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Kiwanis Club to welcome Beach Elementary principal

Staff Report

The Kiwanis Club of Fort Myers Beach will be hosting Fort Myers Beach Elementary School Principal Dr. Traci Kohler at their next meeting on Friday, Oct. 14, at 7:30 a.m. at Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Café. Kohler is expected to speak about what’s new this fall at the Beach Elementary School.

On Sept. 16, the club hosted students Brianna Levy and Christopher Prisco, two of the club’s educational scholarship recipients. Levy is a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University, where she is majoring in Sports Management. In January, Prisco will begin his studies in the EMT program at Florida SouthWestern State College.

The Kiwanis Club of Fort Myers Beach provides educational scholarships and supports many local non-profit organizations through funds raised at its thrift shop. The Kiwanis Thrift Shop is open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is located at 11050 Summerlin Square Drive, Fort Myers Beach. New merchandise arrives daily. Check the board at the shop entrance for items on sale.

The Kiwanis Club of Fort Myers Beach is welcoming new members, and now is a great time to join! Membership meetings are open to the public and no RSVP is required. Meetings are $3, which covers the 50-50 raffle and a never-ending cup of coffee. A delicious breakfast of your choice (cash only) is available for purchase from the Bonita Bill’s menu. Bonita Bill’s is located at 702 Fisherman’s Wharf (San Carlos Island).

Learn more about the Kiwanis Club of Fort Myers Beach and how you can become a member at: www.fortmyersbeachkiwanis.org.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Brianna Levy (left to right), Secretary Paula McCarthy and Christopher Prisco. Brianna and Christopher are Fort Myers Beach Kiwanis Club scholarship recipients.

Fort Myers Beach Community Pool closed

Staff Report

The Town of Fort Myers Beach Community Pool has been closed temporarily until further notice.

The town issued the closure Wednesday for the pool located at its Bay Oaks Recreational Campus in consultation with the Florida Department of Health.

Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Roger Hernstadt said he was awaiting more information on what caused the closing of the pool. The town is working to secure a company to address the closure.

Please recycle!

STAFF REPORT

The Ostego Bay Foundation Marine Science Center announced it will be renewing its popular and longstanding San Carlos Island Working Waterfront tours Wednesday, Oct. 5 and every Wednesday.

The tour includes a guided visit to the Ostego Bay Foundation Marine Science Center featuring a history of the industry and area ecosystems with many exhibits.

The tour includes visits to the San Carlos Island commercial fishing industry properties as well as a video of how a shrimp net works underwater. The tour continues with a visit to the commercial fishing industry docks, including Erickson & Jensen Seafood Packers, EE&J Supply House and net shop, Trico Shrimp Co. Loading Docks and Market.

Participants in the tour will see how the fishing boats are unloaded, the trawl doors are built, the shrimp nets are hand-sewn, the seafood is processed, and other important factors used in the local unique industry. Attendees are encouraged to bring cameras for a memorable experience.

The cost is $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under.

For more information, visit the Ostego Bay Foundation Marine Science Center website at www.ostegobay.org to make reservations or call 239-7658101.

Upcoming activities at the Fort Myers Beach Library

Fort Myers Beach Library, at 2755 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach, will present the following:

Boxcar Exhibit

Arriving Monday, Oct. 3

Parking Lot

Stop by this month and see the Boxcar Exhibit which is on loan to the Library from Jack and F.E. Nortman and the Boxcar Foundation. It is being transported here from the Holocaust Museum and Cohen Education Center in Naples. The boxcar was manufactured in the Vorm Schumann Factory in Germany in 1919 and was in the service of the German Railway System until 1945 and from 1945 to 1969 was in the service of the Austrian State Railway. The boxcar was known by soldiers as “40 and 8” because it could carry 40 soldiers or 8 horses. It is also estimated that anywhere from 70-120 men, women and children were put in these boxcars at one

time by the Nazis.

Meet and Greet the Artist of the Month

Tuesday, Oct, 4, 3 to 5 p.m. 3rd Floor commons area

Come meet and talk with Sherry Diaz (the new Art Teacher at the Beach Elementary School) Don’t forget to cast your vote for your favorite painting. Enjoy the artwork of Diaz displayed on the 3rd Floor Commons Area through the end of October.

Don’t forget to share your comments and cast your vote for your favorite one. The one receiving the most votes will be awarded a blue ribbon at the end of the month

Story Time

Every Wednesday in October at 10:30 a.m. Children can enjoy hearing stories underneath the tree in the children’s area followed by working on an accompanying craft activity.

Scrabble

Thursday, Oct. 6, 3 to 5 p.m.

Community Room B

Love playing board games? Then come and join the fun and meet new friends while playing this classic word game.

Voter Registration Assistance

Monday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 1st floor

Election Office representatives will be here to answer questions, take new voter registrations or make changes or updates to your current voter registration.

Mound House announces change in fees beginning Oct. 1

STAFF REPORT

The Mound House on Fort Myers Beach will be changing fees around beginning this October for admission, programs and kayak tours, Fort Myers Beach Director of Culture, Parks and Recreation Alison Giesen announced.

Admission will go up from $12 to $15 for adults, with prices staying the same for students at $8 for students with ID, and $5 for ages 6 to 12. Children under age 5 will continue to be allowed in free.

Fort Myers Beach residents will still get 50% off admission, with the price going up to $7.50 for adults – and staying at $4 for students with ID and $2.50 for ages 6 to 12.

Programs will be $20 for adults (a $5 increase), with the price remaining the same for students and children ages 6 to 12.

Kayak tour prices will be $50 per person and $20 for Mound House members starting Oct. 1.

Family Fun kayak tours will be $30 per person and $15 for Mound House members starting Oct. 1.

By CHUCK BALLARO

news@breezenewspapers.com Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist made an appearance in Fort Myers on Sept. 20 and went on the offensive in describing his opponent, Gov. Ron DeSantis, as a political opportunist who is more interested in social issues and running for president in 2024 than for governor. Crist spoke at Cafeteria La Familia on Fowler Street, surrounded by supporters and fellow candidates, and attacked DeSantis on his record regarding abortion and education, his lack of empathy and what he said was a political stunt where DeSantis sent nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Florida to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. “I talk about having a Florida for all, everybody included, nobody discriminated against,” Crist said. “The way the governor treats people is not that way. The stunt he pulled last week is horrifying. That he is willing to use human beings as pawns for his political game is disturbing and it exposes the true nature of him.” Crist, who was Florida’s attorney general before becoming governor as a Republican from 2006-10, said he has called on the Department of Justice to look into possible criminal charges against DeSantis. A sheriff in Texas is also looking at possible charges. Crist also attacked DeSantis on his handling of the homeowner’s insurance crisis, saying he “cares more about the White House than your house,” and on the price of housing and how even one-room apartments have become unaffordable. Regarding education, Crist said he would care about students and teachers and teach facts, not what DeSantis wants to conform to his culture wars and his desire to divide people. “He is trying to divide Florida and he is tearing her apart. That’s his MO. Pitting black against white, men against women, gay against straight, you name it,” Crist said. “We are such a diverse state and you would think Ron doesn’t have a clue.” Crist said the governor is anti-democracy and trying to strip people of their freedom and making it harder for people to vote. “This race is not right versus left. It has gotten so raw that it is right versus wrong,” Crist said. “The other side is loud and proud and that’s OK. But we need to be loud and proud, too. Don’t let anyone intimidate you from the Ron DeSantis election police.” Crist finished by saying he would make sure the right for women to have an abortion stays intact. DeSantis signed a 15-week bill that has no exception for rape or incest. “That’s how little he respects women. Imagine your daughter gets raped and she would have to bear a child because of the bill the governor signed,” Crist said. “Who could vote for that person? A woman’s right to choose is the issue of this election.” Alethia Shapiro, a mother of three, spoke about having to get an abortion in her 17th week of pregnancy because of a fetal anomaly. She said people abort because they have to, usually for medical reasons. “Thank God I was living in New York and had family support and the best doctors and hospitals who took care of a very heartbreaking situation,” Shapiro said. “If I lived in Florida, I would not have qualified and I feel like stories like mine are missing from the narrative. I didn’t know about it until I got my amnio (amniocentesis) after 16 weeks.” Many office seekers came to watch. Cindy Banyai, a Democrat running for the U.S. Congress in the 19th District against Republican incumbent Byron Donalds, said she was happy to see Crist come to the district. “He knows how important this area is and how many voters we have. Charlie is a great vote flipper and he’s going to help us win Southwest Florida,” Banyai said. “He can bring unity because he can talk to people on both sides of the aisle. Howard Sapp, a Democrat who is running in the State House race in District 78 against Republican incumbent Jenna Persons-Mulicka, said one side is looking at some of the national issues from a perspective that does not seem inclusive. “We see what’s happening with abortion and immigration and education and those things are a concern to a lot of people and they are not being adequately addressed,” he said. “We know it won’t happen overnight, but we have to begin somewhere and that will be on Nov. 8.”

CHUCK BALLARO

Florida Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist speaks during a campaign event on Sept. 20 at Cafeteria La Familia in Fort Myers.