Cape Coral Weekend Breeze

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

Without a Cape Coral City Council consensus, the city will not move forward with d r a f t i n g l a n g u a g e t o a l l o w

o r y dwelling units in the Cape

It wasn’t for lack of trying on the part of one member of Council, though.

“I have seen and heard we need more affordable housing We have always talked about it no action taken on it. The only thing that tends to be the solution is to have a multi-family unit incentive for lower rents. Everyone in the city doesn’t want multi-family units. There has to be more solutions ”

Councilmember Bill Steinke

“I was the one a year ago who recommended to keep it in the plan to talk about it,” Councilmember Bill Steinke said “I have seen and heard we need more affordable housing We have always talked about it no action taken on it The only thing that tends to be the solution is to have a multi-family unit incentive for

Bookelia resident injured in boating accident thankful for outpouring of support Page 9

Tax holiday under way

By CJ HADDAD

cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

ith the first day of the School District of Lee County's 20242025 calendar year for students just 10 days away, parents can grab supplies at local stores at a discount before they take to the classroom

The Florida Department of Education and Florida Department of Revenue has once again approved the Back-to-School

See TAX HOLIDAY, page 28

Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday

The Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday includes items such as:

∫ Up to $1,500 for personal computers, tablets, electronic book readers, headphones and related accessories

∫ School supplies selling for $50 or less such as binders, notebooks, folders, markers and pencils

∫ Backpacks, clothing and footwear up to $100

∫ Learning aids and related resources such as flashcards, interactive books and matching games selling for $30 or less

There is no limit to the number of items one can purchase, as long as the item meets the tax break requirement

For more information and to view the lists of qualifying items, visit the Department of Revenue's Back-toSchool Sales Tax Holiday website at www.floridarevenue com/backtoschool/

Everyone in the city doesn’t want multifamily units There has to be more solutions ” He said with people living longer, kids staying home longer there is more of a multi-generational requirement separation, but still close by to take care of others

“Taxes have gone up, utilities and eggs and gas have gone up,” Steinke said “The affordability of their own home to live in

o h n G u n t e r a l l e g e d t h a t S c o t t K e m p e w a s “ u n c o n s t i t u t i o n a l l y a r r e s t e d ” i n v i ol a t i o n o f t h e F i r s t a n d F o u r t h A m e n d m e n t s T h e s e t t l e m e n t w a s a n

School board gives nod to $2.7 billion budget

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

The Lee County School Board approved a tentative budget of $2 7 billion for 2025 Tuesday night during the first of two public hearings

The board also approved the proposed millage rate of 5 286, local effort millage of 3 038, discretionary millage of 748 and a capital outlay millage of 1 500

One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable assessed property valuation

The budget supports more than 100,000 students and 120 schools

Budget Director Kelly Letcher said the roll back rate is 5 1549 mills and the proposed millage rate is 5 286, which is a decrease of .144 mills from the 2023-2024 millage rate of 5 430 The total amount to be raised is $814,346,553

“This is an increase over the rollback rate of 2 54% and this new millage rate will generate $58 million more than in the previous year because of the increase in the tax roll,” Letcher said

The current tax roll is at $160 billion, which is a 10 61% over the previous years of $145 billion

The required local effort millage is 3 038 amount to be

The board also approved the proposed millage rate of 5.286, local effort millage of 3.038, discretionary millage of 748 and a capital outlay millage of 1 500 One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable assessed property valuation

raised $468,025,885, which includes the prior period adjustment The discretionary mills is 748 an amount to be raised $115,234,813 and the capital outlay mills is 1 500 an amount to be raised $231,085,855

“As the tax roll goes up, the millage rate drops,” Letcher said “Again, this year the taxable value is $160 billion ”

A property with a taxable valuation of a $100,000, with a 10 61% increase, the new value would be $10,610 more

“At last year’s rate and value, they would have paid $543 and this year they are going to pay $584 68, an increase of $48.68. If they had a $200,000 home their home value would have increased to $221,220,” she said, which is an increase of $83 37

Homeowners who have Save Our Homes limits the annual increase of assessed value to 3% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower So, for someone who had a homestead on their $200,000 home, the new rate is $956 77, $6 52 more than last year

The total tentative budget is $2 7 billion The general fund makes up $1 2 billion of that and the capital budget is $1 billion

The five-year capital plan tentatively includes three new elementary schools, one new middle school, two new high schools, one prek-8 school, one addition, two rebuilds, two remodels and additions at technical center

The internal service fund is comprised of $209 million, special revenue for food service at $69 million, special revenue for grants at $60 million and debt service at $100 million

The budget has a focus on the whole child mental wellness, English learners, students in need of additional interventions and supports and employee retention

The budget is built off of the second Florida Education Finance Program calculations

The second calculation is $993 million, $67 million over

last year, with $60 million of that going to the Family Empowerment Scholarship, Letcher said Of the $993 million, $6 7 million goes directly to teacher salary increase allocation

The new dollars increased the FTE to $9,241 per student, a $266 increase over last year The base student allocation increased $5,330 98, an increase of $191 25

The school district has set reserves aside to protect schools, $29 5 million Letcher said they have a total of $87 5 million sitting in reserves for contingency for purchase orders that have to carry over from 2024 into 2025.

During public comment, Robert Daniels said during the time he has been in Lee County they have acquired 20,000 students and have lost 500 teachers

“That 20,000 students represent $185 million in FTE each year For less than a third of that, you could give each of your instructional, non-administrative staff a flat $10,000 raise,” he said “That means your starting salary for teachers would go beyond Collier, beyond Charlotte, beyond being competitive to incentivizing $60 and a half thousand to start ”

Daniels said they have three assistant principals positions open in the entire county, elementary school assistant principals, positions that start at $77,500

“In contrast you have 190 instructional elementary school positions open That’s enough positions to fully staff three to four elementary schools,” Daniels said “That’s roughly at 20 kids per unit 3,800 elementary school students that don’t have a teacher yet and we are a week from the start of the school year ”

He said they have 328 instructional positions across the county not yet filled as of 4 a m Tuesday morning still being advertised

“That’s roughly 8% of your student body that doesn’t have a teacher in that classroom,” Daniels said “The only way to fix it is throwing money at it ”

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

City staff tendered

‘condition’

could cost some lot owners plenty

We don’t like surprises

Especially those that goose taxpayers via a deep grab for their wallets

That’s why a handful of usually routine requests from private property owners to the city of Cape Coral caught our attention this week

Three canal-front lot owners are asking for correction of a decades-old anomaly that legally made many of the city’s waterfront properties, well, not quite waterfront

The city’s developer, who carved 400 miles of man-made canals for the fill to create a city, left linear waterfront strips a few feet wide that aren’t part of the legal description for some parcels

Lots of them

The city has spent decades “vacating” these “unexcavated canal” strips basically deeding them to property owners who need to show ownership to the water to build a seawall, to get a mortgage, to have assured access to the waterfront upon which the taxable valuation of their property is based

The city retains the easement The property owner gets what they’re paying for: Waterfront

It’s a Cape oddity, one that has caused lots of paperwork but little problem

Until now

While lot owners who need the otherwise useless strip vacated have long paid the actual cost of application, approval processing and advertising, there is an interesting and extremely costly nuance to the three vacation requests to come before a hearing officer next Tuesday.

As a condition of vacation, city staff is recommending that the three property owners contribute to one of two newly created Tree Funds, which were enacted last December as an option for developers looking to reduce the number of required plantings for non-single-family projects

The Tree Fund “contributions” requested of the lot owners seeking vacations?

For one property owner it’s $2,800 to the General Tree Fund

For the other two?

Five figures $32,722 11 and $21,691 94 respectively

Medicare Doomsday Clock ticks closer to midnight

One day, our grandchildren may talk about Medicare the way we talk about Bernie Madoff

Medicare’s trustees recently released their annual report on the program’s finances, and things are not looking good

The entitlement spent $12 billion more than it took in from taxes in 2023 Absent change, Medicare’s Part A hospital insurance trust fund will be exhausted by 2036

Years ago, there may have been more than enough workers to cover the cost of Medicare for many fewer retirees and sock away some extra in the accounting fiction that is the Part A trust fund Those days are gone Soon, Medicare won’t be able to collect enough in taxes from workers to pay for the benefits that retirees are redeeming Sounds an awful lot like a Ponzi scheme Preserving the program for future generations will require harnessing the power of competition to lower costs and bringing eligibility requirements into the modern era

A new report from the Paragon Health Institute highlights Medicare’s problem The average American who turned 65 in 2020 will receive $176,500 more in Medicare benefits than they paid in. One who retires in 2030 is on

track to receive $248,500 more than they paid in.

Some 62 million Americans were enrolled in Medicare in 2023 By 2033, that number is projected to swell to 78 million The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that by the following year, Medicare spending will account for just over 17% of the federal budget and 4% of GDP Medicare’s growth is fueled by an aging population Americans 65 and older will make up nearly one-quarter of the population by 2050, the U S Census Bureau estimates Americans are also living longer Men who make it to age 65 can expect to log another 17 5 years; life expectancy for women who reach 65 is another 20 2 years That’s an increase of 4 5 years for men and almost four years for women, relative to 1965, when Medicare was created

Yet Medicare’s eligibility age 65 has remained the same since the program’s inception Given improvements in longevity, raising the age at which Americans become eligible makes sense and would ease some of the fiscal pressure on the program

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Fight for Reproductive Freedom

To the editor:

Monday, Iowa put in place an abortion ban at 6 weeks, which makes Iowa the 22nd state in our country to have an abortion ban At 6 weeks, many women do not know that they are pregnant Anti-choice extremists like Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are the reason why cruel abortion bans are ripping away women’s rights across the country

While president, Trump handpicked three members of the United States Supreme Court because he intended for them to undo the protections of Roe v Wade

This means one in three women of reproductive age in America lives in a state with abortion ban

When Harris is elected president, Kamala will sign into law the protections for reproductive freedom

Project 2025 a conservative blueprint for the next Republican president lays out a plan to take things even further with nation-wide abortion laws and decreased access to emergency contraception According to CNN, the manifesto was cowritten by multiple former Donald Trump appointees Trump’s name appears over 300 times in the Project 2025 Plan

Look for a local action this week and up to Nov 5 Election to support Reproductive Freedom

VP Harris has said: “We trust women to make decisions about their own body We trust women to know what is in their own best interest And folks, women trust all of us to fight for their rights ”

Vote for Harris and Democrats to give back a woman’s right to make personal medical decisions

Dennis Raube Fort Myers

The Hispanic vote and three Republican presidents

To the editor:

Ronald Reagan often said “Hispanics are conservative They just don’t know it ”

Reagan viewed Hispanic values as closely related to conservative values, as both tended to place emphasis on religious faith, family, and hard work

He also saw that both groups maintain strong opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage

Reagan understood that the Hispanic vote was up for grabs He increased the Republican share of the Hispanic

vote from 24% in 1976 to 37% in 1980 when he was elected

George Bush was also able to connect to Hispanic voters As the governor of Texas, he had a large Hispanic constituency George Bush could credibly claim a connection with the Latino community Campaigning for President he often used a few words in Spanish to cement his connection with Latino voters He was successful in courting Hispanic Evangelicals

He obtained 44% of the Hispanic vote in his 2004 reelection Hispanic Evangelicals helped Bush win the election They increased their share of the vote from 25% in 2000 to 32% in 2004

Trump strategy for attracting Hispanic votes is not grounded on the Reagan-Busch presidential history

Rest assured that saying that Hispanic immigrants “poison the blood of our country” and promising to terminate DACA or to deport millions of undocumented immigrants is not going to help him gain a large share of the Hispanic vote

Sigfredo Hernandez Bonita Springs

Calusa should be celebrated

To the editor:

Southwest Florida’s ignorance about the storied history of the Calusa Indians is astonishing Calusa means fierce, and this fierce tribe ruled the southwest portion of the peninsula, eventually becoming known as Florida, for several thousands of years Their friends and foes respected these tall, lean, and handsome Indians, and many neighbors paid tribute to their hereditary King, Calos Invading Creek Indian tribes from Georgia were often defeated in vicious battles around the big lake.

They ruled their world, but their world changed in 1500 First, the Taino Cuban exiles arrived with word of the Spanish invaders Next, shipwrecked survivors and strange animals were traded to them by the small island Indians to their south Finally, a distressed Spanish ship blundered into Southwest Florida and repaired its worm-eaten wood hull behind Estero Island

The Calusa were not welcoming but curious They permitted the ship to be repaired, after which the Spanish informed them that their land now belonged to the King of Spain and

Sally Pipes Guest Commentary

Breeze receives multiple awards in Florida Press Association contest

Breeze Staff Repor t news@breezenewspapers com

The Breeze Newspapers once again took home multiple awards at the annual Florida Press Association Weekly Newspaper Contest.

At the 2024 ceremony in Orlando, The Cape Coral Breeze captured first place in Division A for its Editorial Page, third place in Division A for its Special Section on “Hurricane Ian One Year Later: Rebuilding with Resolve,” third place in Division A for Publisher Ray Eckenrode’s “Message from the Publisher” in the Serious Column category, and a second and third place award for Hurricane Feature Story via two articles from staff writer CJ Haddad

Haddad's stories that focused on Hurricane Ian recovery included “We’re All Still Here, Cape singer-songwriter pens song of reliance” which featured local Madison

Morris, along with his wife Melissa Morris, who write the tug-at-your-heartstrings anthem “We’re All Still Here ”

The story took second

His third-place story, “Ian Aftermath: Family loses everything,” took a look at Randy and Jennifer Emmett, both 43, along with their 8-year-old son, who were evicted from the home they were renting following financial hardship after the storm and had both of their vehicles repossessed Randy, a combat veteran who served multiple tours in Afghanistan, suffered a severely broken hand while cleaning up after Ian, which kept him out of work for months Jennifer, who was employed but lost her job due to lack of transportation, said her income just wasn’t enough to cover their living expenses

“The community journalism our staffers do every day is what sets our Breeze Newspapers apart in this market and we’re especially proud when we see our team

rewarded by their peers for their hard work,” Eckenrode said.

Executive Editor Valarie Harring agreed and added a thank you to Breeze readers

“Our opinion pages are true community pages as they are comprised primarily of reader-contributed submissions To have these pages recognized with back-to-back firsts this year and last is a reflection of the involvement Cape residents have with The Breeze We are humbly grateful and most appreciative,” she said

The Hurricane Ian Rebuilding With Resolve Special Section was a collaborative effort by Breeze staff and staff writers to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Category 4 storm that devastated Southwest Florida

The Breeze’s sister publication, the Fort Myers Beach Observer, also took home multiple honors from the FPA

The Observer was awarded first place for

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

From page 4

they needed to convert as enslaved people Having learned all the Calusa needed and not having any of the rest, the Calusa ordered them to leave Seeing thousands of war-painted braves eager to attack, the ship’s Captain ordered his ship to leave

It was the first salvo in the battle for Spanish dominance, the search for the fountain of youth, slaves, and retribution by Ponce de Leon for chasing one of his ships away Spanish history is the only written account of those facts, but archeological evidence has proven the truth Yet, most southwest Floridians and visitors ignore the great story uncovered at the archaeologically restored historical sites like the Mound House Museum on Crescent Street, Fort Myers Beach

I encourage all local media to promote the historical sites up and down our coast, even more than the fine job they have already done I would like to encourage our citizens to organize a celebration of the tribe with a “Calusa Days Festival ” Edward F. Donlin Cape Coral

The people need to take char ge to assure clean water

t o p l a c e t h i s a m e n d m e n t o n t h e b a l l o t

E v e r y w e e k w e a r e a l e r t e d t o t h e d i s a s t r o u s c o n d it i o n s o f o u r w a t e r s a n d p o t e n t i a l h e a l t h r i s k s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e m S i n c e l a u n c h i n g i n l a t e A p r i l , a b o u t 3 , 0 0 0 L e e C o u n t y v o t e r s h a v e s i g n e d t h e p e t i t i o n

T h a t ’ s g o o d , b u t , f r a n k l y , n o t g o o d e n o u g h , a n d d i s -

a p p o i n t i n g T h e i n c r e a s e a n d f r e q u e n c y o f h a r m f u l a l g a l b l o o m s , n u t r i e n t p o l l u t i o n d i s c h a r g e d f r o m L a k e O , a n d p o o r

m a n a g e m e n t p r a c t i c e s b y w a t e r a u t h o r i t i e s a l l n e e d i m m e d i a t e c o r r e c t i o n O u t s i d e o f s p e n d i n g m i l l i o n s o f

online slideshow in the open division of the annual weekly newspaper contest for “Fort Myers Beach 125 days after Hurricane Ian ”

The slideshow featured a gallery of photos taken by Fort Myers Beach Observer Editor Nathan Mayberg of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian on Fort Myers Beach

The Fort Myers Beach Observer was also awarded second place and third place in Division B for hurricane feature stories

Third place was awarded to a story by Nathan Mayberg on the assistance that late Marine Capt John “Jay” received from a group of Israeli volunteers in repairing his home and locating belongings lost in Hurricane Ian

Mayberg was also awarded second place for a hurricane feature story on Fort Myers Beach resident Rick Loughrey’s protest on his roof over town and state decisions that would have led him to take down his garage and rebuild it to new hurricane codes

t a x p a y e r d o l l a r s o n s t o p g a p r e s e r v o i r s , n o c o n c e n t r a t e d p u s h h a s e v e r b e e n e f f e c t i v e l y m a d e t o c o r r e c t t h e s o u r c e o f o u r p o l l u t e d w a t e r s a n d h o l d t h e p o l l u t e r s r e s p o n s i b l e T h e o n l y w a y t o c h a n g e t h i s i s f o r U S t o t a k e c h a r g e W i t h t h i s a m e n d m e n t w e c a n b e c o m e t h e s t e w a r d s o f o u r w a t e r s a n d r e q u i r e t h e s t a t e t o g i v e u s a c o m p e l l i n g i n t e r e s t w h e n t h r o u g h a c t i o n o r i n a c t i o n i t a l l o w s h a r m t o o u r w a t e r s I f y o u a g r e e , p l e a s e s i g n o u r p e t i t i o n a t L e e R i g h t t o C l e a n W a t e r @ g m a i l c o m o r

F l o r i d a R i g h t t o C l e a n W a t e r o r g

N o o n e e l s e

Editorial: Five-figure ‘contributions’ to tree bank among conditions for vacation of canal rights-of-way

From page 4

also into the General Tree Fund.

Or maybe not

“The City may use these funds to acquire and plant black (Avicennia germinans) or red (Rhizophora mangle) mangrove trees on property owned or managed by the City of Cape Coral to enhance water quality, or any other appropriate purposes in accordance with the City of Cape Coral Land Development Code ” Governmentese that include the words “may” or “or” in the context of “or any other appropriate purposes” are also things that make us flinch

As flinch we did at what appears to be

very new, very expensive and very unexpected conditions that flew beneath the radar but have the potential to affect a lot of individuals: Those who own an unknown number of the Cape’s remaining undeveloped singlefamily waterfront properties as well as, potentially, those who own land that sits on various platted-but-never-developed “invisible” alleys and byways

These parcels often require “vacations” for full use, especially for commercial development

There are no specific policy, resolution or ordinance documents among the “backup material” attached to any of the pending vaca-

tion cases that cite under what authority city staff is using compute and implement its Tree Fund “contributions ”

If their efforts to get information from the city was anything like ours neither the city’s Communication Office, the City Manager’s Office nor City Clerk’s Office responded to public records requests the affected property owners apparently will have to wait until Tuesday for city staff to make its case as to where and how it rain-made its four- and five-figure entitlements

One more nuance for those keeping count: If the hearing officer approves the condition for “contributions” as tendered, each of

these property owners will have to front the full amount to make any argument to Council, which makes the final determination on vacation requests

They then will get the money back only if Council goes against the hearing officer’s recommendation and strikes the staff condition

We urge Cape property owners to keep an eye on this one, and not only those with canal -front lots they wish to develop or improve It could be a foreshadowing of similar surprises yet to come

Breeze editorial

Guest Commentary: Multiple changes needed to keep Medicare solvent into the future

From page 4

But that’s not the only way to save Medicare from insolvency The program can institute more “means-testing,” to ensure that richer beneficiaries pay for a greater share of their coverage than their poorer counterparts

For example, lawmakers could lower the threshold at which means-testing already

kicks in for premiums for Medicare Part B, which covers physician services, and Part D, which covers prescription drugs. Right now, only individuals who make more than $103,000 a year and couples who make more than $206,000 a year face additional costs in Parts B and D

Policymakers need not limit themselves to income when formulating means-testing

policies As the Paragon Health Institute report points out, Social Security calculates benefits based on lifetime earnings. Medicare could do something similar

There are any number of roads back to Medicare solvency Medicare’s choice is no longer between change and the status quo It's between change and dissolution

Agree? Disagree? Weigh in! Letters, guest opinions, comments welcome

Sally C Pipes is President, CEO, and Thomas W Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy at the Pacific Research Institute. Her latest book is False Premise, False Promise: The Disastrous Reality of Medicare for All (Encounter 2020) Follow her on Twitter @sallypipes This piece was originally published by PennLive

The views expressed on the Opinions pages are just that opinions. These pages are intended to convey a range of viewpoints; opinions printed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. Opposing views are welcome. Letters to the editor or guest columns may be e-mailed to vharring@breezenewspapers.com. All letters and guest opinions must be signed and must include a phone number for verification purposes. Readers are also invited to comment on any letter or editorial opinion online at: capecoralbreeze.com.

Cape, Waste Pro, to enter into contract extention talks

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

The city of Cape Coral will move forward with discussions with Waste Pro to see if the vendor is interested in a contract extension

Cape Coral City Council came to that consensus Wednesday, agreeing to explore extending the contract with the city’s solid waste contractor for another three years

“It’s one of those contracts that need a lot of lead time because of the nature of the business,” Solid Waste Manager Terry Schweitzer said of why the topic is being discussed now

Waste Pro Vice President Bill Jones said they are certainly interested in extending the contract by a three-year period, as he thinks they have a great relationship with the city He said they would certainly want to talk about the rates, maintaining they are rather low and the Consumer Price Index has not kept up with the cost

“We would want to look at those rates and have some discussions on them,” he said

The deadline for the discussions was said to be Dec 31, 2024

T

extension would be for Oct 1, 2027, through Sept 30, 2030

A contract extention was not the only option discussed

Some Council members said they would rather seek requests for proposals to have all potential options

In fiscal year 2024, Schweitzer said they are projecting solid waste collections

The discussion was brought forward because the process can take anywhere from 12 to 24 months depending on whether Council decides to extend the Waste Pro contract by three years, or go out for Requests for Proposal, new solicitations.

to be roughly $14 5 million for residential collection for 92,000 homes

With inflation increasing across the country, when you have a solid waste contract limited by the Consumer Price Index or an older agreement, it can be very restrictive to provide the labor cost, equipment cost to cover those, while still making money, Schweitzer said

The discussion was brought forward because the process can take anywhere f r o m 1 2 t o 2 4 m

o n whether Council decides to extend the Waste Pro contract by three years, or goes out for Requests for Proposal, new solicitations

With extending the contract with Waste Pro for an additional three years, the service level remains the same, or very similar

“If we do extend three years, we will have a 20-year service with the same provider,” he said

The second option is for a new solicitation, which would most likely increase the costs, officials said

Schweitzer said this option would provide the ability to improve services and give the city a contract for 10 more years

Fees associated with The Cove at 47th discussed

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

Fees for The Cove at 47th a multifamily private development with retail and a parking garage will come back before t h e C a p e C o r a l C o m m u n i t y Redevelopment Agency in the near future

Cape Coral City Council, sitting as CRA commissioners, received an update Wednesday on the project that will include 290 luxury apartments, 18,000 square feet of retail and a 525 parking space parking garage

“When the design team was working on the project, we asked them to build more parking than required for the development,” Cape Coral City Manager and CRA Executive Director Mike Ilczyszyn said of 100 spaces two floors of 50 parking spaces each

The idea is for the tenants to have a fob to allow them to their parking floors, while the first couple of floors will be used for the public

“The first couple of floors are paid you pull out and present the ticket If you

According to the presentation, retail space is 100% leased out and the first 100 residential units, amenities pool, parking garage are targeted for Aug. 1. The apartments are currently leasing, with the first 100 units available for move in on Aug. 16.

have the fob, you leave for free,” Ilczyszyn said “What we are looking at is a system that we don’t have to man We want to have a passive management system ”

The agreement with the software company will have the CRA pay them to administer the program, while giving the CRA money from any receipts that are paid The funds will go to repay any loans

expenses operating the garage

According to the presentation, retail space is 100% leased out and the first 100 residential units, amenities pool, parking garage are targeted for Aug 1 The apartments are currently leasing, with the first 100 units available for move in on Aug 16

Ilczyszyn said they are working through the operational agreement with the vendor

chosen to run the parking garage He said they will bring a rate resolution for the use of the garage before the commissioners

“We are looking at at least one or two hours of free parking and then a fixed fee for the hours thereafter,” Ilczyszyn said

Data already has been compiled of comparisons for what the norm is in the area

“It won’t go into place until we come up with a resolution,” Ilczyszyn said, adding that the agreement should be finalized by September.

Gogel, a resident of Cape Coral since 1997, who has more than 10 years of

facilities or capital improvements, provided an update of other projects

Some of those that received extra dis-

cussion included the Miromar Street sidewalk project, which still has an 8-foot section left The stretch is from Coronado Parkway to Dolphin Key Resort

Ilczyszyn said there is one spot that has a valve box creating a conflict where utility had to make adjustments

Decorative tree lighting was another project, as it provides year-round decorative lighting on Cape Coral Parkway from Coronado Parkway to Del Prado Boulevard

Avenue

Ilczyszyn said the first three palm trees coming into the main entrance east bound have been replaced with a new electric source that is an expandable ring that lights the tree

“So far everything looks good If it works and we don’t have any issues, we intend on redoing the whole parkway and 47th Terrace,” he said. “They are LED, so you can change the colors as well It looks to be an upgrade less maintenance, more resilient and a better lighting option ”

Budget of $6.2 million for South Cape CRA approved

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

Cape Coral Redevelopment Agency

commissioners approved a $6 2 million budget during Wednesday’s meeting

Budget Administrator Nicole Reitler said there were changes to the fiscal year 2025 budget with the additional allocation of revenues they have received She said the July 1 valuation added an additional $445,890 to the revenue

There were also additional changes to the personnel and transfers out for a total adjustment of $509,753

“We utilized those funds and met with management and walked through existing capital projects,” she said Reitler went through the existing capital

Square water line; Country Club medians;

acquisition; south parking lot – Big Johns;

Miramar sidewalks

She said they took the $509,753 allocation and decided to use it for South Cape retrofit type F curbing - $63,863, CRA streetlight retrofitting - $172,561 and land demolition services - $273,329

Cape Coral City Council acts as the C

Mike Ilczyszyn also serves as the CRA’s executive director

Mayor John Gunter, siting as a CRA commissioner, asked what the $4 2 million in transfers out for fiscal year 2025 was allocated towards Reitler said $1 122 million was used for the loan for the parking garage for The Cove; $509,753 for the South Cape retrofit F curbs; $2 6 million for land acquisition and $460,750 for the Southeast 47th Terrace debt service

Community support ‘such a good feeling’

Boating accident survivor focuses on recovery; hopes her groundbreaking surgery can

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

Fundraising efforts for a Bokeelia woman who lost her leg in a boating accident this past April continue this weekend in Saint James City

This Saturday at American Legion Post 136, a fundraiser and benefit will be held for Nichole Hall featuring entertainment, silent auction, and 50/50 raffle The event starts at 4 p m and runs until 9, and will include live entertainment from “Pipe Dreams,” as well as food and drink

“It’s been amazing to see the support from the community,” Hall said “I’m going through something that’s really hard, but the support of my friends and family and the community has definitely made it easier I think it’s overwhelming to see It helped me when I was in the hospital looking at videos and pictures, it’s been really great ”

The accident happened April 20 while traveling home after performing charity work to assist a friend, kayaking from boat to boat collecting money for the good cause.

After a tumultuous 24 hours following the incident, including the amputation of her left leg, Hall, who is 29, woke up the next day and was able to communicate via notebook After a few surgeries, she was eventually able to stand on her own next to her hospital bed

On the way home, she and a few friends were on a boat of their own, traveling at a low rate of speed in shallow water There, the boat hit either a wave or an object in the water, causing Hall and two others to be thrown from the boat Unfortunately, Hall was hit by the propeller She was quickly helped by others on the boat

While Hall continues to fight, her family says the type of amputation that was required, a hemipelvectomy, is a rare and uncommon amputation of the entire leg, as well as a portion of the pelvis Not many have survived this type of amputation In fact, according to a fellow amputee Hall met, she is only the 203rd person to have this specific type of amputation and survive Hall, who served as sales and marketing director at Atrium at Liberty Park in Cape Coral, has been out of the hospital for

“They’ve been a huge support Just being in the hospital, I had a group of 30 people that were out in the parking lot tailgating almost every day for the first week making sure I was going to be OK. It’s such a good feeling knowing that I have that, and I can’t thank everybody enough for what they’ve done.”

Nichole Hall

five weeks and said she has completed physical therapy and will start outpatient work soon Her home is currently undergoing renovations to be more handicap accessible She said she’s even been able to go to the gym a few times

This past Monday, Hall had her first appointment with a prosthetist to start work on the prosthetic she will utilize

“That’s the biggest thing is to get that prosthetic, and I’m really excited for that,’ Hall said ”I had my first casting appointment, and with my type of amputation, you don’t just have to cast the knee It’s not just the leg and putting it on, it’s around my hip ”

Hall said her surgeon is going to publish the work done with her in a medical journal, so that other professionals around the world can use it to potentially save other lives

“I’m hoping that that’s going to help in future cases where people have to have this amputation so they can get through it and fight it and have a better chance of surviving and living a full life afterwards,” Hall said. “I’m trying to find any sort of positive out of this I can, so it makes me feel good I’m big on trying to help others and I want to give back, so I’m really excited that hopefully this can provide an opportunity for somebody else to have their daughter or loved one That would be amazing ”

Fundraising events for Hall have taken place since her accident in April, but this will be the first one she will attend in person It’s sure to be an emotional one

“It’s going to be really exciting, but I’m sure really emotional, too, to see everybody in person,” Hall said

See SURVIVOR, page 24

help save lives

Kimmie’s Recovery Zone gears up for National Fentanyl Awareness and Prevention Day; seeks ‘Narcan Warriors’ to help end stigma of addiction

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

The Lee County Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida will hold an event in conjunction with a national day of recognition to help break the stigma of addiction and the use of Narcan

National Fentanyl Awareness and Prevention Day will be marked in Lee County with a call for 100 community volunteers to be trained as “Narcan Warriors ” This event takes place Aug 21 at 4 p m at Kimmie’s Recovery Zone Sponsored by Drug Free Lee and Kimmie’s Recovery Zone, it is free and open to the public, with no reservations needed.

“We’re continuing to hear stories of families who have been affected by fentanyl, and it’s heartbreaking,” said Executive Director of Drug-Free Lee, Deborah Comella “So when we have an opportunity to train people in the use of Narcan, which we know is efficient and saves lives, we have to take advantage of that opportunity With National Fentanyl Awareness Day coming up in August, we felt that was an opportunity to shine the light on how important Narcan is in our community and get people trained ”

Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, has emerged as a major contributor to the staggering number of drug deaths across the United States, killing more than 70,000 people in 2022 and ’23 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Comella said the need for awareness and preventive measures is critical

“Let’s get people to switch how they’re thinking about Narcan,” Comella said “That it’s not just for medical professionals It’s not just for first responders, it’s for (everybody) "

“What

we would like to do is make the general community more comfortable with having Narcan. You can see overdose at the grocery store or at the park. Unfortunately fentanyl abuse is not just in one neighborhood, it’s in all the neighborhoods.”

Deborah Comella, executive director of Drug-Free Lee

According to the most recent date from Florida Health Charts, in 2022, there were 6,157 opioid overdose deaths in Florida, and 7,769 drug overdose deaths in the same period The average age for opioid overdose deaths was 29, with the average age of drug overdose deaths at nearly 36

In 2023, there were 36,163 emergency medical service responses to a suspected opioid-involved overdose, and 102,454 EMS responses to a suspected drug overdose including opioids.

“Fentanyl has become a big issue in our society,” said Cape Coral Police Department Public Affairs Officer Mercedes Simonds “Fentanyl is far more potent than most drugs we’ve seen in the past and can be laced inside other illegal drug that are not marketed as Fentanyl We work every day to get drugs off the streets by launching investigations and following up with search warrants and arrests We’ve seen far too many overdoses, some of which have taken lives, to not combat this issue ”

In 2023, there were 47,410 instances of Naloxone(Narcan) administered according to Florida Health Charts

As for why Drug-Free Lee wanted to host this awareness and training, Comella said, “I think a lot of people have some hesitancy in terms of whether we should have Narcan or not

“What we would like to do is make the general community more comfortable with having Narcan You can see overdose at the grocery store or at the park Unfortunately fentanyl abuse is not just in one neighborhood, it’s in all the neighborhoods ”

According to “Facing Fentanyl Now,” the entity that is home to National Fentanyl Awareness Day, illicit fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine Officials said just two milligrams of fentanyl can cause sudden death and be a lethal dose.

“The onset of poisoning caused by fentanyl can occur at a much quicker rate (sometimes within seconds) than heroin,” Facing Fentanyl Now officials state “In the majority of cases, fentanyl poisoning appears very similar to other opioid overdoses

“Death by fentanyl is a form of suffocation It shuts down your neuro and respiratory system and you can die in minutes or even seconds Fentanyl causes respiratory depression called ‘wooden chest syndrome ’”

The drug has been found in nearly every common street drug, such as cocaine, heroin, pills such as Percocet and Adderall, as well as marijuana

Comella said free Narcan, which can be administered via a nasal spray, is available at places such as Kimmie’s Recovery Zone and the Department of Health, and can also be purchased over-the-counter

“It’s come a long way in the last four years,” Comella said “And the challenge is that we’re not enabling people There’s a whole stigma with Narcan that is horrible This (event) also helps fight that stigma in the community Whatever can help you in your recovery, we need to implement that, as long as people get better ”

Comella said it has been concerning to see the rise of the drug in Lee County in recent years, and said what’s most troubling is that she’s not sure if there’s an end in sight And anyone can be susceptible to unintentionally ingesting the drug

“The amount of fake pills we’re seeing is alarming,” she said “We’re concerned for the college student who is looking for ADHD medication which we know is abused, and they’re going to look online for fake pills and get fentanyl instead If anything, it’s expanding to more parts of the population because of the large amount of fake pills that are coming out

“We need to expand the understanding of substance abuse disorder as a brain disease

It’s not like people say ‘Oh, today I want to be an addict ’”

Comella said the training will take about 45 minutes, and hopes as many members of the community that can show up, do

“We just want to encourage more citizens to be advocates for recovery,” she said Participants will learn signs of overdose and how to administer Narcan Community resources on recovery and follow up will also be available at the event

For more information on the Lee County Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida, visit www drugfreelee org

Lee Democrats, Republicans rally for local support

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

The decision by President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race and the sudden rise of presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris changed the election momentum nationally

The Harris campaign held a massive action on her behalf throughout Florida this past weekend to mark 100 days until the general election

The campaign engaged thousands of people through dozens of events across the state, including canvass launches, press events, and visits from local and state Democratic leaders, organizers said

In Lee County, it meant volunteering at a phone bank event at Lee County Democratic Headquarters in Fort Myers on Saturday with calls going out to fellow Democrats and independents voters

Dozens of volunteers got on their cell phones to garner support to remind those called to vote in November

Jim Rosinus, chairman of the Lee County Democrats, said individual attention is a better way to sway voters than a Trump boat rally

“It’s really important to contact the individual voters. It’s nice to have a demonstration or be out on the water, but we need to let voters know how critical this election is,” Rosinus said “There will be several races decided on Aug 20 in the primaries So, it’s important for the voters to know that and know what their options are ”

Lee Republicans, meanwhile continued their efforts with Trumparilla, the referenced boat parade, also on Saturday

Boaters taking part in the LeeGOP-organized event met at the north side of the Caloosahatchee Bridge in Cape Coral and boated to the Sanibel Lighthouse and back

An estimated 1,000 boats took part, including a second armada that was waiting at the Miserable Mile as a welcoming committee for those who took part in the hour-and-a-half journey down the river from the Cape, organizers said

“It was a solemn day that achieved exactly what we were hoping for unity in the community and in support of our president, Donald J Trump We look forward to the next event,” said Michael Leiva, the community outreach chairman for the LeeGOP Executive Committee and president of the state-chartered American First Club

Supportive events aside, the emergence of Harris as the leading contender for the Democratic nomination has changed the campaign scenario for the rundown to the Nov 5 General Election

Leiva said from his perspective, that change isn't going to matter much

“It was something we all longed for and feared would happen but we do not find ourselves concerned over the matter and will continue to move forward,” he said

Rosinus, though, said the decision for Biden to drop out was huge, and even though everyone is grateful for the work he has done, it was time for a change

“We are grateful for his decision to be selfless and put his ambitions aside for the betterment of the country,” Rosinus said “The excitement has been extraordinary The number of people who have come here has been ahead of anything we have done by miles They’re asking what we can do to help ”

Before hitting the phones, there was a discussion on the issues that concern the volunteers Among them was the future of democracy, health care, abortion rights and rights for the LGBTQ community

Nicholas Duren of Estero was among the callers He was concerned about losing his rights if Trump wins

“I told myself I needed to get more involved I was involved in a lot of campaigns in Philadelphia and when I retired I kept it on the back burner,” Duren said “I’m afraid this election will turn us one way or the other and I’m trying to do my part ”

Debbie Cabot said she was at the event to support Harris and the Democrats and has become re-energized since Biden stepped down and Harris emerged

“I was very concerned about Joe Biden after the debate She’s a fresh face, she’s younger, more vital and she has a great laugh,” Cabot said “I love that she’s a prosecutor and she will take the case to Trump and not babble stupidity or terrible plans for our country ”

Leslie Russner said she wanted to turn Florida blue again, which is possible after the state went with Obama twice

“I love some of the things she did as a senator and what she stands for as a presidential candidate,” Russner said “To see the overwhelming support she got from the Democrats made me realize she could win ”

Melia Vaccaro of Marco Island said Harris represents a fresh start for Democrats

“I feel more hopeful than I have in years I think it’s time to fight and I don’t think there’s ever been a more important time for it to happen,” Vaccaro said “There was a lot of apathy and malaise with Biden and Harris can bring in the voters Biden couldn’t ”

The phone bank was one of 30 pro-Harris events statewide this weekend Since Harris’ endorsement, the state has signed up more than 10,000 volunteers, the largest number in any of the battleground states, officials said

Cape Coral breaks ground for Festival Park

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

It took more than two decades to assemble the land, construction was delayed by both a worldwide pandemic and a near-category 5 hurricane, but Friday, the city of Cape Coral broke ground for Festival Park, intended to serve as the city's special event hub

“This space is designed to unite our residents in new and exciting ways, fostering unity and a community spirit,” said city spokesperson Lauren Kirkimullis, adding the park is intended to bring the community together for festivals, concerts and other special events

Mayor John Gunter said the sprawling, multi-million dollar park facility in the making will significantly enhance the city’s recreation offerings

And it was a park that was a long time coming

“This park is a testament to the dedication and vision of our residents What’s significant is how long we’ve been working on this,” Gunter said “We bought the first parcel for this park in 2004 This is a 20-year vision we’ve had and I’m glad to see this vision come to fruition ”

City Councilmember Keith Long said community starts with parks, where people can gather, bring your family and make new friends

“Anytime we can give the community another opportunity to gather, especially in this park to create an atmosphere for festivals and other gatherings, it also brings in opportunities for the local economy,” Long said.

Festival Park is among the components of the city’s $60 million Parks and Recreation GO Bond that was approved by voters in a referendum in 2018

The 200-plus acre park along Wilmington Parkway will feature festival grounds for special events such as Coco Fest, which has been shelved for several years due to a lack place to hold it It will also feature a concert venue, 10 multi-use sports fields with lighting, a walking trail, playground and infrastructure for a future

CHUCK BALLARO

City dignitaries perform the ceremonial turning of the dirt during the groundbreaking ceremony for Festival Park on Friday

amphitheater

The pandemic, supply chain issues, Hurricane Ian and the delays have driven costs higher for a multitude of projects, including Festival Park

The first phase of the park, to be completed by March of next year, will cost about $18 million Phase 1 includes the sports fields and various infrastructure, including that needed for the amphitheater

The entire project, when completed sometime in 2028, could cost more than $50 million

Long said the city isn’t immune to the higher costs citizens are feeling these days

“I would have loved to build this park 20 years ago It would have cost a fraction of what it is now I was also 12 years old,” Long said “The government is not immune to inflationary pressures When costs are up at the supermarket, they’re up for us as well ”

Land acquisition for the 517 parcels purchased as of J

$29,900,000

Updated figures, requested from the city earlier this month, still were not available at press time

School District looks to develop policy for AI

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How would you build consensus to accomplish your objectives?

prImAry ElECTION - DISTrICT 2

❑ Laurie LehMann

The city council needs to be available to all citizens, to ascertain their wants, needs and concerns By being available to all citizens there can be a consensus of what is best for the entire city not just a few. The city council needs to be a voice for all citizens for the benefit of the entire city This would make it possible to have a consensus to accomplish the objectives that are best for the city as a whole, not just a select few

Craig unroe

SaveCapeCor al.com

I would send an email the council before each voting meeting to share thoughts No responses are allowed due to Sunshine Laws, but it gives a perspective before the meeting

Breeze will ask the candidates for Cape Coral City Council an issue-related question In the interest of fairness, each candidate is limited to the same amount of space, about 100 words, for their response

Dan ShepparD (inCuMbent)

First and foremost you must prove your case, educate with facts, and explain your vision Spread the information to local groups, organizations, and citizens throughout the city building a consensus for your goal You must show the positive impacts and investment for the city as a whole. Educate your fellow council members at the proper times, and lead by example with passion and determination; stand your ground, be a leader

AbOUT CApE COrAl CIT y COUNCIl

Cape Coral has a city manager/council form of government. A Council-appointed, contract city manager runs the day-to-day operations of the city Cape Coral City Council is an elected eight-member board comprised of a mayor and seven council members who set policy and are accountable to the voters The mayor may live in any district Council members are elected “at large” meaning while candidates must live in the district they seek to represent, the seats are filled via non-partisan, citywide elections Every registered Cape voter, no matter their party affiliation or city address, may cast a ballot in every race in both the Primary and General Election.

ElECTION - DISTrICT 3

On a daily basis, I bring many different personalities together and have done so for over 30 years now in my career On the tough issues we must look at the black and white and find that grey middle ground that is in the interest, safety, and wellbeing for the current and future citizens of Cape Coral My objectives are common sense, everyday issues that I feel most citizens want addressed in a positive manner now Let’s just do the right thing!

I would first ensure that everyone understood what it is that we are trying to achieve After researching the objective, I’d present my recommendation I would listen closely to the information that each council member presents, compile the information, and share back which items I agreed with I would ask for clarification for any items I did not agree with It is important to show respect by valuing each person’s point of view It is extremely rare that all eight Council members would have the exact same solutions to a goal Therefore, I would seek opportunities to reach a compromise

I actually googled this to see what people would expect when the have this question Here are the answers: pooling opinions; listening effectively; discussing ideas and differences; not getting all you want; and coming to an agreement that everyone “can live with ” I personally would hold a mini town hall after every council meeting, same time, same day on zoom or the library, to discuss with the people what was said and ask them for their input on the issues that where brought up I need the people’s opinion before I act

In order to build consensus to accomplish my goals for the city, every project that has a potential city-wide benefit, but a perceived neighborhood impact, must first receive consultation from the residents of the area that the project may impact The city went about Jaycee Park all wrong, and this is why it has become such a controversy In general, I’m not afraid to host as many town halls, community charrettes, and other forms of city-resident interaction as are necessary to ensure citizens are at the forefront of our decisions I will also motion to reestablish citizen advisory boards to bring back the voice of residents at city hall

DanieL J. LuDL ow

How would you build consensus to accomplish your objectives?

PrImary ElEcTION - DISTrIcT 4

Building consensus is my preferred approach to advancing any project, particularly those involving change I strive to achieve consensus through effective and sincere communication, supported by facts and data Listening to and understanding opposing viewpoints also helps in gaining consensus on challenging topics Additionally, it is easier to build consensus when promoting initiatives that are widely supported and clearly benefit the public rather than serving a personal objective

❑ JennIFeR nelson nelsonforDistrict4.com

Building consensus with any group requires understanding the people you serve/work with and their leadership style

Knowing the data and facts on the issues and being able to articulate your stance as to why you will support or not support an issue is important Especially, when you are trying to convince your team to join your side of an issue Also, having decorum, remaining professional, and speaking your truth with dignity and respect can go a long way when trying to build a team

Breeze will ask the candidates for Cape Coral City Council an issue-related question In the interest of fairness, each candidate is limited to the same amount of space, about 100 words, for their response

Building a consensus to accomplish objectives starts with building relationships Building personal connections and trust are essential for gaining support and cooperation Fostering positive relationships begins with understanding everyone’s concerns in achieving a common goal and offering a positive perspective in hopes of achieving it Involving stakeholders in the process by seeking their input and feedback is also an important part of this process Stakeholder input is an invaluable part of the process It creates opportunities for stakeholders to collaborate and work together towards a shared vision

Since we must abide by the “Sunshine” law it makes communicating with your peers a bit more difficult

- First, attend the specialty meetings where you will be able to have an “open” dialog on specific topics - S e c

Committee of the Whole (COW) meetings

- Thirdly, you can leverage the City Council meetings to communicate your concerns

- Lastly, as a city council member you will have ample opportunity to speak to the media and share your views By leveraging the actions above, you can achieve ample communications and not break the “Sunshine” law

PrImary ElEcTION - DISTrIcT 5

Transparent communication! This includes communicating openly on the dais by responding to public input and holding regular workshops to discuss key issues with residents We need to engage community experts by restoring advisory boards such as the Budget Review Committee, and we need to focus on win-win solutions rather than personal disagreements We need to improve dialogue and encourage discussion during regular Council meetings (this is the only time Council can legally discuss key issues amongst one another without violating the Sunshine Law) Finally, we need to be willing to revisit decisions and change our minds if new information emerges ❑ chaRlIe Pease VotecharliePease.com

Kilr aineforcape.com

The ability to build consensus is a process which begins with earned respect through principled and consistent leadership Transparency, fact-based logic, openness to listen to dissent, persistent engagement, all contribute to instill others to invest in the process and find a solution Mission focus is key and when possible, necessary, and to ensure closure, it is OK to leave a little on the table provided the primary objectives are obtained In preparation, do whatever it takes to be knowledgeable and informed Understand the subject matter and what is important to those with whom you must reach consensus

RobeRt Welsh (Incumbent) VoteWelsh.com

I am diplomatic, honest and responsible I know how to listen closely to details and formulate conclusions based on fact I gather information from reputable resources within the city, and throughout our community, county and state when necessary and I am always available for open communication with Cape Coral citizens The Florida Sunshine law only allows communication between Council Members at public meetings Active interaction with our city manager and department heads will enable me to further any initiatives effectively

How would you build consensus to accomplish your objectives?

Breeze will ask the candidates for Cape Coral City Council an issue-related question In the interest of fairness, each candidate is limited to the same amount of space, about 100 words, for their response

❑ Michael david haRpeR

I believe the best way to build a consensus is by having public support I would hold meetings with the citizens and solicit their input to make sure that our objectives are in line with each other's

Important dates . . .

∫ T h e L e e C o u n t y S u p e r v i s o r o f

E l e c t i o n s ’ s o f f i c e p o s t s a l l c i t y - e l e ct i o n r e l a t e d d o c u m e n t s , i n c l u d i n g

c a m p a i g n r e p o r t s a t l e e . v o te

∫ T h e L e e C o u n t y S u p e r v i s o r o f

E l e c t i o n s h a s a w e a l t h o f e l e c t i o n s -

u g 1 7 , 1 0 a m t o 6 p m , d a i l y ∫ Ge ne ral E l e c t i o n : T u e s d a y , N o v 5

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e 2 0 2 4

r a c e s a n d c a n d i d a t e s :

∫ T h e B r e e z e w i l l p o s t a l l o f i t s

e l e c t i o n s s t o r i e s t o o u r w e b s i t e ,

Cape c o ral bre e z e . c o m

r e l a t e d i n f o r m a t i o n c o n c e r n i n g r e g i st r a

Rachel KaduK R achelK aduk com

Building consensus should always start with listening to the citizens and prioritizing needs while being fiscally responsible What do we have? What do we want? How do we get there? I would encourage open dialogue We should discuss ideas, differences, concerns, and all possible options I would listen effectively Once there’s a good understanding of what is important, we can explore all options Building consensus is crucial for the best possible outcome While we work to build a beautiful city, I sure hope we can produce more common ground for the residents Consensus helps to build a stronger community

District 7 is a General Election-only race

Races with more than two qualifying candidates are placed on the primary ballot, which this year will be held Aug 20 with Seats 2, 3, 4 and 5 on the ballot.

The two primary candidates receiving the most votes in each race will then be candidates in the City General Election

which also will include the District 7 seat (If there are fewer than three qualifying candidates in any a given race, their names will not appear on the primary election ballot They will appear on the City General Election ballot only )

Voters can cast a ballot in every race

The 2024 municipal election for Cape Coral City Council features five races the seats Districts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 with the District 7 race to appear only on the General Election ballot While candidates must live in the district they seek to repre-

sent, Cape Coral City Council races are

every registered Cape voter, no matter their party affiliation or city address, may cast a ballot in every race in both the Primary and General Election

Lee County Elections has begun mailing Vote-By-Mail Ballots for the 2024 Primary Election

Lee County Elections began the initial mailing of domestic Vote-by-Mail Ballots for the Primary Election on Tuesday, July 16

Approximately 130,000 Vote-by-Mail Ballots will be mailed to voters who requested one for the Aug 20 Primary Election.

Voters who have not submitted a Voteby-Mail request to the office since the 2022 General Election will need to submit a new request to receive a Vote-by-Mail

Voters who have not submitted a Vote-by-Mail request to the office since the 2022 General Election will need to submit a new request to receive a Vote-by-Mail Ballot for the 2024 elections Requests can be made by calling (239) 533-8683 or online at www lee vote

Ballot for the 2024 elections

Requests can be made by calling (239) 533-8683 or online at www lee vote

Deadline to request a Vote-by-Mail Ballot: 5 p m , Thursday, Aug 8,

Deadline to return a Vote-by-Mail Ballot:

7 p m , Election Day, Tuesday, Aug 20

If you plan to return your ballot in the mail, the Elections Office suggest you do so no later than Tuesday, Aug 13 Hand-delivered ballots may be dropped

off at any of the Lee County Elections Offices, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a m to 5 p m or on Election Day from 8:30

to 7 p

returned at an authorized Secure Ballot Intake Station, located at every Early Voting site during Early Voting dates and times Click here for Early Voting dates, times, and locations Track the status of your Vote-by-Mail Ballot at www lee vote

Groups host chances to meet the candidates, offer election-related info

There are a number of forums at which voters can meet the candidates

Among the remaining opportunities:

CCCIA monthly dinner

The Cape Coral Construction Industry Association will host Cape Coral City Council candidates at its monthly dinner meeting on Aug 8

The meeting will run from 5:30 to 8 p m and will take place at Cape Cabaret at 4725 Vincennes Blvd

For more information, visit cccia org

LWVLee offers information

The League of Women Voters of Lee County is taking an active role in local elections, stressing voter turnout while also providing information issues and candidates

“Elected leaders make the decisions that affect us, our jobs, healthcare, energy costs, education and more Every eligible voter should exercise their right to be heard at the ballot

box,” said Sandy Frank, president of the League of Women Voters of Lee County, Inc said in a prepared statement

All eligible voters, including those without a party affiliation, may vote in the Aug 20 election

Ballots will include non-partisan races for Lee County School Board, Cape Coral City Council, Fort Myers City

Council and judges Ballots for voters with a party affiliation will include their party’s candidates

The league also offers the following information and resources:

■ Request mail ballot: Request your Vote-by-Mail Ballot by Aug 8 Contact the Supervisor of Elections, lee vote

■ VOTE411: Vote411 org by the League of Women Voters Education Fund has non-partisan election information, resources and voter guides 2024 candidate information will be available mid-July

■ Returning Citizens Voting Rights: Restoration information and assistance is available from League of Women Voters of Florida Call 407-710-5496 or email canivote@lwvfl org

For Voter Identification Assistance, contact VoteRiders org 866-432-8683

Visit LWVLee org for more information on candidate forums and to sign up for email updates

COMMUNITY

Pollinator safe? Or just ‘friendly?’

By SHERIE BLEILER

news@breezenewspapers com

From now until September is the peak season for butterflies and bees Plants are growing strong with the long sunny days and ample rainfall! And that means plenty of flowers for our pollinators But are we accidentally killing them? Are we inviting them to our flowers and then poisoning them?

Interest in pollinator plants has increased Nurseries have begun to label flowers with ample nectar or pollen as “pollinator friendly ” But the desire for beautiful flowering plants around our homes still drives most of the plant trade, not plants for butterflies or bees In order to keep flowers looking their best, seeds and soil are routinely treated with bug killers Neonicotinoid pesticides, “neonics” for short, are commonly used be-cause they are absorbed into the plant tissues lasting for months or more than a year in woody plants

GARDEN CLUB OF CAPE CORAL

How much harm can neonics cause? On a milkweed plant grown to feed monarch butterflies, caterpillars will start eating the leaves and just drop to the ground and die Bees gathering pollen from the flowers will fly away, seemingly fine But it will change the behavior of the worker bees, making them lose direction and have trouble foraging It will cause them to be lax in cleaning the inside of the hive, leaving it open to disease and causing a decline in the hive population The pollen fed to immature young bees will kill them

Along with habitat loss and disease, plant poisons are a m

n Hundreds of studies have validated the harm neonics have on bee populations, yet they are not banned here Neonics are applied to golf courses, agricultural fields as well as nursery plants

We can help by adding some healthy habitat to our home yards to feed pollinators

How can we be sure we are buying non-poisonous plants? It’s not very easy Jeremy Rhoden, horticultural agent for Marion County UF/IFAS, suggests try asking staff at the nursery several questions:

1 Where can I find pollinator attracting plants? This question will also indicate to the nursery that pollinator plants are a thing people are interested in.

2 Do you have native plant species? Natives are easily recognized by our local bees and butterflies as having the food they need They also require less water and no fertilizer

3 Has the plant or seed been treated with pesticides? For big box stores, this is a hard question to answer because they get their plants from big growers They have no idea what has happened before they received them Local nurseries have a better chance of knowing the answer But all growers are often required not to sell “buggie” plants Thus, most of the soil is drenched with insecticide, which is absorbed into the plant tissues

Your best bet is to work with a nursery you trust to answer these questions and help you select poison free plants and seeds

While on the subject of substances that kill, please do not use rat bait to control rodents in your yard Poisoned rodents often kill bald eagles, hawks and our burrowing owls who will eat them and feed them to their young In fact, one burrowing owl can eat 300 mice or rats per year! Invite one to your yard Or use snap traps or box traps for rodents instead

A quote from Robyn Nola: “Butterflies are nature’s angels They remind us what a gift it is to be alive ”

Sherie Bleiler volunteers at the Cape Coral Library Butterfly Garden and is past president of the Garden Club of Cape Coral Visit www gardenclubofcapecoral com Like us on our Facebook page

From left, Suzie Starks, Abby Richter, Peter Busch, Shana Jenkins and Elaine Rockenstyre at the recent “Exceptional Employers of Southwest Florida” program.

LARC hosts ‘Exceptional Employers of Southwest Florida’ program

Event celebrates benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities

The Lee Association for Remarkable Citizens hosted “Exceptional Employers of Southwest Florida” Tuesday, July 23, at Collaboratory The event highlighted the benefits of employing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, honored local employers that hire IDD and celebrated exceptional employees with tenure in their jobs

LARC, a training center for success, provides essential support services to individuals with IDD and their families

“We are committed to highlighting the unique talents and contributions that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities bring to the workplace,” said Angela Katz, executive director of LARC. “This population is often overlooked, yet significant gaps exist in the workforce, particularly in the hospitality industry These individuals are capable, dedicated, and reliable employees who enrich any business they join ”

Numerous organizations in Southwest Florida, including LARC, provide support services for individuals with disabilities seeking employment LARC helps identify and match individuals’ strengths to suitable jobs and provides job coaching to support the employee and employer

The event featured a panel with Suzie Starks, executive director of the YMCA of Southwest Florida; Abby Richter,

customer engagement manager at Ecological Laboratories

resources at Shaw Development; and Shana Jenkins, franchise owner at Steak ‘n Shake They discussed the benefits, challenges and best practices in employing individuals with IDD

Research indicates that individuals with disabilities bring diverse talents to the workplace and tend to have higher job retention rates than their non-disabled counterparts

“Hiring people with exceptional abilities can lead to reduced turnover, lower recruiting costs, increased productivity, and enhanced customer outreach,” said Katz.

Peter Busch, NBC2 news anchor, served as the event's e m

Ecological Laboratories, Steak ‘n Shake, Shaw Development, The YMCA of Southwest Florida, Open Doors Preschool, Jason's Deli, Bimbo Bakeries and Collaboratory

For more information about employing individuals with disabilities, contact Pamela Jenkins, director of community support services at 239-334-6285, extension 226, or pamelajenkins@larcleecounty org

To learn more about LARC, please visit www larcleecounty org or contact Katz at 239-334-6285 x210 or email angelakatz@larcleecounty org

Cape Coral Art League closed in August; upcoming shows, classes, workshops scheduled

While the Cape Coral Art League is closed for the month of August, preparations are underway for the upcoming seasons at the city facility

Gallery shows, classes and workshops at the Cape Coral Art League begin again in October This year, the group's silent auction will be held during the month of December

For artists planning projects for upcoming exhibits, the schedule for the 2024–2025 season:

■ October Garden Variety

■ November Express Yourself

■ December Silent auction

■ January Water Wonderland

■ February Wild About Wildlife

■ March Simply Red

■ April Celebrating Color

■ May Florida Life

The prospectus for an upcoming show can be found in the show description on capecoralartleague org Open Painting

Wednesdays in July and September, from 1-4 p m

Open to the public

Student Sundays Sundays beginning in October, from 1-4 p m Ages 6 - 14

$20 cash or check only

Open to the public, pre-registration not required, just come 15 minutes before class starts

Preview of October Show

Garden Variety, Oct 7-31, 11 a m to 4 p m , Monday through Thursday Wine and Cheese Reception, Thursday, Oct 10, 5-6:30 p m Free parking and entry

Boulevard is an independent community of local artists who support, encourage, and inspire each other through classes, workshops, exhibits, and open painting sessions

The League is a place to explore your artistic side, learn from exceptional educators, make new friends and enjoy fellowship For more information, call 239-772-5657

HEALTH

A guide to influenza vaccines and staying healthy for the upcoming flu season

August is back to school month and a great time to start making a plan to protect yourself against influenza

Getting vaccinated when flu vaccines become available in late September and early October and taking other precautions can help ensure that you and your loved ones stay healthy this season Cases tend to spike during the fall and winter months when friends and families gather for the holidays. One of the best ways to avoid getting sick is to make sure you and your children are vaccinated against the flu When the vaccine becomes available, you can make an appointment with a Lee Health provider to ensure you and your children are protected

In addition to the vaccine, there are other things you can do to help give your immune system a boost, such as ensuring you get enough rest, eating well and washing your hands frequently using warm and soapy water and washing for 20 seconds or more

Dr Mary Beth Saunders Lee Health

What do I need to know about getting vaccinated against the flu?

Getting a flu shot when the vaccine becomes available is important because it can help make the illness less severe and keep you out of the hospital if you become sick Studies also suggest that getting a vaccine helps reduce community transmission This is important if you’re planning on gathering for the holiday season, especially if elderly or immunocompromised guests are present It can also help reduce community transmission at school among children and their peers

Flu season lasts from fall to winter and the shot is effective for the duration of the season As we get closer to spring, its effectiveness tends to wane After receiving the vaccine, the body needs at least two weeks after getting the shot to ramp up its defenses against the virus

You can visit a Lee Health provider to receive your flu shot when vaccines become available or visit www leehealth org for more information

Do I need a new flu shot each year?

The influenza vaccine does not offer a blanket protection against the flu, but studies show that it is 40-60% effective How does it work? If someone receives the vaccine and comes down with the flu, the vaccine will often make the illness less severe and keep that person out of the emergency department

A new vaccine is offered each year because the influenza virus mutates at a swift pace and evolves and adapts each year, causing the shot from last season to be less effective against the current season’s strain It’s encouraged each year to boost the immune system with a new dose of the vaccine, so you have the best possible chance of fighting the illness if you get sick

Who should get a flu shot?

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has recommended a flu shot for all children who are 6 months and older since the 2010-2011 season The very first time children receive a flu vaccine, they should get two doses four weeks apart After that, they should get one flu vaccine a year

The CDC also says that there are three preferred flu

Lee Health hospitals participating in World Breastfeeding Week with free breastfeeding classes for month of August

Lee Health is committed to ensuring a healthy community for all, especially new and expecting mothers In August, to support World Breastfeeding Week, which began Aug 1, the health system is offering free classes to encourage and support every mother

Classes are scheduled throughout the month at various locations in both English and Spanish Attendees will gain valuable support and advice from experienced lactation consultants, connect with fellow mothers and gain peer-topeer support via lactation consultant assistance

Education on lactation services is offered to expecting mothers at 32 weeks gestation during their prenatal appointments The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life with continued breastfeeding for two years or more While most families initiate breastfeeding, two-thirds of families who initiate breastfeeding don’t achieve the recommended breastfeeding duration or intensity Lack of access to breastfeeding support is one of the primary barriers to achieving these recommendations

The 2024 World Breastfeeding Week theme is “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All ” The theme highlights the need to provide a robust support system for breastfeeding parents Lee Health offers several ways for the community to access lactation services via in-house inpatient lactation services, outpatient visits and counseling phone calls with Women’s Services at HealthPark Medical Center, Cape Coral Hospital and Golisano Children’s Hospital If a consult is needed, Lee Health’s Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultants are also available to provide services at Gulf Coast Medical Center and Lee Memorial Hospital

“It’s important to ensure that everyone in the Southwest Florida community has access to breastfeeding education and support There are numerous benefits for both mother and baby,” said Joyce Arand, System Director of Women’s Services “While breastfeeding is a natural process, it is not always easy and we want to make sure every mother feels comfortable, supported and knows how to access the resources they need to ensure optimal health for themselves and their child ”

Lee Health has also partnered with Nest Collaborative, the nation’s first and largest lactation consultation platform,

to provide new parents with greater access to IBCLCs who provide high-quality, evidence-based, culturally competent, multilingual, and family-centered online video-enabled appointments to help guide and support parents through their breastfeeding journey in the comfort of their own homes at their convenience

Both Cape Coral Hospital and HealthPark Medical Center were re-designated last year as Baby-Friendly Hospitals

The five-year designation comes from Baby-Friendly USA Inc and is given to facilities that have implemented the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and are compliant with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes The U S guidelines and evaluation criteria are based on the global criteria for the WHO/United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) BabyFriendly Hospital Initiative

For more information on breastfeeding, support groups and lactation services, please visit https://www.leehealth. org/our-services/women-s-health/breastfeeding-support Free breastfeeding classes are throughout the month The schedule includes the following:

■ Aug 6, 10 a m - 12:15 p m , at HealthPark Medical Center

■ Aug 6, 6 - 8:15 p m , at Cape Coral Hospital

■ Aug 14, 4 - 6:15 p m , at HealthPark Medical Center

■ Aug 17, 10 a m - 12:15 p m , at HealthPark Medical Center

■ Aug 21, 6 - 8:15 p m , at HealthPark Medical Center

■ Aug 29, 10 a m - 12:15 p m , at HealthPark Medical Center (in Spanish)

Ten spots are available for each class. You can sign up at https://www-154p bookeo com/bookeo/b leememorial start html?ctlsrc2=zLu0BBgtn%2FmBW42%2Fg6zUf ha2uvWe25KNlvXAiVnBmjs%3D&src=03r&type=3154 6MAT4X14A78B25049

Drug Free Lee annual meeting to be held Aug. 20

Drug Free Lee will hold its annual meeting Tuesday, Aug 20, at 5:30 p m , at Collaboratory at 2031 Jackson St , Fort Myers

The topic of the meeting is "Our Story of Success" and how prevention is working in Lee County Speakers and their topics, include Lt Greg Bueno -How Drug House Odyssey has Positively Impacted Lee County Kids and Families for 30 Years; Coach Keri Jewitt-Giles - How Basketball is Drug-Proofing our Kids;

Stacey Cook and Jamie Linn Stuart - How Thinking Outside the Box is Supporting our Mental Health Front Line Workers; and Matthew Saba - How our Next Generation of Leaders is Making a Difference with Their Peers

Plans for 2025 will also be discussed This event is free and open to the public Contact Drug Free Lee at 239-560-1929, or for more information, visit https://drugfreelee org/

SWFL Children’s Charities hosts Wine & Women event

SWFL Children’s Charities Inc recently launched a new summer wine series geared at bringing like-minded women together around a great cause and supporting restaurant and winery partners during the slower summer months The co-chairs of Wine & Women are Katy Ciccarello & Renee Ciccarello and the group will host monthly socials through September

The July wine event was held at Stone’s Throw in Cape Coral where attendees sipped on wines from

fundraiser, Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest

SWFL Children’s Charities Inc is a local nonprofit organization that is dedicated to saving children’s lives by supporting the region’s growing pediatric health care sys-

tem SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc ’s annual signature fundraiser, the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest, has donated over $29 million over the past 15 years in support of children’s health initiatives including pediatric oncology, behavioral & mental health, pediatric neurosurgery and so much more

Celebrating its 16th year, the 2025 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest will take place on Friday and Saturday, Jan 17 and 18 and will feature Chef Vintner Dinners creatively hosted in private luxury venues across the region and the Grand Tasting and Live Auction the following day at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa Guests will experience artful cuisine created by celebrated chefs and expertly paired with vintners from some of the finest and most exclusive wineries

Ethic complaints filed against Cape officials dismissed

Florida Commission on Ethics finds complaints filed by city resident ‘legally insufficient’

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Lawsuit: Charges connected with arrest were dismissed for ‘insufficient evidence’

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“The City of Cape Coral has resolved this matter with a settlement of $100,000 This decision was made to avoid prolonged litigation The City has not stipulated or agreed to any validation of the plaintiff ’s claims and chose to settle to bring this matter to an expedited conclusion.”

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School board gets updates on health class instruction materials

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

The Lee County School Board was briefed on some new awarenesses added to the 2024-2025 school year comprehensive health instructional materials, which will be voted on early next month

Chief Academic Officer Dr Nathan Shaker said those include awareness of the benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the consequences of teenage pregnancy for grades sixth through 12th grade and teen dating violence for those in grades seventh through 12th grade

Other additional new items include an update on certain health and physical education courses to include revised state academic standards for health education, which were approved in July 2023 The updated courses will include topics such as the effects of social media and resiliency education, Shaker said

Chief Academic Officer Dr Nathan Shaker said those include awareness of the benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the consequences of teenage pregnancy for grades sixth through 12th grade and teen dating violence for those in grades seventh through 12th grade.

“These courses become effective for the 2024-2025 school year,” he said

In regard to health instructional materials, there has been a delay in adoption until the 2025-2026 school year

Curriculum & Instruction Director Lori Houchin said the material used for kindergarten through fifth grade will include Safer, Smarter Kids – Scope and Sequence and a Safety Rules Video for kindergarten lesson one.

“We have our district-created materials for substance abuse and use,” Houchin said

Parent opt out forms were also discussed, which will be sent through school messenger

“At the beginning of every school year we

School district to add more mental health professionals

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

T h e L e e C o u n t y S c h o o l B o a r d

approved a mental health assistance allocation plan, which will increase the district’s licensed mental health professionals from 50 to 57

I n t e r i m S u p e r i n t e n d e n t D r K e n Savage said they have hired three additional licensed mental health professionals and are looking for an another four

K-8 and high schools will have fulltime licensed clinical mental health professionals.

“None will need to share,” Savage said

There will also be increased days for elementary and middle school LMHP For example, Caloosa Middle School went from two days to five days based on their need

The allocation provides the school district with the opportunity to establish or expand their school-based mental h e a l t h c a r e T h e M e n t a l H e

h Assistance Allocation for the district is $6,173,441 A proportionate amount of the funding will go towards charter schools

send a notice to parents, in addition the opt out forms, letting them know about he required health education,” she said

The middle school health instructional materials include Glencoe Teen Health, 2014 edition, and Glencoe Florida Health, 2014 edition for high school

“Middle school, we are making a change In the past, I would say seven years, the district required that all sixth graders take health With the changes of standards, we were missing the teen dating violence,” Houchin said

She said there are now a variety of ways to cover health Those options include a semester of health for sixth grade, seventh grade, or eighth grade; or peer counseling for the entire

year; embedded into a semester of a PE course, or embedded in a science course

High school remains the same with one credit of physical education to include the integration of health There are waiver options two years of JV or varsity sport, two years of JROTC, one semester of marching band or dance, or International Baccalaureate or Cambridge Advanced International Certificate Program

Parents are also offered an opt out form for reproductive health and any disease

“We follow our scope and sequence and send out again two weeks prior to hitting those standards,” Houchin said

Students who have parents that opt out are not penalized, as they will receive an alternative assignment

“There are plenty of other standards plethora of other standards to where they can receive grades and a full credit,” she said

Survivor: Fundraiser to help with ongoing expenses

From page 9

Proceeds from the fundraiser will assist Hall with medical bills and most importantly, the prosthetic she will soon receive

“When I spoke with another amputee (below the knee), she said that out-of-pocket, after insurance covers the leg, she could buy a brand-new car every year with what she spends on out-of-pocket expenses,” Hall said “It’s definitely going to be expensive To try and live a normal life, those expenses are going to be immense Having the support of the community definitely makes it easier financially That was a big thing I was worried about And even with donations and support, I’m worried about the future But it’s

definitely been a help ” Hall, who is described as a “saint” by her family, said she wouldn’t be where she is today without their love

“They’ve been a huge support,” she said “Just being in the hospital, I had a group of 30 people that were out in the parking lot tailgating almost every day for the first week making sure I was going to be OK It’s such a good feeling knowing that I have that, and I can’t thank everybody enough for what they’ve done ”

American Legion Post 136 is at 4106 Stringfellow Road in Saint James City

Housing: Where ADUs

could or should be located, density issues, affect on property

From page 1

becomes less affordable ”

An ADU becomes another source of income to allow them to stay in their home and make it more affordable, he said.

“How do we find out how we can use this as a component part for affordable housing in our area that needs the housing need the support and additional source of income to stay in the home they currently reside in?” Steinke said

The staff presentation at Council’s Wednesday workshop defined ADUs as housing that is not portable:

Recreational Vehicles are not ADUs; “tiny homes” on trailers are not ADUs nor are tiny homes on trailers with skirts to hide the wheels

“Accessory dwelling unit” means an ancillary or secondary living unit, that has a separate kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area, existing either within the same structure, or on the same lot, as the primary dwelling unit,” the staff presentation said, citing state statutes

“They are also referred to as granny flats, garage apartments, carriage houses, and ancillary units,” the presentation states, adding that Recognizing the shortage of affordable rentals within the state of Florida, the Legislature encourages local governments to adopt ordinances to authorize the construction of accessory dwelling units

Councilmember Dan Sheppard agreed that having accessory dwelling units could be an asset to the city He said there are certain features that come with high-end build outs, which could be an ADU. He said he does not believe it is a fit for the average Cape Coral home, but could be a magnet for high-end build out with more high end gated communities

Others said it would be hard to enforce, and density would be a big factor

“I don’t know if this is the answer for affordable housing,” Councilmember Richard Carr said “The impact on the neighborhood would be more negative than positive ”

With one member of Council, Councilmember Tom Hayden, out there was not enough consensus votes to move forward

“Accessory dwelling unit” means an ancillary or secondary living unit, that has a separate kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area, existing either within the same structure, or on the same lot, as the primary dwelling unit,” the staff presentation to the Cape Coral City Council states.

ADUs are specifically defined as housing that is not portable: Recreational Vehicles are not ADUs; “tiny homes” on trailers are not ADUs nor are tiny homes on trailers with skirts to hide the wheels

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Cape Council re-addresses car wash, storage unit moratoriums; discusses possible land use regulations

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

Research gathered for car wash and selfstorage facilities both subjects of cityimposed moratoriums was presented at Cape Coral City Council’s workshop Wednesday

Council reached a unanimous consensus, agreeing to move forward with car wash facilities use to be “permitted as conditional use only with specific regulations around locational and design standards of the facilities ”

There would be control over the “proliferation of the use and provide for adequate spacing and reservation of vital land ”

Some of the possible regulations include the conditional use permitted in commercial and the commercial corridor; only permitted on major collector or arterial roadways, as well as there be no operation uses of the facility facing or oriented towards residential zoning.

Self-storage facilities had more of a discussion, as there are 17 existing self-storage facilities

City Attorney Aleksandr Boksner said there is 3 1 million square feet of self-storage facilities, which is a million more than the applicable industry standard

The city recommended to limit the total number of self-storage facilities based on a per-capita amount, coupled with conditional

Council reached a unanimous consensus, agreeing to move forward with car wash facilities use to be “permitted as conditional use only with specific regulations around locational and design standards of the facilities ”

Self-storage facilities had more of a discussion, as there are 17 existing self-storage facilities. The city recommended to limit the total number of self-storage facilities based on a per-capita amount, coupled with conditional use, and limited district specific design and locational specifications

use, and limited district specific design and locational specifications

Many council members leaned more towards having specific regulations around mixed-use incorporation, locational, and design standards for self-storage facilities.

“I do like the idea of requiring mixed use maybe as a condition of anything over The mixed use can be exception of over and above,” Councilmember Robert Welsh said “For me, set the limit, but have the mixed use for the exception ”

Veterans Day may become standing school holiday

Sales Tax Holiday, which is in effect now through Aug 11 The sales tax holiday allows Florida families to save money on essential items students need for the upcoming school year

“Students can achieve remarkable things when provided with the right tools for success,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr, in a release “Thanks to Governor DeSantis and the Legislature, Florida continues its promise of helping parents purchase school supplies for the coming school year I encourage all families to take advantage of this great opportunity to save money.”

The Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday includes items

“Veterans Day is a day we celebrate and honor all veterans who served and are serving. It’s a federal holiday that should be recognized in perpetuity.”

Board member Jada Langford-Fleming

The Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is in effect through Aug 11 The sales tax holiday allows Florida families to save money on essential items students need for the upcoming school year, including certain electrionics, clothing and footwear, backpacks, learning aids and school supplies. There is no limit to the number of items one can purchase, as long as the item meets the tax break requirement.

such as:

∫ Up to $1,500 for personal computers, tablets, electronic book readers, headphones and related accessories.

∫ School supplies selling for $50 or less such as binders, notebooks, folders, markers and pencils

∫ Backpacks, clothing and footwear up to $100

∫ Learning aids and related resources such as flashcards, interactive books and matching games selling for $30 or less

There is no limit to the number of items one can purchase, as long as the item meets the tax break requirement

“With the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday in place until the Sunday before classes start this is the perfect opportunity for parents to save some money on supplies for their children and any supplies they might want to donate to their child’s school," said School District of Lee County spokesperson,

Rob Spicker “Supply lists are available on school websites and at open houses next week We want our students to have an amazing year and coming ready to learn on day one is a great way to start ”

Items purchased online are exempt when the order is accepted by a company during the sales tax holiday for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the tax holiday

When it comes to defining learning aids and what would qualify as exempt, the Florida Department of Revenue stated that “learning aids” are flashcards or other learning cards, matching or other memory games, puzzle books and searchand-find books, interactive or electronic books and toys intended to teach reading or math skills, and stacking or nesting blocks or sets

“The Back to School Sales Tax Holiday is an excellent way for Florida families to save money on the supplies students need for a successful school year,” said Jim Zingale, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Revenue, in a release There will be a second Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday during the spring semester of the school year to help families replenish their child’s school supplies. For more information and to view the lists of qualifying items, visit the Department of Revenue's Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday website at

toschool/

BUSINESS

Workforce housing options on horizon in Fort Myers

Southwest Florida’s workforce housing crisis is reaching a critical point, affecting essential workers across all sectors - from hotel and restaurant employees to health care workers, police officers, firefighters, paramedics and teachers

The impact of this workforce housing crisis can be seen across the region Amid persistent teacher shortages, classrooms are more crowded With more commuters driving 50-100 miles each way to reach jobs in Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, Naples and Marco Island, our roads and highways remain clogged – regardless of the season

A s t h e A m e r i c a n dream of home ownership grows increasingly out of reach for working families in the region, all eyes are on affordable a n d w o r k f o

gap

A proposed 149-unit a

Summerlin Road in Fort Myers, known as Summerlin Landings, aims to be part of the solution

Summerlin Landings is a joint housing devel-

o p m e n t b e t w e e n T h e Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers’ nonprofit arm and Pinnacle, a private developer with over two decades of experience building communities locally and across the state

The partnership’s previous successes include East Pointe Place and The Landings at East Point in Fort Myers Pinnacle has similarly collaborated on public-priv a t e d e

Springs and more.

Summerlin Landings would be developed on a vacant p a r c e l c o - o

6 1 Summerlin Road, with one- to three-bedroom units and amenities including a fitness center, dog park and clubhouse

Eighty percent of the project’s apartments would be built as affordable units at a location convenient to tourism industry workers on Sanibel, Captiva and Fort Myers Beach, as those communities continue to recover from Hurricane Ian

The need for such workforce housing is profound, with demand far outstripping supply: at present, the Housing Authority has a 10,000-person waiting list According to a recent study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, more than a third of renters across the country are cost-burdened in terms of housing affordability

Among the project’s supporters: Lee Health, which with nearly 15,000 employees is both the county and the region’s largest employer

“The need for additional workforce housing in our community is profound,” said Chris Simoneau, Lee Health’s chief development, marketing and communications officer “At Lee Health, we strongly support efforts to narrow that gap, both for our employees as well as those frontline workers across the region whom so many of us depend upon ”

With its proven track record, our development partner Pinnacle is uniquely suited for this collaboration

Pinnacle is also committed to hiring locally when it comes to construction of its communities That was the case in 2008 when, amid the Great Recession, more than

Former Sanibel restaurateur opens new venue in North Fort Myers

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

When owner Eve Alves lost the Tipsy Turtle Restaurant & Bar on Sanibel when Hurricane Ian hit, she did not feel sorry for herself or look for sympathy She went to work looking for a place to rebuild

It took more than a year, but she and her partners went to Marinatown i n

Cheeks, a bar that also happens to be a restaurant

It shows the resiliency of an owner who in five years has had to deal with COVID, Ian, red tides, algae blooms and now a bridge that will be closed for another month that has put a crimp in their business

After going through all she has been through, Alves is not going to let it stop her or make excuses

“After being through COVID and a hurricane, do you think a closed bridge is going to stop us,” Alves said

Donnelly, opened Cheeks in December and have gotten excellent business and good reviews

“North Fort Myers is a brand of its own. Everyone is friendly and hospitable and we can’t get enough of each other,” Alves said “It transforms when the sun goes down A new caliber of people come Once the music starts, it’s party time ”

She had spent 15 years owning a restaurant at the Miromar Outlets, Luna Rossa, but when rent became too much, she realized it would be smarter to own a restaurant and the land than to continue leasing, which had tripled

“They wanted $23,000 a year rent and had to spend a half-million dollars in a rebrand in a building I didn’t own,” Alves said “I bought the real estate on Sanibel because I told my husband that if we’re going to spend $23,000 a month, we’re going to own it ”

She bought land on Sanibel in 2015, and with the help of the locals pitching in with suggestions, opened The Jac Sanibel Island Bar and Grille, a farm-to-table eatery Unfortunately, such a place was a little before its time, so she went back to the drawing board and rebranded as the Tipsy Turtle two days before the state shut down the restaurants because of COVID

They were open for take out and delivery When the state reopened, the Tipsy Turtle took off

“It was like wildfire You couldn’t stop it We were

doing phenomenal We didn’t owe anyone a dime, we had 72 employees, we were giving back to the community,” Alves said

And then Ian hit, a storm most people thought was going to pass to the west of Sanibel, that instead hit it straight on

Thinking they would only be off the island for a day or so, it ended being much longer, since the Sanibel Causeway had collapsed and Alves had no way of getting back When they finally got back on the island in mid-October, they saw the devastation

“When I walked in it was like you saw your child decimated before your eyes It was the worst thing I’d ever seen,” she said

island-wide With no revenue coming in, the property went into foreclosure

Then a new opportunity, in a new location, arose In June of 2023, her partners approached her and offered to partner with her to open a new place They found the place at Marinatown, the former Cactus Jack’s, which was also damaged by Ian They named it Cheeks because they did not want anything that resembled the Nauti Parrot next door

“We decided instead of creating a restaurant with a bar, let’s create a bar with a restaurant,” Alves said “Sean had a bar in his house called Cheeks We decided to go with it and it took off ”

Cheeks has live music every day, as well as daily food and drink specials, Happy Hour all day every day There is AYCE lobster tails on Thursday and Sunday Twenty chicken wings for $10 on Wednesday, and Monday is 50 cent shrimp and $10 buckets

What they do not have is a bridge While the Edison Bridge is still open, people like convenience

Still, Alves said she loves the community

“The people have welcomed us with open arms and now we’re trying to give back where we’re going to give backpacks to the kids who live here,” she said “We’ll also do something for Thanksgiving and Christmas I’ve been taught the more you give the better off you are ”

Cheeks is open seven days a week from 11 a m to midnight

For more information, visit Cheeks Bar on Facebook and Instagram

Cheeks Bar is at 3448 Marinatown Lane, North Fort Myers

Tractor Supply in Cape Coral to host pet treat tasting event Aug. 10

Tractor Supply Company is hosting a pet treat tasting event in Cape Coral Planned for Saturday, Aug 10, from 10 a m until 3 p m , this event will give pets the chance to sample a variety of pet treats available at Tractor Supply Company

“At Tractor Supply, we believe in giving your pets a c h o i c e , ” s a i d T h o m a s T h o

the Cape Coral Tractor Supply store. “From our exclusive 4health brand to a multitude of other high-quality products, we carry a wide variety of pet food and treat options to ensure your four-legged friends stay nourished and satisfied all year long We hope you will join us on Aug 10, 2024, to let your pet find its treat of choice ” In addition to the tasting, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy Pet Care 101 and Dog Wash

This event is open to the public and will take place at 2050 S W Pine Island Road ‘For more information, please contact the Cape Coral Tractor Supply at 239-283-

5701

The rural lifestyle retailer, which is a one-stop shop for all things pet, including a wide variety of food, treats, toys, crates, carriers, training tools and health supplements, will help alleviate needs and support important program initiatives

For additional information on Tractor Supply, please visit www tractorsupply com

Marcia Davis Guest Comment

CHEEKS BAR

Greater For t Myers Chamber to host ‘State of the Chamber’ luncheon

Aug. 13

The Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly luncheon from 11:30 a m to 1:15 p m , Tuesday, Aug 13, to focus on the “State of the Chamber ”

During the luncheon, attendees will hear from Chamber CEO Robert Goltz, who will share the chamber’s plans for the 2024-2025 fiscal year He will cover new membership benefits and programs, general updates and future plans for the organization. There will also be an opportunity for members to ask questions and speak directly with the CEO

The luncheon will take place at The Plantation Golf & Country Club, at 10500 Dartington Drive in Fort Myers Admission is $35 for chamber members and $40 for

c h Attendees must register for the event by F

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accepted

T

9

Wealth Advisors

To lear n mo r e o r to r eg is ter , v is it FortMyers org or call 239-332-2930

South Cape BaconFest

Walking Pub Crawl Aug. 31

Preparations are being made for the South Cape BaconFest Walking Pub Crawl to be held Saturday, Aug 31, from 7-11 p m Patrons are being urged to dress to impress in their bacon themed attire as they hop across South Cape, sampling a variety of drinks and appetizers along the way

Participating locations will be competing for “Best Drink” and “Best Appetizer,”

BUSINESS BRIEFS

and guests can sample some unique and savory options and vote for their favorite(s) at the end of the night!

Limo buses will transport guests to four strategic locations, making it convenient to hop between nearby participating establishments on foot

Tickets are only $25 in advance ($20 for designated drivers)

Each attendee will be provided a passport to have stamped at all 11 locations To enter the grand prize drawing, leave your completed passport on a limo bus or at a participating location

Eventbrite

Check-in begins at 6 p m at Big John's Plaza or Dolphin Key Resort

P

BackStreets Sports Bar, Cruiser's Lounge,

Island Grill, Monkey Bar Steak & Seafood, Rack’em Spirits & Times, Ralph's Place, Rusty's Raw Bar & Grill, Tiki Bar and Tito's Cantina

Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association to temporarily relocate For t Myers office

The Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association ha announced the closure of its Fort Myers office at 2840 Winkler Ave , Fort Myers, effective Wednesday, Aug 7, at 5 p m The services previously located in this space will move to a new temporary office location in the Sunrise Office Center, 12381 S Cleveland Ave , Fort Myers, Suites 500 and 502, effective Thursday, Aug 15, at 8:30 a m

The Sunrise Office Center will serve as an interim office space during the anticipated construction of the association’s new

headquarters to be located at 5265 Summerlin Commons Blvd , Fort Myers

In March 2022, the RPCRA Board of Directors recognized a need to improve the association’s overall space, facilities and growth to serve the expanding demographic location of its membership Over the past three years, the association has diligently researched and reviewed the most effective way to accommodate membership growth, industry advancements and technology In doing so, the association listed the Cape Coral and Fort Myers office locations for sale in May 2024 The Fort Myers office sold and will be closing on Aug 7 at 5 p m with staff and services in Fort Myers relocating to this temporary space

During the closure of the Fort Myers office and the opening of the temporary location in the Sunrise Office Center, members are encouraged to use the Cape Coral office that will operate normal hours Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a m to 5 p m

To learn more about Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association and membership, visit RPCRA org

Province Proper ty Group ear ns accreditation

Province Property Group has earned accreditation from the National Home Watch Association for the third year The NHWA was formed in 2009 in order to establish and maintain the highest industry standards for Home Watch and absentee homeowner services throughout the United States and Canada (www nationalhomewatchassociation org) Home Watch is a visual inspection of a home or property, looking for obvious issues, which means that it is a service that “keeps an eye on

things” at your vacation or primary home while you are not in residence All principals of NHWA Accredited Member companies are background-checked, insured, and bonded

Province Property Group, which is coowned by Nicole King and Matt Jantos, serves Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sanibel, Estero, and Fort Myers Beach You can reach the business at 239-722-9276 or at info@provinceproperty net Learn more on its website, at www.provinceproperty.net.

Stevens Construction completes Sur gical Healing Ar ts Center & Metro

Alliance Sur ger y Center

Stevens Construction has completed construction management services for a

office building and surgery center located at 6201 Alliance Lane in Fort Myers,

Construction executive vice president.

The first floor houses Surgical Healing Arts Center, which specializes in medical and surgical weight loss, advanced robotic

bariatric surgery, adolescent bariatric surgery, complex hernia repair, body-contouring surgery after weight loss, anti-reflux surgery, weight management services and a wide variety of general surgery The center includes Surgical Healing Arts Center’s first wound-care center with a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, which promotes faster healing and offers additional recovery benefits to patients The space will include patient exam rooms, offices, conference rooms and scheduling

BUSINESS BRIEFS, page 33

Workforce housing: Options on horizon in Fort Myers community

From page 31

200 local hires were made to complete the Landings at East Pointe and East Pointe Place, aided by local job fairs and collaboration with community organizations

As part of a community heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian, we have applied for federal Community Development Block Grants set aside for disaster recovery and expect to soon know if that application has been approved

Summerlin Landings is only the latest

From page 32

The second floor houses Metro Alliance Surgery Center, an AAAHC-accredited and AHCA-licensed surgery center for general and bariatric surgical solutions that promotes greater efficiency, cost-savings a

patients who seek elective surgical procedures outside of the traditional hospital setting The surgery center features three operating rooms, a special procedure room, endoscopic procedures, sterilization, preand post-operation recovery, two overnight beds for 23-hour observation, nurse stations, locker rooms, a lounge and storage

Stevens Construction provided one year of preconstruction services, assisting with design team selection, and working with the client and architect throughout the design providing budgets and schedules at specific design milestones ensuring the p

Construction identified $500,000 in costsavings suggestions by working with the design team and client during preconstruc-

development in our ongoing efforts

Southward Village, the Greater Dunbar Initiative will transform affordable housing units for residents while expanding choices, creating market-rate amenities, and adding new mixed-income housing to create a resilient and healthy neighborhood moving forward

The project includes the creation of at

Southward Village and an additional site on Cleveland Avenue to meet the growing

needs of residents and the surrounding community Construction at the Southward Village site will begin in the first quarter of 2025

The Greater Dunbar Initiative is funded in part through a $30 million Choice Neighborhood Initiative grant from the U S Department of Housing and Urban Development

At the state level, the 2023 Live Local Act (signed by the governor in Naples) provided more than $700 million in funds and tax incentives for affordable housing proj-

BUSINESS BRIEFS

tion The 15-month project was completed on time and under budget

The Stevens Construction team includes Project Executive Dan Adams, Project Manager Jay Wolfe, Superintendent Drew Norris and Project Administrator Angie Sugg The design team includes Gordon & Associates Architect, LLC and Quattrone & Associates, Inc

Passenger traffic continues to increase at RSW

During June, 696,867 passengers trav-

national Airport in Fort Myers This was an increase of 8% compared to June 2023 It was also the second best June reported in the 42-year history of the airport Year-todate, passenger traffic is up 20%

The traffic leader in June was Delta with 169,572 passengers Rounding out

(134,766), American (114,820), United (105,906) and JetBlue (54,731) Southwest Florida International Airport

had 5,468 aircraft operations, a decrease of 2% compared to June 2023 Page Field saw 13,512 operations, which was a 22% decrease compared to June 2023

Southwest Florida International Airport served more than 10 million passengers in 2023 and is one of the top 50 U S airports for passenger traffic

For more information, visit flylcpa com or facebook com/flyRSW

Avelo Airlines announces new nonstop ser vice between For t Myers and Wilmington,

Nor th Carolina

Avelo Airlines announced this week it will launch a new nonstop route this fall between Fort Myers’ Southwest Florida International Airport and Coastal North

C

Airport

Beginning Nov 7, Avelo will operate this route twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays, utilizing Boeing Next-Generation

Southwest Florida, the need is all too great – and immediate

Marcia Davis is the executive director of the Housing Authority of the city of Fort Myers, which serves as a catalyst for increasing access to safe, stable and sustainable housing in the greater Fort Myers r

737 aircraft Low introductory one-way fares between RSW and ILM start at $67

T r a v

AveloAir com

Avelo will now serve four nonstop destinations from RSW Wilmington joins the

Connecticut’s Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), The Research Triangle’s RaleighDurham International Airport (RDU) and Philadelphia / Delaware Valley region’s best airport – Wilmington Airport (ILG),

said, “Southwest Florida

Avelo’s announcement of twice weekly service to Wilmington, North Carolina

This is the first time we will have nonstop service to Wilmington, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to Southwest Florida These flights will also offer local residents an opportunity to visit the historic river district in Wilmington and the Cape Fear Coast ”

SPORTS

Where to look for post-spawn tarpon

There are several places to find your post-spawn tarpon this month as they are quite scattered and hungry The passes, Captiva, Boca Grande and Gasparilla, still host fish Fishing these passes before dawn will pay off as it shuts down early as the sun starts to shine The deep holes in Charlotte Harbor are also becoming more productive

Next we have the outside tarpon, those cruising right off the beach to 3-5 miles out, with a few more on closeto-shore reefs or structures The insiders are found at various locations along the intracoastal waterway throughout Pine Island Sound North Matlacha Pass or the bottom of Charlotte Harbor are always worth a look these next couple of months While you’re in that area, setting up and waiting or poling along the Burnt Store Bar is definitely worth a shot

My favorite group of tarpon hangs out and chows down at area bridges, especially at night. A live 12 to 15inch ladyfish or mullet under a float or dead on bottom will get the job done You may have to put up with huge snook, sharks, redfish and maybe a Goliath grouper or two as by-catch, but you’ll survive I’m certain

Capt George Tunison

Lure anglers all have their personal favorites but a good rule of thumb is to have multiple rods rigged with “bigs and smalls” alternating casts till the fish respond Some favorite smalls would be Zman’s HerculeZ, DOA’s Baitbuster and Swimming Mullet For large profile lures, try the Hogy Eels and paddle-tails Not all tackle stores carry Hogy products but I noticed a good selection at our Cape Sportsman’s Warehouse Other soft plastic, fish shaped, paddle-tail style swimbaits, like those made by Storm and other manufactures, have a place in your box of tarpon goodies

Fly anglers get in their best chances casting at early morning beach cruisers but for a different experience try flinging your fly at night at area bridges Again, alternating presentations with multiple rod setups help up the odds for success Have a floating line set up as night feeding near or on the surface is always a possibility If there’s nothing happening up top, then pick up your sink tip line outfit and get your fly down in the water column where it can be noticed and inhaled

However and wherever you enjoy our local tarpon fishery, remember ,like you, the fish are also uncomfortably hot This is not the time for lite tackle fish exhaust-

Lee School Board votes to include Bishop Verot on county teams’ schedules

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

The Lee County School Board voted to include Bishop Verot at a reasonable and appropriate level for all sports during Tuesday night’s meeting, supporting a motion brought forth by Board member Armor Persons

“I received an email concerning Bishop Verot being left out of any of the schedules of athletics against any sport against our schools and charter schools,” he said. “I just think that these kids grew up playing each other in Little League and pewee football I think we need to include them The parents are taxpayers, too ”

Interim Superintendent Dr Ken Savage said he scheduled a meeting with the athletics director to get a full run down on the details Wednesday

“My job is to provide you with the best information that I possibly can,” he said

Board member Cathleen Morgan made a motion to table the discussion until they had more information, which failed

“Sometimes I look at things and see the wrong, it’s as simple as that It’s not just football, it’s every sport What could Verot have done to be excluded from bowling, girls

County students are going to have to travel 200 miles to play one game It makes no sense to me when it’s been done in the past,” Persons said

B

Langford-Fleming said they want to talk about inclusion and not exclusion, which is exactly what is being done right here

“We travel outside of our district to play other teams In my opinion, why wouldn’t we save taxpayer money, transportation money and time to play in our district first,” she said

Persons said even though Bishop Verot is a private school, it is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association, making it a part of the state system He said it’s wrong to exclude someone from their own county

“If there is anything we can do that is reasonable and appropriate, I would rather get started now than wait another week,” he said

Mussels drop two straight to Mets

St. Lucie takes down For t Myers, 8-6

FORT MYERS - The St Lucie Mets won their second consecutive game over the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, 8-6, despite committing four errors Wednesday night at Hammond Stadium

Mussels’ starting pitcher Ross Dunn worked back-toback scoreless frames to begin the contest but ran into trouble in the third After two quick outs, the Mets' Boston Baro singled to right and came around to score one batter later on an RBI triple from AJ Ewing. Ewing would plate the second run of the evening when Ronald Hernandez reached on an error by first baseman Rixon Wingrove, making it 2-0

Fort Myers (50-45, 19-11) co ted three errors on the night

Fort Myers responded in th home half of the inning, capitalizing on four errors by the St Lucie (11-21, 33-65) defense Maddux Houghton led off the frame, reac ing second after an error from cen fielder AJ Ewing Houghton stole third and would score on a passed ball to cut the deficit in half Following a Byron Chourio walk, Yohander Martinez reached on a fielding error by St Lucie shortstop Colin Houck, his first of three errors in the inning Yasser Mercedes was next into the batter’s box and he reached on a fielder’s choice after another error by Houck, which allowed Chourio to touch home to tie the game

tied the game at 6 after scoring on a wild pitch by Bautista

St Lucie would take the lead for good in the sixth inning, as Villavicencio singled to begin the inning He then stole second and moved to third on an infield single from Diego Mosquera. Baro drove in Villavicencio with a sacrifice fly to take a 7-6 lead

The Mets would add the final run of the night in the eighth and it was Baro again doing the damage, as he drove in Mosquera with a two-out double down the left field line to make it 8-6

The Mussels were scheduled to be back in action Thursday, with the series set to continue tonight (7:05 p m ), Saturday (6:05 p m ) and Sunday (12:05 p m ) at Hammond Stadium Starting Tuesday, the Mighty Mussels take on Hammerheads in Jupiter, before returning home six-game series with the Lakeland Flying Tigers

al information and promotions

Mussels strike out season high 16 in 4-0 loss to Mets

FORT MYERS – The St Lucie Mets scored in their first and last trips to the plate, defeating the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 4-0 on Tuesday night at Hammond Stadium

Angel Del Rosario broke the tie with a sacrifice fly to plate Martinez The final run of the inning came on an RBI single from Brandon Winokur and Fort Myers took a 4-2 lead after three

Colin Houck led off the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run to bring St. Lucie within one. After a double by Yonatan Henriquez, Kevin Villavicencio singled to right field, where Houghton misplayed the ball, allowing Henriquez to score and Villavicencio to go to third and tie t

Villavicencio to break the tie and put St Lucie in front 54

The Mets would pick up another run in the top of the fifth as Hernandez singled and came around to score on a Colin Houck fielder’s choice, extending the lead to 6-4

The Mussels would battle back again in the home half of the fifth, as starting pitcher Edgar Moreta exited and gave way to Nick Bautista Bautista issued a leadoff walk to Del Rosario, who went first to third on a single by Poncho Ruiz An infield single by Winokur plated Del Rosario to cut the deficit to one Later in the inning, Ruiz

Mussels’ (50-44, 19-10) pitchers struck out a season high 16 batters in the loss Wilker Reyes, Jack Noble and Tomas Cleto combined to strike out 14 batters across 7 1 innings of work out of the bullpen The trio did not walk a batter and allowed just two singles

However, St Lucie (32-65, 9-22) also struck out a season high 19 batters as the teams combined to strike out 35 times in the series opener

( 2 - 6 )

opened his outing with back-to-back walks Colin Houck got the Mets on the board with a sacrifice fly to right Yonatan Henriquez followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0

Still leading by that score in the ninth, Houck opened the frame with a walk. Two batters later, Yohairo Cuevas also walked to put two aboard Willy Fanas then singled to right to plate Houck and Cuevas followed on a Mussels error to make it 4-0

Fort Myers left 11 men on base and went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, as the Mussels had traffic on the bases in seven of their nine trips to the plate

Lavoie makes Spring 2024 Dean's List at Adelphi University in New York

GARDEN CITY, N Y -- Leah Lavoie of Cape Coral has been named to Adelphi University's Spring 2024 Semester Dean's List

Lavoie was among a select group of o u t s t a n d i n g s t u

y Adelphi's deans of Arts and Sciences, Education and Health Science, Business, Nursing and Public Health, Social Work and Psychology for superior academic performance The list comprises full-time students-registered for 12 or more creditswho have completed at least nine graded credits who achieved a GPA of 3 5 or above for the semester This recognition becomes part of the student's academic record and is entered into the individual's transcript

Adelphi University offers liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training at the undergraduate and graduate level with particular strength in its "Core F o u r "

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m i c a

s : t h e A r t s a n d Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, the Business and Education Professions and Health and Wellness Adelphi is Long Island's oldest private coeducational university, serving more than 7,250 students at its main campus in Garden City, New York Visit https://www adelphi edu/

Achieva Credit Unions giving away backpacks with school supplies Saturday

A c h i e v a C r e d i t U n i o n S o u t h w e s t Florida branches in Southwest Florida, from Manatee County to Collier County, will be giving away backpacks with school s u p p l i e s t o s c h o o l a g e s t u d e n t s t h i s Saturday, Aug 3, from 9 a m to noon

The Achieva Credit Union Southwest Florida branches in Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice, Port Charlotte, North Port, Punta Gorda, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Estero, Lehigh Acres and Naples will be participating

EDUCATION BRIEFS

The limit one backpack per child while supplies last and each child must be present to receive gift Gift available only on event day

I n L e e C o u n t y , t h e p a r t i c i

branches are at:

■ 2127 Del Prado Blvd , S , Cape Coral

■ 3031 S W Pine Island Road, Cape Coral

■ 4379 Colonial Blvd , Suite 100, Fort Myers

■ 2499 Lee Blvd Lehigh Acres

Achieva Credit Union was founded in 1937 in Pinellas County Today, it has

194,630 members For more information, visit www achievacu com

School District of Lee County

to host Social Lee:

Careers & Conversations Aug. 14

The School District of Lee County is

& Conversations Wednesday, Aug 14, from 5-7 p m The informational event will provide insight on all career opportunities within the District

The informational event will allow participants to speak with the talent acquisition team and learn more about open positions within the District for the 2024-25 academic year

Attendees will also be able to walk through becoming certified to teach in Florida.

The event will take place at University Grill at 7790 Cypress Lake Drive in Fort Myers Food will be included To register, visit LeeSchools net/Careers

The School District of Lee County is a m o n g

Florida and the United States with a growing enrollment of more than 99,000 students and 116 schools

New hires will receive support and necessary resources that will enable them to succeed upon entering the field of education. The district offers a competitive and comprehensive compensation plan for its

employees, and additional benefits and earning opportunities are also available via a

school, athletic coaching and more Upon hire, a personal benefits selection process will be made available to eligible employees

For support or additional questions, email careers@leeschools net or call 239337-8676 To learn more about available c a r e e

Schools.net/Careers.

Busey Bank names Engage & Enrich Grant recipients

Busey Bank is committed to serving the communities it serves To further strengthen this commitment, the bank recently launched the Engage & Enrich Grant program in the Florida Region, which aims to recognize and support the personal passions of valued associates

Busey associates had the opportunity to nominate a 501(c)(3) of their choice to receive an Engage & Enrich Grant. A committee made up of local leadership reviewed the applications and chose five recipients This year’s grant recipients include:

■ Hearten Inc -- Donation will be used to support free birthday parties for children that may not be able to celebrate

■ Fort Myers Fusion Baseball 12U team -- Donation will provide new uniforms and equipment for families who cannot play due to the expenses.

■ Valerie's House -- Donation will support children that have experienced the loss of a parent or family member

■ Partners for Breast Cancer Care, Inc -- Donation will go toward ultrasounds for women to provide better screenings for breast cancer

■ Oasis Elementary South PTO -Donation will support youth programs and education at Oasis Elementary

As part of this initiative, Busey also g

Animal Shelter to support the construction of its new facility

To learn more, visit busey com

FSW deploys ZeroEyes' AI gun detection and intelligent situational awareness platfor m across its campuses

ZeroEyes, the creators of the only AIbased gun detection video analytics platform that holds the U S Department of H o m e l a n d S e c u r i t y S A F E T Y A c t

Designation, recently announced that its AI gun detection and intelligent situational awareness solution has been deployed by Florida SouthWestern State College to mitigate gun-related violence

ZeroEyes has been implemented across all four FSW campuses, protecting 16,000 students and nearly 1,000 faculty and staff First established in 1962, FSW’s main campus is located in Fort Myers, with satellite campuses in Punta Gorda and Naples and a center in LaBelle FSW maintains its own Campus Police Department, which is committed to providing a safe, secure and orderly environment so that learning, working and administrative operations can excel

“The ongoing threat of gun violence in the U S compels us to maximize safety measures, especially given the open nature of our campus,” said Dr Gina Doeble, senior vice president and CEO of FSW “With thousands attending our special events, concerts, and athletic programs, we must do everything possible to protect them We are proud to integrate ZeroEyes as an additional layer of security ”

ZeroEyes’ AI gun detection and intelligent situational awareness software layers onto existing digital security cameras If a gun is identified, images are instantly s h a r e d w i t h t h e Z e r o E y e s O p e r a t i o n s Center, the industry’s only U S -based, inhouse operation center, which is staffed 24/7/365 by specially trained military and law enforcement veterans If these experts determine that the threat is valid, they dispatch alerts and actionable intelligence including visual description, gun type, and l a s t k n o w n l o c a t i o n t o l o c a l l a w enforcement and school staff as quickly as 3 to 5 seconds from detection

Influenza vaccine: Suggestions to stay healthy during flu season

From page 22

vaccines for people 65 years and older: Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent flu vaccine, Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine and Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted inactivated flu vaccine

There is no preferred recommendation for 18- to 65-year-olds

All flu vaccines for the 2024-2025 season will be trivalent vaccines, designed to protect against three different flu viruses, including two influenza A viruses and an influenza B/Victoria virus

Is there anything different to know for the 2024-2025 flu season?

The composition of U S flu vaccines is reviewed annually, and new flu vaccines are manufactured each year

The Federal Drug Administration’s

Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee made a recommendation that this year three-component (trivalent) vaccines, which include an influenza A(H1N1), an A(H3N2) and a B/Victorialineage vaccine virus, should be administered Because influenza B/Yamagata viruses, which are included in current four-component (quadrivalent) flu vaccines, are no longer actively circulating, their inclusion in flu vaccines is no longer warranted Staying healthy this season

Kids tend to be more exposed to germs at the start of the school year, and while back to school illnesses and infections are inevitable, encouraging your kids to wash their hands regularly can help prevent illnesses like influenza as well as colds and other viruses

When considering attending a gathering

this season, take stock of your health and see if you’re well enough to attend a celebration On the day of the event, see how you’re feeling. If you’re experiencing congestion, sore throat, fatigue, muscle pain, headache or any other flu-like symptoms, it’s best to stay home

When gathering with large groups of people, be sure to wash hands often, wipe down surfaces in high-traffic areas, stay-upto-date on vaccinations and stay hydrated Back to school and holiday season can be stressful times so it’s best to keep a positive mindset and make time for self-care to help reduce stress When we’re stressed, it’s harder for our immune system to fight off illnesses and do its job well

It’s especially important to practice staying healthy during the season when large gatherings and illnesses like the flu are

more common, but these tips can be practiced yearlong to help ensure proper health for all

If you’re starting to feel flu-like symptoms, please visit a convenient care location, your primary care provider or make an appointment with Lee TeleHealth, which provides e-Visits to message with a provider, on demand video visits and scheduled video visits

The emergency department is strongly encouraged if you’re experiencing severe symptoms

To receive your flu shot when the vaccine is available, make an appointment with your primary care provider, or for more information, visit www leehealth org

Dr Mary Beth Saunders is Lee Health’s System Medical Director of Epidemiology

Post-spawn tarpon: Where to look locally inshore and offshore

From page 34

ing or killing prolonged battles Even after a successful release the battle isn’t over till the fish fully recovers In the fish's postfight weakened state it may not be able to avoid the always lurking bull or hammerhead looking for an easy silver snack

Sixty-five to 80-pound braid and a medheavy to heavy action 7-8 5-foot long rod gets the job done in a timely manner.

Revive the fish till it’s ready to kick away strongly but be extra cautious at night

You can’t see Jaws coming in the ink black river water and believe me, he’s always near attracted to the sounds and struggle vibrations generated during the fight Think Boga Grip or other hopefully longer jaw holding device at night, anything to give you some distance when holding on to a potential time bomb

Hope you caught your red snapper as

these tasty reef dwellers are now closed to harvest starting yesterday on the 1st Red grouper is also closed along with gag grouper but gag season will re-open for a short time starting Sept 1 and ending Sept 15

Snook are still enjoying the beach and local pass spawning season while our inshore redfish are getting bigger with more slot and over-slot specimens being taken especially on cut bottom baits

Seatrout are really unhappy about the hot water while beautiful chrome permit don’t seem to care, camping out on nearshore attractions, always ready for a small crab snack

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

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