Cape Coral Weekend Breeze

Public input sought for Cape Coral bridge project

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

The community has an opportunity to provide input on the new Cape Coral Bridge

B

A hybrid meeting for the Cape Coral

a n d Environmental Study was held at Florida Southwestern State College Wednesday night, providing an overview, as well as an opportunity for community members to

Comments can be made online at capecoralbridgeproject.com, or by emailing, or mailing comments to Project Manager Vince Miller, PE, at info@capecoralbridgeproject.com, or 1500 Monroe Street, Fort Myers, Fl 33901

provide a comment in person, or virtually until Sept 11

The proposed design of the new bridge has a 75-year lifespan The total estimated construction cost is $263 53 million, and

the preliminary estimate of the total project cost is $325 48 million

The right-of-way acquisition and construction phase of the project is not currently funded The anticipated completion

Lake Kennedy Racquet Center opens as host site

Draws 300-plus competitors and ‘overwhelming’ number of memberships

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

of the PD&E study is January 2025

About 32 minutes of the more than hour meeting consisted of a video presentation of the study There were many renderings s

enhancement would look like on both sides of the Caloosahatchee River

The video began by explaining what the PD&E study entails evaluates engineer-

Would

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers

com

Cape Coral City Council may go to the “half-back” millage rate, so there would be funds to provide a 10% increase for police officers

The bump would help close the gap of reaching the city’s goal of paying at the 75th percentile before the end of an existing threeyear contract.

Mayor John Gunter brought the discussion forward Wednesday evening, as Council was winding down on its budget discussion for fiscal year 2025

“I know they have reached out to us individually for a possibility at looking at any type of increase of salary this next fiscal year,” he said “If we decide to have that discussion that is going to impact our budget ” There is a 16% to 34% lag behind the 75th percentile for police officers, lieutenants and sergeants, city officials said.

“We can do something to soften the blow this year, so we don’t have a significant increase The percentages are fairly high to get to the 75th percentile,” Gunter said There was some initial pause, as it was the ninth hour

See LAKE KENNEDY, page 24

Championship Series is under way at the Lake Kennedy Racqut Center /PHOTO BY MARK

ot only is Cape Coral’s newest state-of-theart pickleball and tennis facility now open to the public, but its playing host to a state-wide tournament brining hundreds to the region to experience the new grounds Lake Kennedy Racquet Center opened Wednesday for members and non-members to enjoy all it has to offer, while simultaneously being the

CLIFFORD

“The police chief brought us the asks It got molded into the city manager’s proposed budget We pushed back no, we want to give more personnel,” Councilmember Bill Steinke said “Then staff was challenged of how do we do that We cut revenue in an

Sizzle Dining event ready to whet appetites

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

An annual food extravaganza sees a record number of participants for its 2024 event, with proceeds benefiting a local non-profit that addresses child hunger

Sizzle Dining runs from Sept 5 to 25 and gives participants the chance to sample Southwest Florida flavors and delectable cuisines This year, foodies will have the opportunity to dine at 114 restaurants (including 38 first-timers) throughout the month, for less

Sizzle Dining features a set-price menu at $19 or $29 for two-course lunches, and $29, $39, or $49 for three-course dinners New this year is the addition of specialty brunches, and cooking demos with local chefs

The charity-driven promotion gives residents the experience of new restaurants, hidden gems to be discovered, and established favorites around Cape Coral, Babcock Ranch, Boca Grande, Bonita Springs, Captiva, Naples, Fort Myers, Immokalee, the Isles of Capri, Marco Island, and Sanibel

Each participating location will offer special Sizzle Dining menus, so customers can try different types of food that may normally be outside their comfort zone price-wise

“We're really excited to bring this back again,” said Sizzle

Dining founder Guy Clarke “September is traditionally the slowest month of the year for the restaurant industry in Southwest Florida, offering an opportune time for patrons to experience Southwest Florida’s vibrant culinary scene with special pricing and without long wait times "

Clarke added, “With the record-setting number of restaurants, we want to make sure they feel the impact. Restaurants bring on extra staff which is extra cost, bring in additional food they might not normally have on their menus as they're trying to be different and add some exciting dishes they normally don't have ”

Created to cater to every type of palate and diner, options range from small, independently owned specialty restaurants to high-end dining establishments Sizzle Dining provides customers with the opportunity to discover and try new things, while restaurants get to showcase their best menu items The menu is what tends to be the deciding factor when customers are choosing what restaurants they want to visit

Deciding what the menu will feature isn't always easy for participating restaurants Factors to consider include staying within budget, adjusting portion-size, and keeping true to the brand of the establishment

As for why local foodies should take advantage of the

Sizzle Dining period other than the charitable factor, Clarke said, “There's two main reasons, the obvious being it's a discount You're saving a few bucks You're getting to eat at amazing places for a discount which you normally wouldn't be able to do

“But when you dig just a little bit deeper, and you look at the bigger picture of what the event does, when the restaurants are busier, the dishwasher makes a little bit more money The servers make a little bit more money The support staff makes a little bit more money The linen company that provides the linens makes a little bit more money The food companies, the local farmers, the little guys make a little extra And that's the part that gives me goosebumps is when you see how it impacts our community This goes deep and really makes a difference locally There's a chain reaction There's no tourism going on now These are mostly privately owned restaurants The staff of these establishments live here You want to really help your community? By going out and eating, you're hitting all of these layers I had a server tell me one year that Sizzle helped her give her kids a better Christmas ”

For every Sizzle Dining lunch or dinner meal purchased during the three-week event, each restaurant donates $1 directly to Blessings in a Backpack of Southwest Florida, a local chapter of a national 501c3 charity that feeds 7,500 food-insecure elementary-aged students every weekend in Lee and Collier Counties during the 38-week school year Over the last three years, Sizzle has raised more than $91,000 for Blessings in a Backpack, including $48,000 last year

“I remember growing up without a lot of money and in a rough place,” Clarke said “I remember coming home and there not being a lot in the fridge Food wasn't a pleasurable thing, it was a necessity I think that's kind of what got me into the culinary world Because we didn't have a lot of food, I wanted it And it really matters to me

“In 2020, I brought Blessings on full-time, because it resonates with me I remember coming home and not having food in the house When I saw what Blessings was doing it just hit home.

“There should be zero hunger here in Collier and Lee Counties It's pathetic that not more people help the problem here I challenge everyone to feed a child for a year Actions speak louder than words It shouldn't be happening here It's $150 to feed a child for a year ” Blessings in a Backpack

Executive Director Cecilia St Arnold said, “Blessings in Backpack of Southwest Florida is so grateful for Sizzle Dining Not only does it share our mission with hundreds of diners, but it is also a unique and wonderful way to spread our mission By having people go out to eat, they are also ensuring that each dollar from each meal will help us feed hundreds of local children’s weekend meals Events like the Sizzle Dining not only raise awareness, but also provide crucial support for our mission. It's wonderful how community engagement can directly impact such a meaningful cause ” In Cape Coral, participating restaurants include Fathoms, Fish Tale Grill, Gather, Next Door, Pinchers, Stones Throw, Texas Tony’s, and Two Meatballs in the Kitchen

“We’re incredibly proud to have our three restaurants Gather, Next Door, and Fathoms participating in Sizzle Dining,” said Marketing Director Partner Valeria Zanella Voisin “This event holds special significance for us because it’s more than just a celebration of culinary excellence; it’s a meaningful way to give back to our community Supporting a cause that helps provide meals for elementary school

See SIZZLE, page 23

Offerings will run the gamut at 114 participating restaurants, including eight in the Cape.

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

No place for politics

In usual times, the third anniversary of the debacle that was the withdrawal from Afghanistan would have passed this week with fading headlines, fewer local remembrances and continued personal heartache among those who lost loved ones in the final hours of America’s longest war

But these are not usual times, it’s Election 2024 and the times they are a-changin’

President Joe Biden on Monday issued a statement on the anniversary of the terrorist attack outside Kabul Airport where American troops were assisting with evacuation efforts

He again lauded their efforts as well as the efforts of the 20,744 American service members who were wounded, of the 2,461 who did not make it home during the 20-year conflict

Vice President and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris’ statement was similar with a couple of political threads woven in, adding “President Biden made the courageous and right decision to end America’s longest war ”

Former president and current candidate Donald Trump, meanwhile, made a visit to Arlington National Cemetery at the invitation of Gold Star families to support them in their grief

Photos and video were shared in a campaign TikTok, which stirred up swift controversy and a rare U S Army rebuke

What was missing sorely, grievously, unforgivingly missing on this third-year milestone was accountability from the two main principals who share responsibility for the steps that led up to, and for what occurred, on Aug 26, 2021

Neither President Biden under whose watch our country’s exit left an estimated 15,000-plus American civilians and contractors in harm’s way nor former president Trump who took credit for negotiating the agreement with the Taliban to withdraw the remaining 2,500 or so U S troops in Afghanistan by May 1 of that year have accepted proper accountability for their respective roles in the exit debacle, the details of which are outlined in scathing State Department and National Security Council after action reports

Each continue to blame each other, with President Biden saying his predecessor laid the foundation for failure by leaving no plan in place to accomplish the withdrawal and former president Trump’s TikTok blaming Biden for the “disaster ”

See EDITORIAL, page 15

Are you pleased the state has approved the removal of the Chiquita Lock? (Repeat)

∫ Yes

∫ Yes, but I would have preferred a new one be installed

∫ No

∫ Not an issue of concern for me ” Vote at capecoralbreeze com Previous poll question

Are you pleased the state has approved the removal of the Chiquita Lock?

∫ Yes

∫ Yes, but I would have preferred a new one be installed

∫ No

∫ Not an issue of concern for me

* Total votes at press time: 75 votes Percentages are “rounded ” Poll results are not scientific and represent only the opinions of Internet users who have chosen to participate

AUGUST 30, 2024

Department of Labor is on the job

Labor Day began as a federal holiday to honor our nation’s workers and to remember those in the labor movement who came to their defense over a century ago They demanded that workers’ economic contributions be recognized, and that people had safe workplaces, received fair wages and had opportunities to succeed In 1894, President Grover Cleveland took an important step and declared the first Monday in every September since to be Labor Day

For those of us at the U S Department of Labor, every day is Labor Day Thousands of people throughout the nation and here in Florida work hard each day on behalf of working people. We help make sure people have access to training programs and good jobs in their communities, and enforce laws that protect workers’ rights, wages, safety, health and earned benefits From 2023 through June 30, 2024, your Labor Department has:

■ Recovered $25,047,993 in wages for workers whose employers failed to follow the law.

■ Recovered $29,347,032 in lost employee benefits in

Many thanks

To the editor:

healthcare and retirement programs

Your federal Labor Department has also:

■ Assessed 2,845 violations following Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections to protect workers on the job.

■ Assessed 1,749 violations following Mine Safety and Health Administration investigations to protect miners on the job

Your Labor Department also has invested $1 4 million in grants to expand access to apprenticeship opportunities, prepare young workers for quality jobs and strengthen Florida’s workforce to meet industry demands

The YouthBuild program supports pre-apprenticeships to educate and train young people, ages 16-24, who are neither enrolled in school or now in the labor market, for jobs in construction and other high-demand industries

In 2024, your Labor Department has established new federal rules to protect workers that include:

■ An overtime rule, effective July 1, 2024, increasing to $43,888 the annual salary one must earn to be exempt from overtime, in most jobs. On Jan. 1, 2025, that increases to

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

approved All such approvals are administrative There is no public notice or comment on permitted uses

Thank-you to the great people of Cape Coral!

A victory in this primary election means that the work has only just begun.

To me personally it’s a mandate to work harder in the general election for our city and for each and every one of you

This election is about a clear choice a choice about what kind of future we want to see for Cape Coral The results of this primary election showed Cape Coral’s choice is to keep moving forward and I am honored by the trust being placed in me to continue this fight

But, now, it is time to turn the page And together, in this election we’ve kickstarted an unprecedented amount of equitable community input in every neighborhood

I’m in this election because I’m committed to the work because I love this city and I love its people

And that will never falter.

Thank you for believing in our vision

Thank you for having hope and optimism about our city

I want to thank my team for their tremendous talent, drive, and belief in me

Most of all, thank you to my loving and supportive family Winning elections is never the goal completing the work and serving is

Thank you and God’s Best to Cape Coral

Joe Kilraine Cape Coral

Histor y of the Mast Canal controversy

To the editor:

I wanted to take an opportunity to respond to last week’s letter to the editor regarding me and the Mast Canal I want to clarify the timeline and the facts surrounding the Tommy’s Car Wash property The fate of this canal was decided prior to me And when I listened to concerns from both the property owner and residents in 2021 and 2022, I wrote an article to set the record straight so that everyone had an opportunity to be educated on the facts And not just what many were claiming to be true

A property owner is required to develop their property in a manner consistent with the zoning As long as the property is developed consistent with the zoning, it is considered an allowed use City Council does not have the authority to tell the property owner what to build or what not to build, as long as it is consistent with the zoning The city is not at liberty to force them to build something different on their property

In hopes of clarifying this issue further, asking City Council to tell the commercial property owner what to build on the property would be similar to council telling a residential property owner what model home they should build on their lot council does not have the authority to do so

When a group of residents, in 2022, entertained purchasing the property from the owner, the owner didn’t want to sell Council does not have the authority to demand anyone to sell their property

Regarding the filling of approximately 80 square feet of the Mast Canal, the permit needed was filed between the property owner and the Army Corps of Engineers The property owner received approval of the permit Residents with questions/concerns regarding this permit contacted the ACOE prior to the permit being issued

The westerly 80 feet of the Mast Canal was vacated by City Council on Sept 19, 2016 by Resolution 105-16 Vacation of rights-of-way require three types of notification: newspaper advertisements, notices to property owners within 500 feet of the property, and a sign on the site All three of these requirements were met and there were also two public hearings on the topic At the first public hearing, there were no speakers and at the second hearing there was one speaker This is an important point to clear up any misconceptions or concerns that residents weren’t notified of the vacating of the canal

I tried to facilitate a meeting between several residents and the property owner back in 2022 in hopes to have both sides explain their concerns and work together on the best path forward, but because of bad behavior on both sides of the issue, the meeting was refused

I hope this clarifies any misinformation

Stop calling it inflation

To the editor:

It is corporate greed that is keeping prices high

The zoning of this property was changed to C, commercial, in 2011 The C zoning district permits a wide variety of retail, office, restaurant and service uses as permitted uses “by right ” By right means that if the application demonstrates compliance with the Land Development Code and other applicable regulations (e g , stormwater), the development must be

Jennifer Nelson Cape Coral

Procter & Gamble recently boasted an $800 million profit increase. Despite costs going down, P&G kept prices high to increase profits Other companies actually raised prices while the costs of goods were dropping Without corporate greed, inflation now would be at or below 2% a year

Kroger’s profit was up 35 6% from ’22 to ’23 Publix was up 49% from ’22 to ’23

That's why food prices are so high

Kamala Harris and the Democrats have a multi-faceted blueprint that seeks to make housing more affordable, ease health care costs, expand the child tax credit and crack down on corporations that are unfairly milking consumers

Trump has asked top oil executives for a billion dollars in campaign donations and promised, if elected, to give them a continuation of 2017 tax cuts for only the big corporaThis week’s poll question:

Eric Lucero Guest Commentary

Teens’ first jobs must be safe jobs

Whether you are a parent, a teacher, or a member of the community, we all want to ensure that the children in our neighborhoods are safe, healthy, and have access to the education they deserve The child labor protections established in 1938 by the Fair Labor Standards Act were designed to ensure just that that children have safe, healthy jobs that do not stand in the way of their educational opportunities At the U S Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, we are dedicated to making these protections a reality for the young people in our community

H e r e i n F l o r i d a , a r e c e n t U S Department of Labor investigation found five skating rinks employed children under age 16 to work longer hours than legally allowed

Unfortunately, cases like our recent Florida investigation remind us that illegal child labor is not a thing of the past In

recent years, the Wage and Hour Division has seen a troubling rise in child labor violations across the country In fiscal year 2023, we found nearly 5,800 children employed illegally, an 88 percent increase since

assessed more than $8 million in penalties for those violations, an increase of 83 percent from the previous year

Our nation, our state and our communities must do better than that To combat the problem, the department is actively e n g

Commentary

enforcement and outreach initiative. Our top priority is protecting the most vulnera-

page 4

tions and the 1% Americans, leaving out the rest of us

The reason the Biden administration could not address inflation more robustly is because Republicans in the House and Senate blocked every effort to do just that Biden’s “Build Back Better” legislation would have lowered inflation by reducing costs in a wide area of sectors such as child care, healthcare and more

The Republicans opposed Build Back Better and every single inflation-reducing proposal Biden offered because they wanted to run on the issue

Trump fights for billionaires and large corporations Harris fights to give money back to working-and middle-class Americans

Dennis Raube Fort Myers

Face the facts

To the editor:

Unlike the compulsive liar, who generally knows fact from fiction, the pathological liar lives with a false sense of reality When confronted with evidence of a lie, the pathological liar will become aggressive, doubling down on the lie, never admitting an error This perfectly describes Donald Trump Case in point: Trump recently told a story about riding in a helicopter with the former mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown, and having to make a rough emergency landing Trouble is Brown says he never rode in a helicopter with Trump. Rather than acknowledge a simple memory lapse, Trump became furious when confronted with the truth, claiming he could produce flight logs proving his story and hurling insults at anyone doubting him

There’s little doubt Trump is a pathological liar, but it’s more complicated than that We all know there’s a culture war in progress and features of that war include book banning and the re-writing of America’s racist past, including the ideas that the Civil War was not really about slavery and the institution wasn’t all that bad Of course, there’s plenty of evidence refuting this revisionist version of our history, but there’s no one alive today who lived through those years; for us it’s the ambiguous distant past

What is far more sinister is Trump, assisted by MAGA world, attempting to alter the reality of our recent past, insisting we didn’t see what we all did see Trump says he won the 2020 election; he now says he never demanded Hillary Clinton be locked up; he says the attack on the Capital on Jan 6th was not an insurrection; he claims the economy under his administration was the best in our history and insists his han-

ble workers in our country and our state – kids We are p r o v i d i n g e d u c a t i o n a n d training to parents, youth, school officials and employers so that everyone understands the rules and how t h e y c a n h e l p p r o t

Florida’s youngest workers But this isn’t just the job of the Department of Labor E v e

young worker’s life can play a role in keeping children out of harm’s way By stayi

g awareness of federal child labor rules against dangero u s j o

e x c e s s

hours, we can ensure that teenagers’ first jobs are good, safe jobs. Positive, ageappropriate work experiences can allow

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

dling of the COVID pandemic was “perfect ” And MAGA world believes him

A free, democratic society is based upon a set of accepted facts, about our history, about our values If a huge chunk of our population believes in an alternative reality, we’re in heaps of trouble as a society.

Ray Clasen North Fort Myers

Vote climate

To the editor:

For the record, last year, 2023, is now officially the hottest year on planet earth since record keeping began in 1850 The warmest day on earth was July 22, 2024 Hurricane Ian, which hit Southwest Florida with the largest storm surge since 1873, resulted in $112 billion dollars in damage While there are still people reading this that believe Climate Change is a hoax, or a cycle, or simply overblown, there is a very powerful group of people who disagree They are called Actuaries and they work for the insurance industry

Florida gets hit by approximately 40% of all hurricanes that land in the United States With the mid-Atlantic experiencing the warmest ocean waters ever recorded and storm after storm stirring along hurricane alley you know these number-crunching accountants are paying attention Large reinsurance firms, such as Munich-re or Lloyds of London that cover the losses of thousands of smaller insurance companies are raising their rates with every degree of warming They are in the insurance business to make money and storms like Ian, Debbie and the next BIG ONE scare the hell out of them

Which brings us to politics While there are still plenty of climate change deniers out there in Congress or running for office they are not on your side Florida already leads the nation in insurance costs with a projected average cost in 2024 of $11,759 annually Several Florida insurers have already requested a 50% increase for 2025 If you vote for candidates who reject the very idea of climate change you are, in essence, voting for higher insurance premiums Drill baby drill might mean your gas prices drop a few dollars in the short term, but don’t you think that paying $15,000-17,000 a year for your home insurance policies is a far bigger problem? That’s why you should make sure your candidate not only believes in climate change, but that they are willing to do something about it Otherwise drop your coverage and risk everything you have in an overheated world Good luck with that one

Charles Sobczak

Sanibel

Guest commentary: U.S. Department of

From page 4

$58,656 annually and requires salary adjustments every three years beginning in 2027

■ A rule that better protects workers from being misclassified as independent contractors and being denied full wages, benefits and protections

■ New regulations to protect miners from exposure to silica dust, a leading cause of lung disease and death

■ Regulations that require employers to allow an employee representative to accompany OSHA inspectors to protect workers’ interest

■ An H-2A farmworker protection final rule that protects temporary migrant workers from labor exploitation and

young people to develop skills and learn what it means to be part of the labor force These are the kinds of good jobs that can get young workers on the path to good careers

To be clear: age-appropriate and safe workplace experiences offer teens valuable learning opportunities and a chance to earn money Those benefits, however, must never come at the expense of a young person’s education or well-being We call on parents, educators and others concerned about our communities and the future of Florida’s youngest workers to work together to keep teen workers safe We will not allow our economy to be built on the backs of children Florida is better than that

Nicolas Ratmiroff is a district director for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division in Tampa, Florida

‘Project 2025’ will destroy democracy

To the editor:

Having just finished the booklet “Project 2025 ” people need to realize that the election of ANY Republican is an avenue to turn Democracy upside down The plan is to provide tax and legislative changes to create more wealth to the richest of the rich, to create a Christian nation of laws that doesn’t allow any other aspect of human nature to legally exist in America You can recall the term “Trickle down economics” created with the election of Ronald Reagan, where tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans would trickle down to help create jobs and growth for the middle class, but in reality nothing trickled down Good-paying middle class jobs disappeared with the tax cuts only benefiting the rich Project 2025 is a regurgitation of the same recipe, with new plans to subject the 95% of Americans to a Republican Dictator in the White House

Take the time to read this plan, to digest the lies which will make you vomit. If you vote for a Republican you’re voting to destroy American Democracy

David Kenney Cape Coral

Democracy versus Socialism

To the editor:

The Democrats will promise you anything to get your vote but the border will remain open to millions who cross illegally, the wars will continue and inflation will continue to rise President Trump has proven he keeps his promises

The liberals’ rhetoric is streamed through mainstream media on numerous outlets and conservatives have a relatively small voice so it is easy to be taken in by their liberal view

The Harris/Walz agenda wants to totally recreate the USA by opening the border to millions who bring human trafficking and drugs with them They are promoting chaos and division

Why is it that Harris and Walz will only agree to debate on CBS, ABC or CNN and not on FOX, which President Trump has requested? The Democrats have the news media in their pockets think about how unfair that is

On Nov 5 you are making a decision between democracy and socialism It is the most important vote of your life Please think carefully and sensibly

Monika Krause Higgins Cape Coral

Labor dedicated to addressing a variety of workplace issues

human trafficking and adds safety requirements

■ A retirement security rule requiring investment advisers to have policies and procedures to avoid conflicts of interest and make sure they give investment advice in the best interest of growing and protecting their clients’ retirement funds

Proposed a rule to require employers to protect workers from excessive indoor and outdoor heat exposure

We’re also addressing many other critical issues such as pay inequity, access to affordable childcare, workplace flexibility, paid leave and training and working with employers, workers and local, state and federal leaders to build a 21st

century workforce that leaves no one behind Your Labor Department remains committed, as it has since 1913, to fostering, promoting and developing the welfare of working people, improving their working conditions and enhancing their opportunities for profitable employment because we know when families succeed, communities thrive and the nation prospers overall

Eric Lucero is the director of the U S Department of Labor’s Southeast Office of Public Affairs

Nicolas Ratmiroff Guest

More travelers, lower gas prices, expected for Labor Day weekend

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

With the unofficial end-of-summer holiday on the horizon, travel experts are predicting a busy Labor Day, with low gas prices to boot

Experts with AAA-The Auto Club Group, state that domestic travel over the weekend is up 9% compared to last year, while the cost to travel domestically is down 2%

“Americans see the extended Labor Day weekend as an opportunity to say farewell to summer with one final trip,” said Debbie Haas, vice president of Travel for AAA, in a release “Since many kids are already back in school, regional road trips tend to be the most popular option for families Because of that, others see this as an opportunity to travel the world, with the expectation of smaller crowds at popular sites ”

Floridians could see the lowest Labor Day gas prices in three years, according to AAA, with Sunshine State gas prices averaging 3 29 per gallon on Aug 26 -- the lowest daily average price in two months

“Low oil prices have kept pump prices in check,” said Mark Jenkins, AAA spokesperson, in a release “Floridians planning to hit the road for Labor Day weekend are likely to find the lowest gas prices for the holiday weekend in three years ”

Florida drivers paid $3 68 per gallon on Labor Day 2023 and $3 52 during the 2022 holiday weekend The state average was $3 02 per gallon on Labor Day weekend 2021

As for the best times to hit the road, officials with INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, state car travelers should avoid the afternoon and early evening hours of Thursday and Friday, as those times will be the most congested Officials said drivers should hit the road in the morning unless they’re leaving on Saturday, when the best time to travel by car is in the afternoon Travelers returning on Sunday and on Labor Day should leave as early as possible to avoid heavy traffic in the afternoon

“Drivers should expect the most severe traffic jams before the holiday weekend as commuters mix with travelers,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, in a release “Monitoring traffic apps, local news stations, and 511 traveler information services may help drivers navigate around congestion and reduce driver frustration this Labor Day ”

Tow and Go

As AAA prepares to rescue more than 300,000 drivers nationwide with car trouble this Labor Day weekend, it will also provide a free service in effort to keep impaired drivers off the road The Auto Club Group is activating its Tow to Go program in Florida and other select states, offering a safe ride for would-be impaired drivers and their vehicles

“By providing this program, AAA leaves drivers with no excuse for driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol or impairing medications,” states Jenkins “However, we remind people to treat Tow to Go as a last resort Instead, make advanced plans for a safe ride home.”

The Auto Club Group has provided the Tow to Go program for more than 25 years, removing nearly 30,000 impaired drivers

from U S roadways When someone calls Tow to Go ((855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246), a tow truck is dispatched to transport the vehicle and its owner to a safe location within a 10-mile radius This service is free, regardless of whether the caller is a AAA member

Tow to Go is provided from 6 p m Aug 30 to 6 a m Sept 3

Safety tips

Around the water

With temps still high across Florida, the American Red Cross South Florida Region has steps you can follow to help stay safe as residents hit the pool and do some backyard grilling

“Here in South Florida, many of us enjoy spending time outdoors with loved ones as we celebrate this Labor Day weekend,” said Jill Palmer, executive director for the Florida Gulf Coast to Heartland Chapter, in a release “The Red Cross wants you to avoid any danger no matter what your plans include and offers steps you can follow to have a safe summer ”

When it comes to water safety, officials said drowning can happen quickly and silently Unless rescued, it could take as little as 20 to 60 seconds for a drowning person to submerge

Tip from the ARC include:

■ Learn to be safe, make good choices, learn to swim and know how to handle emergencies

■ Provide constant, active adult supervision and know how to swim

■ Swim in an area with lifeguards

Designate a “water watcher” to keep a close eye and constant attention on everyone in and around the water until the next water watcher takes over

■ Wear your life jacket

■ Reach or throw, don’t go! In the event of an emergency, reach or throw an object to the person in trouble Don’t go in! You could become a victim yourself

■ Swimming classes are available for both children and adults Visit redcross org/watersafety for a map of Learnto-Swim providers in your community

■ Download the Red Cross Swim app for safety tips, kid-friendly videos and activities, and take the free Water Safety for Parents and Caregivers online course in English or Spanish

Around the grill

Some tips for grilling outdoors include:

■ Always supervise a barbecue grill when in use

■ Don’t add charcoal starter fluid when coals have already been ignited

■ Never grill indoors

■ Make sure everyone, including pets, stays away from the grill

■ Keep the grill out in the open, away from the house, deck, tree branches or anything that could catch fire

■ Don’t leave food out in the hot sun

Keep perishable foods in a cooler with plenty of ice or freezer gel packs

Individuals can download the free Red Cross First Aid app to know what to do if emergency help is delayed, as well as the free Emergency app for weather alerts, open Red Cross shelter locations and safety steps for different emergencies

Cape man sets land record at Bonneville Salt Flats

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

Age is just a number And the need for speed never dies

Cape Coral resident Bill Wendt, who just celebrated his 85th birthday, recently accomplished a nearly decade-long goal when he set a land record at the historic Bonneville Salt Flats

Wendt traveled a blistering 144.4 mph in his ’47 Crosley H-Diesel pickup named “Mighty Mouse,” because its very streamline It’s very, very small It’s the world’s smallest diesel truck ”

The engine he used to set the record in that classification? A 1 5-liter Renault

Wendt, the oldest driver in the field of more than 600 at the salts, crushed the previous record of 135 mph

Wendt said he chopped the top 3 inches, and modified the engine by adding a compound turbo that pushed out 220 horsepower

“I made it into a Mustang five-speed transmission,” Wendt said of the modifications made “I highly modified the front rear suspension, and reinforced the frame with a big, stout roll cage in it There’s lots of strict safety rules ”

Being a seasoned racer, Wendt has traveled well over 200 mph behind the wheel of a vehicle

In setting this record, he made two runs with his speeds averaged together, having to had qualified to earn a second pass If the average speed met the threshold, he would be the new record holder With a first speed of 144 92, and a second of 144 2, he was in fact the new top speed for the H-Diesel pickup classification

“It’s very prestigious to hold a record there,” Wendt said “But we were pretty sure we were going to get the record, because we’ve been running good. But the last two years, we got rained out We knew with what we had in it, it should run that fast, and it did This is the first time we got to run it real good with that compound turbo ”

The salt flats are a dried salt lake, spanning 23 miles across at an altitude of 7,800 feet, which Wendt said is so big and flat you can see the curvature of the earth

“When you're driving on it, it’s like being on a good dirt

Bill Wendt, who just celebrated his 85th birthday, recently

when he set a land record at the historic Bonneville

road,” he said “It’s not like asphalt It’s actual sea salt ”

Wendt has been racing for 70 years, and has always had a passion for the automotive world

“I always liked cars,” Wendt said “Ever since I was a

a

little boy When I was 5 years old, I told my mom I wanted to build race cars and wanted to drive race cars And she CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY DAVID JOHNSTON

accomplished

nearly decade-long goal

Salt Flats

Cast your ballots: Best of Cape Coral readers choice voting is under way

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

Ballots can now be cast for the Breeze Newspapers’ annual “Best Of” series highlighting Cape Coral businesses

The Best of Cape Coral features more than 200 categories for members of the community to show their support for their favorite and highly-recommended local businesses

Voting started on Aug 28, and ends at 11:59 p m on Sept 8 Individuals can vote

one time each day per category

There is also an official ballot guide in today’s Cape Coral Breeze, where voters can fill out the ballots and return them to any business listed in the guide, or at the Cape Coral Breeze Office at 2510 Del Prado Blvd South “The Best of Cape Coral is the most popular, and might I add important event we run all year,” said Breeze Newspapers

, Laurie Ragle “Local businesses participate by being n

encouraging customers and friends to vote.”

After the votes are tallied, winners will be recognized at a special event in October All winners will be contacted with details following the voting period

“A really great thing about The Best of Cape Coral is even if a business doesn’t win, it gets them recognition as a nominee,” Ragle added “Having a business name listed gives readers options when it comes to needing goods and services. Good luck to everyone and look for the results in The Breeze on Sept 30 ”

To vote online, visit www capecoralbreeze com and click the large banner on the home page, or the “Best Of” icon along the rail of the home page

Or use the QR code in today’s Breeze

Record: At 144.4 mph, Cape racer crushes previous land record of 135 mph at Salt Flats

From page 8

helped me as best as she could towards that goal

”

Tragically, Wendt's mother was murdered before she could ever see him race

“She’s up there watching me race,” he said. “And she saves my life every now and then ”

Wendt grew up in Chicago before moving to Indiana to live with his grandparents He returned to Illinois for school and opened up a welding business Wendt eventually relocated to Texas, where he continued welding and developed a successful business there

All the while, Wendt continued his love of going fast, participating in professional drag racing in Denton, Texas driving funny cars, which he did for 18 years

“I had a very successful funny car called

"I always liked cars. Ever since I was a little boy. When I was 5 years old, I told my mom I wanted to build race cars and wanted to drive race cars And she helped me as best as she could towards that goal

“She’s up there watching me race And she saves my life every now and then ” Bill Wendt, who’s been racing for 70 years

‘Smokey Bear,’ that was painted black and white like a Texas police car,” Wendt said “It was always the most popular car wherever I ran ”

Wendt said his first real competitive race car was a ’52 Studebaker V8, which ran in stock class, with Wendt achieving various records

When Wendt first moved from Texas to Florida, he took about a year off before picking it back up, building and racing, along with his best friend and sponsor,

David Johnston.

“I get to build the cars and drive them,” Wendt said

The long-time Cape resident is also passionate about his hot rods, including his ’32 Ford he bought 67 years ago

“It’s had 11 engines, two frames, five rear-ends, three front-ends, five paint jobs, and three wives,” Wendt said

He also owns a pearl white ’37 Ford Coupe, and his most popular car, which many locals may have seen around town, is

his Rat Rod

“It’s very, very popular,” Wendt said “I built it about 19 years ago, and I’ve driven it from here to Michigan, and Illinois, and to Texas twice ”

Wendt is married to his wife, Cookie, who was a long-time guidance counselor at Mariner High School, and a stand-out runner Wendt said she’s raced more miles on foot than he has behind the wheel.

He races circle track with “vintage midgets” across the state, on dirt tracks and asphalt

Wendt says he’s not done modifying, and will continue pushing the limits

“What we're going to do is convert that from a Bonneville configuration, to drag racing, and go to the diesel drag races, and do some match races against big Peterbilts and freight liners It’s going to be fun ”

We e k ly

R E E Z E R e c ap

Wilson sentenced to death for Cape murders

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

Wade Wilson, a Fort Myers man who was found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of two Cape Coral women in 2019, was sentenced to death Tuesday afternoon.

The decision was read in a Fort Myers courtroom at 4:30 p m The sentencing follows a June 26 recommendation for the death penalty from the jury, who found Wilson guilty for the murders of Cape Coral women Kristine Melton, 45, and Diane Ruiz, 43

Wilson was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder by the same jury on June 12

Judge Nick Thompson, in reading a portion of the sentencing order, said the court makes a reason judgment based on the totality of the circumstances

“In reaching the decision, the court is mindful that because death is a unique punishment in its finality, its application is reserved only for those cases where the most aggravating and least mitigating circumstances exist,” Thompson said “The law never requires the imposition of a death sentence ”

He continued to say in the case of Wilson, “The evidence showed that both murders were heinous, atrocious, and cruel And that the second murder (Ruiz) was cold, calculated, and premeditated.”

Previously, the jury voted 9-3 to give Wilson the death penalty in the murder of Melton, and 10-2 for the murder of Ruiz

“Having reviewed all of the aggravating factors proven without a reasonable doubt, and all of the mitigating circumstances reasonably established by the evidence, the court finds that the aggravating factors greatly outweigh mitigating circumstances,” Thompson continued. “Given the facts of the case, nothing in the defendant’s background or mental state would suggest a death sentence is inappropriate This court’s review of other reported capital cases has led the court to conclude that the death penalty is not disproportionate in this case Under the totality of the circumstances and evidence, the court finds no basis to override the jury’s verdict The

totality of the circumstances warrants that the defendant, Wade Stephen Wilson, be sentenced to death for each count of firstdegree murder ”

Wilson was also convicted of grand theft of a motor vehicle, battery, burglary of a dwelling and first-degree petit theft

T h e C a p e C o r a l P o l i c e Department and the Fort Myers Police Department investigated the crimes which led to the identification and arrest of the defendant.

“I want to thank the Cape Coral Police Department for their incredible investigation and gathering the evidence needed for trial," said State Attorney Amira Fox in a statement "I would also like to thank the jury for their focus during both the guilt phase and penalty phase of this case I realize that recommending life or death, is the ultimate request we can ask of a juror The jury’s attention during this trial, even during the difficult testimony and photographs detailing the crime scenes, are to be commended "

Wilson was also sentenced to 5 years in prison for grand theft, 364 days in jail for battery, 15 years for burglary of a dwelling, and 364 days for petty theft

In a message via social media, Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore said: "As the Police Chief of the Cape Coral Police Department, I represent the men and women who work tirelessly for our community But when it comes to major events like these horrific crimes and subsequent criminal trials, I also represent the Cape Coral community as a whole I’ll advocate for them on matters of public safety and criminal justice And with that, first, I am grateful for the jury; for their dedication, attentiveness, and ultimately their verdict in the trial I’m grateful for Judge Thompson, who imposed the proper penalty in this case. I’m proud to work with our State Attorney, Amira Fox, and her team of passionate, competent, professional prosecutors And I’m honored to say

that I work alongside the most dedicated, compassionate, and talented men and women of CCPD People whose life’s work makes these outcomes possible Lastly, and most importantly, to the families of Ms Ruiz and Ms Melton: I pray that today’s outcome can close this chapter so that you may turn the page and begin a long journey that ultimately leads to peace ”

Melton was found dead in her home on Oct 7, 2019, the same day Ruiz was reported missing On Oct 12, 2019, Ruiz’s body was found in the area of Northwest 4th Avenue and Northwest 1st Street in Cape Coral

According to the State Attorney’s Office, Melton was strangled to death by Wilson who attacked her as she slept in her bed. He then stole her car from her Cape Coral home and went to see his girlfriend and attacked her She immediately contacted law enforcement

Details from the SAO stated a short time later, Wilson saw Ruiz walking along a street in Cape Coral He pulled over and lured her into the car as he asked for directions He then beat and strangled her, eventually pushing her out of the car, and repeatedly ran her over

“The defendant will pay the ultimate price, the highest penalty the criminal justice system has, because of the unthinkable things he did to these two victims," Fox continued "It has not gone unnoticed that this defendant is being idolized by some people who are somehow proud to mix their names with his, through public comments, fundraising for him, or holding him up to be some sort of positive representation of a man, ignoring that he is nothing more than a vicious killer and about the most poor representation of a man that there could ever be His victims physically suffered tremendously, due to his decision to kill, due to his horrific actions They fought back, they fought for their lives This defendant is no idol It is disgraceful and pitiful to hold him up as such This defendant is now nothing more than a number in the Florida Department of Corrections, awaiting death " Assistant State Attorneys Sara Miller and Andreas Gardiner, both of the State Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit, prosecuted the case

Pine Island resident writes new bestseller

By PAULETTE LeBLANC pleblanc@breezenewspapers com

Pine Islander Lainie Sevante Wulkan has collaboratively authored a new bestseller, “High Vibrational Wellness,” which she said hit number one seemingly overnight in several different countries

“There are only six categories that you can apply for on Amazon and we hit number one in all six,” Wulkan said

Mastering categories, such as wellness, health and healing, and holistic medicine is not the only thing on Wulkan’s plate, however She also wrote a children’s book, “Finn’s Giant Leap ” Inspiration to write the children’s book came to her years ago, she said, literally in the middle of the night, as Wulkan never had plans to become an author Become an author she has indeed, as, all of her eight books have become bestsellers

“I came from the food, wellness and nutrition world and I created a book called the ‘Food Healing Oracle Deck’ where I was really interpreting food as a messenger It took off I literally am now in 35 countries and once a year, I ship all over the world,” Wulkan said.

Many of the foods Wulkan writes about can be found on Pine Island, such as soursop and moringa, she said

She talked about why some of these are considered top foods and then backed the statement with several National Institute of Health studies on how these foods are being used for p with particular ailments She did a smo recipe book based on the teachings of Food Healing Oracle Deck and sho people how to make a smoothie with int tion, she said

“People make affirmations for the selves and you can literally see that ene gy as your drinking something wit intention, so I made recipes that corre spond to that,” Wulkan said

An idea with which Wulkan finds herself resonating is, “intuitive food therapy,” which she said is, in reality, trusting your gut She explained it by using the example of a person who goes to the grocery store and feels they are craving butternut squash believes there’s an inherent reason for the craving and there may be some component in butternut squash that person’s body needs

“There could be a vitamin or mineral in what you’re craving that you require your body always knows what you need, so I teach people to be intuitive,” Wulkan said

The book “High Vibrational Wellness,” she said, was originally called, “High Vibrational Eating ” She said once she gathered all the authors together, it was about more than food

“I realized it’s just not about how we feed our body it’s not just what we put in It’s how we feed our thoughts and how we feed our soul Staying well is about how we y nourished on all levels,” Wulkan said

She said she was careful to bring authors into the project who could help with the mindset of her wouldbe readers, because they might be on a healing journey or grieving They may simply need to bring their houghts back to positivity, she said. Her energy was inclined toward helping aders feed their soul by tuning in with ayer or meditation

“I realized feeding works on all the els, not just what we put into our uths, so the 25 authors were a combion of all the ways to nourish your body le by feeding it correctly That’s when anged the title to High Vibrational Wellness,” Wulkan said, adding that she sees this book as a recipe for life

“Everybody has intuition. Trust your gut,” Wulkan said

The author’s books can be found online at h

Wulkan/author/B078G4QCXP?ref=dbs p pbk r00 aba u 000000&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEna bled=true

Wade Wilson

Lainie Sevante Wulkan

Editorial: Afghanistan anniversary a time for remembrance for those who served

From page 4

Let us be clear:

There is no “credit” to be taken here

There is, in fact, enough discredit that it should shame them both:

The withdrawal program under Trump’s Administration was erratic, overly optimistic and, according to some military leaders, unlikely to hit the agreed-upon deadline without grave repercussions

The execution under the newly elected Biden Administration was, yes, a disaster

In addition to the human endangerment and additional loss of life, it allowed the weaponry and cash left behind by the collapsed government to establish, equip and support to the Taliban

Let us today, three years later, turn away from Election 2024 and all of its blame-game rhetoric that has become politics du jour

Let us put the focus where it should be, on the memory of all those who enlisted, all those who served, all those who deployed, all those who were wounded, all those who died

Let us remember:

Marine Corps Lance Cpl David Lee Espinoza, 20, of Laredo, Texas

Agree? Disagree? Weigh in!

Letters, guest opinions, comments welcome

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.

Marine Corps Sgt Nicole Gee, 23, of Roseville, Calif

Marine Corps Staff Sgt Taylor Hoover, 31, of Utah

Army Staff Sgt Ryan Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tenn

Marine Corps Cpl Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, Calif

Marine Corps Lance Cpl Rylee McCollum, 20, of Bondurant, Wyoming

Marine Corps Lance Cpl Dylan R Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif

Marine Corps Lance Cpl Kareem Mae’Lee Nikoui, 20, of Norco, Calif

Marine Corps Cpl Daegan William-Tyeler Page, 23, of Omaha

Marine Corps Sgt Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Mass

Marine Corps Cpl Humberto Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Ind.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl Jared Schmitz, 20, of Wentzville, Mo

Navy Hospital Corpsman Maxton Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio

Let us remember, too, all of the 2,448 U S service members who died in service before them, all of the 20,752 service members who were wounded in a war that was launched as a result of an attack on American soil

While the outcome may have not been what was hoped for, while the endgame may have ended not with a win or military defeat, but a flipped-over gameboard with pieces still in play, they did their duty when their country called them

And they made America safer as a result

We thank you, and your families, again for your sacrifice

You are not forgotten

Primary ElEction - District 2

❑ laurie lehmaNN

The old golf course acreage is approximately 175 acres I want to see it left as green space. This is what was promised to the citizens when the current council voted to purchase the cape coral golf course Promises made to citizens must be kept

❑ DerriCk DoNNell Der rickDonnell.com

We must agree not to rush the development of this site This is an excellent opportunity to engage with the public to solicit their suggestions The City Council should also use this as an opportunity to preserve as much greenspace as possible as outlined in the comprehensive plan This site is approximately 175 acres and some of the suggestions I have heard from residents include walking trails, bike trails, a botanical garden and conservation land There is also the suggestion to maybe revisit having a 9-hole championship golf course The final decision should be thoroughly researched, discussed, and agreed upon

Each week through the General Election, The 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)

The closing and abandonment of the old golf course has impacted the city in a negative way It has crushed the spirit of the surrounding community and devalued their real estate Many years ago, as a resident, I spoke at council meetings expressing my desire to see that the city transform that old golf course into a botanical gardens and beautiful park This would have a positive impact on the surrounding neighbors and raise their real estate value It would also be a magnet and create a draw to our downtown entertainment district As a councilman, I see it as my responsibility to protect all citizens and their real estate investment in our community If you research the financials of other botanical gardens in our area, they bring much revenue to the community at very little cost if any And enhance quality of life as well as being an educational tool

Primary ElEction - District 3

First and foremost, we must consult the residents of the local area to see how the city should proceed with any type of construction plans Unfortunately, the city failed to do so with the residents surrounding Jaycee Park, and didn’t worry about their concerns until after the fact I would direct the City Manager’s office to dedicate ample staff time to proactively collecting the concerns and input of the residents before moving forward with any kind of plan for the area We must respect citizen input in this city, and we must do so from the start

Primary ElEction - District 4

❑ riCharD Carr (iNCumbeNt) VoterichCar r.com

The approximately 175 acres of green space, formerly known as “the Golf Club,” offers numerous possibilities for maintaining open areas and park uses This area will serve as the anchor recreational space for the new downtown mixed-use developments nearing completion The property is large enough to accommodate use by all city residents

Over the years, and more so as your current District 4 councilmember, I’ve heard many suggestions for its future. The overwhelming majority favor maintaining it as a park rather than developing it for residential purposes One of the most unique ideas was to include a small zoo an idea I had never considered This underscores the importance of significant public participation in transforming the “old golf course” into a vibrant, usable park space I am honored to have been involved in its acquisition and look forward to finally seeing this land used in the best interests of residents after sitting vacant and barren for so long

Important dates

∫ General Election: Tuesday, Nov 5

∫ Deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation: Oct 7.

∫ Main ballots: First vote-by-mail ballots will be sent out on Tuesday, Oct. 1; new requests will be sent within 48 hours of being received

∫ Early Voting: Monday, Oct 21 through Saturday, Nov 2, from 10 a m to 6 p m daily Visit lee vote/Early-VotingInformation/Early-Voting-Dates-and-Locations for locations

❑ JeNNifer NelsoN NelsonforDistrict4 com

We have a real opportunity to develop a beautiful community space that is all encompassing A space that can serve as an amenity in our city for all generations to enjoy My hope is that the city will put together a stakeholders’ group of people from all different backgrounds and include some generational diversity so we can hear from current and future leaders, what they want this amenity to look like Adding a walking/ biking path, making the green space beautiful with native plants, and having an amphitheater similar to the Caloosa Sound would be a great first start to this space We could look to partner with the county and consider making this a regional park Since we no longer have the event space at the Yacht Club, we should consider adding a community center where nonprofits can offer services and businesses and residents can host events The possibilities are endless

Resources

The Lee County Supervisor of Elections posts all city-election related documents, including campaign reports at lee.vote.

Lee vote also offers a wealth of elections-related information concerning registration, voting, dates and candidate lists and documents

Information on the Constitutional amendments appearing on the ballot may be found at lee.vote/Election-Information/ProposedBallot-Measures

∫ The League of Women Voters, Lee County offers electionrelated information on its website, my.lwv.org/florida/lee-county.

uestion of the Week Q

What should be done with the old golf course acreage?

primAry eleCtion - distriCt 5

❑ Joseph KilRaine Kilr aineforcape com

The Golf Course is a prime opportunity to combine the nostalgic history of the Cape within a relaxed environment of natural beauty Key is green space preservation with features such as botanical gardens, the waltzing waters, Cape Coral gardens, some flavor of the Golf Course glory days Add in some meandering walking paths, picnic spots, benches, ADA adapted features, & a welcoming entry center with some historical Cape displays, snacks, beverages, etc At 175 acres, it could be the Cape’s Central Park. The arsenic & other contaminates must be remediated first, which recent analysis indicates at reduced levels from earlier reporting

Old golf course I would like the City to approach the Westin about building a championship golf course The City would enter into an agreement with the Westin, one in which the city would give the Westin the golf course in exchange for them building a championship course and a certain percentage of the green’s fees and liquor sales This would also allow the Westin to include/promote golf packages as part of their vacation packages, which should, in turn, help their occupancy rates This would also be a win for the city as it would receive additional tax income from not only the greens fees and liquor sales, but also property taxes (higher property values) and the hotel’s bed/room tax It would also keep that area as a much-needed greenspace The citizens win as well! We now would have a championship golf course for all to enjoy, higher property values for those on the golf course, and we would keep the land as it was intended

Each week through the General Election, The 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

The acquisition of the 175-acre Country Club property in South Cape provides an opportunity to create our “Central Park ” Community input will be key in the planning process The interior should maintain its parks & recreation land use with no residential component. Sections might include walking and bike trails, botanical gardens, and nods to the historical Cape Coral (Rose) Gardens such as veterans memorials and waltzing waters The possibility of restoring part of the property to a revenue-generating short nine-hole golf course should also be explored On the exterior frontage where the historical clubhouse sat, options include a restaurant, community center and more ❑ chaRlie pease votecharliepease.com

❑ Rachel KaduK R achelK aduk.com

We have a great opportunity to engage with the public 175 acres is a lot of land to create a staple in our community The site does need remediation and groundskeeping due to the overgrowth of weeds It could remain a golf course We could create a community park with amenities like a botanical garden, walking paths, a dog park with a play area, hiking or biking trails, disc golf, offer painting in the park, & acoustic performances Most importantly, I would love to see our city inspire others to become great stewards of our environment and to be involved

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

Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife to hold candidate forum

e C o r a l c o m m u n it y a s r a p i d d e v e l o p m e n t p u t s p r e s s u r e o n g r e e n s p a c e , l o c a l w i l d l i f e a n d t h e i r h a b i t a t L e a r n m o r e a b o u t t h e p o s i t i o n o f c i t y c o u n c i l c a n d i d a t e s s o y o u c a n m a k e a n i n f o r m e d d e c i s i o n o n N o v 5 w h e n f i v e n e w c i t y c o u n c i l m e m b e r s a r e c h os e n , ” o r g a n i z e r s s a i d T h e e v e n t w i l l f o c u s o n w i l d l i f e a n d e n v i r o n m e n t a l i s s u e s i n t h e C i t y o f C a p e C o r a l C a n d i d a t e s w i l l h a v e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o i n t r o d u c e t h e m s e l v e s , a n s w e r q u e st i o n s a n d g i v e a c l o s i n g s t a t e m e n t “ D u e t o t i m e c o n s t r a i n t s , t h e r e w i l l n o t b e a n a u d i e n c e q u e s t i o n - a n d - a n s w e r p e r i o d , h o w e v e r q u e s t i o n s m a y b e s u b m i t t e d b e f o r e h a n d o n o u r w e b s i t e , ” o r g a n i z e r s s a i d

A l l c a n d i d a t e s r u n n i n g f o r c i t y c o u nc i l o f f i c e o n t h e N o v 5 b a l l o t h a v e b e e n i n v i t e d t o p a r t i c i p a t e S e a t i n g i s l i m i t e d s o p r e - r e g i s t r a t i o n i s r e q u i r e d . T h o s e u n a b l e t o a t t e n d i n p e r s o n m a y p a r t i c i p a t e v i a Z o o m T h e m e e t i n g w i l l a l s o b e r e c o r d e d a n d a v a i l a b l e f o r v i e w i n g a f t e rw a r d T o a t t e n d i n p e r s o n , j o i n b y Z o o m m e e t i n g o r s u b m i t q u e s t i o n s v i s i t : c c f r i e n d s o f w i l d l i f e o r g / p r og r a m s / c i t y - c o u n c i l - c a n d i d a t e - f o r u m / C C F W i s a n a l l - v o l u n t e e r o r g a n i z at i o n w h o s e m i s s i o n i s t o p r e s e r v e a n d e n h a n c e t h e h a b i t a t s o f p r o t e c t e d w i l d l i f e s p e c i e

❑ Michael david haRpeR

COMMUNITY

Florida-Friendly Landscaping

Principle #9: Protect the waterfront

By JANETTA FOX news@breezenewspapers com

Water is the driving force of all nature - Leonardo da

Vinci

The nine principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping offer a science-based approach that homeowners can use to both conserve water and help protect water quality The focus of FFL is on proper landscape planning and maintenance along with the use of least toxic pestcontrol methods

Previous articles addressed each of the first eight principles, those being: 1) Right plant, right place; 2) Water efficiently; 3) Fertilize appropriately; 4) Mulch; 5) Attract wildlife; 6) Manage yard pests; 7) Recycle; and 8) Reduce stormwater runoff With this edition we move to the final principle: Protect the waterfront

F l o r i d a e n c o m p a s s e s over 2,000 miles of shoreline, hundreds of miles of coastal beaches and thousands of freshwater lakes

s

These and other waterways

GARDEN CLUB OF CAPE CORAL

quality of life for Florida residents and offer its population and visitors an abundance of leisure-time activities When our waterways become polluted, the environmental, economic and health consequences can prove far-reaching, examples of which include fish kills, lost revenue from snowbirds and considerable clean-up costs While there are a number of contributing factors to this pollution, homeowners prove to be considerable contributors when we misuse water, fertilizer and pesticides in our landscapes

As homeowners we have a role to play in protecting o u r w a t e r w a y s t h r o u g h o u r l a n d s c a p i n g p r a c t i c e s

Making certain to always follow local ordinances, if you have a waterfront property, create a buffer zone of 1025 feet between landscape and the shoreline or seawall, with no mowing or use of fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides The actual distance for the set-back will vary based on your location For example, Cape Coral currently calls for a buffer zone of 10 feet, while Sanibel’s zone extends to 25 feet Consider creating a low-maintenance landscape in this zone, ideally including deep-rooted natives and other pest and disease resistant Florida friendly plants that are both drought and rain tolerant The plants’ root systems will serve as filters for rainfall runoff and associated pollutants, and help prevent erosion by holding the soil in place

When properly planned, the vegetation can also easily serve as a wildlife habitat, providing food, water, shelter and space for our native animals and birds Diversity in plantings is key to attracting a diversity of wildlife

The only things that should be in our numerous bodies of water are fish, wading birds, aquatic invertebrates and other wildlife Our waterways should not be trash receptacles Therefore, avoid throwing used plastic containers and other trash into them Additionally, avoid throwing or blowing organic material into canals and other waterways including, but not limited to, palm fronds, coconuts, mangoes and yard debris And, for the boaters out there living on the waterfront, use only environmentally friendly cleaning products Further information regarding clean boating habits can be found at https://floridadep gov

South Cape Run Club forms, first meeting set for Wednesday

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

Have an insatiable love of running, or looking to start a new fitness journey with a support system?

The new South Cape Run Club will host its first meeting Wednesday, Sept 4, at Eigh Brewing starting at 6 p m Founded by C resident Ariana Murillo, the club's fir meeting will feature an introduction to p

routes to be taken and offer an opportunity to get to know one another Each Wednesday after that at 6 p m , the runs will start and end at the brewery

“I was looking for something to bring the community together,” Murillo said of why she wanted to organize th club “I know Southwest Florida doe great job at doing that, and I wanted t tribute I believe in the power of community, and running together keeps us accountable and pushes us to achieve our goals Every step forward brings us closer together, and it’s all about the perseverance as a community ”

As for how she'd like to see the club grow, Murillo said with the size of the city, being able to put the club on the map for bringing people together for fitness and overall well-being is the goal

“I really do strive to make us one of the largest ubs,” she said “There are others in the a, and I hope they join and vice-versa My overall goal is just to get as many people out and active in any way A body in motion stays in motion, and that’s kind of what I live by.”

There is no membership cost to join the South Cape Run Club, with all meet-ups and runs free to take part in Murillo’s message to anyone who wants to start a fitness journey, or is feeling hesitant about being able to keep up” during a long-distance run, she d, “Anyone looking to make that first hey're already winning by thinking about it Now it's just about getting out there and doing the best that they can each and every time they do any fitness activity It’s not about being better than anyone else or keeping pace, it’s about the community that is going to cheer them on

The club is for all runners, or even walkers, of all ages and skill levels

“It’s for anyone that’s looking to get motivated, and stay motivated with a community,” Murillo said “It’s more than just a workout I always find ways that helps us maintain clarity of mind and things like that It’s not just about the physical benefits of running It reduces stress, improves sleep and keeps you feeling positive throughout the day And that’s what I think community is, is keeping that positive mindset and pushing forward every day and giving it our best ”

Club members can either show up on their own, or b r i n g a g r o u p o f f r i e n d s t o k e e p p a c e w

Wednesday run will be a 5K on a mapped-out route, with participants completing the course in their own time

“Go at your own pace,” Murillo said. “Some may be training for a marathon, some aren’t and are just being around friends Everyone can do their own thing After, we’ll meet and talk about how we did ”

“For anyone that is looking to get started, do it, and you do the best you can ”

Murillo, who is a mortgage loan officer with Primary Residential Mortgage, said balancing a healthy work/heath lifestyle is a vital aspect of any fitness journey, and promotes an overall healthy life

“Balancing work and health isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential,” she said “Incorporating fitness into your daily routine boosts your energy, sharpens your mind and reduces stress When you prioritize your health, you're not only improving your life, but also becoming more productive at work A healthy body fuels a healthy mind It’s essential to make time for both ”

Murillo has been a Southwest Florida resident going on eight years, and has been a member of various run clubs throughout the region, as well as a life-long runner/athlete

For more information on the South Cape Run Club, search for the club’s name on Facebook Eight-Foot Brewing is at 1520 S E 46th Lane

Area Agency on Aging to host second annual Community Resource Fair Sept. 13 in Fort Myers

In an effort to connect older adults and adults with disabilities in Southwest Florida to important resources and services, the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida is hosting its second annual Community Resource Fair at its offices in Fort Myers The free event is scheduled for Friday, Sept 13, from 10 a m to noon, at 2830 Winkler Avenue, Suite 112, Fort Myers, FL 33916

Anticipated exhibitors that community members can engage with include Lee Health – providing free health screenings, Florida Power & Light – sharing information about lowering utility costs and Sam’s Club – providing

membership opportunities

Door prizes will be raffled during the event and community members can connect with essential resources for living safely and independently

If you plan to attend, please RSVP at https://app smartsheet com/b/form/f2966b2ff13d469098aca771ebea191 0, or visit https://aaaswfl org/ for more information

Exhibitor opportunities are available; contact Sarah Gualco, director of programs and planning at sarah gualco@aaaswfl org if interested in partnering with the Area Agency on Aging for SWFL for this event

Northwest Regional Library to close temporarily for maintenance

The Northwest Regional Library, at 519 Chiquita Blvd N , Cape Coral, will be closed temporarily beginning Monday, Sept 16, for installation of new flooring throughout the facility

The project is expected to take two weeks and the library is scheduled to reopen at 10 a m , Monday, Sept 30 During the closure, an exterior book return will be

available in the regular book drop lane

Due dates on items checked out from this location will be extended and items will not be due during the closure

For information about any of the county’s 13 library branch locations, online access to e-books and streaming content, program information and more, visit www leelibrary net or call 239-479-4636

USA Dance #6123 to teach ballroom dancing to local special needs adults

USA Dance Inc 's national organization has given the local chapter the opportunity to “coach” ballroom dancing Lake Kennedy has given USA Dance Inc #6123 floor time for one hour for special needs adults in the Cape Coral and Fort Myers area

The classes, which start Tuesday, Sept 10, meets from

3-4 p m and the cost is $6 USA Dance asks for pre-registration for first-time dancers to Carol Davis, USA Dance coach: text 239-5657947 or email dancingtala@gmail com

The Lake Kennedy Center is at 400 Santa Barbara Blvd , Cape Coral

EDUCATION

EDUCATION BRIEFS

Life Prep Christian Academy now open on Pine Island

Last week, the Life Prep Christian Academy, a threeday hybrid Christian homeschool program, located at First Baptist Church of Pine Island in Bokeelia, officially opened

LPCA is dedicated to nurturing the academic, spiritual and personal growth of its students. LPCA offers a Christ-centered curriculum that combines academic excellence, hands-on learning, with fun and engaging lessons

This alternative educational program was scheduled to officially begin for students Tuesday, Aug 27

To learn more about the program, call 1-833-WeRLPCA (937-5722) or visit its website at lifeprepchristianacademy com

First Baptist Church of Pine Island is at 5363 Avenue D Contact the church at 239-283-1737

Tickets available for Cape Coral Mayor’s Scholarship Ball set for Sept. 21 at The Westin Cape Coral Resor t

The Cape Coral Mayor's Scholarship Fund has announced that the Mayor's Scholarship Ball “Imagine the Possibilities” will be held Saturday, Sept 21, at The Westin Cape Coral Resort T

fundraising Social hour starts at 5 p m with dinner set for 6:30 p m

T

Scholarship com Individual tickets are $200 with a table of eight for $1,500

The Cape Coral Mayor’s Scholarship Foundation gives recurring two- and four-year scholarships to Cape Coral students for technical, vocational and traditional four-year programs Funds raised at the ball will benefit that fund

According to its website, the Mayor's Scholarship Fund has awarded over $800,000 in scholarships since it was founded in 1982

Sponsorships are also available Visit info@Cape CoralMayorScholarship com

The Westin Cape Coral Resort is at 5951 Silver King Blvd , Cape Coral, FL, 33914

Applications open for 2025 Elks National Foundation scholarships

The Elks National Foundation has announced the start of the 2025 Elks Most Valuable Student scholarship contest The MVS scholarship is available to high school seniors who are United States citizens Applicants do not need to be related to a member of the Elks The judging criteria is based on academics, leadership, service and financial need

The application is completed online and must be submitted by the Nov 12, 2024 deadline The 500 national winners will be announced in April 2025. The top 20 national finalists will participate in the Leadership Weekend in Chicago and receive $30,000 scholarships The remaining 480 runners-up will receive $4,000 scholarships

The Elks National Foundation invested more than $4 million in college scholarships this year MVS scholars are graduating from college at a rate of 90%, 30% higher than the national average, according to the Elks

Since 1931, the Elks National Foundation has helped thousands of students who need financial assistance to fulfill their dreams of attending college MVS scholars are outstanding students who are at or near the top of their class, active in school and community activities and recognized as leaders by their peers

Applications for the 2025 contest are readily available on the Elks National Foundation's website To ensure you have all the necessary details, including the application, visit enf elks org/MVS

To learn more about the Elks National Foundation's scholarships, visit elks org/scholars, follow the ENF on

Facebook @ElksNationalFoundation

Nominees sought for annual Golden Apple Teacher Recognition Program

Deadline for submissions is Sept. 20

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

With another school year underway, the community is being asked to nominate outstanding teachers for the 38th annual Golden Appel Teacher Recognition Program

“It begins every year at the beginning of school We get the nomination forms out in many different forms,” said Marshall Bower, president and CEO for The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools

The recognition program nomination forms are emailed to principals and published with copies also sent to the schools

The Foundation get the forms out in every which way they can, as they want students and families to know they can shine a light on an outstanding teacher by nominating them, Bower said

The deadline to submit an application is Sept 20 and can also be done online, at www leeschoolfoundation org/ golden-apple/

Once the deadline is reached, all the teachers who were nominated will receive an email from Bower sharing how the application process works Those nominated teachers are asked to apply into the Golden Apple Teacher Recognition Program There are such questions as information about their background, education and teaching style.

Last year, the number of nominations exceeded 3,000

“It has been going up and up over the years I think that is indicative of the fact that our students and families and peers really do recognize we have a great many of really good teachers in the School District of Lee County,” Bower said

He wants the teachers to understand this nomination is the community thanking them for all of their hard work

The teacher applications are then sent to the selection committee, which is comprised of independent individuals

from the business and retirement communities

“They review all the applications and then rank them,” Bower said of what he called the hardest working volunteer group

The applications are reviewed right before the holiday season kicks off

“They have to hit the road everywhere from Pine Island to Sanibel Island to east Lee County to Lehigh to all over Cape Coral,” Bower said, as they have to get an idea of what the teachers are like in the classroom

The process eventually narrows the list to the top 100 who will be honored this year, and then reduced again to the top 30 finalists

The 30 finalists then will have visits in their classroom from the selection committee before the final part of the application process a selection committee interview From there the six Golden Apple teachers are selected

“It’s a year long of honoring them through various types of things breakfast at McDonald’s, social at Chico’s and then honor the top six at the banquet I love the banquet because it shines a light on the teaching profession in a very unique and touching way,” he said

With that said, Bower’s favorite part of the process is surprising the six Golden Apple recipients in their classroom

The students’ reactions is what he enjoys, as their reaction is “we” won, as opposed to “my teacher won,” Bower said

“The teachers all say that, too: ‘I am a winner because of the students ’ It really makes you gratified that we have professionals that want to be there and do their best to turn out future great citizens,” Bower said

Southwest Florida Council of Scouting America looking for some new scouts

The Southwest Florida Council of Scouting America is recruiting the next generation of future leaders Cub Scout Packs are offering informational sessions for girls and boys grades K-5 interested in joining a local pack Scouting America’s Cub Scout program provides youth with opportunities and adventures that allow them to try new things, provide service to others, build self-confidence and reinforce ethical standards

Cub Scout Packs in counties throughout Florida’s west coast are inviting parents or guardians and children to learn about Cub Scouts and the various activities, special events, service projects, Pinewood Derby and camping opportunities throughout the year

Each Pack schedules its own weekly and monthly meetings at local churches, primary schools or community centers To find a pack near you, please visit SouthwestFloridaScouts com or call 239-734-7222

Since its inception in 1910, more than 130 million young women and men have participated in Scouting America’s youth programs, like Cub Scouts, which is dedicated to encouraging girls and boys to make friends, be helpful to others and do their best no matter the outcome

Cub Scouts is a grade-specific program that young people progress through as they get older By achieving certain goals, known as “Adventures,” based on the areas of importance in scouting like exhibiting leadership, spending time outdoors and practicing personal safety, scouts can earn a badge each year of membership

In Cub Scouts, there are opportunities to spend time as a family and to do interactive activities designed to be fun for children, while teaching them about perseverance and developing leadership and problem-solving skills F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n C u b S c o u t s , v i s i t SouthwestFloridaScouts com or call 239-734-7222

Titan Contracting Family Run and Walk for Prevention to benefit Drug Free Lee programs scheduled for Jan. 25 at Jaycee Park in Cape

Registration is underway for the Titan Contracting Family Run and Walk for Prevention to support Drug Free Lee The run, which will be presented by ALUFAB, USA, will be held Jan 25 at 8 a m at Jaycee Park in Cape Coral

The cost to enter the run/walk, which is appropriate for all ages and abilities, is $25 and $20 for children up to 10 years of age After Sept 30, the registration fee increases to $30

T-shirts will be presented to the first 300 registrants R e g

Race/Register/?raceId=41901&eventId=827468

The Run for Prevention is chipped and timed by Beach Bum Timing Packet Pickup will be Jan 24, from 3-5

p m , at Collaboratory, 2031 Jackson St , Fort Myers Packets can also be picked up on race day after 7 a m Awards will be presented in a number of categories

The festivities of the day will also feature local radio personality Big Mama, the Hot Flashz dance team, the Lee County Sheriff's Office Color Guard and more.

All proceeds from Run for Prevention support Drug H

Decisions Prevention Clubs and drug and alcohol abuse prevention in Lee County Drug Free Lee is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization Jaycee Park is at 4125 S E 20th Place, at the end of Beach Parkway off of Del Prado Boulevard, in Cape Coral

Cape Coral to conduct study for possible roundabouts

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

A roundabout study for the City of Cape Coral is slated to begin in 2025 to determine if there is a feasibility within the city

The 10 proposed roundabouts that received a high priority level include El Dorado Parkway East and Coronado Parkway; Old Burnt Store Road South and Embers Parkway West; Southeast 47th Terrace and Coronado Parkway; Southeast 47th Terrace and Palm Tree Boulevard; Wildwood Parkway and Country Club Boulevard; Tropicana Parkway East and Chiquita Boulevard; Andalusia Boulevard and Kismet Parkway; Beach Parkway West and Agualinda Boulevard; Old Burnt Store

Road North and Tropicana Parkway West and De Navarra Parkway and East Gator Circle

The remaining 17 include Old Burnt Store Road North and Durden Parkway West; Old Burnt Store Road North and Caloosa Parkway; Old Burnt Store Road North and Kismet Parkway; Old Burnt Store Road North and Gulfstream Parkway; Old Burnt Store Road North and Yucatan Parkway; Surfside Boulevard and Gleason Parkway; Surfside Boulevard and Beach Parkway West; El Dorado Parkway West and Sands Boulevard; El Dorado Parkway West and Agualinda Boulevard; Chiquita Boulevard South and El Dorado Parkway West; Pelican Boulevard and El Dorado Parkway West; 47th Terrace and Southeast15th Avenue;

Miramar Street and Coronado Parkway; Driftwood Parkway and Dolphin Drive; Del Prado Boulevard South and Miramar Street; Tropicana Parkway East and Andalusia Boulevard and South Gator Circle and Averill Boulevard

These were determined through a combination of traffic analysis, safety assessments and community considerations and further refined through Cape Transportation Advisory Commission commissioners recommendations

The roundabout planning study update was given by Principal Planner Laura Dodd during last week’s Transportation Advisory Commission

According to the city, there is no funding, nor a timeline for actual construction in place

The roundabout study is not slated to begin until spring 2025 with an anticipated completion by fall of 2025 The city also stated that the “study is anticipated to be on the MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program amendments by September, at the earliest, to designate the funding for FY25 ” This type of traffic flow will improve traffic flow, enhance safety by reducing accidents, and lower environmental impact through decreased idling and emissions, the city stated

“They also serve as a means to promote resilient infrastructure in severe weather events, as they may continue to operate during power failure conditions,” according to the city

Sizzle: Yearly dining event offers special menu items; raises money for charity

From page 2

children aligns perfectly with our core belief that good food should nourish more than just the body it should uplift and strengthen the community as a whole

“By participating in Sizzle Dining, we’re not only contributing to a great cause but also helping to create opportunities for our neighbors to explore the diverse culinary offerings in our area Whether locals are revisiting their favorite spots or trying new restaurants for the first time, this event makes it accessible and exciting for everyone to experience the vibrant food scene we’re proud to be a part of We’re thrilled to be a part of something that brings people together around the shared experience of good food, all while making a positive impact on the lives of children in need ”

Kerry Kreig, owner of Fish Tale Grill, said, “We've loved participating in Sizzle Dining through the years and supporting the great cause that is Blessings in a Backpack This is such a great event that helps so many Our customers help make a difference in the lives of local children that are in a situation they did not choose Please come out and help make the difference ”

In Cape Coral, participating restaurants include Fathoms, Fish Tale Grill, Gather, Next Door, Pinchers, Stones Throw, Texas Tony’s, and Two Meatballs in the Kitchen.

Clarke added that supporting establishments in Sanibel, Captiva and Boca Grande, is especially important, as they continue to climb back from Hurricane Ian

“If people could support them, every meal and diner matters,” he said

Limited one-day special brunch events from 11 a m to 2 p m (tickets required) include:

Sept 7 - M'Xuma Tacos Mexican Grill in Babcock Ranch

Sept 8 - The 239 Naples in Naples

Sept 14 - NextDoor in Cape Coral

Sept 15 - Del Mar in Naples

Sept 21 - Beacon Social Drinkery in Fort Myers

Sept 22 - La Fontanella in Bonita Springs

Special private interactive chef events from noon to 2 p.m. include (tickets required):

Sept 6 - Old Vines Naples at Mercato with Chef Brooke

Kravetz

Sept 10 - Hyde N Chic in Naples with Chef Andy Hyde

Sept 13 - La Fontanella Ristorante in Bonita Springs with Chef Daniel Hoyle

Sept 18 - Bicyclette Cookshop in Naples with Chef Kayla Pfeiffer

"We're trying to make Sizzle more than lunches and dinners," Clarke said "We want to make September a real foodie-type of month with a lot happening within the food community, and it starts this year "

Sizzle Dining was founded in Naples in 2016 by Clarke, who also is the creator of BaconFest Naples along with his wife Erin Clarke, a culinary school-trained chef and restaurant management consultant The promotional event originally launched with 26 restaurants as dinner only

To see the list of the 114 participating restaurants (menus added daily), and to purchase tickets for special events, visit www sizzledining com and make your reservation directly with each restaurant

For more information on Blessings in a Backpack, visit swfl blessingsinabackpack org

Lake Kennedy: Now open

home for the United Pickleball Florida State Championship Series, which draws players from across the state to compete from Aug 28 to Sept 1

The tournament was booked for the facility long before the open date, giving the city even more incentive to showcase the brand-new venue

“It’s not by coincidence that we opened for the first day (Wednesday), which is the first day of the tournament,” said Lake Kennedy Racquet Center General Manager Tom Stegeman. “It was a good target for us to get to.”

As for why Lake Kennedy makes for a great host site for a tournament that brings with it 300-plus pickleballers?

“It’s a one-of-a-kind facility for its size and scale that it has for tournaments,” Stegeman said “So many of these tournaments struggle with having to play in multiple locations to field enough courts (and) just to have the infrastructure and place to do it It’s just perfect timing for us Day One way a big success ”

The tournament, put on by the United Pickleball Association, features various age brackets and broken down into skill levels, and will see competitors from across the state vie for top spots in both singles, doubles, and mixed action. Participants who secure a medal at a State Championship are eligible for a discounted registration fee to the United Pickleball Championships held in Dallas, Texas

Stegeman said hosting a tournament of this size is a positive for the community, as countless players head to Cape Coral for a weekend of play

“I think one of the real perks to this facility is that when organizations are trying to book tournaments from a scale standpoint, where they have to host an audience of three to six hundred people, there’s just not a lot of facilities that can do it,” Stegeman said “So the impact that could have for our community, not just from a hotel standpoint, but from a food and beverage standpoint and exposure standpoint, long-term, is going to be huge

“Tournament organizers, they want to make their life easy, too They don’t want to have to be running a tournament from three different venues When they have the luxury of a place

See LAKE KENNEDY, page 25

“It’s a one-of-a-kind facility for its size and scale that it has for tournaments. So many of these tournaments struggle with having to play in multiple locations to field enough courts (and) just to have the infrastructure and place to do it. It’s just perfect timing for us. Day One way a big success.”

Tom Stegeman, Lake Kennedy Racquet Center general manager

Bobbie Demaster strikes

Darren Hussien makes a backhand

Lake Kennedy: Pickleball courts remain open to the public during tournament play

From page 24

like (Lake Kennedy) to operate a command center right in front of where all the court play is going on, it’s a real perk to them ”

Lake Kennedy features 32 pickleball courts and 12 tennis courts, and boasts cutting-edge facilities tailored for top-tier tournaments

There’s enough space where while the tournament is ongoing, there is space for members and individuals to also get in some playing time The tournament on Wednesday operated out of eight courts, on Thursday, 12 courts, and Friday and Saturday up to 22 courts

Stegeman said the response on the first day was overwhelming, as 245 memberships were sold

“It’s been unbelievable. It really has,” Stegeman said of the early response to the facility “You never know until you actually open, but it’s really been unbelievable Just the interest has been phenomenal ”

Stegeman said Lake Kennedy is excited to host tournaments of this caliber in the future (with another possibly slated for November), as well as cater to its new members

“We need our sweet spot to have that balance of being the place that tournament directors look towards for major events, while not losing sight of the fact that we don't want to have it be done at the expense of membership play,” he said “There’s a fine balance there ”

To celebrate the opening, Lake Kennedy Racquet Center is offering a limited-time discount of 50% off all annual memberships for the first year This registration period will be valid for the first two months of operation After this initial registration period, the fees will revert to normal rates Veterans and first responders who are residents of Cape Coral see a 20% discount on any membership in perpetuity (discounts cannot be combined)

Membership options (prices listed are full price, not including any discounts):

∫ Annual Memberships: Individual at $250, Household Couple at $350, Household Family at $500, and Junior at $100

∫ Semi-Annual Memberships: Individual at $125, Household Couple at $175, Household Family at $250

∫ Monthly Memberships: Individual at $25, Household Couple at $35, Household Family at $50

If You Go:

What: United Pickleball Florida State Championship Series

When:

From Aug 28 to Sept 1

Where: Lake Kennedy Racquet Center 420 S W 2nd Avenue

More info:

For more information visit pickleballbrackets com

New registrations for memberships will be available at www.playlakekennedy.com or alternatively in person at the Lake Kennedy Racquet Center starting Aug 28

The center will offer a variety of lessons, clinics, and camps for all ability levels, as well as paddle and racquet rentals In addition, the facility will feature a fully stocked pro shop with playing equipment and apparel, making it a onestop venue for all Tennis and Pickleball enthusiasts and players

Stegeman added that Lake Kennedy employees are made up entirely of Cape Coral residents, from high schoolers to facility staff

Lake Kennedy Racquet Center is at 420 S W 2nd Avenue

Doubles champs Bartholomey and Higgins The United PIckleball Florida State Championship Series continues through the weekend.

PHOTOS BY MARK CLIFFORD

Council wrangles over COLA language in city attorney’s contract

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

After a lengthy conversation regarding the city attorney’s contract specifically language around its cost-of-living adjustment

Cape Coral City Council agreed to have Mayor John Gunter work with City Attorney Aleksandr Boksner on language in the one paragraph

Council recently had a special meeting with Boksner to discuss his contract and compensation

He received a 21% increase and is making $298,000 a year

At that meeting, Gunter said there was discussion on some type of cost-of-living adjustment increase for the city attorney

Boksner said if there was a cost-of-living adjustment if that was approved by the council he would be entitled to it as well, whatever the percentage would be

“The reason it is different, if you look at the paragraph, I was looking to add it was to receive an increase, just an increase The way I have structured mine, the increase is only for a cost of living,” Boksner said, which is not an increase based on merit or performance

“In January we do a compensation study and find the non-bargaining employees are 10% below the 75th percentile sure they may deserve that Me, personally, the city attorney doesn’t deserve that because we gave him a 21% increase Trying to get a particular non-bargaining employee, or all non-bargaining employees in a specific range because of the data out there for similar cities, I don’t think he is entitled to that as well. That is my opinion.”

He said he was perplexed they were having the conversation during Wednesday night’s meeting

“I asked for the same language that was ultimately in the city manager’s contract and there was a lack of interest to do that That is fine,” he said, adding that they ultimately landed on COLA “I am at a loss of words ”

Gunter said Council gave him the authority to sign the contract and when he read the paragraph, he was uncomfortable with it

“To me, it didn’t reflect the conversation we had in that room,” he said

Gunter said the city attorney provided information about where the 75th percentile actually was for compensation, and as a result they made a decision to base his salary at “x ”

Mayor John Gunter

“In January we do a compensation study and find the non-bargaining employees are 10% below the 75th percentile sure they may deserve that Me, personally, the city attorney doesn’t deserve that because we gave him a 21% increase,” Gunter said “Trying to get a particular non-bargaining employee, or all non-bargaining employees in a specific range because of the data out there for similar cities, I don’t think he is entitled to that as well That is my opinion ”

He said reading the paragraph gave him pause, because as written Boksner would be eligible for an adjustment after Jan 1, 2025, if a non-bargaining increase was given

The problem for Gunter was there was a lot more being discussed in the paragraph

than just the cost of living There was also verbiage about labor market conditions

Councilmember Bill Steinke said he did not understand why they were having the discussion as the cost-of-living adjustment is self-explanatory.

“It has nothing to do with pay Nothing to do with merit Nothing to do with labor market conditions It says that the cost of living this year is more than the cost-of-living last year It’s a recognition that it cost more to live each and every year and we want to make sure that person can live the same way next year,” he said “To have a cost-of-living adjustment, the only thing that matters is inflation and that is what a COLA is all about The whole paragraph absolutely muddies the water.”

Steinke said when he read the paragraph it was “me to” with rewording and adding COLA

“It says nothing about the COLA in the city manager’s contract In the contract that has been prepared for us, we have taken the paragraph in the city manager’s contract and reworded it all and then added COLA verbiage to it For me that is disappointing,” he said

Tax rate: Cape Council to consider higher ‘half-back’ rate over roll-back for property taxes

From page 1

effort to make things a little more cost effective by moving that rate back At the last hour, now that staff figured out a way without reducing any services to be able to go all the way back to the rollback rate and have no decreases in services Now we are saying, only kidding, now we want you to increase your expenses after you just decreased your income ”

There was discussion that the City

Council could use the half back rate, which would provide an additional $3 6 million a 10% increase for police officers

“I supported the rollback rate, I still do with the caveat that looking at the compensation study that was provided we know there is going to be a substantial increase in their salaries next year if we are trying to get to the 75th percentile,” Gunter said “If we go to the rollback rate, we cannot do anything this year ”

Councilmember Dan Sheppard said his goal was the rollback rate because he knows citizens need help

“I also know it is important for citizens to have safety If we have the ability to take care of our policemen and give them at least 10%, I would be for doing the halfback even though it is important that we strive for rollback Our responsibility is to strive to come up with the best solution Best solution see what we can do for police men and women

and still give a tax decrease for our citizens as well,” he said

After further discussion, Steinke ran some numbers and said it would cost citizens $16 to have a more satisfied police department, which he would vote in favor of

The council took a consensus to bring an ordinance reflecting the half back rate5 2188, to the first budget public hearing scheduled for Sept 12, at 5:05 p m

Cape Council approves fee increases

B y M E

m o w i n g s e r v i c e s , d u r i n g W e d n e s d a y ’ s p u b l i c h e a r i n g s V a c a n t p a r c e l s w i t h i n t h e p r o g r a m a r e

d i v i d e d a m o n g f o u r d i s t r i c t s a n d a r e m o w e d 1 3 t i m e s a y e a r f r o m F e b r u a r

t h r o u g h D e c e m b e r . T h e p r o g r a m a l s o i n c l u d e s p e p p e r t r e e r e m o v a l a n d o w l

n e s t t r i m m i n g T h e c a l c u l a t i o n f o r t h e

r a t e s a r e b a s e d o n a n o f 5 , 0 0 0 s q u a r e f e e t M o s t C a p e b u i l d i n g p a r c e l s a r e t w o l o t e q u i v a l e n t s I n t e r i m A s s i s t a n t C i t y M a n a g e r M a r k

M a s o n s a i d t h e l a r g e s t d i s t r i c t i s s o

D i s t r i c t 1 p r o p o s e d r a t e i s $ 8 6 4 2 ,

a $ 2 6 . 3 2 i n c r e a s e

■ D i s t r i c t 2 p r o p o s e d r a t e i s $ 4 4 7 7 ,

a $ 3 9 4 i n c r e a s e

■ D i s t r i c t 3 p r o p o s e d r a t e i s $ 4 7 3 2 ,

a $ 5 5 4 i n c r e a s e s

■ D i s t r i c t 4 p r o p o s e d r a t e i s $ 4 3 2 1 ,

a $ 3 7 5 i n c r e a s e T h e a n n u a l a s s e s s m e n t – p e r s t a n d a r d p a r c e l a r e a s f o l l o w s : ■ D i s t r i c t 1 p r o p o s e d r a t e $ 1 7 2 8 4 ,

a $ 5 2 6 4 i n c r e a s e

■ D i s t r i c t 2 p r o p o s e d r a t e $ 8 9 5 4 , a

$ 7 . 8 8 i n c r e a s e

■ D i s t r i c t 3 p r o p o s e d r a t e $ 9 4 6 4 , a

$ 1 1 0 8 i n c r e a s e

Among the fee schedules approved was Resolution 268-24, which set the fire protection assessment It is computed to “recover” 70% cost of the cost Cape Coral Fire Department operations That money goes into the city’s General Fund Key costs cited include Fire Station 10 – North Cape Public Safety Complex with a $1.1 million estimated debt services; 10 additional staffing positions, ladder replacement of $1,943 million, engine replacement of $1.2 million and a rescue truck at $390,000.

At 70% cost recovery, the assessment for an average single-family home is $478 39, an increase of $55 61, or a 13 15% change

s o l i d w a s t e c o n t r a c t w i t h W a s t e P r o . R e s o l u t i o n 2 6 8 - 2 4 s e t t h e f i r e p r o t e c -

t i o n a s s e s s m e n t I t i s c o m p u t e d t o “ r e c o v e r ” 7 0 % c o s t o f t h e c o s t C a p e

C o r a l F i r e D e p a r t m e n t o p e r a t i o n s T h a t m o n e y g o e s i n t o t h e c i t y ’ s G e n e r a l F u n d

K e y c o s t s c i t e d i n c l u d e F i r e S t a t i o n 1 0 –

N o r t h C a p e P u b l i c S a f e t y C o m p l e x w i t h

a $ 1 1 m i l l i o n e s t i m a t e d d e b t s e r v i c e s ;

1 0 a d d i t i o n a l s t a f f i n g p o s i t i o n s , l a d d e r

r e p l a c e m e n t o f $ 1 , 9 4 3 m i l l i o n , e n g i n e

r e p l a c e m e n t o f $ 1 2 m i l l i o n a n d a r e s c u e

t r u c k a t $ 3 9 0 , 0 0 0

A t 7 0 % c o s t r e c o v e r y , t h e a s s e s s m e n t

f o r a n a v e r a g e s i n g l e - f a m i l y h o m e i s

$ 4 7 8 3 9 , a n i n c r e a s e o f $ 5 5 6 1 , o r a

1 3 1 5 % c h a n g e

M a s o n p r o v i d e d a r e c a p o f w h e r e c o s t

r e c o v e r y b e g a n i n 2 0 1 4 – 3 8 % , w h i c h

l e f t t h e g e n e r a l f u n d t o r e c o v e r 6 2 % I n

2 0 1 6 t h a t c o s t r e c o v e r y s h o t u p t o 6 4 %

a d d i t i o n a l p o s i t i o n s , 1 0 o f w h i c h a r e f o r t h i s u p c o m i n g y e a r “ T h e r e i s q u i t e a b i t a d d e d t o t h e c i t y t h a t w o u l d c e r t a i n l y j u s t i f y t h e n e e d o f f i x e d c o s t s a s a s u p p l e m e n t f o r s u p p o r ti n g t h e f i r e d e p a r t m

r s o n n

c

s t s T h e s o l i d w a s t e a s s e s s m e n t f o r c o mm e r c i a l w a s a l s o a p p r o v e d M a s o n s a i d t h e c o m m e r c i a l r a t e s f o l l o w t h e c o n t r a c t s a n d c o n s u m e r p r i c e i n d e x i m p r o v e m e n t s , w h i c h i s a 3 1 1 % i n c r e a s e p u r s u i t t o t h e

w h e r e i t s t a y e d f o r a c o u p l e o f y e a r s

b e f o r e d r o p p i n g t o 5 9 % a n d t h e n u p t o

6 2 % b e f o r e r e a c h i n g 7 0 % , w h e r e t h e

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

T h a t c o s t r e c o v e r y h a s s u p p o r t e d t h e a d d i t i o n o f n e w f i r e s t a t i o n s a n d m a n y

BUSINESS

BUSINESS BRIEFS

For t Myers Brewing Co. to host Summerween event Saturday

Fort Myers Brewing Company is bringing a unique twist to seasonal festivities with its Summerween celebration Saturday, Aug 31 This innovative event merges the warmth of summer with the chills of Halloween, offering an exciting and family-friendly experience for the community Summerween promises a mix of activities and entertainment:

■ Costume Extravaganza: Guests are encouraged to don their most creative costumes, capturing the spirit of Halloween in the summer heat

■ Jack-o'-Lantern Fruits: Attendees are invited to bring their own carved fruit Jack-O’-Lanterns to the brewery for a chance to win our Fruit Jack-O’-Lantern Contest! Carve your favorite fruit whether it’s a watermelon, pineapple, or something else and compete for a chance to win!, adding a refreshing twist to traditional pumpkin carving

■ Spyk’d Seltzers and Craft Beers: Fort Myers Brewing Co. will serve its special Spyk’d seltzers and a selection of craft beers, perfect for cooling off while embracing the spooky theme

■ Food Trucks: Local food trucks, including Island Vibez Grill, Spelltacular Sweets, and Wicked Streatery, will be on-site, offering a variety of delectable treats

■ Live Music: The event will feature a live performance by the Hamilton Boys Duo at 6 p m , providing a lively backdrop to the festivities

Fort Myers Brewing Co is at 12811 Commerce Lakes Drive, #28, Fort Myers For more information visit https://www fmbrew com/

REIS to address dynamics of population growth, real estate development

Developers, investors, government officials and real estate experts will address the dynamics of population growth and real estate development at the 2024 Real

E s t a t e S y m p o s i u m o n S e p t 1 9 T h e R e a l E s t a t e Investment Society presents the annual half-day event in partnership with Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University

The program will address “Recovery and Sustainable Growth ” Sessions include:

■ The Live Local Act opportunities and conditions

■ Zoning Impacts on Housing Affordability

■ How to Finance Affordable Housing

■ CDBG-DR Funding to spur development

■ Government Initiatives for Affordable Housing

■ the way forward in 404 Permitting

The symposium will begin at 8 a m and conclude at 12:30 p m Sept 19 in the Cohen Center ballroom at Florida Gulf Coast University Admission is $50 for REIS members and $70 for all other interested persons There is no charge for FGCU students Registration is required at www reis-swfl org

Southwest Florida Inter national Airpor t passenger traffic increases in July

During July, 677,137 passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers This was an increase of 1% compared to July 2023 It was also the second-best July reported in the 42-year history of the airport Year-to-date, passenger traffic is up 17%

The traffic leader in July was Delta with 161,168 passengers Rounding out the top five airlines were Southwest (136,984), American (114,344), United (94,212) and JetBlue (54,330)

Southwest Florida International Airport had 5,688 aircraft operations, an increase of 3% compared to July 2023 Page Field saw 12,764 operations, which was a 20% decrease compared to July 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

Cape Tractor Supply helping Villas Elementary develop school garden

The Cape Coral Tractor Supply store is supporting Villas Elementary in developing a school garden that will provide students with an enriched, hands-on learning experience

“The School Garden Program provides kids with an opportunity to use their hands and minds in a way that's not typically available in a traditional classroom setting,” said Thomas Thomas, manager of the Cape Coral Tractor Supply store “We are excited to educate students about the origin of their food while encouraging them to continue exploring how the world around them works ”

The rural lifestyle retailer, which carries all the supplies necessary to start or sustain a garden, including mulch, live plants, traditional and organic seeds, and garden tools, will provide Villas Elementary with a starter kit that will assist in the establishment of the garden

Villas Elementary is at 8385 Beacon Blvd , Fort Myers

Contact the school at 239-936-3776

Interested schools can contact or visit the Cape Coral Tractor Supply store at 239-283-5701 for more information Cape Coral Tractor Supply is located at 2050 S W Pine Island Road.

As of June 29, 2024, the Company operated 2,254 Tractor Supply stores in 49 states For more information on Tractor Supply, visit www tractorsupply com

SCHEA to host blood drive Sept. 7

The South Cape Hospitality and Entertainment Association will host a Lee Health blood drive Saturday, Sept. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The bus will be parked in Club Square, behind the BackStreets Sports Bar on S o u t

h Cape Please consider making a donation to help the Southwest Florida community

Donors will also receive a punch card with complimentary offers from the following local businesses: BackStreets, Chips & Bourbon Chipotle Queso; BIG8 BBQ, 20% off total check (cannot be combined with any other offer); Cape Cleaners, 10% off laundry or dry cleaning services (excludes alterations); The Dive, 10% off your next visit; Dixie Roadhouse, no cover charge for 2 people before 11 p m (excludes special events); Eight-Foot Brewing, select draft; Fish Tale Grill, 10% off total check (cannot be combined with any other offer); Genius Computer Repair & Service, $10 off any repair or service; Greek Spot, piece of Baklava; Hair Artistry, blow out w/purchase of a hair cut; Karma and Coconuts, pocket size

crystal heart; Lehne Burger, pretzel bites app; Merrick Seafood Company, 10% off total check (cannot be combined with any other offer); Monkey Bar Steak & Seafood, 10% off total check (cannot be combined with any other offer); Nice Guys Pizza, order of regular or vegan garlic knots; Penny's Coffee Bar, small hot or iced coffee; Perk & Brew Coffee Shop Cafe, $5 off purchase of $15 or greater; Rack'em Spirits & Times, 1 hour of billiards (up to 5 people); Rusty's Raw Bar & Grill, loaded tots; Tiki Hut, well drink, wine or domestic draft; and Zak's Jewelry, watch battery replacement

All blood donated will stay local to Lee County, and appointments are available to eliminate wait times Please text Shannon at 239-900-4028 (Monday-Friday, 10 a m to 4 p m ) or email info@southcapeentertainment com to secure your time slot

Stay tuned to everything SCHEA via Facebook and on S C H E A

ment com/

Better Together, Cape Christian Church to host job fair in Cape Coral Sept. 24

Better Together is partnering with Cape Christian Church to host a community job fair from 10 a m to 1 p m , Tuesday, Sept 24 in Cape Coral

Registration is now open for hiring employers and job seekers to participate in the September event The churchbased job fair connects job seekers with local employers who are ready to hire, while also providing resources to facilitate stronger connections and more hires

Free one-on-one job coaching sessions are available to job seekers to review resumes and interviewing skills, and additional services will be available onsite

The community job fair is part of Better Together's “Better Jobs” program, which has helped 45,000 applicants connect with employment opportunities across 24 states At job fairs hosted by Better Together, two-thirds of attendees get a job interview, and 1 in 4 receive a job offer on the spot Some 70% find work within six weeks

The Sept 24 job fair will take place at Cape Christian Church, located at 2110 Chiquita Blvd , S , in Cape Coral Job seekers and employers can register at BetterTogetherUS org/CapeChristian or by texting “JOBS” to 844-9873949

Churches interested in hosting a Better Together job fair can visit BetterTogetherUS org for more information

Better Together is a nonprofit organization that helps parents going through a hard time keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive A privately funded and professionally supported organization, Better Together is made up of volunteers who believe helping people help themselves is the best way to restore dignity and bring families together Through the Better Families program, families are offered a preventive alternative to foster care while they get the help they need

To date, the program has kept 98% of children served out of foster care The Better Jobs program was created to address the 76% of families that come to Better Together because of economic hardship tied to unemployment In addition to community job fairs, the program offers job seekers coaching, guidance, support and encouragement through local church partners For more information, visit BetterTogetherUS org

Bridge: Veterans Memorial Monument may be moved for Cape Coral Parkway improvements

ing and environmental data and documents concerns, economic costs, social and environmental impacts and concludes with location design concept acceptance and FDOT OEM approval

The study evaluates potential improvements to the Cape Coral bridge that connects Cape Coral Parkway to College Parkway The study area corridor is west of the Del Prado Boulevard intersection to the McGregor Boulevard intersection, 2 30 miles in length

The purpose of the project is to address roadway capacity, as well as such other goals as to reduce emergency evacuation times and accommodate multi-modal activity within the corridor

The westbound bridge, built in 1963, has a design life of 50 years The bridge is i n f a i r c o n d i t i o n a n d h a s s u b s t a n d a r d shoulders and bridge barriers

The east bound bridge, built in 1989, has a design life of 75 years and is in very good condition

The presentation highlighted the design year 2045 traffic volumes, which ranges from 67,000 to 70,500 vehicles per day.

Between 2017 and 2022 there were 422 vehicular crashes within the study corridor 262 crashes were intersection related The highest level of crashes took p l a c e a t M c G r e g o r B o u l e

d a n d Southeast 17th Place with 237 rear end crashes one bicycle related, one fatality and 31 total injury crashes

There were two alternatives presented for the bridge on June 20 of last year The first alternative was selected, as well as keeping the no-build alternative in play.

The preferred alternative would provide s i x - l a n e r o a d w a y s a n d i n t e r s e c t i o n improvements, as well as bicycle and

pedestrian accommodations

The video stated that throughout the study a no-build alternative is also considered, which assumes no alternatives would be had for the Cape Coral bridge project

McGregor Boulevard to year 2045 There would only be routine maintenance to existing roads and bridges

The video went into depth regarding the preferred alternative with the four typical sections along the corridor for the six-lane divided roadway

The first typical section would include three 11-foot travel lanes in each direction, separated by a 10-foot median with a two foot concreate barrier and 4-foot paved shoulders on either side It would also include 8-foot sidewalks in each direction adjacent to the existing right-of-way It would maintain the existing 35 miles per hour speed

T

u l d include two parallel high-level structures spanning the Caloosahatchee River There would be six lanes of traffic on the bridge, again with three 11-foot travel lanes in each direction There would be 10-foot paved inside and outside shoulders, as well as 10-foot sidewalks in each direction The median width that is proposed ranges from 25-feet to 126-feet The proposed speed limit would remain at 45 miles per hour

The third preferred typical alternative east of the bridge to west of McGregor Boulevard consists of two 11-foot travel lanes in each direction with 2-foot inside shoulders and an inside concrete median barrier to protect against the existing overpass structure There would be 6 to 8-foot sidewalks in each direction

The fourth section would consist of two 11-foot travel lanes in each direction, as

well as two turn lanes going northbound There are also two 11-foot travel lanes, as well as an emerge lane going southbound There are also 6-foot sidewalks in each direction

There is a U-turn ramp proposed on the west side of the Cape Coral bridge for the e

Parkway There is also a U-turn ramp on the east side of the Cape Coral bridge for the existing frontal road at Caloosa Club and Racquet Drive

On the Cape Coral side of the bridge there are proposed enhancements to Cape Coral Parkway and Del Prado Boulevard for the proposed six lanes

Those improvements would be three dedicated southbound, eastbound left turn lanes with three through lanes The westbound roadway would also have three through lanes The northbound to eastbound traffic would have a dedicated receiving lane to the right turn lane, which would eliminate the current need to merge into traffic

The enhancement would include an additional lane for three lanes along Cape Coral Parkway To accommodate this, inside widening into the existing median is proposed, as well as the repurposing of the center left turn lane There would also be a concrete median barrier to separate the opposing traffic along the parkway

There is also discussion regarding moving the Veterans Memorial Monument, as it cannot remain in its current location because of the new lanes being added to Cape Coral Parkway It can either be moved or reconstructed at a new location, a decision still being determined

There would also be new sidewalks from 8-feet to 10-feet in width along both sides of the parkway, which will be inte-

grated into the new proposed pedestrian bridge located at Bernice Bradon Park The a

pedestrians also have barriers separating them from vehicular traffic and as land is approached on either side of the river, become separated from the main bridges

There will be a single lane frontage road west bound to east bound U-turn under the proposed bridge at the park

There will be an electronic toll entry on the westbound lanes of the bridge, replacing the current toll plaza

Once on the Fort Myers side of the bridge, proposed changes have been made to the entrance of the Caloosa Yacht and Racquet Club by eliminating the traffic light To head east, the residents would have to travel towards the river and make a U-turn and head towards the intersection at McGregor Boulevard T

shoreline protection, as a result of what was learned from Hurricane Ian. There will be rubble riffraff, combined with anchored seawalls around each end of the causeway There are also stormwater ponds on the last two spans of the bridge

The community can continue to make comments until Sept 11 on the project, which will be used to make final recommendations to the FDOT office Project documents can also be viewed at the Cape Coral Lee County Public Library

Comments can be made online at capecoralbridgeproject com, or by emailing, or mailing comments to Project Manager

bridgeproject com, or 1500 Monroe Street, Fort Myers, Fl 33901

SPORTS

Fishing best over morning hours

With a high falling tide through the morning hours the inshore bite was best from sunup through late morning then fell off with the afternoon low water and heat of the day

Redfish and snook were caught on the high falling water under bushes and island points throughout Pine Island Sound and across Charlotte Harbor around Bull Bay Cut bait and artificial baits often out-fished live baits Cut pinfish and Z-Man plastics were top producers

Charlotte Harbor They

schools up to a hundred or so, with most fish run-

schools were inconsistent from day to day, but they

numerous as we head into September.

Seatrout fishing was spotty for many anglers,

bigger fish The best bet was drifting grass flats

while watching for birds and surface feeding There are a lot of small bait fish around and large schools of ladyfish harassing the bait Often this is where the trout are as well, plus Spanish mackerel, bluefish and others Seatrout up to 22 inches were hooked casting a variety of baits including spoons, Gulp Baits and Z-Man 3-inch MinnowZ in a variety of colors

Inshore mangrove snapper has fallen off it appears as they were not as abundant as in past weeks with more undersized fish than keeper size With that said, snapper to 14 inches were caught over reefs around Cape Haze in the Harbor, and in and around the Gulf passes from Redfish up to Boca Grande

Offshore, barracuda and Spanish mackerel were reported around reefs, including Helen’s, Power Pole and Pace’s Place Fishing hard bottom and ledges in 40 to 50-foot depths worked for mangrove and lane snapper, plus catch-and-release grouper.

Stay up to date with fishing regulations by visiting www myfwc com Also, upload the Fish Rules app

TIDE CHART

Talented Verot team striving to succeed on and off football field

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

It’s that time of year once again where shoulder pads are being strapped on, chin straps are being tightened and high school football programs start chomping at the bit to get back onto the field

Friday nights are just now getting turned up across Southwest Florida as countless talented teams call the region home

The Breeze is highlighting West Zone and other local teams leading into the regular season to give fans an early look at their favorite team We sat down with each head coach and select players a series of questions on what they expect from their program

Look for continued coverage of local high school programs in The Breeze in upcoming editions as we continue the journey to Friday nights where the lights shine the brightest

Bishop Verot High School

Head Coach: Richie Rode (4th year) 2023 record: 11-2 (3-0 District)

Competes in: 2A District 10 Currently 1-0; next game today visiting Tampa Catholic

With a plethora of stand-out talent, the Vikings are looking to bring home a state championship after falling last year to Booker in the Regional Final, and making it to the Final Four the year before Head coach Richie Rode is ready to lead his team though an always-grueling schedule, and cross the threshold his team has been so close to attaining since his tenure began

How do you feel as a program heading into the season?

“We feel pretty confident in our training heading into the season this year. We have to replace some key players from last year, and will be pretty young this year But we had a great spring and summer developing and growing in the weight room ”

Expectations from the team on and off the field?

“Our expectation is to continue to grow in our culture and development We strive to get 1% better each day We have a challenging schedule this year, which will be lots of fun All we want to do is continue to give relentless effort each week and be very process oriented ”

How do you plan to build off of last season?

“We will definitely use our experience of both the suc-

Wednesday Volleyball

cess experienced as well as the disappointing moments we had to learn and grow this year

Last year's team is last year, however, and doesn't truly have any bearing on this year

We need to continue to find our identity and build our 2024 version of our best selves and team ”

How would you describe your coaching style/team identity?

“I believe my coaching style is constant and relentless teaching, but one built off of creating trust and relationships It is of utmost importance to create a trusting environment in which the student-athletes learn and grow and experience four great years In doing so, and pushing each individual to be the best version of themselves, I believe we can win both on and off the field at a high level Our team identity this year will be all about extreme ownership, trust and coachability ”

What do you hope to take as a whole from this upcoming season?

“We want to continue to build our culture and brotherhood of trust We hope to provide each individual with a great overall experience and growth this year ”

Expected challenges?

“Each week presents a new set of challenges, whether it be personal or a new and tough opponent We look forward to meeting these challenges head on Our schedule is one of the most difficult in the state and we embrace that opportunity ” Players to watch this year?

■ Carter Smith - quarterback, senior

■ DeShon Jenkins - running back, junior

■ Marquan Young - wide receiver, junior

■ Leo Berman - tight end, senior

■ Jack Benaitis - offensive line, senior

■ Sonny Tokotaha - offensive line, senior

■ Dennis Forte - offensive line, junior

■ Ayden Gonzalez - wide receiver, sophomore

■ Ryan Peterson - defensive line, senior

■ Quinn Enguita - defensive line/linebacker, junior

■ Micah Anderson - linebacker, junior

■ JJ Bolz - linebacker, junior

■ Marquis Young - defensive back, junior

■ James Little - defensive back, junior

■ Justin Rode - defensive back, junior

■ Eli Cochran - defensive back, junior

PREP REPORT

Boys Bowling

Bishop Verot 4, South Fort Myers 1: Nolan Wagner led the Vikings with a 210 game

Oasis 3, Cape Coral 0: The Sharks (9-1) made it three wins in as many days, sweeping the 3-2 Seahawks, 25-17, 25-22, 25-9 Ellye Henkle hit 400 for the match, while Kaylie Berge added six digs on a night where the entire roster got playing time Oasis (Class 3A) gets a week off before taking on Canterbury (Class 2A) in a matchup of teams ranked fifth in their respective classes

Tuesday Volleyball

Oasis 3, North Fort Myers 0: Jordan Baksh and Vanessa Moriarty combined for 29 kills in a 25-14, 2515, 25-18 Sharks sweep. Sarah Milulus had 21 digs as Oasis continued its hot start (8-1)

Ida Baker 3, Gateway 0: Baker's 25-15, 25-17, 2523 sweep lifted the Bulldogs to 3-2 on the season

Cape Coral 3, Mariner 0: The Seahawks are 3-1, the Tritons are 0-2

Girls Bowling

Bishop Verot d South Fort Myers, forfeit: Sienna Gasperini rolled a 161 and Sophia Smith a 151 for Bishop Verot

Girls Golf

Oasis d. ECS, forfeit

Oasis: Riley Fritz 45, Savanna Odjick 45, Adison Lindsey 51, Willow Cain 58, Sophia Greenup 61, Ellah Berge 68

Boys Golf

Fort Myers 172, Island Coast 213

Island Coast: Ryan Mueller 46, Cole Weyant 48, Logan Hawkins 59, Ty Bloomfield 60, Johnathan Peterson 62, Grady Schweizer 68

ECS 177, Oasis 178

Oasis: Gabe Gair (medalist) 38, Aiden Pietras 44, Rhys Skillrud 45, Vance Davis 51, Ross Beattie 57, Henry Teter 59

Capt. Bill Russell On the Water

Mussels fall but hold three-game edge in standings

Threshers top Mussels 8-1 to even series

F O R T M Y E R S – T h e C l e a r w a t e r Threshers defeated the Fort Myers Mighty M u s s e l s 8 - 1 W e d n e s d a y n i g h t a t Hammond Stadium to even the series at one game apiece

The Mussels (64-53, 33-19) saw their second half lead in the FSL West drop to 3 0 games with 10 games remaining as the L a k e l a n d F l y i n g T i g e r s d e f e a t e d t h e Dunedin Blue Jays to close the gap in the s t a n d i n g s T h e m a g i c n u m b e r f o r t h e Mussels to clinch a playoff berth remains at eight games

Following a 58-minute weather delay to open the game, Fort Myers’ pitchers combined to issue a season high 11 walks in the loss

Clearwater (59-61, 16-38) opened the scoring in the third with a two out rally against Charlee Soto (1-6) Soto struck out the first two batters he faced before loading the bases on a pair of walks and a hit batter Kehden Hettiger deposited a base hit down the right field line to make it a 2-0 game before being cut down at second base by Jaime Ferrer as he tried to stretch the single into a double

Still leading by that score in the fifth, Clearwater's Kodey Shojinanga connected on an opposite field single to extend the lead to 3-0 The next inning, the Threshers tacked on another run on an RBI single from John Spinkerman to make it 4-0

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, the Mussels' Ferrer worked a walk against AJ Wilson He then went first-to-

home on three wild pitches to get the Mussels on the board, making the score 41.

Clearwater responded in the eighth as Eduardo Tait doubled and later scored on a Spikerman single t Threshers blew it op as Clearwater tacked three runs and sent n to the plate, extendin l e a d 8 - 1 M a d d Houghton made his professional pitching debut, walking a batter before retiring Carson DeMart for the final out of inning

Reese Dutton (1-0) earned the win in his professional debut for the Threshers after throwing three innings of scoreless relief

The Mussels were scheduled to take on the Threshers Thursday night with games tonight, Saturday and Sunday to close out the series Catch all the action on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network

Winokur delivers walk-off blast to beat Threshers 9-7

FORT MYERS – After a back and forth night of baseball to preview a possible playoff matchup, Brandon Winokur blasted the first pitch of the bottom of the 10th inning onto the left field berm to give the Mighty Mussels a thrilling 9-7 victory over the Clearwater Threshers at Hammond Stadium

Putting pressure on the quar terback

Tritons’ defensive end Javon Lambert (4) puts pressure on Green Wave quarterback Trevon Moate in last Friday’s game at Mariner High, won by Fort Myers, 35-7. Tonight action has Port Charlotte at North Fort Myers, Cape Coral at Lemon Bay, Evangelical Christian at Island Coast, Cypress Lake at Ida Baker and Bishop Verot at Tampa Catholic MARK CLIFFORD

It was the Mussels’ (64-52, 33-18) sixth walk-off of the season and the first since Winokur had a walk-off hit-by-pitch June 14 against Lakeland It was the first walk-off homer for the Mussels since Jose R o d r i

h a d a walk-off grand slam

e season, matching el Cespedes for the ls’ era single season nce 2021)

yers set season highs ns with four and total in the back and forth

Rehabber Kala’i Rosario connected on two home runs in his first game since June 9 with the Wichita Wind Surge

In the bottom of the second in a scoreless game, Khadim Diaw doubled to center with one out Jaime Ferrer followed with a single to set up first and third The next batter was Daniel Pena, who delivered a sacrifice fly to center to make it a 1-0 game

In the next inning, Rosario crushed his first homer of the day (109 6 mph off the bat) to extend the lead 3-0 Three pitches later, Billy Amick followed with a 110 7 mph shot that traveled 416 feet onto the left field berm to make it 4-0

Still leading by that score in the fourth, Angel Del Rosario and Winokur each reached on singles to set up first and third with two outs The Mussels executed a double steal to tack on another run and

move ahead 5-0

Cesar Lares could not maintain the lead in the fifth. After four shutout frames to start his outing, Clearwater (58-61, 15-38) manufactured five runs (one earned) on four hits and sent 11 men to plate, tying the game 5-5

Fort Myers responded in the bottom of the frame and retook the lead on an opposite field single from Del Rosario, making it a 6-5 game

Logan Whitaker became the first 2024 Twins draftee to debut on the mound and allowed two unearned runs on three hits across two innings while striking out two The Threshers would force another tie the following inning on a Mussels error, as Raider Tello scored from third on an errant pickoff throw to make it a 6-6 game

Clearwater took its first lead in the seventh, scoring another unearned run to go ahead 7-6

Leading off the bottom of the eighth, Rosario tied the game 7-7 with his second homer of the game as he sent a 400 foot blast into the berm with a 103 7 mph exit velocity

Wilker Reyes (6-2) was outstanding in relief, covering the final three innings while giving up just one hit and striking out two Reyes retired the side in order in the top of the tenth by inducing a pair of infield pop-ups and a ground out

Winokur then crushed the first pitch of the bottom of the inning from Titan Hayes (0-1) onto the berm to give Fort Myers its second extra-innings walkoff of the season

Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk Sept. 7

The annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk is planned Saturday, Sept 7, at 7:45 a m , at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers The event benefits the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, chaired locally by Taylor Carpet One’s Lauren T a y l o r T h e f o u n d a t i o n s u p p o r

nation’s fallen and catastrophically injured first responders, military heroes and their families

The Tunnel to Towers run and walk was founded in honor of the late Stephen Siller, a New York City firefighter, who lost his life while fighting to save others in the World Trade Center tragedy of Sept 11, 2001

T h e e v e n t s y m b o l i z e s S i

’ s r u n through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel on 9/11, which had been closed for security purposes immediately after the attack Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 pounds of gear to his back and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave up his life

while saving others

Registration for the run and walk is d

Responders & Military Registration (ages 18+) $30; Youth Registration (ages 1317) $25 - price increases to $30 after Sept 6; Child Registration (ages 12 and under) $20 - price increases to $25 after Sept 6

“Supporting the Tunnel to Towers 5K is a profound honor for us,” said John Taylor, owner of Taylor Carpet One “This event allows us to stand with our community in supporting the heroes who’ve sacrificed everything for our safety and freedom Their courage inspires us all ”

To register for the run and walk visit: https://runsignup.com/Race/Events/FL/For tMyers/TunneltoTowers5KRunWalkFort MyersFL

For additional information about Taylor Carpet One, please visit www taylorcarpetone com

Morning hours: Get out early

From page 33

on your phone It has current regulations and seasons with pictures to help identify fish If you have a fishing report or for charter information, please contact us at Gulf Coast Guide Service at 239-4108576, on the web at www fishpineisland com or email us at gcl2fish@

Protect

To learn more

Janetta Fox is a Lee County Master

Have a safe week and good fishin’

As a lifetime resident of Matlacha and Pine Island, Capt Bill Russell has spent his life fishing and learning the waters a r o u n d P i n e I s l a n d a n d S o u t h w e s t Florida, and as a professional fishing guide for the past 23 years

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