Cape Coral Weekend Breeze

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Cape Coral’s Community Newspaper Since 1961 WWW CAPECORALBREEZE COM WEEKEND EDITION, MARCH 8, 2024 $ 1 00 INSIDE: Mar ch in the Park plant sale Satur day
CC BREEZE 03/08/24

Cape raises utility impact fees on new homes

The cost of building a new home in Cape Coral is going up

Citing increased construction and material costs, Cape Coral City Council on W e d n e s d a y u n a n i m o u s l y a p p r o v e d phased-in increases of its capital expansion fee for utility services

The first increase will go into effect immediately with additional increases over

“It is not a tax It’s on new homes that will be built It is the capital expenditure required for the infrastructure for water, sewer, and irrigation There are some hard costs that have to be kept up with This just happens to be one of them This money isn’t used for anything other than the hard cost of infrastructure for the new homes that come into our area.”

four years

Councilmember Bill Steinke said unfortunately, the impact fee for new construction was a can that got kicked down the

road for a number of years

“It is not a tax It’s on new homes that will be built It is the capital expenditure required for the infrastructure for water,

To d ay ’ s A d I n s e r t s*

l p l a n t a n d g a r d e n a r t s a l e T h i s i s t h e 1 6 t h e d i t i o n o f t h e c l u b ’ s b i g g e s t f u n d r a i s i n g e v e n t o f t h e y e a r w h i c h d r a w s v e n d o r s f r o m a l l a c r o s s S o u t h w e s t F

See MARCH in the PARK, page 15

sewer, and irrigation,” he said “There are some hard costs that have to be kept up with This just happens to be one of them This money isn’t used for anything other than the hard cost of infrastructure for the new homes that come into our area ”

Jeff Dykstra, principal planner with Stantec, said one of the ways that growth can pay for itself is through a capital

See

Community continues to struggle post-Ian

Courtyards of Cape Coral South sets bingo fundraiser

One Cape Coral community still reeling from Hurricane Ian will host a fundraising event full of high-end prizes and good times to help its recovery

Completely decimated by the force of the near Category 5 storm that blew through Southwest Florida nearly 18 months ago, the Courtyards of Cape Coral South community is welcoming the public to play bingo

On March 16 starting at 3 p m , the community will host pocketbook bingo, with 10 total games and other gift basket raffle items and silent auction pieces Special designer bags and bountiful baskets will be up for grabs, with all proceeds helping the residents, many of them seniors, still living in less-than-favorable conditions

As many of the 132 residents are still waiting to be made whole from insurance claims, members of the community are hosting the event to help with expenses incurred from Ian Members of the community say the delay has caused a little more than 50 seniors to still be without access to their home There are residents that have

www capecoralbreeze com Weekend Edition, March 8, 2024 $1 00 Cape Coral’s Community Newspaper Since 1961
INDEX B u s i n e s s 3 3 Commentary 4 Education 19 Pets of the Week................42 P u z z l e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 Real Estate....................16 S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 Weekly Recap...............18 Your Health..............27-29 AOW The Cape Coral Breeze presents Athletes of the Week Page 43 Cape Coral’s Garden Club presents its annual plant and garden art sale Saturday 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 Lo o k i n g f o r t h a t p e r f e c t a d d i t i o n t o y o u r g a r d e n ? M a y b e a n e x o t i c p l a n t o r h a n d c r a f t e d a r t t o c o m p l e t e y o u r o u td o o r d e c o r ? T h i s S a t u r d a y , h o r t i c u l t u r i s t s c a n f i n d a n a b u n d a n c e o f g r e e n e r y t o f a w n o v e r a n d t a k e h o m e a s T h e G a r d e n C l u b o f C a p e C o r a l p r e se n t s “ M a r c h i n t h e P a r k , ” i t s a n n u a
l o r i d a . “ T h i s i s w h a t f u n d s o u r s c h o l a r s h i p s f o r C a p e C o r a l h i g h s c h o o l s t u d e n t s , s o w e ' r e a l w a y s t h r i l l e d t o p u t i t o n a n d t o r a i s e m o n e y
IMPACT FEES, page 36
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Tickets still available for Catch the Vision

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“This event is for everyone The resource guide is packed with city information, maps, and, for the first time, developers have advertised in our program We want everyone to be able to reach out and talk to those who are shaping our future city without the 3-minute time limit given at City Council meetings. Many residents are not able to attend meetings, and during the event, they will be able to meet those developers who have taken the time to attend and they want to hear from the residents ”

Gloria Tate, event organizer

a f f o r d a b l e h o u s i n g p r o j e c t i n t h e C a p e , w i t h a d d i t i o n a l p l a n s f o r a s e n i o r h o u s i n g p r o j e c t c o m i n g t o N o r t h F o r t M y e r s W e a r e a d d i n g t h a t t o o u r e v e n t b e c a u s e t h e t w o c i t i e s c o n n e c t i n s o m a n y w a y s ” C a t c h t h e V i s i o n a l s o w i l l f e a t u r e a c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h L e e C o u n t y C o m m i s s i o n e r K e v i n R u a n e a b o u t t h e S o u t h C a p e B r i d g e “ T h i s e v e n t i s t o g i v e a n o v e r a l l p e r s p e c t i v e o f h o w o u r c i t y i s g r o w i n g , ” T a t e s a i d “ L e e H e a l t h i s a d d r e s si n g t h e m u c h - n e e d e d i n c r e a s e f o r d o c t o r s , a n d t h e n e w s e r v i c e s t h e y a r e a d d i n g t o t h e C a p e A s a R e a l t o r , t h a t i s a l w a y s a q u e s t i o n t h a t c o m e s u p w h e n p e o p l e a r e t h i n k i n g a b o u t m o v i n g h e r e , s o w e a r e t r y i n g t o p r o v i d e t h a t k i n d o f i n f o rm a t i o n t o a t t e n d e e s a s w e l l ” A t t e n d e e s w i l l h a v e t h e c h a n c e t o m e e t a n d c o nv e r s e w i t h : ■ P e t e r B y t a r i a n , G u l f G a t e w a y R e s o r t a n d M a r i n a V i l l a g e ( S e v e n I s l a n d s ) ■ R o b e r t K n i g h t , L a k e S h a d r o e R e s o r t a n d M a r i n a ■ D a r i o P e r e t t i , P a r i s i o a t N o r t h C a p e ■ C o m m i s s i o n e r K e v i n R u a n e , C a p e C o r a l B r i d g e ■ F r a n k N a d e r , V i c t o r y P a r k ■ L i z M c C a u l e y , C a p e C o r a l A n i m a l S h e l t e r ■ G a s t o n L u l i n s k i , S h o p s o f D e l M a r a n d S h o p s o f D e l S o l ■ B i l l J o h n s o n , H o r i z o n C o u n c i l T i c k e t s a r e $ 2 0 a n d a r e a v a i l a b l e o n E v e n t b r i t e o r b y v i s i t i n g 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 C a p e C h r i s t i a n F e l l o w s h i p i s a t 2 1 1 0 C h i q u i t a B l v d i C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e

E v e n t o r g a n i z e r s a r e p r o m i s i n g a n u n p a r a l l e l e d o p p o r t u n i t y f o r a t t e n d e e s t o e n g a g e d i r e c t l y w i t h t h o s e s h a p i n g t h e f u t u r e o f C a p e C o r a l A t t e n d e e s w i l l n o t o n l y g a i n e n t r a n c e t o t h i s e p i c s h o w c a s e b u t w i l l a l s o r e c e i v e a f u l l - c o l o r r e s o u r c e g u i d e f i l l e d w i t h i n v a l ua b l e l o c a l i n f o r m a t i o n A p o r t i o n o f t h e p r o c e e d s w i l l b e n e f i t t h e C a p e C o r a l C a r i n g C e n t e r , u n d e r l i n i n g t h e e v e n t ’ s c o m m i t m e n t t o c o m m u n i t y w e l f a r e “ T h i s y e a r ' s e v e n t w i l l b e a b i t d i f f e r e n t t h a n i n p a s t y e a r s , a s f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e w e w i l l h a v e t h e d e v e l o p e r s o f p r o j e c t s c o m i n g t o t h e e v e n t , ” T a t e s a i d “ T h e y w i l l b e a v a i l a b l e t o m e e t w i t h t h e p u b l i c I a m m o s t e x c i t e d a b o u t t h e S e v e n I s l a n d s p r o j e c t , n o w k n o w n a s t h e G u l f G a t e w a y R e s o r t a n d M a r i n a , a s w e l l a s t h e n e w L a k e S h a d r o e R e s o r t ” T a t e s a i d m a n y “ h o t t o p i c ” d e v e l o p m e n t s t h a t h a v e b e e n p o l a r i z i n g i n t h e c i t y w i l l u n v e i l n e w r e n d e r i n g s a n d p l a n s a t C a t c h t h e V i s i o n “ O f c o u r s e w e w i l l h a v e u p d a t e s o n p r o j e c t s w e t a l k e d a b o u t l a s t y e a r a s w e l l , ” T a t e s a i d “ I w a s r e a l l y i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e C i v i t a s d i s c u s s i o n , l e a r n i n g h o w t h a t p r o j e c t h a s c o m e t o g e t h e r w i t h a l a n d l e a s e I t i s t h e n C a p e C o r a l Cape Coral Breeze Vol. 6 3 , No. 1 8

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 h o t t e s t s h o w i n t o w n w h e n i t c o m e s t o d i s c o v e ri n g w h a t ’ s n e x t f o r C a p e C o r a l d e v e l o p m e n t i s j u s t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r T h e 1 3 t h A n n u a l C a t c h t h e V i s i o n : T r e n d s , T i p s & F o r e c a s t i n g e v e n t , t a k e s p l a c e M a r c h 1 8 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 . T h e p r o g r a m w i l l b e g i n a t 5 p . m . w i t h a 7 5 - m i n u t e t r a d e s h o w , 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 a t 6 : 1 5 E v e n t o r g a n i z e r a n d R e a l t o r G l o r i a T a t e s a i d C a t c h t h e V i s i o n i s a l w a y s a n e x c i t i n g t i m e t o s h a r e w h a t ’ s o n t h e h o r i z o n f o r t h e c i t y “ T h i s e v e n t i s f o r e v e r y o n e , ” T a t e s a i d “ T h e r e s o u r c e g u i d e i s p a c k e d w i t h c i t y i n f o r m a t i o n , m a p s , a n d f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e , d e v e l o p e r s h a v e a d v e r t i s e d i n o u r p r o g r a m W e w a n t e v e r y o n e t o b e a b l e t o r e a c h o u t a n d t a l k t o t h o s e w h o a r e s h a p i n g o u r f u t u r e c i t y w i t h o u t t h e 3 - m i n u t e t i m e l i m i t g i v e n a t C i t y C o u n c i l m e e t i n g s M a n y r e s i d e n t s a r e n o t a b l e t o a t t e n d m e e t i n g s , a n d d u ri n g t h e e v e n t , t h e y w i l l b e a b l e t o m e e t t h o s e d e v e l o pe r s w h o h a v e t a k e n t h e t i m e t o a t t e n d a n d t h e y w a n t t o h e a r f r o m t h e r e s i d e n t s ”
P a g e 3 ■ M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e

CAPE CORAL BREE ZE

2510 Del Prado Blvd • Cape Coral, FL, 33904

• Phone 239-574-1110 – Fax 239-574-5693

Member Florida Press Association

Unsolicited bid bill opens door to abuse

The Florida State Legislature has passed a bill that could change the way government entities like the city of Cape Coral process unsolicited proposals for public-private partnerships, also called P3s

Sent to the Governor’s Office on Monday, CS/HB 781 is among the legislation awaiting the signature or veto of Gov Ron DeSantis

Basically, the bill would allow cities, counties and other governmental bodies that receive unsolicited proposals for partnership projects “in the public’s best interest” to process those proposals “without engaging in a public bidding process,” a current requirement

The legislation also changes public noticing requirements when an unsolicited proposal is submitted should governments opt for this alternative The current requirement that notice be published in the Florida Administrative Register, a newspaper of general circulation and mailed to each affected local government in the affected area, would be eliminated and replaced with alternate publication in just the state register

According to the bill analysis, governments “will no longer be required to provide notice of accepting additional bids” nor will they be required to “rank received proposals in order of preference,” a current requirement as unsolicited proposals currently trigger a process for soliciting and then evaluating additional bids, if any

There is a condition, however

To “abstain from the public bidding process,” the legislation requires that the unsolicited proposal must be presented at a noticed public meeting during which affected public entities and members of the public may provide comment Also required is a second noticed public hearing to determine whether the proposal is in the public’s interest

If signed by the governor, the legislation would become law on July 1

The measure passed with nary a ripple unanimously in the House and 37-2 in the Senate

It has received the support from Florida TaxWatch

“Government procurement moves slowly, and Florida TaxWatch recommends infrastructure proposals should be fast-tracked when a private entity is sharing the financial risks and the project is in the public interest,” the organization said

See EDITORIAL, page 6

∫ Joe Biden

∫ Donald Trump

∫ Neither

∫ Undecided

Are you in favor of student loan forgiveness as it is currently being implemented.*

∫ Yes 89%

∫ No 10%

∫ I might favor some type of forgiveness but any program should be approved by Congress <1% * Total votes as of press time: 672 votes

High-quality child care should be affordable, accessible for all families

a y f r o m t h e i r j o b s t o c a r e f o r c h i l d r e n u n d e r t h e a g e o f 6 . I t f o u n d t h a t 6 4 % o f p a r e n t s w i t h y o u n g c h i l d r e n m i s s e d w o r k o r s c h o o l i n t h e p a s t t h r e e m o n t h s b e c a u s e o f c h i l d c a r e - r e l a t e d i s s u e s A s u r v e y o f m o r e t h a n 5 0 0 p a r e n t s s h o w e d t h a t m o s t r e s p o n d e n t s c h o o s e w h e r e t o s e n d t h e i r k i d s b a s e d o n w h a t t h e y c a n a f f o r d T h e y w e r e s p e n d i n g a n a v e r a g e o f $ 7 3 0 a m o n t h o n c h i l d c a r e s e r v i c e s T h i s r e a l i t y i s e c h o e d a c r o s s o u r r e g i o n o f C o l l i e r , G l a d e s , H e n d r y a n d L e e c o u n t i e s , h i g h l i g h t i n g a c r i t i c a l n e e d f o r s u p p o r t i v e s e r v i c e s R e c o g n i z i n g t h e c h a l l e n g e s f a c i n g l o w - i n c o m e , w o r k i n g f a m i l i e s , F l o r i d a ’ s S c h o o l R e a d i n e s s P r o g r a m o f f e r s a b e a c o n o f h o p e T h i s p r o g r a m p r o v i d e s h i g h -

q u a l i t y e a r l y l e a r n i n g p r o g r a m s a n d f i n a nc i a l a s s i s t a n c e t o f a m i l i e s , e n s u r i n g t h a t c o s t d o e s n o t p r e v e n t c h i l d r e n f r o m r e c e i vi n g t h e q u a l i t y c a r e a n d e d u c a t i o n t h e y d e s e r v e B u t h o w e x a c t l y d o e s t h i s t r a n sl a t e i n t o b e n e f i t s f o r f a m i l i e s i n S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a ? F i r s t , t h e S c h o o l R e a d i n e s s P r o g r a m i s d e s i g n e d t o s u p p o r t c h i l d r e n ’ s c o g n i t i v e , e m o t i o n a l a n d s o c i a l d e v e l o p m e n t . T h e q u a l i t y c h i l d c a r e c e n t e r s t h a t p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e p r o g r a m o f f e r s t r u c t u r e d l e a r n i n g e n v i r o n m e n t s w h e r e c h i l d r e n c a n e n g a g e i n a c t i v i t i e s t h a t s t i m u l a t e t h e i r m i n d s a n d f o s t e r a l o v e f o r l e a r n i n g T h e s e e a r l y e d uc a t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e s a r e c r u c i a l a s r e s e a r c h c o n s i s t e n t l y s h o w s t h a t c h i l d r e n w h o a t t e n d h i g h - q u a l i t y e a r l y l e a r n i n g p r og r a m s a r e m o r e l i k e l y t o d o w e l l i n s c h o o l , g r a d u a t e h i g h s c h o o l a n d b e c o m e p r o d u ct i v e m e m b e r s o f s o c i e t y T h e p r o g r a m c a n a l s o p r o v i d e m u c hn e e d e d f i n a n c i a l r e l i e f f o r l o w - i n c o m e , w o r k i n g f a m i -

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Let voters decide fate of Jaycee Park

To the editor:

I was at Jaycee Park on Sunday, March 3, and saw with joy and satisfaction that the park was full of people at 10 in the morning AA was meeting, families were at the playgrounds with their children, many people were walking, with or without dogs, and ALL parking places were taken

The city plans to install a bar/restaurant at the end of the park where most of the people were enjoying the river view. Where will these people park when the bar is open?

There is an unsolicited bid to pay for city-planned commercialization of this little 8-acre park, (A resident had the Park surveyed), and a Public Records request to find out the identity of the bidder has been rebuffed by the city Bids were closed Jan 26 Residents were promised a public input meeting at 30% completion of the project and we await a date and location

Please sign a petition, or a referendum to put Jaycee Park on the November ballot to Save the Park by coming to Jaycee Park any Saturday, 10:30 to noon, by the North Shelter to pick up a petition or referendum

Sally Flash Cape Coral

Actions speak louder than words

To the editor:

In the “City’s monthly E-newsletter” for March remarks by the Cape Coral mayor, the following is quoted:

“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the dedicated volunteers who selflessly contribute their time and efforts towards enhancing our community ”

The mayor and Council abolished six volunteer boards last year (Budget Review Committee, Golf Course Advisory Board, Waterway Advisory Board, Parks and Rec Advisory Board, Cape Competes Advisory Board and the Community Redevelopment Agency) It does not look like the council appreciates volunteers by this action

Another quote from the mayor in the March message was:

“I wish to emphasize the city's unwavering commitment to prudent financial management and transparent governance ”

The mayor and Council raised property taxes and assessments by over $28 million or 19% last year The cost of the new parks is $40 million over budget (Projected cost is $88 5M versus a budget of $49 million (This is less the Yacht Club budget enhancements of $11M that were never done)

The Yacht Club replacement is expected to cost over $100 million The mayor and council traditionally simply raise taxes to pay for these budget overruns Is this a sign of prudent

financial management? Shouldn’t prudent financial management be lowering taxes and cut costs when budgets are exceeded?

The mayor and council routinely pass high-cost and controversial items by use of the consent agenda (no discussion) The most egregious being the doubling of their salary by the stipend Does this look like transparent governance?

The budget cycle will begin soon for 2025 The general budget fund forecast for 2025 is $230,979,607 The city administration is asking for a 102 increase to city staff I recommend the mayor and council freeze headcount for next year to pay for the priority of new parks and the yacht club replacement; make do with the current 1,918 city staff They should also insist that the city manager propose a budget for the General Fund of no more than $230,979,607 as presented at the January workshop This should allow the council to use the rolled back millage rate and no increase to assessments and water rates With the tax increases last year, there should be plenty of surplus funds to start paying down the increased cost of the parks

The mayor and current council has proven by their actions that they do not care about volunteers, they are not financially prudent, and they are not transparent We elect five new council members this year, let’s make sure we elect people that act on these principles versus just lip service

Past Chair of the Budget Review Committee

Dir ty money pollutes clean water promises

To the editor:

The recent excessive releases of the toxic brew of chemicals and fertilizers from Lake Okeechobee smothering the Caloosahatche, coastal estuaries and Gulf of Mexico is a stark reminder of Florida’s political system controlled by the sugar industry

Big Sugar’s strangled hold of policy makers at the local, state and federal level have prevented implementation of sound water management action to properly store and treat polluted water runoff from the sugar cane fields in the Lake Okeechobee basin

The Caloosahatche and St Lucie rivers continue to be used as the relief valves for releases from Lake Okeechobee during periods of high water Our coastal estuaries will remain vulnerable to the damaging discharges until an emergency spillway is built south of the lake similar to spillways built in reservoirs all over the world.

Elected officials and members of the South Florida Water

See LETTERS, page 6

MARCH 8, 2024 T HE BREE ZE OPINIONS
C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 ■ P a g e 4
I n F l o r i d a , m a n y f a m i l i e s f a c e a b i g c h a l l e n g e w h e n i t c o m e s t o f i n d i n g q u a li t y , a f f o r d a b l e c h i l d c a r e T h e F l o r i d a C h a m b e r F o u n d a t i o n r e p o r t , U n t a p p e d P o t e n t i a l , s h o w s t h i s p r o b l e m i s c o s t i n g t h e s t a t e a l o t o f m o n e y a b o u t $ 5 4 b i l l i o n a n n u a l l y T h i s h a p p e n s b e c a u s e w o r k i n g p a r e n t s a r e f o r c e d t o s t e p a w
Guest Commentary See
GUEST COMMENTARY, page 37
This week’s poll question: Biden or Trump?
Vote
at capecoralbreeze com Previous poll question
who have chosen to participate
Poll results are not scientific and represent only the opinions of Internet users
P a g e 5 ■ M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 w w w
. c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

testing scores This can also lead to behavioral issues which can have a negative impact on a child’s education

Management District have stated that the construction of the Everglades Agricultural Area ( EAA) reservoir is the “holy grail” of Everglades restoration Truthfully, after all the reservoirs are built pursuant to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, there will be a critical need for an additional one million acre feet (325 billion gallons) of water storage to prevent harm to the rivers and estuaries on the west and east coast of Florida In fact, the C-43 reservoir on the west coast only has capacity to store 10% of the excessive release of water from Lake Okeechobee during the wet season.

A minimum of 50,000 acres needs to be purchased in the EAA south of Lake Okeechobee for sufficient water storage and treatment from the lake to the Everglades The Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative, aka Amendment 1, approved by the voters in 2014 would be the appropriate funding source for the land purchase

It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result Unfortunately, voters repeatedly elect politicians that pay lip service to protecting water quality while receiving campaign funding support from local and state-wide PACs and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, that in turn rely on substantial monetary support from Big Sugar

Unfortunately, today’s political arena has regressed to an ideological battleground where our elected representatives are distracted by cultural wars rather than focusing on the hard work of providing responsible stewardship of our precious and diminishing natural resources Clean water is of paramount importance to a healthy marine ecosystem and the life blood of a vibrant and sustainable tourism and real estate based economy

Democracy is not a spectator sport and voters need to put an end to the coronation of politicians aligned with monied self-serving interests by stepping up and run for public office or support candidates that steer clear of dirty money.

Former Lee County Commissioner

Elimination of bus stops at daycares could have long-ter m impact on students

To the editor:

I’ve owned a daycare in North Fort Myers since 1970 I would like to express my thoughts on the recent bus stop changes and how they could have long-term effects on our community’s children and their education

This past fall, the Lee County School District made a decision to exclude daycares as bus stops to help solve busing issues Lee County has had in recent years

Due to this change, many daycares were forced to shut down their before- and after-school care, my center included Parents then had to make other arrangements for these hours, but had limited choices Many were receiving subsidized child care through our local Early Learning Coalition and were also able to leave their child at daycare centers on days when there was no school These families faced the dilemma of paying full price at a public schools, which do not provide care on “no school,” or early dismissal days and most do not accept Early Learning Coalition vouchers for payment, or busing their child home unsupervised

I’m not sure how many children were forced to stay home alone, but I am sure that all of them aren’t going home to do homework and study every afternoon Video games and social media would now be their role model until a parent returns from work

What impact could this have on a child’s education? Not studying and doing homework leads to low grades and lower

For students to be successful they need supervised time for homework as well as play Daycares provide a safe, nurturing environment for children to grow and learn

Unfortunately, we may not see all of the effects of Lee County School District’s decision for a while Hopefully bus stops at daycares will be reinstated next school year

Democracy rests on our vote

To the editor:

Yes Biden is old Four years older than Trump We have two old white men running for the top job in the U S government

One with many years of on the job experience whose economy is the strongest in the world The other guy with goldgilded toilets is facing 91 felony counts who calls the U S a weak third-world country who raised our national debt by over $7 trillion in four years Different universes.

Listen to what they say and watch what they do Mental fitness, moral fiber and facts still matter

Do you pay off your credit card balance every month? If you do, good for you Credit card giants hold more than 95% of American’s credit card debt Exploitative late fees hurt more than 45 million Millennials and lower wage earners costing workers more than $25 billion a year This week, the Biden administration announced that his administration will regulate large credit card businesses and cap those fees at $8 for issuers with more than a million accounts The estimated $10 billion in savings can then be spent by consumers to buy goods and stimulate our economy Another good example of the conflict between the interests of big business Republicans vs the interest of the workers and what Biden is doing about it

During supply chain issues, corporations raised the cost of American goods but when those issues resolved they did not then reduce the charges to us. Instead they raked in absurd illegal profits and passed on those record profits to their shareholders This week, Joe Biden announced developing a “strike force” to identify businesses practicing that corporate greed and his intent to protect us from them The only thing protecting future generations from living in poverty is our democratic government “of the people, by the people and for the people” vs a government unwilling to regulate greedy businesses Biden was a busy man this week

It’s hard work to stay on top of these issues and be informed Make sure you are registered to vote at Lee Vote and then vote like our Democracy depends on it Because it does

Promises made. Promises kept?

To the editor:

This is an open letter to Sen Marco Rubio:

Dear Sen Marco Rubio,

At my last official meeting with your staff I promised I would help disseminate two dossiers prepared by your office which contains a litany of facts regarding the Biden administration’s failure to equip Ukraine and deter Russia and, since I always keep my promises, here it is: https://zadruziv blogspot com/2024/03/dossier-biden-administrations-failure html

I have a question, though Do you keep your promises?

Because two years ago exactly, as Russia launched a full-

scale invasion against Ukraine, you made a speech during your March 2022 Senate Intelligence Hearing on Worldwide Threats, and you, Sen Rubio, stated, “This is no time to forget lessons in history Because this is a monster you cannot make a deal with This is a monster that has to be destroyed ”

I want to know which monster was it that you were you referring to, Russia or Ukraine?

Because after two years of destruction, during your Feb 9 hour-long speech on Border and Foreign Aid, you stated “But ultimately the conflict in Ukraine will end in a negotiated outcome ”

Sen Rubio, your statements were made a day after the infamous Tucker-Putin Interview was released, where Putin made the asinine suggestion that he was actually ready to negotiate Ukraine’s borders but not with Ukraine, only with the U S

Did I take you out of context, Senator? Because on March 3 you then went on Fox News to say that “Neither side is going to be able to achieve victory as defined in the most idealistic terms So then the question becomes if in fact, there’s going to be a negotiated settlement, who’s going to have the leverage here?”

My answer to your question, Senator, is in my understanding war between enemies is a non-negotiable militant state, historically all war ends with military action which only then is punctuated by an agreement, so in order to bring an end to war there must be significant military action, therefore there should be no question on “if” there will be negotiations because there will be no negotiations until Russia is forced to withdraw There is no other viable alternative other than Russia continuing to capture Ukrainian territory, which is what they are actively attempting

To expound why negotiations are unrealistic, on March 3 I spoke with Ukrainian Commander Yuri from the frontlines and he told me, “How you could negotiate with someone who came to your land, occupies territories, murders people, kills people, Ukrainian people, aggression There’s nothing to talk with them really about without until they leave ”(Interview here: https://myukrainianbrigade wordpress com/2024/03/02 /can-ukraine-be-victorious-without-draining-the-us/)

You have recently speculated, Sen Rubio, that “the Ukrainians are not going to wipe out the Russian military and the Russians are not going to be able to conquer half of Ukraine ” Sen Rubio, I want to know by what measure you make this prediction?

Tell me, on the spectrum of reality and perception, who suffers more from profound disconnect? Is it me, who thinks that Ukraine has the proven ability to surprise and can actually restore its borders? Or is it those who believe that making territorial settlements will bring an end to conflict?

Because I know Ukrainians, and I know they will not live peacefully under Russian rule I also know Russians, and I know that the current regime will continue to invade, unless the “monster” known as Vladimir Putin is “destroyed ” You can’t really expect us to believe that Putin will stop unless he is forced to

From my position, I can tell you, it’s fantasy to think we are near an end to conflict or negotiations, and you have to be reading a lot of Russian intelligence and propaganda to believe it.

As for the members of Congress who still think that redrawing territorial boundaries is a realistic solution, they might want to consider if they want a taste of their own medicine in their own districts Because quite frankly I believe the better option is to oust them if they continue to misrepresent the American public

Editorial: Legislation on unsolicited P3 proposals would eliminate requirement to go to bid

From page 4

From page 4 in its Week 9 Legislative Update posted to its website, floridataxwatch org, on Monday

We understand their support

But let us point out the very real downside: Opening the door to unsolicited proposals while offering the option to close the door on competing bids is an invitation to those who see a benefit in being the front-runner in fact, the only runner for projects with a planned P3 component

It’s likely to be viewed as simply “good business ”

Especially for those with an inside track

Consider: The public benefit aspect has de facto acknowledgement from the government entity why else would it be on the table?

All one would need to do to close the field to free-market competition is submit a plan

that hands the government essentially what it thinks it wants and maybe a check to cover the staff review process

The governor’s pen could open the door to a wave of “unsolicited” bids for a plethora of projects

Potential P3s right here at home?

The Lee County Civic Center immediately comes to mind

So does the city’s Yacht Club Park with its $100 million-plus rebuild in the works

There are, in fact, potential P3s for numerous planned and in-development city parks including Crystal Lake, Lake Meade and Yellow Fever Creek with its campgrounds

We’d like to think the public meeting requirement attached to the no-bid option would provide the transparency lacking in the current process

But we don’t

The unsolicited proposal for Jaycee Park remains in a “cone of silence” as the city processes it under the current statute, which required requests for bids Though there were none by the Jan 26 deadline for the P3 “revenue-sharing opportunity for operation of the food truck and bar amenities,” the city remains mum as it negotiates for features many residents have adamantly opposed

Meanwhile, the city is working on a P3 for Lake Kennedy where a proposal has been received for “management” of the new tennis and pickleball courts with little definitive information on how much it’s going to cost to pay-to-play

Let us be clear: We do not oppose P3s

They can and they do work

Numerous large-scale transportation and

other projects statewide have been made possible through P3s

The city itself has at least two good working examples

The Kerns Restaurant Group LLC not only invested but reinvested, rebuilding the Boathouse Tiki Bar & Grill at the Yacht Club following Hurricane Ian P r o P a r k s A t t r a c t i o n s G r o u p , w h i c h manages the city-owned Sun Splash Family Waterpark, has made numerous infrastructure improvements to the facility

This legislation, however, provides too much opportunity for abuse

Nor does it define a trigger point for the transparency it touts

We urge Gov DeSantis to veto this bill

C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 ■ P a g e 6
Breeze
editorial

State restrictions on local fertilizer bans opposed

Multitude of local government officials sign letter sent to the Governor’s Office, House & Senate

G i v e n t h e r e c e n t r e l e a s e s f r o m L a k e O k e e c h o b e e , t w o C a p e C o r a l C i t y C o u n c i l m e m b e r s j o i n e d m o r e t h a n 5 0 o t h e r e l e c t e d o f f i c i a l s f r o m a r o u n d t h e s t a t e c a l l i n g o n G o v R o n D e S a n t i s a n d t h e s t a t e l e g i s l a t u r e t o r e j e c t a n y l e g i sl a t i o n t h a t w o u l d a t t e m p t t o r e s t r i c t t h e a b i l i t y o f l o c a l m u n i c i p a l i t i e s t o r e g ul a t e t h e u s e o f f e r t i l i z e r

“ Each of Florida’s municipalities has unique concerns,” said Councilmember Jessica Cosden, who signed the letter along with Councilmember Robert Welsh “In Cape Coral, one of our prime concerns is water quality in our 400 miles of canals and surrounding waterways We already contend with nutrient pollution from Lake O k e e c h o b e e d i s c h a r g e s , b u t f e r t i l i z e r runoff is also a threat to water quality Cities should not be stopped from regulating fertilizer as they see necessary ” F o r t M y e r s B e a c h V i c e M a y o r J i m A t t e r h o l t t o o k a s i m i l a r v i e w “ I t h o u g h t i t w a s i m p o r t a n t t o m a k e o u r v o i c e h e a r d o n a l l t h e v a r i o u s f a c e t s o f k e e p i n g o u r w a t e r c l e a n , ” A t t e r h o l t s a i d “ I w o u l d e n c o u r a g e f o l k s t o r e a c h o u t t o t h e i r s t a t e l e g i s l a t o r s a n d s h a r e t h e i r c o n c e r n s a b o u t t h i s k e y w a t e r q u a l i t y i s s u e T h e r u n o f f o f n i t r o g e n a n d p h o s p h o r u s f r o m t h e s e f e r t i l i z e r s h a s a d i r e c t i m p a c t o n r e d t i d e a n d b l u eg r e e n a l g a e ” L o c a l l y , t h e l e t t e r w a s a l s o s i g n e d b y F o r t M y e r s C o u n c i l m e m b e r T e r e s a W a t k i n s B r o w n T h e l e t t e r , s e n t t o G o v D e S a n t i s , S e n a t e P r e s i d e n t K a t h l e e n P a s s i d o m o a n d H o u s e S p e a k e r P a u l R e n n e r , u r g e s

“Each of Florida’s municipalities has unique concerns. In Cape Coral, one of our prime concerns is water quality in our 400 miles of canals and surrounding waterways. We already contend with nutrient pollution from Lake Okeechobee discharges, but fertilizer runoff is also a threat to water quality Cities should not be stopped from regulating fertilizer as they see necessary ”

Cape Coral City Councilmember Jessica Cosden

t h e m t o “ r e j e c t a n y b i l l o r m e a s u r e t h a t w o u l d r e s t r i c t o r r e m o v e t h e a b i l i t y o f a l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t t o r e g u l a t e u r b a n f e rt i l i z e r a p p l i c a t i o n ” L a s t y e a r , F l o r i d a l e g i s l a t o r s a n d

D e S a n t i s s t o p p e d a l l n e w s t r o n g u r b a n f e r t i l i z e r o r d i n a n c e s w i t h a y e a r - l o n g

m o r a t o r i u m T h e b o d y o f t h e l e t t e r : F e b r u a r y 2 9 , 2 0 2 4

G o v e r n o r R o n D e S a n t i s S e n a t e P r e s i d e n t o f t h e F l o r i d a S e n a t e , K a t h l e e n P a s s i d o m o S p e a k e r o f t h e F l o r i d a H o u s e o f R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , P a u l R e n n e r F l o r i d a S e n a t o r s F l o r i d a H o u s e R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s R E : S u p p o r t f o r S t r o n g L o c a l G o v e r n m e n t U r b a n F e r t i l i z e r O r d i n a n c e s D e a r G o v e r n o r D e S a n t i s , S e n a t e P r e s i d e n t P a s s i d o m o , H o u s e S p e a k e r R e n n e r , a n d F l o r i d a S t a t e L e g i s l a t o r s : W e , t h e f i f t y - s e v e n ( 5 7 ) u n d e r s i g n e d c o u n t y a n d m u n i c i p a l e l e c t e d o f f i c i a l s , r e p r e s e n t a n o n p a r t i s a n c o a l i t i o n c o nc e r n e d a b o u t t h e p o t e n t i a l p r e e m p t i o n

o f l o c a l u r b a n f e r t i l i z e r o r d i n a n c e s A s l e a d e r s c h a r g e d w i t h p r o t e c t i n g o u r c o n s t i t u e n t s , k e e p i n g F l o r i d a ’ s w a t e r w a y s c l e a n i s a t o p p r i o r i t y W a t e r q u a l i t y i s o f u t m o s t i m p o r t a n c e t o o u r h e a l t h , o u r e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d o u r e c o no m y F r o m t h e b e a c h e s t o t h e b a y s , F l o r i d a ’ s t o u r i s m i n d u s t r y a n d l o c a l b u s i n e s s e s r e q u i r e c l e a n w a t e r M u l t i p l e f o r m s o f p o l l u t i o n , i n c l u di n g a g r i c u l t u r a l r u n o f f , s e w a g e , a n d i n d u s t r i a l w a s t e h a r m o u r e n v i r o n m e n t a n d e c o n o m y . I n a l l c a s e s , p r e v e n t i n g p o l l u t i o n i s t h e m o s t c o s t - e f f e c t i v e s o l ut i o n U r b a n f e r t i l i z e r o r d i n a n c e s a r e a t o o l t h a t l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t s h a v e t o r e d u c e t h e a m o u n t o f f e r t i l i z e r ( n i t r og e n a n d p h o s p h o r u s ) p o l l u t i o n e s c a p i n g f r o m u r b a n l a w n s a n d l a n d s c a p e s L i m i t i n g w h e n a n d w h e r e f e r t i l i z e r c a n b e a p p l i e d c a n c o m b a t e x c e s s i v e n u t r ie n t r u n o f f i n t o s t r e a m s , r i v e r s a n d b a y s T h e a d d i t i o n o f n i t r o g e n a n d p h o s p h or u s i n t o w a t e r b o d i e s f u e l s h a r m f u l a n d n u i s a n c e a l g a l b l o o m s , l i k e r e d t i d e a n d b l u e - g r e e n a l g a e , l e a d i n g t o h u m a n h e a l t h i m p a c t s , d e g r a d e d w a t e r q u a l i t y ,

a n d n e g a t i v e i m p a c t s t o l o c a l b u s i n e s se s I f w e l o s e o u r a b i l i t y t o r e d u c e u r b a n f e r t i l i z e r p o l l u t i o n , p r o g r e s s t o w a r d s a t t a i n i n g c l e a n e r w a t e r s w i l l s u f f e r a s w i l l t h e l o c a l e c o n o m i e s d e p e n d e n t u p o n c l e a n w a t e r W e s t r o n g l y u r g e t h e F l o r i d a L e g i s l a t u r e t o r e j e c t a n y b i l l o r m e a su r e t h a t w o u l d r e s t r i c t o r r e m o v e t h e a b i l i t y o f a l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t t o r e g ul a t e u r b a n f e r t i l i z e r a p p l i c a t i o n R e s p e c t f u l l y , Je n A he arn- Ko c h V i c e M a y o r , A t - L a r g e S a r a s o t a , S a r a s o t a C o u n t y

Mary A l f o rd, PE

C o u n t y C o m m i s s i o n e r , D i s t r i c t 1 A l a c h u a C o u n t y Ji m A tte rho l t V i c e M a y o r

F o r t M y e r s B e a c h , L e e C o u n t y Jo s e ph A y o ub M a y o r S a f e t y H a r b o r , P i n e l l a s C o u n t y

B . J. B i s ho p

T o w n C o m m i s s i o n e r - A t - L a r g e

L o n g b o a t K e y , S a r a s o t a C o u n t y

Emi l y B o ni l l a

C o u n t y C o m m i s s i o n e r , D i s t r i c t 5

O r a n g e C o u n t y

Tho mas B radf o rd

V i l l a g e C o u n c i l M e m b e r , S e a t 1

T e q u e s t a , P a l m B e a c h C o u n t y

Wo o dy B ro w n

M a y o r

L a r g o , P i n e l l a s C o u n t y

See FERTILIZER BAN, page 34

P a g e 7 ■ M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e

Cape Coral Youth Council, City Council meet for joint session

Education and the environment were among the discussion points between the Cape Coral City Council and its Cape Coral Youth Council Tuesday afternoon

Councilmember Tom Hayden, who is an alternate liaison for the Youth Council, said they began the joint meeting three years ago because it is important for youth appointees to interact with Council within a public setting

“These students have done amazing things, and they continue to do great things d u r i n g t h e i r Y o u t h C o u n c i l m e e t i n g s including setting up strategic initiative and plan I have encouraged them to offer solutions because I believe it is important that we hear what this city should look like,” Hayden said

F o r e a c h o f t h e t o p i c s , t h e Y o u t h Council had an opportunity to ask three questions of the City Council, or city staff.

The discussions began with education safety and School Resource Officers, teacher pay and retention

“They are a very important part of our f a m i l y , ” O a s i s C h a r t e r S c h o o l s S u p e r i n t e n d e n t J a c q u e l i n C o l l i n s s a i d “We involve our SRO in every daily function, activity in the cafeteria, playing in PE with our students It’s an important part of our strategic plan to make our schools safe The most effective thing is the SRO officers ”

SROs are first responders, they will be on the front lines protecting the school

“We do receive money from the state of Florida to help pay for SRO officers They are expensive people What we do receive w e p a y t o t h e C a p e C o r a l P o l i c e

“These students have done amazing things, and they continue to do great things during their Youth Council meetings including setting up strategic initiative and plan. I have encouraged them to offer solutions because I believe it is important that we hear what this city should look like ”

City Councilmember

Department to support us having them on our campuses,” Collins said

Hayden asked Youth Councilmembers how safe they feel in their schools, as well as their level of confidence knowing they will be well protected

Kristian Wydysh, a student at North Fort Myers High School said he thinks when it comes to safety, he appreciates the SROs, but, of course, there could be more done

“As long as we continue this combined effort amongst enforcement agencies, I do feel safe,” he said

Mia Mazurkiewicz, also a student at North Fort Myers High School, said when a swatting call occurred at their school multiple students were injured because the call happened during lunch shifts

“No one knew where to go. All the students were pushed into the back,” she said “Students were trampled, left the campus, jumped the fence No one knew what to do ”

Mazurkiewicz said situations where protocols are not in place, students can get hurt if they do not know what to do

Wydysh said with the influence of s o c i a l m e d i a , h e b e l i e v e s y o u t h s a r e

becoming desensitized they are almost used to it, “Oh yeah, another swatting threat, school shooting somewhere ”

The second question from the Youth Council stemmed around plans in place to increase teacher retention in the Cape Coral Charter Schools.

Collins said they have focused on providing big bonuses based on years of service, longevity, and a holiday bonus

For teachers who have been teaching for 1 5 y e a r s , t h e y c a n m a k e u p w a r d s o f $6,000 and an additional $1,000 for working in the system for more than 10 years

Next year, Collins said they have added a 1% increase in pay and a starting salary of $50,000

“Finding teachers in this day and age is very hard to find,” she said

A position that garnered interest from 30 to 50 applicants is now only attracting one or two

Collins said she believes there is a national teacher shortage because of salary, the profession is not respected as is in other countries and the day and age is changing

“Society has changed and not everyone can roll with the punches,” she said “The profession needs to be respected, valued

and compensation ”

Other ways to retain teachers is through a one-time lump sum of $5,000 for teachers who mentor new teachers in the classroom with such things as bell schedules and teacher management. Teachers who can teach high level science, math, or technical courses will also receive a sign on bonus of $5,000

The charter school also is looking into sparking an interest in their high school students to become teachers by having them go into the elementary and middle school classrooms to learn how to work with students

M e n t a l h e a l t h a m o n g s t u d e n t s w a s another topic of discussion and how additional funding can be added to the resource

Collins said they have mental health training six hours of training every three years that every employee goes through, so they can be aware of anxiety, depression and withdrawing socially At the elementary school level they assign a student to an adult of another classroom, so anytime the student needs to speak to someone, they have another adult to reach out and speak with

“Connecting with one other person is critical,” Collins said

Another topic dealt with the environment with such discussion points as pollution in the waterways from construction waste, to protecting wildlife

Through the discussion regarding cons t r u c t i o n w a s t e , C i t y C o u n c i l m e m b e r Keith Long asked for support to modify an ordinance to prohibit plywood receptacles in lieu of manufactured Dumpsters, which received support

“There you have it, government in action,” he said

C a p e C o
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r a l B r e e z e w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m

Cape Coral Youth Council video competition winner

e t i t i o n f o r s h o w c a s i n g w h y t h e c i t y i s g r e a t a n d w h a t i t o f f e r s f o r t h e c o m -

u n i t y , r e s i d e n t s , a n d v i s i t o r s a l i k e F l o r i d a L e a g u e o f C i t i e s M e m b e r s h i p P r o g r a m S p e c i a l i s t E r y n R u s s e l l p r e s e n te d a t r o p h y t o t h e C a p e C o r a l Y o u t h C o u n c i l d u r i n g T u e s d a y ’ s j o i n t m e e t i n g w i t h t h e C a p e C o r a l C i t y C o u n c i l T h e C a p e C o r a l Y o u t h C o u n c i l a l s o r e c e i v e d a $ 2 5 0 c h e c k T h e y o u t h c o u n c i l w a s r e q u i r e d t o c r e a t e a v i d e o a n d w r i t e a n a r r a t i v e s u mm a r y “ I t ’ s a r e m a r k a b l e v i d e o , ” R u s s e l l s a i d , a d d i n g t h a t i t s h o w c a s e d s c e n i c l o c a t i o n s , w i l d l i f e , g r o w t h a n d c o m m un i t y e v e n t s a n d m o n t h l y v o l u n t e e r i n g o p p o r t u n i t i e s “ T h e c o u n c i l g o e s a b o v e a n d b e y o n d T h e y a r e t h e f i r s t c o u n c i l i n t h e s t a t e t o c r e a t e a s t r a t e g i c p l a n ” S h e t h a n k e d t h e C a p e C o r a l Y o u t h C o u n c i l f o r i t s s e r v i c e , t h e i r w o r k t h e y h a v e d o n e o n s h i n i n g a s p o t l i g h t o n t h e c i t y “ T h a n k y o u f o r y o u r f a n t a s t i c w o r k a n d c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s f o r b e i n g s e l e c t e d a s a w i n n e r , ” R u s s e l l s a i d T h e o t h e r t w o w i n n e r s w e r e M i r a m a r Y o u t h A d v i s o r y C o u n c i l a n d P i n e l l a s P a r k T e e n W o r k X Y o u t h C o u n c i l

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF CAPE CORAL The Cape Coral Youth Council was one of three winners of the 2023 Municipal Youth Council Video Competition.

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Early voting opens Saturday

Members of the Republican Party in Lee County should be prepared to cast their ballots in the Presidential Preference Primary Election, as the early voting period begins Saturday

From March 9 to 16, each day from 10 a m to 6 p m , registered Republican voters in Lee County can cast their ballot at 12 different sites for who they’d like to see represent their party ahead of the March 19 date

F l o r i d a ’ s P r e s i d e n t i a l P r e f e r e n c e Primary is a closed primary election that allows voters to vote for the candidate they want to see represent their party in the November presidential election

“We provide all voters with three ways to vote,” said Lee County Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle via email “Early Voting, Vote-by-Mail, and Election Day

One of the great benefits of Early Voting is that it helps to alleviate Election Day lines

“It’s also important for voters to keep Early Voting or voting by mail as an option Life circumstances can occur where the voter might not be able to go to the polls on Election Day ”

This year, only voters registered with the Republican Party will be eligible to vote in the March 19 election

The Florida Democratic Party nominated Joseph R Biden, Jr , as its sole candidate, and no other contests are on the ballot

T h e r e f o r e , v o t e r s r e g i s t e r e d w i t h t h e Democratic Party, a minor political party, or no party affiliation will not have a ballot in this election

Doyle said the office has been working hard in readiness for another election cycle

“We’ve been preparing for the upcoming elections for over a year,” Doyle said “Part of this includes running multiple tests on our voting systems to ensure accuracy and that everything is in good working condition

“Currently, we are active with poll worker training and have approximately 2,500 poll workers lined up to work this year’s elections ”

There are even extra precautions being put in place to ensure votes are tallied accurately

“This year, we are implementing anoth-

er layer to our checks and balances with the introduction of the independent post-election auditing system, Clear Audit,” Doyle said “This system is certified by the state of Florida and allows us to scan 100% of the ballots cast in an election to ensure the accuracy of our tabulation system ”

Voters will find new voting equipment at the polls, as the office recently upgraded its tabulators to the latest model from ES&S, to the DS300.

Requests for a vote-by-mail ballot can be made for all elections through 2024 Doyle said he recommends requesting a ballot as an insurance policy

“A voter can still choose to vote in person, even if they have requested a vote-bymail ballot,” he said

Florida law requires voters to provide picture and signature identification when voting in person Picture identification may not be expired

E a r l y V o t i n g s i t e s f o r t h e P P P include:

■ Cape Coral Elections Office: 1039 SE 9th Ave , Cape Coral

■ Cape Coral Lee County Library: 921 SW 39th Terrace, Cape Coral

■ Northwest Regional Library: 519 Chiquita Blvd N , Cape Coral

■ North Fort Myers Recreation Center: 2000 N Recreation Parkway, North Fort Myers

■ Lee County Elections Center: 13180 S. Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers

■ Lakes Regional Library: 15290 Bass Road, Fort Myers

■ Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers: 4224 Renaissance Preserve Way, Fort Myers

■ Fort Myers Regional Library: 1651 Lee St , Fort Myers

■ E s t e r o R e c r e a t i o n C e n t e r : 9 2 0 0 Corkscrew Palms Blvd , Estero

■ East County Regional Library: 881

Gunnery Road N , Lehigh Acres

■ Bonita Springs Elections Office: 25987 S Tamiami Trail #105, Bonita Springs

■ Lehigh Acres Elections Office: 600 Homestead Road S #9, Lehigh Acres

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t www lee vote

Lee Elections Office to offer additional services for municipal elections

Cape Coral City Council approved a resolution Wednesday night with the Lee County Supervisor of Elections to include electronic candidate reporting and qualifying Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle said the contract has not been updated in eight years

What is different, is the option for his office to handle candidate qualifying for municipalities

“This is a new service, an option,” Doyle said “It’s beneficial to the city It gives you a lot of services ”

So far, the Village of Estero and the Town of Fort Myers Beach have signed the contract, with the City of Bonita Springs and Sanibel getting closer

Those services include a candidate hav-

ing the ability to update their financial reports every day online, which then can be pushed over to the city to post on its website as well

Doyle said they use a financial management system, a self-auditing system, that is very modern

The Elections Office also supplies the candidate with a reporting calendar where they will receive text message alerts for when campaign financing reports are due

Although “dry paperwork” is accepted through scanning, or by mail, candidates can also go to the election office, so staff can go over a checklist, provide information and be given a guidebook that has information about signs

“I am not opposed to having a day trip to Cape Coral if need be We can do a personal visit to help the candidates here in the Cape,” he said

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Sun Slash opens for its ’24 season this Saturday

Annual pass specials now available for expanded calendar that runs through Dec. 1

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l y n o o t h e r w a t e r p a r k n e a r b y t h a t p e o p l e a r e a b l e t o e x p e r i e n c e , s o w e w a n t t o b e t h a t g o - t o p l a c e ” S e a s o n P a s s e s a r e n o w o n s a l e f o r $ 5 9 9 9 p l u s t a x f o r a l i m i t e d t i m e T h e 2 0 2 4 S e a s o n P a s s c o m e s w i t h a v a r i e t y o f b e n e f i t s i n c l u d i n g u n l i m i t e d v i s i t s ; e a r l y e n t r y 3 0 m i n u t e s b e f o r e o p e n i n g ; d i s c o u n t s o n f o o d , b e v e r a g e ( e x c l u d i n g a l c o h o l ) , a n d c a b a n a r e n t a l s T h e P i n e a p p l e P a s s , w h i c h o f f e r s a l l t h e g r e a t p a s s p e r k s o f a S e a s o n P a s s , a l l o w s t h e p a s s h o l d e r t o b r i n g a f r i e n d w i t h t h e m f o r e v e r y v i s i t t o t h e p a r k p l u s p r o v i d e s t h e p a s s h o l d e r w i t h a n u n l i m i t e d ( n o n - a l c o h o l i c ) d r i n k w r i s t b a n d o n e v e r y v i s i t M c K e n z i e s a i d t h e s e a s o n p a s s r a t e s a r e t o i n c r e a s e f o l l o w i n g t h i s w e e k e n d O n ed a y a d m i s s i o n t i c k e t s a r e a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e w i t h a $ 5 s a v i n g s d i s c o u n t o f f t h e a t g a t e a d m i s s i o n “ M e , b e i n g a p a r e n t , t h e m o s t c o m m o n p h r a s e I h e a r d t h i s s u m m e r w a s ‘ I ’ m b o r e d W h a t d o w e w a n t t o d o ? ’ ” M c K e n z i e s a i d “ A s e a s o n p a s s a l l o w s p e o p l e t o v i s i t a s m a n y t i m e s a s t h e y ’ d l i k e o v e r t h e c o u r s e o f t h e s e a s o n I t ’ s a q u i c k w a y t o k e e p t h e k i d s b u s y a n d a g r e a t o p t i o n f o r t h e f a m i l y , e v e n i f i t ’ s j u s t f o r a f e w h o u r s T h e y p a y f o r t h e m s e l v e s a f t e r t w o v i s i t s I n a d d i -

t i o n t o t h a t , t h e p a s s c o m e s w i t h d i s c o u n t s , a n d e a r l y e n t r y i n t o t h e p a r k W a t e r a n d s h a d e a r e t h e t w o b i g g e s t c o m m o d i t i e s a t a w a t e r p a r k B y a l l o w i n g o u r s e a s o n p a s s h o l d e r s i n e a r l y , t h e y c a n p i c k o u t t h e i r s p o t f o r t h e d a y A n d w e p e r i o d i c a l l y p u t o n e v e n t s t h a t a r e j u s t e x c l u s i v e t o o u r p a s s h o l d e r s I t r e a l l y i s a g r e a t w a y t o e n j o y t h e p a r k , a n d i s v e r y a f f o r d a b l e ” S u n S p l a s h F a m i l y W a t e r p a r k f e a t u r e s w a t e r s l i d e s , l a z y r i v e r , p o o l , i n t e r a c t i v e p l a y a r e a , a n d m o r e G u e s t s c a n l o o k f o r w a r d t o e n t e r t a i n m e n t , f o o d o p t i o n s , a n d a v i b r a n t a t m o s p h e r e t h a t w i l l m a k e e v e r y v i s i t m e m or a b l e M c K e n z i e s a i d c o n t i n u i n g t o a d d t o a n a l r e a d yp a c k e d s c h e d u l e o f s p e c i a l e v e n t s i s o n e r e a s o n w h y S u n S p l a s h i s a d e s t i n a t i o n s p o t f o r i n d i v i d u a l s a n d f a m i l i e s a l i k e “ T h i s y e a r , w e ’ r e r e a l l y l e a n i n g i n t o o u r s p e c i a l e v e n t s , ” M c K e n z i e s a i d “ W e ’ v e a d d e d m o r e e v e n t s t h a n e v e r b e f o r e T h e t h o u g h t o f o p e r a t i n g a w a t e r p a r k a l l t h e w a y t h r o u g h D e c 1 i s e x c i t i n g t o u s " S p e c i a l e v e n t s t o t a k e p l a c e t h i s s e a s o n i n c l u d e : S p r i n g B r e a k D J D a n c e P a r t i e s ; S t P a t r i c k ' s D a y F o o d & F u n ; E a s t e r W e e k e n d ; C h a m p i o n ’ s D a y S p r i n g C e l e b r a t i o n ; S u n s e t s @ S u n S p l a s h ; V i v a L a F i e s t a C i n c o D e M a y o P a r t y ; M o t h e r ' s D a y C e l e b r a t i o n ; M e m o r i a l D a y W e e k e n d ; P r i n c e & P r i n c e s s D a y ; S u n s e t s @ S u n S p l a s h ; D a d ’ s D a y ; W o r l d ' s L a r g e s t S w i m L e s s o n ; H a l f - W a y t o C h r i s t m a s ; I n d e p e n d e n c e D a y ; J u l y F a m i l y F u n F r i d a y s ; S u n s e t s @ S u n S p l a s h ; C h a m p i o n s D a y S u m m e r O l y m p i c D a y C e l e b r a t i o n ; N a t i o n a l W a t e r P a r k D a y ; A l o h a B a c k t o S c h o o l S u p p l y D r i v e ; S e a s o n P a s s A p p r e c i a t i o n M o n t h ; S p o o k y S p l a s h B a s h ; S h a r e W h a t Y o u C a n F o o d D r i v e ; E n d o f S e a s o n H o l i d a y C e l e b r a t i o n . S u n S p l a s h i s a t 4 0 0 W L a k e K e n n e d y D r i v e 2 5 m i l e s n o r t h o f V e t e r a n s P a r k w a y i n C a p e C o r a l F o r a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t S u n S p l a s h W a t e r p a r k c o m

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‘Book ban’ battle embroils local districts, educators

Honored Lee County teacher resigns; Lee Schools overwhelmed with review requirements; state officials, governor, backpedal, blame local ‘overreaction’ to legislative mandates

Florida legislation that has led to battles statewide over what books are acceptable in the classroom, claimed a Lee County high school teacher who had been recognized multiple times by the School District of Lee County as one of its best teachers

Mike Andoscia, a North Fort Myers High School teacher who had earned commendations as a Golden Apple Teacher of Distinction in the district, resigned from his job in January after he said he refused to cover up more than 600 of the books in the library of his classroom while they were undergoing district review, a new state requirement

At the time of his resignation, Andoscia was also under an administrative investigation for what he believes was the way he addressed another controversial state law governing the use of preferred pronouns for students in the classroom

In January, on the day after Martin Luther King Day, Andoscia arrived at his classroom in the morning to find that all of the books in his classroom had been removed They had been taken to the filing room and he was told by the school’s principal to take them home

“At first it was confusion I don’t think outrage is specific enough,” Andoscia said about his feelings when he saw his books were gone from the classroom “I was just outraged ” He took a video of the room and posted it on YouTube

He met with North Fort Myers High School Principal Debbie Diggs who asked him why he didn’t keep his books covered, Andoscia said

“I said ‘this is absurd, and it’s fascism,’” Andoscia said Two days later, he submitted his letter of resignation effective Jan 19

According to Andoscia, the book ban saga began after the end of the previous school year when he began to catalog all of the books in his classroom to comply with the state’s Curriculum Transparency Act The law requires all books in the classroom to be made publicly available and allows for a complaint process to review the books Last year, the state passed an additional law governing books in the classroom, known as House Bill 1069, which requires the removal of books after they are challenged until a complaint is resolved.

Since that time, Andoscia said fewer than 50 of the books in his classroom were reviewed and a handful were challenged including William Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying ” The Faulkner novel, based on the trials and tribulations of a family in rural Mississippi, has frequently been named one of the greatest American novels of the 20th Century Faulkner is widely considered as one of the preeminent authors of the Deep South

Andoscia said he appealed the challenges, with one of the challenges being overruled but listed as pending in the system While he was awaiting the review, he was told to cover up his books Other teachers took their books and put them in closets or took them home

Andoscia initially covered them with project paper after being told by the school principal to have them covered before open house He wrote over the project paper the words “These books have not yet been vetted by the state and may contain dangerous knowledge.”

After open house, Andoscia, took off

the project paper as he said he didn’t want to send a message to students that it was acceptable for the books to be covered “That’s not what I wanted my kids to learn That the state is going to watch what we read or the state should have anything to do with what we read That’s not a free society,” he said

School District of Lee County spokesperson Rob Spicker said that Superintendent Dr Chris Bernier and the district declined to comment on Andoscia’s allegations

“Since the teacher is no longer an employee of the School District it is inappropriate for us to comment,” Spicker said

As part of the new state law, the district is required to employ media specialists to review all of the district’s books

The district employs approximately 6,000 teachers creating quite the burden for reviewing books: It only has 16 media specialists to perform the reviews and other tasks required by the state

Most of Andoscia’s books had not been reviewed

When a book is challenged, the School District of Lee County uses an ad-hoc committee of district administrators and staff to review the challenge The committee includes a director of curriculum, English Language Arts Coordinator, media specialist, curriculum advisory representative, equity and diversity representative and district advisory representative

The district keeps a list of books that have been challenged on its website at https://www leeschools net/calendars/publ i c m e e t i n g s / c h a l l e n g e t o i n s t r u c t i o nal media committee.

According to the district’s database for challenged books, five books by the author Ellen Hopkins were removed due to their graphic material A sixth book, a novel by E Lockhart titled “Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything,” was removed after objections sent in an email from a name that was redacted citing a review by the Florida Citizens Alliance

Other books reviewed by the committee were allowed to continue being used in classrooms. The anti-war novel “Slaughterhouse Five” was challenged but ruled to be allowable in classrooms but restricted to grades 9-12

Andoscia taught history, honors economics, sociology and philosophy classes

A North Fort Myers High teacher for the last eight years, he previously taught at Lehigh Acres where he first grew his classroom library after being encouraged by former principal Dr Jeffrey Spiro

“He had a focus on reading-rich classrooms as diverse as possible to appeal to student interests,” Andoscia said.

When the Lehigh Acres high school library began being converted to a media center like other libraries throughout the state and the number of books were thinned out, Andoscia grabbed as many as he could for his classroom library Throughout the years, he has taken pride in the diverse set of books in his library They range from world history books to guides on reptiles and amphibians to field guides on fishing “I had these books in my class for a long time,” he said.

“If you go to any school now and ask for a school library, you get pointed to a

Thousands of books awaiting review; more certified media specialists needed to expedite task

To comply with state legislation, the School District of Lee County board has uploaded more than 100,000 books with thousands still pending review

“I think it is important; numbers speak a lot,” said Superintendent Dr Christopher Bernier regarding the ongoing conversation regarding classroom libraries

When all classroom libraries had to be loaded into Beanstack for review, a total of 102,638 books were loaded

“By 9/2, with only 16 media professionals available to do the work, they had reviewed 83,000 By 10/3 reviewed 16,175,” he said “However, our teachers are still buying books ”

media center,” Andoscia said Instead of rows of books, the media centers are now occupied by computers and often used for tests, Andoscia said

Andoscia said he used to have 20 to 30 students a year checking out books from his library In recent years that number dropped to about 10 In the last year, following the controversy over the state’s new laws to regulate books in the classroom, Andoscia said only one book was checked out: “Animal Farm” by George Orwell

“I can’t help but think this is watering down to (students),” Andoscia said. “The kids may have been intimidated.”

Before teaching at Lee County, Andoscia had a background in working with students deemed at risk At North Fort Myers, he was the sponsor of the school’s Gay Straight Alliance Club

Around the same time that Andoscia wasn’t following directives to cover up his books that were being reviewed, Andoscia ran into a problem with another controversial state law involving Florida schools

In one of his classes, Andoscia told students that while he couldn’t address any of them by their preferred pronouns any more due to a new state law, he would be willing to discuss alternatives That talk apparently led to an investigation by the school district that Andoscia said he found out about after former students told him they were being pulled out of class to answer questions about what he had said around the same time that books were removed from his classroom

Andoscia said he wouldn’t find out formally about the investigation until after he submitted a letter of resignation. His principal, Diggs, asked him to reconsider, he said As part of the district’s investigation into his conduct, the matter will be referred to the state and Andoscia could potentially lose his teaching license in the state for five years

House Bill 1069 prevents schools from compelling teachers to address students by their pronouns and also limits how teachers can use pronouns in the classroom in murky language The law is the subject of a lawsuit brought by three Florida teachers and the Florida Poverty Law Center The teachers include an unidentified Lee County public school teacher

The law also extends the state’s prohibition on classroom instruction regarding sexual orientation and gender identity through the eighth grade Previously, such

Bernier said the total number of books needing to be reviewed rose to 117,790 for an additional 15,152 books that teachers purchased between Sept 2 and Oct 3

“By 2/29 we had reviewed 56,608 books, but another additional 10,000 books have been added to the review We are consistently making these reviews These teachers understand media specialists work at night, outside of their regular day and weekends, to complete this task,” he said.

Bernier said the same book titles are beginning to circulate again, which is making the reviews go a little faster, as a review has already been made on the particular book

“We need more certified media specialists to help us work on solving the volume issue,” he said

discussion was limited through the third grade

The law states that an employee of a public school “may not provide to a student his or her preferred personal title or pronouns if such preferred personal title or pronouns do not correspond to his or her sex ”

Previous to the new law, Andoscia said students who preferred to be called by a pronoun informed the district with permission from their parents and each teacher was made aware Andoscia said teachers were made aware of the pronoun preferences again this school year, but weren’t allowed to use them even with a permission slip from parents

Shortly before his resignation, Andoscia said his classroom was observed though he was never confronted over allegations of how he spoke to students regarding the law governing the use of pronouns in the classroom

At a press conference last month at a time when the so-called “book ban” laws were getting national attention, Gov Ron DeSantis sought to temper the flames surrounding the law at a time when published reports have documented the removal of hundreds of books from some classrooms

During the conference in Orlando, DeSantis and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said they weren’t “banning” books but they only wanted to ensure that inappropriate books weren’t making their way into the classrooms of schools

DeSantis professed that the law wasn’t meant to be a book ban and that it wasn’t intended to restrict the classics from schools DeSantis questioned whether some districts were overreacting to the law and wondered aloud whether those without students in the school should have an equal input on which books were allowed as parents of students in the school

“We have to empower parents, at the same time, to just have random people who don’t even have kids in the school system and just start objecting thing to just gum up the works, that is not something we should be incentivizing,” DeSantis said

“He knows what he is doing,” Andoscia said “There is a lot of fear and anxiety over this ”

A message seeking comment from DeSantis was not returned

“It’s scary to me, the idea that this was normalized,” Andoscia said “It’s terrifying to me ”

C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 ■ P a g e 1 4
Mike Andoscia

March in the Park: Annual plant sale to feature 50-plus vendors, experts, activities for kids

From page 1

t o h e l p t h e s e k i d s i n o u r c o m m u n i t y , ” s a i d e v e n t c oc h a i r C a t h y D u n n “ I t ’ s o n e o f o u r p r i m a r y g o a l s a s a g a r d e n c l u b ” T h i s y e a r ’ s e d i t i o n o f M a r c h i n t h e P a r k w i l l f e a t u r e m o r e t h a n 5 0 v e n d o r s , w i t h m o r e t h a n 1 , 5 0 0 s e l e c t i o n s f r o m w h i c h t o c h o o s e T h i s s a l e w i l l b e h e l d f r o m 9 a m t o 3 p m a t J a y c e e P a r k a n d i s t o f e a t u r e p l a n t s o f a l l k i n d s , t r e e s , s h r u b s , g r o u n d c o v e r , n a t i v e p l a n t s , a n d m i n i a t u r e s , t o n a m e a f e w G a r d e n a r t w i l l i n c l u d e g l a s s r e f l e c t i o n s , s t e p p i n g s t o n e s , m e t a l w o r k s , f i s h f a c e s , a n d v a r i o u s p l a n t e r s “ T h r i f t y t r e a s u r e s ” w i l l a l s o b e a v a i l a b l e f r o m g a r d e n c l u b m e m b e r s T h e i n c r e d i b l e n e t w o r k i n g a b i l i t y o f t h e g a r d e n c l u b a l l o w s f o r s o m a n y d i f f e r e n t s e l e c t i o n s t o b e a v a i l a b l e a t M a r c h i n t h e P a r k “ W e ’ r e g o i n g t o h a v e a l m o s t 1 , 5 0 0 p l a n t s t h a t t h e G a r d e n C l u b m e m b e r s r a i s e a n d n u r t u r e f o r s e v e r a l m o n t h s b e f o r e t h e s a l e , a n d w e s e l l t h e m a t i n c r e d i b l e p r i c e s , ” D u n n s a i d “ Y o u ’ v e a l s o g o t t h e g r o w e r s t h e r e Y o u c a n t a l k t o t h e m a b o u t t h e c o n d i t i o n s t h a t t h e p l a n t s n e e d a n d h o w t o c a r e f o r t h e m “ W e h a v e o t h e r w o n d e r f u l g a r d e n v e n d o r s t h a t o f f e r b i g g e r p l a n t s a n d t h i n g s , s u c h a s p a l m s ” M a s t e r G a r d e n e r s w i l l b e o n s i t e t o h a v e t h e i r b r a i n s p i c k e d , a n d m a n y o f t h e v e n d o r s a r e e x t r e m e l y k n o w le d g e a b l e a b o u t t h e p l a n t s t h e y s e l l a n d o f t e n a r e g r o we r s t h e m s e l v e s A f r e e k i d s ’ b o o t h , w i t h a f a c e p a i n t e r , w i l l h a v e a c t i v i t i e s a n d t a k e - h o m e p r o j e c t s f o r a l l a g e s F o o d t r u c k s , l i v e e n t e r t a i n m e n t a n d o p p o r t u n i t y d r a wi n g s w i l l b e a v a i l a b l e t h r o u g h o u t t h e d a y O p p o r t u n i t y T i c k e t s a r e s o l d b y a l l m e m b e r s b e g i nn i n g i n J a n u a r y a n d d u r i n g M a r c h i n t h e P a r k F i r s t p r i z e i s a r a i n b a r r e l , d e c o r a t i v e l y p a i n t e d b y a c l u b m e m b e r , a n d s e c o n d p r i z e i s a g a r d e n c a r t l o a d e d w i t h p o t t i n g s o i l , g a r d e n t o o l s a n d s u p p l i e s g e n e r o u s l y d o n a t e d b y a s p o n s o r , H o m e D e p o t T h e s e p r i z e s a r e a w a r d e d n e a r t h e e n d o f t h e e v e n t A d m i s s i o n a n d p a r ki n g a r e f r e e “ T h e L e e C o u n t y M a s t e r G a r d e n e r s a r e a b l e t o t a l k

t o p e o p l e t h a t a t t e n d a n d a d v i s e t h e m a b o u t p l a n t s w h a t t o d o w i t h t h e m , h o w t o g r o w t h e m , w a t e r , a n d f e e d t h e m I t ’ s g o t a l i t t l e b i t o f e v e r y t h i n g W e ’ v e a l s o g o t g a r d e n a r t T h e r e w i l l b e a w i d e v a r i e t y o f g a r d e nr e l a t e d v e n d o r s ” T h e G a r d e n C l u b o f C a p e C o r a l i s a n o n - p r o f i t o r g a n i z a t i o n a n d a l l p r o c e e d s g o t o c l u b o b j e c t i v e s w h i c h i n c l u d e : t h e M a r t y W a r d M e r i t A w a r d s i n h o r t ic u l t u r e f o r l o c a l h i g h s c h o o l s e n i o r s ( f o u r a w a r d e d e a c h y e a r ) , c i v i c b e a u t i f i c a t i o n , H a b i t a t f o r H u m a n i t y P r o j e c t s , l o c a l m i d d l e a n d h i g h s c h o o l g a r d e n p r o j e c t s , a n d t o p r o m o t e c i v i c a w a r e n e s s o f e n v i r o n m e n t a l a n d c o n s e r v a t i o n c o n c e r n s T h e G a r d e n C l u b a l s o m a i n t a i n s t h e C a p e C o r a l B u t t e r f l y G a r d e n , R o s e G a r d e n a t t h e M u s e u m o f H i s t o r y , a n d B l u e S t a r M e m o r i a l a t E c o P a r k “ I t h e l p s t o e x t e n d o u t l e g a c y , f o r t h e G a r d e n C l u b t o h e l p s t u d e n t s t h a t p u r s u e b i o l o g y o r a n e c o l o g i c a l m a j o r , ” D u n n s a i d “ I t r e a l l y h e l p s t o e x t e n d o u r r e a c h i n t o t h e c o m m u n i t y . ” T h e G a r d e n C l u b o f C a p e C o r a l w a s e s t a b l i s h e d i n 1 9 9 7 a n d c u r r e n t l y h a s i n e x c e s s o f 9 0 m e m b e r s t h a t m e e t t h e s e c o n d W e d n e s d a y o f t h e m o n t h , S e p t e m b e r t h r o u g h M a y , a t t h e K i w a n i s C l u b o f C a p C o r a l “ F e l l o w s h i p a n d m e n t o r s h i p o f o t h e r g a r d e n e r s i s o n e o f t h e p r i m e b e n e f i t s o f o u r c l u b , ” D u n n s a i d “ Y o u c a n l e a r n a l o t a b o u t g a r d e n i n g , e s p e c i a l l y w h e n a l o t o f r e s i d e n t s t h a t m o v e h e r e c o m e f r o m n o r t h e r n s t a t e s , s o t h e y d o n ’ t r e a l l y u n d e r s t a n d t h e d i f f e r e n c e s I t ’ s v e r y h e l p f u l t o t a l k t o t h o s e t h a t h a v e m a d e t h a t t r a n s i t i o n a n d c a n g i v e y o u p o i n t e r s , r a t h e r t h a n l e a r n i n g t h r o u g h e x p e r i e n c e , w h i c h c a n b e e x p e n s i v e a n d f r u s t r a t i n g ” D u n n a l s o w a n t e d t o g i v e t h a n k s t o t h e K e y C l u b a t C a p e C o r a l H i g h S c h o o l t h a t p r o v i d e s v o l u n t e e r s t o h e l p r u n t h e e v e n t , a n d t h e B o y S c o u t s t h a t o f f e r h o t d o g s a n d b u r g e r s J a y c e e P a r k i s a t 4 1 2 5 S o u t h e a s t 2 0 t h P l a c e F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t g a r d e n c l u b o f c a p e c o r a l c o m

If You Go:

What:

Garden Club of Cape Coral “March in the Park”

When:

Saturday, March 9, from 9 a m to 3 p m

Where:

Jaycee Park, 4125 Southeast 20th Place

More information: For more information, visit gardenclubofcapecoral com

P a g e 1 5 ■ M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e

C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 ■ P a g e 1 6

A note or email will not supersede a living trust

Dear Mr. Feichthaler:

I own my home in a living trust I am a single man in a serious relationship for some time The trust says my two kids will receive the property in equal shares, but I want my girlfriend to have it if I die I was planning on writing an email to her saying my intentions, that she will get the house if I die Is this sufficient?

I have many clients that want to provide for a significant other Owning your home in a trust provides you the opportunity to dictate exactly what you want to occur For instance, many of my clients provide for a life estate to their partn e r , w h i l e p r o v i d i n g for the property to pass to children when the partner dies This way, both the partner and the kids benefit

Eric P. Feichthaler

Estate Law

You note your trust p r o v i d e s t h a t y o u r c h i l d r e n w i l l r e c e i v e the property A properly signed and witnessed amendment to the trust is required to change this. So, if your wishes are for the property to pass to your partner outright, an amendment is required A note or email to her will not be sufficient to undo or supersede the trust

You will want to consider the home as well as other assets before seeking to amend the trust That way, just one amendment will be needed to satisfy all of your goals.

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 University in Washington, D C , he returned to Cape Coral 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, and Cape Coral Kiwanis He has been married to his wife, Mary, for 22 years, and they have four children He earned his board certification in Real Estate Law from the Florida Bar, and primarily practices in real estate law and wills and trusts He is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell for professional ethics and legal ability, and is a Supreme Court Certified C i r c u i t C i v i l M e d i a t o r . H e c a n b e r e a c h e d 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

T HE

MARCH 8, 2024

February home sales are solid as ‘price fixes everything’

So, you want to sell your home in Cape Coral? The unpleasant bit of news is that the real estate game has not only changed, but it has changed dramatically over the past two years And the sooner a seller catches on to this fact, bites the bullet and realizes they will probably need to get a lot more aggressive with their pricing than they had originally planned, the more likely they will be to find a buyer for their home

Don’t misinterpret what we just said, because homes are still being sold In fact, sales in February were solid, it is just that the game has changed and sellers will probably need to adjust the way they play their hand

Bob and Geri Quinn Homing In

For some perspective, let’s look at the numbers and consider the odds of selling a home Two years ago, there were approximately 433 active listings in the MLS and in February 2022 there were 577 closed home sales, followed by 686 closed home sales in March 2022 At that time we noted that we seemed to be operating with a “just in time” inventory of homes, in that most homes were sold in a matter of days, if not hours, after coming onto the market, and often at a price that was well above the list price Buyers did not care if a home needed repairs or updating and remodeling, as they were willing to go all in and pay almost any price for a home

Back then we would almost always set the list price above the highest estimated value we could find on a home and tell our buyer or seller that it would end up selling for more than that Sellers could sit back and let the game come to them, while buyers had to quickly realize they needed to play their hand much more aggressively than they had initially planned if they wanted to buy a home The market odds were stacked heavily in the seller's favor and most buyers came away empty handed and disappointed

Today, the odds have completely reversed from being in the seller's favor to the buyer's favor Here is what we

Sponsors have been announced for Market Trends 2024, Southwest Florida’s largest real estate summit, which will be held from 4-7:30 p m , Tuesday, March 12, at Caloosa Sound Convention Center in Fort Myers

Presented by title sponsor LSI Companies, the real estate summit explores the latest market trends data, research and fact-based analysis and how they will impact the big picture for homeowners, homebuyers, real estate professionals and the region in 2024 The event is supported by the Lee Building Industry Association, Collier Building Industry Association and Charlotte Desoto Building Industry Association

Additional sponsors include Premier: Business Observer, NBC2 and Florida Weekly; Platinum: D R Horton, Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P A and Panther Printing; Gold: Barraco & Associates, Christopher Alan Homes, Earth Tech Enterprises, Edison National Bank/Bank of the Islands, Florida Gulf Coast University Lutgert College of Business, Pavese Law Firm, Priority Marketing, Stevens Construction and Taylor Morrison; Silver: Atwell, Bola ñ os Truxton, P A , Cameratta Companies, CoStar, Kimley-Horn, Lennar, Raymond Building Supply, Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association, RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture, Park Square Homes, Sage Communities, Sanibel Captiva Community

mean As of March 5, there were 374 closed home sales in Cape Coral during the month of February This is a preliminary number and it will end up higher than this when the updated tallies are recorded in the next several weeks This means that this February will have the third highest number of closed home sales in the history of Cape Coral for the single month of February The top two all-time record highs for the number of closed home sales in the month of February were set in February 2021 and 2022, with 474 and 577 sales, respectively One might think that home sellers would be celebrating this fact, until you consider that there were around 2,800 homes listed for sale in Cape C o r a l d u r i n g F e b r u a r y , s o r o u g h l y 2,400 sellers, or about 86% of the people hoping to sell their homes, came away empty handed and disappointed

Here is the reality of the situation based on what we are personally seeing in the current market and based on anecdotal conversations we have with other Realtors Many homes that have appeared to have been priced properly to the market over the past year have struggled to even attract any showing appointments, let alone any offers While everyone has been seeing increased buyer activity over the past few months, unlike several years ago, home values have been declining and most sellers are faced with getting less for their homes than they expected. It seems that the successful sellers have been willing to be more aggressive with pricing their homes a bit lower than other sellers As one Realtor friend of ours so aptly put it last week when we were discussing the current market, “Price fixes everything ”

See ‘PRICE FIXES EVERYTHING,’ page 17

Bank, WMG Development and Wright Construction Group

The area’s leading voices in real estate will present facts and extensive market knowledge to lead a state-of-theindustry discussion Speakers include land, new home sales and development expert Justin Thibaut, CCIM, president and CEO of LSI Companies; residential real estate expert Denny Grimes, president of Denny Grimes & Team at Keller Williams Realty; and commercial real estate expert Matt Simmons, managing partner of Maxwell, Hendry & Simmons

The theme of the spring Market Trends event is “Ignorance is Bliss Until it Isn’t ” As market noise and recession speculations intensify, is covering your ears and plowing forward the better path? In the capital markets, debt funding is scarce and costly, with the impacts of elevated interest rates continuing to plague deals and the residential resale market The space markets have been resilient, but for how long? The region may not be able to return to the bliss of ignorance

Tickets for Market Trends 2024 are $55 for general admission and include a comprehensive data book Reserved and VIP tables ranging from $600 to $1,300 are also available for groups of eight to 10 people

To register and learn more, visit MarketTrendsSWFL com

To that point, the number one daily market statistic in the MLS continues to be the number of price reductions being made by sellers In fact, the highest-priced listing in BREE ZE
REAL ESTATE
Sponsors announced for Market Trends 2024 on March 12

REAL ESTATE BRIEFS

Better Homes and Gardens

Real Estate Pristine

recognizes top sales associates

The highest achieving real estate professionals for 2023 were recognized at a luncheon held by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Pristine at the Renaissance Country Club in Fort Myers Sponsoring the event was Premium Mortgage Corporation The luncheon featured guest speaker Yvonne Sandoval of Get Leverage 365

Award recipients from offices in Cape Coral, Pine Island and Naples were recognized, including Brandon Reitz for the highest number of sales and Beverly Zinn for the highest dollar volume The Rising Star award went to Carlos Garcia and Marcia Dorolek was honored with the Champion Award for Mentoring, Teaching and Motivating

The company celebrated Sandra Mavrianos for her 20 years of commitment

The company, owned by Greg and Kathy Zorn, is part of the Anywhere Inc brand offering global exposure and elite referral network with over 350 offices throughout the country and abroad

Stevens Construction completes

Raymond James & Associates

interior build-out in For t Myers

S t e v e n s C o n s t r u c t i o n h a s c o m p l e t e d

Raymond James & Associates, located at 14541 Hope Center Loop, Suite 100, in Fort Myers, announced Dan Adams, executive vice president/partner, Stevens Construction, Inc

Stevens Construction completed a 9,988square-foot interior build-out for the global financial services firm offering both collaborative and private offices, multiple conference rooms, a reception and client area with a coffee bar, restrooms, wellness room and storage Completed on schedule in under five months, Raymond James is situated on the first floor of

Stevens Construction’s headquarters and was completed while Stevens Construction remained operational on the second floor

With offices in Fort Myers and Orlando, Stevens Construction specializes in providing construction management, general contracting and consulting services to clients and design professionals Other services include site and design team selection, budgeting, project scheduling, permitting, cost and quality control and warranty service The company builds healthcare, commercial and hospitality facilities

For additional information about the company, please visit www stevensbuilds com or call 239-936-9006

MK Architecture reveals architectural designs for For t Myers Beach Ar t Association

MK Architecture has completed the design for a gallery and studio building of 3,500 square feet for the Fort Myers Beach Art Association Inc The building is designed as a modern tribute to the 1960’s building that was destroyed by Hurricane Ian

Designed for climate and sustainability in a tropical environment, the building features northfacing glass for the gallery spaces, and all concrete construction.

The FBMAA is an all-volunteer, memberoperated, not-for-profit organization promoting the study, practice and appreciation of the arts The project is anticipated to start construction late 2024

MK Architecture specializes in commercial, hospitality and multi-family architecture with offices in Fort Myers, Naples and Lexington, Kentucky

MK Architecture's local office is at 8200 College Parkway, #101, Fort Myers For additional information, call 239-482-2121 or visit mk-arch.com.

Greenwell to discuss county priorities and challenges at REIS meeting Tuesday

L e e C o u n t y ' s g o a l s a n d c h a ll e n g e s i n 2 0 2 4 w i l l b e a d d r e s s e d b y M i k e G r e e n w e l l , c h a i r o f t h e L e e C o u n t y B o a r d o f C o u n t y C o m m i s s i o n e r s , a t t h e 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 M a r c h 1 2 t h l u n c he o n m e e t i n g G r e e n w e l l ’ s p r e s e n t a t i o n w i l l f o c u s o n t h e c o u nt y ’ s b u d g e t , m a n a gi n g g r o w t h a n d i n f r a s t r u c t u r e , a n d h u r r i c a n e r e c o v e r y . T h e c o m m i s s i o n e r i s a l s o e x p e c t e d t o d i s c u s s l e g i s l a t i v e p r i o r i t i e s a n d o p t i o n s f o r r e s t r u c t u r i n g c o u n t y g o v e r n m e n t F o l l o w i n g t h e p r e se n t a t i o n , G r e e n w e l l w i l l r e s p o n d t o q u e s t i o n s o f s p e c i f i c i n t e r e s t t o t h e r e a l e s t a t e i n v e s t m e n t a n d d e v e l o p m e n t i n d u s t r y G r e e n w e l l w a s a p p o i n t e d t o t h e B o a r d o f C o u n t y C o m m i s s i o n e r s i n 2 0 2 2 a n d r e pr e s e n t s D i s t r i c t 5 , w h i c h i n c l u d e s

O l g a , A l v a , B u c k i n g h a m , e a s t L e e C o u n t y a n d L e h i g h A c r e s H e a l s o s e r v e s o n t h e B o a r d o f P o r t C o m m i s s i o n e r s , w h i c h g o v e r n s t h e L e e C o u n t y P o r t A u t h o r i t y , a n d o n t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n P l a n n i n g O r g a n i z a t i o n a n d S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a R e g i o n a l P l a n n i n g C o u n c i l T h e m e e t i n g i s s p o n s o r e d b y L S I C o m p a n i e s , a n d w i l l b e g i n p r o m p t l y a t 1 1 : 4 5 a m o n T u e s d a y i n t h e O s p r e y R o o m a t P e l i c a n P r e s e r v e ’ s C l u b h o u s e , o n T r e e l i n e A v e n u e a t C o l o n i a l B o u l e v a r d , o n e m i l e e a s t o f I - 7 5 e x i t 1 3 6 i n F o r t M y e r s A d m i s s i o n i s $ 3 0 f o r m e m b e r s a n d $ 4 5 f o r g u e s t s , w h i c h i n c l u d e s l u n c h F o r f u r t h e r p r o g r a m i n f o r m at i o n c o n t a c t J o s h P h i l p o t t a t 2 3 99 3 9 - 1 0 2 0

‘Price fixes everything:’ February home sales in Cape are solid

From page 16

Cape Coral just reduced its price from $11 9 million to $10 9 million this past Monday This $1 million price reduction, representing a decrease of 8 4%, was made after this newly built riverfront home had been sitting on the market unsold for 145 days

We are also seeing situations where home builders are decreasing the prices on their new construction spec homes and offering various buyer incentives One builder is advertising its “quick move in r e a d y h o m e s ” w i t h t h e t a g l i n e o f “ T e m p e r a t u r e s a r e u p , b u t p r i c e s a r e down,” as they reduce their prices and offer $15,000 towards a buyers closing costs, plus an additional $3,000 in “flex cash,” to go with a 4% commission to Realtors This type of promotion does not occur in a strong market and it is providing stiff competition for “regular” home sellers

As of Tuesday, March 5, there were 2,775 active listings in the MLS for single-family homes in Cape Coral at list prices ranging from $249,900 to $10 9 million, with the median list price coming in at $500,000 This includes 842 active listings for new construction homes The total number of active listings was down from 2,797 homes on the market two weeks ago on Feb 20, when the median list price was $499,999 This decline in active listings was due to an increase in pending home sales, which went up by 55 homes over the same time frame So far this year the current number of active listings in the Cape have increased by 13 6% from the 2,442 homes on the market on

Jan 1 Over the past 12 months, going back to March 7, 2023, the number of active listings increased by 101 1% when there were 1,380 homes listed for sale through a Realtor at a median list price of $534,950

Currently there are a total of 1,104 C a p e C o r a l h o m e s l i s t e d f o r s a l e a t $450,000 and under, including 43 homes with list prices below $300,000. At the other end of the price spectrum, there were 364 homes listed at $1 million and above One year ago on March 7, 2023, there were 491 homes listed at $450,000 and under, including 23 homes priced below $300,000 and there were 185 listings in the Cape priced at $1 million and above The median number of days for a home to go under contract with a buyer from the initial listing, or following the most recent price reduction, was 57 days in February This means that half of the pending home sales happened in less than 57 days after coming onto the market as a new listing, or following their most recent price reduction, and half took more than 57 days to go under contract with a buyer. This time frame is up by 72 7% from 33 days in February 2023, and it is up by 850% from only 6 days “to find a buyer” in February 2022

As of March 5, there were 819 pending home sales in the pipeline, with the median pending sales price in the Cape coming in at $415,000 Note the difference from the median list price of $500,000 This indicates continued downward pressure on home prices On a positive note, the number of pending sales is up 92% from the 427 pending sales on Jan 1 of this year,

but down 5 4% from 866 pending sales back on March 7, 2023. Currently, there are 487 pending sales at $450,000 and u n d e r , i n c l u d i n g 3 6 p r i c e d b e l o w $300,000 with 58 homes under contract at $1 million and above A total of 40% of the current pending sales in Cape Coral, or 3

homes

The sales data for this article was o

s Multiple Listing Service Matrix for Lee County, Fla , as of March 5, 2024, unless otherwise noted It was compiled by Bob and Geri Quinn and it includes informa-

tion specifically for Cape Coral singlefamily homes, and does not include condominiums, short sales or foreclosures The data and statistics are believed to be reliable, however, they could be updated and revised periodically, and are subject to change without notice The Quinns are a husband and wife real estate team with the R E / M A X R e a l t y T e a m o f f i c e i n C a p e Coral. They have lived in Cape Coral for over 44 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

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M i k e G r e e n w e l l

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

First Southwest Florida Ag Expo closes this weekend

The Southwest Florida Ag Expo opened Thursday, Feb 29, with a dignitary-studded ribbon-cutting and has continued to draw daily crowds looking for rides, midway attractions and more to the Lee County Civic Center

With a new name and focus, the now county-run celebration continues through this Sunday, March 10

If early reaction is an indication, this year's re-brand from fair to expo hasn’t hindered enthusiasm

Phyllis Allsworth and Judy Hirschfield, both from Michigan, were two of the first to enter the fairgrounds and experience the festivities on opening night

“It’s family-oriented There are many things to do with your family, and it’s military day,” said Allsworth, a veteran “There are tons of cool stuff to try, and everyone should give the fair a shot ”

The two were most looking forward to enjoying some fresh-cut fries and the attractions as they walked the grounds off Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers

“It’s a great price for the events and the environment involved here,” Hirschfield said “It’s a great time for friends and family, and we hope the city includes more events like this in the future ”

Lee County dedicated the efforts of an estimated 300 employees to its first-year organizational effort, also adding 208 parking spots to deal with expected crowds.

Gate admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 4-11 Admission is free for children 3 and under and for retired and active military with ID Parking is free

County officials said the Southwest Florida Ag Expo came together as a team effort

“It takes a team; we’ve had hundreds of county employees come together They come from different departments, including Parks and Rec,” said Miriam Dotson, Southwest Florida Ag Expo spokesperson, who also serves as communications manager for the Lee County Visitors & Convention Bureau “We’ve had different parts of the county that have shown their expertise and more experience in putting on large-scale events and being successful ”

“It was a group effort thinking about everything, from making sure that connectivity was good to organizing the vendors,” Dotson said “There’s more than 300 different animal exhibits and nearly 900 different creative living exhibitors; it’s been a lot to coordinate ”

The expo includes creative living competitions which showcase crafts, culinary and horticulture exhibits The contests don’t have any age restrictions and are open to residents of Charlotte, Collier, Desoto,

Glades, Hendry and Lee counties

While the expo shines a new spotlight on area youth involved in agricultural programs such as 4-H, the expo includes various rides, live performances, midway games and places to grab some of your favorite festival foods

Staff spent weeks preparing the event and had high hopes it would bring the Southwest Florida community together And they have high hopes for bigger events in the future

“The response ahead of time, just the community and responding on social media and asking those questions is exciting it is very encouraging,” Dotson said “I can’t say exactly when or if we will have bigger events like this, but we’re hoping it’s a big goal to bring the community together and keep this going ”

“When we talk about big events like this, it brings in traffic and things like that, but it also has more of a positive benefit Of course, it’s always the gathering, but being able to get out and learn more about your community,” Dotson said “Events like this are always great We want to make sure that you’re logistically planning it properly and thinking about all parties involved and whether you are a visitor coming for the one-time event or if you live here or not So it’s always great to be able to have these things, but you always want to be careful and making sure everybody is on board ”

Remaining Promotional nights include:

10, gates open at 11

Remaining Livestock Show events include Friday, March 8

Saturday,

Sunday,

VITAL SIGNS program designed to educate parents

The first showing of Victoria’s Voice in the country will take place at Grace Church next week as part of the VITAL SIGNS Program

“I was watching the ‘Queen of Versailles’ television program and learned about the Victoria’s Voice Foundation,” said Deborah Comella, executive director for the Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida “I contacted them and expressed an interest in the VITAL SIGNS Program, as so many parents in Lee County have talked to me about concerns about not recognizing the signs of substance abuse in their children We received permission to show it here, not realizing it would be for the first-time ever ”

Adam Miller, with Rubenstein Communications, said Victoria’s Voice created the VITAL SIGNS Parent Forum program to support and enable drug-free coalitions and like-minded organizations to engage their local communities in VITAL SIGNS

“Our goal is to empower communities with prevention education made more relevant and valuable through the participation of local leadership and families who can inform these discussions, share their experiences and generate ongoing community-level support and learning,” he said

Miller said Victoria’s Voice Foundation was established in 2019 by Jackie and David Siegel after losing their 18-year-old daughter to an accidental drug overdose

The foundation is based in Orlando and is dedicated to providing evidence-based drug education and addic-

See VITAL SIGNS, page 42

Mariner’s Brady and French earn Class 2A state wrestling titles

Mariner's star wrestling duo of Camren French and Maximus Brady won state titles Saturday at the FHSAA Championships in Kissimmee

Brady (47-2) defeated Bradenton Manatee's Luke Arthur by major decision in the 132-pound final French, with a sparkling 54-1 record at 126 pounds, also won by major decision against Rylan Herrera of Clay

It was Brady's third Class 2A championship in a row, and the first for French

Cape Coral's Judd Cole (49-5) finished third at 157 pounds Fellow Seahawk Tyler Charette (39-9) was eighth at 175

For North Fort Myers, D'angelo Gil (37-6) was fifth at 120 pounds and Seth Tshiams (41-8) fifth at 285

Julian Gonzales (43-6) was sixth at 165 pounds, and Frank Cornelison (29-3) seventh at 215

Mariner was eighth in the team standings, with North Fort Myers 13th and Cape Coral 21st out of 67 schools

Tampa Jesuit topped the 2A standings with 193 points

Team scores were based on those wrestlers from each school who qualified for state Some schools had one competitor

State titles for French and Brady were the keys to the Tritons' score Mariner had three wrestlers at the meet

North Fort Myers sent four and Cape Coral three

In Class 1A, Bennett Sweitzer (52-4) of Bishop Verot finished fourth at 175 pounds

The Vikings were 27th and Oasis 46th out of 69 teams in Class 1A Mater Lakes Academy topped the team scores with 152 points

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a m , regular admission
$40 ride
Latin Day, Sunday, March
and
wristband
5 p m Steer Grooming Show 6 p m PeeWees of SWFL & 4-H Cloverbud Awards 6:30 p m Horse Speed Show
p.m. Small Animal Auction
7
9 Noon Fur Fun Costume Contest 2 p m Fur Fun Show - Agility 2 p m Market Animal Auction (Steer & Swine) 6 p m Horse Fun Show
March
March 10 11 a m Horse Awards
event is at The Lee County Civic Center Complex at 11831 Bayshore Road, North Fort Myers O f f i c i a l s c u t t h e r i b b o n t o o p e n t h e Southwest Florida Ag Expo Feb 29 on the grounds of the Lee County Civic Center
The

EDUCATION

Nor th For t Myers High School’s Class of 1974 plans 50th Class Reunion

The North Fort Myers High School’s Class of 1974 has announced plans for its 50th Year Class Reunion

EDUCATION BRIEFS School District launches Small Business Program

The anniversary committee will hold a tour of North Fort Myers High School Friday, April 26, at 2:30 p m

A meet-and-greet is also planned on April 26 from 4-7 p m at Brooke’s Restaurant at 4450 Hancock Bridge Parkway in North Fort Myers

A dinner will be held Saturday, April 27, from 6-10 p m , at Ter-tini’s at 1901 Crystal Drive in Fort Myers

For additional information, please visit the group website at North Fort Myers Class of 1974 Reunion or call or text Karen (Curtis) Huston at 239-443-0493 or Martha (Lolly) Crotty at 239-851-4515

Capobianco named to Dean's List at Manchester University

N O R T H M A N C H E S T E R , I n d - - M a n c h e s t e r University has recognized the students who have earned a place on the Fall 2023 Dean's List for their academic achievements

Nathan Capobianco of Cape Coral was named to the Fall 2023 Dean's List.

Capobianco was among 386 students named to the Fall 2023 Dean's List Capobianco is studying sport management

Undergraduate students earning a semester grade point average of 3 5 or higher who have completed at least 12 semester hours with no more than three hours of Pass/Not Pass grades are included on the Dean's List

For more about Manchester University, which has campuses in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind , visit www manchester edu/about-manchester

Masich awarded degree in education from Wilkes University

WILKES-BARRE, Pa -- Tanya Masich of Cape Coral received the MSED degree in education from Wilkes University The degree was one of 339 bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees awarded to winter graduates

A commencement ceremony featuring winter and spring graduates will be held in May 2024 More information can be found at www wilkes edu/commencement

Learn more at wilkes edu

FGCU scholarships funded

The 27th annual Paul Sands Memorial Slaw Dog invitational golf tournament and major sponsor Rockstar Harley-Davidson donated $35,000 for the Paul Sands Memorial – REIS Scholarship program at Florida Gulf Coast University The program funds scholarships for outstanding students pursuing degrees in real estate, finance, engineering and construction management The presentation took place at the Real Estate Investment Society Feb 13 luncheon

The scholarships each provide $2,500 toward tuition and books These scholars also receive honorary membership in REIS for one year and may attend meetings on a complimentary basis

The Real Estate Investment Society established the permanent scholarship fund with FGCU in 1999 with a $10,000 endowment In 2011 it was named the Paul Sands Memorial - REIS Scholarship in memory of REIS member and governor Paul Sands A portion of proceeds from the annual Paul Sands Memorial Slaw Dog invitational golf tournament are added to the scholarship fund each year In 2006, REIS also established the REIS S c h o l a r s h i p F o u n d a t i o n , a n o t - f o r - p r o f i t , r e g i s t e r e d 501(c)3 corporation that provides an opportunity to make charitable donations. REIS provides management of the foundation, allowing 100% of donations to be awarded as scholarships

Information on contributing to the REIS scholarship program is available at the REIS web site at www reisswfl org Criteria, school contacts, and other information on the program are also available on the REIS web site

The School District of Lee County recently announced the launch of the Small Business Program to help small companies provide goods and services to the School District In partnership with the Florida Small Business C e n t e r a t F l o r i d a G u l f C o a s t U n i v e r s i t y , t h e S m a l l Business Program is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at empowering small businesses in our comm ty to participate in active bids within t District’s $2 billion annual budget

“The Small Business Program will give small companies a big opportunity to earn S c h o o l D i s t r i c t b u s i n e s s , ” s a i d C h i e f Financial Officer Dr Ami Desamours “By partnering with the SBDC at FGCU we want to identify and then engage with smaller companies in our area that are not participating in our procurement process s they get involved We need the services t offer and the products they sell Our students, staff and schools will benefit as these businesses grow and thrive ”

ness involvement in active solicitations By breaking down barriers and promoting inclusivity, the program aims to help small businesses thrive

2 High-Quality Goods and Services: Recognizing the essential role that small businesses play in delivering highquality goods and services, the program aligns with chool District's primary focus of ensuring c h c h i l d r e a c h e s t h e i r h i g h e s t p e r s o n a l potential By providing a platform for small businesses, the program aims to enhance the diversity and innovation in the goods and services offered to the School District of Lee County

To qualify for the Small Business Program, a company must have been in business for at least two years, have revenues less than $10 million and less than 20 employees Key highlights of the Small Business Enterprise Program include:

1 Fostering Small Business Participation: The School D i s t r i c t o f L e e C o u n t y S m a l l B u s i n e s s P r o g r a m i s designed to actively encourage and facilitate small busi-

3 Dedicated Support: The SBDC at FGCU is committed to assisting small businesses in navigating the procurement rocess and accessing the opportunities preted by the School District The program believes in fostering growth and success for small enterprises and is dedicated to helping them maximize their potential To further support the mission, the SBDC at FGCU is collaborating with the District to host the small business registration process, and informing the community of bidding opportunities

For more information and to register for the School District of Lee County Small Business Program, visit https://www leeschools net/cms/One aspx?portalId=6763 05&pageId=161259878

Alliance for the Arts to host Spring Break Arts Retreat Camp March 18-22

The Alliance for the Arts will be hosting its popular Spring Break Arts Retreat Camp during Lee County’s spring break week March 18-22 Registration is currently open, and is limited to 30 participants per day The arts camp is open to any student ages 7-11 years

This session will function as an arts retreat, where students will experiment with art journaling, meditation, music and other forms of creative expression Campers will explore the boundless realms of their imaginations through self-expression and self-awareness

Adults are able to register students for single days or the full week Prices for Spring Break Arts Retreat Camp start at $250 for Alliance members, with a daily rate of $60 Non-member weekly price starts at $300, and $70 per day Discounts for siblings are available

Regular camp hours are 9 a m to 4 p m Before and after-care are available 8-9 a m and 4-5 p m for an extra $10 per child Registration is open now at ArtInLee org

Individuals aged 15 and up who are interested in volunteer hours can visit artinlee org for more information and to apply

The Alliance for the Arts is a nonprofit community visual and performing arts center located at 10091 McGregor Blvd , just south of Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers The Alliance campus and galleries are open to the public from 9 a m to 7 p m , Tuesday through Friday, and from 9 a m to 1 p m on Saturdays

For more information, please call 239-939-2787, v i s i t w w w A r t I n L e e o r g , o r f i n d t h e a l l i a n c e o n Facebook, Meetup and Instagram

Lee Clerk partners with Big Brothers Big Sisters to give students hands-on, local government experience

Lee County Clerk and Comptroller Kevin Karnes recently announced a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast that allows students to gain an inside look and hands-on experience with the Lee County Clerk’s office and several other constitutional offices.

Through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, called “Beyond School Walls,” students from North Fort Myers High School (Littles) are paired with Clerk employee mentors (Bigs) to build relationships and learn all about the services provided by the Lee County Clerk’s office & other local governments and the functions the organizations perform The program is also tied to the concept that the Littles would hopefully choose career paths in the public sector Beyond School Walls recently kicked off at the clerk’s office, and since that time, the students have had the opportunity to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the courts department, visit the evidence room to learn about the role evidence plays in the judicial process, and go into a courtroom to hear from Clerk Karnes about the clerk’s role dur-

ing courtroom proceedings

“This is such a wonderful opportunity for us to continue our commitment of giving back to the community in meaningful ways,” said Karnes “Partnering with an organization like Big Brothers Big Sisters will not only create a lasting impact with these kids, but also our Clerk mentors We couldn’t be more excited to teach these students about the Clerk’s office and our role in local government ”

The students come to the Clerk’s office once a month and spend several hours with their mentor

“We are grateful for our partnership with the Lee County Clerk’s office,” said Joy Mahler, President|CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast “Through a collaborative partnership, we have extended the education of our youths beyond their school The skills students will gain through this program will be unmatched, and will help guide them to the next steps in their lives and careers ”

Learn more about the Big Brothers Big Sisters at www bbbssun org

MARCH 8, 2024 T HE BREE ZE
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Eucharistic Conference to be held in Fort Myers

T h e C a t h o l i c D i o c e s e o f V e n i c e i n F l o r i d a w i l l h o l d a “ E u c h a r i s t i c C o n f e r e n c e ” i n F o r t M y e r s S a t u r d a y , March 16 The event, to be held at Bishop Verot Catholic High School, 5598 Sunrise Drive in Fort Myers, will feature nationally known Catholic speakers presenting t a l k s i n b o t h E n g l i s h a n d S p a n i s h . A Catholic Mass, celebrated by the Most Rev Frank J Dewane, Bishop of the Diocese of Venice, as well as opportunities for Confession and Adoration, will also be offered

“We are nearing the conclusion of a three-year effort called for by the Bishops

of the United States to reinvigorate reverence for the miracle of the real presence of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the H o ly Eu ch ar is t, ” s aid B is h o p D ew an e

“The response to this call to action from the faithful of the Diocese of Venice has been heartening, beginning with the overwhelming support of the Diocese’s first conference on the topic last year, and their enthus i a s t i c p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n a v a r i e t y o f Eucharistic events at local Parishes This is a n i m p o r t a n t a n d h i s t o r i c t i m e i n t h e Diocese, and in the Church An invitation is extended to all the faithful to attend the March Conference and be inspired ”

The event will feature talks centered on the Holy Eucharist by nationally known Catholic speakers Steven Ray, Crystalina E v e r t , K a t h i a A r a n g a , t h e R e v E l v i s Gonzalez and Tim Glemkowski The openi n g k e y n o t e a d d r e s s , “ D e f e n d i n g t h e Eucharist,” by Steven Ray, will be offered in English with live Spanish translation available by headphones The remaining talks throughout the day will be offered as breakout sessions, in either English or Spanish

T h e c o s t t o a t t e n d t h e E u c h a r i s t i c Conference is $30 and is offered free to clergy Registration in advance is required,

and the deadline to register is March 12

For more information and to register, visit h t t p s : / / d i o c e s e o f v e n i c e o r g / e u c h a r i s t i cconference-2024/

About the Diocese of Venice in Florida

The Diocese of Venice in Florida was established by Pope Saint John Paul in 1984 and today includes 61 parishes, 15 schools and serves an estimated 250,000 Catholics in 10 counties Presently, the Most Rev Frank J Dewane is the Bishop of the Diocese For more information on the Diocese of Venice in Florida, visit http://www dioceseofvenice org

Diocese of Venice in Florida and National Development of America celebrate completion of St. Peter Claver Place Apartments in Fort Myers

The Diocese of Venice in Florida and National Development of America have completed Phase 1 construction of St Peter Claver Place Apartments, an affordable housing complex within the Dr Martin L u t h e r K i n g B o u l e v a r d r e d e v e l o p m e n t area in Fort Myers

St Peter Claver Place Apartments provides affordable housing for qualified residents, those who make up to 60% of the Area Median Income Phase 1 includes 136 units consisting of two-bedroom, twobath and three-bedroom, two-bath rental u n i t s T h e m o n t h l y r e n t s r a n g e f r o m approximately $600 to $1,300 The community also features a clubhouse, playground and collaborative workspace Each apartment includes stainless steel appliances, walk-in closets, quartz countertops, vinyl tile flooring and a balcony or patio

“We are extremely thankful for our continued partnership with the Diocese of Venice and the strong support from the city and elected officials to help bring this project to the community,” said Rick Miller, p r e s i d e n t o f N a t i o n a l D e v e l o p m e n t o f America “We’re pleased to offer quality housing at rental rates that working people can actually afford ”

The recent ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by officials from both sides of the partnership between the Diocese of Venice in Florida and National Development of America, as well as Fort Myers M a y o r K e v i n A n d e r s o n ; F o r t M y e r s

Councilmembers Johnny Streets, Teresa Watkins Brown and Darla Bonk; Fort M y e r s 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 E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r M i c h e l e H y l t o n - T e r r y ; a n d F l o r i d a H o u s i n g

Finance Corporation Chair Ryan Benson

“Throughout Fort Myers, people are in need of housing and, in particular, rental housing,” said Most Rev Frank Dewane, Bishop of the Diocese of Venice “We are excited to contribute to the residents of our community and help them The Diocese will also help those who move in further by offering resident assistance programs ” National Development and the Diocese of Venice embarked on this project eight years ago to address the critical demand for affordable rental housing in Southwest Florida Through close partnership with the C i t y o f F o r t M y e r s , F o r t M y e r s Community Redevelopment Agency and Lee County Housing Authority, National Development of America was able to overcome various market challenges that significantly impacted the development

“Our company started over 40 years ago in Fort Myers, and we are invested in this community We are committed to its residents, and housing is our mission,” said Miller “This is something we are very excited about and we are thankful for the opportunity to serve the community ”

N a t i o n a l D e v e l o p m e n t h a s r e c e n t l y completed other affordable housing projects throughout Florida, including Casa San Alfonso in Zolfo Springs and San Pedro at Meadow Park in Arcadia

National Development of America is a Fort Myers-based developer that specializes in affordable and workforce housing The company has developed communities throughout Florida, Louisiana and Texas, and coordinates general contracting and p r o p e r t y m a n a g e m e n t f o r i t s d e v e l o pments Visit national-development com

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‘Pups Day Out’ this Sunday at Rusty’s Raw Bar & Grill

The Golden Retrievers Rescue of Southwest Florida will hold a “Pup's Day Out” Sunday, March 10, from 1-4 p m , at Rusty's Raw Bar & Grill at 4631 S E 10th Place, Cape Coral.

This family friendly and fur baby event is open to the public The area for the event is gated and fenced with

‘Blessing of the Quilts’ Monday at Epiphany Episcopal Church in Cape

The Cape Coral Quilt Guild will hold its annual “Blessing of the Quilts” at 11 a m , Monday, March 11, at the Epiphany Episcopal Church, 2507 Del Prado Blvd , S , in Cape Coral

Since 2007, the 100-plus members of CCQC have annually donated several hundred handmade quilts for distribution through such organizations as the Cape Coral Cape Coral Police Department, Fire Department, hospitals, Hope Hospice, Cancer Alliance and more

These organizations distribute the donated quilts to individual recipients in accordance to their mission statements.

Members meet weekly at the church to select patterns and donated fabrics, socialize and sew these items in a labor of love and community support The year’s efforts culminate in a gathering of the recipient organization representatives with a viewing of these beautiful quilts from 10 a m followed by an 11 a m ceremony by church pastor, the Rev Edward F P Gibbons to bless the quilts

T h e p u b l i c i s w e l c o m e t o a t t e n d t h e v i e w i n g Additional information about the CCQC can be found online at capecoralquiltguild com

St. Patrick's Day Concer t March 17

at St. Columbkille Catholic Church

St. Columbkille Catholic Church in Fort Myers will hold a St Patrick’s Day Concert St Columbkille Catholic Church in Fort Myers will hold a St Patrick’s Day Concert

grass There is an outside bar with plenty of seating For the furry friend attendees, Rusty's will have a doggy sprinkler and doggie pools

The event will feature vendors, a 50/50 raffle and Chinese auction

Proceeds from the event will benefit the GRRSWF, a

RELIGION BRIEFS

featuring: Tommy O and Lee Van Asten Sunday, March 17, at 3 p m

Non tickers are required and a free will offering will be taken

The concert will be in Iona Hall at St. Columbkille Catholic Church, which is located at 12171 Iona Road,

For additional information, call 239-489-3973

Saint Hilar y’s Helping Hands Ministr y awarded Community Foundation grant

Saint Hilary’s Helping Hands Ministry was awarded a $2,500 grant from the Community Foundation This grant will be used to support Community Cooperative with hygiene bags and Orange River Elementary School, an underserved school in North Fort Myers

Saint Hilary’s Episcopal Church is a quiet church on the corner of McGregor and Colonial boulevards It's ministry, Saint Hilary’s Helping Hands Ministry, is know for its hygiene bags For over five years the church has been supplying Community Cooperative with the hygiene bags The bags contain over 13 items, such as can openers, soap, d e o d o r a n t , w i p e s a n d w a s h a c l o t h C o m m u n i t y Cooperative gets anywhere from 100 to 250 bags, as it needs them

For 2 years the church has supported Orange River Elementary School, an underserved school in North Fort Myers with school supplies and school uniforms This year the gave all 750 at the school Christmas gifts

Saint Hilary is having a Diaper Drive (all sizes) and School Supply Drive. Anyone who would like to help can please drop items off Monday through Friday at the church

501 (3) organization, to help cover the medical needs for the foster dogs and adopted dogs

The GRRSWF invites everyone to come out and pawty and to help the organization raise awareness for the rescue For more, visit www grrswf org

at 5011 McGregor Blvd , Fort Myers, or call 239-9361000

Gaither's Moments To Remember Tour coming to For t Myers First Assembly

Multi-Grammy Award-winning recording artist Bill Gaither will kick off the Moments To Remember Tour this spring, as he brings his group, The Gaither Vocal Band, to Fort Myers First Assembly Saturday, March 9, at 6 p m

For nearly half a century, Gaither has been a musical trailblazer His reputation as a performer, songwriter and mentor for newly-discovered artists is known world-wide His beloved series of Homecoming CDs and DVDs continues to top the sales charts and attract an ever-increasing audience Honors and accolades have flowed his way in bunches, including his most recent Grammy nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album of the Year for the Gaither Vocal Band Shine recording

Taking the stage with Gaither and the Gaither Vocal Band, featuring Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd Suttles and Reggie Smith, will be popular female vocalist Ladye Love Smith and male vocalist Gene McDonald, as well as G a i t h e r ’ s m u s i c a l e n t o u r a g e , c o m p r i s e d o f K e v i n Williams, Matthew Holt and Michael Rowsey

The 2024 Spring Tour affords Gaither, who turns 88 in March, the opportunity to continue to share the message he has been proclaiming for more than six decades

Tickets for the 2024 Gaither Moments To Remember Tour stop at Ft Myers First Assembly, located at 4701 Summerlin Road, on are on sale now. To purchase tickets or obtain additional details, visit www gaither com

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Lee County Community Band to present ‘When Irish Eyes Are Smiling’ Sunday

The Lee County Community Band will celebrate the Irish in each of us on March 10, when it presents “When Irish Eyes are Smiling” at Mariner High School beginning at 3 p m The band’s concerts are free and open to the public (donations welcome)

Director Gil Peltola will lead the band in "The Irish Washerwoman" and "An Irish Rhapsody," and will invite the audience to join in the singing of "Danny Boy" (Londonderry Air) The band also will play the spirited " G o - D a d d y - O ; " l i v e l y m a r c h e s , i n c l u d i n g " G a l l a n t Marines" and "Bull Trombone;" "Sandpaper Ballet" and Highlights from "Fiddler on the Roof "

The band performs six concerts between November and April; this season, all are taking place at Mariner High School, 701 Chiquita Blvd , North, Cape Coral

The last concert of the season is set for April 7

The 62-member 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 239-600-9052

For information, visit www LeeCountyBand org or email us at LeeCountyCommunityBand@gmail com

Garden Club of Cape Coral to hold

'Fun with Flowers' class March 15

The Garden Club of Cape Coral invites the public to participate in its class, “Fun with Flowers,” where participants will create a spring-inspired flower arrangement to take home for just $25 You do not need to be a member of the club to attend This fundraiser will benefit “Cups of Cheer,” the Garden Club of Cape Coral project that provides floral arrangements for assisted living facilities

All supplies container, greens, flowers, as well as the use of any necessary tools - will be included in the $25 fee This session is on Friday, March 15, from 10 a m to noon at the Garden Council headquarters, 2166 Virginia Ave , Fort Myers

A registration form is available on the Garden Club of Cape Coral’s website (gardenclubofcapecoral com) under

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

the “Events” heading

Those wishing to participate can also make a reservation with Susan Lawson (slawson921@gmail com) and pay at the door

This fun opportunity is filling up quickly

If you have any questions, contact Lawson at slawson921@gmail com

Master Gardener garden tour

Wednesday at Cape Museum of Histor y

A garden tour at the Cape Coral Museum of History will be held Wednesday, March 13, 1-4 p.m. Learn about Florida Friendly plants, the nine principals of Florida Yards and Neighbors, see full size plants and learn how to care for them The tours will be led by local master gardeners

Tours and parking are free The museum is at 544 Cultural Park Parkway, Cape Coral Call 239-772-7037 for additional information

Collaborator y invites public to Spring Night Market Friday

Collaboratory is inviting the public to its Spring themed Night Market from 6-9 p.m., Friday, March 15, at its campus at 2031 Jackson St , in downtown Fort Myers

This Night Market will feature local artisans and entrepreneurs, tours, resident partners, Collaboratory’s Health and Wellness Coalition and will also feature live music by The Line Up Band

The coalition’s goal is to transform the region into one of the healthiest communities in the nation by exceeding the 90th percentile for Health Indicators (Length of Life and Quality of Life) by 2040

Food trucks and vendors include Nickel City Red Hots, Viva La Taco and more

Retailers and vendors on site will include Wild at Heart Flower Truck, Amorist Jewelry, Henna Magick, Bubbly B e

, SummaVitaLinx, Brandi’s Pup Shop, Tastefully Simply, My Eclectic Everything, Colorstory Boutique, Maddies Sweet Lemonade, Jaxon & Ivy, Rosina’s, NuLife Science, Carito’s Gourmet Empanadas, Curate Entertainment photo

booth and more

To R S V P for the Spring Night Market, please visit collaboratory org/events

Mar tinelli to speak at Gulf Coast Writers Association March meeting March 16

Sean Martinelli, journalist and host of NBC2 TV’s Stories2Share, will be the featured speaker at Gulf Coast Writers Association’s meeting Saturday, March 16, at 10 a m , at Word of Life Church, 6111 South Pointe Blvd , in south Fort Myers

The meeting of Southwest Florida’s 29-year-old forum for writers, editors and their associates is open to the public

Martinelli, whose Stories2Share series focuses on unique and positive stories across Southwest Florida, will provide insight into what the media really looks for from authors when considering them for shows He should know: NBC2's Stories2Share is the most recognized franchise in Southwest Florida, winning multiple regional and statewide awards, Emmys and a National Edward R Murrow in 2022

In 2018 Martinelli joined NBC2 to launch Stories2Share which airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 p m Before arriving here, he was a general assignment reporter in Utica, N Y, for WUTR-TV and in Syracuse, N Y , for WSYR-TV He grew up in Poughkeepsie, N Y , and graduated from Syracuse University

Martinelli was the host of GCWA’s book launch of its an th o lo g y S to r m S to r ies - - H u r r ican e I an - - av ailab le o n Amazon and at local outlets in Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Matlacha The book launch in September at the Alliance for the Arts was a sell-out event

Founded in 1995, the Gulf Coast Writers Association Inc provides a forum for fellowship, education and information for writers, editors and associates. Based in Fort Myers, GCWA has members from across Southwest Florida At monthly meetings, speakers and workshops offer expert advice on such topics as writing techniques, publishing, and marketing

GCWA’s website is https://gulfwriters org/

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PHOTO PROVIDED Caladiums.

Growing bulbs in Southwest Florida

What flowers come to mind when you think of bulbs? Probably blooms such as tulips and daffodils, which are such familiar harbingers of spring in colder climates But these types of bulbs are problematic in Southwest Florida because they require an extended period of cool dormancy to trigger their blooms It IS possible to have tulips in Florida if you purchase bulbs that have been "pre-chilled" for 2 to 4 months and plant them in the winter, but chances are that the hot Florida sun will cause your flowers to decline rapidly, and the bulbs rarely bloom again

GARDEN CLUB OF CAPE CORAL

Rather than trying to force a non-tropical plant to flourish in the wrong environment, you should try your hand at growing bulbs that thrive in Southwest Florida There are many varieties of bulbs that can be added to your gardens that will provide not only a colorful addition to your landscape, but blooms that can be used in indoor arrangements And the bulb’s long, strappy foliage also provides an interesting contrast in your garden

What exactly is a bulb? A bulb is basically a thickened underground storage organ which allows a dormant plant to survive unfavorable environmental conditions Bulbs provide storage for nutrients and water during dormancy and in stressful periods such as cold, heat or drought In Southwest Florida, most bulbs thrive in sunny locations but some bulbs, such as caladiums, will tolerate partial shade Gardeners can choose from a wide variety of tropical and subtropical bulbs including Agapanthus, Amaryllis, Cannas, Crinum Lilies, Crocosmia, Hurricane Lily, Rain Lilies and Spider Lily

To ensure success, your garden site should be welldrained and improved with organic matter such as peat moss or compost Make sure your bulb is right side up when you plant it; the bulb will have a smooth tip and a rough underside, which is the root area of the bulb Follow the cultural instructions for the proper depth and distance between bulbs, and the fertilizer requirements for your bulb Some bulbs, such as amaryllis, will produce seed heads after flowering; if these seed heads remain on the bulb it will take some of the bulb’s energy and you will have less flowers the next year It’s always a good practice to "dead head" your blooms after they fade; this will help the bulb preserve energy for the next blooming period But don’t cut off the yellowing leaves of your bulbs; the leaves provide food and energy for the bulb and removing the leaves before they are completely brown and withered will deplete your bulb’s storage capacity

When should you plant bulbs? Some bulbs can be planted in the fall, including gladiola, which will produce

See GROWING BULBS, page 42

Shrimp Festival returns to Fort Myers Beach this weekend

Activities both Saturday and Sunday

This Saturday and Sunday will be the biggest weekend of the year for Fort Myers Beach historically.

The Fort Myers Beach Lion’s Club Shrimp Festival is returning after a one-year hiatus due to Hurricane Ian. This year’s event will be the 66th since the Lion’s Club took over the event after several years of being organized by shrimp boaters off Main Street

Fort Myers Beach Lion’s Club President Drew Yelle is expecting the festival to return in a big way with 40 floats lined up to take part in Saturday morning’s parade down Estero Boulevard following the popular 5K race The Shrimp Festival Queen’s Pageant will wrap up after the parade at Bayside Veteran’s Memorial Park with 10 local princesses Dozens of arts and crafts vendors are expected to set up off Old San Carlos Boulevard

In a break from the traditional shrimp boil due to space limitations at Lynn Hall Memorial Park, 16 Beach restaurants will be taking part in special shrimp menus that can be purchased through passports being offered by the Lion’s Club

A shrimp-eating contest on Sunday will help cap off the festivities

“We have had tremendous support from the town and local businesses to help our Lions Club,” Yelle said

The parade will begin at the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School and run to Times Square

A passport offered by the Lion’s Club describes all the events and each restaurant participating in the shrimp crawl The passports are available at Erickson and Jensen Seafood Company, the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce and Tunaskin Those who get stamps at six restaurants will qualify for the raffle, Yelle said

These have been tough times for the local shrimp fleet since the last time there was a shrimp festival on Fort Myers Beach

Since Hurricane Ian, Fort Myers Beach lost longtime shrimp suppliers Trico Shrimp Co and only 10 of the 45 shrimp boats that were docked at the Main Street waterfront have returned to service

Tracey Gore and her husband Henry are among the small number of shrimp boaters able to have resumed their business

After Hurricane Ian, Ms Gore met with President Joe Biden and Gov Ron DeSantis to send the message of how much helped the shrimp fleet needed to get the boats back in the water after they washed ashore Gore said she stayed in touch with governor’s office “constantly until the mission was complete ” Eventually, boats like her “Lexi Joe” made it back into the water after undergoing repairs in Alabama Still, others are struggling to repair their boats, Gore said Many did not have insurance

“While we are grateful for that help at the state level, we really need better federal legislation to protect our small American commercial seafood industry,” Gore said Gore said the domestic shrimp industry “struggles with inferior farm-raised foreign imports dumped into our country at cheaper prices and the high cost of diesel at the dock ”

Ms Gore said the “Lexi Joe” was making shorter trips these days due to the high cost of diesel and needed supplies compared to the price paid for their catch Gore said she is also concerned about state legislation being pushed by local state legislators Sen Jonathan Martin and Rep Adam Botana which would reduce the size of the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve and allow for more development of the working waterfront Erickson and Jensen remain a key component of that working waterfront, offering fuel to shrimp boaters and the central location for where shrimp is unloaded by local shrimp boat captains. The Main St. business also offers fresh shrimp for sale.

For Fort Myers Beach resident Lee Melsek, the shrimp festival is a time to reminisce about when the festival first

Fort Myers Beach Lions Club Shrimp Festival

Princess Sophia of Storm Smart, left, and Princess Gracie, representing Bonita Bills

started in 1955 A group of shrimp dock owners and boaters asked his mother Lorraine to help organize a parade, Melsek said “St George Shrimp Dock (later Trico) Manager Larry Shafer, a friend of my parents, asked my mother to put a parade together and they would handle the shrimp boil at the island’s county park,” Melsek said.

“My mom invited the American Legion color guard and the island's Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies and Cub Scouts to march in it also Some teachers at the Beach School and bicyclers also joined the parade There was a drum and bugle corp and only a small replica of a shrimp boat pulled on a trailer It began on Main Street, marched over the swing bridge and straight down old San Carlos Boulevard to the county park where the dock owners served shrimp and slaw,” Melsek said His mother drove the only convertible in the parade, a 1949 Plymouth, and carried some of the Boy Scouts

“The blessing of the shrimp fleet took place from the back of the Columbia Star shrimp boat at Columbia dock where Bayside Park and Nervous Nellie's are today,” Melsek said “The boats would pass the clergy on the stern of the Star and circle the bay It wasn't until a few years later that they moved into the Gulf and the blessing came from the county pier ”

This year, the blessing of the shrimp fleet will begin Sunday at 10 a m with a Sunday service led by St Raphael’s Episcopal Church, a blessing of the shrimp fleet at 11 a m and a celebration of pink golf shrimp at noon

The shrimp-eating contest will take place at 2 p m at The Whale Closing ceremonies and raffle drawings will take place at Bayside Veteran’s Memorial Park off Old San Carlos Blvd at 4 p m

“The enthusiasm for this year’s festival has been off the charts,” Yelle said “Folks are ecstatic to have festival back again this year There’s a real feeling of accomplishment to bring back this community Touchstone event Our 66th year and better than ever!! People really like these passports, restaurants are excited for the special menus, live music Saturday and Sunday, parade goers are ready for a fun weekend!

For more information on the Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival, visit https://fortmyersbeachshrimpfestival com/

MARCH 8, 2024 T HE BREE ZE COMMUNITY
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BUSINESS

BUSINESS BRIEFS

For t Myers Brewing Co. named Florida's Best Lar ge Brewer y

The accolades keep pouring in for Fort Myers Brewing Co as it announces its latest achievements in the world of craft brewing The brewery has been named Florida's Best Large Brewery Adding to the celebration, Fort Myers Brewing has clinched an impressive array of medals, including golds and silvers, at the 2024 Best Florida Beer Brewer’s Ball

The gold medalists are the OYA Double IPA and Czech Around Pilsner. OYA, known for its potent citra hop character, took home the gold in the Imperial IPA category, while Czech Around, a refreshing and malty brew with a spicy hop finish, secured the gold in the Bohemian Pilsner category

Fort Myers Brewing is at 12811 Commerce Lakes Drive, Suite 28, in Fort Myers and at various locations throughout the state of Florida

For more information about Fort Myers Brewing Co , visit www fortmyersbrewing com

Finger joins Priority Marketing as videographer with creative ser vices team

Priority Marketing hired Marcus Finger as a videographer to produce, film and edit videos for the firm’s growing portfolio of clients

In this role, Finger helps clients tell their stories through high-quality videos, commercials and social media reels and stories He manages all technical aspects of video production, which include videography, lighting, sound, backgrounds and effects Priority Marketing’s in-house video production team provides concepting, scriptwriting, filming, directing, editing and production, animation, motion graphics and more for clients across a broad spectrum of industries, as well as nonprofit organizations

Before starting full-time at Priority Marketing, Finger was a video and graphic intern with the firm and provided freelance work as he completed a bachelor’s degree in digital media at the University of Maryland He also was a creative department intern with iSite Media and started a freelance graphic design business as a 16-year-old student at Fort Myers High School

Founded in 1992 by Teri Hansen, APR, Priority Marketing’s portfolio of professional services includes public relations, brand development, web services, social media, creative services, media buying, video production, digital marketing, event planning and more For more information, please call 239-267-2638 or visit PriorityMarketing.com.

Timur to discuss FGCU’s strategic plan at Greater For t Myers Chamber luncheon

The Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., Tuesday, March 12, will welcome Florida Gulf Coast University President Dr Aysegul Timur to share insights on the university’s strategic plans

Recently installed as FGCU’s fifth president, Timur will talk about her vision for the future of the university and explore updated priorities and plans for the next five years

An economist by training with more than 24 years of experience in higher education, Timur received her doct o r a l d e g r e e i n b u s i n e s s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n f r o m t h e

University of South Florida and both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Instanbul Her areas of specialization include business policy and organizational development, quality and continuous improvement, health and international economics She was recently honored by the Florida College Access Network as one if its first Workforce Education Innovators

The March Chamber luncheon will take place at Crowne Plaza Ft Myers Gulf Coast, located at 9931 Interstate Commerce Drive in Fort Myers Admission is $35 for Chamber members and $45 for future members and includes lunch

To learn more or to register, visit FortMyers org or call 239-332-2930

The first Fenway South Beer Fest will be held

Fenway South Beer Fest Saturday

With the Red Sox heading to the Dominican Republic for a two-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend, Southwest Floridians can enjoy a brew, as JetBlue Park brings a brand-new event to its grounds

The first annual Fenway South Beer Fest takes place this Saturday from 1-5 p m , featuring more than 50 different craft beers. The event will take place on Fenway South Drive with live music, cornhole, concessions and free ballpark tours The Red Sox ticket office and team store will also be open during the event

“As we continue to look for new and innovative ways to offer community-friendly events at JetBlue Park, a beer fest seemed a great way to utilize Fenway South Drive,” s a i d B r e n n e n W h i t l e y , d i r e c t o r , F l o r i d a E v e n t s a n d Operations Boston Red Sox “We are fortunate to have so many successful craft breweries in Southwest Florida and we look forward to highlighting their efforts and show our support for them during Spring Training ”

Just a few of the participating breweries include Fort Myers Brewing, Palm City Brewing, Cigar City Brewing, Keel Farms, The Beast, Tank Brewing and Dog Fish Head

Whitley said though a partnership with Aramark and JJ Taylor, they were able to secure breweries from across Florida There will be 10 breweries onsite, but over 50 craft beers to sample

“This is a way for Southwest Florida residents to come out and experience JetBlue Park for something other than a baseball game,” Whitley said “Take a tour of the ballpark, see the 2007 and 2013 World Series trophies, and enjoy craft beers from all over the state ”

Tickets are $35, which includes seven 4-ounce samplings Entry is free to attendees under 21 and those not sampling beer All beers will be available to purchase in full serving sizes Event parking is $10 (cash only)

Fenway South Beer Fest is presented by Beasley Media Group, who will also provide live entertainment, including bands and B103 9's DJ Babs, throughout the afternoon and early evening.

As an added incentive, those that purchase a ticket in advance will receive a complimentary ticket to the March 16 Spring Training game

Visit www redsox com/fenwaysouthbeerfest for tickets and more information

JetBlue Park is at 11500 Fenway South Drive in Fort Myers

Tommy’s Express Car Wash breaks ground on a new location in Cape

Tommy’s

About Tommy’s Express

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MARCH 8, 2024 T HE BREE ZE
Saturday at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers FILE PHOTO P a g e 3 3 ■ M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e
National car wash Tommy’s Express has broken ground on the brand’s third location in Cape Coral Located at 1612 Kismet Parkway, E , it’s being built across the street from the Publix shopping plaza and Auto Zone Slated to open in the winter of 2024, this location adds to the more than 20 Tommy’s Express locations in Florida with a dozen more in the pipeline This first Cape Coral location will open at 42 Del Prado Blvd , N , this month
Express locations are a fan-favorite car care destinations in cities around the United States, with a focus on customer experience, convenience and wash quality. The signature wash tunnels are designed with floor-to-ceiling windows running down the length of the wash tunnel and a transparent roof, making it open, bright, and inviting Future Cape Coral customers should expect quick service even at peak hours, three-minute travel down the car wash tunnel, and an wide menu of products and services with free floor mat washers and on-site vacuum stations TommyClub unlimited wash memberships will be available for purchase via the Tommy’s Express app allowing member vehicles to automatically be admitted to the wash via a proprietary license plate reader system Unlimited Club members can wash as often as they wish at any Cape Coral area location for as little as $23 99 per month
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Fertilizer ban: Letter sent to state officials
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Donated not Wasted – Lee County’s seventh annual food-rescue campaign begins as seasonal residents head north

Donations to be accepted March 18 through April 1

L e e C o u n t y S o l i d W a s t e ’ s s e v e n t h annual “Donated not Wasted” food rescue campaign encourages seasonal residents and visitors to donate unopened pantry items before returning north Since the prog r a m ’ s i n c e p t i o n , m o r e t h a n 3 1 , 1 0 0 pounds of food has been diverted from potential disposal and sent to the Harry Chapin Food Bank – enough food to provide more than 25,900 meals to residents

Join Lee County Solid Waste, Harry Chapin Food Bank, Waste Pro, the Lee County Library System, the Sanibel Public L i b r a r y a n d L e e C o u n t y P a r k s & Recreation in this effort to help route food that might otherwise end up in the waste stream to the county’s population of people in need

To help, drop off unopened canned or dry goods from Monday, March 18, to Monday, April 1, at open libraries or Lee County recreation centers Additional collection containers are at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Interpretive Center and Lee County Solid Waste’s Topaz Court F a c i l i t y V i s i t w w w l e e g o v c o m / s o l i dwaste/donated-not-wasted for the full list of collection sites or call 239-533-8000 for more information

Drop off locations include: Recreation Centers

■ Estero Recreation Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd , Estero, FL 33928

■ North Fort Myers Recreation Center, 2000 North Recreation Park Way, North Fort Myers, FL 33903

■ Veterans Park Recreation Center, 55 Homestead Road South, Lehigh Acres, FL 33936

Library locations

■ Bonita Springs Public Library,

10560 Reynolds St., Bonita Springs, FL 34135

■ Captiva Memorial Library, 11560 Chapin Lane, Captiva, FL 33924

■ Cape Coral-Lee County Public

L i b r a r y , 9 2 1 S W 3 9 t h T e r r a c e , C a p e Coral, FL 33914

■ Dunbar-Jupiter Hammon Public Library, 3095 Blount St , Fort Myers, FL 33916

■ East County Regional Library, 881

G u n n e r y R o a d N , L e h i g h A c r e s , F L 33971

■ Fort Myers Regional Library, 2450 First St , Fort Myers, FL 33901

■ Johann Fust Community Library, 1040 W 10th St , Boca Grande, FL 33921

■ Lakes Regional Library, 15290 Bass Road, Fort Myers, FL 3919

■ North Fort Myers Public Library, 2001 N Tamiami Trail, North Fort Myers, FL 33903

■ Northwest Regional Library, 519 N Chiquita Blvd N , Cape Coral, FL 33993

■ Pine Island Public Library, 10701 Russell Road, Bokeelia, FL 33922

■ Riverdale Public Library, 2421

Buckingham Road, Fort Myers, FL 33928

■ Sanibel Public Library, 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, FL 33957

■ South County Regional Library, 21100 Three Oaks Parkway, Estero, FL 33928

Others

■ S i x M i l e C y p r e s s S l o u g h

Interpretive Center, 7751 Penzance Blvd , Fort Myers, FL 33966

■ Topaz Court Solid Waste Annex, 6441 Topaz Court, Fort Myers, FL 33966

Impact fees: Implementation now in effect

From page 1

expansion fee He said new growth for utility infrastructure requires additional capacity and facilities

“The current fees are below cost to provide capacity,” Dykstra said, adding that the main driver for the fee increase is the major capital expansion projects that the city has.

The fee have not been adjusted in totality, he said,

“At the current level of $6,750, the fees haven’t increased in at least 15 years The cost has increased by 61% during that time,” Dykstra said of labor and material

If the fees were to remain the same, the city would face an estimated recovery of $20 million less

As far as implementation, according to the Florida Impact Fee Act Requirements, there is a 50% limit increase if the fee is i n c r e a s e d f r o m 2 5 - 5 0 % a n d m u s t b e phased in over four years There also needs to be a 90-day notice before the effective date for increased fees

With that fee for new homes, for single service, or dual service there is a $476 increase over four years taking the price from $2,551 to $3,027 For water there is an increase of $552 taking the current price of $1,106 to $1,58 over four years For irrigation that increase is $382 over four years from $2,254 to $2,636

For sewer there is an increase of $912 for district one from the current $2,406 to $3,318, and an increase of $1,064 for district 2 from $3,390 to $4,454

Dykstra said the impact on a typical single-family home with dual service and within sewer district 2, over a four-year period, is just under a $2,000 increase of where it is now He emphasized this is a one-time fee for a new construction home

That fee would go from $6,750 to $8,748

The community had the opportunity to speak at the beginning of the meeting, and again during the public hearing

C a p e C o r a l C o n s t r u c t i o n I n d u s t r y President Eric Glocer asked the council to delay its vote by two weeks to give them the opportunity to go through the details in the fee study that was only released to them last week. He asked for the delay so they could review it and provide feedback to help the city and have some transparency

City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn said he meets quarterly with CCCIA, as well as when issues come up

“The timing of this one is the nuisance for us My last quarterly meeting with them was the end of December, beginning of January The next quarterly meeting is tomorrow,” he said Wednesday night “I am committed to work with them I mentioned to them that we have 90 days ”

Ilczyszyn said he can educate their members on anything that they need or attend meetings

The council gave a consensus that a mechanism should be put into place to reevaluate the impact fees more frequently with every four or five years, which will come before them at a future workshop

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l i e s B y s u b s i d i z i n g t h e c o s t o f c h i l d c a r e , p a r e n t s a r e a b l e t o m a i n t a i n e m p l o y m e n t o r p u r s u e e d u c a t i o n a l o p p o r t u n i t i e s w h i l e k n o w i n g t h e i r c h i ld r e n a r e i n a s a f e , n u r t u r i n g e n v i r o nm e n t T h i s i s n o t s i m p l y a s h o r t - t e r m s o l u t i o n , b u t a n i n v e s t m e n t i n t o t h e e c on o m i c s t a b i l i t y o f o u r f a m i l i e s , w h i c h i n t u r n c o n t r i b u t e s t o a m o r e r e s i l i e n t , t h r i vi n g c o m m u n i t y T h e E a r l y L e a r n i n g C o a l i t i o n o f S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a i s c o m m i t t e d t o h e l pi n g f a m i l i e s n a v i g a t e t h e s e c h a l l e n g e s a n d c o n n e c t w i t h q u a l i t y c h i l d c a r e s e r vi c e s t h a t a l i g n w i t h t h e i r w o r k , s c h o o l

a n d l i f e s c h e d u l e s W e s e r v e a s a b r i d g e b e t w e e n f a m i l i e s a n d t h e r e s o u r c e s a v a i la b l e t h r o u g h F l o r i d a ’ s S c h o o l R e a d i n e s s , p r o v i d i n g f i n a n c i a l a s s i s t a n c e a n d a c c e s s t o h i g h - q u a l i t y p r o g r a m s t h a t c a n c h a n g e t h e t r a j e c t o r y o f a c h i l d ’ s l i f e

I n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h p a r e n t s , c h i l d c a r e p r o v i d e r s a n d t h e b r o a d e r c o m m u n i t y , w e a r e b u i l d i n g t h e f o u n d a t i o n s f o r l i f el o n g l e a r n i n g a n d s u c c e s s b e c a u s e e v e r y c h i l d i n S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a d e s e r v e s t h e c h a n c e t o r e a c h t h e i r f u l l p o t e n t i a l

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Guest Commentary: Subsidized childcare
and

Still on the road to recover y

The Courtyards of Cape Coral South was among the Cape Coral neighborhoods hit hard by Hurricane Ian 18 months ago Many of its 132 residents are still waiting to be made whole from insurance claims with 50 still lacking a residence

“This entire place was flooded out,” said Janet Correa, who has lived in Courtyards South for eight years, “One-hundred and thirty-two units were gutted. They were evacuated and gutted. Everything was destroyed.”

Residents continue to help residents, though, and an open-to-the public fundraiser has been set for next Saturday.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 ■ P a g e 3 8

Struggle: Courtyard South residents rally to help each other in wake of Ian and insurance delays

From page 1

lived with no other amenities than a running toilet

Janet Correa, a resident of the Courtyards South for eight years, said just in the past few days has additional funding come in (for only five of the 34 buildings), and roofers had started to perform work

“We are waiting, and we still have 50 homeless people still because of this,” Correa said

“It’s been a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness But I have to say, we have a couple of people here, and I am one of them, who are a force to be reckoned with ”

Correa, who has many found nicknames amongst her community members such as “the train,” “the engine,” “the cattle-prod,” said they have been fighting back since day one to help one another and lend a hand to thy neighbor

It’s been a complete do-it-yourself project among those in the Courtyards South to get back to any kind of normalcy one they’re still waiting on

The area was hit especially hard, with complete losses from left to right It has been residents of the community that have donated their own time, money, and labor to do things such as clear debris and move trash to the road to be collected

“This entire place was flooded out,” Correa said “Onehundred and thirty-two units were gutted They were evacuated and gutted Everything was destroyed ”

Correa, a New York native, and her daughter, organized a three-day yard sale/fundraiser up north and raised a whopping $10,000 that all went directly towards the re-beautification of the community.

“The neighbors are chipping in, and now, the residents are starting to have hope,” Correa said “We are fighting back now And this fundraiser -- anything that we do will go directly towards restoration ”

Correa said the entrance and area around the community pool have been worked on, shuffleboard courts are being brought back, and park benches where residents walk their dogs are coming back New mulch and flowers are being laid

“Our residents have been looking at tarps, and it’s just a mess,” Correa said “But with everyone just doing little things, and then you're asking them for help, whatever it is they can do, they step up And it’s making a difference ”

Keeping a sense of camaraderie has been important

On March 16 starting at 3 p m , the Courtyards of Cape Coral South will host pocketbook bingo, with 10 total games and other gift basket raffle items and silent auction pieces to help residents affected by Hurricane Ian.

and vital to members of the community Correa came up with a “take something, leave something” system in the clubhouse for people cleaning out their pods Meals were cooked for residents without a working kitchen A Facebook community page has seen countless items delivered and services performed for one another Neighbors are helping one another clean and declutter One resident changed over 100 lightbulbs, while another fixed a toilet in the clubhouse so that portable bathrooms did not need to be used Bad furniture was brought to the street in droves by able-bodied residents

“That’s all we ever say, ‘You’ve got to help your neighbor,’” Correa said, while acknowledging there have been many hard times and moments despite the positive attitude

Members of the Courtyards of Cape Coral South are excited to host this bingo event, as many will be volunteers in putting on the

event in the community's clubhouse

“They all want to help They feel empowered doing something,” Correa said “And they'll all be doing this together ”

A pack of 10 cards (one per-game) can be purchased for $25 at the door or via presale (contact jacor1989@yahoo com) Extra cards will also be available for purchase at the door for $4, or three for $10 Food and beverages will be available for purchase Seating may be limited, so for parties of four or more can reserve a table with a presale card purchase

The Courtyards of Cape Coral South clubhouse is at 1500 Southwest Courtyards Terrace

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Lee Clerk office to hold free community shredding event Saturday in Cape Coral

After successfully shredding more than 8,200 pounds of confidential documents for community members last fall, Lee County Clerk Kevin Karnes is hosting another free shredding event

The second Big Shred will take place from 9-11 a m , Saturday, March 9, at the John E. Manning Government Complex, located at 1039 S E 9th Place in Cape Coral

The Lee Clerk is hosting this free event to help citizens keep their personal information safe by providing them with a convenient way to securely dispose of their confidential records During the last Big S h r e d , c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s b r o u g h t

around 500 boxes full of documents to be safely shredded and disposed of

“We had such a great turnout at our inaugural Big Shred event last November, and we couldn’t be more excited to host the next Big Shred in Cape Coral,” said Clerk Karnes “Unfortunately, identity theft is a growing trend. The Clerk’s office goes to great lengths to ensure public information is protected in public records, and we want to do everything we can to help you keep your confidential information at home safe ”

Identity theft is a common problem and occurs when someone uses your personal or financial information without your per-

mission Thieves can gather this kind of information through trash, which is why it’s so important to properly dispose of documents that contain information like your home address, social security number, birthday, banking and credit card numbers, or anything else identifiable on it.

To take part in The Big Shred, all participants have to do is drive up and hand off their confidential documents to a Clerk team member, who will then walk them to the on-site shredding truck for secure disposal Documents must be in a box, and there is a limit of three per car No plastic bags

or electronics will be accepted

In addition to protecting your personal and financial information, the Lee Clerk also encourages you to protect your property by signing up for the Property Fraud Alert service, which is a free service that emails notifications within 24 hours to subscribers when a deed, mortgage or other land record with their registered name on it has been recorded into the county's Official Records To sign up, visit www leeclerk org/fraudalert

For additional information about the L e e C l e r k ’ s o f f i c e , p l e a s e v i s i t www leeclerk org

SCHEA to hold blood drive Saturday in Club Square

T h e S o u t h C a p e H o s p i t a l i t y a n d

Entertainment Association will host a Lee Health blood drive this Saturday, March 9, from 11 a m to 4 p m The bus will be p a r k e d i n C l u b S q u a r e , b e h i n d t h e

BackStreets Sports Bar on Southeast 47th Terrace

Health officials report that Type Oremains critically low, and supply levels for all other blood types are also below normal

Residents and visitors are asked to please consider making a donation to help the local community

Donors will also receive a punch card

with complimentary offers from the foll o w i n g l o c a l b u s i n e s s e s : B a c k S t r e e t s (Chips & Bourbon Chipotle Queso), BIG8 BBQ (20% off total check -- cannot be combined with any other offer), Cape Cleaners (10% off laundry or dry cleaning services -- excludes alterations), The Dive ( 1 0 % o f f y o u r n e x t v i s i t ) , D i x i e

Roadhouse (no cover charge for 2 people before 11 p m -- excludes special events), Eight-Foot Brewing (select draft), Fish Tale Grill (10% off total check -- cannot be combined with any other offer), Genius Computer Repair & Service ($10 off any repair or service), Greek Spot (piece of

Baklava), Hair Artistry (blow out w/purchase of a hair cut), Karma and Coconuts (pocket-size crystal heart), Lehne Burger (pretzel bites app), Maria's Pizzeria (small o n e - t o p p i n g p i z z a ) , M e r r i c k S e a f o o d Company (10% off total check -- cannot be combined with any other offer), Nice Guys Pizza (order of regular or vegan garlic knots), Penny's Coffee Bar (small hot or iced coffee), Perk & Brew Coffee Shop Cafe ($5 off purchase of $15 or greater), Rack'em Spirits & Times (1 hour of billiards -- up to 5 people), Rusty's Raw Bar & Grill (Loaded Tots), Tiki Hut (well drink, wine or domestic draft) and Zak's

Jewelry (watch battery replacement)

All blood donated will stay local to Lee County, and appointments are available to eliminate wait times Please text Shannon at 239-900-4028 (Monday-Friday, 10 a m to 4 p m ) or email info@southc a p e e n t e r t a i n m e n t c o m t o s e c u r e y o u r time slot. Stay tuned to everything SCHEA via its F a c e b o o k a n d S C H E A ' s w e b s i t e a t https://southcapeentertainment com/ Visit its official Facebook event for updates on this blood drive benefiting Lee Health

C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 ■ P a g e 4 0

Seasons open for snook and grey triggerfish

If heading offshore to collect some delicious dinner guests, make sure you first obtain or renew your State Reef Fish Angler designation by visiting GoOutdoorsFlorida com

Not only did snook season open on the first of the month but grey triggerfish season did as well I only eat one good snook meal each year and enjoy it but I could e a t t r i g g e r f i s h d a i l y You’re allowed one per day on our west coast but our Atlantic cousins are allowed to keep 10 with their season open all year G u l f g r e y t r i g g e r s m u s t m e e t a 1 5 - i n c h fork length minimum to keep When measuring, measure from the lips to the middle edge of the tail and not to the end of t h e t o p a n d b o t t o m s t r e a m e r s e x t e n d i n g rearward from the tail

Capt. George Tunison

Triggerfish are highly intelligent, very territorial and often violent fish, popular on the plate and also kept as pets by home aquarists Do your research and get the right species and size before buying one for your already populated aquarium otherwise you may wake up to find your newly introduced pet has chewed through all of his tank mates during the night

Opinions vary on hook size with most preferring a 1/0-2/0 circle hook for a triggers very small mouth with a 20 to 30-pound leader Multi-hook chicken rigs with a bottom weight, a simple Carolina rig or popular knocker rigs (YouTube) are three good rigs to drop down to these fish stationed on reefs or structures Small pieces of squid, barnacles, fiddler crabs, fish, oyster and clam bits, even shrimp, will get a trigger's interest

Often called leatherjackets due to their tough hide, making them a bit more difficult to clean but definitely worth the effort, as triggers simply taste great with a delicious crabby flavor Stuff and bake or simply pan fry in olive oil, lemon, light salt and pepper, and never overcook any seafood

Mariner can’t overcome slow start in Final Four loss

Tritons boys basketball team falls to Miami Norland, 53-37

The Mariner Tritons were unable to overcome a slow start Wednesday afternoon, falling 53-37 to the top-seeded team from Miami Norland in the FHSAA Class 5A boys basketball state semifinals

Mariner (20-10) fell behind 12-4 after the first quarter, and the Tritons were down 25-12 at the half.

The Tritons were able to bring the game to a single-digit deficit at various points in the second half, but were unable to catch the 11th ranked team in the state

“There was no coaching adjustment, we just really needed to adjust to the size we were facing in the paint and realize that just because we get to the basket doesn’t mean it’s a good shot,” said Mariner head coach Ryan Hercek “There was very little flow to the game overall, possessions were limited due to pace and did not favor the way we like to play ”

Marcus Kelley Jr led Mariner with 15 points

Merck said he's always been proud of this group, and has been a great ride to see their journey this season

“I’ve actually been saying this quite a bit, but being proud of this group happened years ago,” Hercek said “They always had a certain fight to them, so nothing they did this year made me proud, I was already proud of this group I’m just happy for them that they were able to make the run we did ”

Norland (20-10) advanced to face the winner of Wednesday's second semifinal in the championship this Friday.

The Tritons were in the Final Four for the first time since 2016-17, when they reached the title game before falling That was also the case in 1995-96, when a Mariner team that featured Hercek on the roster, lost to Mainland

That same 1995-96 team featured Teddy Dupay, who at the time held the national high school career scoring record with 3,744 points

Dupay's mark remains the state scoring record in Florida

As for how this team and group of standout seniors should be remembered, Hercek said, “Above everything else, they should be remembered as a group that chose 'we over me.' Nine of our 10 seniors spent all four years at Mariner and believed in the idea that they’ll all be better together than any one of them apart It’s a very weird and broken landscape when it comes to kids transferring schools and chasing something instead of working for it Each one of our starters would’ve been the leading scorer somewhere else, but they chose each other, loyalty and winning over individual statistics Honestly, that will take them further than any final four appearance ”

Norland will face Tampa Blake in the 5A state championship this Friday Blake (26-5) defeated Daytona Beach Mainland 53-40 in the second semifinal

Tritons’ Acosta voted Breeze Athlete of the Month

T h e v

Breeze’s February Athlete of the Month, and the winner is Mariner High School's Ryleigh Acosta

During her nomination week, the senior stand-out helped the Tritons again return to the FHSAA 5A-3 Regional Championship with an assist in the opening round versus Seminole, and a two-goal, two-assist performance against Naples in the semifinal match

“We felt confident going into the game and

Tuesday Baseball

felt ready,” said the University of Florida commit “We had multiple players scoring an assisting on goals, which just speaks to our depth But I’m really happy we came out and got on the scoreboard early ”

Voting for the Cape Coral Breeze March Athlete of the Month will open toward the end of the month

Stay up to date with Athlete of the Week selections on www capecoralbreeze com and on social media

PREP REPORT

driving in two runs

Mariner 4, North Fort Myers 3: Pablo Hernandez singled in two runs in the bottom of the seventh as Mariner (2-5) walked off with the victory Hernandez was 2-for-4, driving in three runs overall Thomas Eisminger knocked in two runs for the Red Knights (1-5)

Ida Baker 12, Cape Coral 4: Ely Mora had three RBI. Michel Valdez and Brendan Donnelly drove in two runs each for Ida Baker (4-2)

B i s h

innings): Jason Bello was 2-for-4 with

and four RBI, leading a Bishop Verot rout Carter Chandler also homered and had two RBI, while Anthony Reitler tripled and drove in two runs Boston Selig allowed one hit over three scoreless innings

Softball

North Fort Myers 8, Mariner 0: Alison Smith was 2for-2 at the plate, driving in three Red Knights runs. Abigail Hynes had two RBI North (5-0) pitchers Kaliyah Williams and Jordyn Prado combined on a four-hit shutout Calliegh Buzard doubled for the Tritons (4-3)

B i s h o p

innings): The Vikings opened play in the Private 8 Conference tournament with a resounding win McKenna Robinson went 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored Crimson Lawrence had two hits in three at-bats,

Ida Baker 14, Cape Coral 3: The Bulldogs (2-3, 1-0 District 5A-11) and Seahawks (3-3, 0-2) will meet again Friday at Ida Baker

Flag Football

Ida Baker 12, Cape Coral 0: Taylor Rauh caught a t o u c h d o w n p a s s f r o m L i l l i a n a P o r c h e l i t o g i v e t h e Bulldogs a 6-0 lead in the first half Olivia Mena's pick-six in the second half secured the shutout and the win Addison Denty also had an interception as part of Ida Baker's second shutout in three games Evette Osme ran for 76 yards

Boys Lacrosse

Bishop Verot 19, Lake Wales 6: Verot remained unbeaten at 5-0

Boys Tennis

Mariner 5, East Lee County 2: Singles winners for M a r i n e r w e r e R y a n H u n t e r , 7 - 6 ( 9 - 7 ) , 6 - 3 ; J a s o n Berenguer 6-2, 6-2; Emmanuel Barrios by default and Carlos Gonzalez by default Barrios and Berenguer won their doubles match by default

Beach Volleyball

Fort Myers 5, Cape Coral 0: The Seahawks are 0-3

MARCH 8, 2024 T HE BREE ZE SPORTS
See SEASONS OPEN, page 42 at Cape Coral Bridge Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon /Low Time Feet Sunset Visible Sa 9 High 1:45 AM 1 0 6:43 AM Rise 6:21 AM 4 9 Low 9:50 AM -0 3 6:34 PM Set 6:02 PM 9 High 3:29 PM 0 6 9 Low 9:12 PM 0 2 Su 10 High 2:42 AM 1 0 7:42 AM Rise 7:59 AM 0 10 Low 11:21 AM -0 1 7:34 PM Set 8:10 PM 10 High 4:40 PM 0 6 10 Low 11:05 PM 0 1 at Matlacha Pass (Bascule bridge Sa 9 High 1:13 AM 1 9 6:43 AM Rise 6:21 AM 4 9 Low 9:16 AM -0 5 6:34 PM Set 6:03 PM
High 2:57 PM 1 2 9 Low 8:38 PM 0 4 Su 10 High 2:10 AM 1 9 7:42 AM Rise 7:59 AM 0 10 Low 10:47 AM -0 2 7:35 PM Set 8:11 PM
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Mighty Mussels’ individual tickets go on sale March 15

With a little less than a month until Opening Night at Hammond Stadium at the Lee Health Sports Complex, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels have announced that individual tickets will be available beginning at 10 a m , Friday, March 15

The Mighty Mussels kick off the 2024 season against the Tampa Tarpons, Game time is set for 7:05 p m at Hammond Stadium

Tickets to all 66 home games can be

p u r c h a s e d a t m i g h t ymussels com Fo ing to purchase t person, they can t o t h e M i g h M u s s e l s ’ f r o n t o f f i c e o n t h e fourth floor of H a m m o n d Stadium between a m and 5 p m from

Friday, March 15, through April 4.

d using the elevator inside of the Gate 3 entrance Hours for box office hours durg Mussels’ game days are available

com/fort-myers

Mighty Mussels are also set to nce their full promotional schedule on March 15 Stay tuned to the club’s

social media platforms for a countdown of the top promotions in 2024

Mighty Mussels’ season tickets plans, including six and 12-game mini plans are available now by calling 239-768-4210, o r b y e m a i l i n g s a l e s @ m i g h t y m u s s e l s com

The Lee Health Sports Complex is at 14400 6 Mile Cypress Parkway in South Fort Myers To contact the Lee County facility, please call 239-768-4210

Seasons open: Snook and grey triggerfish both great table fare

From page 41

taste of seatrout Three per angler are allowed measuring between 15 inches to 19 inches with one per vessel over 19 inches From shore each person can harvest one over 19 inches Craig Carson of Orlando caught one nearly 40 inches long, a new IGFA all-tackle world record t

d i n a t

p o u n d s , 7 ounces! With trout in Southwest Florida running on the small side, I encourage anglers to carefully release any larger

trout you catch and eat the little guys Big genes needed!

The inshore and offshore report hasn’t changed too much over the last month with red grouper and larger mangrove snapper out at the 80 to 120-foot mark Nearshore reef and wreck fishing remains strong with snappers, sheepshead, grunts and porgies, all looking to eat along with the newly arriving permit Back inshore there are lots of smaller redfish, snook, trout, cobia and sweet tasting pompano along the mangroves and grass bed mostly in the 3 to 5-foot zones from Matlacha t o b o t h t h e

Charlotte Harbor Whiting, pompano and silver trout can be found along the beaches, especially around the passes Bigger snook will show soon as they swim to the coast and more bait moves in while others wait for tarpon reports that will soon arrive.

A great way to spend family time while introducing young children to angling is t o g o o n a s h o r e l i n e c i c h l i d h u n t ! Florida’s freshwaters are now full of colorful invasive fish from the cichlid famil i e s o r i g i n a t i n g i n A f r i c a a n d S o u t h America but introduced into our waters by aquarium hobbyists, and from outdoor

fish farm ponds that overflow in heavy summer rains

Take along feather weight tackle and tiny hooks and floats, a tub of earthworms or small minnows and a handful of Beetle Spin lures (a miniature spinnerbait) for some fast action on a variety of cichlids like Mayans and tilapia that fight hard and taste good

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

Growing bulbs: Tips for growing the plants in Southwest Florida

From page 31

blooms about 3 months after planting To extend the blooming period, try planting the bulbs at 2-week intervals to enjoy the colorful spikes of bright blooms longer in the late winter/early spring. You may be fortunate enough to have some Amaryllis bulbs left from the holidays; I have had success growing these bulbs in pots for blooms indoors at Christmas, and then I transfer them to the garden where they will multiply rapidly and bloom in the spring (though

usually not the first year after you plant them )

You can get a head start on summer flowering bulbs by starting them in pots in the spring; caladiums, cannas and blood lilies are easily started in pots for transplanting into the garden Use well-drained potting medium and 6 to 8-inch pots to start these bulbs, placing one bulb in each pot The pots should be kept in a warm spot outdoors with good sunlight. As temperatures begin to rise you should move the pots to the garden for acclimation before placing

CAPE CORAL ANIMAL SHELTER

Eric

Looking for a loving home

Eric is a 5 to 7-year-old male He can be mindful of how quickly he shares his love with new friends Once he decides you ARE a friend, he is a complete lap dog that loves belly rubs Since he does like to keep his “friends list” small, it might take a couple of meets for Eric to decide if you are meant to be

Lucie Lou is a 5 to 7-year-old female Lucie Lou LOVES to spend time with her humans whether it be sitting in your lap or snuggling up next to you on the sofa Her frumpled left ear gives her that

unique look that you won't find just anywhere else.

If you are interested in meeting any of the animals available for adoption at The Cape Coral Animal Shelter, please visit the shelter website at www capecoralanimalshelter com for additional information

The shelter is located at 325 S W 2nd Ave , Cape Coral, and hours of operation are Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 5 p m , and Friday through Sunday, noon to 4 p m

them in your landscape This technique will provide fuller plants with beautiful blooms sooner!

You can find many varieties of bulbs at local nurseries and garden centers as well as online Florida is famous as the world’s number one source of caladiums, and you can find caladium growers either online or plan to travel to Lake Placid to purchase caladiums Growers with online stores offer a wide selection of unique bulbs that are well suited to our sub-tropical climate, and you will have beautiful specimen plantings that are the envy of your fellow gardeners!

The University of Florida has excellent information on growing bulbs, with recommendations on the various bulbs that thrive

in our climate as well as planting tips and detailed publications on bulbs (https://edis ifas ufl edu/topic bulbous flo wers)

I hope that you have been encouraged to try some bulbs in your landscape; they are low maintenance additions to your gardens that will reward you with spectacular and unusual blooms for many years!

Don’t miss the Garden Club of Cape Coral’s biggest fundraiser Saturday, March in the Park, at Jaycee Park, 9 a m to 3 p m

Cathy Dunn is a Florida Master Gardener Volunteer and Member Garden Club of Cape Coral

VITAL SIGNS: Educating parents

From page 18

tion prevention support for families, including access to Naloxone

Since its founding, Victoria’s Voice has positively impacted more than a million parents and children through its education programs

Comella said as prevention is regional, she also invited other area coalitions Drug Free Charlotte, Drug Free Collier and Drug Free Hendry Glades to join them in sponsoring the program

“In looking for a location, Grace Church is very well respected in the community for both their teen/adolescent program and for Celebrate Recovery, so it was great that they are able to host,” Comella said

The first video, Victoria’s Voice (The World Has Changed), will be shown in person at 6:30 p m , Wednesday, March 12, at Grace Church, 13 S E 21 Place, Cape Coral

Registration is required and can be done at VITAL SIGNS Presentation Registration (google com)

“We are very privileged to have Brandy Klingman onsite for the first showing on March 12,” Comella said “She will be available for questions and discussions

The following seven videos will be shown on our Prevention Parents Facebook page, to be introduced by a partner agency and we

will have someone available for questions and discussion afterwards ”

The following seven videos will be shown on the https://www facebook com/ PreventionParentsSWFL/ with an introduction by a thought leader, who also will be available for questions

The series is:

■ Wednesday, March 12: Victoria’s Voice (The World Has Changed)

■ Thursday, March 14: Grace Church (Bullying)

■ Monday, March 18: Drug Free Lee (Sexual Behavior) Elizabeth Dosoretz, founder and CEO of Elite DNA Therapy

■ Tuesday, March 19: Drug Free Collier (Alcohol)

■ Wednesday, March 20: Drug Free Charlotte (Marijuana and Vaping)

■ Thursday, March 21: Drug Free Hendry-Glades (Drugs)

■ Monday, March 25: Victoria’s Voice (Flatline)

Miller said the Southwest Florida Prevention Alliance utilizes its https://www f a c e b o o k c o m / P r e v e n t i o n P a r e n t s S W F L / Facebook Prevention Page to provide regional prevention resources

Each of the sessions includes a series of four to six video segments averaging around five minutes each Each video segmentation allows for participant discussion throughout the session.

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Air Conditioning Boat Lifts & Docks Concrete Contractors Contractors Fill & Dirt Grading Handyman Landscaping Lawn & Sod Replacement Painting Plants & Trees Screening Sprinkler Systems & Irrigation Tree Service 24óHOURSERVICE NOOVERTIMECHARGES FAMILY OWNED/OPERATED Lic#CAC1817070 (239)573-2086 INSTANTREBATES AVAILABLE óAirPurificationSystems óHighEfficiencySystems óDuctCleani ng FreeEstimateson ReplacementSystems CUSTOMDOCKS &BOATLIFTS WEBUILDQUALITY DOCKS HAWLEY CONSTRUCTION OVER20YEARS OFEXPERIENCE ALLINLEECOUNTY. FREEESTIMATES www.marinedocks.net Call(239)561-8074 CBC026058 TOMáSCONCRETE,INC ànTractorService Specializingin ConcreteSlabs Drives Patios Sidewalks Stucco-LandscapeCurbing SprayCrete-Keystone âNoJobToo Smallã BackHoe-Grading-Fill TopSoil-Rock-BushHogging PondDigging-LandClearing WefixDrainageProblems LaborersWanted 239-543-3700 Cell239-849-5375 âNo Bull - Just Quality Work YouCanTrustã R esidential C ommercialBuildOut R emodels¯Repairs R oomAdditions TractorService FreeEstimates 239-707-0654 Bonded-LicCBC058576-Insured BulldogBuildersInc.com AFFORDABLE FREE ESTIMATES NewInstallation IncludesPermit 2YearWarranty RainBirdContractor A+RATED-ANGIES LIST Installation&Repair Licensed&Insured FAMILYOWNEDSINCE 1981 LEE#LSO200031 CAPE#06938 Sanibel#S11-000923 RepublicanRemodeling &HomeRepair C ustomShowerDesign F looringInstallation T ile K itchenRemodeling Licensedandinsured Call 239-240-3216 foraFreeEstimate RepublicanRemodeling &HomeRepair CustomShowerDesign FlooringInstallation Tile KitchenRemodeling Licensedandinsured Call 239-240-3216 foraFreeEstimate SWFL All Purpose Sodding LLC. AFFORDABLE FREE ESTIMATES NewInstallation IncludesPermit 2YearWarranty RainBirdContractor A+RATED-ANGIES LIST Installation&Repair Licensed&Insured FAMILYOWNEDSINCE 1981 LEE#LSO200031 CAPE#06938 Sanibel#S11-000923 TheHighestRatedScreen CompanyinSouthwestFlorida! VotedBestofCapeCoral in2022&2023! COMPLETERESCREENS 15%OFF ThisMonthOnly R epairs/Complete Re-Screens NeworReplaceSoffit&Fascia C ustomBuiltRailings andEntryways CallForOurSpecialsOn: PetScreen SolarScreen SuperScreen 3YearWarrantyOnAll Work 6MonthsInterestFree (W.A.C.) 239-772-2242 w ww.dr-screen.com License&Insured withWorkmanásComp AFFORDABLE FREE ESTIMATES NewInstallation IncludesPermit 2YearWarranty RainBirdContractor A+RATED-ANGIES LIST Installation&Repair Licensed&Insured FAMILYOWNEDSINCE 1981 LEE#LSO200031 CAPE#06938 Sanibel#S11-000923 SprinklerTune-UpSpecial $29.99 CheckforLeaks CheckValves Unclog/AdjustHeads CheckforBrokenHeads SetTimertoCode CheckSolenoids Check&CleanFilter SetEachZoneIndividually CallToday! 239-282-0558 Condo&PropertyManagersWelcome! NewInstallation& ReclaimedWaterHookups YourTreeGuy Trimming Removals Sidewalls Hedges Servingallyour outdoorneeds 239-244-7271 Showthisadfora10% discount! CLASSIFIED 574-1110 P a g e 4 5 ■ M a r c h 8 , 2 0 2 4 w w w . c a p e c o r a l b r e e z e . c o m C a p e C o r a l B r e e z e

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CC BREEZE 03/08/24
CC BREEZE 03/08/24

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