WEEK OF NOVEMBER 15, 2023 FLIER INSIDE
Real life saver Lee County Park Ranger Supervisor Roy helps find missing island man — INSIDE PINEISLAND-EAGLE.COM
VOLUME 47, NUMBER 28
Things get heated over development projects presented at GPICA meeting By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Presenters at the Nov. 7 public information hearing, held at the monthly Greater Pine Island Civic Association meeting, were met with some weighty concerns from Pine Islanders over two prospective projects. The first presentation was given by RVI Planning and Landscape Architecture planning director Fred Drovdlic. The potential project site, located at 9101 Stringfellow Road, off Maria Drive, is for a commercial plan development zone. The Upper Captiva Carriage Club LLC is seeking to rezone 3.69 acres from Agriculture (AG-2) to Commercial Planned Development (CPD).
“We are at the initial stages of re-zoning that piece of property at the northwest corner of Stringfellow and Maria — 3.7 acres. The site plan that we’ll go over and the development program and the request before the county is for up to 5,000 square feet of commercial building area — right now there’s an existing 2,400-square-foot pole building on there — that will remain there, and there may be a small additional building, but we know that we’re capped at 5,000 square feet, with the Greater Pine Island Plan, in the Coastal Rural Future Land use feature category, so we’re gonna stay under that,” Drovdlic said. There will be low turnover, some 40-foot-deep parking spaces for vehicles and boats with trailers, he explained,
saying there will be up to 75 paid spaces (allowance provides for up to 115 total spaces) for short- and long-term parking, in addition to serving customers of the Upper Captiva Carriage Club. This short- and long-term parking will also serve people who live off-island and need to travel to Captiva. Some parking will be for members only, he said, who will be granted access through a gate code, although, parking will be discounted to those with Pine Island ZIP Codes. “We aren’t going to build anything that’s elaborate, See GPICA, page 19
Celebrating Pine Islanders: Former PIE Principal Steven Hook By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
The very name, Steven Hook, is synonymous with many island organizations. He is a board member of Pine Island Kiwanis Club, serves on the Bobby Holloway Jr. Memorial Foundation board, tries to help support the work of the Beacon of Hope and, of course, is the former principal of Pine Island Elementary, where he still volunteers, just to name a few. Hook said he is now fully retired and at this point he See STEVEN HOOK, page 20
Staff surprises owners with anniversary party at Blue Dog Bar and Grill By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Blue Dog Bar and Grill owners John Lynch and Jesse Tincher were both astonished to find that their staff had decided to throw a surprise ninth anniversary party Sunday, Nov. 5, at the restaurant. It’s possible Lynch and Tincher were the only ones in the neighborhood who had no idea prior to the party, said Lynch, as many regular customers showed up to join in the celebration. “Every year we do something special. This year the staff was asking what we were doing and I just said, nothing, honestly. We have so much going on with Stone Crab Fest coming up and just getting stuff put
back together. I said, let’s just save it all for the 10th anniversary next year, and make that one a really good one,” Lynch said. The Blue Dog staff had other ideas, however, as Lynch said they put the surprise party together without his or his partner’s knowledge that anything was hapSee BLUE DOG BAR AND GRILL, page 18 Staff, friends and supporters of the Blue Dog Bar and Grill at the special anniversary celebration Nov. 5. PHOTO BY STEPHEN LONGEST
PHOTO PROVIDED
Former Pine Island Elementary School Principal Steven Hook, his wife Sue and their grandchildren with two special friends on a recent trip.
Athlete of the Week.........11 Island Mahjongg...............7 Local Tides......................16 insidetoday Editorial..........................4 Letters to the Editor..........4 On the Water......................8 Classifieds & Obituaries