w h o c o m e s b y a n d m a y b e w a n t s t o i n v e s t a n d k n o w w h o t h e p a r t n e r s a r e i t ’ s f o r a l l ”

T i c k e t s t o C a t c h t h e V i s i o n a r e $ 2 0 , w i t h a p o r t i o n o f t h e p r o c e e d s g o i n g t o t h e C a p e C o r a l C a r i n g C e n t e r V e n d o r s p a c e s a r e s t i l l a v a i l a b l e ( e m a i l c a t c h t h ev i s i o n c c @ g m a i l c o m ) F o r t i c k e t s a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n o r t o b e c o m e a v e n d o r v i s i t w w w c a t c h t h ev i s i o n c a p e c o r a l c o m

School board gets update on student discipline numbers

, d r u g u s e / p o s s e ss i o n f i g h t i n g a n d p h y s i c a l a t t a c k a r e a m o n g t h e t o p s i x r e a s o n s s t u d e n t s r e c e i v e a d i s c i p l i n a r y a c t i o n i n L e e C o u n t y s c h o o l s I n e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l , t h e t o p s i x a r e p h y s i c a l a t t a c k o r f i g h t i n g t h r e a t o r i n t i m i d a t i o n m a j o r d i s r u p t i o n o n c a mp u s t o b a c c o p o s s e s s i o n a n d b u l l y i n g I n m i d d l e a n d h i g h s c h o o l t h e t o p i n c i d e n t s i n c l u d e t o b a c c o p o s s e s s i o n , f o l l o w e d b y f i g h t i n g , d r u g u s e / p o s s e ss i o n p h y s i c a l a t t a c k t h r e a t / i n t i m i d a t i o n a n d m a j o r d i s r u p t i o n o n c a m p u s T h e S c h o o l B o a r d o f L e e C o u n t y g o t a d e e p e r d i v e l a s t w e e k i n t o t h e d i s t r i c t s S c h o o l E n v i r o n m e n t S a f e t y I n c i d e n t R e p o r t T h e S E S I R w h i c h i n c l u d e s 2 6 d e f i n it i o n s p r o v i d e s a “ c o d i n g s y s t e m u s e d t o r e p o r t i n c i d e n t s t h a t a r e a g a i n s t t h e l a w o r r e p r e s e n t s e r i o u s b r e a c h e s o f t h e c o d e o f s t u d e n t c o n d u c t , r a n g i n g f r o m a o n e t o t h e m o s t s e r i o u s , a f i v e A t a d i s t r i c t w i d e l e v e l s o m e o f t h e i n c i d e n t s h a v e r i s e n s u c h a s t o b a c c o p o s s e s s i o n f r o m 4 4 1 i n c i d e n t s d u r i n g t h e f i r s t s e m e s t e r o f 2 0 2 1 - 2 0 2 2 , c o mp a r e d t o 4 4 8 d u r i n g t h e f i r s t s e m e s t e r o f 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3 ; f i g h t i n g f r o m 3 3 7 t o 3 8 6 ; d r u g u s e / p o s s e s s i o n f r o m 2 8 4 t o 3 7 7 a n d t h r e a t / i n t i m i d a t i o n f r o m 2 1 5 i n c id e n t s t o 2 5 4 D i s t r i c t w i d e , p h y s i c a l a t t a c k i n c id e n t s d e c r e a s e d f r o m 3 0 6 t o 2 5 2 a n d m a j o r d i s r u p t i o n o n c a m p u s i n c i d e n t s f r o m 1 1 5 t o 6 9 i n c i d e n t s

“ We n e e d t o t u r n a r o u n d a n d t e l l ( s t u d e n t s ) w h a t t o d o a n d h o w d o y o u b e h a v e a n d i n t e r a c t w i t h o t h e r s , r e s o l v e c o n f l i c t a n d m e e t e x p e c t a t i o n s o f o t h e r s T h e r e s e a r c h b e h i n d ( t h e P o s i t i v e B e h a v i o r I n t e r v e n t i o n s a n d S u p p o r t s s y s t e m ) i s g r o w i n g P o s i t i v e P r e v e n t i o n D i r e c t o r C h u c k B r a d l e y, w h o s a i d t h e d i s t r i c t i s w o r k i n g w i t h t h e s c h o o l s t o h e l p f i n d a p p r o p r i a t e s t r a t e g i e s a n d i n t e r v e n t i o n s

I n e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l t h e r e w a s a d e c r e a s e i n p h y s i c a l a t t a c k f r o m 1 0 5 i n 2 0 2 1 - 2 0 2 2 t o 6 5 i n 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3 T h e r e w a s a n i n c r e a s e o f 5 1 i n 2 0 2 1 - 2 0 2 2 i n t h r e a t / i n t i m i d a t i o n t o 7 1 i n 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3 A t t h e h i g h s c h o o l l e v e l t h e r e w a s a n i n c r e a s e i n d r u g u s e / p o s s e s s i o n f r o m 2 8 2 i n 2 0 2 1 - 2 0 2 2 t o 3 7 6 i n 2 0 2 22 0 2 3 T h e r e w a s a r e d u c t i o n i n m a j o r d i s r u p t i o n o n c a m p u s f r o m 9 7 i n 2 0 2 12 0 2 2 t o 6 3 i n 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3 T h e b o a r d h a d m a n y q u e s t i o n s a b o u t t h e i n c i d e n t t y p e a n d w h a t c l a s s i f i e s s u c h b e h a v i o r a s f i g h t i n g v s p h y s i c a l a t t a c k S t u d e n t S e r v i c e s E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r J e s s i c a D u n c a n s a i d t h e S E S I R d e f i n it i o n o f a f i g h t i s w h e r e t w o s t u d e n t s a r e p h y s i c a l l y r e s t r a i n e d , o r a r e s u l t i n g i n j u r y f r o m t h e e v e n t A p h y s i c a l a t t a c k i s u n p r o v o k e d b y s o m e o n e o r n o t e n g a g e d i n m u t u a l c o m b a t T h e i n c i d e n t i s r e c o r d e d a n d p r o c e s s e d b y a n a d m i n i s t r a t o r o r d e a n , w h o w i l l c l o s e l y c o m p a r e i t t o t h e s t a t e d e f i n i t i o n t o d e t e r m i n e i f t h e i n c i d e n t w a s c o d e d c o r r e c t l y s h e s a i d S c h o o l S u p e r i n t e n d e n t D r

C h r i s t o p h e r B e r n i e r s a i d t h e d i s t r i c t h a s b e t t e r i n f o r m a s i t e - b a s e d t e a m t o u n d e rs t a n d w h a t i s o c c u r r i n g o n c a m p u s w h a t t h e b i g e v e n t s a r e a s w e l l a s w h e r e i n c id e n t s a r e o c c u r r i n g s o t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e t e a m w a t c h i n g a n d s u p e r v i s i n g a c a m p u s c a n b e p r o p e r l y a l i g n e d T h a t i s t h e c o n s i s t e n t p a r t l o o k i n g a t d a t a O n e o f t h e l o n g - t e r m p r o j e c t s w o u l d b e c r e a t i n g i n t e r a c t i v e d a s hb o a r d s ( s o a d m i n i s t r a t o r s ) c o u l d s e e w h a t i s t r a n s p i r i n g a t t h e a p p r o p r i a t e l e v e l s , h e s a i d D i s t r i c t a c t i o n P o s i t i v e P r e v e n t i o n D i r e c t o r C h u c k B r a d l e y s a i d t h e d i s t r i c t i s w o r k i n g w i t h t h e s c h o o l s t o h e l p f i n d a p p r o p r i a t e s t r a t e g i e s a n d i n t e r v e n t i o n s H e s a i d t h e y a r e e d u c a t o r s a n d a r e t h e r e t o t e a c h a p p r o p r i a t e b e h a v i o r a n d a p p r o p r i a t e w a y s t o i n t e r a c t s o t h e y c a n b e s u c c e s sf u l i n l i f e S o m e o f t h e c o r r e c t i v e s t r a t e g y e x a mp l e s i n c l u d e a l t e r n a t i v e s t o s u s p e n s i o n ; c o n f e r e n c i n g w i t h s t u d e n t s a n d p a r e n t s ; P o s i t i v e B e h a v i o r I n t e r v e n t i o n s a n d S u p p o r t s ( P B I S ) ; c o u n s e l i n g s e s s i o n s ;

n i c o t i n e p r e v e n t i o n c o u r s e / P r e v e n t i o n C e n t e r ; m e n t o r i n g a n d r e s t o r a t i v e p r a ct i c e s B r a d l e y s a i d t h e y w a n t t o m e e t w i t h t h e s t u d e n t a n d p a r e n t t o m a k e s u r e t h e p a r e n t s a r e a w a r e o f w h a t t h e y a r e t r y i n g t o a c c o m p l i s h a t s c h o o l w h i l e e n f o r c i n g w h a t i s b e i n g d o n e a t h o m e A s f a r a s t h e r e s t o r a t i v e p r a c t i c e s a n d m e n t o r i n g , h e s a i d t h i s i s b e i n g d o n e t o r e p a i r h a r m t h a t h a s h a p p e n e d w h e t h e r i t i s h a r m i n r e l a t i o n s h i p s o r d a m a g e o n c a m p u s P B I S i s a p r o g r a m s c h o o l s u s e t o h e l p s u p p o r t p o s i t i v e b e h a v i o r W e n e e d t o t u r n a r o u n d a n d t e l l t h e m w h a t t o d o a n d h o w d o y o u b e h a v e a n d i n t e r a c t w i t h o t h e r s r e s o l v e c o n f l i c t a n d m e e t e x p e c t a t i o n s o f o t h e r s ” B r a d l e y s a i d “ T h e r e s e a r c h b e h i n d P B I S i s g r o w i n g P B I S r e s e a r c h s h o w s t h a t t h e r e i s a d e c r e a s e i n d i s c i p l i n a r y i n f r a c t i o n s a n d a n t i s o c i a l b e h a v i o r w h i l e i n c r e a s i n g a c a d e m i c e n g a g e m e n t a n d s c h o o l s a f e t y a n d c l i m a t e W e t a l k P B I S t o t e a c h o u r s t u d e n t s o n w h a t t o d o r i g h t , B e r n i e r s a i d S o m e t i m e s w e p u t a b i g l o n g l i s t o f e v e r y t h i n g c h i l d r e n c a n d o w r o n g P B I S s i m p l i f i e s f o u r t o s i x t h i n g s t o d o c o rr e c t l y e v e r y d a y B e o n t i m e b e r e s p o ns i b l e , t o b e p r e p a r e d , t o b e n i c e A l l t h o s e t h i n g s l i s t e d i n t h e c o d e o f c o n d u c t y o u r e a l l y d o n t h a v e t o w o r r y a b o u t b e c a u s e i f y o u c o n d u c t y o u r s e l f e v e r y d a y y o u ’ r e t r e a t i n g y o u r s e l f a n d c l a s sm a t e s a s g o o d h u m a n b e i n g s

Enrollment: Parents urged not to wait past the deadline

From page 1A

E x c e p t i o n a l S t u d e n t E d u c a t i o n Assistant Director Scott Kozlowski said if there is a student that is either in a special class or special program especially those self-contained units then yes they will stay at their current school and still receive transportation

Self-contained, or special program, something that is on the campus that is not available anywhere else ” he said

The ESE students have been pre-placed into their current school of enrollment, so no action is needed A parent can change their student into a school within their new proximity zone if they wish

If that ESE student has another sibling in the same school they would not be able to use the transportation

Another question asked if bus transportation would still be available to daycare

Molloy said stops outside of a residential address can be added, as long as it is on an existing route, or stop He said within t h e p r o x i m i t y z o n e s t h e m s e l v e s , y e s , potentially that could be used

The lottery for school assignments will run around March 20

The plan is to have notification go out to parents of their child s school by April 1, either via email, or through Parent Portal

The district will establish a wait list for those who do not get their first choice of the school In addition, a waiver will be available allowing parents to share their unique hardship of why they need a different school

“You will see a reduction of those existing stops and routes ” Molloy said

In addition he said students who live within the two-mile radius of their school are considered in a safe walk zone and transportation is not available Molloy said out of the two-mile walk zone transportation will be provided

Another question stemmed around what happens if a student is out of their current school zone and no action is taken, what will happen for their placement next year

“They will be reassigned within their proximity zone without their ranking or their choice, Molloy said That is why it is so important within this enrollment period that if you are going into your proximity zone for transportation you are a rising

kindergartner that you make sure you fill out those forms You go into your Parent Portal You make those rankings because you will be reassigned

Student Enrollment Executive Director

Soretta Ralph said she hopes parents have already registered their child for kindergarten as registration began in October

That will give us a better idea of how many students we have coming into the district and be able to allocate spaces at the schools ” she said “They will be assigned with their siblings That assignment if it has not already occurred as a pre-placement, then the assignment will be occurring before the lottery has run

For those incoming kindergarten students that do not have a sibling and have

not yet registered they may not have a chance of ranking the schools in their choice if they wait past March 10

The last questions dealt with parents opting to grandfather their child into their current school, agreeing they will provide their own transportation

Molloy said once they submit their grandfathering form or choice application they are set

Once you have submitted it in your Parent Portal you are good to go, he said

The lottery for school assignments will run around March 20 The plan is to have notification go out to parents of their child's school by April 1 either via email or through Parent Portal

We will have a wait list if you don t get your first choice of the school We will continue to work through the last day of July ” Ralph said

In addition a waiver will be available allowing parents to share their unique hardship of why they need a different school

Some inshore waters and offshore spots good places to try your luck

Feeling a little weepy and wheezy? Beaches smelling fishy? Can’t we catch a break?

One look at Thursdays FWC Southwest Florida coastal satellite images shows high concentrations of Karenia brevis or red tide stretching from below Tampa Bay all the way down to Marco Island could explain it Respiratory issues as well as fish kills were reported

Mariner’s Emerick February Breeze Athlete of the Month

Breeze Staf f Repor t news@breezenewspapers com

Capt George Tunison

The map indicates little to no issues east of Boca Grande, throughout Charlotte Harbor and down into Matlacha Pass which unless something changes is where I would concentrate my inshore game this weekend, especially along the east wall of the harbor Calm winds and currents, unseasonably warm air and water temperatures no rain plus still present storm-related chemicals and waste in local waters have obviously created more than favorable conditions for red tide to thrive Gusty winds are predicted by today but this past week's light winds and plentiful sunshine have allowed offshore runs to clean water in the 80 to 120-foot range where red grouper mangrove and Lane snapper grunts and porgies were waiting and hungry Kingfish should be showing up in these same areas very soon A little closer to the coast, sheepshead are still on nearshore reefs while tripletail especially large specimens are few and far between

Red grouper is open year-round in state waters and closed to harvest in Federal waters seaward of 20 fathoms (1 fathom 6 feet) between Feb 1 to March 31 Total length

minimum for harvest of 20 inches; two allowed per angler within a 4 grouper aggregate Grey trigger opened March 1 to May 31 in state waters One per person - 15-inch minimum

Make sure you have signed up for the State Reef Survey before reef fishing

Spanish macs are on the move and have probably moved offshore as well to cleaner water but could show up anywhere from the coast out several miles, and once found by running, scouting and watching for

feeding birds to tip you off to their location, can provide awesome, fast, lite tackle spin and fly rod action for all aboard even for the most inexperienced angler

Borrowed from the internet is a great way to rig for Spanish and a fun and exciting technique for beginners to use

Simply put on your workshop tinkering hat and add some wire, some bends and crimps and an ounce sinker to a popping cork ending up with a swivel on both ends Tie a 3-foot piece of 40-pound fluorocarbon to it then add a small 0 to 1 sized Clark spoon to the other end Cast it far then start a fast erratic and splashy retrieve with the float which will certainly draw hungry macs to the surface dinner table and your helpless little

“injured spoon dangling below the faked surface feeding commotion

Troll in “birdy” areas to locate them or anchor and chum them to the back of the boat for fast action

Tying on lures and flies using light single strand wire insures no biteoffs but 40-pound fluorocarbon gets lots more bites from these sharp eyed and toothed wolfpack killers

Cast jigs, spoons and even topwater plugs for explosive strikes and by all means never drive through a surface feeding school as it will put the fish down ruining it for you and other boat s fishing the feeding frenzy Shut down the big motor and observe, then come in quietly on the electric and pick at the edges of the activity which keeps the school actively feeding Driving through a school of actively feeding fish is a really bad way to make angling

friends

Inshore finds smaller reds and snook along mangrove shorelines where bottom-hopped plastic paddle tails cover water and catch fish On continued warm afternoons, break out a slowly retrieved spoon and cover water along bars points creek mouths and mangrove edges

Please check out the floridarighttocleanwater org website for current info and FAQs

Capt George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide You an contact him at 239-282-9434 or via email at captgeorget3@aol com

The votes are in for the Cape Coral Breeze s February Athlete of the Month, and the winner is Mariner High School's Kassidy Emerick Emerick a senior won the 110pound Olympic Weightlifting event

Wednesday SOFTBALL

Kassidy Emerick PREP REPORT

Cypress Lake 2, Mariner 1 (8 innings): Cypress Lake scored a run in the top of the eighth then got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning The Tritons loaded the bases with one out, but could not get the tying and winning runs home Crimson Lawrence tripled for Mariner and Katie Campbell had three stolen bases Lawrence also struck out 10 batters in six innings but her opponent Sammi Rosado, fanned 18

BASEBALL

Charlotte 3, Bishop Verot 1: Timothy Lawson drove in Grayson Carpenter with the Vikings run Carpenter was 2-for-2, and Joey Bello was 2-for-3 with a double BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Canterbury 4, Mariner 1: The Tritons are 0-2 after Wednesday s match Bishop Verot 5, Gulf Coast HEAT 0: Verot's unbeaten streak to begin the season stretches to 4-0

Tuesday BASEBALL

Ida Baker 6, North Fort Myers 5 (8 innings): Cayden Farmer's fielder's choice drove in the Bulldogs' winning run in the top of the eighth inning Farmer was 2-for-4 with two RBI and Santiago Liendo and Keegan Pitstick drove in a run each for Ida Baker (2-2) Cody Catania was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, including the game-winner Matthew Blasena was 2-for-4 with two RBI for North Fort Myers (3-1) Thomas Eisiminger scored two Red Knights runs Neumann 8, Mariner 3: Kaden Oxnam Oxnam drove in a run for Mariner (0-3), and Sam Guth Xavier Muentes and Romero Gist each scored a run Oasis d Golden Gate (score not available): Alex Garay went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI, and Noah Pinney drove in for the Sharks (1-2) Grayson Medico struck out five in three innings for the win Jacob Fowler earned the save Island Coast 11, Riverdale 0 (5 innings): The Gators are off to a 4-1 start Estero 5, Cape Coral 3: The Seahawks are 1-3

SOFTBALL Charlotte 1, Bishop Verot 0: Hard-luck

Vikings (0-2) losing pitcher Victoria Ash struck out 11, allowing one run in six innings

Estero 16, Cape Coral 3: Jessica Ratliff had an RBI and scored a run for Cape N o r t h F o r t M y e r s 1 4 , I d a B a k e r 4 : Kaliyah Williams was 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored for the Red Knights (1-0) Kendall Wylie drove in three Red Knights runs and Mia Lane went 3-for-3, scored three times and drove in two For Ida Baker (1-1), Julie Nieves was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI Oasis 16, Golden Gate 0 (4 innings): Audrey Doan was 2-for-4, driving in three runs and scoring twice for Oasis (2-0) Jetta Fisher a n d A l a i n a S h u g a r s h a d t h r e e R B I e a c h Meesha Neujahr and Eva Selfridge combined for a one-hit shutout over four innings Riverdale 17, Island Coast 2 (4 innings): Island Coast is 1-2

BOYS LACROSSE Community School of Naples 12, Bishop Verot 5: The Vikings took their first loss of the year (4-1)

GIRLS TENNIS

Ida Baker 7, Dunbar 0

Singles: Kathryne Jones (IB) d Cynthia Mauvais 6-0, 6-0 Alexandra Hamilton (IB) d Gabrielle Brown 6-0 6-0 Ella Peterson (IB) d Miya Shields 6-1 6-0 Brooke Robinson (IB) d Mikayla Berry 6-1, 6-1 Julika Feix (IB) d Arianna Casanova 6-2, 6-1 Doubles: Jones/ H a m i l t o n ( I B ) d M a u v a i s / B r o w n 8 - 1 P e t e r s o n / R o b i n s o n ( I B ) d M i y a S h i e l d s / Abigail Hill 8-1 Record: Ida Baker 2-3 E a s t L e e C o u n t y 5 , I s l a n d C o a s t 2 : Sydney Rust won her singles match for the Gators and combined with Yadira Escutia for a doubles victory

BOYS TENNIS

Fort Myers 6, Mariner 1

Singles: Gabe Schoefeld (FM) d Karl Schott 6-2, 6 -1 Joshua Kilpatrick (FM) d Kiertan Kirkimilis 6-0, 6-1 Noah Riascos (M)

d Ross Hagen 6-1 6-4 Yusef Muitaba (FM)

d Robert Preston 6-1 6-3 Zain Khan (FM) d Damien Gleason 6-0, 6-0 Rayyan Ali (FM) d Christian Zapata 6-0, 6-0 Doubles: Evan B l o o m / P h i l p i E a s t l u n d ( F M ) d S c h o t t / Kirkimilis 8-0 Kilpatrick/Schoefeld (FM) d Riascos/Preston

Cape Coral Breeze

Athletes of the Week

Cape

Coral Breeze Athletes Week of the

(Selected by the Breeze Sports staff)

Sponsored by:

M15 may be bonding with potential new mate

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

It has been nearly a month since Southwest Florida s famous eagle matriarch Harriet went missing leaving her mate to take care of their latest brood

Remarkably the eaglets dubbed E21 and E22 are doing well despite the occasional meal being stolen by intruders and the loss of half their parental support system

Even more remarkable is that eagle dad M15 may have found himself a potential new mate

The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has shown the action in and out of the nest off Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers as the eaglets continue to grow and the possibility of a new pairing becomes greater

A female eagle called R23-3 (as in Rouge Eagle 2023, No 3) has been coming around the nest for a couple weeks and not only has she not harmed the eaglets, she has helped a bit with feedings even as the babies are learning to feed themselves

“She has been persistent in her presence around the nest tree and in the area When M comes in with a fish, she s usually close behind, said Ginnie Pritchett McSpadden, founder of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam on the Pritchett property We ve seen her

She has been persistent in her presence around the nest tree and in the area When M comes in with a fish, she’s usually close behind We’ve seen her drop to the nest and allow her to roost and, in the last few days, eat a fish and offer bites to one of the eaglets I’m shocked ”

Ginnie Pritchett McSpadden, founder of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam

drop to the nest and allow her to roost and in the last few days eat a fish and offer bites to one of the eaglets I’m shocked ”

The two adults birds have attempted to bond over the last week on the attic branch as M15 finally seems to be accepting the female M15 has also hung out with R23-3 and for, the first time, roosted with her on Monday in the attic before an owl knocked her out of the nest tree

Since Harriet disappeared three eagles have been vying for M15’s attention One with an injured talon came by to simply grab a free meal and was chased away R23-3 was doing that at first, and continues to take M15 s catch for herself She has slowly gained acceptance from the male, though at least for now

Pritchett-McSpadden said everyone is learning quite a lot about nature especially that the most predictable thing about nature is unpredictability

“Everyone is in new territory and unsure what will happen If you asked me three weeks ago what would happen if would not be on the list of possibilities ” PritchettMcSpadden said Mother Nature is keeping us on our toes M15 continues to be a superstar in the nest, still providing the eaglets the food they need, even with the close calls they had with intruders last week

As for the young nestlings it seems E22 has learned to become more resourceful come feeding time After weeks of getting bonked by E21 at feedings, it has finally started to claim red meat on its own and has even found ways to steal from its slightly older sibling The younger eaglet has even used E21 as a trampoline as it practiced its winging for the first flight and is hanging out on the rails of the nest meaning it appears ready to branch pretty soon an important step before fledging

All things considered, both eaglets are doing great People were worried about E22 being smaller and not getting the bites but M15 has done a good job with makeup feedings when he can ” Pritchett-McSpadden said “To see them thrive in this atmosphere is incredible

There are still several what if s remaining in what has been the most interesting nesting season to date As the eagles have started to bond a process that looks like mating there has been some speculation as to whether that might result in new brood

Pritchett-McSpadden said there most likely won’t be any eggs in the near future as this is a courting stage and nesting season is October to May

But never say never Eagles mate for life and there is a process to having that connection of mating and bonding We saw them do that It wasn’t mating to create an egg it was more the ritual of bonding ” Pritchett-McSpadden said “It takes a couple months for the relationship to mature It was crazy to see that

To view the actions in and around the nest, visit the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam at https://dickpritchettrealestate com/

Raso Realty: Will celebrate 50th anniversary with event on June 11

From page 1A

When Joe Raso moved his family to Cape Coral in 1960 his dream was to open a family-run real estate agency He succeeded on June 10 1973 opening Raso Realty with wife Grace on Cape Coral Street There were only about 400 people in the city then but over time, Raso Realty grew into one of the region’s top full-service independent real estate agencies helping buyers and sellers locate the finest properties and negotiate some of the best deals in Southwest Florida

Hackworth said while it feels like years since Hurricane Ian blew through the region it has only been five months he thought it would take much longer to get the building back in shape He remembers driving around surveying damage after the storm and feeling discouraged about the state of the office He said it was his son that helped get the ball rolling on restoration

Everybody did an amazing job helping us get back to where we are, Hackworth said City Councilmember Tom Hayden on behalf of the mayor city and Council presented the Raso family a key to the city only the second-ever given out

Members of the Raso family that also

helped cut the official re-opening ribbon included Hackworth, Cathy Sangiovanni, Gloria Raso Tate Diane Strack Debbie

R a s o D o n n a J o C o t t r e l l a n d R a l p h Sangiovanni

I t s r e a l l y a w o n d e r f u l f e e l i n g o f euphoria being back This is my happy place, said Tate We re finally back where we belong It’s wonderful to see the community come out and support us

We re not the only ones that have gone through this, so we appreciate everyone being here

Employees had been working from home since the storm and can now come back to the office

Tate a former Cape Coral city council member, said her family did not want to give up or back down from returning to their home despite the two feet of water that destroyed almost everything “ T h i s i s o u r l i f e b l o o d ” s h e s a i d

We ve stuck together through thick-andthin

We re so close-knit here

Raso Realty will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an open-to-the-publicevent on June 11 at Stone’s Throw in downtown Cape Coral

I m just amazed that my dad started something, and I m blessed we all had the vision passion and desire to keep it running ” Tate said

CJ HADDAD

PRIDE: Event intended to promote inclusively, togetherness & support

From page 1A

PHOTO COURTESY OF PRIDE CAPE CORAL March 4 activities are from 3 to 10 p m and include a parade, live entertainment with local and national performers, food and drinks, carnival games, and a tutu drag race competition An official after-party begins at 10 p m at Cruisers Lounge at 1517 Southeast 47th Terrace “ Vi s i b i l i t

o r y o u h a v e a t t e n d e d m a n y P R I D E c e l eb r a t i o n s b e f o r e ” C o k e s a i d “ W e h a v e p l a n n e d a f u n t w o d a y s f o r e v e r y b o d y w i t h t h e s p i r i t o f i n c l u s i o n a n d e q u a l i t y i n m i n d T h e o r g a n i z a t i o n b e l i e v e s e v e n t s s u c h a s P R I D E a r e a w a y t o c o n t i n u e t o o p e n t h e e y e s o f t h e p u b l i c w h e n i t c o m e s t o i n c l u s i v i t y a n d t o g e t h e r n e s s P r o g r e s s h a s b e e n m a d e i n r e c e n t y e a r s w h e n i t c o m e s t o L G B T Q v i s i b i l it y a n d a c c e p t a n c e i n S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a , C o k e s a i d “ F o r i n s t a n c e t h e r e a r e n o w a n n u a l P R I D E c e l e b r a t i o n s i n F o r t M y e r s N a p l e s P u n t a G o r d a a n d C a p e C o r a l N a p l e s h a s a P R I D E C e n t e r a n d a n e w c e n t e r i s o p e n i n g s o o n i n F o r t M y e r s ” S h e a d d e d t h a t t h e g r e a t e s t c h a l l e n g e s

y i s s o i m p o r t a n I t i s h o w w e b r e a k d o w n t h e b a r r i e r s o f m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g a n d p r e j u d i c e i n o u r s o c i e t y T h e r e i s a l a r g e L G B T Q c o m m u n i t y i n S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a a n d m a n y a l l i e s w h o s u p p o r t t h e i r L G B T Q f a m i l y m e m b e r s a n d f r i e n d s P R I D E i s a n o p p o r t u n i t y f o r u s a l l t o c o m e t o g e t h e r t o c e l e b r a t e o u r d i v e r s i t y, s h o w o u r s t r e n g t h i n n u m b e r s , a n d t o c o n t i n u e b u i l d i n g t h e w e l c o m i n g c o m m u n i t y w e a l l w a n t t o l i v e i n

We w a n t a l l p e o p l e t o f e e l w e l c o m e i n C a p e C o r a l ”

PRIDE Cape Coral representative Shannon Coke

a r e c o m i n g f r o m l a w m a k e r s w h o s h e s a y s a r e t a r g e t i n g L G B T Q p e o p l e i n s c h o o l s , t h e w o r k p l a c e , h e a l t h c a r e a n d i n a v a r i e t y o f o t h e r w a y s “ I t i s h a p p e n i n g a l l o v e r t h e c o u n t r y r i g h t n o w C o k e s a i d I t s i m p o r t a n t f o r f o l k s t o u n d e r s t a n d t h a t m a n y

w i l l h a v e o f f i c e r s o n p a t r o l a n d C o k e s a i d a d d i t i o n a l s e c u r i t y h a s b e e n h i r e d t o e n s u r e a s a f e e x p e r i e n c e f o r a l l a t t e n d e e s d u r i n g t h e e v e n t F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e C a p e C o r a l P R I D E P a r a d e a n d D r a g B r u n c h o n t h e S t r e e t v i s i t w w w p r i d e c a p e c or a l c o m o r s e a r c h @ p r i d e c a p e c o r a l o n F a c e b o o k a n d I n s t a g r a m P R I D E C a p e C o r a l i s a F l o r i d a n o np r o f i t w i t h a m i s s i o n t o f a c i l i t a t e a w e lc o m i n g e n v i r o n m e n t f o r m e m b e r s a n d a l l i e s o f t h e L G B T Q + c o m m u n i t y t h r o u g h e d u c a t i o n s u p p o r t a n d r e c o g n it i o n C o n n e c

t w i t h t h i

on

T h e B o y s & G i r l s C l u b s o f L e e

County’s annual Evening at the Ballpark

Tuesday March 21 will include opportunities to meet and mingle with baseball lege n d s f r o m t h e B o s t o n R e d S o x a n d Minnesota Twins

Evening at the Ballpark which will be held at JetBlue Park will feature fun baseball-themed activities and games dinner on the field, an autograph and meet-andgreet session, and panel discussions with former baseball players and staff Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven and radio sportscaster John Gordon are among those confirmed to attend Proceeds will help Boys & Girls Clubs

fulfill its mission: “To enable all young people especially those who need us most to reach their full potential as productive caring and responsible citizens

The Red Sox and Twins have been incredible partners to local nonprofits since t h e y m o v e d t h e i r s p r i n g t r a i n i n g t o

S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a d u r i n g t h e e a r l y

Park, 11500 F e n w a y S o u t h D r i v e i n F o r t M y e r s Individual tickets are $200 each and tables for 10 are $1 500 Sponsorship opportunities also are available For additional information please visit b g c l e e o r g / e v e n t s / 2 0 2 3 - e v e n i n g - a t - t h eballpark or call 239-334-1886 About Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County Established in 1974 Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County serve children and teens through school-based neighborhood and community club locations The nonprofit’s mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens After-school and summer programs focus on five core areas: education and career service and leadership health and wellness, the arts, and sports and recreation For additional information about the Boys & Girls Club of Lee County, please visit its website at BGClee org or call 239334-1886 Annual ‘Evening at the Ballpark’ benefit

1990s said Denise Gergley CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County So many professional baseball players come from humble beginnings, and their stories serve as inspiration to members of Boys & Girls Clubs who are dreaming big and looking toward the future M a j o r L e a g u e B a s e b a l l d e s i g n a t e d

Classifieds

Colors bloom in our March gardens

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow!”

Audrey Hepburn

CAPE CORAL BREEZE

LOCAL LIVING

Business I Homes I Health I Education I Leisure

Mariner student nominated to attend youth leadership forum in Washington, D.C.

Garage sale and bake sale to raise funds for teen’s trip set for March 24-26

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers

com

A Mariner High School sophomore who has been nominated to attend the

By DEBORAH HAGGETT news@breezenewspapers com

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e F a r m e r s A l m a n a c , M a r c h i s known to “come in like a lion and go out like a lamb ”

This drastic weather change is not typical within Southwest Florida in March For us dramatic weather strikes in the heat of the summer as it did almost six months ago when Hurricane Ian devastated our landscapes This six-month marker is another recovery milestone which invites us to reflect on where we are now and what we learned f r o m M o t h e r N a t u r e

GARDEN CLUB OF CAPE

Fortunately our gardens are persevering and providing a model to help us move forward The lovely flowering plants and budding bushes are ushering in the signs of spring, leading the way toward hope and optimism while demonstrating the resiliency of native plants in our landscapes

A walk-about” in our local native and Florida friendly yards reveals inspirational bursts of color In my neighborhood, the brown, storm-torn trees, shrubs and grasses have been replaced by a resurgence of color replicating the many hues of the rainbow We can enjoy the stunning red flowers of the Jatropha bushes which are complemented by the red and pink flowers of the Desert Rose and Tropical Sage bushes

The array of colors displayed continue with a fusion of red orange and yellow colors found in other emerging blooms Among those are the striking tubular flowers of the Firebush and the Blanket Flower with its sequence of red/orange centers encased by red/pink petals with yellow tips Bright hues are highlighted by the orange spikes of the Florida Sunset and Orange Marmalade” varieties of Crossandra also known as the firecracker plant Our eye is then drawn to the Florida state wildflower coreopsis which engages us with its showy, daisy-shaped blossoms bringing a cheery yellow note to our yards

The yellows continue to pop in our ground covers, including the perennial peanut and the Bulbine plant Both paint our yards with splashes of yellow blooms

See MARCH GARDENS page 10B

to

Washington

summer, has a goal to raise

his trip

was shocked and so excited my teacher nominated me ” Dante Ellis said “I’m excited to learn more about national security and hoping by attending I can find out what job would be a good fit for me when I graduate The itinerary looks amazing and I ve never been to D C I can t wait

H is teacher N oah Ways w ho is Dante's AICE psychology teacher nominated him to attend Dante said he likes the class because he enjoys learning about the human mind and how people behave Dante Ellis is one of those exceptional students, Ways said I have been recommending students from grades 7-12 for the past 10 years and I typically choose students who not only have good grades but good moral character as well Dante is also a ROTC student at Mariner High School so his interest in public service in a military capacity is already quite apparent While not all students who are recommended take advantage of this opportunity the few who do are never disappointed

Dante Ellis

The programs, he said, are innovative, safe, fun, empowering and enable students to discover their passion, explore a career, make a difference and realize their dreams

“The programs are developed by educators and subject matter professionals ” Ways said “Using innovative tools and techniques, our activities mirror real world challenges and facilitate critical thinking and communication among the groups Our advisors are trained teachers and subject matter experts who love making a real impact so much so

Dougherty participates in study abroad program at the University of Scranton SCRANTON, Pa -- Conor J Dougherty of Cape Coral was among the 124 University of Scranton students who studied abroad during the Intersession 2023 semester Dougherty a neuroscience major at Scranton participated in the university travel course Irish Political Culture The University of Scranton is a Jesuit university locat-

that they come back year after year To date over 800 000 exceptional students have benefited from the transformational experiences our program provides

While Dante is in Washington, D C , from July 23-28, he will have the opportunity to learn the latest intelligence strategies listen to experts as well as experience public service in action The six days will also provide the attendees with the opportunity to do a hands-on simulation

The experience will give attendees a direct view into various careers such as national security, foreign affairs, intelligence and defense

We are excited, Jessica Ellis, his mom said “But just a little nervous He is on the spectrum and has never really done anything without us I think he will do fine He is mainstreamed in high school Dante has a goal to raise $5,000 for his trip, as the program session will cost $3 295 which does not include travel to Washington D C

In addition Jessica is holding a garage sale and bake sale from 8 a m to 2 p m Friday, March 24, through Sunday, March 26, at 3617 N W 45th St to raise additional funds Dante is in the JROTC program and runs track

“I wanted to join JROTC because my dad was in the Army I enjoy it because I am learning to be a leader and I have shown improvement, as well as gone up in rank, he said

ed in Northeastern Pennsylvania Visit /www scranton edu Viles & Beckman offering scholarship

Fort Myers law firm Viles & Beckman have announced a new academic scholarship for one deserving student The Community Growth Scholarship offers a $2 500 award to

See EDUCATION NOTES, page 9B

ECHO to hold Food & Farm Festival on March 7-11

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

Every year, the ECHO Food & Farm Festival has gotten bigger and better and this year s version promises be the biggest and best yet

The 31st annual event which started as a one-day Farm Day in 1991 (COVID scrubbed the 2021 version) has grown into a five-day extravaganza with food tastings, lunch, farm tours, seminars, workshops and much more

The ECHO Food & Farm Festival will be held March 7 to 11 with seminars and a farm-fresh lunch from their community garden on the first four days, with the final day being the biggest with onstage cooking shows samples of food classes and seminars and much more

The opportunity to have workshops that educate the community with agricultural skills we share around the world is time sensitive ” said ECHO spokesperson Danielle Flood “To make space for people to attend more of the events we try not to schedule them simultaneously By spreading them out, we are able to add another day so more people can enjoy it

Tuesday will feature a hands-on seminar on bananas and a workshop on drip bucket irrigation

Wednesday will feature learning about goats with homeschoolers, which is something new to the event, and Thursday will feature seed saving and hands-on grafting a traditional favorite

Saturday March 11 from 9 a m to 3 p m is Farm Day, where you can spend the day at ECHO s 57-acre Global Farm and

tour a tropical rainforest demonstration or learn about alternative energies as they are demonstrated in the appropriate technology area Kids of all ages can taste, touch, and experience their way around the world as they learn about world hunger and how they can make an impact

Workshops include pest management edible landscape design climate change

tasting cooking with tropicals making Pad Thai from scratch and mushrooms and growing them safely

Interactive demos include creating an urban garden, goats and how they feed the garden, starfruit, and how to make you own tea and much more

“Saturday is the only day we throw open the entire farm and let people walk at their own pace around all the demonstrations, Flood said The opportunity to be in a beautiful garden is one draw, but then coming across starfruit samples and a dry tea you can make yourself or a food tasting could help them decide what to plant in their backyard

Parking is free Saturday tickets are $8 or $35 maximum for a family Kids 5 and under are free Lunch tickets are $25

Prices vary for seminars during the week

The ECHO Global Farm is at 17391 Durrance Road For more information, visit echonet org

Annual ‘Blessing of the Quilts’ Monday at Church of the Epiphany

The Cape Coral Quilt Guild will hold its annual "Blessing of the Quilts" at 11

a m Monday March 6 at the Church of the Epiphany, 2507 Del Prado Blvd , S , in Cape Coral

Since 2007 the 100-plus members of CCQC have annually donated several hundred handmade "comfort" quilts for distribution through such local organizations as the Cape Coral Police and Fire Depart-ments, hospitals nursing homes, hospices cancer care centers and more These organizations then distribute the donated quilts to individual recipients in accordance to their mission statements CCQC members meet weekly at the

church to prepare patterns and donated fabrics to sew these items in a labor of love and community support The year s efforts culminate in a gathering of the r e c i p i e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s with a viewing of these beautiful quilts at 10 a m followed by an 11 a m ceremony in the church to bless the quilts

The public is welcome to attend the viewing, as each quilt will be displayed over the church pews

A d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e CCQC can be found at capecoralquiltguild com

Members will be available for questions and interviews at the event

Edison, Ford friendship topic of Friends of Cape Coral Library meeting March 25

The Friends of the Cape Coral Library will meet Saturday March 25 from 9:3011 a m at the Cape Coral-Lee County Library 921 S W 39th Terrace

Refreshments and social time start at 9:30 a m , followed by brief business meeting and the program featuring Walt Irmen docent at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates who will give a short presentation on the friendship between Thomas Edison and Henry Ford and their winter

homes

The Edison Ford Estates contain a historical museum and 21-acre botanical garden on the adjacent sites of the winter homes located in Fort Myers beside the Caloosahatchee River

The meeting is open to the public

For more information about the Friends of the Cape Coral Library visit us at www capefriends org and follow us on Facebook

Bubba’s Roadhouse and Saloon celebrating 25 years

HF scientific named Manufacturer of the Year at Industry Appreciation Awards

l u a t i o n process HF scientific was selected for Manufacturer of the Year which recognizes a local manufacturing business in Lee County that exhibits excellence and growth in leadership, performance, profitability and workforce relations A leading global producer of instrumentation test kits and chemical reagents used for monitoring water quality in a variety of applications, HF scientific is a leader in its industry and holds many patents for innovative products

The company moved its headquarters from Canada to Fort Myers in 1980 was acquired by the leading brand Watts in 2005, and expanded its footprint with the opening of a new state-of-the-art, 35,000s q u a r e - f o o t m a n u f a c t u r i n g f a c i l i t y a n d global headquarters in 2021

and wastewater treatment applications For

a

of flow control,

Watts is

solutions for c o m m e r c i a l , r e s i d e n t i a l , i n d u s t r i a l , a n d municipal settings and was named one of America’s

REAL ESTATE

Homeowner

questions past due water bill and possible lien on property

Mr Feichthaler, I purchased my home here in Cape Coral about two years ago, and I purchased the property with the seller using a title company From reading your prior articles I know the law firm or title company that settles the transaction should ensure there are no liens against the property

To my surprise, I received a letter last week from the City of Cape Coral that there was a past due water bill for over $800 from the prior owner If I don’t pay it within

January condo sales down, listings and pending sales up

The big news release in real estate this week was that on a national level the number of pending home sales in the month of January increased by 8 1 percent from December marking the second consecutive month-over-month gains in homes going under contract with a buyer I n t h i s r e p o r t f r o m t h e N a t i o n a l Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun stated that the reason for this positive market shift was because buyers responded to better affordability from falling mortgage rates in December and January ” In the press release Yun also said “home sales activity looks to be bottoming out in the first quarter of this year, before incremental improvements will occur, but an annual gain in home sales will not occur until 2024

including nine condos below $200,000

There are currently only two pending condo sales in the Cape priced above $1 million with 7 other units pending from $509 000 to $834 900 to go with a total of 24 condos under contract between $335,000 to $475,000 By comparison, one year ago on March 1, 2022, there were 99 pending condo sales ranging in p r i c e f r o m $ 1 3 0 0 0 0 t o $ 9 8 0 0 0 0

Bob and Geri Quinn Homing In

He added that “home prices will be steady in most parts of the country with a minor change in the national median home price ”

The NAR is predicting median existing home prices will be stable versus the previous year for most markets in the U S , with a 1 6% home price decrease in 2023, and an estimated 3 1% price increase in existing home prices in 2024 They are also forecasting that new construction home prices will increase by 1 3% in 2023 and bump up by another 2 8% in 2024 due to higher costs for land acquisition and construction materials

Eric P Feichthaler Real Estate Law

remitted to the city We also update those searches right before closing to ensure none are missed My first reaction to your question is the possibility of mistake by the city Receiving a letter two years after the alleged use took place is surprising for sure However like any large organization the city and their systems don’t always perform the way the city desires I would contact the city to ask for details on the $800 including when the charges occurred and that those amounts showed being due at the time of your purchase

The letter is correct in advising that these bills can become a lien on the property That is the amount due attaches to the property not the individual So a new owner is technically responsible for past water bills If you confirm the amounts are actually due, I would recommend you reach out to the title company that handled your closing and ask them to show you what they had from the city from their lien search If they had this information and didn’t collect I would hold them responsible and request they pay for it If the information they had indicated it was not due I would go back to the city and advise them all amounts due were paid, and that you should not be responsible

Another protection I use in a closing is an agreement between the seller and buyer This agreement provides that if amounts become due after closing that were unexpected relating to utilities that the seller will pay them even after closing If your title company had the parties sign such an agreement, your recourse would be to contact the seller and request they pay However, in my experience, prior owners seldom agree voluntarily to part with their cash after a property is sold Although you would legally be in the right to these funds you would have to commence a legal action against them if they refused to pay

My hope is this is all a big mistake in the city s billing system I am optimistic that one of the above options will work for you so that these charges will not be your responsibility

Eric P Feichthaler has lived in Cape Coral for over 35 years and graduated from Mariner High School in Cape Coral After completing law school at Georgetown U n i v e r s i t y i n W a s h i n g t o n D C h e r e t u r n e d t o Southwest Florida to practice law and raise a family He served as mayor of Cape Coral from 2005-2008 and continues his service to the community through the Cape Coral Caring Center, Cape Coral Museum of History, and Cape Coral Kiwanis He has been married to his wife Mary for over 20 years and they have four children together He earned his board certification in Real Estate Law from the Florida Bar He is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell for professional ethics and legal ability, and is a Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator He can be reached at eric@capecoralattorney com or 239-542-4733

This article is general in nature and not intended as legal advice to anyone Individuals should seek legal counsel before acting on any matter of legal rights and obligations

This NAR pending home sales report for January also showed that year-over-year pending sales actually declined by 24 1% as the sharp rise in mortgage rates in 2022 created additional affordability issues that eliminated a lot of buyers from the market The NAR is expecting the economy to hold its own this year and to continue adding jobs in 2023 and 2024 to go along with their view that the 30year fixed mortgage rate will steadily drop to an average of 6 1% in 2023 and 5 4 percent in 2024 However Yun still thinks annual existing home sales will decline by 11 1% this year before rebounding by 17 7% in 2024 He also expects new construction home sales will drop 3 7% yearover-year in 2023 before increasing by 19 4% in 2024

We hope the NAR has it right but the potential wet blanket regarding the positive trends in pending sales and the NAR s optimistic predictions is the fact that mortgage rates have again recently spiked higher and the Fed will likely be forced to raise interest rates higher for longer in its war against high inflation that is proving to be much more “sticky” than most market and economic experts have predicted

Locally, we are seeing similar trends in the Cape Coral condominium sector as outlined in the NAR s report on the national housing numbers, with the number of condos under contract with buyers as pending condo sales increasing by 25 9% from 54 pending sales in the pipeline on Jan 5 of this year to 68 pending sales by Jan 31 As of Feb 28, the Cape s pending condo sales surged to 97 condos in the pipeline waiting to be finalized as closed sales The median pending sales price in our condo market came in at $300 500 with 48 units priced at $300 000 and under

Local EXIT Realty office

welcomes new team members

EXIT Gulf Coast Realty has announced that Shana Smith, Taylor Dalton and Thomas Derrow have joined its growing team of real estate sales professionals EXIT Gulf Coast Realty located at 3515 Del Prado Blvd S 105/106 Cape Coral is a member of EXIT Southeast s rapidly expanding network of independently owned and operated brokerages across the region EXIT Realty is a full service, forward-thinking, real estate franchisor with offices across North America For more information please visit www exitrealty com and www joinexitrealty com

The Home Team of CENTURY 21 Sunbelt Realty

ear ns CENTURION Team Award CENTURY 21 Sunbelt Realty today announced that Century 21 Real Estate LLC recently awarded the company s The Home Team sales team with the coveted CENTURION Team Award for the team’s outstanding production in 2022 Members of The Home Team include K r i s t e n C a r d o s o T r i c i a M a g l i o l a a n d L a u r e n Keane Century 21 Real Estate LLC bestows the CENTURION Team Award to those s a l e s t e a m s g e n e r a t i n g a minimum of $445,000 in sales production or participating in the closing of 108 or more units bought or sold

About two years ago on March 15 2021, there were 173 condos under contract with buyers in Cape Coral Moving over to active listings as of Tuesday Feb 28 there were 224 active C a p e C o r a l c o n d o m i n i u m l i s t i n g s through a Realtor in the Multiple Listing Service at prices ranging from $169,900 to $3 9 million The number of active condos listed for sale is up 31% from 171 listings on Jan 5 and it is 474% higher than the 39 condos that were on the market a year ago on March 1, 2022 As a point of reference, two years ago on March 15, 2021, there were 102 active Cape Coral condo listings in the MLS at list prices ranging from $99 000 to $740 000 The median list price for condos in the Cape is currently at $319 950 About two months ago on Dec 26 the median list price was $315 000 and one year ago on March 1, 2022, it was $320,000 Right now there are 99 condo listings at $300,000 and under, with 44 of the units in this price grouping listed above $275,000 and 11 of these units priced below $200 000 The 16 highest-priced condos in the Cape are all in Tarpon Landings with list prices ranging from $997 000 to $3 9 million for a penthouse unit

In the overall Cape condo market, there were 26 closed sales in the month of January which was 50 9% lower than the 53 closed condo sales in January of 2022 and 40 9% below the 44 sales in December The January median sales price came in at $230 000 for the overall Cape Coral condo market, which was 16 4% below the $275,000 posted in January of 2022, and 15 6% lower than the $272 450 in December The overall monthly supply of unsold condos in the Cape came in at 11 months in January which was 266 7% higher than the 3 months of supply registered in January of 2022, and 120% above the 5 months of unsold supply in December

Gulf access canal condos

In the Cape Coral gulf access canal condo segment, which includes all “saltwater” canal condos there were 8 closed sales in January This was 71 4% lower than the 28 condos sold in January 2022 and 27 3% below the 11 sales in December The January median sales price came in at $325,000 in this segment, which was 14% above the $285,000 posted in January 2022, but 30 9% lower than the $470 000 in December The level of unsold supply came in at 13 months in January which was 550% more than the 2 months of supply in January of 2022 and

during the calendar year CENTURY 21 Sunbelt Realty is an independently owned and operated franchise affiliate of CENTURY 21 Real Estate LLC (century21 com), franchisor of the iconic CENTURY 21 brand Century 21 Real Estate LLC is comprised of approximately 14,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 85 countries and territories worldwide with about 150 000 independent sales professionals Century 21 Real Estate has numerous websites to help answer specific consumer needs They are https://www century21 com/real-estate-office/profile/sunb e l t - r e a l t y - 1 0 0 0 9 6 1 9 , c e n t u r y 2 1 c o m , century21Global com commercial century21 com century21 com/finehomes and century21espanol com

Alvelo joins Wright Construction Group as assistant superintendent Wright Construction Group has announced the recent hire of Bryan Alvelo as assistant superintendent In this role, Alvelo will assist with overseeing the day-to-day site operations of new construction projects and renovations and remodels of current structures He will also assist in the coordination of the work on a daily basis to assure s m o o t h f i e l d o p e r a t i o n s a n d s u c c e s s f u l e x e c u t i o n o f Wright s value proposition: safety, quality, timeliness and value

For over seven decades, Wright Construction Group has been the builder of many businesses governmental agencies schools and other commercial enterprises

Specializing in both building and civil construction Wright Construction offers construction management, design-build, and general contracting services to a wide variety of public and private clients The main office is

January: Condominium sales down, listings and pending sales up

85 7% above the 7 months of unsold supply in December

Direct sailboat access canal condos

In the Cape Coral direct sailboat access canal condo segment which is a subgroup of gulf access condos where boaters have no bridges to go under in the canal system to reach open water, there were only 3 closed sales in January This was 81 3% below the 16 condos sold in January 2022, and 50% less than the 6 condos sold in December The January median sales price came in at $330 000 in this segment or 2 3% above the $322 500 posted in January 2022 but down 39 2% from $542 450 in December The level of unsold supply came in at 21

located at 5811 Youngquist Road in Fort Myers For more information contact Wright Construction Group at (239) 481-5000 or visit www wcgfl com

Lee BIA Builders Care’s BBQ, Bands & Brew retur ns April 15

Lee BIA Builders Care s popular BBQ, Bands & Brew fundraising event is returning April 15 at a new venue, Caloosa Sound Amphitheater in downtown Fort Myers

The 12th annual event features Southwest Florida’s top pit masters competing for the title of “Best BBQ in Town ” as well as live music from local headlining bands, numerous vendors and fun-filled activities for all ages including a lively cornhole tournament and a children s play area with face-painting games and more

Jonesez BBQ which was named “Best BBQ in Town” at the last BBQ Bands & Brew event is returning in 2023 to defend its title Proceeds from the event support Builders Care s mission to provide emergency construction services at no cost to needy and deserving elderly and/or disabled homeowners and their families who cannot obtain repairs through traditional means To date Lee BIA Builders Care has helped more than 500 Lee County households and provided over $5 million in emergency construction services and materials at no cost to families and local homeowners in need Since its inception the event has raised over $675 000 in support of Lee BIA Builders Care

The 2023 BBQ Bands & Brew will be held from 11 a m t o 6

m , A p r i l 1 5 a t t h e C a l o o s a S o u n d A m p h i t h e a t e r , 2 1 0 1 E d w a r d s D r i v e i n F o r t M y e r s

Tickets are $10 for adults and free for children 12 and under Tickets are available for purchase in advance or at the gate

To learn more about ticket and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www BBQBandsAndBrew com or call 239-938-0056

Scott Fischer Charities presents $29,500 to Paul Sands Memorial

REIS Scholarship fund at FGCU

Scott Fischer Charities recently presented the Paul S a n d s M e m o r i a l R e a l E s t a t e I n v e s t m e n t S o c i e t y Scholarship Fund at Florida Gulf Coast University with a check for $29 500 to encourage and support students interested in commercial real estate and related professions

The funds were raised through the generosity of sponsors and golfers at the 26th Annual Paul Sands Memorial Slaw Dog Invitational golf tournament organized each year by Scott Fischer and Lisa Sands who have carried on

months in January, which was 600% more than the 3 months of supply in January 2022, and 200% above the 7 months of unsold supply in December

Dry lot condos

In the Cape Coral dry lot (non-canal) condo segment there were 15 closed sales in January which was 11 8% lower than the 17 condos sold in January 2022, and 37 5% below the 24 sales in December The January median sales price came in at $210,000 in this condo segment which was 2 4% above the $205 000 posted in both January 2022 and in December The level of unsold supply for our dry lot condos came in at 9 months in January which was 200% more than the 3 months of supply in January 2022, and 80% above the 5 months of unsold supply in December

the tournament in memory of Paul and his impact on the community Scott Fischer and Lisa Sands presented the check to Dr Shelton Weeks, Dr Matthew Sheep, and Angela Kunkle at the FGCU Foundation Office on January 6 2023 Paul Sands was a local rainmaker with an award-winning career in commercial real estate whose passing in 2010 was a huge loss to Southwest Florida Fischer and Lisa Sands have carried on the invitational tournament in

The sales data for this article was obtained from the Florida Realtors Multiple Listing Service Matrix for Lee County, Fla , as of Feb 26, 2023, unless otherwise noted

It was compiled by Bob and Geri Quinn and it includes information specifically for Cape Coral condominiums townhouses and villas and it does not include any singlefamily homes 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 Geri as a full-time Realtor in 2014 Their real estate practice is mainly focused on Cape Coral residential property and vacant lots

memory of Paul and his legacy impact on the community

Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association announces interim CEO

Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association has announced the appointment of Monica Arrondo as interim chief exec-

See REAL ESTATE BRIEFS, page 6B

Speaker Series continues this month at Cape Coral Museum of History

and

The Cape Coral Museum of History will present three programs in its speaker series in March

On Tuesday, March 7, from 5-6:30

p m , Pine Island resident and award-winning author Robert Macomber will present “The Great Escape ” a riveting tale of Confederate Secretary of State Judah P Benjamin s epic escape in 1865 to freedom through the islands of Southwest Florida

The first three books and the latest book in his “Honor Series” will be available for purchase in the Museum Store

The talk will be held at the Cape Coral Museum of History with a book signing to follow

g O w l a d v o c a t e Beverly Saltonstall will give a talk about burrowing owls and her new book titled, “ C a p e C o r a l B u r r o w i n g O w l s D o n ’ t Hoot ” The presentation will be held at the Cape Coral Museum of History Florida Public Archaeology Network s Natalie De La Torre Salas will give a presentation Tuesday March 28 from 5-6:30 p m t i t l e d “ W h o M a d e t h e F l o r i d a Everglades ” which explores the geological and cultural history of the Everglades In particular, she will look at the role of early Native Americans and initial tree island formations The presentation will be held at the Cape Coral Museum of History T h i s e v e n t i s i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h Florida Archaeology Month and Calusa Coast program Space is limited for all speakers RSVP required The Cape Coral Museum of History is located at 544 Cultural Park Blvd next to C u l t u r a l P a r k T h e a t r e F o r a d d i t i o n a l information, call 239-772-7037

REAL ESTATE BRIEFS

From page 5B

utive officer of the association effective Feb 15 2023 The RPCRA Board of D i r e c t o r s a p p o i n t e d A r r o n d o u p o n t h e retirement of Beate Jones, current CEO Jones s last day with the association is April 1 2023

Arrondo has worked for RPCRA for 17 years and brings to the position nearly two decades of executive management with the association and to the Board of Directors

Upon acceptance of Jones’ resignation the board under the leadership of Jack Martin board president decided that it would be in the best interest of the association to act swiftly and appoint an interim CEO while the search for a new one is underway Arrondo was chosen for her excellence in leadership commitment to the association and her vital role in carrying out the strategic goals for the association

The search for a new CEO is underway and updates will be given when appropriate To learn more about Royal Palm Coast R e a l t o r ® A s s o c i a t i o n a n d m e m b e r s h i p visit RPCRA org

CRE Consultants' recent transactions

CRE Consultants has announced the following local transactions:

S t r e e t , F o r t

f r o

r a d e

c

∫ Highspans Engineering, Inc leased a

2 226 SF office space at 13850 Treeline Avenue S, Suite 11, Fort Myers from 13850 Treeline Commerce LLC Randal Mercer of CRE Consultants negotiated the transaction

∫ Stifel, Nicolaus & Company leased a

1 781 SF office space in University Park at 12800 University Drive, Suite 300, Fort Myers from Uccello University LLC Enn

Luthringer, CCIM of CRE Consultants represented the lessor and Shawn Stoneburner of CPSWFL represented the lessee in negotiating the transaction

CRE Consultants which provides a full spectrum of commercial real estate and property management services to property owners, investors, landlords, tenants and developers is located at 12140 Carissa Commerce Court Suite 102 Fort Myers For additional information call 29-4813800, or visit https://creconsultants com

The

Final Outdoor Bluegrass concer t of season Sunday

Join fellow music lovers for the final s e a s o n s h o w o f t h e p o p u l a r O u t d o o r Bluegrass concerts, Sunday, March 5, at the Alliance of the Arts 10091 McGregor Blvd Fort Myers

The concert will be held on the Green Market Stage Gates open at 2 p m with Hwy 41 S playing from 3-5 p m Chairs and coolers are permitted

This will be the final Outdoor Bluegrass Concert of this season Tickets are $15 for members $16 for non-members and are available online at ArtInLee org or by calling 239-939-2787

Pre-sale seating is limited to 132 and is first-come first-serve In the case of bad weather the show will be moved indoors to the Foulds Theatre Additional tickets may be available at the door, weather permitting More information, including a list of performers can be found at artinlee org/bluegrass The Alliance for the Arts is a nonprofit community arts and cultural center located in the heart of Fort Myers, Florida For over 40 years, the Alliance has been charged with the mission to facilitate and nurture the creation development promotion and education of arts and culture in southwest Florida

For additional information, please call 239-939-2787 or visit the alliance website at www ArtInLee org

Ruby to per for m March 9 at Wicked Dolphin in Cape

Country music artist and professional baseball player Bryan Ruby will be performing Thursday, March 9, from 6-9 p m , at the Wicked Dolphin at 131 S W 3rd Place in Cape Coral Ruby who also plays baseball profess i o n a

release of Baseball Country, his new single that afforded him the opportunity to craft a tune based on the two things he knows best music and baseball The release date for the single is March 17

source=artist page&utm c ampaign=ticket rsvp

For additional information about Ruby, visit https://www bryanrubymusic com/ Lee County Band to celebrate the Irish in all of us on March 12

The Lee County Community Band will celebrate the Irish in all of us on March 12 w i t h i t s p e r f o r m a n c e o f “

Namara s Band and Londonderry Air

(Danny Boy) The concert will take place at Cape Coral High School beginning at 3 p m All of the band’s concerts are free and open to the public

Director Richard Bradstreet also will lead the band in spirited marches including "The Invincible Eagle;" selections from the

Overture for Band, Golden Hits of Elvis Presley and a medley of Glen Miller tunes

Soloists are Norman Jones, Jann Fenn and Fred Lamb

The band performs six concerts between November and April; all take place at Cape Coral High School, 2300 Santa Barbara Blvd , beginning at 3 p m The last concert of the season is set for April 23, 2023

A legend in Southwest Florida the 50member adult band is comprised of career and amateur musicians The original concert band of Lee County, the band and has been entertaining SW Florida audiences since 1885 Persons interested in joining may phone Frances Pace President at 239481-1251

For more visit www leecountyband org

Little River Band coming to Caloosa Sound Amphitheater March 8

The Rockin on the River Concert Series continues into 2023 when Little River Band rocks the stage Wednesday, March 8, at 7 p m bringing back some of its top hits from the 1970s and 1980s to Caloosa Sound Amphitheater The Eagles founding member, the late Glenn Frey, knew what he was saying when he dubbed Little River Band “the best singing band in the world ” Through the ‘70s and '80s Little River Band enjoyed huge chart success with multi-platinum a l b u m s a n d c h a r t - t o p p i n g h i t s s u c h a s "Reminiscing," "Cool Change," "Lonesome Loser " "The Night Owls " "Take It Easy On Me " "Help Is on Its Way " "Happy Anniversary " "We Two " "Man On Your

Mind," "The Other Guy" and "It s a Long Way There " With “Reminiscing” receiving an estimated 5 million plays on American radio the group was recognized as having Top 10 hits for six consecutive years

Some band members have come and gone since LRB launched their careers, but current lead singer and bass player Wayne Nelson is celebrating 42 years with the band making him the longest standing member of the group Other band members include Chris Marion (keyboards/vocals); R y a n R i c k s ( d r u m s / p e r c u s s i o n / v o c a l s ) ; Colin Whinnery (lead guitar/lead vocals); and Bruce Wallace (guitar/vocals)

Tickets are priced at $100 $75 $50 $35 and $20 with a limited number of VIP Stage Right packages available at $150 General admission back lawn tickets are also available for just $20

Attendees can enjoy food and drinks served inside Caloosa Sound Amphitheater Outside food, drinks, coolers are prohibited Small lawn chairs and blankets are permitted in the general admission back lawn area

The Caloosa Sound Amphitheater is at 2101 Edwards Drive Fort Myers (across f r o m t h e C a l o o s a S o u n d C o n v e n t i o n Center, downtown Fort Myers)

For additional information and to purc h a s e t i c k e t s p l e a s e v i s i t C a l o o s aSoundAmp com

Songwriters in the Round March 19 at Alliance

The Alliance for the Arts in partnership with the ACMA will present Songwriters in the Round, an outdoor concert on the Greenmarket Stage Sunday March 19 from 5-8 p m Kim Mayfield and Roy Schneider make up the Americana band known as Reckless S a i n t s T h e h u s b a n d a n d wife team runs the gamut from acoustic folk to driving bluesy tunes with hints of twang sprinkled in A n o t h e r p e r f o r m e r i s Charlie McCoy, a mainstay in Nashville since the 60s, He has played on dozens of hit records including work with such legends as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Dolly P a r t o n , S i m o n a n d G a r f u n k e l , G e o r g e J o n e s , B o b D y l a n R o y O r b i s o n and many more Tickets are $15 for members, $16 for non-members and are available online at ArtInLee org or by calling 239-939-2787

Pre-sale seating is limited to 132 and is first come first serve In the case of bad weather, the show will be moved indoors to the Foulds Theatre Additional tickets may be available at the door weather permitting

From page 1B

one winner who either currently attends or has been accepted to attend an accredited college, university, or graduate school

The scholarship asks students to write a 1 000-word essay on the following topic: What does your community mean to you?

The essay should discuss the student s commitment to his/her school and the larger community It should include examples of ways the student has benefited from and helped enrich the communities in which they are involved This can include helping those who are injured or in need of assistance, volunteer work, tutoring, etc

T h e d e a d l i n e t o a p p l y f o r t h e Community Growth Scholarship is June 15 2023

For more information or to schedule coverage, contact David Kastan using the details above

Headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, Viles & Beckman is a personal injury law firm that represents people who have been injured or harmed by the actions or negligence of others The firm handles cases that span the gamut of personal injury claims, including car accidents, slip and fall injuries premises liability product liability burns from defective products nursing home abuse and more The attorneys at Viles & Beckman have over four decades of legal experience and are dedicated to advocating for their clients as if each and e v e r y c l i e n t w a s a n i m m e d i a t e f a m i l y member

FSW obser ves Dr Talbot

Spivak Holocaust

Memorial Week March 6-10

F l o r i d a S o u t h W e s t e r n S t a t e C o l l e g e will observe Dr Talbot Spivak Holocaust Memorial Week, March 6-10, with a series o f e v e n t s t h a t f o c u s o n t h e t h e m e “ I n d o c t r i n a t i o n ” a t t h e F S W T h o m a s Edison Campus 8099 College Parkway Fort Myers Events are free and open to the public

As part of the event series, at 5 p m , Monday, March 6, a free screening of the film “JoJo Rabbit” will be held in Building J Room 103 at the FSW Lee Campus At 7 p m following the screening, author Dr Christine Leunens will h o s t a Z o o m d i s c u s s i o n a b o u t h e r b o o k “ C a g i n g S k i e s ” t h e n o v e l t h a t inspired “JoJo Rabbit ”

D r L e u n e n s a t t e n d e d high school in Cape Coral and studied French literature in Paris after graduation She went on to earn her master’s degree in English a n d A m e r i c a n L i t e r a t u r e f r o m H a r v a r d U n i v e r s i t y a n d h e r d o c t o r a t e f r o m V i c t o r i a U n i v e r s i t y o f Wellington

A d d i t i o n a l l y l o c a l H o l o c a u s t s u r v i v o r s a n d children of local survivors will speak about their experiences and FSW faculty a n d l o c a l h i s t o r i a n s w i l l hold lectures on related topics A full event schedule and Zoom links are available at www fsw edu/holocaust F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n e m a i l S a r a G o t t w a l l e s a t segottwalles@fsw edu

Kerr joins Hodges University Hodges University president Dr John Meyer this w e e k a n n o u n c e d t h a t Adrian Kerr has joined as a vice president In his role, he will lead m u l t i p l e w o r k f o r c e a n d quick training initiatives at H o d g e s U n i v e r s i t y T h e programs offered will align with the workforce needs of t h e S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a region He will be working w i t h o r g a n i z a t i o n s o f a l l sizes to offer training that will provide their employe e s w i t h t h e a d d i t i o n a l knowledge and skills needed to advance their careers Studies have shown that one of the most effective ways to retain employees is to offer professional development Kerr brings more than 12 years of experience working directly with the state of F l o r i d a l o c a l e m p l o y e r s and CaereerSource SWFL in the area of continuing professional education He earned his bachelor’s degree in management and e n g i n e e r i n g f r o m t h e University of Leeds, United K i n g d o m C u r r e n t l y , h e serves as a director on the Workforce Board He has also published two books A n c i e n t E g y p t a n d t h e US, and KV 63 the New Tomb in the Valley of the Kings ” H o d g e s U n i v e r s i t y a r e g i o n a l l y a c c r e d i t e d p r iv a t e n o n p r o f i t i n s t i t u t i o n founded in 1990, prepares students to leverage higher learning in their personal p r o f e s s i o n a l a n d c i v i c e n d e a v o r s W i t h o v e r 14,000 graduates, Hodges is recognized for developing programs uniquely designed a n d d e l i v e r e d t o s e r v e a diverse adult learner population With a campus in

EDUCATION NOTES

Fort Myers Florida Hodges provides flexible day, evening, and online classes taught by world-class faculty for undergraduate and graduate degrees Hodges is also the first Hispanic-serving institution in the region and is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) More information about Hodges University is available at Hodges edu

13 DDWS conser vation scholarships available

The application deadline is March 31 for 13 scholarships amounting to more than $20 000 from the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge Ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 each, the scholarships are available to high school seniors, college students and graduate students in or from Lee Collier Charlotte H e n d r y a n d G l a d e s c o u n t i e s p u r s u i n g degrees in environmental-related studies

This year s named scholarships include the following: Richard Bailey Scholarship, Mike and Terry Baldwin Scholarship, Dr Andrew and Laura Dahlem Scholarship

Dr H Randall Deming Scholarship for Conservation and Environmental Studies Ding Darling Conservation Scholarship, Hans and Leslie Fleischner Scholarships ( t w o s c h o l a r s h i p s ) T h e M a r y E l a i n e Jacobson Memorial Scholarship Win & Marilyn Kloosterman Scholarship Barry & Francine Litofsky Scholarship, Tarpon B a y E x p l o r e r s S c h o l a r s h i p a n d J a n e Werner Environmental Scholarships (two scholarships) DDWS will award the scholarships at a s p e c i a l c e r e m o n y a t t h e J N “ D i n g ” D a r l i n g N a t i o n a l W i l d l i f e R e f u g e o n Sanibel Island in June 2023, if hurricane recovery efforts allow Now in its 17th year the DDWS scholarship program presented its first awards in 2006 donated by Tarpon Bay Explorers the refuge s official recreation concession

To date, the program has awarded more than $233,000

Interested students can find more information and printable application forms at d i n g d a r l i n g s o c i e t y o r g / a r t i c l e s / s t u d e n tscholarships

To learn more about the scholarship program and establishing a permanently endowed scholarship, contact Birgie Miller

at 239-292-0566 or director@dingdarlingsociety org

March gardens: Many spring blooms

From page 1B

within a green blanket The Song of India bush, with its whimsical branches and variegated yellow and green leaves brings our eye to the assortment of green tints and textures which add depth to our gardens Our palate shifts from the deep greens of our m a n y t r e e s t o t h e g r a y - g r e e n s o f t h e S i l v e r Buttonwood and to the blues and indigos of the rainbow The Texas Sage plant the Blue Tea Vine and the Blue Daze are just some of the plants complementing this portion of the color spectrum

The colors progress from purples to violets with the tiny deep-purple flowers of the Golden Dew Drop, the lavender tinged petals of the Wild Petunia, the collage of colors of the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow bush and the vivid red-violet leaves of the Hawaiian Ti plant

The month of March delivers the final touches of the rainbow spectrum to our own flowering native and Florida friendly gardens reminding us that perseverance strength and beauty surround us inspiring hope and optimism Happy Spring!

D e b o r a h H a g g e t t i s a L e e C o u n t y M a s t e r Gardener Volunteer and a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral Visit us at www gardenclubofcapecoral com

‘Intro to Florida Friendly Landscaping’ program March 25

An "Intro to Florida Friendly Landscaping" program sponsored by the Lee County Master Gardeners will be held Saturday March 25 from 10 am to noon, at Rotary Park in Cape Coral T h i

https://FFLwsp23 eventbrite com Rotary Park is located at 5500 Rose Garden Road in south Cape Coral

References

Schelb J (2018 March 28) What’s flowering i n M a r c h h t t

co/2018/03/28/whats-flowering-march/

Colorful flowers, from left to right, top: Hawaiian Ti and Perennial Peanut; middle: Blue Daze; Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow; and Blue Tea Vine; and bottom: Jatropha and Pink Tropical Sage

DEBORAH HAGGETT

Senior Prom at The Windsor of Cape Coral

The Oasis High School JROTC hosted a Senior Prom Saturday afternoon for the residents of The Windsor of Cape Coral The cadets of the “Shark Battalion” and their guests, above, under the direction of Lt Col (Ret ) Terry Morrow - Senior Army Instructor, and First Sgt Michael A Brown Sr - Army Instructor, entertained the residents of the assisted living and memory care facility with “oldies” music, dancing, conversation and more Those attending the prom were also served drinks and a variety of pastries A special treat was the crowning of Prom King T J Johnson far left, and Prom Queen Doris Palmer, left The Windsor of Cape Coral is located on Santa Barbara Boulevard For more information, please visit https://legendseniorliving com

PHOTOS BY CHRIS STRINE

Cape Coral

Richard Howard Kalfus

Richard Howard Kalfus of Cape Coral passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. Richard was born on January 20, 1936, to Jack and Charlotte (Segal) Kalfus in Brooklyn, NY.

Dick has called Florida his home for the past 35 years and enjoyed being part of the community. Throughout his time living in Cape Coral, he has enjoyed writing and contributing to many local newspaper editorials. Dick loved cruising, working in his garden and sharing the family home with his wife Louise and their many animal companions.

Dick is preceded in passing by his parents and leaves his loving memory with his survivors, wife of 55 years Louise Kalfus, his children and brother.

Dick’s family has entrusted Fort Myers Memorial Gardens with the care of his final arrangements.

Jennifer Danielle Adams

40, a lifelong resident of Cape Coral, FL, passed away Tuesday, February 21, 2023 in Labelle, FL. She was born January 28, 1983 in Fort Myers, FL. Jennifer was a beautiful person, through and through. She had such a genuine soul, that people couldn’t help but gravitate toward her. She was a free spirit who appreciated anything and everything that Mother Nature had to offer. You could often find her gazing at the night sky, admiring wild flowers, or immersing herself in any other activity that involved the great outdoors- hunting, fishing, horseback riding.. You name it! If ever there were a human or an animal in distress, you better believe she was right there, doing everything in her power to help heal it. Her nurturing spirit was so strong that she couldn’t handle seeing a friend or loved one upset. She was quick to put her problems on the back burner and focus all of her energy on healing those around her. She wasn’t big on large crowds but thrived on deep thoughts and intimate conversation.

Jennifer was so much more than you could ever wrap up into words. If you knew her, you already know this.. but above anything else, she was a great mother. She loved her children with every ounce of her being. Raising five young humans is no easy feat but she had the patience of a saint, when it came to her children. She took the time to really get to know each of their personalities and figure out what works for each of them, as an individual. Her love was so pure and unconditional, it could never be matched.

She was the kind of woman who left a lasting impression on everyone she met. She could reel you in, at first glance, with that long, gorgeous hair and huge, heart-felt smile but her genuine, loving nature is what made you want to stay. She will be missed more than she could have ever imagined.

She is survived by her loving husband, Jesse Gonzalez; parents, John Adams (Bunny) of Greenback, TN, and Vicki Johnson (Tom) of Cape Coral; children, Courtney Esway, Jillian Adams, Paisley Gonzalez, Preston Gonzalez, and Parker Gonzalez all of Cape Coral; as well as brother, John Jeffrey Adams, II also of Cape Coral.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at Mullins Memorial, 3654 Palm Beach Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33916. The family will be receiving friends for a time of visitation from 12:00 PM until the time of service.

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Garden Club of Cape Coral’s ‘March in the Park’ March 11

On Saturday March 11 the Garden Club of Cape Coral will present its 15th Annual major fundraiser "March in the Park a plant and garden art sale This sale will be held from 9 a m to 3 p m at Jaycee Park, 4125 S E 20th Place, in Cape Coral

With over 35 vendors, there will be plants of all kinds, trees, shrubs, ground cover, native plants and lanai plants to name a few Garden art will include essential and fragrance oils glass reflections stepping stones metal works

fish faces and various planters A garden treasure booth will also be available Master gardeners and Garden Club members will be available all day to answer questions A kids booth, with a face painter, will have activities and take-home projects for all ages Food, music and opportunity drawings will be available through-out the day

This is a rain or shine event Admission and parking are free T h e G a r d e n C l u b o f Cape Coral is a non-profit o r g a n i z a t i o n a n d a l l p r oceeds go to the club objectives: local high school seni o r s M a r t y W a r d M e r i t Scholarships in horticulture, c i v i c b e a u t i f i c a t i o n l o c a l middle and high school garden projects and to promote civic awareness of environm e n t a l a n d c o n s e r v a t i o n concerns If you are a vendor selling plants or do a craft that is garden related and want to join this juried show please c o n t a c t G i n n y H u f f e r a t

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