CEPD workshops draft proposal for adaptation plan

By TIFFANY REPECKI trepecki@breezenewspapers com

The Captiva Erosion Prevention District commission reviewed the working draft for the Phase II Coastal Resiliency project's request for proposal and provided feedback during a workshop last week

On July 6, consultant and Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Coastal Resilienc Manager Dr Carrie Schuman presented information crafted to date for the Captiva Bayside Adaption Plan

The presentation outlined that the CEPD had agreed

From page 6 alone,” he said “Nobody is asking for that ”

Within the amendments, the county is also proposing allowing up to 4 more feet for resiliency

“It turns out that that is a legitimate resiliency measure,” Mintz said, explaining that the panel could consider supporting the change, but first it will have to look to see if it makes sense for the island

∫ We oppose changing the maximum permitted density for hotels and motels on Captiva, which may not exceed three units per gross acre

“We don't want the density for units on Captiva to change,” he said

∫ We oppose any special exceptions to the existing height restrictions and density limitations on Captiva and oppose exempting the South Seas Island Resort from the height and density regulations applicable to Captiva when it seeks to redevelop its property

Mintz explained that the changes propose creating a special exception regarding height and density specifically for the resort, and there is no reason to do so for one developer, property owner or resort

“This is obviously unfair to other property owners on Captiva, including the other resorts and hotels,” he said

∫ We support the elimination of any ambiguity in the county's build-back policy to ensure that structures whose damage exceeds 50% of their value can be rebuilt to what existed at the time of the damage with the same use, density, intensity and size including the originally permitted height, which will be measured from the federal base flood elevations in force at the time permits are sought for rebuilding

Mintz reported that there are significant build-back provisions in the Code However, some are saying that they cannot rebuild to their pre-hurricane heights This

Meeting

From page 6 opment regulations to increase resiliency, and reduce vulnerability to flooding and storm surge issues that they have identified as constraints for the post-Hurricane Ian rebuilding

At the meeting, there will be a chance ompetitive bid process and on getting the RFP soon She covered the details about the draft, uch as modeling it on a recent county RFP and crafting the unique sections outside of the boilerplate legal language, including a scope and timeline

For the general scope, she presented that the plan should address storm surge/sea level rise or a depth of 3 5 feet North American Vertical um (NAVD), which is Tipping Point 2 in CEPD consultant APTIM's Vulnerability Assessment The plan should explore strategies to decrease inundation, reduce erosion and subsequent damage from flooding, and principle would clear up any ambiguity

“We support people's right to build back completely,” he said “They can build back to what they had and incorporate the new base flood elevations ”

∫ We request the county correct the outdated height limitations in Section 34 of the LDC to reflect the Captiva-specific height limitations in Chapter 33, which incorporate base flood elevations

Section 34 was not updated when the panel updated its Code years ago

“They just missed that provision and that provision has to be updated,” Mintz said, noting that county staff have also acknowledged that the particular section needs to be updated. “It's just out of date.” ∫

Seas to bring its existing master development plan into compliance with the LDC provisions applicable to Captiva to reflect the more resilient height restrictions on Captiva, which incorporate base flood elevations

He explained that the resort is governed by the interpretation, which has been amended a few times over the years but still has the old heights The panel's point would update that height to 28 feet above base flood elevation and make it compliant with the more modern Code that already incorporates it.

∫ We support other revisions to the LDC that can be shown to improve resiliency, enhance disaster recovery and protect our fragile barrier island's environment and which do not conflict with the principles stated above

Mintz reported that the point allows for the consideration of future resiliency measures

“We're going to look at real resiliency options,” he said for the public to provide input on the proposed changes

The CCA reported that it hopes to livestream the meeting or provide other remote access

It was known as of July 7 whether that

Scholarship tally

The district tries to educate students about scholarship opportunities in information sharing events It is the starfish theory, she said, as they work with each student to help them with a personalized pathway

This coming school year will see the launch of Naviance, a career exploration, personal development and post secondary pathway that facilitates access to college applications, scholarship reporting and tracking where students end up in 10 years, with their permission

The app can be used by students, parents, college and career specialists, and counselors for a more real-time access of pushing things into students and parents portals to review at their convenience

“You no longer have to do Google Classrooms for scholarships,” Brooks said, as Naviance is district scholarship based “Parents can search it and see where my

From page 2 child has been in Naviance ”

They can push out such reminders for deadlines of SAT and ACT during the student’s junior year to both students and parents

She said the great perk of Naviance is parents and students can view it 24 hours a day

“You can log into the Naviance portal and engage on a deeper level and monitor everything,” Brooks said “It is going to be more convenient for students and parents as an additional tool Scholarship postings and where the child is on their pathway of discovery and connecting interest with career and preparation ”

Students can apply directly through Naviance for post secondary institutions and have a scholarship database at their fingertips

“Now more than ever they will be able quickly divert stormwater from the island.

The presentation also covered goals, background, deliverables, responsibilities, bid process and more

During the discussion and review of the working draft, several changes to the language were recommended by Commissioner Linda Laird In addition, there was talk about if the CEPD should be seeking a request for qualifications instead because prior studies and research had been done

The commission and staff concluded the workshop by agreeing to review some additional materials before proceeding further, then regrouping to discuss all the information and next steps to follow.

Following some comments and questions from the public, including if interactions are taking place with the owners of South Seas to get all parties on the same page, Mintz reviewed the next steps

“I don't think there's really much we need to do with them at this point,” he said of the principles, with the panel agreeing that no updates are needed “They're simple and clear and easily understood ”

Mintz and staff will next use the points as the basis for drafting alternative revisions to the Code and Plan, which will be distributed to all the stakeholders to provide input on He noted that he has already received positive feedback on the principles, to include the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.

Once a consensus is reached, the revisions will be presented to county staff and the county board

“The idea at the end of the day would be to present to the county an alternative set of Code provisions,” Mintz said “To try to keep our Code and our Plan as it currently exists ”

Also during the meeting, he reported that attorney Richard Grosso who had been representing the stakeholders opposed to the amendments is no longer able to due to a trial starting He referred them to Hollard & Knight, an international firm with offices in Florida and throughout the United States.

“They are reviewing our list of deliverables,” Mintz said “They are reviewing the clients ”

He noted that the panel has been reviewed and cleared of any conflicts

In addition, a legal fund is getting going, which the Captiva Civic Association may oversee “Hopefully, it won't involve litigation and we can resolve this thing,” he said will be an option for those who cannot attend in-person

The county has additional meetings planned for:

∫ Aug 2 from 6 to 8 p m at BIG ARTS, at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel

∫ Aug 9 from 5:30 to 7:30 p m in Conference Room 1B at the Lee County Public Works Building, at 1500 Monroe St , Fort Myers to engage in that directly in the app,” she said

The Captiva Civic Center is at 11550 Chapin Lane, Captiva.

Of the students who provided information, 1,987 will be attending a four-year college or university; 1,392 will attend a two-year community college or state college; 682 will attend a technical college or s c h o o l ; 4 5 5 w i l l e n t e r t h e w o r k f o r c e directly; 193 entered the U.S. Armed Forces; 525 were still uncertain of their future plans; and 432 chose other

“From the time students enter grade nine, our schools help them focus on the beginning with the end in mind Everything matters from performance of day one in ninth grade, through actions taken to plan for their career of choice,” Brooks said of their education for career of choice, technical college, state college, university or an apprenticeship program “We focus on each student and what careers they may have an interest in and how do we get them there ”

The students are guided in taking the appropriate courses and experiences to truly understand what that career looks like, which may include shadowing or work-based learning The impact of a grade point average, courses and electives taken, as well as ACT and SAT, are discussed.

“We are always about the career path,” she said, adding the district provides guidance on how to get there

There also is a focus on college applications and scholarships as it is a four-year process

“In our district it is a K-12 process and in middle school, career exploration and exposure (begins),” Brooks said “In high school we up the ante in four years, everything about the future ”

Business Notes

Chamber to host business luncheon

T h e S a n C a p

Chamber will hold its next business luncheon meeting on July 19 from 11:30 a m to 1:30 p m at the Marriott Sanibel

H a r b o u r R e s o r t , a t

17260 Harbour Pointe Drive, Fort Myers

T h e g u e s t s p e a k e r w i l l b e L e e C o u n t y

Economic Development

O f f i c e D i r e c t o r J o h n

Talmage He will share his outlook on the current state of the local and regional economy

FP Property Restoration is sponsoring the luncheon

Cost is $35 for chamber members only Advanced registration is required by July 14 at 5 p m at sanibelc a p t i v a o r g o r b y c o n t a c t i n g A a r o n W a l t o n a t aaron@sanibel-captiva org or 239-472-8759; walkins will not be accepted Payment is due at time of registration

Offshore Sailing School named finalist

The Greater Fort Myers Chamber recently named its finalists for the 2023 Chamber Awards

Recognizing members for their outstanding contributions to the greater Fort Myers community, the program will feature an award ceremony to honor finalists and name honorees for their impact

The Offshore Sailing School, which has a location on Captiva, is one of three finalists for the Small Business of the Year Award The others are Spada Salon and Day Spa and Spiro and Associates

The other categories are the Large Business of the Y e a r A w a r d , C o m m u n i t y I m p a c t A w a r d , E n t r e p r e n e u r o f t h e Y e a r , N o n p r o f i t E x c e l l e n c e Award and Young Professional of the Year Award

The event will be held on July 27 at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center in Fort Myers

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o r t i c k e t s , v i s i t FortMyers org or call 239-332-2930

Kaduk honored at annual gala

Rachel Kaduk, with Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, was honored at the 7th Annual Women of Distinction Gala on June 17

This year's event recognized the exceptional acts of kindness during the recovery efforts following the impact of Hurricane Ian on the Southwest Florida community The award categories were realigned to center the celebration around the theme, “Spread Kindness like Wildflowers,” reflecting the resilience and compassionate spirit demonstrated by individuals throughout the storm recovery period

Kaduk was one of 10 Southwest Florida women who received the 2023 Acts of Kindness Award