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The beach is back!

By CJ HADDAD

cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com

The fences are down, new sand laid, and after 400-plus days, the Cape Coral Yacht Club Beach is open.

City officials on Thursday afternoon gathered to officially declare the popular spot open to the public after Hurricane Ian just about destroyed the area a little over a year ago.

“This is a great day for our community,” said Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter. “Four hundred

and eight days ago, we had almost a Category 5 hurricane hit this area. And this area of our city was the hardest hit.

“Today is great day so we can open the park up, and let our residents enjoy the beach that we See BEACH, page 44

Residents didn’t waste any time to enjoy the “soft opening” of the Yacht Club Beach Thursday. /CJ HADDAD

Council discusses new Yacht Club concept plans

AOW

‘Resort destination’ is the goal

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

news@breezenewspapers.com

The Cape Coral Breeze presents Athletes of the Week — Page 47

INDEX Classifieds...........48 Community................17 Editorial & Letters..........4 Puzzles.........................50 Real Estate..................14 Sports.......................45 Weekly Recap...............21 Your Health..............28-33

Today’ s Ad Inserts*

Veterans Day parade & more

By CJ HADDAD

cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com

C

ape Coral’s thank you to its rich veteran population is back again this year, as the city’s Veterans Day Parade is to step off onto Cape Coral Parkway on Nov. 11.

Marching down the parkway starting at 11:11 a.m. — the same time and date the armistice was signed 101 years ago marking the end of World War I — Southwest Florida’s proud military and veteran community will be on full display as American flags are to be

See VETERANS DAY, page 40 * Selected ZIP Codes

If You Go: What: Cape Coral’s Veterans Day Parade When: Saturday, Nov. 11, starting 11:11 a.m.

Where: The parade route travels along the parkway west, from Cape Coral Street to Chester Street

The new vision for the Cape Coral Yacht Club is becoming clearer.

Cape Coral City Council reached a consensus Wednesday on certain amenities, including a resort-style pool, a longer replacement pier, centralized restrooms and possibly a water feature.

Core elements include more beach, a new two-story community center, a threestory parking garage and a revamped marina to accommodate larger boats.

The conversation was brought to Council so staff has direction for the rebuilding of the center part of the park, which was not been discussed during the winter retreat.

“Thanks, or no thanks, to Hurricane Ian, that scope has grown,” City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn said.

As a result of the retreat in January, the city moved forward with expanding the planned parking garage, shifting the harbor master building, and earmarking space for a second restaurant.

“We will come back to you after the hiatus to discuss the building itself — the ballroom and more of a convention center in order to include the programming from the senior center,” he said.

James Pankonin with Kimley-Horn and Associates took Council through two concepts, which were similar in design before

See YACHT CLUB, page 42

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 2

By NATHAN MAYBERG

nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com

The Lee County Board of County Commissioners became the latest government entity to enter the political fray surrounding public libraries.

Citing the unspecified politics of the American Library Association, the commissioners on Tuesday voted 5-0 to end the $2,472 annual contribution to the organization.

The measure was brought forward by Lee County District 4 Commissioner Brian Hamman, whose district covers Cape Coral and Fort Myers.

“Some parents have reached out to me with some concerns about the American Library Association,” Hamman, the outgoing board chair, said. “These are concerns that have grown statewide and even nationwide. Earlier this week, the State of Florida has dropped their membership with the American Library Association.”

Hamman said he is “very concerned about what appears to be the pushing of an agenda on kids, you know, a political agenda on kids. I think If this group ever gets back to just political neutrality and really just

Cape Coral Breeze

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County votes to end funding for American Library Association

Cape Coral Breeze Vol. 62, No. 90

“Some parents have reached out to me with some concerns about the American Library Association. These are concerns that have grown statewide and even nationwide. Earlier this week, the State of Florida has dropped their membership with the American Library Association.”

— Commissioner Brian Hamman, adding “I am absolutely not asking to any restriction of access to the libraries.”

starts to focus on libraries again we can think about joining again.”

Hamman also called for asking for a refund of the county’s dues.

District 1 Commissioner Kevin Ruane, whose district includes Sanibel, Pine Island and Cape Coral, said he was contacted by many parents.

“It seems to be an agenda that is not really consistent with where we are going. I hope and pray that we can come back to neutrality sometime in the future,” he said.

Lee County resident Marcia Ellis called the vote by the county commissioners to pull away from the American Library Association a “personal attack” and an “afront.”

“There are mechanisms available that parents can pursue to take more control of the materials their children are exposed to through proper supervision,” Ellis said. “This is fundamental to who we are as a nation.”

Ellis said children’s access to a “wide range of materials” is being eroded.

Lee County resident Christine DeVigili, a former candidate for the Lee County School Board, said the county’s action to remove itself from the American Library Association is not the same as restricting public access to libraries.

“The only difference is now you are choosing to protect children from radical ideologies that are pushed by a radical organization. I would love to see the American

Library Association turn around and change their ways,” she said.

DeVigili framed the issue as “children’s safety” and thanked the county commissioners for their vote.

District 2 Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass, whose district covers Fort Myers, said “this is about paying $2,000 a year to an organization that we do not support their ideology.” Pendergrass said the move by the commissioners wasn’t about restricting access to libraries but “paying an organization that is out of state so they can fund their own beliefs.”

According to Lee County Government spokesperson Betsy Clayton, the county’s membership with the American Library Association included: ■ Subscriptions to professional journals from ALA and Divisions are included with membership.

■ Access to specific programs/initiatives (such as for children and early literacy – Every Child Ready to Read, a foundation of the county’s story time programs).

■ Access to the Library Salary Database for position-by-position salary analysis.

■ Access to awards, grants, and scholarships.

■ Discounted purchase of professional resources, library merchandise, conference fees and continuing education activities.

■ Discounted job listings in national marketplace of library opportunities.

The vote by the commissioners put themselves into the middle of a debate in which state and national social and religious conservatives have pushed to ban books in schools and libraries that have content they oppose or believe is not suitable for children and, more recently, pushing back against the American Library Association. In some states, libraries have been closed altogether as the movement against nonconservative ideas gains traction amongst some.

“I am absolutely not asking to any restriction of access to the libraries.”

Hamman said, adding the majority of people who pay the taxes in Lee County don’t agree with the politics of the American Library Association.

“I have a lot of moms that are very concerned,” he said.

While county commissioners referred to the “politics” of the American Library Association, they didn’t specifically cite any specific disagreements with their politics or cite instances of where the American Library Association had interfered with the libraries of Lee County.

Emails sent to each of the five county commissioners seeking comment and further specificity were not immediately returned.

Page 3 ■ November 10, 2023 www.capecoralbreeze.com

Cape Coral Breeze

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 4

OPINIONS CAPE CORAL BREEZE RAYMOND M. ECKENRODE Publisher VALARIE HARRING, Executive Editor CHRIS STRINE, Editor 2510 Del Prado Blvd. • Cape Coral, FL, 33904

Cape Coral Breeze

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• Phone 239-574-1110 – Fax 239-574-5693 Member Florida Press Association

Little peace at home for America’s vets On Saturday, at the 11th hour of the 11th month, Americans will again mark the pending peace pact of “the war of all wars.”

Called Armistice Day back in 1918, what is now Veterans Day began with the temporary end of the hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany. While World War I did not officially end until the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, Veterans Day has its roots as a day of peace and it has become the day we thank those who served.

But for too many American veterans, particularly those who served in our country’s post-9/11 wars, peace is lacking as they struggle to fight battles within.

Despite the efforts of the Veterans Administration, despite studies, analyses and programs of aid and intervention, those who served during the overlapping wars on terror — Iraq from 2003-2011 and Afghanistan, 2001-2021 — are dying.

And at a heartbreaking rate, the only demographic where death by suicide among veterans continues to increase.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report found at mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/data.asp, the suicide rate among veterans increased across the board from 2001 to 2020 with the rate for those between the ages of 18 and 34 rocketing by 95.3%.

From 2019 to 2020, suicide rates have decreased among veterans except for those between the ages of 18 and 34 where deaths continue to climb; where, for veterans 18-44, suicide ranks as the No. 2 cause of death after accidents.

For those of us with family members who enlisted in the wake of 9/11 and then deployed to wage what our country called the War on Terrorism, our greatest fear was that they wouldn’t come home.

For those of us who counted ourselves lucky, most did come home, some visibly wounded, many not.

What we didn’t know was that our fear not only came home with them, but came home in them.

And they — our sons, our daughters, our spouses, our loved ones — are continuing to fall on a field of battle they are finding far more deadly than the one on which they served.

At least four times as many active-duty personnel and war veterans of post-9/11 conflicts have died by suicide than in combat, according to Brown University, Watson Institute For International And Public Affairs, in a June 21, 2021 report.

The paper, which may be found at watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/papers/2021/Suicides, estimates that 30,177 activeduty personnel and veterans of the post-9/11 wars have died by suicide —more than four times the 7,057 service members killed in war operations.

Causes cited range from mental health issues and substance abuse to other health-related and societal challenges.

Preventative solutions range from VA services to efforts in nearly all states with 500-plus local suicide prevention coalitions.

Yet here we are.

Here we are still.

We thank those who served and those who serve.

We grieve for the lost and those who love them.

May every veteran, of every war, of every branch of service, know that they can reach out.

To a friend. To a family member. To the veterans crisis line — 988, press 1, or, via text, 838255. To the nearest emergency room.

Please, give the country, the people you fought for, an opportunity to reach back in gratitude for all you have given.

— Breeze editorial

THE BREEZE NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Community partners, city staff & residents team up to make Trunk-or-treat a big success Cape Coral’s second annual Trunk-orTreat event was a great success!

I want to extend a special thanks to the amazing community partners who played a vital role in making this year’s event so memorable. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to our residents who attended and all of our city staff involved. Your participation contributed to the incredible success of this year’s event. It’s heartwarming to see our community come together in such a fun and festive way.

It’s hard to believe that this all began just a year ago, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. The inaugural Trunk-or-Treat event emerged as a way to bring a sense of normalcy and joy back to our city while also providing a safe venue for our children to trick-or-treat when most of our sidewalks and streets were covered

Michael Ilczyszyn

Guest Commentary

and blocked by debris.

Little did we know that the event would capture the hearts of our community so profoundly.

Fast forward to today, and it’s evident that this event has firmly established itself as an annual tradition, bringing smiles, laughter, and candy to our city.

Once again, thank you to everyone involved in making this event a roaring success, and here’s to many more years of skele-FUN and Halloween happiness in Cape Coral. Without our business partners and the community, this event would not be what it is.

Thanks to all involved.

— Michael Ilczyszyn is Cape Coral’s city manager.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A salute to veterans To the editor: On behalf of The Military Order of the Purple Heart and The Combat Infantrymen’s Association here in Southwest Florida I would like to salute and honor all our veterans by thanking you for your “No Greater Love” service to our nation on this honored Veterans Day. Through the years, whether in peacetime or war, we will not allow your sacrifices to this great nation, to go unrecognized here in Southwest Florida and around our nation. As a veteran you wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount up to and including your life.

We all know that for those who fought for it FREEDOM has a flavor the protected will never know.

As stated, “Our debt to our heroic and valiant men and women in service to our country as veterans can never be repaid. You all have earned our undying gratitude.”

Wording displayed on many of our Purple Heart Monuments honoring our combat wounded and killed in action veterans. “My stone is red for the blood they shed.

The medal I bear is my country’s way to show they care. If I could be seen by all mankind maybe peace will come in my lifetime.”

Again, a hand salute and thank you to all for your service, not just on this Veterans Day, but every day.

Jack Wagner, Commander The Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 696 (Lee. Collier & Hendry Counties) The Combat Infantrymen’s Association. Inc. (States east of the Mississippi River)

Veterans Day: In gratitude To the editor: On Nov. 11, Veterans Day, we honor and salute all past and present men and women for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to leave their families for long periods of time and fight for our country’s way of life. Veterans Day is intended to thank all those who honorably served in the military — in wartime or peacetime.

We owe you our thanks, but more than that, we owe them our freedom.

Their service has allowed this country to continue to enjoy the freedoms and privileges that are so very often taken for granted, like the uninformed demonstrators and protesters that we have in today’s America.

Veterans never gave up on America and we shouldn’t give up on them. May our veterans find the honor and recognition they deserve.

To all those who have served, there are not enough words of gratitude.

Lou Walker Cape Coral

Tax bills show continuing assault on property owners’ wallets To the editor: As I begin my annual rite of passage that involves the mystery of my local property tax bills, I stopped to contemplate what exactly do these detailed bills really represent.

As a retired person and owner of several Lee County properties including my own residence, I notice the never-ending increase in the final tally of these property tax bills. Some simple math computations helped me calculate that my residence tax bill went up 7% and the tax bills on my single-family rental homes went up between 7% and 18%.

Of course, my local government entities will argue that their costs of services have increased due to inflation and they need more money. This argument will not recognize that two of the largest contributors to our inflation rate are increased real estate values and cost of borrowing, neither of which my local governments should be subject to with balanced budget restraints.

It seems that it isn’t hard to argue that my local governmental entities are enjoying a revenue windfall at the expense of the taxpayers. The fact that is easily ignored is these increased tax amounts are actually taxes on unrealized value gains on our property and that the property owner can only realize their profit if they dispose of the property. In other words, it represents a tax on unrealized profits.

The size of government grows with these increased surplus taxes. Unfortunately, once real estate values start to go down, which they always do at some point, the size of government stays the same and you can feel pretty secure that your taxes aren’t going down with reduced property values.

We, the taxpayers, would be wise to pay attention when voting for our representatives that control our local governed and elect politicians that promise static property taxes, controlled government spending, and aren’t comfortable with the never-ending assault on the taxpayers’ wallets. The taxpayer’s income doesn’t necessarily go up at the rate of inflation.

George W. Hoover Cape Coral

A precious commodity To the editor: When was the last time you drank a glass of water? Did you think at all about how important and precious water is?

Or, did you, as most do, just take it for granted? Did you think about how necessary it is for our survival?

Think about the manner in which our politicians treat our water. Is there anything in their conduct that makes you think they consider it to be of any importance? If they do/did, why are almost all of the waterways in Florida contaminated? If they do/did, why would Lake “O,” one of the largest freshwater lakes in our country, be in such abysmal condition?

Here in Lee County, the problem is just as bad, if not

See LETTERS, page 8

Page 5 ■ November 10, 2023 www.capecoralbreeze.com

Cape Coral Breeze

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 6 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

Orphan Sunday challenges churches to take action and support families For centuries, when children lost their parents, the church stepped in to help.

Government-funded foster care programs didn’t come about until the early 1900s in the U.S. Since then, the church’s role has dwindled dramatically. Today, the Christian Alliance for Orphans aims to revive that role and encourage the faithful to help orphans and children in foster care.

On Sunday, Nov. 12, churches around the world mark Orphan Sunday, a day created by the alliance to raise awareness of the orphan’s plight and what churches, families and faith-based organizations are doing about it.

Better Together helps the church return to its traditional role of caring for modernday orphans and widows.

Our government’s foster care system is stretched beyond capacity. While foster care is an important last resort for children who are in immediate physical danger, most home removals stem from preventable neglect. Life gets hard, and parents need a network of support. This is where Better Together and the power of the church community steps in.

Brianna, a young mom of two, didn’t need foster care. She needed a support system and resources. She faced a daunting crisis with no place to go. The shelters were full, and the state was about to put her children into foster care.

Having grown up within the foster care system herself, Brianna was determined to prevent that fate for her own children. The

Better Together has helped Florida Department of Children more than 9,000 children & Families connected her with with 98% of children Better Together. One of our served through hosting and volunteer host families graparent mentoring remainciously opened their home to ing out of the state system. care for her children, while a Our model builds familymentor and our staff assisted like relationships between her in devising a plan. those who want to help In just 50 days, Brianna got and those who are hurting, two jobs, found child care, building a community and moved into her new home and deeper relationships that recently reunited with her childeliver better outcomes. dren. She didn’t do this alone.

Megan Rose Just envision a world We didn’t do this alone. where every church and Brianna had a community in neighbor steps in to proher corner, and the whole vide support for families church wrapped around her to before a child experiences offer additional support, including reliable transportation that she abuse or neglect, preventing the need for foster care. Picture the expression of love, needed to sustain her success.

These kinds of connections, relation- true compassion, biblical hospitality and ships and triumphs happen when the peo- care for vulnerable children and families. It ple of the church come together. This is would be akin to a glimpse of heaven, and two less children in foster care and chang- it has the power to transform the world.

Undoubtedly, this won't be a simple ing the generations cycle for this family.

Every child deserves to be part of a safe task. It will require the church and individand loving family, and in America, this uals, just like you, to dig in, get their hands should be the prevailing norm. With a dirty, and become more actively involved wealth of resources, vacant guest rooms, in supporting the vulnerable within their and over 300,000 churches spread across community. It means embodying the printhe U.S., we have the potential to signifi- ciple of “Love your neighbors,” even when cantly decrease the demand for foster care it’s difficult, inconvenient, and challengby re-embracing our historical responsibil- ing.

Jesus set an example for us in this ity of providing care for vulnerable chilregard. He reached out to marginalized dren and families. ‫‏‬We’re already doing it across Florida. individuals, those often overlooked by

Guest Commentary

society. He not only listened but also took action and addressed their needs. The church has the opportunity to continue this legacy today. If members of the church become more involved in assisting families facing crises, we can reduce the necessity for government intervention.

No child in our community should ensure the trauma, that they will carry for a lifetime of being separated from their parents for issues such as neglect, which we know the church can prevent through the power of community. This looks like the church living our the gospel in their lives, meeting the physical needs of families and providing the safety net families in keep their families together. Together, we can end the crisis by getting there first.

Better Together provides the connection to those who are hurting, the professional support and a go-to person who can help the church and volunteers make a real kingdom impact in the lives of vulnerable children and families in their community.

For Orphan Sunday on Nov. 12, we’ll join congregations throughout Florida to highlight this great need. Together, we can preserve families.

— Megan Rose is the CEO of Better Together, a nonprofit organization that helps parents and families. To help families in your community, get help or donate, visit bettertogetherus.org or call 239-4702733.

School district working to better serve all of its 100,000-plus students Town Hall meeting on proposed middle school proximity plan set for Nov. 13; see the plan presentation on district’s YouTube channel To address these challenges, The School District of Lee County leaderSuperintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier ship and staff are committed to creating a led Town Hall meetings in the fall of world-class school system that ensures every 2022 to engage with the community child reaches his or her highest personal and discuss changes needed to support potential. Our approach involves setting clear the district's goals. One major change priorities, and holding ourselves accountable was shifting from a zone-based school for achieving these goals. Here’s how we are choice plan to a proximity-based plan working to provide better opportunities and for the 2023-24 school year. This experiences for their students: change aimed to create stronger neigh■ Focus on Student Readiness: The borhood communities within schools, District places a strong emphasis on preparimprove transportation reliability, and ing students from preschool to high school reduce costs. for life after graduation, whether that means Cathleen The district also realigned elemenpursuing a career, college, or military servO’Daniel Morgan tary schools to fit the Proximity Plan, ice. which was a significant undertaking for ■ Research-Based Professional families and staff. However, it resulted Learning: All staff members, both academic in benefits such as shorter bus times, and operational, receive training based on the more reliable schedules for students, latest research in education to improve their and cost savings for the district. skills and abilities.

This fall, Superintendent Bernier is again holding ■ Safe and Healthy Environments: The District strives to create safe and healthy environments on Town Hall meetings to present the refreshed strategic school buses and within schools to ensure the well- plan for the 2024-25 school year. One of the proposed changes is the expansion of the Proximity Plan to midbeing of students.

■ Strong Family Communication: Encouraging dle schools. This would redraw attendance boundaries and strengthening parent engagement with schools is a for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students, assigning top priority. We want parents to be actively involved in them to schools closer to home and limiting their choices to two schools. The goal is to strengthen community their child’s education.

Recently, the District, with the support of the School ties with schools and improve transportation reliability.

If you're interested in learning more or providing Board, updated our Envision 2030 strategic plan to address new challenges and opportunities. One signifi- input, please attend the upcoming and final Town Hall cant challenge we continue to face is the continued meeting at Bonita Springs Middle School on Nov. 13 at rapid increase in student enrollment, which has grown 5:30 p.m. You may also take our survey to provide your by over 1,500 students annually for the past decade, feedback. The School Board will vote on the Middle and just recently surpassing 100,000 students. This School Proximity Plan on Nov. 21. You can view the growth brought issues like a shortage of school seats, draft plan and presentations on the School District of inequities in school choice, and transportation com- Lee County’s YouTube channel. plexities.

Guest Commentary

— Cathleen O'Daniel Morgan is a memnber of the Lee County School Board. She represents District 7.

This week’s poll question: What do you think of the concept plans for the Yacht Club park? ∫ Love both. I look forward to the new amenities. ∫ I like the concept with the meandering resort-style pool and larger two-story community center among amenities that include two piers, an open beach area and a second restaurant. ∫ I like the concept with the smaller resort-style pool, separate children’s pool, and yes, the rest. ∫ Like some on Council, I like some aspects of the first plan, some in the second concept. I’d like to see an option that combines the best of both. ∫ It don’t like either. ∫ Let’s not kid ourselves. What’s being proposed will not be a park but pay-to-play commercialization of the riverfront site.

(Find the concept plans on page 43 of today’s Breeze or online with the story under Cape News at capecoralbreeze.com)

Previous poll question Is Southwest Florida becoming unaffordable? ∫ Yes. 87.5% ∫ No. 7.5% ∫ It’s never been affordable. 5% * 144 votes at press time

Poll results are not scientific and represent only the opinions of Internet users who have chosen to participate.

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.

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Cape Coral Breeze

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 8 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

Cape Council to mull employee compensation study Compared to comparable cities, analysis finds base salaries mostly competitive; benefits ‘leading the market’

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

news@breezenewspapers.com

With a new employee wage and benefits analysis in hand, Cape Coal City Council decided to take some time to study the numbers and then meet in a closed door session to discuss how the city should proceed with union negotiations.

This way, the city manager can have negotiation strategies in place and a better understanding of where Council would like to be in terms of pay and compensation packages, the elected board decided during a workshop on Wednesday.

City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn said a collective bargaining shade meeting will be scheduled with Council, as his goal is to ratify the contract before Oct. 1, the start of the next budget year.

The workshop took a deeper dive into the total compensation study results for the city and selected municipalities.

Ruth Ann Eledge, vice president of Segal, the consulting firm hired to conduct the study, provided Council with an overview of the methodology and then went over the results.

The objective was to look at the total compensation package for general union and nonbargaining positions. The study looked at direct pay, benefits that include retirement and healthcare, as well as non-compensation benefits such as paid time off and special incentives for employees.

“The scope was the total compensation analysis,” Eledge said.

A custom survey was sent to the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Lakeland, Orlando, Palm Bay, Port St. Lucie and St. Petersburg. For information purposes, the survey was also

sent to Fort Myers, Naples and North Port.

The city previous set a minimum wage or salary benchmark at the 75th percentile of what comparable cities are paying, essentially at about the top 25% of the pay scale for like positions.

“We split the analysis between the general union and non-bargaining positions. The non-bargaining positions and union positions are lagging at the pay range. We looked at the entry of the pay range, minimum, the midpoint of the pay range and the maximum. The city has adopted a pay policy of being at the 75th percentile. We compare that data point to the pay ranges to see how you compare under those circumstances, perimeter,” Eledge said.

The data identified throughout the competitive quarter is in a plus, or minus 5% of what the market is sharing.

Using a standard that defines market competitiveness as 95%-105% of the market average, Segal, the consulting firm, found the city is competitive across the board with three lags: The city’s General Union positions, on an overall basis, lagged the market at the minimum and maximum for base pay, coming in at 94%, just under the defined competitive minimum of 95%.

Overall base pay as a percentage of the market 75th percentile across all non-bargaining benchmark job titles also was reported at 94%.

“Anything below 95%, or above 105% we tag as a lead position, or a lag position,” she said. “The pay range minimum, and the pay range maximum, on average for all the general union positions are below the competitive range of pay. The midpoint was right

at the 95%, right at the low pay range.”

This information was brought in for the rest of the analysis, which included health care contributions and retirement contributions to tabulate the total compensation.

“Your health benefits and retirement are strong. They increase the overall competitiveness,” Eledge said.

For the general union total compensation package the city falls at 108% for the pay range midpoint and pay range maximum and 109% for the pay range minimum, leading competitive positions.

The non-bargaining positions fall at 107% across the board for the total compensation package, also leading.

The annualized weighted total health employer contributions provided by the city of Cape Coral is $12,402 compared to the market value of $8,843.

“Seventy-seven percent of employees are in your employee-only category and that is what is driving your higher cost,” Eledge said.

The 77% is for individual coverage, only, which the city covers at 100% of cost.

The total employer retirement contribution as a percent of pay is 34.85% for the city, compared to the market average of 21.52% for peer cities and 34.40% for all Florida pension plans.

The analysis also looked at total paid leave days at one to 25 years of service.

“You are very competitive with your peers. It helps employees be able to balance their life with their work, good strong paid time off,” she said.

Councilmember Bill Steinke said the benefits themselves have never been the issue, but the cost of the benefits ends up affecting employee wages and salaries paid.

“When they are weighing out how much I make, what benefits do I have, and at the end of the day what is left jingling in my pocket,” he said.

Ilczyszyn said there are going to be moments of time through one, two and three years where the city will fall between the 95% and 105% benchmark. He said you put a confidence corridor around the 75th percentile range.

“You don’t want the target to be on it all the time,” Ilczyszyn said, adding the range

should be between 80 to 70. “The mistake that organizations can make — you hit that 75th percentile and you don’t shift into maintenance mode. What happens (is you) start sending money to other areas and you forget to make range adjustments to keep competitive in the market.”

Ilczyszyn said when they are putting packages together, they are looking at recruitment options, which is why they look at midpoint, as it gives a target of attention. The city has to look at the front end, back end and the middle because it does not want to invest and train someone and get them up to speed to only to lose them to a competitor.

You’re “not building a package to recruit, also want to retain because turnover is expensive as well,” Ilczyszyn said.

It all boils down to a timing issue, he said, in regards to how fast the Council wants to get to the 75th percentile and how much of a buffer they want to carry them through a three-year contract.

“Do you want to have maintenance and cost of living adjustments?” Ilczyszyn said.

Mayor John Gunter asked if they were going to fall in that 75th percentile, would it be better to look at ranges and adjust ranges accordingly.

“Some noted positions much higher than the average,” he said, adding that if they gave a blanket approach, those already above the benchmark would be even more above. “If we move forward we could be compounding some problems we have already identified. I am here to try to fix problems.”

If a 3% pay raise across the board was given as of January, it would total $1.1 million.

Councilmember Keith Long said he was torn between making it right for the employees and the fact that they have contracts in place. He said every three to six months they are looking at pay.

“I understand the times are a little different than what it has been historically,” he said.

“You want to make it as close to the 75th. I don’t want to set a precedent to keep moving the finish line. I continue to keep the pulse of getting to that 75th. Where do we set that and allow it to run its course to the next contract?”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR From page 4 worse. The County Commissioners routinely override the plans, rules, regulations, and laws that were set in place to protect the integrity of such an invaluable resource.

They allow complicitous developers to run rampant in the race to pave over “paradise.”

High-density housing developments are being allowed with very little regard to our environment.

To present such a problem places a burden on the presenter to provide a possible solution. Knowing that developers orchestrate the whole process, I would like to present some solutions, which while they will not be a total cure, might provide a slowdown of environmental degradation until we elect new people to office who approach governing with a modicum of common sense and healthy respect for the voters who allow them the honor of being of service.

■ See that all irrigation is provided by retention ponds.

■ Have all paved and unpaved surfaces deliver this liquid gold into the retention ponds.

■ Direct all run-off from all structures into the retention ponds.

■ Reduce the footprint of grassy areas to

reduce the amount of irrigation water used.

■ Provide a listing of native trees, shrubs, and flowers that may be used in new developments.

■ Plant at least one shade tree per residence for both aesthetic and environmental reasons. If commercial is involved plant more shade trees.

■ Employ micro irrigation in the bedded areas.

■ Assure that paving materials of the highest porosity be used allowing more rain water to enter the aquifers below.

■ Work with the developers to assure that all building materials be environmentally friendly.

■ Utilize colors, everywhere, towards the white end of the spectrum ■ Install “Energy Star” rated appliances.

■ Have all structures meet Florida Gold Star Water Certification.

If the politicians, in cahoots with the developers, are insistent on continuing to pave over our county, the very least we can do is slow their destruction of life as we all want it to be.

Norman Cannon Fort Myers

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

news@breezenewspapers.com

Although the outsourcing is bringing angst to the substitutes, the agreement brings a pay raise , officials said of the contract approved by the Lee County School Board.

■ less than a bachelor’s degree - $17 an hour ■ bachelor’s degree or higher - $22 an hour ■ verified retired educator - $27 an hour There is also a $500 bonus pay for 30 days of coverage.

cancel if deemed to be in the best interest of the district.”

Lee County Association of Professional Substitute Teachers President Sheridan Chester told the board that the substitute teachers are more than willing to work.

“They just want to know that they are still going to be a part of the Lee County School District and not Kelly,” she said.

“This is the concern that we are going to be separated — that we are not going to have the same kind of input. Teachers are willing and ready to work as long as we are working with you and not against each other.”

Bernier said anytime there is a shift there is some angst. He said no matter whom the substitute teachers are directly working for, they are a group of people the district values and wants to continue communicating with.

We want to “ensure they remain part of the family conversation about what is happening in our classroom and in our schools with our leaders and with each other,” Bernier said.

He reiterated the same sentiments he

Cape Coral Breeze

“They allow substitutes to make their choices,” he said.

Board member Jada LangfordFleming said the district has to do something, as teachers are struggling with covering classes.

“The guest teachers, as far as I am concerned will always be a part of the Lee County School District. We are all one team, and you are part of that team.

That is how I feel about it,” she said. “I am comfortable moving forward as long as the term of the contract allows us to terminate that it is in fact costing taxpayers money and not fulfilling the goal we are trying to meet.”

Langford-Fleming said she wants to see a quarterly updates on how things are going, which could come before the board as early as March.

Before the board’s approval Tuesday night, members of the public spoke against the piggyback with Orange County Public Schools for substitute teacher services, awarded to Kelly Services, Inc. of Orlando, for the period of Nov. 7, 2023, through June 30, 2024, for up to $8,500,000, with an option to

www.capecoralbreeze.com

Kelly Education Services will provide substitute teachers for the School District of Lee County, at least until the end of the school year.

District staff said this week the transition for the Guest Teacher Program will be seamless, as existing subs will be contacted to “simply transition their employment to the company.”

The transition will take place in January and the contract will run through June.

Although the outsourcing is bringing angst to the substitutes, the agreement brings a pay raise , officials said of the contract approved by the Lee County School Board.

■ less than a bachelor’s degree - $17 an hour ■ bachelor’s degree or higher - $22 an hour ■ verified retired educator - $27 an hour There is also a $500 bonus pay for 30 days of coverage.

The contract also includes Kelly Services handling the administrative tasks of hiring subs, which includes screening, vetting potential candidates and ensuring they meet necessary qualifications and background check requirements.

The important part of working with Kelly Services, Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said, is the online interface for both teachers that need a substitute and providing substitutes with the option to continue to work at the school they love.

shared a week prior regarding the importance of not having a vacant classroom.

“At the very best it is chaotic at a school building when a sub doesn’t come, or a class is uncovered. In other cases, it could lead to another sub when someone is asked to cover a classroom and for every right and purpose, they decide they are not up to that task on that day,” Bernier said. “We are trying to exhaust in this day and age of limited resources in another manner in which we can relieve some of the pressure on some of our amazing educators in our school building.”

The district is trying to ensure it is doing everything possible to have more substitutes and ensure more classes are covered, he said.

Board member Melisa Giovannelli pulled the agenda item to have further discussion before the unanimous vote was taken.

“I know we need to help and support our teachers. I am concerned we did not have adequate stakeholder input and that makes me somewhat hesitant in supporting the outsourcing,” she said. “We have been less that transparent with the guest teachers and community that we served.

We should have afforded stakeholder communication and conversation with what they were thinking.”

She initially asked the board to table the item before agreeing with other board members that the district is in dire need of teachers.

She asked for stakeholder input in a survey or questionnaire to know that the process is working in favor of teachers.

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Kelly Education Services to provide substitute teachers

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The Belle is raising money to take its students to Disney in February 2024 to be part of Disney Imagination C a m p u s .

Students will get the opportunity to work in a professional environment with Disney performance professionals.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Theater to hold benefit yard sale

By CJ HADDAD

cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com

Looking to get a head start on some holiday shopping while supporting a local nonprofit theater?

This weekend, the Belle Theatre will hold a two-day Benefit Yard Sale on-site to raise funds for their Education Program and upcoming trip to Disney.

This multi-family indoor yard sale promises to provide lots of choices for those looking for deals and steals.

“We have more than 10 families participating, as well as other donated items for sale, so it’s the perfect time to kickstart your holiday shopping while benefiting a great cause,” Belle Theatre founder and Executive Director Tyler Young said. “Every dollar made directly benefits the students, so you know your money is helping a young performer polish their skills in the performing arts.”

The Belle is taking its students to Disney in February 2024 to be part of Disney Imagination Campus, where students will get the opportunity to work in a professional environment with Disney performance professionals in theater workshops at Walt Disney World.

“Our students will take a three-day trip to the happiest place on earth for an intensive, workshop of theater magic,” Young said. “Of course, a trip of this caliber comes at a price... that’s where fundraising came in.”

Belle Theatre leadership sat down to brainstorm ideas to make the trip feasible for

a majority of families, with plenty of opportunities to fundraise the cost of their trip with little out of pocket expense.

“We’ve sold candy bars, fresh evergreen wreaths, tickets to the Everblades and are currently selling raffle tickets to win a gift card bundle,” Young said. “Topping that list off is the Benefit Sale, where each family can bring items from their homes to sell and directly benefit their trip.”

The sale runs Saturday and Sunday each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the theatre at 2708 Santa Barbara Blvd. Suite 135.

The Belle is a non-profit performing arts center where all performers are local volunteers, putting their passion on stage. Young said the theater offers something for everyone. “Wizard of Oz YOUTH Edition” and “Winnie the Pooh KIDS” are fun ways to introduce young performers to theater.

Coming in December, “Christmas in Paradise: World Tour” is perfect for the whole family, Young said.

“I created The Belle as a welcoming, place for everyone, young and old,” Young added.

“Somewhere artists can gather to collectively create excellent productions and create family. Supporting The Belle can be so many different things, volunteer your time, donate used items, purchase a ticket, join us at fundraising events, share our posts, all of these things help support our mission.”

Visit www.TheBelleTheatre.com for all upcoming shows and events.

Museum of History seeks vendors for monthly car fests

By CJ HADDAD

cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com

The Cape Coral Museum of History is looking for vendors to populate its newlycreated monthly car show.

The museum’s “Classic Car Fest” takes place at Cultural Park on either the third or fourth weekend each month until April of 2024, and is looking to continue to grow after a successful launch in October. Each free event will also have a theme with vendors to match.

The next car fest takes place Nov. 25, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event date also coincides with “Small Business Saturday.”

“The museum is offering the opportunity for local merchants, crafters, and small businesses to sell their good at the car fest,” Museum Executive Director Janel Trull said.

Ten-foot by 10-foot space is available for $35, with spaces for non-profits being

free.

“With over 100 classic vehicles, music, food, museum tours and more, the monthly Classic Car Fest has something for everyone,” Trull said. “Our October event came away with rave reviews, and we are excited to see what this month brings.”

Attendees of each Classic Car Fest can also tour the museum for free on that day, “We are excited to bring another event to the Cape that allows generations to engage in our history, view our collections and gardens, and have a great time,” Trull said.

For more information on the event and to sign up for a vendor spot, visit www.capecoralmuseum.org/classic-carfest.

The next themed Classic Car Fest takes place Dec. 16 with “Celebrate the Holidays.”

Cultural Park is at 544 Cultural Park Blvd.

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

news@breezenewspapers.com

School District of Lee County employers will see an 8% salary increase for all positions in the salary schedule.

The school board approved the 20232024 school year administrative salary schedule at an approximate cost of $4,000,000 Tuesday night.

The item was brought forward by Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier as district staff and administrators worked diligently on the item last week to determine the 8% salary increase and to stay within their bargaining authority.

“Reaching this is a pretty historic agreement with our school district,” he said.

Teachers Association of Lee County President Kevin Daly asked the board during public comment to approve the new tentative agreement between the Teachers Association-Lee County and the district.

“This year’s TA passed the TALC bargaining unit with a 93% approval rate. The employees have spoken loudly about this year’s TA. I want to highlight what I believe is the major factor to explain the overwhelming approval. This year the board set a new standard for money set aside for employee compensation. Through the new standard we have been able to start the process of dealing

with compression that was stressed upon us by lawmakers in Tallahassee without adequate funding to handle the very compression it created and to start bringing back the idea that experience matters,” he said. “We look forward to the commencement of bargaining in February and working together to address the continued challenges faced by the employees of the School District of Lee County.”

Those challenges include a livable wage, continuing to offset compression, medical inflation and special attention to supplement the time employees take on to enrich the lives of students.

“It is imperative that we remain competi-

tive in retaining and recruiting the best talent for students and families of Lee County,” Daly said.

A fourth-grade teacher, Anna Witten, expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the board’s commitment to support teacher pay increases.

“The financial support that you have provided has allowed us to negotiate a historical salary increase in at least the last decade,” Witten said. “We are grateful for the progress we have made in addressing teacher compensation, which will allow us to attract and retain talented teachers. We must continue to work together to ensure our teachers receive the salaries and benefits they truly deserve.”

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

news@breezenewspapers.com

“I kind of like the kiosk idea. Swipe card, unattended and they would bring it back. That maybe is an option for us where we still provide an amenity and they walk up to the kiosk,” he said.

Others believed that ecotourism should include a business, as individuals like to have a tour guide showing them the area and wildlife that call it home.

“A machine is not going to tell me how to be safe, where to go, how it works, what to do, what not to do. It’s an educational thing.

It’s about someone showing them the area, pointing out things in nature. Lockers work for someone who does it all the time and doesn’t need to be shown how,” Councilmember Dan Sheppard said.

Councilmember Patty Cummings said she is in favor of ecotourism businesses in the parks.

“I enjoy doing ecotourism. I want to see the manatees, our tortoises and dolphins. That

is why me and my family moved to Florida.

We are known for our waterways. That is why we are so unique (why the city) built out so quickly because of our canals,” she said.

Cummings wants to see the city develop some type of policy to help bring the ecotourism to the parks.

“I think we are missing out on something very big if we can put our minds together and come up with a good policy and a plan of action that would be well organized,” Cummings said.

Sheppard said he thinks the city’s Parks Department where they think kayak locations should be.

“Find locations where the need is and develop a P3 to find professionals to do it,” he said. “I don’t think our local government should be concerned about running kayak stations.”

Cape Coral Breeze

Cape Coral City Council will further its discussion about ecotourism and the use of city parks by watercraft vendors later this month.

“Do we want to make sure this activity is still available on the west coast of the city for tourists to enjoy? If the answer is yes, is it more effective to do it ourselves or do we contract with someone to do it,” Councilmember Bill Steinke said.

With a P3, or public-private partnership, every single business would have an opportunity to apply and make proposals and the business becomes business, he said.

“Let’s continue our ecotourism as an attraction, facilitate a way to enjoy that. How we do it becomes the question,” Steinke said.

Council voted to ban commercial activities at the city’s waterfronts park by Dec. 31,

which Steinke said will have unintended consequences.

On the east coast of the city, there are great opportunities for ecotourism for kayaks, which also occurred on the west side by a private enterprise.

“I feel we still need to provide access to the aquatic wildlife environment that we have and are blessed with,” Steinke said.

“Ecotourism is important to our area, important to Lee County.”

A few brainstorming ideas were shared, such as having a P3, offering the amenity through city resources, or rentable kayak lockers.

Council agreed that ecotourism is important to the area and kayaks should be offered, but how will be further discussed at the Nov. 29 meeting.

The idea of kayak lockers was discussed, something Mayor John Gunter was interested in exploring.

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Cape Council continues conversation on vendor use of city parks

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Lee School Board approves 8% wage bump

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 14 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

REAL ESTATE Couple needs clear plan to avoid probate and disputes over home Mr. Feichthaler, I recently married my husband, and we reside in a home he has owned for many years. We are both in our second marriage, and both of us have adult children.

I read your column often, and see that planning can be very important if we wish for our home to avoid probate or disputes. We want to make sure our ex-spouses have no claim to the property. What should we do to make sure this happens?

— Becky R. Dear Becky, Florida law can be a little tricky, and sometime counter-intuitive, about the result when a spouse dies and the home is only in one spouse’s name.

Previously, a surviving spouse not on title had the right to remain in the home for life, with the requirement to pay taxes, insurance and maintenance of the Eric P. Feichthaler home. The children of the deceased spouse would then receive the home after the death of the spouse not on title.

Back in 2010, the law changed to provide a choice to a surviving spouse: They could retain the life estate OR elect to become a 50% owner of the property, with the deceased spouse’s children owning the other 50%. The surviving spouse has six months to make this election. When this election is made, all parties own as tenants in common, which provides all parties the potential to force a sale.

Regardless of how you and your husband wish for the property to descend, planning through deeds or trusts will make the transfer a smooth and simple process in the future. For instance, if it is your intention to have the surviving spouse own the property outright, you could simply be added to the title today, as “tenants by the entireties.” If you wish to provide for more specific future planning, including how the property may benefit children or grandchildren, a living / revocable trust may suit your needs.

Having a plan that is clear not only can save thousands, or tens of thousands, in court costs and legal fees in the future, but it also provides you and your family peace of mind to know your wishes will be followed.

I wish you much happiness in your new marriage!

Real Estate Law

Eric P. Feichthaler has lived in Cape Coral for over 35 years and graduated from Mariner High School in Cape Coral. After completing law school at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., he returned to Southwest Florida to practice law and raise a family. He served as mayor of Cape Coral from 2005-2008, and continues his service to the community through the Cape Coral Caring Center, Cape Coral Museum of History, and Cape Coral Kiwanis. He has been married to his wife, Mary, for over 20 years, and they have four children together. He earned his board certification in Real Estate Law from the Florida Bar. He is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell for professional ethics and legal ability, and is a Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator. He can be reached at eric@capecoralattorney.com, or 239-5424733.

This article is general in nature and not intended as legal advice to anyone. Individuals should seek legal counsel before acting on any matter of legal rights and obligations.

THE BREEZE NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Third quarter condo sales lower, prices mixed, listings climb 1.3% below the $280,000 posted in Heading into Veterans Day this weekSeptember 2022, but 1.5% higher than end, we would like to salute and thank the $272,250 in August of this year. In everyone who has served our country, the third quarter, the median sales price including Geri’s dad! We cannot say averaged $277,836 per month in the thank you enough.

Cape’s overall condo market, up 1% Here are the numbers for the Cape from the average of $275,000 per month Coral condo market for the month of in the third quarter of 2022, but 5.5% September and the third quarter, along below the average of $293,992 per with the current number of active condo month in the second quarter of this year. listings and pending sales.

In the first nine months of 2023, the As of Tuesday, Nov. 7, there were overall median sales price for Cape con337 active condo listings in the Cape dos averaged $281,720 per month, or through the MLS at list prices ranging 2.2 % more than the average of from $159,900 to $3.9 million. The $275,583 per month in the first nine median condo list price came in at months of 2022. $299,900 with one-third of our condo Bob and Geri Quinn listings at $275,000 and under, and Gulf access canal condos: almost 60% of our market with asking In the Cape Coral gulf access canal prices of $325,000 and under. A total of condo segment, which includes all salt41 condos in the Cape are listed at water canal condos, there were 20 closed $500,000 and up, with nine of these 41 units above $1 million. We currently have 53 condos sales in September, which was 5.3% higher than the 19 under contract with buyers as pending sales at prices rang- closed sales in September 2022, and 33.33% above the 15 ing from $120,000 to $1.195 million and the median sales in August of this year. In the third quarter, there were pending sales price came in at $305,000. A total of 41.5% 44 closed condo sales in this segment, which was down of the pending sales were for units priced at $275,000 and 30.2% versus 63 closed sales in the third quarter of 2022, under, with 64.2% of Cape Coral condos under contract at and 44.3% below the 79 gulf access condo sales in the $325,000 and under. Three units were pending from second quarter of this year. In the first nine months of $550,000 to $825,000 and one unit was above $1 million. 2023, there were 187 gulf access condos sold in the Cape, Six weeks ago on Sept. 26, there were 299 active condo or 27.2% less than the 257 condos sold in the first nine listings in Cape Coral ranging in price from $135,000 to months of 2022.

The September median sales price came in at $288,750 $3.9 million, and the median list price was $317,900. So the number of condos on the market have increased and the for the Cape’s gulf access condo segment, which was 9.1% median list price has decreased in the past six weeks. On below the $317,500 posted in September of 2022, and Sept. 26, there were 63 pending condo sales in the pipeline 0.4% lower than the $290,000 in August of this year. In ranging from $150,000 to $655,000 with a median pend- the third quarter, the median sales price averaged ing sales price of $275,000. One year ago on Nov. 8, $331,250 per month in this segment, which was 4.7% 2022, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, there were 157 lower than the average of $347,500 per month in the third active condo listings in the Cape through the MLS at prices quarter of 2022, and 4.9% below the average of $348,404 ranging from $154,900 to $2.195 million, and the medi- per month in the second quarter of this year. In the first an list price was $310,000. At that time, 64 condos were nine months of 2023, the median sales price for Cape gulf under contract as pending sales ranging from $160,000 to access condos averaged $340,796 per month, or 3.1% more than the average of $330,556 per month in the first $525,000.

In the Cape’s overall condo market, there were 48 nine months of 2022. closed sales in September, which was 29.7% higher than Direct sailboat access canal condos: the 37 condo sales in September 2022, and 60% above the In the Cape Coral direct sailboat access canal condo 30 sales in August of this year. In the third quarter, we had a total of 109 closed condo sales, which was down 24.3% segment, which is a subgroup of gulf access condos and versus the 144 sales in the third quarter of 2022, and 31% includes condos with no bridges to go under in the canal below the 158 sales in the second quarter of this year. In system, there were 11 closed sales in September. This was the first nine months of this year, there were a total of 412 37.5% higher than the 8 condo sales in September 2022, condos sold in the Cape, or 26.3% below the 559 sales in and 57.1% above the 7 sales in August of this year. In the third quarter, there were 25 condos sold in this segment, the first nine months of 2022.

The median sales price came in at $276,259 for the which was down 21.9% versus the 32 sales in the third overall Cape Coral condo market in September, which was See CONDO SALES, page 15

Homing In

REAL ESTATE BRIEF Worthington Realty launches new website focusing on property rentals Worthington Realty has now made the process of renting a home in Southwest Florida easier. The longtime boutique real estate company recently launched a new website focused solely on renting a home in the region.

The site, FtMyersRents.com, showcases available rental properties for long- and short-term rentals, and most importantly, saves renters money by booking direct compared to third-party rental sites.

Future renters visiting the site are able to navigate through listings of all the properties available for rent in Southwest Florida. Once a client signs a lease and moves into their property, the site allows for payment of monthly rent via a resident portal as well as the ability to quickly and easily submit maintenance requests.

Property owners are taken into account on the new site as well. The online Owner Portal streamlines communica-

tion, protects their investment and helps them maximize the value of their properties. The Owner Portal allows them to access financial statements, monthly summaries, year-end tax statements and important documents from anywhere using the site’s powerful capabilities.

To learn more, visit FtMyersRents.com, call 239-4373334 or email pm@worthingtonrealty.com. The website is also accessible through Worthington's main site, WorthingtonRealty.com.

Founded in 1989, Worthington Realty is a boutique real estate company specializing in residential sales, rentals and development within Lexington Country Club in Fort Myers, Babcock Ranch and surrounding communities. Its office headquarters are located at 8880 Gladiolus Drive, Suite 102, in Fort Myers. For more information, please call 239-437-3334, email info@worthingtonrealty.com or visit WorthingtonRealty.com.

Guest Column

to come.

Significant events, global impacts In the past several years, we’ve seen a rippling effect from the 500-year storm, a global pandemic and now, the declared war in Israel. As these monumental events unfold, it’s only natural for people to see what’s happening around us and simply pause.

That includes those on the hunt for their forever home. The outside world can stop us in our tracks, make us assess what’s happening and figure out how our lives will continue to look moving forward.

No matter what’s going on in the world, people still must go home.

Despite the recent tumult, and the prospects of continued global uncertainty, the Florida market is returning to normal.

The signs of season are here: snowbirds are returning, newcomers and locals alike continue shopping for their dream homes and we Floridians are rallying together after Ian to make sure the Sunshine State remains a beacon of opportunity for years and years ahead.

Aprile Osborne, Call It Closed International Realty co-founder, has been a licensed agent in Southwest Florida for almost 20 years. Naples-based Call It Closed International Realty currently operates in 16 states. Visit aprileosborne.callitclosed.com.

Condo sales: Prices mixed and listings increase in Cape Coral From page 14 quarter of 2022, and 44.4% below the 45 sales in the second quarter of this year. In the first nine months of 2023, there were 104 sailboat access condos sold in the Cape, or 34.2% below the 158 condos sold in the first nine months of 2022.

The September median sales price was $304,000 in the Cape’s sailboat access condo segment, which was 9.3% below the $335,000 posted in September 2022, and down 14.4% from $355,000 in August of this year. In the third quarter, the median sales price averaged $369,633 per month in this segment, or 4.3% lower than the average of $386,083 per month in the third quarter of 2022, and 4.4% below the average of $386,650 per month in the second quarter of this year. In the first nine months of 2023, the median sales price for sailboat

access condos averaged $381,539 per month, or 3.8% above the average of $367,522 per month in the first nine months of 2022.

Dry lot condos: In the Cape Coral dry lot (non-canal) condo segment, there were 20 closed sales in September, which was 33.33% higher than the 15 dry lot condos sold in September 2022, and 53.8% above the 13 sales in August of this year. In the third quarter, there were 49 sales in this segment, which was down 26.9% versus the 67 sales in both the third quarter of 2022, and the second quarter of this year. In the first nine months of 2023, there were 180 dry lot condos sold in the Cape, or 40.6% less than the 253 condos sold in the first nine months of 2022.

The September median sales price came in at $255,000 for the Cape’s dry lot condo segment, which was 4.1% above the $245,000 posted in September 2022, and it was 5.4% higher than the $242,000 in August of this year. In the third quarter, the median sales price averaged $241,917 per month in this segment, or 5.5% higher than the average of $229,233 per month in the third quarter of 2022, but 6.3% below the average of $258,313 per month in the second quarter of this year. In the first nine months of 2023, the median sales price for Cape Coral dry lot condos averaged $246,354 per month, or 7% above the average of $230,308 per month in the first nine months of 2022.

The sales data for this article was obtained from the Florida Realtors

Multiple Listing Service Matrix for Lee County, Fla., as of Nov. 5, 2023, unless otherwise noted. It was compiled by Bob and Geri Quinn and it includes information specifically for Cape Coral condominiums, townhouses, and villas, and it does not include any single-family homes, short sales or foreclosures. The data and statistics are believed to be reliable, however, they could be updated and revised periodically, and are subject to change without notice. The Quinns are a husband and wife real estate team with the RE/MAX Realty Team office in Cape Coral. They have lived in Cape Coral for over 44 years. Geri has been a full-time Realtor since 2005, and Bob joined Geri as a full-time Realtor in 2014. Their real estate practice is mainly focused on Cape Coral residential property and vacant lots.

Cape Coral Breeze

FEMA 50-50 Under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 50% rule,

Seize the moment homes that incur substanFor both buyers and tial damage – a FEMA sellers, the potential marstandard that kicks in when ket upheaval also reprerepair costs reach at least sents an opportunity.

50% of a property’s marMany of those facing ket value – must be the 50-50 rule are living in brought up to current homes that have been building codes and floodpassed down for generaplain regulations. tions. Their mortgages are The need for such costpaid off, but access to the ly fixes is forcing many capital needed to rebuild or homeowners who can’t make the necessary afford those repairs to sell. upgrades to their homes is Others are resorting to limited, so they choose (or tearing down the damaged Aprile Osborne are forced) to sell. properties and starting On the flip side, this over, if not walking away. creates room for those who On Fort Myers Beach, have always dreamed of the hardest hit community owning a home on a milhere in Southwest Florida lion-dollar lot to finally after Ian, as well as Sanibel make it happen. Now is and Bonita Beach, elevated homes on stilts will become far more absolutely the time in Southwest Florida prevalent, replacing the sea-level cottage for folks to buy homes that have never homes that have defined this funky out- been on the market in our lifetimes.

These shifts may enable you to own post for more than half a century.

Other potential regulatory changes we property that families and investors have could see include replacing wood-framed sat on for decades; a once-in-a-lifetime structures with concrete block construc- opportunity to purchase beachfront proption, even for homes that aren’t on the erty.

Though these changes will make home beachfront; updates to FEMA’s flood elevation maps, which occur every five construction more costly overall, they years; amending height limits to accom- will also increase our community’s modate more high-rises; and increased resiliency. Your investment will be prodensity, including to accommodate tected, as will your family, memories and belongings in a strong home for decades affordable housing.

www.capecoralbreeze.com

When it comes to once-in-a-generation hurricanes and Florida’s real estate market, one thing is clear: change is afoot.

Consider Hurricane Andrew. More than three decades ago, that deadly 1992 storm led to the consolidation of more than 400 different building codes into a single statewide code. The statewide code also established high-velocity hurricane zones – essentially, Miami-Dade and Broward counties – with even stricter codes.

Those stringent standards truly did make a difference.

Soon after Hurricane Ian made landfall a little more than one year ago, one analysis determined that wind losses in Lee County were twice as high for structures built before 1996.

This is why new building codes are in our near future. To continue upgrading the integrity of our structures, changes will need to be made to keep our buildings sturdy, safe and standing tall.

Then there are those looking to rebuild or renovate, whose homes were destroyed or sustained a considerable amount of damage from the storm, and the impact an existing rule under the federal National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that is significantly complicating some of those efforts.

Page 15 ■ November 10, 2023

Market trends: After Ian, expect tougher building codes, increased resiliency

Cape Coral Breeze

www.capecoralbreeze.com

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 16

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

GoldenFest XIII set for Sunday at the Shell Factory Muhley grass in a home garden.

Signs of fall in our Florida gardens

By SHERIE BLEILER

news@breezenewspapers.com

G C

C

C

See SIGNS OF FALL, page 46

Cape Coral Breeze

If you’re looking for fall like you experienced “up north,” where freezes turn leaves red and golden before they fall, you might say Cape Coral doesn’t have a fall.

Since our plants just keep growing all winter (although more slowly) most of our leaves don’t “fall.”

Yet we do have some fantastic seasonal color. I ARDEN recently drove up to Babcock Ranch, just north LUB OF of the Lee County line, and saw a breathtaking display APE ORAL of pink muhley grass.

About 3 feet high, swaying in the breeze, mauve-colored muhley grass is planted block after block. Instead of a lawn between the street and sidewalk, they planted muhley.

In Cape Coral, you can see muhley in bloom in the median along Coronado Boulevard north of Cape Coral Parkway up to Del Prado. You will also see many plants along Cultural Park Boulevard at the Police Department property.

When the blooms have faded, January is a good time to trim them down to about six inches. This simulates the burning that would naturally occur in the dry season in pine flatwoods. Be on the lookout for other grasses which also put up their blooms in the fall and look their finest from now to December.

Asters bloom in late fall when many other flowers have gone to seed, providing late season nectar for our pollinators. Climbing aster grows well in our climate, covering itself with fragrant lavender flowers in late November to January. It gets so heavy it tends to fall over unless it has a fence to lean on. They are a perennial shrub and grow all year long, year after year. In the spring, after blooms are finished, trim it way back.

Chrysanthemums are in the aster family. However, garden mums cannot tolerate tropical heat and summer humidity in the southern half of Florida. They evolved mainly in temperate China. You may buy them to enjoy temporary fall color, but I find they are very short lived here.

If you have walked some of the beautiful preserves in Lee County, you have probably noticed beautyberry growing in the shade of surrounding trees. It is a shrub, about 4 to 8 feet tall and striking in the fall-winter for its bright purple fruit. A mature beautyberry has long, arching branches that will weep toward the ground. It will grow in sun or shade.

The dense clusters of purple berries encircle the stems. These berries are an excellent food source for birds such as cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds and woodpeckers. The bush is briefly deciduous in late winter, making the fruit even more visible. Some recom-

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PHOTO PROVIDED

GoldenFest XIII, a huge annual pet fair and fundraiser, promises to be a golden day for dogs and their people.

Hosted by Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida, the festival will be held at the Shell Factory & Nature Park in North Fort Myers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 12.

GoldenFest events include dozens of vendors, exhibits, dog obedience, flyball, scent work, trick and agility demos, Sheriff’s Office K-9 demos, live music, dancing by the Calendar Girls, refreshments, a Santa Paws photo booth, a huge raffle and silent auction, and much more.

In attendance will be hundreds of goldens rescued by GRRSWF over the years, each sporting a “GRRSWF Alumni” bandana. The rescue, founded in 2009, has saved more than 1,200 goldens and golden mixes, from Florida as well as South Korea and the Midwest.

“It is a thrill for us to bring GoldenFest to our community each year. We couldn’t do it, however, without the invaluable help of our special friends at the Shell Factory & Nature Park and many, many volunteers,” said Dennis Guyitt, vice president of GRRSWF and GoldenFest XIII manager. “GoldenFest gets better every year, and we are so honored to share it with everyone in Southwest Florida.”

“If you love dogs, GoldenFest is the place to be,” added GRRSWF Fundraising Committee Chairman Cliff Smith.”

It is so much fun for dogs, dog lovers and the entire family. GoldenFest only happens once a year, so you don't want to miss it.”

There will also be a GRRSWF Alumni Reunion tent for the golden retrievers GRRSWF has rescued since 2009.

Since 2015, as part of its international mission, the rescue has saved more than. Seventy goldens from South Korea to raise awareness about the dog-meat industry that still exists in some parts of the world.

“This will be our 13th annual GoldenFest, and it should be our best yet,” said Guyitt. “We added events like obedience, agility and flyball demonstrations, pony rides, live music, and on-site food and beverages. This is the best and largest dog event of the year in Southwest Florida.”

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will have a huge presence at GoldenFest this year, with K9 demonstrations, training demos, an ice cream truck, a SWAT Team Bear Cat vehicle, a robot dog and possibly even a virtual reality vehicle where visitors get to experience a deputy’s real life decision-making.

There will be a number of awards presented to supporters of the rescue, as well as the second annual presentation of the coveted “Hero Award” recognizing the individual or organization who made exceptional contributions to animal welfare in Southwest Florida in 2023. Last year, this award was presented to Sheriff Carmine Marceno and the LCSO Animal Cruelty Task Force for making Lee County a safer place for animals.

A group from ABC 4 K9, a dog-training group in North Fort Myers, will be doing obedience and rally demos.

Representatives of Bratty Paws in Punta Gorda will do canine agility demos. The Barkaholics Team from Sarasota will share their enthusiastic demonstrations of a canine sport called flyball. and Endless Trails Stables will have pony rides for the kids.

Additionally, the event will feature representatives of the North Fort Myers Fire Control District displaying equipment and vehicles.

Vendors include a huge variety of pet-related businesses, services and nonprofits, as well as numerous other local

DENNIS GUYITT / COURTESY PHOTOS

Information about the popular dog breed will be available at GoldenFest XIII Sunday. businesses.

A huge raffle features gift cards from restaurants and attractions, pet-related goodie baskets, tickets to sporting events and rounds of golf, wine baskets, luxury items and more.

Sponsors include: The Gunterberg Charitable Foundation - Brotherhood of Heroes; Enterprise Holdings; The Burruss Foundation; an anonymous local family foundation; and Subaru of Fort Myers.

Additional sponsors are David and Linda Lucas; the Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral; Cameo of Lee County; FETCH Specialty and Emergency Veterinary Centers; Jeff Cull and Ella Nayor; Duckberry Designs; Florida Restoration; Roxanne and Cliff Smith; United Way Beesley’s PawPrints; FineMark National Bank & Trust; Flight Fast Track; Florida Blue Medicare; Bay Street Yard; Lee County Sheriff’s Office; the Shell Factory & Nature Park; NBC2; and Florida Weekly.

The Shell Factory is at 16554 N. Cleveland Ave. in North Fort Myers.

All breeds of well-mannered, leashed dogs — especially golden retrievers — are invited to attend with their owners.

Admission and parking are free.

For additional information, please visit www.grrswf/goldenfest.org, email info@grrswf.org or call 239-369-0415.

Riverboat Jazz Band to perform Nov. 21 for dance at the Lake Kennedy Center in Cape The Riverboat Jazz Band will perform from 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 21, at Lake Kennedy Center, 400 Santa Barbara Blvd., Cape Coral.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The cost for the dance is $5

Page 17 ■ November 10, 2023

COMMUNITY

THE BREEZE

per person. BYOB and other refreshments.

For additional information about the band or the monthly dance at the Lake Kennedy Center, please call 239-574-0575.

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 18 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

HEALTH HEALTH NOTES H2 Health announces partnership with Advanced Physical Therapy of Fort Myers and Cape Coral H2 Health, www.h2health.com, a comprehensive rehabilitation provider, announced the acquisition of Advanced Physical Therapy of Fort Myers and Cape Coral. Founded over 20 years ago by Thomas Zeller, PT, DPT, the practice is committed to delivering skilled and compassionate care to the community. Advanced Physical Therapy will continue to provide the same services in the current locations.

After closing this transaction, H2 Health will own and operate over 190 clinic locations, including over 50 locations in Florida.

H2 Health, a portfolio company of Grant Avenue Capital, provides comprehensive rehabilitation services to children, adults and seniors throughout its operating network. For more information, please visit www.H2 Health.com or email contactus@h2health.com

Messina returns to Lee Health Foundation as development director Lynnae Messina has returned to Lee Health Foundation as development director. She will focus on fundraising for the Lee Health Heart Institute. Messina had previously served as assistant to the chief development officer at Lee Health Foundation for three years.

Bringing more than 10 years of development and fundraising experience, Messina has also served in development roles at Harry Chapin Food Bank and PACE Center for Girls, Lee County. As associate executive director with the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Sanctuary, she was instrumental in a land acquisition campaign that preserved 68 acres on Sanibel Island from being developed into 29 homes.

For information about the role of philanthropy at Lee Health or to donate, visit LeeHealthFoundation.org or call 239-343-6950.

Lee Health supports veterans through Veteran Visitation Program The needs of local veterans are top of mind this time of year and, at Lee Health, a program helps veterans year-round to offer additional support at Cape Coral Hospital during times of need.

Part of the Lee Health Military Support Program in coordination with the American Red Cross and the United Way, the Veteran Visitation Program is the first civilian hospital in the area and the nation to launch such a program.

The volunteer-based program began in 2019 with volunteers ensuring veteran patients received all of the important information they might need with contact information for the American Red Cross, Mission United, Florida Department of Veterans Affairs at Lee County VA Healthcare Center in Cape Coral and Lee County Department of Human and Veteran Services for assistance if needed after they are discharged.

Eventually, Lee Health plans to expand the program to all four of its acute-care hospitals. The health system serves an average of 5,000 veterans a month in its adult acute-care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.

At Cape Coral Hospital, a group of 15 volunteers sees veteran patients six times a week.

Volunteers help with everything from offering a simple listening ear to providing resources, supporting the veterans in preparation for discharge.

The Veteran Visitation Program benefits both patients and volunteers. It gives a welcome distraction from their hospital stay and quick access to solve issues that might arise related to their care. Veteran patients also enjoy reminiscing about their military experiences with fellow veteran volunteers, who find the program equally as rewarding. Volunteers enjoy giving back to their community and connecting with and honoring their fellow veterans.

For additional information or to find out how to volunteer, please call 239-343-2045 or email militarysupport@leehealth.org.

THE BREEZE NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Diabetes: what should I know?

More than 37 million adults and chilto the pancreas making very little, if any insulin. dren in the United States have diabetes and Type 2 diabetes usually develops over a according to the Centers for Disease long period of time without being noticed. It Control and Prevention (CDC), 8.5 million is a chronic health condition that happens of these Americans do not know they have when the cells of the body are not respondit. ing to insulin like they should, and the panIf someone has diabetes, it means their creas will often make high levels of insulin body does not make enough insulin or canto overcompensate. It’s important to see a not use it as well as it should, resulting in doctor if you have any symptoms. too much blood sugar or glucose in the Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a type of bloodstream. Over time, consistent elevated diabetes that occurs only in pregnancy and blood sugar levels can cause serious health usually resolves after the birth of the baby. problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, What is Prediabetes? nerve damage, issues with the feet and kidPrediabetes occurs when blood sugar ney disease.

Laura Cross levels are higher than normal, but not high The CDC also says it is estimated that enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.

96 million adults have prediabetes, 80% of The long-lasting lifestyle adjustments you whom do not know they have it. make in the diabetes prevention program How Do I Know If I Have Diabetes? will help to prevent or delay the onset of Many people do not notice any symptype 2 diabetes. toms. If you feel very thirsty, are urinating How Do I Manage Diabetes? more often than usual, have blurry vision, feel tired and/or If you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes, have sores that are slow to heal, please see your doctor and these are common conditions and there is plenty of support consider getting tested for diabetes.

Your physician may order one or more of the following available. With proper management, you can lead a healthy lifestyle. tests to find out if you have diabetes: Lee Health’s certified diabetes care and education spe■ A1C blood test cialists offer three educational programs: Diabetes ■ Fasting Blood Glucose Prevention, Diabetes Self-Management, and Pregnancy ■ Glucose Tolerance Test and Diabetes.

Free Informational Events This Month ■ Diabetes Prevention: For people diagnosed with preThese events will provide information on adopting and diabetes maintaining healthy habits as well as knowing your risk ■ Diabetes Self-Management: For people diagnosed and what to do to support prevention, early diagnosis, and with type 1 or type 2 diabetes timely treatment. These events will run from 9 a.m. to 4 ■ Pregnancy and Diabetes: For women who have diap.m. betes and become pregnant or are diagnosed with gesta■ Monday, Nov. 13, in the Cape Coral Hospital auxiltional diabetes iary room, 636 Del Prado Blvd., S., Cape Coral Courses are offered in the mornings, afternoons and ■ Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the Lee Memorial Hospital medical staff conference room, 2776 Cleveland Ave., Fort evenings. One-on-one appointments are also available.

Diabetes education is a covered benefit for Medicare and Myers most commercial insurances. Call 239-424-3127 to regis■ Wednesday, Nov. 15, in the Gulf Coast Medical ter for the program that fits your needs. To learn more Center main atrium, 13681 Doctors Way, Fort Myers please visit: https://www.leehealth.org/our-services/lee■ Thursday, Nov. 16, in the HealthPark Medical Center health-solutions/diabetes-education-support or contact our main atrium, 9981 S. HealthPark Drive, Fort Myers office at 239-424-3127.

What are the Main Types of Diabetes?

Laura Cross is a certified diabetes care and education There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational. specialist with Lee Health. For more information, visit Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder which leads https://www.leehealth.org/.

Guest Commentary

Lee Health acute care hospitals earn ‘A’ grades from The Leapfrog Group The Leapfrog Group released its Fall 2023 Hospital Safety Grades, awarding HealthPark Medical Center, Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center and Lee Memorial Hospital an “A” grade, which is the highest honor that can be received. This marks the 12th straight reporting period that all Lee Health Hospitals have received a grade of a “B” or higher.

HealthPark Medical Center earned an “A” grade for the 10th straight reporting period, and Gulf Coast Medical Center earned an “A” for the fourth straight reporting period and sixth since 2013. Lee Memorial Hospital and Cape Coral Hospital maintained their “A” grade for the third reporting period in a row.

The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization working towards improvement in the quality and safety of healthcare.

“Going above and beyond to provide excellent patient care is second nature to our team and I am pleased to work alongside a group of such dedicated individuals,” said Dr. Stephanie Stovall, chief clinical officer of quality/safety and hospital-based care for Lee Health. “Everyone in the health system contributed to this achievement and I want to thank each staff member for their unwavering commitment to the safety of our patients. Our patients trust us with

their lives and we are proud to provide the highest quality and safety of care to the Southwest Florida community.”

The Leapfrog Safety Grade assigns letter grades of “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” and “F” to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms.

Leapfrog’s high standards were developed under the guidance of a national expert panel. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 22 measures of publicly available hospital safety data twice each year to assign grades to more than 2,700 acute-care hospitals in the United States. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

Children’s hospitals are not included in The Leapfrog Group’s fall grades. However, the Leapfrog Group has named Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida as a Top Children’s Hospital four times.

The annual Top Hospital awards from Leapfrog are based on the grades from the nonprofit and are expected to be announced in December 2023.

To learn more about Leapfrog’s Fall 2023 Hospital Safety Grades, please visit http://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.

Lee Schools look to better serve ESOL students

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

news@breezenewspapers.com

Fort Myers Beach garage saga ends with town’s approval of variance

By NATHAN MAYBERG

nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com

What a difference three months make. Back in August, Rick Loughery went on the roof of his Estero Boulevard garage for more than five days to protest the opinions of town and state officials that he believed would have left him with no choice but to tear down his garage to rebuild it to meet the new floodplain codes after it survived Hurricane Ian. With their Fort Myers Beach home demolished by Hurricane Ian, Rick and Amy Loughery were faced with the prospect of seeing a garage they spent more than $100,000 to build, being needlessly destroyed. Rick believed he was facing a bureaucracy following new floodplain maps to deprive him of the right to keep his property.

On Monday, the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council unanimously approved a variance for the garage, which will allow the Lougherys to build their new home and keep their garage.

“We broke ground today on our new home,” Amy said.

An administrative decision by town and state officials that concluded the garage was laterally attached to their home, despite the fact that the garage survived Hurricane Ian intact and the home was destroyed almost cost them their garage. Town and state officials had originally concluded that since the structure was considered connected to the destroyed home, more than 50% of the value was damaged and had to be built to new FEMA codes with a higher foundation, a second floor and breakaway walls.

FILE PHOTO

Amy Loughery stands in the garage that will be saved following the approval by the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council for a variance.

After a meeting between town officials, the Florida Department of Emergency Management's Office of Floodplain Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in August, the town received an email from the state floodplain manager which revised the initial assessment and provided the town with alternative option without negatively impacting the town's national flood insurance program rating.

“We would like to thank the Local Planning Agency and council for their support and approval,” Amy said.

Cape Coral Breeze

academic officer and deputy superintendent to help train teachers with science in reading with specific modules dedicated to oral language development and language acquisition, which in turn will help start to close the gap.

There is also intervention for other areas, such as math with Imagine Math and after school tutoring sessions in math for elementary and middle school students. For high school students the ESOL department is working with the math curriculum department to provide professional development.

For Next Generation Sunshine State Standards Science for fifth grade students 13% received a level 3-5 in the spring of 2023 and 8% for eighth graders. Fourteen percent were proficient for end of course biology scores in the spring of 2023. In the spring of 2023 13.4% were proficient in U.S. history and 22.1% in seventh and eighth grade civics.

She said there was a significant downward trend in U.S. history and civics, which may be attributed to background knowledge, as well as different government structures from where they grew up.

These students also test on World Class Instructional Design and Assessment standards, which are English Language Proficiency Standards that measure academic language skills. These focus on social and instructional language, language of language arts, language of mathematics, language of science and language of social studies.

The percentage of proficiency levels – four to six – for the 2023 school year: ■ Listening — 55% compared to 71.82% in 2022 and 72.6% in 2021 ■ Speaking — 35.02%, compared to 44.52% in 2022 and 44.98% in 2021 ■ Reading — 16.58%, compared to 13.99% in 2022 and 23.6% in 2021 ■ Writing — 17.0%, compared to 19.41% in 2022 and 25.38% in 2021 ■ Overall — 12%, compared to 16% in 2022 and 2021% in 2021.

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A cultural shift in under way to better serve students in the School District of Lee County's English for Speakers of Other Languages program with plans to implement changes in every school.

The goal?

To transform the district’s ESOL department to better serve students in the program, something officials said will not happen overnight.

“It’s going to take time. Your work will speak for itself, and it will spread. Work with the willing at the moment and (it will) start to trickle down,” said ESOL Director Sohira Sarmiento in explaining the initiative at a recent school board meeting.

Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said the shift began with the coalition of the willing, who immediately jumped on board.

“All of them will come through this process and will have a plan,” he said.

Sixteen schools, including some charter schools, are still to be included.

Sarmiento, who was born and raised in Miami as a student within the ESOL program, has recently become the director in the district.

“I am very passionate about it, and it means a lot to me because it’s a full circle moment to help these students,” she said.

The change will be transform the ESOL department.

“I would like to transform the ESOL department — building capacity within our schools. My small team cannot be at every school to teach the child. Transformative change is needed to grow into a world class system that includes ESOL students,” Sarmiento said.

That transformation includes creating a common language around words used to describe and talk about ESOL students. Supporting schools is another way to transform the program.

“The district ESOL specialist and school did not have a clear understanding of supporting schools,” Sarmiento said.

The new vision The new vision of support for schools falls under English Language Learner tiers of support and an action planner.

The tiers include developing an action plan, customized professional learning sessions, targeted planning support for Professional Learning Communities, data review and progress monitoring meetings as requested by school, classroom visits monitoring instruction, ondemand support, ESOL specialist support visits, modeling lessons and/or interventions and guidance for student small group interventions.

“The action planner is to help guide support given at each school with three focus areas,” she said, adding that there are objectives and goals set up for each area.

The vision also includes the role of the ESOL contact for curriculum and instruction, which includes providing ongoing professional learning, supporting professional learning communities and progress monitoring student achievement data.

“This area is critical and ESOL contacts to grow to help capacity in school,” Sarmiento said of ongoing professional learning.

Sarmiento said it’s about shifting the mindset of ESOL contacts and administrators, which is a positive change that goes beyond compliance tasks.

The hope is also to bring two ESOL compliance specialists to six with each zone having two dedicated compliance specialists.

Sarmiento is also applying for an Immigrant Grant to add two support employees who speak Spanish and Haitian Creole to help talk with families, so they receive support while transitioning from other countries.

By the numbers There are currently 18,478 ESOL students enrolled in the district, a number that is always a moving target as students become language proficient and exit the program.

The majority of 18,478 students in the ESOL program speak Spanish, with 15,176 students; 1,201 speak

Haitian Creole and 586 speak Portuguese.

“It is going to take time for you to develop language — three to five years to get a solid foundation to learn a new language,” Sarmiento said. If we are “not looking at every child and trying to make best interventions and decisions about them, we will continue to see the cycle we are in.”

Students are reevaluated at their third year to see how they are doing.

Some remain in the program their for their entire education.

There are currently students in the ESOL program that began in kindergarten and are now in high school, she said.

“That should not be the case,” Sarmiento said. “It cannot be language at that point. There is more training that our ESOL contacts need. We can put support in place for these kids.”

The enrollment over the last few years include: ■ 2020-2021 — 12,414 ■ 2021-2022 — 15,408 ■ 2022-2023 — 21,227 ■ 2023-2024 — 20,582 — the number pending at the summer for the ESOL program.

“This past summer we exited 85 students that performed on grade level during spring 2023 testing season,” she said, explaining why there was a dip at the end of the school year to the start of the year.

Proficiency scores The presentation included testing scores.

FAST testing for Spring 2023 with achievement levels 3,4 and 5 ■ English Language Arts — English Language Learner of 10.1% compared to non-English Language Learner of 52.9% ■ Math — grades 3-8 – 30% for ELL and 59% for non-ELL students ■ Algebra — 15.3% for spring 2023 ■ Geometry — 13.9% for spring 2023 Sarmiento said they are currently partnering with the elementary curriculum team, executive directors, chief

Page 19 ■ November 10, 2023

Weekly BREEZE Recap

Changing exhibitions in the Cape Coral Library’s expansive art gallery are sponsored by the Friends of the Cape Coral Library and are designed to afford local artists the opportunity to share their work in this public forum.

The library is located at 921 S.W. 39th Terrace, off of Mohawk Parkway, and the current exhibit will be open during regular business hours now through Dec. 27.

The walls of the library gallery currently feature acrylic paintings by award-winning artist Elaine Weissborn, and

Cape Coral Breeze

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November 10, 2023 ■ Page 20

Weissborn paintings and origami, Van Inwegen glass and jewelry at Cape Coral Library through Dec. 27

Jewelry by Judy Van Inwegen

one of the cases features her origami creations. Two display cases contain unique fused glass and jewelry created by Judy Van Inwegen.

Weissborn has been interested in art and nature from an early age. Art classes in elementary and middle school were always a bright spot in her day. She briefly considered studying medical illustration as a way of combining her interests in both art and science. However, the need to obtain gainful employment led her to a bachelor's degree in medical technology, and later in life to a master's degree in library information and science. After over 20 years of service with the Lee County Library System, she retired from librarianship and was finally able to seriously pursue the creative arts.

She started her painting journey with Pat St. Onge at the Cape Coral Art League, and has continued studying with several instructors at the Pine Island Art Association and with Patty Sole at the Cape Coral Art League. She has won awards at both art associations.

Weissborn works with acrylic paints, and originally found inspiration for painting from the works of the Florida Highwaymen and A.E. Backus. These paintings seemed to reflect her love of photographing the “Real Florida” as promoted by the Florida State Park System. She enjoys combining her interest in photography with painting, and frequently creates paintings from her own photographic prints.

Her photography has been recognized in CHNEP annual calendars, by the Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough, by the Friends of Cape Coral Wildlife Burrowing Owl Photo Contest, and by Florida Scenic Highways.

In addition, origami created by Weissborn will be in the display case. Origami has also been a passion for her from an early age. She particularly enjoys the complex models of John Montroll; 3-D geometric origami; and the modular origami of Tomoko Fuse. The items on display are all folded and assembled from square origami paper. Some of the models are created from up to 30 identical carefully assembled units.

Van Inwegen’s fused glass art is on display in two of the gallery cases. Her work is very popular with library visitors,

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Artist Elaine Weissborn’s “Color Me Happy” painting. so she has been invited to exhibit her fused glass here previously on many occasions, but this time she has added some unique jewelry for her fans to view. It was stained glass that first captured her interest until she discovered a skill and enthusiasm for working in fused glass.

Van Inwegen studied with “the best glass artists from Bullseye Glass Company at Miami University.” She also attended classes in Coldworking with Jonathon Schmuck, glass artist and author of the definitive book on the process.

Van Inwegen’s glass art has been shown in numerous exhibitions in Pennsylvania and Southwest Florida. She is a member of the Southwest Florida Fine Craft Guild and also attends classes at the Cape Coral Art Center.

For additional information about the exhibits, contact Art Gallery Chairperson Monica Rahman by email to gallery@capefriends.org or visit www.capefriends.org.

Follow “Friends of the Cape Coral Library” on Facebook.

The Friends of the Cape Coral Library will be holding its Fall Book Sale fundraiser Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17-18, in the meeting room at the Cape Coral Library located at 921 S.W. 39th Terrace.

The sale will be open to the public on Nov. 17-18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days.

A special Members Only Preview Sale will be held the day before on Thursday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nonmembers may join the Friends of the Cape Coral Library non-profit organization at

the door by paying the annual dues of only $15 per family.

The huge meeting room of the library will be filled with thousands of quality used books arranged by category. There will be lots of fiction for adults and a section for children and teens. Find non-fiction sorted by subject, such as Art, Crafts, History, Biography, Cookbooks, Gardening and more. The Friends of the Cape Coral Library recently received a large donation of brand new non-fiction books, primarily on historical topics, and

these beauties will be offered for purchase at this sale.

There will also be audio books and music CDs, plus movies on DVD. Most items are $1 or $2, with small paperbacks at less than a buck!

There will also be a large selection of “special” books, such as those by Florida authors, autographed books, collectibles and more, that are priced somewhat higher, but are still an incredible bargain. The sale is a good source for holiday gifts.

Proceeds from the event are used to sup-

port the Cape Coral Public Library branch.

Sales will be by cash or personal check only. Credit cards will not be accepted.

Donations of gently used resale quality books, CDs and DVDs for the Friends' book sales are accepted year-round. Call the Friends’ phone message service at 239349-2572, leave a clear message with your phone number, and we will return your call.

For more information, visit us at www.capefriends.org and follow us on Facebook.

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Friends of Cape Coral Library Fall Book Sale Nov. 17-18

Lee County Community Band to begin 138th season Sunday U.S. Armed Forces. Selections include “Washington Post,” “Aces of the Air,” “The Armed Forces Salute,” “The Entertainer” and “Vaudeville Spectacular.”

The band will perform six concerts between November and April. The programs are free of charge (donations welcome), and open to the public; all will take place in the Mariner High School

Gulf Coast Harmonizers to present ‘Heart of My Heart’ Sunday in Fort Myers tion of approximately 24,000 members in choruses and quartets worldwide. The headquarters is located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tickets are $25 general admission with $20 for seniors and $15 for students.

To purchase tickets online, visit gcharmonizers.com. For additional information, email gcharmonizers@gmail.com or call 855-425-3631.

The 50-member adult band rehearses Thursday evenings at St. Michael Lutheran School, Fort Myers. Members are musicians from all walks of life – professional and semi-professional musicians, amateurs, and folks renewing skills from years past – who reside in Lee, Collier, and Charlotte Counties. The band welcomes new members every year. If you are interested in joining, please phone 239-60090527.

For additional information, please visit www.leecountyband.org

Cape Coral Computer Club’s next meeting Wednesday via Zoom Cape Coral Computer Club's next meeting Wednesday. The Cape Coral Computer Club meets over Zoom the first and third Wednesday of each month, with the next meeting being from 2-4 p.m., Nov. 15.

This meeting will include information about how to maximize the use of

YouTube and SharePoint - -what's new, with time for questions and answers. All skill levels are welcome to join.

For more information about the club or the upcoming meeting, please visit the club website at https://www.capecoralcomputer.club/

Cape Coral Breeze

The Gulf Coast Harmonizers will present "Heart of My Heart," featuring the Seahorse Chorale from The Sanibel School, at 2 p.m, Sunday, Nov. 12, at Cypress Lake Presbyterian Church, 8260 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers.

The Gulf Coast Harmonizers chorus and quartets sing barbershop harmony.

The group is a chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, a non-profit organiza-

Auditorium High School auditorium, 701 Chiquita Blvd., North, Cape Coral, beginning at 3 p.m.

Additional concert dates are Dec. 10, Jan. 14, Feb. 11, March 10, and April 7.

An institution in Southwest Florida, the band enjoys a large loyal and enthusiastic audience at every concert. Programs typically include a mix of spirited marches, Broadway hits, old favorites, patriotic songs, seasonal pieces, and sing-alongs with Jan Fenn and emcee and vocalist Fred Lamb.

www.capecoralbreeze.com

The Lee County Community Band will begin its 138th season with the first of six concerts Sunday, Nov. 12, at 3 p.m. at Mariner High School in Cape Coral.

In keeping with tradition for the season's first concert, Director Gil Peltoa has selected a program featuring spirited and patriotic American music by American composers and a salute to veterans of the

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Veterans Day important for Gulf Coast Village resident Lachance

By ANN WALSH

Special to The Breeze

Out of over 215,000 Cape Coral residents, about 8.1%, or roughly 17,500 residents, are veterans, according to Census Reporter.

In fact, many of the residents at Gulf Coast Village, a continuing care retirement community in Cape Coral, are veterans. In 2020, nearly 25% of Gulf Coast Village residents had previously served in the military. This National Veterans Month, a particular resident has a unique story to tell.

For Command Sgt. Maj. Robert “Bob” Lachance, November is a month that he looks forward to each year, as it gives him a reason to put his uniform back on and wear it with pride while honoring fellow veterans.

Lachance is a United States Army veteran who has a deep love and respect for his time in the United States military. Bob and his wife of 64 years, Milly Lachance, moved to Gulf Coast Village in 2022.

Though he’s resided in Cape Coral for over 20 years, Southwest Florida hasn't always been Bob’s home. The veteran was born in Central Falls, Rhode Island, and his family moved to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, shortly after, which is where he grew up and attended school.

For his entire life, Bob had looked forward to joining the military. So, when the time came for him to graduate high school and he could not afford to go to college, he did just that.

If there’s one thing that Bob truly does love, it’s the 25 years that he spent serving his country.

After joining the U.S. Army in 1953, Bob became a Morse code intercept operator during the aftermath of the Korean War. The war had begun while Bob was in high school, so just a few days after he had enlisted in the Army, the war had ended; this meant that Bob was not in combat, but he was still an active-duty soldier stationed in Korea to deal with the aftereffects of the three-year war.

Bob was a sergeant in the Army Security Agency and served from 1953 to 1956. He was stationed in Korea for 18 months before returning to America.

After being honorably discharged from the regular Army, Bob enlisted in the Rhode Island Army National

PHOTO PROVIDED

Command Sgt. Maj. Robert “Bob” Lachance and his wife Milly at Gulf Coast Village.

Guard, where he carried out the remainder of his military career. While in the National Guard, Bob served in the Cold War from 1956-1990 as a full-time technician.

Though he was a technician, he was always prepared to step back into his role as an active-duty soldier if needed.

In October 1985, Bob became a sergeant major, which is the highest achievable ranking for an enlisted man. He was also awarded the Rhode Island Star for his exceptional distinction and received recognition for his 25 years of service.

In the future, Bob would become a member of the Special Forces Association in Rhode Island, where he was

also known as a “Green Beret.” In this role, he, alongside a team of other Special Forces members, were the soldiers that the general would call on for any special operations mission.

According to Bob, the military in him always remained, even after retirement. He still carries many of the lessons he learned from his time in the service with him, and to this day, he is still a member of the Special Forces Association in Rhode Island.

Bob was also a volunteer for over 20 years with Hope Hospice's VALOR Program, where he presented flags and documents to veterans.

Aside from his admirable passion for his time in the military, he is also a grandfather to 12 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren — with another on the way , a husband of over six decades and a talented singer.

Bob is a former barbershop singer of over 20 years with the Cape Coral Barber Shop Singers, which shows how much he loves to sing. After moving from Rhode Island to Florida, Bob became a participant in the Intermezzo Choir in Fort Myers, which is the only choir in Southwest Florida specifically dedicated to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Though he is no longer a part of the Intermezzo Choir after relocating to Gulf Coast Village, he still carries out his passion for singing through Gulf Coast Village’s church service, where he gets to showcase his lifelong love for music each week to his fellow Gulf Coast Village residents and their families.

While living at Gulf Coast Village, Bob has made friends with fellow veterans through the Band of Brothers and Sisters; he goes to lunch with them every now and then, and he greets fellow veterans when they see each other around the community’s campus.

Bob also enjoys playing cornhole with his friends at Gulf Coast Village and attending the exercise classes that are offered for residents.

This year, Bob is looking forward to putting his uniform on this Nov. 11 to honor his fellow veterans and show pride for his country.

Ann Walsh is Regional Vice President of Operations Healthcare for Volunteers of America National Services.

BUSINESS BRIEFS Just Lovelee Boutique to hold grand opening party Nov. 18

Crisp Creperie moves to new location

Schwigk named branch manager for Townsend Title Insurance Agency Townsend Title Insurance Agency has announced that Jesse Schwigk has been appointed as branch manager of the Cape Coral location.

Schwigk began working for Townsend Title in 2011 as a processor while attending North Fort Myers High School. Once she graduated in 2012, she left to pursue her bachelor’s degree at Florida State University. She graduated FSU with her bachelor’s in science degree in 2016 and then came back to Townsend Title as a closing officer.

Townsend Title is located at 4049 Del Prado Blvd., S., Cape Coral. for additional information, call 239-5498696.

Elite DNA Behavioral Health launches statewide toy drive for Toys for Tots Elite DNA Behavioral Health, a local comprehensive behavioral and mental health care provider, is hosting a statewide holiday toy drive to benefit area children through Toys for Tots.

From Monday, Nov. 13, to Friday, Dec. 8, Elite DNA is collecting toys at 31 locations statewide and is calling on the community for support through donations of new and unwrapped toys.

Toys for Tots is a national initiative through the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve that collects new toys to distribute to less fortunate children at Christmas. Its goal is to bring the joy of the holidays and send a message of hope to America’s less fortunate children.

Elite DNA has practices throughout the state of Florida and is collecting unwrapped toys at its locations in Bradenton, Brandon, Brooksville, Cape Coral, Delray Beach, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Jupiter, Lakeland, Largo, Lehigh Acres, Maitland, Naples, New Port Richey, North Tampa, Ocoee, Orange Park, Ormond Beach, Oviedo, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Stuart, Tallahassee, Tampa, Venice, Wesley Chapel and Weston.

The community is invited to drop off donations at any Elite DNA location between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays from Nov. 13 to Dec. 8.

For more information and to find drop-off locations across the state, visit EliteDNA.com.

See BUSINESS BRIEFS, page 36

By KATIE EGAN

news@breezenewspapers.com

This year, the Monkey Bar in downtown Cape Coral is celebrating 17 years in business.

It’s one of those restaurants that are part of the very fabric of a city.

Locals go there to relax on a Sunday, for an anniversary or just to hang out.

The Monkey Bar went through COVID and Hurricane Ian and now it deserves to celebrate all that it’s overcome.

Saturday, Nov. 11, from noon to 10 p.m., the restaurant invites the public to help it mark 17 years.

There will be a special anniversary menu, shot specials, happy hour from noon to 8 p.m. and live entertainment.

The Cape Coral steakhouse takes pride in being familyowned and managed. Claudia Garcia owns the restaurant along with her son, Juan Rincon.

The Monkey Bar is known for live entertainment seven days a week, happy hour until 8 p.m., and a great menu with something for everyone. Inside features white tablecloth dining and a quieter atmosphere, more for business or a romantic dinner. Outdoor dining is more of a laid-back, party atmosphere with a dance floor and live music.

COVID-19 caused the Monkey Bar to close in the middle of its peak season. It was able to bounce back, but Rincon said they still had to navigate issues many other

restaurants were also experiencing, such as doing to-go orders only and opening back up to 50% capacity.

Hurricane Ian then caused significant damage and they bounced back again.

In addition to flooding, they had to replace the drywall paint inside, coolers and the roof.

“We were full speed by December,” Garcia said. “We wanted to get back up and running because we had holiday parties scheduled.”

They didn’t want to let anyone down.

The Monkey Bar is known for its panko snapper, a red snapper filet coated with panko breadcrumbs served on a bed of mixed red potatoes, tomatoes, bacon and red onions topped with citrus hollandaise sauce.

“That’s our signature dish,” Garcia said.

The filet mignon wellington is the mother and son duo’s favorite.

When asked what he thinks the restaurant is known for, Rincon said part of its appeal is definitely the food.

The menu will certainly draw you in and the atmosphere will keep you coming back.

The Monkey Bar is located at 1428 Lafayette St. in South Cape. Its hours are noon to 10 p.m., Monday through Sunday. For more information, please call 239549-8800 or visit https://www.monkeybarcape.com.

Mellow Mushroom breaks ground in Cape Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers has announced a new location will open in Cape Coral, Florida next spring.

Ground was broken last Thursday, Nov. 2, at 53 N.E. Pine Island Road, and the restaurant will mark the brand’s first restaurant in Cape Coral.

“We’re excited to plant roots in Cape Coral and continue to expand Mellow Mushroom’s footprint,” said Mike Foster, chief operating officer at Mellow Mushroom. “We’ll be working alongside the location’s new owner Chris Scuderi to bring the restaurant to life, and are eager to welcome another community into the Mellow family.”

Neighboring Cape Coral’s amusement destination Gator Mike’s Family Fun Park, the 5,479-square-foot store will offer a familiar selection of the brand’s stonebaked specialty pizzas and Mellow vibes along with vibrant selections of shareable munchies, greens, remixed sandwiches, smash-style burgers and sweet treats.

Baked with the same modern psychedelic nostalgia diners know and love, the Cape Coral location will dually stay true to its coastal roots with subtle interior design elements reflective of its surroundings, including an anchoring canal motif throughout the space that will lead guests to their tables.

Complete with a 60+ seat main dining room and a full bar featuring 24 beer taps, the space will also debut an expansive covered outdoor patio offering the ideal ambiance for dining and imbibing al fresco.

Touted for its cult-like following and counterculture essence, Mellow Mushroom blends the boundaries between art, music, high quality ingredients and passionate standards for dining. Each individual restaurant is uniquely reflective of its local community while holding true to Mellow Mushroom’s core values and brand.

For more information about the restaurant, visit mellowmushroom.com.

PHOTO PROVIDED

City officials and company representatives break ground for the new Mellow Mushroom restaurant on Pine Island Road in Cape Coral.

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Crisp Creperie has moved to 2301 Del Prado Blvd., S., suite #840, right next door to its old location.

The French creperie continues to serve savory and sweet crepes for breakfast and lunch, along with $5 mimosas, beer and wine, and daily specials.

Th Crisp Creperie is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For additional information, call 239-424-8405.

Monkey Bar to mark anniversary Saturday with a number of specials

www.capecoralbreeze.com

A grand opening party for the Just Lovelee Boutique in downtown Cape Coral will be held Saturday, Nov. 18, from noon to 4 p.m.

The boutique offers "affordable styles for all women,” and features apparel in sizes small to 3X, along with shoes, jewelry, handbags and gifts.

The event will feature the Dawg Pound food truck, Wild Roots Hair Salon doing fairy hair, Linked x Jade & I Jewelry and SWFL Health & Hydration providing IV drips.

In addition, there will be a number of give-aways and the first 50 guests will receive a swag bag full of goodies. Cool Beans Cruises has also provided a catamaran cruise for two, Riverchase Dermatology has provided beauty bucks as well as free products ad Sherlock Holmes Pest control has provided two gift certificates.

Just Lovelee Boutique is located at 1113 S.E. 47th Terrace in South Cape.

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BUSINESS

THE BREEZE

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 36 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

Better Together and Grace Church to host Second Chance Job Fair in Fort Myers Nov. 14 Hiring event to offer second chances for job seekers with barriers to employment Better Together is partnering with Grace Church to host a second chance job fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14.

Better Together’s Second Chance job fairs help job seekers overcome barriers to employment. Those barriers can come in many forms, including homelessness, previous incarceration, lack of reliable childcare or transportation, gaps on a resume due to unemployment or for those who had to start over after Hurricane Ian. Better Together is breaking down these employment barriers by opening the door to back-

ground-friendly employers.

Registration is now open for hiring employers and job seekers to participate in the November event. The church-based job fair not only connects job seekers with local employers who are ready to hire, but also provides resources to facilitate stronger connections and more hires.

There will be free one-on-one job coaching sessions available to job seekers to review resumes and interviewing skills.

There will also be additional resources available onsite, including free haircuts, interview clothes and seal & expungement

information.

Participating employers include AWP Safety, Coca Cola Beverages Florida, Drill Sergeant Construction, Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, HireQuest Direct, Jiffy Lube, Jimmy John's, KJ’s Steakhouse, Mitchell & Stark Construction, PeopleReady, Reece Windows & Doors, The Salvation Army, Trade Corp. and WB Williamson Bros.

The community job fair is part of Better Together’s “Better Jobs” program, which has helped 39,000 applicants connect with employment opportunities across 22 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 Nov. 14 job fair will take place at Grace Church, located at 2415 Grand Ave., Fort Myers. Job seekers and employers can register at Better TogetherUS.org/Events/FtMyers-JF or by texting “JOBS” to 844-987-3949.

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

BUSINESS BRIEFS From page 35

Fort Myers Brewing to host Thanksgiving Eve Bash Nov. 22 Fort Myers Brewing Company is kicking off Thanksgiving weekend with its popular Thanksgiving Eve Bash, featuring specialty beer releases, food trucks and live music with extended hours from noon to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22.

On tap for Thanksgiving Eve Bash are several of Fort Myers Brewing’s popular seasonal brews, including Keg Nog, an eggnog-inspired Imperial Stout; 2 Star’s Wish, a traditional Christmas ale spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, orange and vanilla; Pumpkin Porter, a porter with a touch of allspice, nutmeg and clove; and Cranberry

Shandy, a slightly tart cranberry wheat beer blended with lemonade.

The event includes a food truck rally spotlighting Don’t Give Up, Soky’s Kitchen, Vesuvius Wood-Fired Pizza and Wicked Streatery.

Guests can enjoy live and DJ’d music throughout the day with performances from DJ Memphis from 4 to 7 p.m. and Rock Republic from 7 to 10 p.m.

Fort Myers Brewing Company is located at 12811 Commerce Lakes Drive, Suite 28, in Fort Myers. For more information, visit FMBrew.com or call 239-313-6576.

Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, as seats tend to fill up quickly.

The brewery is closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Norman Love Confections offering cooking classes Norman Love Confections is currently offering cooking classes through the remainder of 2023 for those who are interested in creating exquisite chocolate confections.

The three-hour interactive classes are perfect for individuals or groups who want to become a chocolatier for the night and create decadent treasures of their own, which they will be able to bring home with them.

The offered classes will be from November through December and will focus on different confections: ■ Molded Chocolates on Nov. 17: With

the guidance of staff, you will be able to make everything from hand coloring to casting liquid chocolate and mixing the custom ganache to fill your hand-crafted candies.

■ Hot Chocolate Bombs on Dec. 1 and Dec. 15: Spend your holiday season crafting an adorable foodie-filled hot cocoa bomb with the master chocolatiers of Norman Love Confections.

Each class begins at 6:30 p.m. at 11380 Lindbergh Blvd. in Fort Myers and requires a reservation. The cooking classes cost $95 per person. Class duration varies, depending on the subject matter. Private classes are available upon request.

To reserve a spot, call 239-591-7215.

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

news@breezenewspapers.com

The district received ESSER I, II and III funds, which were federal stimulus funds received by the Department of Education following COVID. ESSER I, which is 100% expended, was in the amount of $21,837,924. ESSER II, 99% expended, were $84,144,216. The final funds, ESSER III, are 59% expended at $189,170,730. expended at $189,170,730 for path forward. This addresses online curriculum, tutoring and summer programs, professional development, stabilization pay, class coverage, instructional materials and personnel for teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, nurses and social workers.

Smith said the top expenditures includes stabilization pay with $68 million; class coverage with $38 million; school positions with $27 million; charter school allocations for $23 million; technology for $15 million; COVID health insurance for $14 million; summer programming for $13 million, Personal Protective Equipment for $9 million; mental health supports for $8 million and tutoring for $6 million.

Last year alone there were 51,532 instances of class coverage during the 2022-2023 school year. In addition,

Cape Coral Breeze

port students, especially around the needs of mental health.

The district received ESSER I, II and III funds, which were federal stimulus funds received by the Department of Education following COVID. ESSER I, which is 100% expended, was in the amount of $21,837,924, and was used for triage — personal protective equipment, online curriculum, hot spots and such support personnel as counselors, nurses and social workers.

ESSER II, $84,144,216, 99% expended for stability. This addressed COVID- related health insurance costs, online curriculum, hot spots, tutoring and summer programs, professional development, stabilization pay, class coverage and personnel for teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, nurses and social workers.

The final funds, ESSER III, is 59%

www.capecoralbreeze.com

With federal stimulus money coming to an end, School District of Lee County staff is looking into how to transition the little more than 300 employee positions that are funded through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief III funds.

Grants Program Administrator Leta Dietz Smith said this week the district is working on solidifying plans for the transition of 302 current employees.

ESSER III funds will close on Sept.

30, 2024, which includes all emergency relief-funded positions ending in June 2023 on district contracts, all of whom have been notified through a letter.

Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said the district is making plans for the continuation of positions.

“The individuals who are ESSER funded have been notified the positions are set to sunset,” he said, adding that shortly after the holidays they will convene as a cabinet to begin the conversations around the budget — what the strategic plan wants staff to accomplish and align with expenditures.

Bernier said the focus is to bring forward some understanding of what the district can afford and continue to sup-

there were 6,607 instances where certified teachers earned an additional $1,000 for covering 15 times.

Some of the highlighted projects funded through ESSER dollars include Close Up Student Ridership, Scholastic Projects, Jump Start Kindergarten Readiness and Summer Sizzlin’ Series.

Smith said the Close Up project allows 160 high school English Language Learner students to travel to Tallahassee to research issues facing their neighborhood. Those students will learn about the state and federal government, tour the capital, meet officials and provide professional development for educators.

Student Ridership, another ESSERfunded project, allows parents to view their children boarding and disembarking their school bus.

The Scholastic Project provided books for elementary students to take home both during the summer and winter breaks. There were also books provided to classroom libraries, and new students enrolling into the district.

The Jump Start Kindergarten Readiness took place at 24 schools and 739 teachers attended the Summer Sizzlin’ Series.

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School district works to keep positions as emergency relief funds come to an end

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 38 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

Volunteers with Veteran Visitation Program at Cape Coral Hospital pay it forward

By CJ HADDAD

cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com

While Veterans Day is celebrated each November, Lee Health works year-round to best-serve those that have served their country.

Whether it’s stopping by to pay a visit, helping with needs while in the hospital, or assisting with potential benefits, the Veteran Visitation Program at Cape Coral Hospital aims to pay it forward while former military are dealing with whatever ailment they may be experiencing.

The volunteer-based program began in 2019 with volunteers giving veteran patients “rack cards” with contact information for the American Red Cross, Mission United, Florida Department of Veterans Affairs at Lee County, VA Healthcare Center in Cape Coral, and Lee County Department of Human and Veteran Services.

Volunteers at the CCH Veteran Visitation Program help with everything from finding someone for veterans to talk to, providing things like a car repair for when they get discharged, finding someone to mow their lawn, or providing help for covering medical costs.

Lee Health Community Benefits Outreach Manager Kim Gaide, along with members of the Red Cross, brainstormed a way to impact veterans in a positive way while they were visiting or in the care of Lee Health.

“We were the first in the nation to work in collaboration with the Red Cross on this program,” Gaide said.

Volunteers with the Veteran Visitation Program at Cape Coral Hospital help with everything from finding someone for veterans to talk to, providing things like a car repair for when they get discharged, finding someone to mow their lawn, or providing help for covering medical costs.

Lee Health serves as many as 5,000 veterans each month (up to 7,000 during season) in its adult acute-care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, and 25-81 veterans per day in its hospitals.

After being limited to phone calls to veteran patients during the pandemic, the program is now in full-force, with in-person visits and consultations taking place.

“Unfortunately, a lot of the veterans we see may not have family down here, or may be elderly, so we reach out,” Gaide said. “We all work together to find and answer, and help our veterans. We give them information for their Veteran Service Officers so they can get benefits they didn’t even know they were supposed to get.”

The program at this moment only sees inperson visitations for those at Cape Coral Hospital, but Gaide said Lee Health has plans in the works to train volunteers to have outreach at all Lee Health hospitals.

Volunteers do not have to be military veterans, though many are.

Lee Freeman, who served 20 years in the Navy, has been a volunteer with the program since its inception, and even assisted local veterans before it started.

“When I heard they were going to start the program, I jumped,” Freeman said. “It’s a beautiful program. I really enjoy the camaraderie we have with the patients.”

Freeman said being able to assist a fellow veteran while they’re in the uncomfortable situation of being in a hospital is what it’s all about.

“A lot of these vets might be in there by themselves, or have family, but either way, their faces just shine when they see they’re getting a visit.

“The whole thing is to see how they’re doing. People do not like being in the hospital. We let them know they’re in a hospital that cares for their wellbeing.”

Freeman said there’s always time for swapping stories on visits.

“What makes it so nice is that some of the veterans will go back and relive the time they were in the service,” he said. “Some might tell me where they were, or their ranks. We call them ‘war stories.’ We tell them as long as they’re here, there will be someone to check in on them.”

Freeman said the bottom line is having that one-on-one interaction with a veterans, and helping them take care of their affairs

while away from their home.

Of course, being a veteran and sporting his Navy hat, Freeman said it’s great to have other veterans open up.

“We ask them how they are, what their status is,” Freeman said. “We even joke around and have light-hearted conversation — make them laugh. They feel comfortable and they appreciate someone taking the time to visit them other than a doctor or nurse.

They really love it, and it’s a two-way street.”

Of how rewarding it is to be a volunteer, Freeman said, “Just taking their mind off of being in the hospital is the thing. For that time we’re with them, they’re with us, and it’s their time to talk and be heard. I can stay in there from a couple minutes to up to 15 minutes. For me, I really love seeing the vets and to let them know about the program.”

As time goes on, Lee Health and its volunteers are only working to bolster the program and the number of veterans they can help. This specific program is under the umbrella of Lee Health's Military Support Program.

“I’m grateful for our veterans, and I wish we could do more for them,” Gaide said.

“We just helped a veteran that didn’t have housing. I reached out to our affordable housing agency, and they were able to get them into a duplex and get them all set up with furniture.”

For more information or to find out how to volunteer, please call 239-343-2045 or email militarysupport@leehealth.org.

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November 10, 2023 ■ Page 40 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

Veterans Day: Lots of options to mark the holiday in and around Cape Coral From page 1 waved, red, white and blue garb worn, and military gear proudly displayed.

The route travels along the parkway west, from Cape Coral Street to Chester Street.

Veterans Day is a special celebration to honor all of the men and women who have served across all spectrums of the United States Armed Forces, and to commemorate their sacrifice to ensure the freedoms we have today as Americans.

Parade organizer Linda Biondi said she’s thrilled to able to once again put on the event, as Hurricane Ian halted the celebration in a Purple Heart City.

“We are ready for Saturday,” Biondi said. “The parade will be a little bigger this year. It is always a great display of how our residents appreciate our veterans.”

Biondi said the staging area has been expanded this year, with part of Del Prado Boulevard south of the parkway to host the large number of participants that will march.

A plethora of local veterans and their organizations representing various branches of the military will fill Cape Coral Parkway, along with countless members of the community who want to show their support.

Participants in this year’s parade include: American Legion of Southwest Florida Post 90, Araba Shriners, Basset Hound Rescue of Southwest Florida, Blue Star Mothers, Brotherhood of Heroes, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 108, Florida Military Vehicle Heritage Group, Knights of Columbus Assembly 2115, Korean War Veterans of Southwest

of Southwest Florida-Fort Myers at ymcaswfl.org. Pre- and post-race activi“We are ready for Saturday. The parade will be a little bigger this year. It ties will be at Royal Palm Square at the is always a great display of how our residents appreciate our veterans.” base of the Midpoint Bridge in Fort Myers at 1400 Colonial Blvd. The race begins at —Linda Biondi, Veterans Day Parade organizer 8 a.m. To sign up to enter the race, visit runsignup.com.

For more information about the Lee County Department of Transportation, Florida Chapter 155, Military Purple celebrate the veterans in our community.

“They’ve served. They gave their time visit leegov.com/dot or email traffic conHeart, United States Submarine Veteran Barb Base, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post so that we can live the life that we do. And cerns to LeeTrafficTOC@leegov.com.

For questions regarding the bridge clo8463, Vietnam Veterans of American we thank them." sure, call 239-533-9400.

Chapter 594.

Restored vintage military vehicles motoring down the parkway to patriotic Veterans Day music alongside veterans is sure to drum Breakfast Fundraiser up a feeling of pride. The Cape Coral The Republican Party of Lee County Police Department and Lee County will host a Veterans Day Breakfast Sheriff’s Office will also take part, Fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 11, from 9 including a flyover from LCSO. Many a.m. to 11 a.m. at local high school JROTC programs will the Southwest take part.

Florida Event This year’s Grand Marshal is Sgt. First Center, 11515 Class (retired) La’Keshia Penn. Penn is a Bonita Beach Omaha, Nebraska native and second-genRoad SE, Bonita eration military veteran. She served in the Springs.

Army from October 1991 to July of Tickets for the 2012. Her accomplishments include the breakfast are $50 Joint Service Commendation Medal, each, which will Meritorious Service Medal, Army Midpoint Madness be used to create Commendation Medal, and Army The Midpoint Madness Veterans Day multiple scholarAchievement Medal, to name a few.

5K Run/Walk will close the Midpoint ships for local Penn moved to Cape Coral three years Bridge from 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. high school gradago, and began volunteering with the 20th 11. uates going into Judicial Circuit Teen Court diversion proMotorists are encouraged to use the the U.S. Armed Sen. Rick Scott gram. She currently serves as the Adjutant Cape Coral Bridge or the U.S. 41 and Forces. and Chapter Service Officer for the Business 41 bridges as alternate routes.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who served in the Disabled American Veterans Chapter Lee County Department of Transportation U.S. Navy, will be the keynote speaker, 108, and as the Post Veterans Service have placed message boards to alert along with Lee County Commissioner Officer for American Legion Post 90. motorists of the closure.

Cecil Pendergrass and Michael Biondi said numerous volunteers For information about the annual organize the parade “to give our time to Veterans Day event, contact the YMCA See VETERANS DAY, page 41

From page 40

Salute to Veterans Concert

its scholarship program, and other performances can be found by visiting www.SouthwestFloridaConcertBand.org .

Home Base Florida In honor of Veterans Day, Beasley Media Group has announced that B103.9’s The WiLD Bunch and 96KRock’s Stan and Haney will help raise

awareness and support for Home Base Florida and its Veteran and Family Care initiatives today, Friday, Nov. 10.

The Home Base Florida program provides important support to veterans, service members, and their families coping

Cape Coral Breeze

If Veterans Day leaves you wanting more, the 40-member Southwest Florida Concert Band with guest vocalist Kathy Jenkins will perform “Salute to our Veterans” next week on Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. at South Fort Myers High School, 14020 Plantation Road in Fort Myers.

Organizers say the dramatic program will be a musical salute to the dedication and sacrifices of U.S. service members.

Veterans will be recognized, and can stand for the playing of their branch marches with the Armed Forces Salute.

The Homefront contains memorable songs from the Second World War. The Nathan Hale Trilogy will salute that hero’s patriotic sacrifice during the American Revolutionary War. The music “The Light Eternal” is inspired by the touching story of four U.S. Army chaplains who heroically sacrificed their lives during World War II and is based upon the well-known hymn “God of Our Fathers.”

The band will play Arlington (where sleeping giants lie) which commemorates the service members buried there.

The events guest vocalist is a veteran U.S. Air Force Band singer who will sing “Someone To Watch Over Me,” “You Raise Me Up” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” The show will finish with a rousing “Stars and Stripes Forever” featuring the piccolo section.

All concerts are free with donations accepted.

Information on the group,

with the invisible wounds of war, offering life-changing and life-saving programs and services at no cost to veterans, service members, and their families.

Both stations will interview military generals, veterans, individuals who have participated in Home Base Clinical/Fitness programs as well as representatives from Lee Health to highlight the organization’s clinical care and suicide prevention programs.

The interviews will take place on-air from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on WXKB and from 3:05 to 5 p.m. on WRXK. “Beasley Media Group is proud to partner with Home Base to support our nation’s veterans and their families,” said Beasley Media Group Vice President and Market Manager AJ Lurie in a release.

“We are committed to raising awareness about the invisible wounds of war and providing resources to help those who have served our country.”

Home Base Florida is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering veterans and service members in the region to take control of their mental and physical well-being. The organization offers free wellness programs, behavioral health support, and outpatient clinical therapy through partnerships with Lee Health and David Lawrence Centers.

Home Base Florida is committed to providing accessible, high-quality care for those in need of treatment for invisible wounds. For more information about Home Base Florida, please visit homebase.org/florida.

www.capecoralbreeze.com

Thompson, chair of the Lee County Republican Party.

“Supporting our youth in their dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is our duty as community leaders,” Thompson said in a prepared statement.

“We need to help those patriotic youths in Lee County who want to join the United States Military. Not all students are able to meet scholarship requirements for a variety of reasons. The Lee County GOP are helping to bridge that gap for those students interested in joining the military.”

For ticket information visit the Lee County GOP website, LeeGOP.org.

For more information, contact Thompson at 239-936-8779.

Page 41 ■ November 10, 2023

Veterans Day: Annual parade is always a high-point to Cape’s celebration

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 42 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

Yacht Club: Council offers tweaks From page 1 the board overwhelming gave a nod of approval for the first concept.

This design features the community center in the center of the property, which is fairly similar to where it sits today, but with a different orientation to capture the sunset views. The building will range between 35,000 to 40,000 square feet, an increase from the now 21,000 square feet with no true front or back of the building.

The concept includes adding the fountain as a site feature by the center.

Councilmember Bill Steinke said if they use the second concept roadway that veers off to the right leading into the park, the fountain could go somewhere in the entry as a focal point to provide a memorial of the original Yacht Club.

“That would be pretty cool,” he said.

It was also discussed that a water feature could be added to the stormwater pond at the entry and keep the fountain by the center.

Most of on Council liked the second concept as far as how the road wraps around the retention pond at the entry.

Mayor John Gunter said this option would allow them to have larger trees and offer additional buffering between the community, houses and the parking garage.

This option also has a resort-style pool with layering amenities such as a play area, upper landscape, garden areas and pathways of different surfaces.

Pankonin said the resort-style pool is about 15,000 square feet compared to the 6,000-square-foot pool there today. There was also discussion of adding an area where visitors could swim laps, which Ilczyszyn said could be accommodated through programming of specific times.

There is also an additional restaurant option to the south of the parking garage.

Councilmember Dan Sheppard suggested having a smaller establishment that services people at the beach and pool with quick drinks and light things to eat.

“Not really a restaurant that we have now, more of walkup type of establishment,” he said.

Ilczyszyn said staff will look to see when programming the building if they can

Cape Coral City Council reached a consensus Wednesday on certain amenities, including a resort-style pool, a longer replacement pier, centralized restrooms and possibly a water feature.

Core elements include more beach, a new two-story community center, a three-story parking garage and a revamped marina to accommodate larger boats. accommodate pool-side concessions and quick bites.

“We haven’t finalized programming in the building,” he said.

The concept includes dedicated slips adjacent to the pier for individuals to launch and recover their boats, which was a concern brought up from a few council members.

“We absolutely have a launch and recover facility plan next to the boat ramp,” Ilczyszyn said.

He said they are also changing the nature of the yacht basin with a program for much larger vessels with slips to accommodate boats from 60 feet to 24 feet or less. In addition, there is also a big open spot on the east of the boat ramp for a pump out facility.

The L-shaped parking garage is estimated to have about 500 parking spaces, an increase from 305 parking spaces in the original design.

Councilmember Keith Long said that parking is parking and, in a way, it sets the occupancy limit.

The amount of onsite parking gave much of the City Council angst, as they feared it would not be enough for what they anticipate will be a very popular destination once completed.

“One of the things we are really trying to do here is capture alternative modes of See YACHT CLUB, page 43

Page 43 ■ November 10, 2023

Yacht Club: City of Cape Coral preparing demolition plans to go out for bid From page 42 harbor master building, which Ilczyszyn explained would serve four purposes. The building will house the Cape Coral Police Department Marine Unit in a quarter of the space with workstations, meeting rooms, restrooms and communication networks.

Another quarter of the building will be an uplands facility for the marina with washing and laundry facilities to support a higher level of standard. Another quarter of the building will feature a ship store to sell goods and the last will be utilized for the

actual harbor master.

The historic ballroom and much of the other structure are awaiting demolition, giving the city a largely blank palette on which to build its new vision.

The Boathouse Restaurant, already refurbished and rebuilt after Hurricane Ian, will remain open through the process and will be part of the new park.

Ilczyszyn said they have some demolition plans that are being put together and are going out for bid.

They are bringing in heavy equipment in December to start preparing for the future of the park, he added.

“We have not stopped any original permitting for the replacement of the seawall, marina replacement, harbor master building. (We have) still been advancing that with Army Corps on there. We are hopeful we can get that permit issued and award that contract to get seawalls going. We think this is all laying out well.”

Cape Coral Breeze

transportation,” Ilczyszyn said.

The concept includes expanding the entire seawall, which currently has parallel parking for 13 boats, to accommodate three times that number.

“We want people to come by boat.

Enjoy the location, views, restaurant, and beach and go home by boat. We don’t want to over accommodate vehicles,” he said, adding that there are options to ride share, carpool and boat.

Council also questioned the size of the

www.capecoralbreeze.com

Cape Coral City Council discussed a pair of design concepts for the Yacht Cape Coral City Council also liked some of the elements of the second Club Park rebuild Wednesday, with the concept above garnering consen- offered option. sus with some tweaks.

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 44 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

Beach: Riverfront park amenity opens for the first time since Hurricane Ian From page 1 do have here in Cape Coral."

Gunter said the city would have liked to have the beach open sooner, but that having to wait on permits resulted in having to wait longer than anticipated. He said as soon as those permits were approved, city crews were ready to move in swiftly to remedy the area that was riddled with debris, including the addition of 500 tons of new sand.

“This area, in my opinion, is one of the crown jewels of the city,” Gunter added.

“Our city council, as early as (Wednesday), were having discussion on next steps and what we are going to eventually rebuild here for our residents. I’m very eager to get those discussions completed so the construction can begin.”

City officials said safety was a top priority for Council when it came to reopening the Yacht Club Beach. Following the storm, boats were scatted about, the pier was just pilings, tree debris was rampant.

The city was forced to demolish both pavilions, both restrooms were lost, finger piers gone.

“It looked like a war zone,” Gunter said.

City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn said vessels were sunk in the basin that needed to be hauled out, the Harbor Mater’s building lost its roof, and that “it was pretty rough.”

“It’s taken the entire year with staff little-by-little clawing into here,” he said.

“Before opening, we sent divers in the water to scuba dive the entire thing to make sure if anyone went into the water, they wouldn’t be stepping on anything.”

District 1 Councilmember Bill Steinke said while it’s been a long road to opening,

Members of the public enjoy the “soft opening” of the Yacht Club Beach Thursday./CJ HADDAD more needs to be done.

“As you look at the beach today... as soon as the boat ramps are relocated inside the marina, the beach will even span a further distance along the waterway to have greater beach area for all of our citizens and tourists to enjoy,” he said.

Steinke said he and council are looking to make the existing, and new amenities at the Yacht Club Community Park “the best they can possibly be. Not just for today,

but for decades to come.”

Those amenities could include a “resort- style” pool, community center for events, restaurants, and a secondary pier.

Steinke said the city is waiting on additional permitting to start on a new seawall and docking.

“And all the amenities will come next,” Steinke added.

With new amenities and the demolition of the Yacht Club Ballroom on the hori-

zon, city officials are hopeful another closure is not forthcoming. Ilczyszyn said the city has plans for the end of December or early January to start the demolition of the ballroom and Tony Rotino Center. The city hopes to have all of the contractors staged behind the building as to not interfere with the limited parking for beachgoers currently.

“We think we’ve got it positioned statically where we can do that work, and allow the residents and tourists to still come here and enjoy the beach,” Ilczyszyn said.

While city officials were delivering this update, some residents were already taking advantage of the downed fences — laying out to work on their tan, taking a dip, and enjoying the new sand between their toes.

Part-time Cape resident Kay Davis was soaking up the sun with a few of her friends, all of whom were excited to have the beach in their backyard open once more.

“We planned on going to Sanibel or Lover’s Key (and due to traffic) we said, ‘Hey, let’s see if this is open.’ And it’s nice,” Davis said. “It’s so much easier to get here. And we love the Boathouse restaurant.”

Davis and the others all agreed it was getting tiring having to drive out of the city to enjoy a beachfront area while the area was shutdown.

“We missed it last winter,” Davis said.

“There are great conditions here. I am a bit worried about what the parking is going to be like when (construction starts).”

The Yacht Club Beach will return to regular operating hours today.

The Cape Coral Yacht Club Community Park is at 5819 Driftwood Parkway.

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Cooling temperatures Mariner, Bishop Verot football don’t bother hungry playoff openers set for tonight trout, redfish

By CJ HADDAD

cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com

TIDES CHART Tide Time

at Cape Coral Bridge Height Sunrise Moon Time Feet Sunset

Day

High /Low

% Moon Visible

Sa 11 11 11 11

High 12:54 AM Low 8:49 AM High 2:42 PM Low 8:09 PM

1.0 0.0 0.8 0.5

6:44 AM 5:40 PM

Rise 5:01 AM Set 4:35 PM

7

Su 12 12 12 12

High 1:10 AM Low 9:24 AM High 3:31 PM Low 8:26 PM

1.0 -0.0 0.7 0.6

6:45 AM 5:39 PM

Rise 5:58 AM Set 5:09 PM

2

Sa 11 11 11 11

High 12:22 AM Low 8:15 AM High 2:10 PM Low 7:35 PM

1.9 0.1 1.5 0.9

6:45 AM 5:40 PM

Rise 5:02 AM Set 4:36 PM

7

Su 12 12 12 12

High 12:38 AM Low 8:50 AM High 2:59 PM Low 7:52 PM

2.0 -0.1 1.4 1.1

6:45 AM 5:39 PM

Rise 5:59 AM Set 5:10 PM

2

at Matlacha Pass (Bascule bridge)

Cape High boys and girls and North girls to compete in Class 3A state cross country meet Both Cape Coral and North Fort Myers' girls teams, as well as Seahawks boys, will be running in the state Class 3A cross country meet Friday, Nov. 17, in Tallahassee.

Cape's girls came in sixth and the Red Knights eighth in the Region 3A-3 meet at Buckingham Park.

The top eight teams move on to state.

On the boys' side, Cape Coral finished fifth and North Fort Myers 10th.

The Seahawks boys will be joined by Mariner's Angel Cruz, who qualified as a runner not on a team in the top eight.

In Class 2A, the Bishop Verot girls lost a tiebreaker for the Region 2A-3 title, but easily made it to state. The Vikings boys were region champs.

Andrew Marino of Bishop Marino was second and Zachary Zielke fourth in the boys' race.

Mackenzie De Lisle finished second and Oasis' Jazlyn Forbes third among the girls.

The 2A-3 meet was also held at Buckingham Park.

Two Oasis runners will be in Tallahassee on Nov. 17 as individual competitors.

Forbes will represent the Sharks after her third-place finish.

The Sharks girls finished ninth as a team.

Truman Wiedner of the Sharks, running as an individual in the region meet, also qualified to run in Tallahassee.

Cross Country Region 3A-3 At Buckingham Park GIRLS Top 8 teams advance to state Team (16): 1 Osceola Seminole 26. 2 Naples 54. 3 Fort Myers 109. 4 Gulf Coast 151. 5 Parrish 156. 6 Cape Coral 157. 7 Charlotte 164. 8 North Fort Myers 200. 9 Lely 230. 10. St. Petersburg 251. 11 Tampa Freedom 321. 12 St. Petersburg Northeast 331. 13 East Bay 406. 14 Countryside 418. 15 Blake 477. 16 Hollins 495.

Individual (116): 1 Elle Mehltretter (OS) 18:19.3. 2 Avery Latto (OS) 18:30.0. 3 Masha Dorofeev (FM) 18:52.30. 4 Tara Watkins (N) 18:56.00. 5 Katrina Machado (PC) 19:27.80. Also: 9 Riley McFarland (CC) 19:51.30. 20 Alexis Neumann (NFM) 20:58.10. 21 Skyla Stevens (NFM) 20:59.40. 29 Hannah Green (CC) 21:20.30. 32 Isabella Hull (NFM) 21:46.90. 36 Mia Moran (CC) 21:41.70. 49 Madison Sanchez (CC) 22:15.40. 54 Makiah Michaels (CC) 22:25.10. 67 Cay Stevens (NFM) 23.22.20. 73 Abigail Cudnik (CC) 23:41.00. 77 Audrey Gross (CC) 24:07.20. 84 Karina Hilt (NFM) 25:24.70. 85 Charli Hilt (NFM) 25:31.00. 94 Jaidyn Flanagan (NFM) 26:19.90.

Individual qualifiers (not on qualifying teams): Katrina Machado (PC), Elena Workman (S), Margaret Poling (L), Mia Metcalf (BC).

BOYS Top 8 teams advance to state * won tiebreaker Team (16): 1 Naples 48. 2 Fort Myers 131. 3 Immokalee 141. 4 St. Petersburg 143. 5 Cape Coral 148. 6 Tampa Jesuit 151*. 7 Seminole Osceola 151. 8 Gulf Coast 173. 9 Charlotte 256. 10 North Fort Myers 314. 11 Dunbar 317. 12 St. Petersburg Northeast 319. 13 King 326. 14 Tampa Freedom 330. 15 Countryside 343. 16 Spoto 383.

Individual (113): 1 Joseph Koraya (FM) 15:41.40. 2 Nickolas Forbes (SP) 15:33.20. 2 Hector Toro (N) 15;46.50. 4 Craig Allard (FM) 15:51.10. 5 William Montanye (GC) 15:58.90. Also: 11 Jake Jacoby (CC) 16:29.90. 16 Angel Cruz (M) 16:44.60. 26 Zander Forneris (CC) 17:08.80. 29 Nazayer Franco (CC) 17:11.10. 40

See PREP REPORT, page 46

Cape Coral Breeze

See TROUT and REDFISH, page 46

See PLAYOFF OPENERS, page 46

www.capecoralbreeze.com

Water temperatures are definitely falling, which makes our local seatrout population happy and hungry, while always ready to chow down redfish take notice, but just keep eating.

With more cold fronts eventually coming, evergrowing in-shore redfish now big enough to spend the balance of their lives at sea will finally leave, leaving their sub-adult cousins behind for local anglers to carefully stalk throughout Southwest Florida’s clear water winter period. If you want to sharpen up your local poling and shallow water skiff stalking Capt. George skills, winter is the time Tunison as our clear water reds become very educated.

Fall water temperatures and corresponding bait migrations along both sides of the peninsula bring in other species like kingfish, delicious tripletail, cobia and others, so the wise angler is rigged and ready for a variety of scenarios when probing near to offshore GPS numbers.

While many anglers still report rolling tarpon and some hook-ups, many have already left on their long journey south to Miami, the Keys, the Caribbean and points beyond. Cape Coral-loving tarpon will populate deep canals throughout the area and favorite wintering spots east up the Caloosahatchee as temperatures slowly drop, increasing their golden hued colors due to tannin-stained river waters. Never count out Boca Grande Pass in November, in past years even into December for a last-minute gathering and catches of silver kings.

Juvenile tarpon will continue to roll and, of course, not eat lures driving many anglers to (madness) fish other easier species. Think small lures, baits and tackle and be sure to always take along a big bucket of patience.

Reports of sheepshead catches, a local winter favorite, are already starting on nearshore reefs and around some local docks. If you’ve never tasted one, make sure you give it a try this winter as they are great eating but a challenge to catch and for the first-timer, a challenge to clean. Wear gloves and bring the electric knife or be prepared for a little sharp spine and armored

As the high school football season wraps up across Florida, two teams in the Breeze's coverage area have punched tickets to the postseason, which starts tonight.

Both the Mariner Tritons and Bishop Verot Vikings have claimed district titles and will take their programs into the FHSAA playoff bracket to decide state champs in each class.

For the first time since 1997, the Mariner football team has brought home a district championship. With a record of 8-2 and record-setters at multiple positions, this program has made strides in the past four years under the leadership of head coach Josh Nicholson.

“Overall, we had a great regular season, and have accomplished a lot of our goals,” Nicholson said, as those goals included being district champions, being “Best in the West,” winning its homecoming game and beating rival Cape Coral in the annual Black and Blue Bowl.

Nicolson said, "Most of all, I'm proud of how our guys have handled themselves and stuck together as a team through adversity. None of this happened overnight. It took years of hard work, sacrifice and dedication to put ourselves in a position to achieve our goals. As we move on to the playoffs we will continue to focus on self-improvement and preparing ourselves to execute the game plan to the best of our ability every Friday night."

The Tritons rattled off seven straight wins to start the regular season before losing a one-score contest to a talented Estero team. Mariner's offense has generated 337 points to its opponent's 177 over the course of the year.

“Hard not to score when you have the explosive athletes we have on offense,” Nicholson said. “But ultimately, it is our guys' selflessness and versatility that makes it tough for defenses, since they can't focus on any one element.”

Speaking of playmakers, Triton seniors Justin Lewis, Kelvin Jimenez and Marcus Kelley Jr. have been a threeheaded beast all year on both sides of the ball.

“It wasn't hard to tell that they were exceptional athletes when they were starting on the varsity basketball team as freshmen,” Nicholson said. “It took some time to get them to buy into football and the weight room, especially after going 2-8 in their first varsity season of football. But they made the decision to commit to turning the program around and doing it the right way, through hard work and dedica-

tion.”

That hard work has turned into school records for all three, as Lewis holds the record for career receptions (54) and career receiving yards (922), and had multiple five-touchdown games this year -- also a school record. Kelley Jr. now holds the school record for receptions in a season (37), singleseason receiving yards (465), and single-season receiving touchdowns (10).

Verot quarterback Jimenez and Kelley Jr. also Carter Smith now share the career touchdown receptions record at 12-and-counting each.

Nicholson said, “I'm most proud of their development as leaders and mentors toward their teammates. It's fun to watch them dominate on the field and I'm looking forward to watching them continue to do great things in life.”

The defense, led by Jimenez and Clark Daley, has done a great job of getting into the backfield, but can sometimes be susceptible to the “big play.” Nicholson said they'll have to tighten things up to make a deep postseason run.

“Defensively we have had our ups and downs throughout the season, we will need to focus on playing assignment football and executing with proper fundamentals if we're going to have success in the playoffs,” he said.

For the Vikings of Bishop Verot, they have steamrolled through the season with just one blemish on their record, and dropped a whopping 441 points on its opponents over 10 games (9-1).

Verot made a deep playoff run last year, and hope to go all the way with this talented group under the leadership of third-year head coach Richie Rode.

“I feel we had a successful season, and look to carry that momentum into the playoffs,” Rode said. “The boys worked extremely hard in the off season, and developed a bond and a shared relentless attitude that they have carried over throughout our 10 games. We have been mostly efficient this season and have really only had one disappointing

Page 45 ■ November 10, 2023

SPORTS

THE BREEZE

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 46 www.capecoralbreeze.com

7th Annual Cape Coral Animal Shelter Golf Classic Nov. 18 The 7th Annual Cape Coral Animal Shelter Golf Classic will be held place Saturday, Nov. 18, at Coral Oaks Golf Course, 1800 N.W. 28th Ave., Cape Coral.

The shotgun start is at 8:30 a.m. Check

in, breakfast and Sun Rise Sippers open at 7:30 a.m.

Registration includes breakfast, Sun Rise Sipper drinks, on-course beverages, snacks, luncheon, golfer goodie bag, raffles and top award prizes

Participants are urged to bring cash for the games and raffles – there will be a 50/50 and gift basket raffles!

Register at https://capecoralanimalshelter.networkforgood.com/events/478607th-annual-ccas-golf-classic

When registering online, please enter info for all players including name, email and shirt size.

For additional information about the annual golf tournament, please call 239573-2002.

Playoff openers: Tritons, Vikings ready for state playoff contests From page 45 half of football. It has been exciting watching our offense continue to grow and build on last year's success; as well as watching the defense become a top group in their own right."

The Vikings' offense is on pace to break the Lee County single-season scoring record they took down last year, and have regularly hung 50 on its opponents up and down the schedule.

“The offense has done a great job of building off of last year's record-setting unit,” Rode said. “There is a great deal of cohesion amongst the group, and we have many selfless moving pieces that create a tremendous amount of flexibility, creativity and depth. There is no-doubt talent amongst this group, but their offseason work and commitment were second to none. The

countless hours of timing, and drilling, and 7-on-7s have helped prepare this group for another great year. And, of course, when your best player is also one of your best individuals, in Carter Smith, you're going to be successful.”

Speaking of Smith, the junior quarterback gaining attention from all who keep an eye on high school football across the country continues to turn into a blue-chip prospect for top collegiate programs.

Smith threw 24 touchdown passes and for 1,696 yards with just one interception in the regular season. He also used his legs at an elite-level, rushing for 500-plus yards and 15 touchdowns.

“Carter is incredible,” Rode said. “I know I am biased, but I believe he is already in the conversation as one of the best football players to have ever played high school football in Lee County. As

great as he was the last two years, he has continued to grow, mature and become more and more a student of the game. His decision making is incredible as he never turns the ball over. He had a grinding offseason where he sought too, and accomplished, a breaking down and focus on all of the details of his game he can improve to truly become a big-time power 5 QB. Carter makes coaches look really smart, and all of the players around him better.”

While the offense has turned heads, the defensive side of the ball for the Vikings can make all the difference in finishing their ultimate goal of taking home a state championship. Verot's defense has allowed just 14 points over its last three games, and is hopefully firing on all cylinders at the right time.

“The defense has played incredible all year, especially down the back stretch of

our season,” Rode said. “The starting group is barely giving up double digit points this season when in the game; as most games have given way to backups and garbage, running clock touchdowns. This is a veteran group that has come to prove their worth.

We must continue to play great defense in the playoffs to make any kind of run. I have full faith that we will continue to do so, and I am excited to continue to watch them complete at such a high level and help carry our team to a deep playoff run.”

Mariner, the No. 8 seed in the FHSAA 3S Region 4 State Championship Bracket, will travel to Golden Gate to take on the No. 1 seed Titans (8-2) today at 7:30 p.m.

Bishop Verot has earned the No. 1 seed in the FHSAA 2S Region 4 State Championship Bracket, and will host No. 8 Mulberry (7-3) tonight at 7.

Cape Coral Breeze

PREP REPORT From page 45 Ryan Mitchinson (CC) 17:28.10. 55 Brody Hilt (NFM) 17:55.70. 61 Christopher Rode (NFM) 18:07.50. 73 Martin Garcia (NFM) 18:37.00. 75 Matthew Rua (NFM) 18:43.30. 78 Ben Westerhouse (CC) 18:53.40. 79 Braden Valdez (CC) 18:58.00. 81 Andrew Stratton (NFM) 19:05.70. 101 Cole Warlow (NFM) 20:32.71. 106 William Santana (NFM) 21:08.50.

Individual qualifiers (not on qualifying team): Eli Zuppa (SPNE), Tomasino De La Cruz (TF), Mason LaBlance (K), Angel Cruz (M).

Region 2A-3 At Buckingham Park GIRLS Top 8 teams advance to state * won tiebreaker Team (16): 1 Tampa Berkeley Prep 59*. 2 Bishop Verot 59. 3 Tampa Robinson 153. 4 Sarasota Cardinal Mooney 159. 5 Clearwater Calvary Christian 160. 6 McKeel 164. 7 Holy Names 179. 8 Aubrey Rogers 187. 9 Oasis 205. 10 Estero 215. 11 Lemon Bay 241. 12 Lemon Bay 241. 13 LaBelle 314. 14 Frostproof 391. 15 Tarpon Springs 395. 16 Bell Creek 405.

Individual (116): 1 Addison Dempsey (CM) 17:57.30. 2 Mackenzie De Lisle (BV) 18:09.70. 3 Jazlyn Forbes (O) 18:22.60. 4 Hannah Latif (TBP) 19:07.80. 5 Brennan Baryza (TR) 19:51.70. Also: 6 Gianna Gyurich (BV) 19:58.80. 13 Caroline Muddell (BV) 20:43.70. 20 Erika Romero (BV) 21:10.50. 21 Caroline Ward (BV) 21:10.70. 24 Madison Boyko (O) 21:20.90. 32 Erin Vezzola (O) 21:52.90. 42 Jocelyn Sweeney (BV) 22:22.00. 78 Abigail Sykes (O)

24.52.70. 85 Hunter Sheldon (O) 25:10.00. 92 Bailey Benetatos (O) 26.17.30. 100 Sadie Teklitz (O) 27:43.70. 106 McKinley Parker (BV) 28:48.30.

Individual qualifiers (not on qualifying team): Jazlyn Forbes (O), Amy Sommers (E), Mackenzie Martin (LB), Luciana Valentino (D).

BOYS Top 8 teams advance to state Team (16): 1 Bishop Verot 66. 2 Aubrey Rogers 97. 3 Tampa Berkeley Prep 125. 4 Clearwater Calvary Christian 138. 5 McKeel 174. 6 Frostproof 194. 7 Tampa Robinson 196. 8 LaBelle 197. 9 Lemon Bay 200. 10 Tampa Chamberlain 221. 11 Estero 248. 12 Sarasota Cardinal Mooney 266. 13 Hudson 330. 14 Carrollwood 334. 15 Hardee 336. 116 Brooks DeBartolo 347.

Individual (117): 1 Liam Jordan (TBP) 15:40.60. 2 Andrew Marino (BV) 16:44.00. 3 Storm Weber (TBP) 16:47.20. 4 Zachary Zielke (BV) 17:01.40. 5 Chris Toomey (CCC) 17:06.40. Also: 8 Zachary Engel (BV) 17:23.80. 18 Truman Wiedner (O) 17:45.50. 26 Thomas Eichten (BV) 18:02.70. 28 Dennis Olsen (BV) 18:06.80. 32 Rafael Casillas (BV) 18:10.80. 36 Jordan Irizarry (O) 18:18.10. 68 Cael Horton (BV) 19:30.40.

Individual qualifiers (not on qualifying team): Joe Mena (TC), Paul Svilokos (SCM), Max Sedmak (E), Truman Wiedner (O).

Girls Soccer North Fort Myers 2, Parrish Community 0: Sophia Kerns and Evie McCarthy scored to lead North Fort Myers

to victory. Gige Gerki made an assist.

Through their first two matches, the Red Knights (2-0) have outscored their opponents 10-0.

Boy Soccer Lely 2, Ida Baker 0: The Trojans scored both goals in the second half to leave the Bulldogs 0-1-1.

Tuesday

Girls Soccer North Fort Myers 8, Ida Baker 0: Sophie Kerns scored four Red Knights goals, adding two assists. Evie McCarthy added two goals and an assist, Lexi Neumann had a goal and three assists, and Kenlee Dominguez also scored for North.n It was the season opener for both teams.

Bishop Verot 8, Lely 0: Lea Scotti had a hat trick and an assist, and Lillian Haataja also scored three goals in the Vikings' season opener. Freshman Katherine Pefkofski scored twice and made an assist in her first

high school match.

Oasis 3, Golden Gate 0: Alyssa Neuhausel, Maddison Davis and Annabelle Llewellyn scored for the Sharks (1-0) and Jazlyn Forbes and Samantha Chitu contributed an assist each.

Lehigh 4, Island Coast 0

Boy Soccer Island Coast 3, Lehigh 1: Diego Gonzalez had a goal and an assist to lead the Gators (1-0). Luccas Dias and Enresto Callarga scored a goal each, and Diego Quijada made an assist.

Golden Gate 9, Oasis 1: Matthew Zea scored for the Sharks (1-1-0) on an assist

by Mario Acosta.

North Fort Myers 2, Charlotte 0: The Red Knights began the season with a shutout victory.

Lely 2, Bishop Verot 0: Lely scored once in each half while blanking the Vikings (0-1).

Cape Coral 2, Ida Baker 2 (tie)

Trout and redfish: Cooler water makes some fish extra hungry From page 45 scale sheepie payback.

Tip: Certain canals and bridge structures in the downtown Cape area hold large numbers of eating-size sheepshead each winter. Using today’s advanced sonar imaging and side scanning technology and spending some quality time idling through Cape canals, it shouldn’t take too long to find a school of 12-inch or more future dinner guests. Once found (and if you remain tight lipped) you can usually return year after year when conditions are

right and be successful again and again.

Another outstanding light tackle fighting and great eating fish, the pompano, arrives and while anglers on the east coast break out the surf rods and set up for surfcasting sand fleas to lure them, locally tiny and colorful, shrimp-tipped pompano jigs get their attention when bounced along sandy bottoms stirring up sand especially near passes. Mr. Pompano is definitely one of Southwest Florida’s tastiest fish and for its relatively small size is still one tough fighter on lite gear but afterall it’s to be expected, as pomps are members

of the always hard pulling jack family.

Pick your favorite weather reporter and your days to go offshore, but with a big variety of good-eating bottom fish, especially lane and mangrove snapper and even permit still on nearshore numbers, being safe while saving gas still makes for a great day of variety angling and once again wise multi-species anglers pre-rig for a variety of possible encounters at sea.

Fishing heavy gear around bridges isn’t the only way to bag a jumbo snook. The Cape's canals are home to a variety of species, including wintering snook of

huge proportions that will also eat your big live mullet or ladyfish floated around docks and canal rip-rap especially at night.

Slow night trolling large-lipped plugs, Mann’s, Rapala’s, Yozuri and Bombers along Cape canal edges and docks will also put a big snook on your hook.

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

Signs of fall: No falling leaves here, but there’s still plenty of color From page 17 mend rubbing crushed leaves on skin in order to repel mosquitoes and other biting bugs. Native American tribes reportedly used beautyberry for medicinal purposes to treat malarial fevers, dizziness, stomachaches and dysentery.

Muhley grass, climbing aster and beau-

tyberry are all native Florida plants. They will grow easily in our naturally sandy, nutrient-poor soil without extra water or fertilizer. However, the first year they will need extra water until they root deeply into the soil. They also appreciate 2 to 4 inches of mulch to help retain water and nutrients in the soil.

Have a real Florida landscape with

resilient native plants and attract a variety of birds, pollinators and other living things that keep our ecosystem alive!

“Destroying forest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.”

— Edward O. Wilson This is a reminder to not use cypress

trees for mulch. Instead, use Florimulch, made from invasive melaleuca trees or use pine straw, which are renewable.

Sherie Bleiler is a volunteer at the Cape Coral Library Butterfly Garden and a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.

Visit www.gardenclubofcapecoral.com.

Like us on our Facebook page.

Page 47 ■ November 10, 2023 www.capecoralbreeze.com

Breeze Athletes of theWeek (Selected by the Breeze Sports staff)

Cape Coral Breeze

Cape Coral

November 10, 2023 ■ Page 48 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

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November 10, 2023 ■ Page 50 www.capecoralbreeze.com Cape Coral Breeze

Cape Coral Elizabeth Barbara Henderson, 64, of Cape Coral, passed away Saturday, November 4, 2023. Mullins Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cape Coral, is entrusted with final care.

Francisco F Prieto, 73 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 28, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

John Edward Barrick, 82 of Cape Coral, passed away on November 04, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Marceline R Lugar, 89 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 25, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Alan James Boyd Sr, 84 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 24, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Frederic Arthur Devnew Jr, 88 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 29, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Kaya Obara, 74 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 23, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Mary E Losure, 79 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 25, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

William Clark Wilkinson Jr, 86 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 24, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Sherry E Allen, 73 of Cape Coral Florida passed away November 6, 2023. Arrangements by Lee County Cremation Services.

Linda L Solt, 74 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 30, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Ronald Beckwith Demaray Jr, 64 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 28, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

William Lee Myers Jr, 96 of Cape Coral, passed away on November 01, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Genevieve Joan Acoraci, 89 of Cape Coral, passed away on November 03, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Fernando Luiz Rangel Jr, 79 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 27, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Gloria Lea Marie St. Onge, 73 of Cape Coral, passed away on November 02, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

King Alberto Yee, 84 of Cape Coral, passed away on November 02, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Mary Joyce Pardo, 95 of Cape Coral, passed away on October 24, 2023. Arrangements are by Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Services, Cape Coral. Please visit www.coralridgefuneralhome.com for additional information.

Dr. Donald Rex Johnson, 85, of Cape Coral passed away November 5, 2023. Arrangements entrusted to Fuller Metz Cremation and Funeral Services. www.fullermetz.com

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