Cape Coral Weekend Breeze

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North 1 West utility expansion approved

Property owners turn out to protest assessments; Cape Council reiterates reasons to

By CHUCK BALLARO

news@breezenewspapers com

For nearly 90 minutes property owners voiced their disapproval of costs coming their way as the city of Cape Coral continues to bring water and sewer utilities into its northern neighborhoods Assessments of $33 000-plus are too h i g h e s p e c i a l l y n o w i n t h e w a k e o f

Hurricane Ian residents said Wednesday with many asking Cape Coral City Council to delay the expansion phase called North 1 West

The elected board listened to the pleas from those who said the assessments would add hundreds to their monthly mortgage payments but voted 7-1 to move forward

AOW

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

Page 15A

SCHOLARSHIPS!

as the project likely would cost even more should the city delay Public Works Director Paul Klinghan and Finance Director Mark Mason provided the city presentation T h e t o t a l p r o j e c t , b o t h t h e n o w approved North 1 West and its coming

companion component North 1 East, is expected to cost $249 6 million the most expensive UEP project phase in city history Most of the cost will be paid for by property owners through assessments and fees for each of three services: potable

move

forward

water irrigation water and sewer services

For the owner of a 10 000-square-foot lot developed or not the estimated total cost will be $33,367 if paid in full by Sept 30

During an interim prepayment period through July 31 2024 the cost will be $35 390 if paid in full

For those opting to make annual paym e n t s , w h i c h w o u l d b e g i n N o v e m b e r 2024, the annual cost will be $4,360 for a 20-year term $3 986 for 25 years and 3 734 for 30 years the default setting The latter option at 6 5 percent annual interest would cost a property owner $112,020 These costs do not including the on-site

Attorney: Residency requirements met; claims made were ‘false, defamatory and legally erroneous

By VALARIE HARRING vharring@breezenewspapers com

An attorney representing a Cape C o r a l C i t y C o u n c i l m e m b e r accused of failing to meet residenc y r e q u i r e m e n t s for her seat has responded to the allegations saying t h e y a r e f a l s e , d e f a m a t o r y a n d l e g a l l y e r r oneous ”

annual event to bring some of the best musical talents in their genre to the Cape

their genre

Deadline approaching for HACC applications

T h e H a i t i a n - A m e r i c a n C o m m u n i t y 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 a c c e p t i n g s c h o l a r s h i p a p p l i c a t i o n s f r o m d e s e r vi n g s t u d e n t s o f H a i t i a nA m e r i c a n h e r i t a g e w h o w i l l b e g r a d u a t i n g f r o m h i g h s c h o o l t h i s y e a r T h e o r g a n i z a t i o n h a s f o u r $ 1 , 5 0 0 s c h o l a r s h i p s a v a i l a b l e T h e d e a d l i n e t o a p p l y i s

A p r i l 3

P a g e 1 B

INDEX

Editorial 4A

Education 1-2B

Garden Club 1B

Homing In 4B

Letters to Editor 4A

Puzzles 8B

Real Estate 4-5B

Real Estate Law 4B

Sports 14-15A

Web Poll 4A

Weekly Recap 6A

events,

IF YOU GO:

What: 29th annual Sounds of Jazz and Blues

When: Saturday, March 25, at 4 p m

As evidenced by identification d o c u m e n t s a n d confirmed by the owner of the residence in question Councilmember Patty Cummings’ listed address was her legal address

EEOC opens discrimination investigation

By VALARIE HARRING vharring@breezenewspapers com

See SOUNDS, page 10A

The Sounds of Jazz and Blues is the premier musical event in Cape Coral The C a p e C o r a l P a r k s a n d R e c r e a t i o n Department is proud to bring some of the best talents for a night of musical magic, food, and fun CAPECONCERTS COM

Where: Coral Oaks Golf Course 1800 NW 28th Ave , Cape Coral

Tickets: For tickets and for more information visit www capeconcerts com

City breaks ground for Caloosahatchee Connect

o f E n v i r o n m e n t a l P r o t e c t i o n a n d m e m b e r s o f t h e p r o j e c t t e a m c a m e t o H o r t o n P a r k t o w i t n e s s t h e e v e n t “ A g r o u n d b r e a k i n g d e s c r i b e s s o m e t h i n g t h a t ’ s i n n o v a t i v e a n d p i o n e e r i n g T h e C a l o o s a h a t c h

Feeling lucky? ‘Casino in the Cape’ fundraiser set for tonight

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers

com

An evening filled with good times, games, and a casinostyle atmosphere all to raise money for local charities takes place Friday night in Cape Coral

The 12th annual Casino in the Cape goes down tonight at the Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral from 6 to 11 p m , where all proceeds will benefit a trio of non-profits The event, put on by the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership

Cape Coral Class of 2022 will feature gaming tables 50/50 raffle chance auction silent auction and live auction Benefitting charities include The Guardian Angels For Special Populations, Cape Coral Caring Center, and Lee Builders Care A donation will also be made to the Junior Leadership Cape Coral program from the proceeds

“Casino in the Cape is one of the things we are most proud of as a Chamber of Commerce ” said chamber President and CEO Donna Germain This event is completely facilitated by each graduating class Sponsorships, auction items, planning, budgets, marketing, logistics, and all other aspects of the fundraising are done by them We offer some guidance, but this is truly a class project ”

While 2023 marks the 12th annual event the night was started by the Leadership Cape Coral Class of 2011 and the tradition has been carried on by every graduating class since As a result, more than $200,000 has been donated back to local non-profit organizations throughout the years

“They take everything they’ve learned and every connection they made during the 13 weeks of their class program and put it into this event with one goal: to raise as much

money as they can for their selected charities ” Germain said “And of course they hope to beat the previous class total that's all in good fun though I am so proud of this class and all of the classes that came before them

Tickets are $70 per person, and include dinner, complimentary beverages, and an entry into the $1,000 Grand Prize Drawing

Leadership Cape Coral is a proactive 13-week program designed to help the Cape Coral business community to learn about the infrastructure that drives the city Participants meet with local dignitaries and community leaders, tour facilities that are not open to the general public, learn how to support the community and establish a bond and form a network with classmates

For tickets and more information on the Chamber visit www capecoralchamber com There will also be tickets available at the door The Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral is at 360 Santa Barbara Blvd Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad cj

Vietnam War Veterans Day to be marked March 29

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

Members of the community can pay their respect and homage to those who served in the Vietnam War next Wednesday at Eco Park

Coinciding with National Vietnam War Veterans Day, local Chapter 594 of the Vietnam Veterans of America will recognize and remember their comrades in a ceremony starting at noon

The event will take place in front of the Southwest Florida Vietnam Veterans Memorial and members of the Daughters of the American Revolution will present chapter members with commemorative 50-year pins and certificates “The ceremony is for remembering those that didn't make it home and those that made it home but for whatever reason are not the same as when they left And for anyone that was really there to help, said Vietnam veteran and Secretary/Treasurer for the chapter Stuart Berman

Chapter 594 of the VVA is made up of more than 50 local Vietnam veterans who now call Southwest Florida home A light lunch is available for members starting at 11:30, and the ceremony should conclude around 1 p m Berman, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War said the day is all about remembering and acknowledging all of the sacrifices made by so many throughout the era Originally from New York Berman left the northeast for Vietnam in September of 1965 and returned in April of 66 His duties included providing plane guard for the U S S Enterprise (an aircraft carrier), assisting with any planes that may have overshot the landing His team also patrolled the South China Seas and the Gulf of Tonkan and provided fire support as needed

The holiday commemorates the hardships suffered and sacrifices made by 9 million Americans during the Vietnam War ” he said “The holiday does not only honor the former soldiers but also their families who supported them before and after the war ”

Vietnam Veterans Day comes as the result of the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition act signed into law in 2017 by then-President Donald Trump, designating March 29 of each year to honor those who served On March 29 of 1973 the final combat troops in Vietnam were withdrawn and the last prisoners of war held in North Vietnam came home to American soil According to the American Legion, of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam, fewer than 850,000 are estimated to be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veteran’s age approximated to be 60

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that today there are more than 7 million U S Vietnam veterans living in America and abroad, along with 10 million families of those who served during this timeframe

Many Vietnam War veterans returned home to unfavorable criticism from the public and countless had to deal with health deterioration due to Agent Orange Exposure to the chemical has resulted in heart disease and failure, lung cancer, kidney failure, or COPD related disorders

“(Veterans) still have issues, and it's important to take care of these issues ” Berman said

The Southwest Florida Vietnam Veterans Memorial is at Four Mile Cove Ecological Park located at 2500 Southeast 24th St If the weather is warm, the ceremony will be held under the pavilion on site

Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad cj

OPINIONS

CAPE CORAL BREE ZE

RAYMOND M ECKENRODE Publisher VALARIE HARRING, Executive Editor CHRIS STRINE, Editor

2510 Del Prado Blvd • Cape Coral, FL, 33904

Phone 239-574-1110 – Fax 239-574-5693

Member Florida Press Association

A price of paradise

Cape Coral evolved from a very simple and very marketable premise: Provide the amenities that will draw families and retirees and a thriving community will come to be

That vision fostered in the ’50s by a couple of hair care products manufacturers/would be developers turned a tract of waterfront used to run cattle and hunt for game into what now is the largest city between Tampa and Miami and well on its way to becoming, perhaps, the largest city in the state

Why? Because we, those who live or do business in Cape Coral, love it here

Most of the time

This is not one of those times, at least not for the estimated 8,400 property owners in the northeast Cape who have received, or will receive early next year, their notice of pending assessments from the city for the next wave of its utility expansion project

For you see back in Florida’s land development heydays the requirements for infrastructure were pretty much limited to access to the lots developers were selling those families and retirees looking for their piece of the American Dream

Raw land was hacked up into four lots to the acre roads were hastily paved and those parcels were sold worldwide from development central In the case of the Cape that first was around the area of the Cape Coral Yacht Club and later the then-hinterlands of some-day development

Well some-day development came to the Cape in waves of south-to-north growth And each step of the way since the city s incorporation has come with pain to property owners who have found themselves, sector by sector, required to pay for their share of the city utilities that were not part of the developer-provided infrastructure

The downside of buying in a pre-platted community like Cape Coral where land was carved mostly into small residential lots, is that sooner or later, no matter the rural or suburban feel of the neighborhood, your street is going to need city amenities like centralized water and sewer services

Here in the Cape that has never come cheap

To the shock of many a newcomer pleased with the price of their new home or lot in Florida utilities owned by government entities can and do charge private property owners for bringing public utilities into their neighborhoods

What’s more there is literally no cap on these assessments or what may be computed in the costs

For property owners within the city’s latest phase North 1 West the tab is $33 367 to $35 931 per 10 000-square-foot parcel built upon or not

Why so high?

Since the queue of residents who spent 90 minutes asking Cape Coral City Council and city staff that question Wednesday night to little avail, let us provide some basics

The UEP assessments in Cape Coral are so high for a number of reasons, the primary being that the city s construction method of choice of choice includes the rebuilding of roads within the expansion areas

The second, is that a decade or so ago, the city decided to front-load its impact fees into each project s assessments at the start instead as when an affected parcel actually hooks up to the utility system This means both components come due at once the property owner’s share of the cost of the pipes going in the ground and that related infrastructure as well as for the property’s share for water and sewer plant capacity whether the services are actually needed or not For a vacant lot that “capacity spot” may be years down the road Or never

In North 1 a $249 6 million project that impact fee called a Capacity Facility Expansion Charge is $6 750 of the total tally property owners will either pay now or through their tax bills for up to 30 years

We understand why the city reconstructs its roads as part of the utility expansion process as either way property owners pay The alternative to combining a road component with utility expansion likely would be something like what the city of North Port does an annual road and drainage assessment on every parcel into, well, perpetuity

The latter, charging the impact fee up front?

We opposed its implementation as it increased the financial impact on property owners well before any impact to the city s utility system It might not have saved anyone any money over the long run but it did spread out the obligation to cough up the funds

These are general reasons why the UEP costs are what they are in Cape Coral

Let us add a third reason unique to North 1 West and soon North 1 East: The city which felt it bit off a bit too much by designing and bidding all of North 2 in one chunk decided to split North 1 into two phases

The benefit of splitting the project was less road disruption and resultant resident complaints as seen throughout North 2 The downside, of course, is the loss of the savings that comes from economies of scale Simply put, larger projects cost proportionally less because you can save substantially on material and other costs

Two recent cases in point:

The city plans to break ground on the Lake Kennedy Racquet Center today Originally planned at $8 7 million for 16 pickleball and six tennis courts in the first phase, with 16 additional pickleball courts to be added later, the city discovered it could get those additional 16 pickleball courts plus six more tennis courts with lighting and covered seating for $2 million more by opting to build the entire project at once Lee County meanwhile opted in February to construct two totally new spans to replace the 60-year-old Cape Coral Bridge each to feature three traffic lanes as well as bike and breakdown lanes The cheaper alternative was to rebuild only the westbound lanes and widen the parallel eastbound lanes

The new $219 million bridge will cost an estimated $20 million more than waiting to replace the second span but will offer a much longer traffic life 75 years as compared 35, saving beaucoup bucks in the long run

So yes, there is that and the balance of bigger and cheaper or smaller and more manageable certainly is something for Council to weigh again going forward

As for postponing the project for a better time?

To those feeling this burden, we re sorry

But we agree with Council on this one

The last time the only time, to the best of our knowledge

Council bowed to public pleas was back in the real estate bust years

Waiting added another million in re-design costs

And property owners saved not a dime

We’ll not tout the benefits of any added property value that comes with the addition of city utility services

Increased valuation is only a benefit if and when you sell

Otherwise it’s just a higher number on your tax bill which likely will include that extra UEP assessment and interest

What we will say is yes this kind of sticker shock is reason indeed for Cape families and retirees to flinch

Unfortunately, though, it s a continuing cost of calling Cape Coral Florida s original waterfront wonderland home Breeze editorial

SCCF provides Week 1 legislative update

By SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

The 2023 Florida Legislative Session formally began last week with the governor proposing a $114 8 billion budget along with close to $2 billion in tax cuts for fiscal year 202324 The governor has also a proposed $3 5 billion investment over four years for Everglades restoration and protection of our water resources Legislators have identified nearly $5 billion in requests for hurricane recovery

Legislators have been busy filing legislation and discussed several bills in committee during the pre-session interim committee weeks that ran from December to February As of March 10 the House had filed 1 723 bills and the Senate had filed 871 A record number of those bills seek to limit local government s authority over its land development process Smart growth advocates are concerned that the one party supermajority formed by the 2022 elections will make it that much harder to stop or even amend these bad bills that promote urban sprawl The imbalance of a supermajority means that the party in charge can strictly limit debate and procedurally block amendments to bills further limiting the voices of Floridians concerned about growth and its direct impact on our environment and water quality

Prior to the opening of session Gov Ron DeSantis presented Executive Order 23-06 Achieving Even More Now for Florida s Environment, which contains several proposed funding projects designed to preserve and protect the state s natural environment Many bills that were already moving in the first week of session run counter to the environmental mandate of the governor’s order Growth Management House Bill 359 Local Government Comprehensive Plans is one of those bills that runs contrary to the governor’s order commitment to “improve local governments long-term comprehensive planning that ensures sustainable growth while protecting natural resources HB 359 sailed through its first two of three committee stops the first committee stop was scheduled during interim committee week and the second committee hearing occurred on the first Thursday of session This bill

GUEST COMMENTARY

tacks on the payment of prevailing party attorney s fees to citizen s challenges of local comprehensive plan amendments If this wasn t chilling enough citizens that lose a challenge must also pay “intervening parties legal fees” which include developers and their attorneys sometimes charging as much as $600-plus per hour Growth management advocates argue that protections against frivolous lawsuits already exist in statue and that this added punishment only serves to block citizen involvement This action coupled with the 2019 bad growth management bill HB 7103 that served to add prevailing party attorney’s fees to comprehensive plan challenges, risks the end to citizen involvement in planning for their communities Jane West, policy and planning director for the growth management advocacy non-profit 1000 Friends of Florida offered two fixes to the bill which garnered some interest from two committee members Until any amendments are filed the SCCF remains adamantly opposed to this bill This bill has one more stop in the House State Affairs Committee The similar Senate bill, SB 540, has not yet been heard in its first committee Florida Wildlife Corridor SB 106 Florida Shared Nonmotorized Trail Network: One of Senate leadership’s priorities is a focus on the increased public access and protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor SB 106 and the identical House version HB 871 passed their first two committee stops last week These bills seek to fund improvements to the existing corridor's public access network through a dedicated non-recurring investment of $200 million Visit the 2023 SCCF Legislative Tracker at https://www sccf org/our-work/environmental-policy

Founded in 1967 the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation s mission is to protect and care for Southwest Florida s coastal ecosystems For more information, visit www sccf org

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Treatment of Councilmember

Cummings is an outrage

T o t h e e d i t o r : I t h i n k i t i s a n o u t r a g e w h a t i s b e i n g d o n e t o C o u o n c i l m e m b e r P a t t y C u m m i n g s C a p e C o r a l i s g o i n g t o w a s t e o u r t a x p a y e r d o l l a r s i n v e s t i g a t i n g a r e s i d e n c y c o m p l a i n t s i g n e d b y n o o n e A n a n o n y m o u s l e t t e r ! M s C u m m i n g s c a m e t o o u r a i d t o h e l p u s g e t a n e w b i n w h e n W a s t e P r o w o u l d n o t p r o v i d e u s o n e w h e n t h e h u r r i c a n e b l e w o u r s a w a y O u r l o c a l c o u n c i l m a n d i d n o t h i n g f o r u s M s C u m m i n g s d i d n o t h a v e t o h e l p u s b u t s h e d i d S h e w a s e l e c t e d B y t h e P e o p l e ! I d o n t c a r e w h e r e s h e l i v e s I v o t e d f o r h e r S h e i s t h e b e s t a n d I s u p p o r t h e r F i g h t C u m m i n g s F i g h t ! A r t h u r E A m i d a n o C a p e C o r a l Many thanks to the Burrowing Owl Festival sponsors T o t h e e d i t o r : C a p e C o r a l F r i e n d s o f W i l d l i f e e x t e n d s a s i n c e r e t h a n k y o u t o t h e f o l l o w i n g m a j o r s p o n s o r s o f t h e 2 0 2 3 B u r r o w i n g O w l F e s t i v a l - W i l d l i f e & E n v i r o n m e n t a l E x p o : W i s e O l d O w l - J e a n n e T C o r m i e r $ 2 , 0 0 0 , I n c r e d i b l e B a n k - $ 2 , 0 0 0 F l e d g l i n g - W i l l i a m B a r r e t t - $ 1 , 0 0 0 , P a t r i c i a G u a r d - $ 1 0 0 0 H a g a m a n C h a r i t a b l e T r u s t - $ 1 0 0 0 W i l l i a m s o n & S o n s I n c - $ 1 0 0 0 S h e l l e y O r a m & C h a r l o t t e T a f t - $ 7 5 0 7 C i t i e s L a w - $ 6 0 0 B r e e z e N e w s p a p e r s - $ 5 5 0 , C a p e C o r a l W i l d l i f e T r u s t - $ 5 0 0 , C o a s t a l & H e a r t l a n d N a t i o n a l E s t u a r y P a r t n e r s h i p$ 5 0 0 I f t h e F l o r i d a “ T h r e a t e n e d ” g o p h e r t o r t o i s e a n d b u rr o w i n g o w l l i v e o n t o a m u s e a n d d e l i g h t f u t u r e g e n e r at i o n s i t w i l l b e d u e t o t h e e f f o r t s o f i n d i v i d u a l s a n d o r g a n i z a t i o n s w h o c a r e d e e p l y a b o u t n a t u r e P l e a s e g o t o c c f r i e n d s o f w i l d l i f e o r g t o l e a r n h o w y o u c a n b e c o m e i n v o l v e d i n o u r p r e s e r v a t i o n a n d c o n s e r v at i o n e f f o r t s o r t o m a k e a d o n a t i o n C h e c k o u t c a p e c or a l w i l d l i f e t r u s t o r g ( a s i s t e r o r g a n i z a t i o n o f C C F W ) t o f i n d o u t a b o u t o u r w i l d l i f e h a b i t a t l a n d a c q u i s i t i o n / d o n a t i o n p r o g r a m

L o r i H a u s - B u l c o c k M e m b e r , E x e c u t i v e B o a r d C a p e C o r a l F r i e n d s o f W i l d l i f e

Oh, SNAP! Florida lets kids go hungr y

To the editor:

The Federal SNAP emergency food allotments ended in February for Florida Our state legislators could have accepted the ongoing Federal assistance for poor families to receive nutritious food Instead the Republican-led legislators and Governor decided to turn down the extra food assistance for Florida s children

Giving poor children food would require Florida to receive, at no additional cost to Floridia taxpayers, ongoing aid from the federal government to supplement food for a starving child who is a citizen with two parents earning $2 495 or less In March those families will only get food aid if earning less than $1,920 a month in Florida You will recall the average rent in Fort Myers starts above $2,000 a month The legislature of the Republican Party while ostensively busy protecting zygotes chooses to turn down the help This punishment of the post-born children of Florida apparently for no reason, describes the meanness of spirit of Florida s GOP lawmakers

Food supplements, of course, also are a boost to farmers, and grocery stores and employees of farms and grocery stores because the sales volume increases their business viability Children do better in school when fed etc

Meanwhile last week, the Coalition of Immokalee (farm) Workers marched across the state to request fair food wage increases, and additional agreements of food sales corporations They ask is for a code of conduct to not traffic in human slavery and address sexual assaults on the job Their petitions are not frivolous demands The CIW program also asks a penny per pound incentive to farmers for wage bonuses for workers Farm machinery and H visa temporary workers from Mexico compete with these working families for minimum wage jobs in the tomato fields Obviously this competition is used by the corporations for suppressing wages downward CIW has a website for more information

To the editor: Is there anything that government does that is more important than keeping its citizens safe? Yet our cities have become gradually worse over time

Recently there was an article saying that the notorious gang MS13 is expanding to Mexico of all places to compete against the cartels Can you imagine that we have made crime so successful that they can expand to Mexico? MS13 proves that America doesn t go to war against crime

America is big enough and has enough tools to stop almost anything and certainly gangs like MS13 is a small operation compared to ISIS and the like The fact that America doesn t go to war against crime is purely political

Minnesota has digressed as much as any state Politically Minnesota took two steps They tried to defund the police and they installed liberal attorneys that were soft on crime letting criminals arrested loose in a few hours and then not prosecute Can you imagine how insulting and unsatisfying it would be to have someone throw away your work of catching a criminal by letting him loose without even a hearing? The police responded by retiring early and quitting to get a job with some other town Minneapolis is now short 22% of their budgeted number of police An attractive pension awaits but many will not suffer for years to qualify for a pension

The result of all this is a step change in crime People in the cities, stay away from stores and downtown areas as much as they can; have to take safety measures to work downtown; have to buy a gun to protect their household; have to get used to gunshots in the neighborhood in the middle of the night; live where their kids are exposed to gangs, rape, murder, etc Kids then see crime as normal and might even get involved Many stores are moving out of the severe crime areas The common element in these cities is the governance by Democrats Minneapolis has 13 Democrats on the council and one Green Party member The Dems strategy overall is to pursue special interest and they have enough of those to turn an election In Minnesota, not only has Minnesota become very soft on crime but now they are passing a law to let felons vote There are 4 6 million felons in this country that could become a special interest market for Dems

Should Americans suffer extra crime to help the Democrats gain power?

Do you think it is too much to expect to be safe when you live in America?

John Benedict Cape Coral

This week’s poll question:

Has insurance failed you in the wake of Hurricane Ian?

∫ Yes We ve essentially been hit twice

∫ Somewhat I m covered for most of my losses but it s not as much as I expected

∫ No It may have taken a while but I’m covered for my losses and repairs

∫ It’s not the insurance companies It’s the regulatory cost of rebuilding and repairs

∫ I m collateral damage My insurance company has greatly increased my rates

∫ My insurance company has dropped me

∫ Other

Previous poll question

Should the benefit terms of Society

Security be re-evaluated?

∫ Yes 0 64% (2 votes)

∫ Maybe But not on retirees 38 91% (121 votes)

∫ No 58 20% 181 votes)

∫ It’s time the feds provide for a private retirement option or options 2.25% (7 votes)

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

City to break ground today for Lake Kennedy Racquet Center

Public invited to much-anticipated milestone for near $11 million project

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

The city of Cape Coral will hold its much-anticipated groundbreaking for the $10 7 million Lake Kennedy Racquet Center this Friday

The public is invited to attend the 10 a m ceremony for the facility which will add nearly three dozen pickleball and a dozen tennis courts at the Lake Kennedy Center 400 Santa Barbara Blvd

“This facility will provide additional pickleball and tennis courts which are in high demand and act as a centralized location for sporting events and tournaments ” said Kaitlyn Mullen a city spokesperson

Amenities will include covered seating at the courts, as well as a pro shop, concession stand and parking

Originally, the plan was for Charles Perry Partners, the contractor, to build the

“This facility will provide additional pickleball and tennis courts, which are in high demand, and act as a centralized location for sporting events and tournaments ”

Kaitlyn Mullen, a city spokesperson

Caloosa and Bayshore elementary teachers among Golden Apple honorees

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

Two West Zone teachers are among this year's Golden Apple Teacher Award honorees

This year's recipients include Laura Jordan from Caloosa Elementary School and Lindsey Maxwell from Bayshore Elementary School as well as Luis Fisher from Gateway High School, Tamara Hunter from Franklin Park Elementary School, Joni Pelletier from Treeline Elementary School and Stephanie Yanik from The Sanibel School

“I was very clearly stunned and speechless I was confused about the crowd outside of my room ” Maxwell said after being surprised in her classroom last week by a contingent with the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools program “My students' faces surprised me the most Some of them cried, some had huge smiles Overall, we were all just in awe of the events as they happened

She said the honor means that her students, both past and present really feel the same way she does about education

“By winning the Golden Apple I was able to show them the determination and hard work that I expect from them pays off in big ways It means that my students see me as someone who invested a lot into them I knew that all along but I am happy it was apparent to them as well ” Maxwell said

The fifth grade teacher has taught in the district for 10 years

My students and their reactions are the reason I get up and come in each day ” Maxwell said “I love the ‘aha’ look in their eyes Just seeing a student finally understand or challenging the extremely bright students in new ways That is what it is all about Jordan, a peer collaborative teacher, has been teaching in the district for 18 years, 16 years at Caloosa

Elementary “I was in complete shock and awe I truly wasn't expecting to receive such wonderful news ” she said The love that I felt from my students, the sponsors, Golden Apple Committee members, colleagues, family and friends was beyond words Jordan learned about the Golden Apple program when she first moved to Lee County in 2000 after seeing news reports and watching the televised broadcast of the Golden Apple Banquet

The speeches that were given by the teachers were truly inspirational, Jordan said as she was still finishing her education degree while working full-time It was then that I made it a personal goal to be a Golden Apple teacher to be able to represent the incredible teachers in Lee County It is an honor that I cannot even begin to describe I just am truly appreciative of the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools its sponsors and committee members for highlighting teachers in our district It warms educators hearts to know that we are valued

and respected by the community

Jordan said the magic of watching students learn and grow has been an amazing part of being a teacher

“When you get to participate in the life of a child both in and out of school you realize what a joy it is to have chosen this career However what I treasure the most is the simple greetings smiles and conversations with my students and colleagues As a teacher, you not only develop a class family, but you are also a part of a school family The students, teachers, administrators, and staff that I have the pleasure to work with each and every day are committed to doing what is best for our students and through that work it feels as though we become a family ” she said

This is the 36th consecutive year that the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools has surprised teachers in their classroom with what many consider the district s highest honor for teachers

These Golden Apple recipients will be honored at a black tie affair to be held at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center at the Luminary Hotel at 5:30 p m , Friday April 14

The banquet will be broadcast through NBC2 at 8 p m on Saturday April 22 Tickets are $175 per person and can be purchased by contacting the foundation at 239-337-0433

To

Laura Jordan is swarmed by her students after she was presented a Golden Apple Teacher Award last week Above, Bayshore Elementary School teacher Lindsey Maxwell, right, receives a hug after being presented a Golden Apple Teacher Award PHOTOS PROVIDED

to the cost

The city also will be able to host larger tournaments and get greater return on investment and economic impact if larger national tournaments can be held there

The project is part of the city s park s master plan

Cape Coral voters, in 2018, approved a $60 million General Obligation Bond to fund the expansion of the city s parks and recreation amenities

The money, to be paid back over 15 years through a special property tax, is being used to fund major parks and recreation improvements throughout the city Lake Kennedy Racquet Center is among the components ranging from neighborhood playgrounds to new parks and amenities

For additional information, please visit www capecoral gov/special project plans/parks and recreation g o bond/lake kennedy php

Lovegrove creating art from debris

Noted artist has returned to her hurricane-destroyed gallery in Matlacha

By PAULETTE LeBLANC pleblanc@breezenewspapers com

Leoma Lovegrove has returned to her Matlacha Gallery and will be on island painting from 10 a m to 4 p m through the end of March

The aptly named project Painting up a Storm is just that

The gallery is down to bare wood including walls and floors since Hurricane Ian blew in but this has not stopped her from creating art from the debris left behind as every day Lovegrove paints on the remaining wreckage she picks up from her gallery gardens on Matlacha Island

Each piece of art has its own story and many of the pieces have the story of their origin printed on the back As she has incorporated countless hurricane leftovers into her artwork she said she also wants to hear local Hurricane Ian stories from others, saying folks are free to stop in and say hello and share their particular story

While she has plaques depicting various locations impacted by Hurricane Ian, such as Captiva Island, Fort Myers and Boca Grande her Matlacha studio alone is a veritable treasure trove of memorabilia from the storm

Now, people are actually bringing me debris a fishing lure the key to their house car keys ” Lovegrove said

Picking up roof shingles, on which to paint, has become a regular part of this artist s process Along with shingles from local businesses many random objects have made their way into this project becoming another piece of Matlacha history

Lovegrove said she really wants to make her creations affordable because she would like everyone to have an original piece of her work, if possible, with a story included “I’m out here painting amongst the rubble I have to keep tissues nearby and handy as I listen to people s stories, Lovegrove said

The storm-ravaged buildings where Lovegrove’s gallery and gardens were located are at 4637 Pine Island Road

Laura Jordan

Leoma Lovegrove is creating art from debris left behind after Hurricane Ian destroyed her gallery in Matlacha

Volunteers sought for algal research study

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 A l o c a l u n i v e r s i t y a n d r e s e a r c h p a r tn e r s a r e l o o k i n g f o r m e m b e r s o f t h e c o m m u n i t y t o p l a y a r o l e i n t h e s t u d y o f h a r m f u l a l g a l b l o o m s t h a t h a v e i n v a d e d w a t e r s a r o u n d S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a i n r e c e n t m e m o r y R e s e a r c h e r s f r o m F l o r i d a A t l a n t i c U n i v e r s i t y s C h r i s t i n e E L y n n C o l l e g e o f N u r s i n g a n d H a r b o r B r a n c h O c e a n o g r a p h i c I n s t i t u t e , a r e c u r r e n t l y s e e k i n g p a r t i c i p a n t s f o r a s t u d y t h a t w i l l e v a l u a t e t h e p o t e n t i a l i m p a c t s o f e x p os u r e t o t h e s e b l o o m s H a v i n g r e c e i v e d a n o t h e r g r a n t f r o m t h e F l o r i d a D e p a r t m e n t o f H e a l t h , r e s e a r c h e r s w i l l c o n t i n u e t h i s “ f i r s t - o fi t s - k i n d ” e v a l u a t i o n o n b o t h t h e s h o r ta n d l o n g - t e r m h e a l t h e f f e c t s a m o n g F l o r i d a r e s i d e n t s A c c o r d i n g t o e x p e r t s t h e s t u d y u s e s a c o l l a b o r a t i v e , m u l t i s i t e a p p r o a c h , w h i c h i n c l u d e s r e s e a r c h e r s f r o m 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 “ W e h a v e v e r y l i t t l e d a t a o n h u m a n e x p o s u r e t o t h e s e b l o o m s d e s p i t e t h e p r e v a l e n c e a n d i n t e n s i t y c y a n o b a c t e r i a l b l o o m s i n S o u t h F l o r i d a , s t a t e d S h i r l e y G o r d o n , P h D , p r i n c i p a l i n v e s t i g a t o r a n d a p r o f e s s o r i n t h e C h r i s t i n e E L y n n C o l l e g e o f N u r s i n g i n a r e l e a s e “ U n d e r s t a n d i n g s h o r t - a n d l o n g - t e r m h e a l t h i m p a c t s i s c r u c i a l t o p r o t e c t i n g F l o r i d i a n s h e a l t h B y d e v e l o p i n g t o o l s t o m e a s u r e c o n c e n t r a t i o n s o f h a r m f u l a l g a l b l o o m s t o x i n s i n t h e e n v i r o n m e n t a n d m u l t i p l e h u m a n t i s s u e s w e w i l l g a i n a b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h i s o n g o i n g

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E Lynn College of Nursing and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, are currently seeking participants for a study that will evaluate the potential impacts of exposure to harmful algal blooms in local waters It is the continuation of a first-ofits-kind” evaluation on both the short- and long-term health effects among Florida residents

t h e p o t e n t i a l e f f e c t o f e x p o s u r e t o

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P r e v e n t i o n w h i c h i s d e v e l o p i n g m e t h o d o l o g y t o d e t e c t e m e r g i n g a l g a l t o x i n s i n h u m a n t i s s u e s T h e s t u d y w i l l i n c l u d e e n v i r o n m e n t a l s a m p l i n g o f w a t e r a n d a i r t o m e a s u r e p o t e n t i a l s o u r c e s o f e x p o s u r e R e s e a r c h e r s h a v e d e v e l o p e d a b i o - r e p o si t o r y a n d p a r t i c i p a n t r e g i s t r y t o s t o r e t h e d a t a a n d s a m p l e s i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h F A U ’ s C l i n i c a l R e s e a r c h U n i t w i t h i n t h e F A U D i v i s i o n o f R e s e a r c h “ T h e p u r p o s e i s t o b u i l d a n o n g o i n g i n f r a s t r u c t u r e t o s u p p o r t t h e t e a m s l o n gt e r m s t u d i e s o n t h e h e a l t h e f f e c t s o f e x p o s u r e t o c u r r e n t a n d e m e r g i n g h a r mf u l a l g a l b l o o m s t o x i n s a n d s e r v e a s a r e s o u r c e f o r r e s e a r c h e r s a r o u n d t h e s t a t e F A U o f f i c i a l s s t a t e d T h e r e s e a r c h t e a m f e a t u r e s M a l c o l m M c F a r l a n d , P h D , a r e s e a r c h a s s o c i a t e a t F A U H a r b o r B r a n c h a n d c o - p r i n c i p a l i n v e s t i g a t o r o f t h e s t u d y T h e t e a m a l s o i n c l u d e s K a t h i H a r v e y P h D a n u r s e p r a c t i t i o n e r a n d a n a s s i s t a n t p r o f e s s o r i n t h e C h r i s t i n e E L y n n C o l l e g e o f N u r s i n g ; a n d M i c h a e l P a r s o n s , P h D , c o - i n v e s t i g a t o r a n d a p r o f e s s o r o f m a r i n e s c i e n c e 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 F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o r t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e s t u d y , c a l l o r t e x t

, o r e m a i l S h i r l e y G o r d o n a t N u r H A B @ h e a l t h f a u e d u P a r t i c i p a n t s w i l l r e c e i v e u p t o $ 2 5 i n g i f t c a r d s a s a n i n c e n t i v e f o r p a r t i c i p a ti n g i n d a t a c o l l e c t i o n a c t i v i t i e s e a c h y e a r

Cape Council discusses permitting for special events

B y C H U C K B A L L A R O n e w s @ b r e e z e n e w s p a p e r s c o m A m o n g t h e a m e n i t i e s o f f e r e d b y t h e c i t y o f C a p e C o r a l a r e t h e s p e c i a l e v e n t s t h e c i t y h o l d s t h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r F r o m B i k e N i g h t s t o R e d W h i t e & B O O M t o A r t F e s t , t h e r e s a n e v e n t f o r j u s t a b o u t a n y b o d y C a p e C o r a l C i t y C o u n c i l o n W e d n e s d a y d i s c u s s e d a p o l i c y o n s p e c i a l e v e n t s r e g a r d i n g h o w m u c h s u p p o r t t h e c i t y s h o u l d p r o v i d e t o e v e n t s i t d o e s n ’ t s p o n s o r a s w e l l a s t h o s e t h e y e i t h e r p a r tn e r w i t h o r a r e o r g a n i z e d b y a n i n d ep e n d e n t n o n - p r o f i t M a n y o f t h e e v e n t s t h e c i t y h o l d s e v e r y y e a r b r i n g s o m e s o r t o f m o n e t a r y a n d c u l t u r a l v a l u e t o t h e c i t y a n d t h e r e a r e b e t w e e n 1 8 a n d 2 0 e v e n t s p e r y e a r t h a t f a l l u n d e r t h a t u m b r e l l a M a y o r J o h n G u n t e r s a i d h e w a n t s t h a t t o c o n t i n u e b u t a l s o w a n t e d t o k e e p t h e c i t y ’ s c o n t r i b u t i o n s w i t h i n l i m i t s w h e n i t c a m e t o i n d e p e n d e n t e v e n t s S p e c i a l e v e n t s s h o u l d b e n e f i t t h e

“ S p e c i a l e v e n t s s h o u l d b e n e f i t t h e c o m m u n it y a s a w h o l e T h o s e a r e t h e o n e s w e w a n t t o p a r t n e r w i t h a n d w e n e e d t o i d e n t i f y t h e m a n d h o w m u c h w e ’ r e g o i n g t o s p e n d o n t h e m We a l s o n e e d t o d e c i d e w h a t w e w i l l o r w o n ’ t p r o v i d e ” M a y o r J o h n G u n t e r

c o m m u n i t y a s a w h o l e T h o s e a r e t h e o n e s w e w a n t t o p a r t n e r w i t h a n d w e n e e d t o i d e n t i f y t h e m a n d h o w m u c h w e r e g o i n g t o s p e n d o n t h e m , G u n t e r s a i d “ W e a l s o n e e d t o d e c i d e w h a t w e w i l l o r w o n ’ t p r o v i d e ” G u n t e r w a s c o n c e r n e d t h a t e v e n t o r g a n i z e r s w o u l d t a k e a n a l a c a r t e a p p r o a c h , a s k i n g t o h a v e c e r t a i n t h i n g s , a n d n o t f o r o t h e r s , b u t s a i d h e w o u l d l i k e t o c h a r g e f o r o t h e r s e r v i c e s t h e y a r e n o t i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h C o u n c i l m e m b e r D a n S h e p p a r d s a i d s p e c i a l e v e n t s a r e a m e n i t i e s t h a t b r i n g

p e o p l e t o C a p e C o r a l a n d b r i n g v a l u e t o t h e c i t y W e n e e d t o t h i n k o u t s i d e t h e b o x a n d b r i n g o t h e r e v e n t s t o o t h e r p a r t s o f t h e c i t y n o t j u s t d o w n t o w n H o w c o m e t h e p a r a d e s a r e o n l y h e l d d o w n t o w n ? W h y n o t h a v e o n e f r o m o n e e n d o f t h e c i t y t o a n o t h e r ? S h e p p a r d a s k e d M o s t o f t h e s u c c e s s f u l e v e n t s a r e s m a l l e r L e t s i n v e s t i n t h o s e S h e p p a r d a l s o w a r n e d t h a t t h e c i t y i s r u n n i n g o u t o f s p a c e t o h o l d e v e n t s d o w n t o w n H e s a i d t h e c i t y h o l d s t h e s a m e V e t e r a n s D a y P a r a d e i t d i d 3 0

y e a r s a g o w h i l e t h e p o p u l a t i o n h a s e x p l o d e d T h e a r r i v a l o f F e s t i v a l P a r k i n t h e c o m i n g y e a r s c o u l d h e l p s o l v e t h e p r o b l e m c o n c e r n i n g s p e c i a l e v e n t s i n g e n e r a l a s i t i s m o r e c e n t r a l l y l o c a t e d W h i l e t h e r e i s J u l y 4 t h R e d , W h i t e &

B O O M t h e r e i s a l a c k o f h o l i d a y e v e n t s w i t h t h e F e s t i v a l o f L i g h t s h a p p e n i n g s e v e r a l w e e k s b e f o r e C h r i s t m a s N e w Y e a r s E v e h a s b e e n d i s c u s s e d a n d t h e r e u s e d t o b e a n e v e n t f o r H a l l o w e e n C o u n c i l m e m b e r B i l l S t e i n k e s a i d h e w o u l d l i k e t o h a v e a c e r t a i n a m o u n t o f m o n e y a l l o c a t e d f o r e v e n t s t h e c i t y h o s t s a n d s e r v e a s c o - h o s t s f o r w h i l e a l s o a d d i n g f u n d i n g f o r t h e i n d e p e n d e n t e v e n t s , p e r h a p s i n t h e f o r m o f a g r a n t t o g i v e o r g a n i z a t i o n s a d d i t i o n a l s u p p o r t t h e y c a n a p p l y f o r p r o v i d e d t h e y m e e t t h e c i t y ' s v i s i o n a n d m i s s i o n w h i c h t h e c i t y s u g g e s t e d I n t e r i m C i t y M a n a g e r M i k e I l c z y s z y n s a i d h e w o u l d p r o v i d e a d r a f t o f t h e p r op o s a l f o r t h e c i t y c o u n c i l t o l o o k a t b e f o r e t h e b u d g e t c o m e s o u t i n t h e s u mm e r

Spring Family Festival, Color Fun Run, set for Saturday

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers comn

Cape Coral's Mercola Market will play host to a 5K and Fun Run along with a Spring Family Festival this Saturday

Registrations are ongoing for the upcoming Mid-Cape 5K Color Fun Run, which takes place from 8:30 to 10 a m at Mercola Market This non-timed run will occur during the all-new Spring Family Fest -- a free family event that will offer food trucks live music, face painting, bounce houses, the Easter Bunny and more fun activities, from 9 a m to 2 p m

Open to all ages the Color Fun Run will start at the market and go through the local area where runners will pass different color stations at participating organizations, including Cape Coral Animal Shelter, Cape Coral Skate Park, CrossFit ENG, Crunch Fitness, Mid-Cape Global Academy and Sam’s Club

"We're excited to bring another event to the community while the weather is still nice and families can enjoy the outdoors during

"We're excited to bring another event to the community while the weather is still nice, and families can enjoy the outdoors during Spring Break

The Color Run has always been a local favorite, especially amongst the younger kids because they can participate in something with their parents that's a little messy ”

Patrick Rossi, Mercola Market

Campus Operations Manager

Spring Break ” said Campus Operations Manager Patrick Rossi “The Color Run has always been a local favorite especially amongst the younger kids because they can participate in something with their parents that's a little messy ”

Registration is $30 for adults and $15 for kids 6 to 14 years old Participants should arrive between 7:45 and 8 a m

Rossi added that Mercola hopes to help participating runners develop a love for healthy activities like walking and running as well as create a space where families and Southwest Florida residents think of when

wanting to find something to do in the areawhether that's one of our monthly events or enjoying a cup of coffee from our cafe We want the community to know we re here and offer many types of entertainment and activities throughout the year ”

The 5K is a non-timed run meant to get people outdoors and celebrating healthy living or anything unique to the runner like cross training for another sport, celebrating a health-driven milestone, or simply bonding over an activity suitable for the whole family or even coworkers Rossi said He added “We call it a run but this 5K

welcomes runners, walkers and even crawlers in strollers Make it your own The only thing required is to have fun ”

As for the Family Festival Rossi said

Like our events in the past this Family Fest will have many loved activities for kids, like face painting, bounce houses and even the Easter Bunny It lets kids be kids while creating memories as a family "

To register visit www runsignup com/Race/FL/CapeCoral/M idCapeSpringColorRun

The Mercola Market & Cafe is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a m to 6 p m Friday and Saturday from 9 a m to 6 p m and Sunday from 10 a m to 2 p m For more information or a complete list of upcoming events and updates, visit www mercolamarketcc com or call 239599-9400

Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad cj

Cape Council discusses boating program, meeting standards

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

The city s boat ramps are opportunities for residents to hit the waters

They also apparently provide opportunities for local business Cape Coral City Council on Wednesday gave city staff direction to craft a measure regarding commercial recreational watercraft rental permits within the next 90 days and to have the council vote on it or hold another workshop meeting to come up with a clear policy

Several business owners spoke during citizens input about the policy, saying they have worked to provide a service to the community and a way to support their families

“It is unfair to punish responsible permit

holders for the actions of a few bad apples

There have been illegal charters and boat rentals doing business and many aren t even captain certified, said Hebrew Gonzalez

Members on council said that there is a place and time to promote your business just not at the boat ramps where people are looking to access the water

I don t want to hinder anyone s ability to use the ramps They are for the public, not for business They should not be in the parks or boat ramps ” Mayor John Gunter said adding that didn’t include companies that deal with seawalls

Councilmember Dan Sheppard said he wanted a plan that could benefit everyone, including businesses

“We don’t want people to run a business

under the radar We want businesses that are professional so that small businesses can grow, Sheppard said Council needs to find a balance and keep all the amenities we have so people here won’t want to leave the city ” Interim City Manager Mike Ilczyszyn said he would work to continue crafting the ordinance and bring a finished product to city council before summer break Gunter said there would likely need to be another workshop to come up with a policy

In the meantime local businesses still will be held accountable and expected to work under the old confines of the agreement

In other business, Council discussed ways to possibly make meetings shorter and more productive with one proposal being cutting down the time of staff and witness presenta-

tions on zoning items and giving public hearings the same three minutes per individual and a maximum of 60 minutes as other input sessions

Councilmember Tom Hayden said he did not want to take away the ability of residents to speak out He also said there are very few topics where limits would be necessary (It would have been necessary during the UEP meeting that night)

Gunter said he agreed with the time limits with some exceptions for very controversial topics that bring a full house

Council also discussed the city s procurement process, which is how the city conducts its requests for proposals and how it ranks and determines who gets the city contract on a project

Sounds of Jazz and Blues: City event draws crowds of music lovers

From page 1A

Instrumental Album category for “Summer

Horns with Dave Koz, Richard Elliot, and

Gerald Albright

Her second nomination came in 2015 for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for her solo LP "Wild Heart ” that featured Gregg Allman Joe

Perry, Trombone Shorty, Booker T Jones, Ken' Mo' and Max Weinberg

A b a i r h a s a l s o m a d e m a i n s t r e a m appearances as the featured saxophonist on American Idol ; sat in with Paul Shaffer on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon;” and has moonlighted on tour with Duran Duran and Aerosmith

As a solo artist, she s constantly a top the Contemporary Jazz and Blues charts, and in 2018, won eight Independent Blues Awards including Artist of the Year H e r l a t e s t a l b u m “

F o r e v e r ” w a s released in March of 2022 and debuted No 1 on the current Contemporary Jazz Album Chart and features performances by Steve Perry, Rick Braun, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Eric Bazilian and Raul Malo

“We are excited to have such talented artists perform for us this year Haeger

said

This year’s venue is also an ode to the past organizers said

“This year we are bringing this event back to its roots at the Coral Oaks Golf Course, Haeger said This is a great way to show case our city golf course and what it has to offer Although Hurricane Ian took some of the Golf Course’s beautiful trees the views are still gorgeous ”

Tickets ($25 in advance and $30 dayof) can be purchased online until Friday night and then at the door the day of the event

Children 5-years-old or younger do not requite a ticket The event is rain or shine For tickets and for more information, visit www capeconcerts com C o n n e c t w i t h t h i s r e p o r t e r o n Twitter: @haddad cj

City breaks ground for new fire station

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

Two of the busiest fire stations in the city of Cape Coral are stations 2 and 5 and a s t h e c i t y c o n t i n u e s t o g r o w i n t h e Northeast Cape, the workload for both is getting heavier A new fire station will be coming online by the end of the year to lighten the load on those two stations while allowing quicker response times to residents G r o u n d w a s b r o k e n T h u r s d a y o n Station No 13 on 2025 N E 6th St , with c i t y d i g n i t a r i e s a n d C a p e C o r a l F i r e Department Chief Ryan Lamb throwing dirt after the short ceremony

We ve seen a lot of growth here in not only residences but businesses, so it s important to match those services with the growth ” Lamb said “We’re seeing an increase in the demand for services here and it’s located between two of our busiest zones It will cover almost to U S 41 And we need to give our residents proper coverage The construction of Station 13 is part of the city’s plan to improve public safety and response times in areas that need it most and meet its goal of responding to an emergency (from call to front door) within 10 minutes or less 90 percent of the time whether it be a fire or cardiac arrest

“Time matters Seconds matter

The quicker we can get out and provide that service It’s important for not only the distance we cover but the number of calls Last year we had another 11 percent increase in call volume

We re seeing exponential growth

CCFD Chief Ryan Lamb

Time matters Seconds matter The quicker we can get out and provide that service It’s important for not only the distance we cover but the number of calls ” Lamb said Last year we had another 11 percent increase in call volume We re seeing exponential growth

The total cost of the building is $7 4 million It will have 9 161 square feet of space on a 1 25-acre site It will also house a four-person fire engine that provides fire suppression and advanced life support services It is expected to be completed by December

It is also the fourth station to be built in the city in the past five years as population continues to explode in the city Mayor John Gunter has seen them all go up and said it s important for public safety to keep up with the growth

CHUCK BALLARO Cape Coral Councilmembers Tom Hayden and Jessica Cosden, Mayor John Gunter and Fire Chief Ryan Lamb break ground for Fire Station No 13 on Thursday The $7 4 million station will be built at 2025 N E 6th Street

In my time here, I ve always put safet y f i r s t T h i s i s a n e x a m p l e o f t h a t Fortunately, the councils I ve served in

also put safety as a priority, Gunter said That s why you see the growth in the fire department that you see

Connect: Under-river pipeline to bring reclaimed water to Cape Coral

From page 1A

C o n n e c t i s a n i n n o v a t i v e c o n c e p t a n d t h e e n d r e s u l t w i l l a l l o w C a p e C o r a l t o u t il i z e u n u s e d r e c l a i m e d w a t e r f r o m F o r t M y e r s f o r f i r e a n d i r r i g a t i o n p u r p o s e s s a i d M e l i s s a M i c k e y , c i t y s p o k e s p e r s o n C h a u n c e y G o s s , c h a i r m a n o f t h e S F W M D s a i d p r o j e c t s l i k e t h i s a r e e x a c t l y w h a t w e s h o u l d b e d o i n g “ S e e i n g t h i s p u t s a s m i l e o n m y f a c e a n d o v e r t h e l a s t s i x m o n t h s t h i s a r e a n e e d s m o r e s m i l e s , G o s s s a i d T h i s i s g o i n g t o i m p r o v e t h e w a t e r q u a l i t y i n t h e C a l o o s a h a t c h e e t o m a k e t h i n g s b e t t e r f o r t h e s t a t e W e ’ r e d o i n g i t i n c r e m e n t a ll y T h i s i s n ’ t a l i g h t s w i t c h y o u c a n t u r n o n a n d o f f I t s a m a r a t h o n , a n d m a r a t h o n s a r e h a r d J e n n i f e r C a r p e n t e r , o f t h e F D E P , s a i d t h e p r o j e c t g o t t h e b l e s s i n g o f h e r 8y e a r - o l d s o n a s t h e y d r o v e o v e r t h e r i v e r T h u r s d a y m o r n i n g H e s a i d W h a t a g r e a t i d e a , a n d i t r e a l l y i s a g r e a t i d e a , e v e n a n 8 - y e a r - o l d k n o w s t h a t , C a r p e n t e r s a i d “ T h e C a l o o s a h a t c h e e a n d t h e e s t u a r y a r e c o ns i d e r e d t h e h e a r t o f t h i s c o m m u n i t y o u r w o r l d - c l a s s r e c r e a t i o n a l a n d c o m m e r c i a l f i s h e r i e s a r e b e c a u s e o f t h e C a l o o s a h a t c h e e a n d t h e f r e s h w a t e r i t b r i n g s ” M a y o r J o h n G u n t e r s a i d t h e c i t y

“It’s taken us 12 years to get to this point There are a few projects that really stand out as transformational and this is one of them There are some people who talk the talk and then there are people who walk the walk This project is an example of walking the walk ”

Mayor John Gunter

d e c i d e d t o t h i n k b i g o n t h i s p r o j e c t t h e n b a c k e d i t u p b y m a k i n g s o m e t h i n g t h a t w i l l b e a g a m e - c h a n g e r f o r t h e c i t y I t s t a k e n u s 1 2 y e a r s t o g e t t o t h i s p o i n t T h e r e a r e a f e w p r o j e c t s t h a t r e a ll y s t a n d o u t a s t r a n s f o r m a t i o n a l , a n d t h i s i s o n e o f t h e m ” G u n t e r s a i d “ T h e r e a r e s o m e p e o p l e w h o t a l k t h e t a l k a n d t h e n t h e r e a r e p e o p l e w h o w a l k t h e w a l k T h i s p r o j e c t i s a n e x a m p l e o f w a l k i n g t h e w a l k T h e C a l o o s a h a t c h e e C o n n e c t P r o j e c t i s a l a r g e r e c l a i m e d w a t e r p i p e l i n e t h e c i t y i s c o n s t r u c t i n g b e t w e e n C a p e C o r a l a n d F o r t M y e r s t h a t w i l l p r o v i d e u p t o 1 2 m i l l i o n g a l l o n s p e r d a y ( 1 2 b i l l i o n p e r y e a r ) o f a d d i t i o n a l i r r i g a t i o n a n d f i r e p r o t e c t i o n s e r v i c e s w a t e r t o r e s i d e n t s

T h e c i t y w i l l u t i l i z e H o r i z o n t a l D i r e c t i o n a l D r i l l i n g t o i n s t a l l p i p e u n d e r n e a t h t h e C a l o o s a h a t c h e e R i v e r w h i l e F o r t M y e r s w i l l u t i l i z e m i c r o t u nn e l i n g t o i n s t a l l a p o r t i o n o f t h e r e c l a i m e d w a t e r m a i n u n d e r n e a t h b u s y i n t e r s e c t i o n s a l o n g t h e p i p e l i n e r o u t e T h e c i t y w i l l c o n s t r u c t a r e c l a i m e d w a t e r t r a n s m i s s i o n m a i n f r o m t h e E v e r e s t w a t e r r e c l a m a t i o n f a c i l i t y t o a c o n n e c t i o n p o i n t i n F o r t M y e r s n e a r t h e M i d p o i n t B r i d g e a t H o r t o n P a r k T h e p r o j e c t w h i c h i s e s t i m a t e d t o c o s t $ 2 2 m i l l i o n w i t h $ 1 3 m i l l i o n p a i d f o r v i a g r a n t s i s e x p e c t e d t o b e c o m p l e te d b y F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 4 T h e e f f o r t t o m a k e t h i s a r e a l i t y b e g a n i n 2 0 1 1 , U t i l i t i e s D i r e c t o r J e f f P e a r s o n

s a i d a s t h e c i t y w a s g r o w i n g a n d t h e n e e d f o r i r r i g a t i o n w a t e r w a s b e c o m i n g m o r e a c u t e P e a r s o n s a i d t h i s p r o j e c t a s w e l l a s d i v e r s i f i c a t i o n a n d s t o r a g e , w i l l d o j u s t t h a t a n d m o r e “ O v e r t h e y e a r s a s o u r p o p u l a t i o n g r o w s i t w i l l b e i m p o r t a n t t h a t e v e r y o n e c o n t i n u e s t o w o r k t o g e t h e r c i t i e s g o ve r n m e n t s , a u t h o r i t i e s , t o m a k e p r o j e c t s l i k e t h i s h a p p e n a n d m a k e s u r e w e g e t w a t e r w h e r e w e n e e d i t t h e m o s t , P e a r s o n s a i d “ I h a v e n e v e r s e e n a r e c l a i m e d w a t e r i n t e r c o n n e c t g o i n g u n d e r a r i v e r I t ’ s a v e r y u n i q u e p r o j e c t i t s t r a n s f o r m a t i o n a l a n d I m h u m b l e d a n d p r i v i l e g e d t o b e p a r t o f i t C a p e C o r a l a n d F o r t M y e r s e n t e r e d i n t o a n i n t e r l o c a l a g r e e m e n t t o c o n s t r u c t t h e p i p e l i n e i n 2 0 1 8 g i v i n g t h e c i t y a s o u r c e f o r w a t e r i t n e e d s a n d F o r t M y e r s a w a y t o d i s p o s e o f i t s t r e a t e d w a s t ew a t e r i n a w a y t h a t i s m o r e e n v i r o n m e nt a l l y f r i e n d l y t h a n d i s c h a r g i n g i t i n t o t h e r i v e r T h e a g r e e m e n t a l l o w s C a p e C o r a l t o p u r c h a s e t h e r e c l a i m e d w a t e r t h a t F o r t M y e r s t h a t w o u l d o t h e r w i s e d i s c h a r g e T h i s p r o j e c t w i l l p r e v e n t m o r e t h a n 5 0 t o n s o f p o l l u t a n t s f r o m e n t e r i n g t h e r i v e r a n d g o i n g d o w n s t r e a m P e a r s o n s a i d

Catching peacock bass in Florida

Not too many years ago if you wanted to catch an exotic bucket list of freshwater fish like a butterfly peacock bass you were also dealing with air travel to Brazil, lodging and guide fees These big bruiser jungle bass can rip the hooks off lesser lures drawing traveling anglers from around the world to remote river and lake locations throughout South America to challenge these beautiful and powerful gamefish

This started changing in 1984 when scientists introduced them to South Florida to control invasive species like Oscars and tilapias that escaped from aquarium breeding ponds during rain events and from aquarium hobbyists releasing into local waters

These uniquely colored green, gold, yellow and orange gamefish took off in South Florida’s warm waters and the waters around Miami Airport the Broward Miami Dade canals, Lakes Osborne and Ida All became peacock bass central which eventually spread westward to The Golden Gate Canals in Naples Those fish are still there and growing big but don t hook up the boat trailer just yet Like the jumbo Everglades pythons that have moved as far north as Charlotte County we’ve also got our own Cape canal peacock bass

These exotics seem to get bigger each year in South Florida but will probably never reach the near 30-pound Amazon/Rio Negro rivers class like the current world record 27-pound giant or the recent world record fly rod catch of 25 3 pounds As stated they’ve been here since 1984 with the current Florida state record standing at 9 11 pounds, although a documented 12 pounder was released and not submitted for a record

There’s little question warmer waters around Miami produce the bigger specimens, especially those approaching the 10-pound mark trophy size The first one I saw caught here was 3 or 4 years ago although others have reported earlier catches Most I’ve seen locally have been under the 12-inch mark due I m sure to the colder and slower growing Cape climate

If you want to take a break from the normal routine then leave the boat at home and grab a few ultra-lite rods and your bass box or lite fly equipment and try your luck in the northern part of the Cape where some canals hold a large variety of salt and freshwater gamefish from tarpon to tilapia and a ton of other cichlid species largemouth and peacock bass, and lots of spotted gar

These fish, especially peacocks, absolutely love a small live shiner freelined or under a small float but will strike most baitfish imitations as well as top water plugs Take along a container of earthworms and small hooks and floats to catch big tilapia

Be warned that roadside fishing at canal bridges is city banned due to our two-legged swine friends leaving their mess behind while others trespassed in the end only making it harder on the responsible, on-foot angler

Peacocks and other non-native cichlids like Oscars and tilapia all have a mild taste and if you decide to eat a peacock you can legally harvest 2 per day only one of which may be 17 inches or longer in total length

Post card-like weather highs in the 80s and mild breezes are forecast allowing backcountry to deep Gulf anglers to get out and pursue their favorite species

Be sure to take small crabs to nearshore reef locations to bag a beautiful permit before they disappear Kingfish and cobia could suddenly appear so have rods preloaded with lures or bait-ready hooks

While many are getting their gear ready for the annual spring tarpon migration others are concentrating on snook as they make their way to the beaches

These fish are hungry and respond well to live to lure presentations

Pretty soon it will be steambath time so get a head start on basic maintenance

Air and grease for trailers, distilled water for batteries and a new water/fuel separating filter

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

Aubuchon raising funds for Cure on Wheels

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

Although a bike crash a little more than a year ago stopped one Cape Coral man from participating in the more than 325mile, three-day bike ride, he has almost r e a c h e d h i s $ 8 , 0 0 0 g o a l f o r C u r e o n Wheels

T h e d e a d l i n e t o s u p p o r t G a r y Aubuchon's Virtual Ride to Tallahassee is F r i d a y a n d c a n b e d o n e b y v i s i t i n g https://www flipcause com/secure/fundrais er/MTcxNzcw/84179

“For me this year was really about keeping the fact that cancer doesn't sleep first in people's minds Even though I couldn't ride I could still do something to raise awareness and money for research, Aubuchon said Cure on Wheels holds an annual bike-athon to raise money for cancer research and family support services

As of March 20 Aubuchon has raised 64 percent of his goal, $5,125

We only have $2,875 more to go, he said

Last year's more than 325-mile Cure on W h e e l s C a p i t a l R i d e f r o m T a m p a t o Tallahassee in three days started off great

It was a great ride I was feeling really good We had a rare trailwind, so that was moving us quite nicely along U S 90 that runs between Lake City and Tallahassee Probably because we were getting close I probably relaxed a little more than I should have, Aubuchon said

The rider in front of him unexpectedly hit his brakes, leaving Aubuchon without a chance to stop He hit the rider's back wheel causing his bike's front wheel to go side-

ways, throwing him off the bike onto the road at 22 miles an hour That happened Feb 21 2022

“I was extraordinarily lucky When I fell there wasn t any traffic in the lane that I was traveling in, Aubuchon said

When the ride begins, all the riders start

Red Grouper Bash

together and then throughout the day break off into smaller groups based on the speed of the riders There are SAG support vehicles that follow the riders with water nutrition and lunch, as they bike all day long

We were in one of the front groups I was fortunate there were two physicians in my group and two paramedics that came up behind me in the following group There wasn t anything to do except keep the traffic diverted around me until the ambulance came, Aubuchon said

He spent six days at the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital as he had six broken ribs a punctured lung as well five breaks in his clavicle which needed surgery

I spent six days in the hospital until surgeries could be scheduled and a team of physicians decided on the best path forward for me They used two plates and about 16 screws to piece my clavicle back together Then my ribs just healed on their own over time, Aubuchon said

It was not until 48 hours post-op that his wife was able to drive him back home It took about four to five months before he felt he could workout with intensity again and about a year until he really started to feel normal

His goal is to join the Capital Ride again next year in person as his endurance was not yet there to ride for three days this year

The hope is to have a new bike to ride next year, as his trusty 1997 Schwinn Passage, which needed minor repairs after the accident, is being retired to leisure rides “I have been back on the bike and have done a little tour with my wife on that bike

Two-day tournament April 7-8 starts at Sanibel Lighthouse, with children’s tournament at Moss Marina on Fort Myers Beach

By NATHAN MAYBERG nmayberg@breezenewspapers com

The Fort Myers Beach Woman’s Club will hold its inaugural Red Grouper Bash fishing tournament April 7-8 The two-day tournament will begin for adults at the Sanibel Lighthouse while the children’s tournament on April 8 will be held at Moss Marina on Fort Myers Beach

The proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Fort Myers Beach Woman s C l u b , a c c o r d i n g t o F o r t M y e r s B e a c h Woman’s Club board member and incoming president Dawn Thomas The club’s headquarters at Sterling Avenue on the beach was destroyed by Hurricane Ian and the club has been weighing options for a rebuild

The tournament is being hosted by Alec Dilallo of the Fort Myers-based Off Duty Lifestyle and will include catered food beer and liquor stations, raffles and live music

The cost to enter is $500 per boat (for four persons with a cost of $150 per each additional person) There is an additional charge of $300 per boat for those participating in the kingfish contest and an additional $100 per boat for those competing for Calcutta snapper The tournament will begin Friday April 7 with a shotgun start out front of the Sanibel Lighthouse Check-in will start at 5 a m According to the rules provided by Dilallo and Thomas all teams must check in with the starter boat which will be located at 34 Nortech with two pole flags located out front of the Sanibel Lighthouse Pier Once checked in, all further questions or concerns can be handled via channel 69

On Saturday there will be a shotgun start time beginning at 6:30 a m with boats required to be back to the dock no later than 3:30 p m All vessels will need to be in sight of a spotter will be placed at Bowditch

Point

This tournament will be restricted to a max depth of 120 feet No bent butt rods or electric reels will be allowed during the duration of the tournament

Weigh-in will be measured off of the two largest grouper Grouper chosen for weigh-in will be angler’s choice Anglers will be allowed to carry a personal scale to help in deciding which fish will be weighed for each boat

The rules further include the following:

■ All teams in the money will have fish gutted to confirm no alterations have been made to the fish

■ A polygraph test will also be conducted for all teams in the money

■ The tournament will be regulated abiding by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation regulations which require that red grouper caught must be at least 20 inches long

‘Tee It Up FORE Kids’ benefit tournament set for April 21

T h e C r a i g S c o t t M e m o r i a l G o l f Tournament, Tee It Up FORE Kids, benefiting The Heights Center Early Learning program will take place Friday April 21 at The Shell Point Golf Club 17500 On Par Blvd Fort Myers The tournament honors Scott, a long-time board member and supporter of Heights Early Learning

(formerly GLAD Kids) T h e e v e n t ' s p r o c e e d s b e n e f i t T h e Heights Center Early Learning an organization that supports more than 80 children from birth through age 4 A part of The Heights Foundation/The Heights Center family, The Heights Center Early Learn-

Thursday

BASEBALL

Bonita Springs 6, North Fort Myers 3: Thomas Eisminger was 3-for-4 for the Red Knights (7-6), and Garry Kamphouse was 2-for-4 with an RBI Rontrez Johnson, Blake Busbee and Brady Grados scored North's runs

Wednesday BASEBALL

Island Coast 17, Charlotte 3: Jake Mueller drove in five runs for the Gators (10-2) Mueller went 3-for-5 scoring two runs Isaac Lopez was 4-for-4 scoring four runs and driving in two Jordi Guerrero was 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored Anthony Ruiz allowed two runs one earned in five innings to earn the

ing s mission is to ensure low-income families h av e q u ality , af f o r d ab le ch ild car e Children read, learn and play in a safe environment while their parents provide for their families The Early Learning program h a s a f i v e - s t a r r a t i n g f r o m T h e E a r l y Learning Coalition

The event is sponsored by FineMark National Bank & Trust and Susan Scott

Registration is from 7:30 a m until 8:30 a m The shotgun start is at 8:30 a m with lunch and awards following the tournament

The poverty rate for children in Harlem Heights is more than twice the county average, said Pat Ostrom, tournament coordi-

PREP REPORT

pitching win Bishop Verot 9, North Fort Myers 2: Fidel Alviar's three-run homer and Jason Bello s solo shot paced the Vikings (9-5) to the win Rontrez Johnson was 2-for-3 with a triple, driving in a run and scoring one for the Red Knights (7-5) North's Thomas Eisminger was 2-for-4 with an RBI

Canterbury 13, Ida Baker 4: Cody Catania was 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Bulldogs (6-7) Cayden Farmer and Ryan Torres drove in a run each

Tuesday BASEBALL

Island Coast 2, Sebring 1 (9 innings):

The Gators (9-2) scored the winning run on a wild pitch with two out in the top of the n i n t h K e v i n M a r t i n e z w o r k e d e i g h t

nator The Heights Center Early Learning provides a stable, nurturing environment and means the parents can further their education and participate in the workforce ” Tournament Registration is now available The registration deadline is Friday April 14

Registration is $150 per golfer or $550 for a foursome In addition, sponsorships that include golf packages and recognition are available 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 www heightsfoundation org/forthekids or call Annie Campbell at 239-482-7706 or email annie@heightsfoundation org

innings allowing one unearned run while striking out nine on 102 pitches Jake Mueller pitched the ninth for a save Jordi Guierrero knocked in Mueller for the first Island Coast run

Bishop Verot 15, North Port 1 (5 innings): Jason Bello was 3-for-3 with two doubles three runs scored and four RBI for the Vikings (8-5) Grayson Carpenter was also 3-for-3 with three runs scored, and knocked in two runs Fidel Alviar also was 3 - f o r - 3 a n d h a d t h r e e R B I T i m o t h y Lawson (2-for-3) had two RBI and scored twice Andrew Hanlon added two RBI Alviar held North Port to three hits and one unearned run in five innings

Canterbury 8, Mariner 0: The Tritons (1-9) were blanked on three hits by the 100 Cougars

Capt George Tunison

Gary Aubuchon

Cape Coral Breeze Athletes of the Week

Cape Coral Breeze Athletes Week of the

(Selected by the Breeze Sports staff)

Sponsored by:

Utilities: Cape Council gives North 1 West expansion final nod

From page 1A

p l u m b i n g a n d c o n n e c t i o n c o s t s a n d s e pt i c t a n k a b a n d o n m e n t T h i s d i d n o t s i t w e l l w i t h r e s i d e n t s i n t h e a r e a a n d , w h i l e t h e r e w e r e n o t a l a r g e n u m b e r , t h o s e w h o s p o k e d u r i n g t h e p u b l i c h e a r i n g h a d a l o t t o s a y T h e y s a i d t h a t a f t e r C O V I D a n d t h e h u r r i c a n e n o w i s n o t t h e t i m e t o u n d e rt a k e s u c h a p r o j e c t , a n d , w i t h t h e c o s t b e i n g s o h i g h , m a n y w i l l h a v e t o m o v e b e c a u s e o f a n i n a b i l i t y t o p a y O n e r e s i d e n t s a i d t h e a s s e s s m e n t w a s r e a l l y a n o n a d - v a l o r e m t a x w h i c h t h e c i t y i s a b u s i n g a n d t h a t l e g a l a c t i o n c a n b e t a k e n T h i s t a x i s s k i r t i n g t h e H o m e s t e a d l a w s I b e l i e v e t h e r e i s a c l a s s - a c t i o n s u i t t h e r e o n c e p e o p l e a r e d a m a g e d w h i c h i s r i g h t a b o u t n o w ” s a i d r e s i d e n t J a s o n S h e l d o n C o u n c i l m e m b e r P a t t y C u m m i n g s

a g r e e d w i t h t h e r e s i d e n t s a n d a s k e d C o u n c i l t o p o s t p o n e t h e U E P f o r a y e a r o r t w o s o r e s i d e n t s c a n d e a l w i t h t h e c o s t o f h u r r i c a n e r e c o v e r y f i r s t T h e r e w a s n o s u p p o r t o n t h e d a i s w h e r e t h e p r o c e s s o f a p p r o v a l h a s b e e n m o v i n g f o r w a r d f o r m o n t h s w i t h t h e d e s i g n w o r k a l r e a d y p a i d f o r a n d c o ns t r u c t i o n r e a d y t o c o m m e n c e C o u n c i l m e m b e r W i l l i a m S t e i n k e s a i d t h a t l o w i n t e r e s t r a t e s s e e n i n t h e p a s t w e r e v e r y a t y p i c a l a n d t h a t g a m b l i n g t h a t r a t e s a n d l a b o r c o s t s w i l l d e c r e a s e s h o u l d t h e c i t y w a i t i s n o t a r i s k h e w o u l d t a k e I f t h e a q u i f e r s d r y o u t a n d a m o r a t or i u m w a s i s s u e d t h a t w e c o u l d n o l o n g e r b u i l d h o m e s h e r e w h a t w o u l d y o u r h o u s e b e w o r t h t h e n ? ” S t e i n k e s a i d “ I w o u l d l o v e t o s e e a p a n a c e a o f c o s t s c o m i n g d o w n W e c a n t g u a r a n t e e t h a t

T h i s j o b r e q u i r e s h e a d s a n d h e a r t s ” C o u n c i l m e m b e r D a n S h e p p a r d s a i d p a s t p r o j e c t s s h o w t h a t t h e e x t e n s i o n o f u t i l i t i e s h e l p s h o m e s b u i l d , a n d r e t a i n , t h e i r v a l u e “ T h e b e s t w a y t o p r o t e c t y o u i s t o g i v e y o u r h o m e v a l u e W e ’ v e b e e n t o l d t h e w e l l s a r e r u n n i n g d r y I f t h e y d o w e c o u l d n o l o n g e r b u i l d a n d n o b o d y w i l l w a n t t o b u i l d o r l i v e t h e r e , S h e p p a r d s a i d I m n o t g o i n g t o t e l l y o u w h a t y o u w a n t t o h e a r P e o p l e d o n ’ t w a n t h o m e s w i t h w e l l s o r s e p t i c ” M a y o r J o h n G u n t e r s a i d c o s t s n o rm a l l y c o n t i n u e t o r i s e a n d t h a t w a i t i n g w i l l j u s t s e e t h e p r i c e s g o h i g h e r W i t h t h a t , t h e C o u n c i l v o t e d t o a p p r o v e t h e f i r s t o f t h r e e f i n a l a s s e s sm e n t r e s o l u t i o n s ( f o r p o t a b l e w a t e r ) 7 - 1 w i t h C u m m i n g s d i s s e n t i n g T h e o t h e r t w o a s s e s s m e n t s , f o r w a s t e -

Cummings: Attorney says council member suffered public defamation

From page 1A

Lechner Lechner Law states

We have the privilege of representing Patty L Cummings with respect to legal m a t t e r s r e l a t i n g t o h e r r o l e a s C o u n c i l m e m b e r o f t h e C i t y o f C a p e Coral ” the letter states “Specifically Councilmember Cummings received from Mayor (John) Gunter a letter dated March 6, 2023 stating that he was notified of an a n o n y m o u s c o m p l a i n t t h a t h a s b e e n lodged against you through the Governor’s Office that you currently do not reside within District 4 of the City of Cape Coral

waste of taxpayer (funds) and any action taken as a result of the investigation a g a i n s t C o u n c i l m e m b e r C u m m i n g s t o remove her from her seat in contravention of the will of the voters would be contrary to Florida statute, which reserves that power to the governor and the governor alone ” Council voted 6-2 last week to hire an outside investigator to look into the issue Council members Cummings and Dan Sheppard dissented

Office and it subsequently made its way to Gunter’s Office

The complaint alleges that Cummings “fraudulently represented herself as living in District 4

Indeed, the Charter clearly distinguishes between the requirements for ‘eligibility to h o l d o f f i c e ’ a n d ‘ c a n d i d a t e q u a l i f i c ations ’”

w a t e r a n d i r r i g a t i o n a s w e l l a s t h e c o ns t r u c t i o n c o n t r a c t s o n t h e c o n s e n t a g e nd a w e r e p a s s e d u n a n i m o u s l y I u n d e r s t a n d t h e p a i n p e o p l e w i l l b e g o i n g t h r o u g h , b u t t h i s i s n e c e s s a r y t o k e e p C a p e C o r a l m o v i n g f o r w a r d ” s a i d C o u n c i l m e m b e r J e s s i c a C o s d e n w h o s e d i s t r i c t i s w h e r e t h e N o r t h 1 W e s t U E P i s h e a d e d T h o s e w h o a t t e n d e d t h e m e e t i n g w e r e u p s e t , b u t n o t s u r p r i s e d b y t h e d e c i s i o n “ T h e o u t c o m e d o e s n ’ t s u r p r i s e m e E v e r y b o d y w h o c a m e h e r e k n e w t h e c i t y h a d d e c i d e d ” S h e l d o n s a i d “ I t ’ s o d d t h e c i t y i s u s i n g n o n a d v a l o r e m t a x e s t o s k i r t l a w a n d p r o v i d e a b e n e f i t o n s o m eo n e s p r o p e r t y b u t w h i c h m a n y s a i d w o u l d d e s t r o y t h e i r p r o p e r t y v a l u e s ” at the time she qualified to run for the District 4 seat and has remained so at all times thereafter the letter from Jay P

The complaint took a circuitous route to the city’s elected board I t w a s s e n t o r i g i n a l l y t o F l o r i d a

As discussed below, the anonymous complaint is false, defamatory and legally erroneous My understanding is that in response to politically-motivated communications the Council intends to conduct an investigation into this frivolous anonymous complaint For the following reasons, such an investigation would be a

From page 1A

This constitutes a violate of his rights, the complaint contends

I allege that the Respondent retaliated against me when I engaged in statutorily protected conduct and further allege that I have suffered negative employment action

A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l

A s h l e y M o o d y a n d copied to Gov Ron DeSantis and Lee County Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle

It then was given to Matt Caldwell a state Committeeman for the Republican Party and a state representative from 2012 to 2018 Caldwell, Lee County s property appraiser, forwarded it to the Governor s

The city charter requires candidates to reside in the district they seek to represent and has been interpreted as it requires they live within their district while they serve Lechner’s letter questions that interpretation under a bolded and underlined header There Is No Requirement In The Charter That A Council Member Reside In His Or Her District Throughout His Or Her Entire Term ” It reiterates that Cummings resided at her District 4 address at the time she filed her statement of qualifications with the City Clerk and thereafter “However even if a council member temporarily changes residence during his or her term that does not disqualify that c o u n c i l m e m b e r f r o m o f f i c e u n d e r t h e terms of the Charter, the letter states

EEOC: City of Cape Coral asked to submit position statement

in violation of federal and state law

H e r n a n d e z s a i d i n h i s S t a t e m e n t o f D i s c r i m i n a t i o n S p e c i f i c a l l y , t h e Respondent’s actions violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended and the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 as amended

The filing of the EEOC complaint now puts the allegations, which the city and i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s o f C o u n c i l h a v e already denied back in the city’s hands for a formal response This is your opportunity to raise any a n d a l l d e f e n s e s , l e g a l o r f a c t u a l , i n response to each of the allegations of the charge ” the EEOC letter received by the city Wednesday states “The position statement should set forth all of the facts relevant to respond to the allegations in the charge, as well as any other facts the R e s p o n d e n t d e e m s p e r t i n e n t t o t h e EEOC’s consideration

“The EEOC also requests that you submit all documentary evidence you believe

is responsive to the allegations of the charge If you submit only an advocacy statement, unsupported by documentary evidence the EEOC may conclude that Respondent has no evidence to support its defense to the allegations of the charge ” Hernandez s allegation that his contract was not renewed because he objected to a series of civil rights violations concerning minority and LGBT employees was initially raised in a damages and settlement letter sent to the city Feb 14 The letter sent two weeks after Council had voted 53 to not renew his three-year contract, asked for $550,000, a neutral job reference and a public apology for professionally disparaging remarks made by council members concerning his employment Council subsequently voted 5-3 to terminate Hernandez without cause

The settlement letter was prepared by attorney Benjamin H Yormak of Yormak Employment & Disability Law based in Bonita Springs also named as Hernandez s

attorney in the EEOC complaint

In it, Hernandez had alleged the Feb 1 action to not renew his contract was in retaliation for his statutorily protected protestations and a violation of Florida’s Private Whistleblower Act and presented the series of allegations now contained in the EEOC complaint

Yormak had advised the city that should Mr Hernandez’s allegations be deemed violations of various federal and state civil rights acts the city could be required to pay backpay, reasonable attorney fees and costs and non-economic damages

All told, damages as to Mr Hernandez c o u l d b e i n e x c e s s o f $ 1 1 6 5 0 0 0 ”

Any action the city might continue to take would be a waste of taxpayer funds and would do little except continue to harm Cummings’ reputation the letter states “ As you know the Governor’s office has already received and reviewed the anonymous complaint and chose not to take any action, the letter states Any such action would be overturned by a circuit court through a writ of prohibition Finally my client Patty L Cummings has suffered public defamation of her character in the manner this was handled by the Council and the City Attorney To continue in this course of action would implicate more serious consequences and may warrant her to take more serious legal actions to protect her reputation ” members of City Council contributed to the City Council s decision not to renew my contract, his statement of complaint reads “On February 1 2023 City Council voted not to renew my contract despite a more than favorable performance evaluation less than 90 days earlier, and one of the chief reasons given were some poor d e c i s i o n s a n d p e r f o r m a n c e A s s e e n above what was being referred to as ‘poor decisions and performance’ was really my continued refusal to engage in discrimination against African-Americans, LGBT employees and LGBT citizens of Cape Coral In sum, because I opposed and refused to participate in such illegal conduct City Council retaliated by nonrenewing my contract ”

Yormak wrote in the Feb 14 notice to the city Reached via text message, Hernandez declined comment Thursday

The city has a policy of not commenting on pending or existing litigation

CAPE CORAL BREEZE

LOCAL LIVING

Business I Homes I Health I Education I Leisure

Page 1 2B

capecoralbreeze com

Classifieds Page 1B

Weeds: Gifts(?) that keep on giving

(Editor's note: The following column was printed previously in the Breeze )

“A weed is a plant that is not only in the wrong place but intends to stay -- Sara Stein

By JANETTA FOX news@breezenewspapers com

I have a love-hate relationship with those plants I consider to be out of place in the landscape They are nothing if not cunning They crop up uninvited and have staying power seemingly content in all sorts of conditions

Although I certainly admire them for their persistence, left to their own designs, nothing deters their growth and they will happily take over the landscape I am of course speaking of weeds

Deadline approaching for HACC scholarship applications

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

Four $1 500 scholarships are up for grabs from the Haitian-American Community Coalition of Southwest F

American heritage who will be graduating from high school this year

“HACC's mission is to improve the quality of life in the local Haitian-American commun i t y

y Vaughn said We care deeply about education We want to ensure that all children are provided the proper tools for academic success and that they have the opportunity to pursue a postsecondary education ”

and a 300 to 500-word personal essay

The applications can be mailed to Haitian-American Community Coalition of Southwest Florida 3949 Evans Ave Suite 304 Fort Myers FL 339901

The recipients will be announced on or before May 1 Vaughn said they began the scholarship in 2017 to date have awarded $20,500 to 22 students

GARDEN CLUB OF CAPE CORAL

What drives weeds to g r o w ? A s w i t h n o nweeds, conditions have to be just right for the individual weed in question with location time o f y e a r t e m p e r a t u r e s light conditions, moisture a n d , m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y , the overall health of the landscape having a role to play Some weeds like spotted spurge don’t mind what some other plants would consider unfavorable conditions and will sprout in poor, compacted soil and anywhere else they can find a hold, with seeds oftentimes sprouting in pavement cracks, and tiny holes and crevices Some other weeds prefer wet feet like dollarweed which one is very likely to see in lawns that have been overwatered

The take-away? There will always be a very adaptable weed at the ready when conditions warrant

Weeds often crop up because of mismanaged landscapes Therefore, the best approach to weed control is prevention i e creating an environment that discourages weed growth

For lawns the first line of defense would be to deploy healthy maintenance strategies Proper mowing (no more than 1/3 blade removed), proper fertilization (following label directions and according to local ordinances) and proper irrigation (applying water only when needed and in the amount needed; general rule of thumb being 1/2 to 3/4 inch per application) Weeds have less of a chance to get a hold when lawns are healthy When we scalp our lawns, apply more than the recommended amount of fertilizer or over water turf weakens and in that weakened state insect pests dise a s e a n d y e s w e e d s w i l l t a k e u p r e s i d e n c e Additionally, make certain to rinse/clean mower blades

See WEEDS, page 10B

The deadline to apply for the scholarship April 3 In order to apply, students must be of Haitian-American heritage and be a graduating Lee County high school senior who is either enrolled or will be enrolled in a degree or certificate program at a technical college state college or university by Sept 1 The application also includes two letters of recommendation

2022-2023

“There will be four scholarship recipients from the class of 2023 Each will receive $1 500 ” she said “HACC holds an annual Haitian Heritage Scholarship Gala every October This is our major fundraising event for the scholarships We were unable to hold our gala in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID restrictions however we received many genrous donations from supporters that enabled us und our scholarships in those two years In 2017, we awarded $500 each to three students Awards were $1,000 between 2018 and 2022 Again, this year we are able to give four $1 500 awards ”

Those who have any questions can email Vaughn at esv460@gmail com

EDUCATION NOTES

■ Jeslyn Kolasa of Cape Coral Palmer College of Chiropractic, the first and largest college in the chiropractic profession has campuses in Davenport Iowa; San Jose California; and Port Orange

Hodges University wins four national marketing awards H o d g e s U n i v e r s i t y ’ s m a r k e t i n g t e a m e a r n e d f o u r n a t i o n a l a w a r d s i n t h e 3 8 t h A n n u a l E d u c a t i o n a l

Advertising Awards

Hodges University won a Gold Award in the TV

Advertising Series category for its series of four TV commercials written and directed by the Hodges University marketing team and filmed and produced by WINK-TV and WXCW-TV

This year s challenge began on Sept 12, 2022, and was originally scheduled to end on Feb 3 2023; however the deadline was extended to Feb 24 due to the impact of Hurricane Ian in Lee County

The Lee County Supervisor of Elections mission is to deliver election services to the voters of Lee County Local students named to Dean's List at Palmer College of Chiropractic DAVENPORT, IOWA -- The following students were named to the fall 2022 Dean's List at Palmer College of Chiropractic's Florida's Campus in Port Orange Florida:

■ Sofia Alonso of Cape Coral

Hodges University earned a Merit Award in the Special Video category for the Hodges University Pre-Graduation Ceremony 2022 video Hodges University also earned a Merit Award in the Website category for its Hodges edu website In the category of Publication/External Hodges University earned a Merit Award for Talon magazine the magazine of Hodges University

This is the third year Hodges University has entered, bringing the total number of awards to 18 Hodges University a regionally accredited private nonprofit institution was founded in 1990 With a campus in Fort Myers Florida Hodges provides flexible day evening and online classes taught by world-class faculty for undergraduate and graduate degrees More information about Hodges University is available at Hodges edu

Fundraisers this weekend for Mariner student’s trip

to Washington, D.C.

Scholarships applications available for Rotary Park’s Eco Adventure Nature Camp

Ten students to be awarded scholarships to attend camp

Applications are now being accepted for the Adam Strongin Camp Scholarship, which provides the opportunity for children to participate in Rotary Park's Eco Adventure Nature Camp “ I t c a m e a b o u t b e

Strongin was one of our camp children who passed away, Senior Recreation Specialist Honey Phillips said He went to nature camp here After he passed away we decided to put together a scholarship program for camp kids ”

She said the family donated money towards the scholarship, which goes to

Torched Bar & Grill to host Macomber’s Southwest Florida Reader Rendezvous on April 1

Event a celebration of author’s final book in ‘Honor Series’

Robert Macomber

Peter Wake s finale Wake is the main character in Macomber’s “Honor Series ” Limited edition commemorative T-shirts on sale at this event Torched Bar & Grill is in the Surfside Shops at 2408 Surfside B l v d , C a p e C o r a l C a l l 2 3 9257-2870 for additional information about the restaurant or the S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a R e a d e r Rendezvous For more about Macomber, p l e a s e v i s i t w w w r o b e r t m acomber com

April programs set at Cape Coral Lee County Public Library

Cape Coral Lee County Public Library offers topics for all ages The following activities are free to the public: Adult

The Property Insurance Crisis in Florida

2 p m , Tuesday, April 4

Join financial educator Brett Burkey for an informative session on property insurance Florida s property insurance rates have almost doubled in the last five years and they are nearly triple the national average Yet insurers have been losing money and 15 of them have claimed insolvency since 2020 Hurricane risk might seem like the obvious problem, but several other man-made drivers contribute greatly to this collapse We will discuss the problems plaguing the insurance industry in Florida and the increasing challenges they create for the residents seeking to hold on to their piece of paradise Registration is required

Book Discussion: “We Are All the Same in the Dark” by Julia Heaberlin 1 1 a m , Wednesday, April 5 I t s b e e n a d e c a d e s i n c e T r u m a n e l l B r a n s o n d i s a p p e a r e d M e a n w h i l e , h e r brother Wyatt has been cleared of any charges but sentenced in the court of public opinion When Wyatt finds a young girl dumped in a field the town cop Odette Tucker, is desperate to solve both cases Odette fights to save the lost girl in the present and to dig up the shocking truth about a fateful night in the past In this t w i s t y p s y c h o l o g i c a l t h r i l l e r J u l i a Heaberlin paints unforgettable portraits of a woman and a girl who redefine perceptions of physical beauty and strength

Calls claiming you owe money are likely scams

Mr Feichthaler:

I closed a loan refinance title transaction with you and your team two years ago, and everything went great We locked in a low interest rate, which looks really good now with the massive increase in interest Now to the problem I received a call from someone at the Florida Department of Revenue saying the taxes on the mortgage were not paid They said it was the documentary stamp tax and the intangible tax, for a total of $2,900 I thought this was paid at closing, but they insisted it was not and that I could have my house seized or even be arrested if I don’t send the money by next Friday Is this an ongoing tax? Did you pay it for me?

- Angela M

Cape’s February home sales down sharply from last year

Dear Angela, Thank you for the compliments, and congratulations on the great interest rate Yes, I paid the documentary stamp tax and intangible tax two years ago We actua l l y p a y t h e s e t a x e s w h e n w e r e c o r d t h e mortgage, so they were all paid at once and p a i d t o L e e C o u n t y Both of these taxes are o n e - t i m e c h a r g e s o n notes and mortgages in Florida

Eric P Feichthaler Real Estate Law

The Florida Department of Revenue (and the IRS) will never just call a taxpayer and demand payment There will always be written notice that there is a deficiency, audit or other issue that has arisen I am very suspicious of this phone call We have seen a lot of attempted fraud with people pretending to own properties they do not (previously covered in my column), as well as people sending fake wiring instructions This scam appears to be a new one where thieves are targeting large mortgagors in the hopes the fear of jail or liens on property will lead to a quick payment I am so happy you reached out to me before paying any money, because, at best, they are incorrect However, they are more likely scammers hoping to take advantage of you I do recommend if you receive written notice of tax amounts due you work with a professional to confirm it is real And for unsolicited calls or texts that are seeking any kind of payment, never fall for it! Scammers are becoming more sophisticated by the day, and we must be ever vigilant to make sure we are not a successful target

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

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

Heatherwood Construction Company

rebuilding local fire stations

H e a t h e r w o o d C o n s t r u c t i o n C o m p a n y i s r e b u i l d i n g a n d e n h a n c i n g t w o I o n a - M c G r e g o r F i r e D i s t r i c t s t a t i o n s d a m a g e d b y H u r r i c a n e I a n S t a t i o n N o 7 1 , l o c a t e d a t 5 4 0 1 W i n k l e r R o a d i n F o r t M y e r s , s u s t a i n e d s i g n i f i c a n t w a t e r d a m a g e t h r o u g h o u t t h e i n s i d e b u i l d i n g a n d H e a t h e r w o o d C o n s t r u c t i o n C o m p a n y i s r e b u i l d i n g m u c h o f t h e i n s i d e i n c l u d i n g t h e k i t c h e n l i v i n g a r e a b u n k r o o m s e x e r c i s e a n d l a u n d r y r o o m s T h e d a m a g e w a s n t a s s e v e r e a t a n o t h e r s t a t i o n N o 7 2 , l o c a t e d a t 1 6 5 5 1 M c G r e g o r B l v d , b u t t h e b u i l d i n g d o e s r e q u i r e a n e w r o o f b e c a u s e o f t h e 1 4 0 m p h w i n d s E m e r g e n c y d r y - i n w o r k o n t h e r o o f w a s c o m p l e t e d

W i t h a l l e y e s f o c u s e d o n t h i s Wednesday s Federal Reserve meeting, the banking crisis, interest rates and inflation, the long anticipated decision about when the Fed would “blink and pivot” away from its “higher interest rates for longer” war on inflation was being made after we wrote this week s column As we have been saying in this column for the past 12 months, the Fed holds the keys to the housing market with its interest rate decisions and when compounded by the impact of Hurricane Ian it has been no surprise that our February home sales numbers are down sharply from a year ago However on a positive note the number of closed single-family home s a l e s i n t h e C a p e w e r e h i g h e r f r o m January to February of this year (except in our sailboat access canal home segment) Overall median sales prices are down from last year’s highs but holding up despite being negatively impacted by the abnormal “below market price” sales of storm damaged homes The number of active listings in the MLS continues to increase, while we are seeing some early indications that median list prices and pending home sales may be hitting their peak for now

and Geri Quinn Homing In

As of Tuesday March 21 the number of active listings for Cape Coral single-family homes in the Multiple Listing Service continued their steady move higher this year, increasing by 4 4% from 1,418 to 1,481 homes on the market over the last seven days There are now 11 4% more homes on the market since Jan 3 of this year and the number of active single-family home listings have more than tripled since one year ago on March 22 2022 when there were only 463 homes listed through a Realtor in the Cape

The median list price reached $534,950 for Cape Coral single-family homes two weeks ago on March 7, and has since eased back a bit to $524 900 this week (as of March 21) after climbing up from $509 873 on Jan 3 One year ago the median list price stood at $569 900 as it was on the way to its April 19, 2022, peak of $610,000 (based on our weekly market survey) The number of homes in the Cape currently listed for sale at $1 million and above has increased from 151 homes on Jan 3 to 193 homes as of March 21 Overall the number of pending home sales in the Cape stood at 850 on March 21, down from 872 pending sales a week ago, and down from 1,004 one year ago On Jan 3 of this year, there were 522 pending sales in the pipeline so we have had a solid seasonal surge in the current market conditions

In the overall Cape Coral single-family home market there were 370 closed home sales in February, which was 35 9% lower than the 577 closed sales in February 2022, but it was 13 8% above the 325 closed sales in January of this year In the first two months of 2023 there were a total of 695 closed sales in the Cape’s overall single-family home market which was 34 5% lower than the all-time record of 1,061 combined closed sales in the months of January and February 2022

The median sales price in the overall Cape Coral singlefamily home market was $421 999 in February or 5 5% higher than the $400 000 posted in both February 2022 and in January of this year In the first two months of 2023 the overall median sales price for single-family homes in the Cape averaged $411,000 per month, which was 3 4% higher than the average of $397,500 per month in January and February 2022

Indirect gulf access canal homes

In the Cape Coral single-family indirect gulf access canal home segment (homes with bridges in the canal system) there were 37 closed home sales in February This was 40 3% lower than the 62 closed sales in February 2022, but 76 2% above the 21 closed sales in January of this year In the first two months of 2023 there were 58 closed sales in this segment or 46 8% below the 109 sales in January and February 2022

The median sales price in the Cape s single-family indirect gulf access canal home segment was $835,000 in February which topped the $800 000 in February 2022 by

REAL ESTATE BRIEFS

T h e d a m a g e p r o v i d e d a n o p p o r t u n i t y f o r a r e d e s i g n o f t h e k i t c h e n b y C a p e C o r a l - b a s e d C a s t e l l a n o s + T r a m o n t e A r c h i t e c t s , o p e n i n g t h e a r e a a n d a l l o w i n g f o r b e t t e r i n t e r a c t i o n b e t w e e n t h e f i r e f i g h t e r s

S t a t i o n N o 7 1 w a s o r i g i n a l l y c o n s t r u c t e d i n 1 9 7 1 a n d r e n o v a t e d i n 2 0 0 7 I t w a s t h e f i r s t I o n a - M c G r e g o r F i r e D i s t r i c t f a c i l i t y C o n s t r u c t i o n u p g r a d e w o r k h a s n o t y e t s t a r t e d a s t h e n e w d e s i g n w o r k c o n t i n u e s H e a t h e r w o o d C o n s t r u c t i o n C o m p a n y h o p e s t o h a v e t h e s t a t i o n r e a d y s o m e t i m e t h i s y e a r F o r n o w , t h e f i r e f i g h te r s a n d a p p a r a t u s h a v e b e e n r e l o c a t e d t o a n o t h e r s t a t i o n H e a t h e r w o o d C o n s t r u c t i o n C o m p a n y i s a f u l l - s e r vi c e c o m m e r c i a l g e n e r a l c o n t r a c t o r s e r v i n g t h e w e s t c o a s t o f F l o r i d a f r o m M a r c o I s l a n d t o t h e P a n h a n d l e S i n c e 1 9 8 0 , t h e p r e m i e r f i r m h a s p r o v i d e d c o m p l e t e c o n s t r u c t i o n s e r v i c e s , i n c l u d i n g s i t e s e a r c h a n d s e l e ct i o n f e a s i b i l i t y a n a l y s i s s i t e d e v e l o p m e n t v a l u e e n g in e e r i n g v e r t i c a l c o n s t r u c t i o n L E E D c e r t i f i c a t i o n a n d m o r e R e c e n t p r o j e c t s i n c l u d e s c h o o l s m u l t i - f a m i l y r e t a i l , r e s t a u r a n t s a n d c o m m u n i t y a m e n i t i e s

Stevens Construction completes shade structures for Lee County libraries 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 s h a d e s t r u c t u r e a d d i t i o n s f o r t h r e e L e e C o u n t y l i b r a r i e s , a n n o u n c e d D a n i e l A d a m s , S t e v e n s C o n s t r u c t i o n e x e c u t i v e v i c e p r e si d e n t S t e v e n s C o n s t r u c t i o n a d d e d s h a d e s t r u c t u r e s t o E a s t C o u n t y R e g i o n a l L i b r a r y B o n i t a S p r i n g s P u b l i c L i b r a r y a n d N o r t h F o r t M y e r s P u b l i c L i b r a r y w h i l e t h e f a c i l i t i e s r e m a i n e d i n o p e r a t i o n T h e s h a d e s t r u c t u r e s p r o v i d e a s a f e a n d c o m f o r t a b l e o u t d o o r s p a c e f o r c h i l d r e n ’ s p r og r a m s a n o u t d o o r r e a d i n g a r e a a n d a n y s p e c i a l e v e n t s T h e S t e v e n s C o n s t r u c t i o n t e a m i n c l u d e s P r o j e c t E x e c u t i v e D a n A d a m s P r o j e c t M a n a g e r M a r k P e l a f a s S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s N o r m N o b l e s , J o e y G i l l a n d D r e w N o r r i s , a n d P r o j e c t A d m i n i s t r a t o r A n g i e S u g g T h e d e s i g n t e a m i n c l u d e s D a v i d C o r b a n A r c h i t e c t u r e a n d J o h n s o n E n g i n e e r i n g I n c W i t h o f f i c e s i n F o r t M y e r s S a r a s o t a a n d O r l a n d o S t e v e n s C o n s t r u c t i o n s p e c i a l i z e s i n p r o v i d i n g c o n s t r u ct i o n m a n a g e m e n t , g e n e r a l c o n t r a c t i n g a n d c o n s u l t i n g s e r v i c e s t o c l i e n t s a n d d e s i g n p r o f e s s i o n a l s O t h e r s e r v i ce s i n c l u d e s i t e a n d d e s i g n t e a m s e l e c t i o n b u d g e t i n g p r o j e c t s c h e d u l i n g p e r m i t t i n g c o s t a n d q u a l i t y c o n t r o l a n d w a r r a n t y s e r v i c e T h e c o m p a n y b u i l d s h e a l t h c a r e c o m m e r c i a l a n d h o s p i t a l i t y f a c i l i t i e s F o r i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t w w w s t e v e n s b u i l d s c o m o r c a l l 2 3 9 - 9 3

4 4% and it was 7 7% higher than the $775,000 in January of this year In the first two months of this year, the median s a l e s p r i c e i n t h i s s e g m e n t a v e r a g e d $805 000 per month or 3 9% above the a v e r a g e o f $ 7 7 5 0 0 0 p e r m o n t h i n January and February 2022

Direct sailboat access canal homes

In the Cape Coral single-family direct sailboat access canal home segment (no bridges in canals to get out to open water), there were 32 closed home sales in February This was 46 7% lower than the 60 closed sales in February 2022 and 13 5% below the 37 sales in January of this year In the first two months of 2023, there were 69 closed sales in this segment, or 38 9% less than the 113 sales in January and February 2022

The median sales price in the Cape’s single-family direct sailboat access canal home segment was an abnormally low $687,500 in February, or 17 9% below the $837,500 in February 2022, but 2 6% above the $670,000 in January of this year In the first two months of 2023, the median sales price in this segment averaged $678 750 per month or 17 1% less than the average of $818 750 per month in the first two months of 2022

Freshwater canal and lake homes

In the Cape Coral single-family freshwater canal and lake home segment, which consists of landlocked canals and lakes with no access to the river or the Gulf of Mexico by boat there were 40 closed home sales in February This was 38 5% lower than the 65 closed sales in February 2022 but 29% above the 31 closed sales in January of this year In the first two months of 2023, there were 71 closed sales in this segment, which was down 40 8% from the 120 sales in January and February 2022

The median sales price in the Cape’s single-family freshwater canal and lake home segment was $550 000 in February or 15 8% above the $475 000 posted in February 2022, and 17% higher than the $470,000 in January of this year In the first two months of 2023, the median sales price in this segment averaged $510 000 per month or 6 6% more than the average of $478 500 per month in January and February 2022

Dry lot homes

In the Cape Coral single-family dry lot (non-canal) home segment, there were 260 closed home sales in February, which was 32 1% lower than the 383 closed sales in February 2022 but 11 1% above the 234 closed sales in January of this year In the first two months of 2023 there were 494 closed sales in this segment which was down 30 3% from 709 sales in January and February 2022

The median sales price for dry lot homes in the Cape was $384,714 in February, or 8 4% above the $355,000 posted in February 2022 and up 7 6% from $357 645 in January of this year In the first two months of 2023 the median sales price for homes in this segment averaged $371 180 per month, or 5 9% more than the average of $350,500 per month in January and February 2022

The sales data for this article was obtained from the Florida Realtors Multiple Listing Service Matrix for Lee County Fla as of March 20 2023 unless otherwise noted It was compiled by Bob and Geri Quinn and it includes information 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 RE/MAX Realty Team office in Cape Coral They have lived in Cape Coral for over 43 years Geri has been a fulltime Realtor since 2005 and Bob joined Geri as a fulltime Realtor in 2014 Their real estate practice is mainly focused on Cape Coral residential property and vacant lots

CRE Consultants recent transactions CRE Consultants has announced the following recent transitions:

represented the Seller and Annalisa Xioutas of Keller Williams Realty represented the Buyer in negotiating the transaction ∫ Black & Veatch Corporation leased a 5 045 SF office space in Fairfax Center at 4210 Metro Parkway, Suite 200 Fort Myers from WCP Fairfax LLC Randal Mercer of CRE Consultants represented the lessor and JLL represented the lessee in negotiating the transaction

∫ Suntamers, Inc leased 2,306 SF of industrial space at 13850 Treeline Avenue S Unit 9 Fort Myers from 13850 Treeline, LLC Randal Mercer of CRE Consultants negotiated the transaction

∫ Homepros Heating and Cooling, LLC leased 2,122 SF of industrial space at 13850 Treeline Avenue S Unit 3, Fort Myers from 13850 Treeline, LLC Randal Mercer of CRE Consultants negotiated the transaction

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

REIS to meet April 11

at Pelican Preser ve Economic development and redevelopment in the posthurricane recovery will be featured at the April 11 meeting of the Real Estate Investment Society John Talmage director of the Lee County Economic Development Office, will lead the discussion Talmage will provide a brief overview of local economic trends and an update on resources to sustain and

Bob

Pioneer Club of Lee County to hold Pioneer Picnic April 29

The Pioneer Club of Lee County is celebrating the 74th anniversary of its founding in 1949 by R A Henderson, Jr The Pioneer Club was formed to honor those living persons who had been residents of old Lee County for 50 or more years The initial meeting was held in 1950 at the Lions Park on Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers

The Pioneer Picnic is a social organization comprised of many of the old families of Lee County who get together annually to catch up on one another s lives and to have lunch together

The Pioneer Picnic traditionally is held the last Saturday in April of each year This year’s annual picnic will take place on

From page 4B

Talmage was appointed director of the Lee County EDO in 2019, having previously worked in economic development in New York City New Orleans and Miami He was also CEO of Social Compact a research organization serving federal regulatory agencies, local governments and c o m m u n i t y d e v e l o p m e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n s around the country

The meeting is sponsored by Maxwell Hendry Simmons and will begin promptly at 11:45 a m on April 11 in the Osprey Room at Pelican Preserve s Clubhouse, on Treeline Avenue at Colonial Boulevard, one mile east of I-75 exit 136 in Fort

Saturday, April 29, at the Lee County

Civic Center – Tinsley Pavilion which is located off Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers

c h o o l B i s h o

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REAL ESTATE BRIEFS

Myers Admission is $30 for members and $ 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 Reservations are required by April 6 and m a y b e m a d e a t t h e R E I S w e b s i t e : www reis-swfl org

GulfShore Mustang Club

donates $8,463 to Lee BIA Builders Care L e e B I A B u i l d e r s C a r e , t h e n o n p r o f i t c h a r i t a b l e a r m o f t h e L e e B u i l d i n g I n d u s t r y A s s o c i a t i o n h a s r e c e i v e d a d o n a t i o n o f $ 8 4 6 3 f r o m t h e G u l f S h o r e M u s t a n g C l u b o f S o u t h w e s t F l o r i d a F u n d s w i l l s u p p o r t t h e n o n p r o f i t s

T h e m i s s i o n o f L e e B I A B u i l d e r s C a r e i s t o p r o v i d e e m e r g e n c y c o n s t r u c t i o n s e r v i c e s a t n o c o s t t o n e e d y a n d d e s e r v i n g e l d e r l y a n d / o r d i s a b l e d h o m e o w n e r s , a n d t h e i r f a m i l i e s , w h o c a n n o t o b t a i n r e p a i r s t h r o u g h t r a d i t i o n a l m e a n s L e e B I A B u i l d e r s C a r e i s a 5 0 1 ( c ) 3 n o n p r o f i t o r g a n i z a t i o n u n d e r t h e c h a r i t a b l e a r m o f t h e L e e B u i l d i n g I n d u s t r y A s s o c i a t i o n L e e B I A B u i l d e r s C a r e i s h e a d q u a r t e r e d a t 6 8 3 5 I n t e r n a t i o n a l C e n t e r B l v d # 4 i n F o r t M y e r s D o n a t i o n s c a n b e m a d e o n l i n e a t www LeeBuildersCare org More information is available by calling 239938-0056 and by following Builders Care at www Facebook com/LeeBuildersCare

Schedule for April, May at Art League

Annual South Cape Business Easter Egg Hunt set for April 1

e a s t e r - b u n n y - p h o t o - b o o t h - t i c k e t s568795872767 P a r t i c i p a t i n g S o u t h C a p e B u s i n e s s e s include A Pooch's Paradise Pet Grooming, C a p e C o r a l M a t t r e s s , C a p e C o r a l : r e : M A D E D i a m o n d D a v e ' s C r e a t i v e J e w e l r y D u v a l S t r e e t J o h n M i c h a e l ' s Diamond & Jewelry Studio Just Lovelee B o u t i q u e , K a r m a & C o c o n u t s , L e h n e Burger, No 3 Craft Brews & Beer Bar, Penny's Coffee Perk & Brew Ralph's Place RE/MAX Nautical Realty Sidecar T r e a t s T a c o W o r k s T h e G r e e k S p o t Trebing Tile & Carpet and Zak s Jewelry See the complete map at bit ly/sceasteregg Visit the Facebook Event or Eventbrite

/ s o u t h - c a p e - b u s i n e s s - e a s t e r - e g g - h u n t -

Samaritan Health and Wellness receives $300,000 hurricane recovery grant from Americares

Americares has awarded $300 000 to Samaritan Health and Wellness in Cape Coral to support the charitable clinic in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian The funds will be used to help offset salary costs of health care providers at the clinic to ensure that low-income uninsured and underinsured patients in southwest Florida continue to have access to health services

On Sept 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 just south of Tampa hitting the southwest coast of the island of Cayo Costa near Fort Myers and Cape Coral It was deemed the worst Atlantic hurricane on record since 1935, leaving destruction in its wake Ahead of the storm Americares reached out to nearly 150 local partners in Florida supported by Americares on an ongoing basis with offers of medicine, medical supplies and hygiene products

o n s e teams at work on the ground in Florida conducting outreach and offering support to partner organizations in affected areas Americares response has focused on supporting 15 health clinics and nonprofit organizations who have the least resources to recover from the major hurricane providing support to help them repair storm damage, fuel generators, replace damaged medical equipment and defray the cost of staffing to meet increased demand for services

“Thousands of families in Cape Coral still rely on health care services provided by Samaritan Health and Wellness which had to relocate to a temporary facility due to damage from Hurricane Ian ” s

“Following Hurricane Ian we knew we needed to find a way to address the increased need for health care services for survivors, said Samaritan Health and Wellness Executive Director Sue Hook

“This funding from Americares will help our clinic with the urgent need of staffing support to meet that heightened need A m e r i c a r e s h a s a l o n g h i s t o r y o f responding to emergencies in Florida and the Gulf Coast The organization has been on the frontlines of recovery efforts following major hurricanes in the region in recent years, including Hurricanes Irma, D o r i a n a n d M i c h a e l A f t e r H u r r i c a n e Michael, a Category 5 storm that devastate d t h e F l o r i d a P a n h a n d l e i n 2 0 1 8 Americares delivered 61 shipments of m e d i c i n e s m e d i c a l s u p p l i e s h y g i e n e products and other relief items and operated a temporary medical clinic in Panama City, Fla , that provided primary care services for more than 800 survivors Americares responds to more than 30 natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide each year, establishes longterm recovery projects and brings preparedness programs to communities vulnerable to disasters Americares relief workers are among the first to respond to emergencies, helping to restore health services for survivors After disasters, we often stay for months or years helping communities recover

About Americares

Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves l i v e s a n d i m p r o v e s h e a l t h f o r p e o p l e affected by poverty or disaster Each year Americares reaches 85 countries on average including the United States with lifechanging health programs, medicine, medical supplies and emergency aid For more information, visit americares org

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMERICARES

Samaritan Health and Wellness Executive Director Sue Hook surveys damage to her clinic and the Cape Coral community after Hurricane Ian swept through in September

Third of four Biergartenfests this weekend at GASC

After the first successful Biergartenfest o n t h e l a s t w e e k e n d o f F e b r u a r y t h e German American Social Club of Cape Coral donned the green for St Patrick s Day on the second weekend of March and

is now going all out to celebrate its German heritage this weekend After Hurricane Ian and the cancelation of its 37th Oktoberfest, the club members are all teaming up to get the festivities back

into full swing and make up for the lost three months of 2022

Once again, the members of GASC are working hard to prepare for the third of the four festivals planned this season The celebrations continue this weekend with a p a r t y f o r t h e c o m m u n i t y , t h i s t i m e Bavarian-style On Saturday and Sunday March 25 and 26 Southwest Florida will be able to enjoy two pleasant and fun-filled afternoons of German food, beer or wine, music and above all what we’ve come to understand as Gem tlichkeit

Featuring German traditional music and r e t u r n i n g t o t h e s t a p l e s o f B r a t w u r s t Knockwurst Schnitzel and potato pancakes, there s plenty to look forward to as the community has the opportunity to sit in the shaded gardens with friends and family Tickets are $5 and parking is free, as are

Oktoberfest another festival is planned for April 15 and 16 while the 16th will also mark German Heritage Day, as the club hosts members from other German clubs across the state of Florida

There s plenty of good cheer and beer to go around at the German American Social Club which is located at 2101 S W Pine Island Road Cape Coral FL 33991 As always, the club opens its doors to members and the public for dinner and dancing every Friday night at 5:30

For additional information about the GASC or its activities call 239-283-1400 or visit its website at http://www gasccapecoral com/

Cape Coral Library: April sked

From page 3B

i n d i v i d u a l s with disabilities in its services, programs or activities To request an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a r e a s o n a b l e m o d i f i c a t i o n t o p a r t i c i p a t e contact Joan LaGuardia 239-533-2314 F l o r i d a R e l a y S e r v i c e 7 1 1 , o r j l ag u a r d i a @ l e e g o v c o m A c c o m m o d a t i o n will be provided at no cost to the requestor Requests should be made at least five business days in advance

Palm’s production of ‘Disney’s The Little Mermaid’

Disney s The Little Mermaid All ethnicities are encouraged to audition This is a local audition for actors living in the Southwest Florida area No housing will be offered for those hired from this a u

singing and dancing ensemble roles

■ Children ensemble ages 8–12 (Under 5 feet)

■ Teen ensemble, ages 13-17

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dren and teen ensemble), and the song you are singing Along with the video please s u b Children and teen ensemble roles will be double cast and will alternate performances Performance schedules can be found at www broadwaypalm com Anyone interested must be available for all rehearsals and all alternated/assigned performances All submissions need to be emailed to B r i a n E n z m a n ( b r i a n @ b r o a d w a y p a l m com) by 5 p m today “Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be playing at Broadway Palm, 1380 Colonial Blvd , in Fort Myers from July 7 through Aug 12 For more information visit broadwaypalm com/backstage/auditions/ or call 239278-4422

The Gulf Coast Harmonizers will present its 31st Annual Spring Show “Sitting On Top Of The World Saturday, March 25 at 6 p m and Sunday March 26 at 2 p m , a t C y p r e s s L a k e P r e s b y t e r i a n Church 8260 Cypress Lake Drive Fort Myers Come hear a cappella four-part harmony in true barbershop style The performance will be featuring the Gulf Coast Harmonizer Chorus, chorus quartets and t a l e n t e d r e c e n t c h a m p i o n q u a r t e t Brouhaha, described as The Quintessentially Quirky Quartet ” Tickets are $25 with a $5 discount for seniors and students and can be purchased from Harmonizer members, at the door or on the group's website at gcharmonizers com using the donation button and following the directions provided Gulf Coast Harmonizers to present 31st Annual Spring Show this weekend Second (Indianhead) Division Association to hold 100th reunion T h e S e c o n d ( I n d i a n h e a d ) D i v i s i o n Association is searching for anyone who s e r v e d i n t h e A r m y s 2 n d I n f a n t r y Division at any time For information about the association and its 100th annual reunion, to be held i n C o l o r a d o S p r i n g s C o l o r a d o f r o m S e p t 2 0 - 2 4 2 0 2 3 p l e a s e v i s i t www 2ida org/product/reunion/10 on the web, send an email to 2ida pao@charter net or call Mike Davino at 919-3565692 MILITARY NOTE

Weeds: These uninvited ‘guests’ can cause big problems in gardens

after use If you are paying to get mowing done, question whether blades are cleaned after each use If not, the chances are good that any issues from other lawns may become your problem as well

O n e m a i n t e n a n c e s t r a t e g y f o r l a n dscape plants includes a 3 to 4-inch applic a t i o n o f o r g a n i c m u l c h , k e e p i n g t h e mulch away from tree trunks and plant stems to avoid trunk and stem rot Mulch will deteriorate over time adding nutrients to the soil at which time a fresh layer should be added

When properly applied and maintained mulch serves as a very effective barrier to weed germination and growth for a time Should wind-blown seeds settle and sprout on the surface of the mulch, periodic raking can break up matted areas and the weeds as well

A non-toxic approach to management is weeding by hand, making sure to dig them out roots and all Pulling them out can be time-consuming if you allow weeds to get the upper hand However walking around your property on a regular basis will allow you to observe and tend to issues early on Always wear gloves no

matter the weed because a number of them produce sap that can irritate the skin

B e f o r e c o n s i d e r i n g c h e m i c a l c o n t r o l s , keep in mind that most products are surface killers and provide only a temporary fix; without tending to the roots the weed will re-emerge A d d i t i o n a l l y w h i l e h e r b i c i d e s m a y treat the symptom, i e , the weed itself, in the short term, they do nothing to treat the cause which is oftentimes poor landscape management practices

Janetta Fox is a Lee County Master Gardener

ONEMANPAINTINGCO.

TidyandPersonal Nojobtoosmallorlarge utilizingathreepersoncrew. A ndalways,freeestimates andreferencesfurnished. Givemeacalltodiscussallof yourpaintingneeds.

(239) 339-7361