Cape Coral Wednesday Breeze

Leading the charge

Minnesota Twins name coaching staff for 2023 Mighty Mussels squad SPORTS

Cape food truck ordinance up for final vote

Council set to hold second public hearing today at City Hall

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

Cape Coral City Council is expected to decide today whether to impose regulations to eliminate “food truck based outdoor restaurants” while also establishing a new land use in the city for food truck parks

The controversial ordinance set for its second and final public hearing has been in the works for nearly a year with the measure gaining support from council after staff redrafted the city s proposed Mobile Food Vehicles code to be similar to Lee County’s regulations

As proposed the city's new regulations

would treat all MFVs alike (except ice cream trucks), requiring them to leave their service locations at night and remove any gear Seating areas, tented or not, would not be allowed, nor would the regulations allow on-site utility connections

A new use Mobile Food Court would allow “Food Truck Parks ” Such parks w o u l d r e q u i r e f u l l s i t e i m p r o v e m e n t s including bathrooms, parking, sidewalks and the like They are intended to accommodate regular and long-term deployment of food trucks with the proposed regulations patterned after those adapted from Bonita Springs

Cape woman dies in three-car crash

by a Cape Coral man 32 T h e i m p a c t f o r c e d t h e SUV into the right lane of U S 41 where it was struck in the side by a sedan driven b y a 4 8 - y e a r - o l d w o m a n f r o m M i a m i W h i l e t h e driver of the sedan suffered minor injuries, a passenger in the car a 64-year-old woman from Cape Coral was killed She was pron o u n c e d d e c e a s e d o n t h e scene according to the FHP

The driver of the pickup and his two passengers a 29-year-old man and a 40y e a r - o l d m a n , b o t h f r o m D a d e C i t y , a l l r e c e i v e d

minor injuries

The Cape man driving the SUV suffered serious injuries F H P r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e accident is still under investigation and officials are trying to determine if a semi t r u c k / t r a i l e r w a s a l s o involved as a non-contact vehicle

The regulations would exempt vehicles operating at a private event for a duration less than one day, vehicles operating as part of a special event or during a state of emergency

If approved the ordinance would go into effect 90 days after adoption to allow for communication and outreach to MFV operators who would need to come into compliance with the new regulations

62nd annual Cracker Day Rodeo opens Friday at Lee County Posse Arena

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

The62nd annual Cracker Day Rodeo

one of the oldest annual events in North Fort Myers will return to the Lee County Posse Arena this weekend

Set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Jan 27-29 the rodeo pays tribute to the tradition of working ranchers moving cattle throughout the state

Sherry Groff arena president said they lucked out with Hurricane Ian as the arena off Bayshore Road was just far enough away from the river

“We had the bleachers lifted up and we had to weld them back in place But aside from that, all we had were some limbs down, Goff said, as opposed to Hurricane Irma in 2017 which forced cancellation of the event after it twisted the scoring tower “We’re going good this year and we’re ready ”

The youth rodeo will happen on the first night on Friday beginning at 6 p m , with the regular rodeo taking place on Saturday at 6 p m (with slack happening for barrel racers at 8 a m ) and Sunday at 2 p m following Cowboy Church at 10 a m

The rodeo on Friday will feature the youthoriented events such as barrels, breakaway roping, pole bending and goat tying for all competitors up to age 17

The open rodeo will take place Saturday night and Sunday afternoon with slack happening Saturday at 8 a m where the barrel racers, team ropers and others compete for the money, but are not in the formal rodeo

The events at this rodeo tend to be a little different There is still bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling and barrel racing, but there are also unusual but popular events such as the Buddy-Pick-up and the new cowgirl trifecta where they have to breakaway rope a calf race barrels and tie a goat, all in the same event There also will be more than 20 vendors s e l l i n g e v e r y t h i n g f r o m c o w b o y s h a t s t o Mexican food

The rodeo serves as the biggest fundraiser for the arena, a non-profit organization which was founded in 1960 and has survived as an all-volunteer group that gets no financial support from any government entity “Last year was our biggest year ever as far as attendance and fundraising This event pays the bills and insurance and everything else that needs to be done to go another year, Groff said Admission for adults is $25 $10 for children 12 and under and free for those 5 and u n d e r P a r k i n g i s $ 5 M i l i t a r y a n d f i r s t responders get in for $20 Lee County Posse Arena is at 17401 Palm Creek Drive

For more information visit leecountyposse com

Action from an earlier rodeo at the Lee County Posse Arena, host site of the upcoming Cracker Day Rodeo

FILE PHOTO

See FOOD TRUCKS, page 4

City to consider economic development grant to foster industrial facility

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers

com

A city staff recommendation to enter into an Economic Development Incentive Agreement with a business with which the city has been working with for more than four years is on C a p e C o r a l C i t y C o u n c i l ' s c o n s e n t a g e n d a

Wednesday

The agreement would authorize a $250 000 Business Infrastructure Grant to assist Graefen Cape Coral, LLC with land improvement and development costs associated with the construction of a 50,000-square-foot industrial facility built-to-suit for ABC Supply Company at 760 Northeast 19th St

According to the agenda documents investment at the new facility is about $10 million, and the developer has submitted $2,500,000 of eligible grant expenses

A B C S u p p l y p r e v i o u s l y o p e r a t e d i n a 1 0 0 0 0 - s q u a r e - f o o t f a c i l i t y t h a t w a s “ t o o r e s t r i c t i v e i n s i z e t o m e e t t h e c o m p a n y s growth The Economic and Business Development Office staff has been working with the owner and developer for more than four years to find a new location to support the company’s expanding needs, the agenda states

The company projects to create 30 new jobs and retain 29 existing positions with an average wage of $50 000 as a result of the project

The recommendation on the council agenda is for approval Because it is part of the Consent Agenda, the topic will not have discussion unless pulled by a council member An approval would result in a budget amendment T

Other items on the Consent Agenda include:

■ Resolution 17-23:

A p p r o v e S H I P S u b r e c i p i e n t A g r e e m e n t s between the City of Cape Coral with Pine Island C a p e , L L C ; D e p a r t m e n t : D e v e l o p m e n t S e r v i c e s ; D o l l a r V a l u e : $ 2 5 0 0 0 0 ; ( L o c a l Housing Trust Fund)

“The City annually receives State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) Grant Program f u n d s f r o m t h e F l o r i d a H o u s i n g F i n a n c e Corporation to implement affordable housing programs/activities within the City of Cape Coral ”

e County, and the City of Cape Coral

See ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT, page 2

CCCIA honors the best in home design

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

throughout the year

“It’s an economic development tool for the area because not only do they show our models See CCCIA, page 4

The Windward Construction team is all smiles with the trophies it won for its model home The Makai, during the CCCIA Builders Showcase of Homes Thursday at Palmetto Pine Country Club

CHUCK BALLARO

City Council, staff to hold two-day planning retreat

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

Throughout the time Cape Coral City Manager Rob Hernandez has been in his position, he has held annual retreats in January as a way to kick off the budget season and to discuss other issues the city faces in a less formal setting

On Thursday and Friday at the Nicholas Parkway Annex Conference Room at 815 Nicholas Parkway, Room A200, at 9 a m , the Cape Coral City Council, along with staff, will meet once again to do just that Councilmember Tom Hayden said these retreats which started in 2020 have been invaluable in helping the city get the new year off on the right track by giving council the direction it needs on key projects and the budget

They help define our scope over the next year and the staff a deeper look at what we’re thinking on the budget and the millage rate ” Hayden said “It helps plan the future of the city for the next 12 months

Maureen Buice, assistant to the city manager, said the retreats allow for more in-depth discussion in a public setting

“The retreats are similar to a workshop or Committee of the Whole meeting However these meetings don’t take place in the Council Chambers ” Buice said “Staff intends to get strategic consensus on a variety of topics that have long-range implications

Thursday council will discuss major projects and initiatives the city has going on After lunch council will have a discussion on the Cape Coral Yacht Club which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian, structurally challenged before that and had been slated for a major renovation that would have closed the historical landmark down for at least two years

“It’s an opportunity to see what a new Yacht Club could look like It s almost like we can start with a clean slate and build something that will not only mean a lot, Hayden said Not only to local residents but make it more of a destination place for tourists and visitors ”

“We expect a lengthy discussion due to the significant damage caused by Hurricane Ian The damage to the Yacht Club building alone has exceeded the National Flood Insurance Program s 50 percent rule and will require the structure to meet the current flood elevation and Florida Building Code ” Buice said

On Friday council will get to work on the budget process with all the city departments getting together and sharing items they would like included in the FY2024

That budget needs to be ratified by Oct 1

Finance will provide a budget recap for FY 22 and will discuss FY 24 with council provide a budget preview and staff hopes to receive direction from council on their budget priorities for FY 24 ” Buice said

Award-winning author Macomber to headline 2023 Cracker Dinner Feb. 20

Internationally-acclaimed author Robert N Macomber will headline the annual Cracker Dinner Monday Feb 20 at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, hosted by the Southwest Florida Historical Society Macomber will speak on the topic The Adventurous Life and Strange Death of the U S Navy Schooner Annie on Our Coast ” Annie was a U S Navy blockade ship during the Civil War that captured five ships “Her life was impressively successful her skipper wildly unpredictable and her strange demise is still a mystery to this day, Macomber said Macomber is a multi-award-winning author best known for his Honor Series of naval thrillers describing the life of a fictional American naval officer Peter Wake His 16th novel in the series “Code of Honor ” was released last April and has received the Editor’s Choice Award by Historical Novels Review He also has been honored as the F l o r i d a W r i t e r o f t h e Y e a r b y t h e F l o r i d a W r i t e r s Association, among dozens of other awards

Robert Macomber

In addition to his writing, Macomber is an internationally-recognized lecturer on 58 maritime topics and has been a consultant to the U S Department of Defense, specializing in strategic vision and planning by utilizing historical analogies When not traveling the world on research treks lecture tours or book signings he lives on Pine Island the same

coast where he grew up

The presentation will be accompanied by music performed by local singer John Goulet Buffet dinner starts at 5:30 p m and the program begins at 7 p m Tickets cost $40 and are available at the Broadway Palm, 1380 Colonial Blvd in Fort Myers There also will be door prizes a silent auction and a book signing by Macomber

The annual Cracker Dinner is sponsored by George T Mann General Contractor and Susan Bennett Marketing & Media L C among others Funds raised at the annual dinner will be used to support the mission of the Southwest Florida Historical Society which is dedicated to preserving the history of our area by archiving donated historical documents photos and maps and stimulating public interest and appreciation for local history

The Southwest Florida Historical Society was established in 1960 by a group of citizens to preserve the history of our area

In 1983 the SWFLHS received as a gift a building that was destined to be demolished for a new parking lot Harper Brothers Construction donated the building and Flint and Doyle was contracted to move the building to the campus of the Lee County Alliance of the Arts For additional information visit https://www facebook com/SWFLHS/ or call 239-939-4044

Economic development grant: Discussion

From page 1

The project is at 105-123 Civitas Court This resolution approves the agreement between the sponsor agency and the City and contains funding levels and program compliance requirements ”

The resolution authorizes a Sponsor Agreement for 2022-2023 State Housing Initiative Partnership Grant Program funds between the City of Cape Coral and Pine Island Cape LLC and authorizes the City Manager or his designee to execute the agreement

■ Resolution 18-23:

Approve SHIP Subrecipient Agreement between the City of Cape Coral with Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties; Department: Development Services; Dollar Value: $356 144; (Local Housing Trust Fund)

“The City annually receives State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) Grant Program funds from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation to implement affordable h o u s i n g p r o g r a

Coral " the agenda states "The City’s allocation for 20222023 is $1 931 633 The City utilizes not-for-profit and for-profit sponsor agencies to implement these programs Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties requested SHIP funding for their Homeownership (new construction/redevelopment) Program Additionally program rules require an agreement with the agency for the administration of portions of these programs This Resolution approves the subrecipient agreement between the agency and the City, which contain funding levels and program compliance requirements ”

The resolution authorizes a Subrecipient Agreement for 2022-2023 State Housing Initiative Partnership Grant Program funds between the City of Cape Coral and Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties, Inc and authorizes the City Manager or his designee to execute the agreement

Today's City Council meeting will begin at 4:30 p m in the Council Chambers at City Hall 1015 Cultural Park Blvd

Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral to host FEMA 2.0 Community Meeting Tuesday

Gaynor, Sierra returning to 2023 Mussels’ coaching staff

The Minnesota Twins announced the Mighty Mussels coaching and support staff for the 2023 season Thursday with five staff members returning from last year’s First Half Division Championship team Returning are Brian Meyer – manage r , J a r e d G a y n o r – p i t c h i n g c o a c h , Rayden Sierra – hitting coach Chase Thompson – head athletic trainer and Byron Oliver – coordinator of baseball technology N e w a d d i t i o n s i n c l u d e R i c h a r d

Salazar

pitching coach Luis Reyes

assistant hitting coach Asja Morello

assistant athletic trainer and Sarah Szuba

strength and conditioning coach

Salazar joins the Mussels from HighA Cedar Rapids while Reyes spent 2022 with the FCL Twins

2022 Mussels bench coach Takashi

Miyoshi has been assigned to Double-A Wichita, while pitching coach Carlos Hernandez will spend the 2023 season with High-A Cedar Rapids

Morello and Szuba will become the first female staff members in 31 years of Fort Myers franchise history Sierra returns to the Mighty Mussels after joining the Twins organization in 2021 He coached first base and served a s t h e t e a m ’ s A s s i s t a n t H i t t i n g a n d

Development Coach in 2021 before becoming the Mussels hitting coach in 2022

Prior to joining the Twins, Sierra was the hitting and outfield coach for Florida S o u t h W e s t e r n S t a t e C o l l e g e i n F o r t Myers Before his time in Southwest Florida Ray coached at Volunteer State C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e i n G a l l a t i n , Tennessee Sierra played for Broward College ( F l a ) a n d C u m b e r l a n d U n i v e r s i t y (Tenn ) before playing professionally H e h i t 2 4 5 f o r t h e S c h a u m b u r g Boomers (Frontier League) in 2019 He was born and raised in Andres Boca Chica Dominican Republic and currently resides in Fort Myers with his wife M e l a n i e a n d h i s n e w b o r n d a u g h t e r Viviana Gaynor is back to lead the Mussels pitchers for the second consecutive season In 2022 Fort Myers led the Florida State League in ERA (3 51) and WHIP (1 21) while issuing the fewest walks in the circuit In 2021, his FCL Twins staff finished fourth out of 18 teams in strikeouts, racking up 544 punchouts in 476 innings (10 3 K 9) T h e 3 0 - y e a r - o l d s p e n t f i v e y e a r s coaching and four years playing professionally upon graduating from George M a s o n U n i v e r s i t y ( F a i r f a x , V a ) i n 2014 The left-hander pitched for six different independent league teams from 2014-17 debuting in three different leagues around the country He racked up 328 1 innings in his pro career, which in clu d ed s to p s in K an s as , N eb r as k a, Texas Pennsylvania and Michigan

From 2015-17 Gaynor pitched in the summer while coaching during the rest of the year Gaynor made his coaching debut as the pitching coach for Coronado High School (Ariz ) in 2015 before getting offered the head coaching position the following season He was hired by Arizona Christian University in 2016 spending two years as the school s pitching coach Gaynor moved to Richmond in 2018, spending the 2018-19 school y e a r a s t h e D i r e c t o r o f B a s e b a l l O p e r a t i o n s f o r V C U b e f o r e g e t t i n g signed by the Twins

Born in Cave Creek, Ariz , Gaynor was the 2010 Metro Region Player of the year at Scottsdale Christian before playing his first two college seasons at Stone Mountain Community College He spent h i s f i n a l t w o c o l l e g i a t e s e a s o n s a t Division I George Mason, turning in one of the best campaigns in Patriots history as a senior in 2014 An All-Conference performer Gaynor finished with a 2 03 ERA over a whopping 115 innings leadi n g t h e P a t r i o t s t o t h e N C A A

2023 Lee County Athletic Hall of Fame inductees announced

Cape High’s McClanahan and Gary, North’s Brown and Purish among honorees

The School District of Lee County haas a n n o u n c e d t h e L e e C o u n t y A t h l e t i c Conference Hall of Fame inductees for 2023 Five athletes three coaches and one contributor are being recognized for their outstanding athletic accomplishments for their school or their students

The Lee County Athletic Conference Hall of Fame Class of 2023 features:

Athletes

■ Kevin Brown, North Fort Myers High

■ Keri Jewett-Giles, Dunbar High

■ Shane McClanahan, Cape Coral High

■ Kyle Miller Estero High

■ Josh Sheridan Fort Myers High Coaches

■ Larry Gary, Cape Coral & Lehigh

Senior High

■ Loretta Purish, North Fort Myers High ■ James (Jim) Reed Cypress Lake High Contributor

■ D a v i d L a R o s a , F o r t M y e r s H i g h

School Kevin Brown: Kevin was a three time all-conference three time all-area and sec-

Monday

Girls Basketball

M a r i n e r 5 6 , O a s i s 2 9 : B r y a n n

Stambaugh scored 11 points and Emma

Osinski added 10 for Oasis The Tritons (5-8) dropped the Sharks to 6-12 on the season Ida Baker 42, Canterbury 39: Make it a f i v e - g a m e w i n n i n g s t r e a k f o r t h e Bulldogs (9-6) who picked up a road victory at Canterbury (10-10) Nicole Bono scored 22 points for Ida Baker, with Maia B e r b e d e s a d d i n g 1 1 J u l i a n n a N i e v e s pulled down 11 rebounds

Boys Basketball

S W F l o r i d a C h r i s t i a n 4 1 , B i s h o p Verot 39: A fourth-quarter rally wasn t quite enough for the Vikings (2-17) Ethan Tipton scored 12 points to lead Verot Oasis 68, Bonita Springs 60: Nick Brown a senior led the Sharks on Senior Night with 14 points Zack Louzao scored 12 for Oasis, which won its third in a row to even the Sharks' record at 7-7 Lloyd Jean-Baptiste made eight steals

Saturday

Boys Wrestling

John Joyce Memorial

At North Port Hight School

Two Mariner wrestlers captured titles Saturday in the John Joyce Memorial tournament in North Port M a x i m u s B r a d y ( 1 2 6 p o u n d s ) a n d Christopher Minto (160) won their weight classes Brady (36-1), who won a state title in 2 0 2 2 , d e f e a t e d M a t t h e w V e l a s c o o f Somerset by a 6-0 decision in the 126pound final At 160 two-time defending state champion Minto improved to 35-1 by defeating Kendrick Hodge of Somerset by a 5-0 decision Chaos Sanchez of Mariner (18-9) finished second at 195 pounds losing by fall to North Port's Carmichael Gonzalez in the championship match Cape Coral also had a second-place finisher Richard Albert lost for only the second time this season (23-2), a squeaker as Barron Collier's Enis Lijikovic pulled out a

ond team all-state player in baseball at North During his four-year career as a starter for the Miami Hurricanes he helped lead the team to national championships 1999 and 2001 Kevin still holds the record for highest overall slugging percentage in College World Series history and is a two-time All College World Series Team member He will also be inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame this spring Keri Jewett-Giles: Keri was named the News-Press player of the year her sophomore junior and senior seasons of high school at Dunbar She was also selected first team all-state her junior and senior seasons Keri played at FGCU where she was named to the ASUN Conference s AllDecade team and set FGCU s Division I era career scoring average record She was also selected as ASUN Player of the Year Keri later went overseas to play professional basketball Shane McClanahan: Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 1st round (31st) of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from

PREP REPORT

(IC) by forfeit 160: Gonzales by forfeit

195: Palomo-Castro d Jose Raga fall 0:49 Christopher Columbus d Island Coast 76-3: 152: Gonzales d Rober t Rodriguez Del Rey, decision 8-5

SFCA Scramble At SW Florida Christian Academy Boys

106: Kyle Chitu (O) fifth Damian Lavigna (IB) sixth 113: Richard Villaquiran (IB) second Camden Phillips (O) third, Lorenzo Vasquez (BV) four th 120: Ethan Bissler (O)

second Andrew Marino (BV) sixth 126: Andrew Labash (O) third 132: Adrian Ross-Benninghoff (O) fifth Nico Richmond (BV) sixth 138: Kealan Clifton (O) four th, Zack Prieto (BV) fifth 145: Ethan Swanson (BV) second 152: Rober t Leckler (BV) third, Christopher Padron (IB) sixth

160: Brayden Pinney (O) second Greg Blanchard (IB) fif th 170: Christopher Conde (O) sixth 182: Adrian Cauceglia (O) third, Joshua Geerson (IB) four th,

Girls Wrestling

University of South Florida, Shane was a News-Press Player of the Year finalist and News-Press 1st Team All-Area He represented the area in the FHSAA Senior State A l l -

a r

a y R a y s named Shane their opening day starter in 2022 and later that season he was named the American League starting pitcher at the All-Star game Kyle Miller: Kyle was named to the N e w - P r e s s A l l D e c a d e H i g h S c h o o l Baseball Team May 2020 He was the 2012 News-Press Player of the Year after strong senior campaign where he went 9-0 with 0 58 ERA and 98 strikeouts to lead Estero High School on a 25-game winning streak that ended in a regional final Miller played at Florida Atlantic University and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs Josh Sheridan: Josh was a two-time state wrestling champion in 1999 and 2000 a two-time AAU national wrestling champion and a two-time state runner-up 1997 and 1998 He was the Florida 2A

See HALL OF FAME, page 4

Boys Basketball

Mariner 64, Cape Coral 59: Mariner (14-8) won its fourth in a row getting a road victory against archrival Cape (11-8) North Fort Myers 69, Dunbar 66: The Red Knights improved to 6-11, keeping Dunbar winless (0-11) S W F l o r i d a C h r i s t i a n 5 9 , B i s h o p Verot 37: The Vikings fell to 2-16 with a loss in the Private 8 Conference tournament

Girls Basketball

G a t e w a y 5 5 , O a s i s 3 7 : M a c i Stambaugh scored 17 points and Brynn Stambaugh 14 for the Sharks (6-11)

Boys Soccer

North Port 2, Oasis 0: In their regularseason finale, the Sharks (11-4-1) fell to North Port (9-7-1)

Thursday

Girls Basketball

C a p e C o r a l 6 2 , M a r i n e r 3 4 : T h e S e a h a w k s ( 1 2 - 7 ) r o l l e d p a s t t h e r i v a l Tritons (3-8) at Mariner Gateway 61, Island Coast 14: The Eagles improved to 11-5 with their win against the Gators (4-11)

Boys Soccer

Boys Basketball

Sarasota 64, Mariner 58: In Sarasota, the Sailors (17-4) snapped the Tritons' (14-9) four-game winning streak Island Coast 55, Ida Baker 35: Kobey Babernitch had a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, Joseph Hughley a d o u b l e - d o u b l e o f 1 1 p o i n t s a n d 1 1 rebounds, and Isaias Ortiz-Torres a teamhigh 13 points for the Gators (10-10)

Friday Girls Soccer

Mariner 3, Cape Coral 1: Defending Class 5A state champion Mariner will go into the District 5A-11 tournament with a record of 13-3-1 with a victory over the Seahawks (11-6) to close out the regular season Cape had won eight matches in a row before Friday's defeat Ryleigh Acosta had a goal and an assist, Gloria Quintanilla a n d S o p h i a V i a n e s t s c o r e d a n d E v a Ramirez made an assist for the Tritons’ team North Fort Myers 3, Naples 1: North s Red Knights (9-2-3) handed the Golden Eagles (8-1-3) their first loss of the season The Red Knights ended regular-season play on a four-match winning streak North Port 3, Oasis 0: The Sharks will enter District 3A-8 tournament play with a 9-5-1 record Bishop Verot 4, Lely 0: Jillian Haataja, Jordan Mikolajski and Lila Dinkel each posted a goal and an assist for the Vikings (5-6-1) Olivia Marsh also scored and Alyvia Mueller contributed two assists

Canterbury 2, Bishop Verot 1: Verot (6-5-6) fell to a 12-3-2 Canterbury squad in the Private 8 Conference tournament Dunbar 2, Island Coast 1: Rahiem Buckley scored for the Gators (2-10-2) on a Derick Bento assist Damian Llano made nine saves Barron Collier 2, Mariner 1: The Tritons (8-7-5) ended the regular season with a loss to the 9-3-3 Cougars

Girls Soccer

Canterbury 1, Bishop Verot 1 (4-3 PK): Alyvia Mueller scored on an assist by Olivia Marsh for the Vikings (4-6-1) duri n g r e g u l a t i o n p l a y i n t h e P r i v a t e 8 Conference tournament Canterbury (9-31) won the penalty kick shootout Lily Murnane made 11 saves Island Coast 3, Dunbar 0: The Gators earned their third win (3-11)

Boys Basketball

Oasis 72, St John Neuman 68: Jaxon McArdle-Sykes and Java Jackson scored 17 points each to lead the Sharks (6-7) Lloyd Jean-Baptise added 12 points Lake Placid 85, Cape Coral Christian 4 1 : L a k e P l a c i d ( 1 3 - 4 ) d r o p p e d t h e Crusaders to 0-5 G a t e w a y 6 7 , I s l a n d C o a s t 2 5 : Gateway's Eagles (11-4) dominated the Gators (9-10)

Late Wednesday

Girls Basketball

E a s t L e e C o u n t y 4 4 , N o r t h F o r t Myers 15: East Lee improved to 4-11

PHOTO PROVIDED

Mighty Mussels’ manager Brian Meyer talking with an umpire Meyer is returning for another season at the helm

School, district grades will differ this year

By MEGHAN BRADBURY news@breezenewspapers com

T

Assessment of Student Thinking testing this year means how schools and district will be graded has changed the number of components on which they are measured has decreased

Superintendent Dr Christopher Bernier said there will be fewer opportunities for schools to gather necessary points

“The biggest impact going into this year is the lack of learning gains ” Bernier said

Principals talk a lot about learning gains

They have students that are in level one and two already, and really want to move that student along Some are going to move a few feet some move a mile The good news is the denominator is changing ”

In a typical year district and the schools within it receive an annual grade based on student achievement, growth and other academic measures To receive an A grade they need to receive 62 percent of points or greater; 54 percent to 61 percent for a B; 41 percent to 53 percent for a C; 32 percent to 40 percent for a D and 31 percent or less for an F

Again in a typical year elementary schools are graded on three components in English Language Arts and mathematicsachievement, learning gains and learning gains of the lowest 25 percent; and science - achievement With middle school, it is the

s a m e s e v e n c o m p o n e n t s w i t h m i d d l e school acceleration success or Industry

Certifications

High school social studies achievement four year graduation rate and high school acceleration success is added to English Language Arts, mathematics and science components

Elementary schools are graded on seven c o m p o n e n t s m i d d l e s c h o o l s a n d K - 8 s c h o o l s h a v e n i n e c o m p o n e n t s , h i g h schools have 10 components and the district has 11 components Each component is worth 100 points

A c c o u n t a b i l i t y A s s e s s m e n t a n d

Research Director Dr Matthew Kaye said achievement is recognized as scoring a 3, 4, or 5 on statewide assessments

This year, 2022-2023 school year is a transitional year Kaye said as students are being tested on Florida Assessment of Student Thinking

The first progress monitoring was done in August, the second in January and the third one will be in May for grades third through 10th

Kaye said since this is the first year of new testing there is no prior year score which impacts the components

Other key considerations, while you hear the term hold harmless, this is a very significant year for our students They still have to pass statewide assessments for graduation and promotion reasons While it may be hold harmless, our students in the building have the same expectations as

years before ” he said

The changes to the 2022-2023 model includes no learning gains resulting in f e w e r c o m p o n e n t s ; s c h o o l a n d d i s t r i c t grades may be reset and the school and district grades will be released later in either late fall or winter

The changes include seven components for the district three components for elem e n t a r y ; f i v e c o m p o n e n t s f o r m i d d l e school and six components for high school

For the district, instead of having 11, you now have seven 700 points available ” Kaye said

The graduation and college and career acceleration rates are both lag data reports, as the prior year data is finalized over the summer, into the following year Kaye said the graduation rates are finalized at the end of the summer while acceleration success e x a m s a r e r e l e a s e d i n A u g u s t a n d September

The graduation rate is measured on students graduating within four years of starting high school For instance a ninth grader who began school in 2018-2019 is expected to graduate in the 2021-2022 school year

The graduation rate for the 2021-2022 school year was 82 5 percent for the district and 87 3 percent for the statewide graduation rate compared to 85 1 percent for the district the year prior and 90 1 percent for the statewide graduation

College and career acceleration represents the percentage of graduates who earned a qualifying CCA credit by earning at least a passing score on an Advanced Placement exam; a passing score on an International Baccalaureate exam; a passing score on an Advanced International Certificate of Education exam; A C or better in a dual enrollment course; a CAPE Industry Certification credit, 300, or more clock hours in the same Dual Enrollment course program or a 65 or higher on the ASVAB and two JROTC credits from the same branch of the military

The college and career acceleration rate was 63 percent statewide and 68 percent for the district

The presentation also focused on CSI ( C o m p r e h e n s i v e S u p p o r t a n d Improvement) schools those schools that received a D or F have a graduation rate of 67 percent or less and have an overall federal index below 41 percent

Kaye said there are three schools in CSI tier one G Weaver Hipps Elementary School Manatee Elementary School and Fort Myers Middle Academy He said all of the schools earned a D last year The first tier has intensive interventions and supports such as a school improvement plan instructional reviews district and school requirements and progress monitoring data reviews

Cape bicyclist dies in traffic crash on Del Prado Boulevard

C a p e C o r a l b i c y c l i s t w a s k i l l e d Monday, Jan 23, after being struck by a vehicle on Del Prado Boulevard shortly after 5 p m

to the Cape Coral Police Department, at approximately 5:09 p m officers responded to a vehicle versus bicycle traffic accident at the intersection of Del Prado Boulevard S and Southeast 4th

Lane, was attempting to cross the southbound lanes of Del Prado on his electric bicycle when he was struck by a 2020 D o d g e C h a l l e n g e r d r i v e n b y M a r v i n Lyndale Tory, 34, of Oleander Avenue in Fort Myers Tory was in the middle southbound lane of Del Prado when the accident occurred

The bicyclist was not wearing a helmet police said and sustained life-threatening

i n j u r i e s L i f e s a v i n g m e a s u r e s w e r e attempted on scene by officers and witnesses

Kopins was transported via ambulance to Cape Coral Hospital where he was pronounced deceased Tory was uninjured in the crash

The Cape Police report said the traffic crash was not alcohol/drug related and speed was not a factor

If you witnessed this traffic crash or

have information about this traffic crash, p l e a s e c o n t a c t t h e C a p e C o r a l P o l i c e Department by calling 239-574-3223 or s u b m i t t i n g a t i p t o CCPDtips@capecoral gov Anonymous tips can be submitted by c a l l i n g C r i m e s t o p p e r s a t

CCCIA: Builders Showcase of Homes event held at Palmetto Pine

From page 1

we also advertise locally and nationally with our partners, Boldissar said It s a tool to drive revenue to the city

Entries were judged at certain price points and in interior and exterior design landscape pool bath kitchen and outdoor living There were also awards for top overall pool, landscaping, interior design, technology, and best in show

The overall winners were:

■ $350K to $400K: Coral Isle Builders

The Ibis

■ $400K to $450K: D R Horton, The Del Ray

■ $450K to $500K: Tracy Homes, Harbours Edge

■ $500K to $600K: SPO Construction Costa

■ $600K to $700K: Arnold Roberts

Signature Homes: The Savannah Grand

■ $ 8 0 0 K t o $ 9 0 0 K : D M I H o m e s

Builders, the Punta Gorda Isles

■ $900K to $1M: SW Florida Dream Homes: Casa Dei Sogni Grande

■ $ 2 M t o $ 2 5 M : W i n d w a r d

Construction, The Makai Windward also won best overall pool design, best overall interior design and Best in Show

Many of the winners swept through all the categories but there was one in particular that caught the eyes of the judges

Windward Construction and The Makai took home all the awards in its category and four of the five overall awards best pool design interior design landscaping and Best in Show SW Florida Dream Homes won the

award for overall home technology

B r i a n H a a g w i t h W i n d w a r d

Construction, won nearly everything up to and including the raffle at the end of the show said the awards weren’t about him but about the team he has assembled to install everything inside and home and out

We are just a team of dedicated professionals who are individually responsible for different phases of construction, Haag said “We believe in a team effort that bring these exceptional homes to life I’m blessed to be surrounded by these incredible people

Don Vidussi, a partner at Coral Isle Builder, which swept the under $400K category with The Ibis said he has people on board who have great creativity and something new

It has all the things people want and we

do it on a budget I have a great sales and construction team We do our own concrete and framing and build our own pools, Vidussi said We ve been doing this for a long time and we like what we do We have a lot of fun and this is the cherry on top ” T h e C C C I A B u i l d e r s ’ S h o w c a s e o f

Homes began this past weekend and will run the next two weekends on Friday through Sunday, Jan 27-29, and from Feb 3-5 from 10 a m to 5 p m on Friday and Saturday and on Sunday from noon to 5 p m

The event will showcase 15 homes throughout the city and vary in styles and price points and put the builder s unique style on display

Food trucks: Final public hearing today during council meeting

From page 1

■ Council will consider an ordinance that would establish economic development ad valorem tax exemptions which Cape Coral voters gave the authority to grant Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions in a Nov 8, referendum

The city seeks to encourage new com-

m e r c i a l d e v e l o p m e n t e x p a n d e x i s t i n g businesses and new job creation and seeks opportunities to become more business friendly The city is looking to add to its 8 percent business tax base The city seeks to provide economic incentives in furtherance of the municipal p u r p o s e o f i n d u c i n g e m p l o y m e n t a n d investment within the city and expanding

economic activity within its jurisdictional borders

n Regulation Board, which the city put in place as the regulatory body for contractors and violations brought by the city against licensed contractors Due to the change in Florida law the

city will abolish the board as of June 30

■ Council will hear the quarterly report from the Youth Council and consider a resolution to approve the 2023 state legislative platform The Wednesday meeting will begin at 4:30 p m at City Hall 1015 Cultural Park Blvd

Mighty Mussels: Coaching staff for the Fort Myers team announced

Tournament

From page 3

He currently lives in Fort Myers with his wife, Hayley and his newborn son, Sonny Salazar enters his sixth year in the Minnesota Twins organization and the first as a coach with the Mighty Mussels He spent the last two seasons as a pitching coach for High-A Cedar Rapids

While with the Kernels Salazar and Mark Moriarty combined to lead Kernels’ hurlers to the best ERA in the Midwest League in back-to-back seasons The 2022 Cedar Rapids Kernels worked to a 3 66 ERA, striking out 1,250 batters in 1,140 innings (9 9 K/9) while issuing the second fewest walks (424) in the circuit The 2021 team went 67-53 with a 3 88 ERA fanning a r e m a r k a b l e 1 3 0 3 b a t t e r s i n 1 0 5 2 innings (11 1 K/9) Both Kernels teams qualified for the Midwest League Playoffs

T h e 2 0 2 1 s q u a d r e a c h e d t h e L e a g u e Championship Series before ultimately losing the decisive game to Quad Cities

Prior to the pandemic, Salazar served as t h e p i t c h i n g c o a c h w i t h r o o k i e - l e v e l Elizabethton in 2019 Once again his team led the league in strikeouts (731) while placing third in ERA (4 04) In 2018 he split the season between the GCL Twins and Double-A Chattanooga

The Caracas, Venezuela, native came to the United States to pitch for Miami Dade C o l l e g e b e f o r e g e t t i n g d r a f t e d b y t h e Baltimore Orioles in the 13th Round of the

2001 MLB Draft From there Salazar embarked on a 17-year minor league journey that brought him to various parts of the g l o b e T h e n o w 4 2 - y e a r - o l d a m a s s e d 1,523 1 innings from 2001 until he finally retired in 2017 He pitched exclusively in the Orioles system until 2006, when he b e g a n h i s f i r s t o f 1 1 s e a s o n s i n t h e Venezuelan Winter League After spending the 2007 season with Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk Salazar started a 10-year independent ball career that included stops in Louisiana Kansas South Dakota and New York He also pitched in the 2013 World Baseball Classic for Spain

S a l a z a r s f a m i l y i n c l u d e s h i s w i f e , Yessica and his two children, Stephanie Sophia and Richard Ignacio

Reyes joins the Mighty Mussels’ staff after spending the 2022 season with the FCL Twins Hired by the Twins in December of 2021 Reyes coached eight seasons at four different colleges in the Midwest

Born in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela, he emigrated to the United States in 2009 to play for Iowa Lakes Community College

After two seasons with the Lakers Reyes anchored the left side of the infield for Clarke University (Dubuque Iowa) from 2012-13 As a senior in 2013 he hit 313 with a team-high 21 walks over 46 games while earning the league s Gold Glove Award at third base

After receiving his bachelor s degree, the 33-year-old immediately transitioned to coaching He remained at Clarke as a vol-

unteer assistant paid with housing and a meal plan In 2015 he managed the Myrtle B e a c h R i p t i d e s t o t h e B e a c h L e a g u e Championship The Riptides finished 3218 and Reyes was named Coach of the Year A f t e r a y e a r a s t h e h e a d c o a c h a t Marietta High School, Reyes helped lead Murray State College to the No 1 national ranking and a JUCO World Series appearance Reyes then became the infield and hitt i n g c o a c h a t D i v i s i o n I I N o r t h w e s t Oklahoma State where he helped improve the team s batting average for three consecutive seasons He coached one season at Texas A&M International in 2021 before being hired by the Twins Luis lives in Cape Coral with his wife Chelsie

After joining the Twins in November of 2021 Thompson returns to the Mighty Mussels for his second season as the team s Head Athletic Trainer Thompson spent the 2021 season in the Kansas City Royals organization after working the 2020-21 NBA season as a medical assistant with the Oklahoma City Thunder

Chase earned his bachelor’s in health and exercise science from the University of Oklahoma in 2019 He went on to the University of Central Oklahoma where he received a Master s in Athletic Training in 2021 while maintaining a 4 0 GPA

Morello joins the Mighty Mussels after beginning full-time at the Twins Fort Myers complex in 2019

Prior to that she spent two years as an intern in the Twins’ athletic training system before completing her B S in Athletic Training at Florida Gulf Coast University in 2018 She completed her Masters in Sports Performance from the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professionals

Morello was born and raised in Fort Myers and is a proud graduate of Riverdale High School Szuba begins her tenure with the Mighty Mussels after spending the last two years as a rehab strength and conditioning coach with the FCL Twins in Fort Myers

Prior to her time with the Twins organization, the Michigan native worked for the USTA (2020) and IMG Academy (2019) S z u b a g r a d u a t e d f r o m M i c h i g a n S t a t e University with a B S in Kinesiology in 2019 While in East Lansing she worked directly with the women’s ice hockey team Oliver remains as the longest-tenured staff member, with his time in Fort Myers dating back to the Miracle era He handles video acquisition and analysis, directing the Mussels video room during home games

The Sacramento Calif native previously worked for MLB Youth Academy in Compton He graduated from Sacramento State University in 2016 and is the nephew of 20-year Major League veteran Darren Oliver Mighty Mussels Opening Day is set for Thursday, April 6 Season ticket plans are on sale now at mightymussels com and by calling 239-768-4210

Hall of Fame: County athletes, coaches, contributor to be recognized

From page 3

Wrestler of the Year in 2000 a three-time USA Wrestling Magazine All-American and Rotary Scholar/Athlete of the Year in 2000 Josh also excelled in the classroom as a National Merit Scholarship Finalist with a high school grade point average of 4 69

Larry Gary: Coach Gary was hired as Lee County s first Black head football coach in 1994 In his more than 36 seasons, Gary has helped hundreds of students play in college He has also coached and mentored 13 NFL players Prior to returning to coaching at Cape Coral High School this year, Gary amassed a record of 64-59 while at Lehigh Senior High School and

previously at Cape Coral High Loretta Purish: Loretta coached cross country for 28 years and track for 27 years at North Fort Myers High School She established the first Girls Relay Meet in Lee County in 1990 In 2015, Loretta was n a m e d t h e F l o r i d a A t h l e t i c C o a c h e s Association Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year Her teams were Cross Country district champions in 1997 and 1998 and regional champions in 1997 She led the girls cross country team to multiple top 10 finishes in the state competition James “Jim” Reed: If there was a volleyball pioneer in Southwest Florida it would certainly be Coach Reed Arriving at Cypress Lake in the late '70s, Reed quickly established Cypress Lake as a local and

state powerhouse and maintained that dominance for 14 years His team stats are r e m a r k a b l e : 1 4 y e a r s h e a d v o l l e y b a l l coach; 11 South Florida Conference championships; undefeated seasons in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982; regional champs in 1981 and 1982; final 4 appearances in 1981 and 1982 and state champions in 1981

David LaRosa: David has worked for 37 years in the School District of Lee County, 11 years as a teacher/coach, seven years as an athletic director in two different high schools one year as an assistant principal and 13 years as a principal 12 of those at Fort Myers High School He is the first director of athletics for the School District, overseeing athletics in all of high

schools and middle schools He is a memb e r o f t h e b o a r d o f d i r e c t o r s f o r t h e FHSAA where he was president-elect He was District 13 representative on the board of directors for the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association

The inductees will be honored at a banquet scheduled for Thursday April 20 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel The banquet will begin at 6 p m and tickets are available for purchase for $25 per person

The Crowne Plaza Hotel is located at 13051 Bell Tower Drive in Fort Myers T h o s e i n t e r e s t e d i n p u r c h a s i n g t i c k e t s should contact the District Athletic Office at 239-335-1479

the validity of the will or any codicils venue or jurisdiction of the court The 3 month time period may only be extended for estoppel based upon a misstatement by the personal representative regarding the time period within which an objection must be filed The time period may not be extended for any other reason including aff rmative representation failure to disclose information or misconduct by the personal representative or any other person Unless sooner barred by section 733 212(3)

Florida Statutes all objections to the validity of a will or any codicils venue or the jurisdiction of the court must be filed no later than the earlier of the entry of an order of final discharge of the personal representative or 1 year after service of the notice of administration

Persons who may be entitled to exempt property under section 732 402, Florida Statutes, will be deemed to have waived their rights to claim that property as exempt property unless a petition for determination of exempt property is filed by such persons or on their behalf on or before the later of the date that is 4 months after the date of service of a copy of the notice of administration on such persons or the date that is 40 days after the date of termination of any proceedings involving the construction admission to probate or validity of the will or involving any other matter affecting any part of the exempt property Unless an extension is granted pursuant to section 732 2135(2)

Florida Statutes an elect on to take an elective share must be filed on or before the earlier of the date that is 6 months after the date of service of a copy of the notice of administration on the surviving spouse, an attorney in fact or a guardian of the property of the surviving spouse; or the date that is 2 years after the date of the decedent s death Under certain circumstances and by