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The 2022-23 Lee County Board of County Commissioners. From left, Vice Chairman Mike Greenwell (District 5), Chairman Brian Hamman (District 4), Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass (District 2), Commissioner Ray Sandelli (District 3) and Commissioner Kevin Ruane (District 1). County board inaugurates new members

Three commissioners were sworn in on Nov. 15 as members of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners. The newly inaugurated board members are: ∫ District 2 Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass, who was re-elected on Nov. 8 after serving since 2012.

See NEW MEMBERS, page 9

Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman, who represents District 4, is sworn in on Nov. 15. He was also selected by the board to serve as the chairman for the year.

Lee County Commissioner Mike Greenwell, who represents District 5, is sworn in on Nov. 15. He was also selected by the baord to serve as the vice chairman for the year.

THE SANIBEL CAPTIVA TRUST COMPANY

From left, front row, Sanibel market President Jeffrey A. Muddell, founder and Chairman S. Albert D. Hanser and Chief Executive Officer Terence M. Igo with a mix of The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company's local team members, board members and advisory board members. Trust Company leases permanent space at Bell Tower

While The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company remains committed to the rebuilding of and return to its namesake islands, the firm has secured a permanent new office to serve its clients in Fort Myers. “We stand with our Sanibel and Captiva clients following Hurricane Ian, and have every intention of finishing the buildout of our new office on the island when it is prudent to do so, ” founder and Chairman S. Albert D. Hanser said. “In the meantime, we had always planned to extend to Fort Myers, as our client base has expanded greatly off the islands. We accelerated those plans to meet their needs, as well as the needs of so many of our clients and employees who have resettled, even temporarily, in other areas of Lee County. ” The two-story office building is 10,520 square feet, with ample room for growth. “The Trust Company has experienced significant growth over the last few years, spurring strategic hires across wealth services, portfolio management, trust operations and client services, ” Chief Executive Officer Terence M. Igo said. “This building provides us with a comfortable and beautiful space to serve our clients, add talent as needed and host our events. ” Architect Joyce Owens, of Architecture Joyce Owens, will complete the interior plans for the building, and Benchmark General Contractors will execute the buildout. Owens is known for her award-winning designs of contemporary and coastal style and use of sustainable materials. “The Trust Company has a long-standing relationship with Joyce. She is responsible for the design work of our Sanibel and Tampa offices, as well, ” Sanibel market President Jeffrey Muddell said. “The new Fort Myers office will align well with the way our team members work and collaborate, allowing us to continue to work seamlessly, as we demonstrated during and after Hurricane Ian. ” Anticipated occupancy is in spring. Currently, The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company has set up temporary offices at RE/MAX Realty Group, at 7910 Summerlin Lakes Drive, Fort Myers. In-person appointments are welcome at the location. For more information, call 239-472-8300 or visit www.sancaptrustco.com. The permanent new office is at 13525 Bell Tower Drive, Fort Myers.

Congress Jewelers to relocate to Bell Tower

The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce reported that Congress Jewelers has signed a lease to relocate its headquarters to the Bell Tower in Fort Myers in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Co-owners Scot and Melissa Congress shared that the storm devastated Sanibel and their store at the Periwinkle Place Shops. They plan to eventually be a part of the rebuild of the island and of their store. “Our planned opening is for Dec. 2 inside Bell Tower Shops, Suite 165. This date is special to the islanders, as the first Friday in December is traditionally the annual Luminary Celebration, ” Melissa Congress said. “While the storm has been a devastating experience for our team of 17, we are looking forward to reuniting and serving our clients and meeting many new friends within our community. ” In addition, Congress Jewelers has designed a special collection of pendants, including a Florida Strong, Sanibel Strong and Captiva Strong design.Aportionofproceedswillbenefit F.I.S.H. of Sanibel-Captiva and Sanibel-Captiva Recovery Fund of the Charitable Foundation of the Islands. “These pendants are a promise to our community and to ourselves — to return stronger than we left it, ” Scot Congress said. For more information, visit https://www.congressjewelers.com/c ollections/sanibel-strong.

Bank of the Islands to offer services at Sanibel office

Beginning on Nov. 28, Bank of the Islands will offer banking services out of a temporary on-site operation at its Sanibel office, at 1699 Periwinkle Way. The office will remain open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for safe deposit box access. In addition, its Edison National Bank Cleveland Avenue Office in Fort Myers welcomes islanders. The bank is also continuing Thankful Tuesdays, a way to support the community's recovery. “We need each other now more than ever, so take a break and come by for a visit, ” President Robbie Roepstorff said. “Every Tuesday morning, we are offering food, services and other surprise gift items. We will also continue to offer other refreshments. It's our way of saying how thankful we are to be your island bank. ” The bank started the Thankful Tuesdays on Nov. 8. Previous offerings of support have included refreshments and 4,000 pounds of bagged ice to help those working on their homes and businesses.

Islanders are welcomed by Bank of the Islands lead teller Heather Harrison.

BANK OF THE ISLANDS

Another Disaster Recovery Center opens in Lee

FEMA and the state of Florida announced the opening of a new Disaster Recovery Center in Lee County — located at the Bonita Spring Recreation Center, at 26738 Pine Ave., Bonita Springs. The hours for the center are Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. No appointment is necessary to get assistance at a DRC. Additional centers in Lee are located at: ∫ Sanibel Community Church, at 1740 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel ∫ Lakes Regional Library, at 15290 Bass Road, Fort Myers ∫ Lake Kennedy Center, at 400 Santa Barbara Blvd., Cape Coral DRCs provide disaster survivors with information from state agencies, FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration. Survivors can get help applying for federal assistance and disaster loans, update applications and learn about other resources available. To find a center close to you, go online to: DRC Locator or floridadisaster.org, or text DRC along with your zip code to 43362. It is not necessary to visit a center to apply. Survivors can go online to disasterassistance.gov, use the FEMA mobile app or call 800-621-3362. The line is open every day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service. To view an accessible video about how to apply, visit https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=LU7wzRjByhI. Interpretation services and translated materials are available at the centers to help you communicate in the language with which you feel most comfortable. DRC locations are chosen for their accessibility, with the goal of reaching as many people as possible. In addition, FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams are canvassing neighborhoods in areas impacted by Hurricane Ian to help residents apply for FEMA assistance and answer questions about federal assistance. DSA teams wear FEMA attire and have federal photo identification badges. There is no charge for service. FEMA Individual Assistance can help with temporary lodging expenses, basic home repairs and other essential disaster-related needs.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass, who represents District 2, is sworn in on Nov. 15. New members

From page 8 ∫ District 4 Commissioner Brian Hamman, who was re-elected on Nov. 8 after serving since 2013. ∫ District 5 Commissioner Mike Greenwell, who was elected on Nov. 8 after being appointed to serve in July by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Following the ceremony, the commission held its regularly scheduled meeting. Lee County Clerk of Court Kevin Karnes presided over the board's selection of its new leadership for the year ahead. Hamman will serve as the chairman, and Greenwell will serve as the vice chairman. To watch the inauguration ceremony, visit www.leegov.com/bocc/inauguration.

City provides updates on hurricane recovery efforts

By TIFFANY REPECKI

trepecki@breezenewspapers.com The city of Sanibel provided the following information at last week's Facebook Live updates:

Hurricane Reentry Passes

Effective Nov. 21, Hurricane Reentry Passes to access Sanibel and Captiva will be issued at a new location — the Lee County Talking Book Library, at 1651 Lee St., Fort Myers. There is free parking in the Lee Street parking lot for the library campus. The passes will no longer be issued at the Crowne Plaza Hotel or the Title Group of Fort Myers Office/ReMax Building, at 7910 Summerlin Lakes Drive, Fort Myers. The passes will be issued at the new location as follows: ∫ Today, Nov. 23: Open from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. ∫ Nov. 24: Closed for Thanksgiving holiday ∫ Nov. 25: Closed for Thanksgiving holiday

∫ Nov. 26: Open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ∫ Nov. 27: Closed Effective Nov. 28, operational hours will be Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. The city thanked Lee County for providing the space at the library.

CITY OF SANIBEL

Facebook Live updates

Effective Nov. 22, the city’s Hurricane Ian Facebook Live Updates will be broadcast from a new location — the Lee County Talking Book Library, at 1651 Lee St., Fort Myers — at 5 p.m.

The city reported that it will continue to broadcast the community updates via Facebook Live. Those interested may follow the city's official page on Facebook @The City of Sanibel, Florida. In addition, the city’s updates will now be held once each week — on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. — except on days when the Sanibel City Council meets. City staff will provide an update at each council meeting.

In other news

∫ City Manager Dana Souza reported that the Sanibel Recreation Center recently received a good air quality report. Staff will start relocating to the center to provide more of a presence on the island. ∫ Lee County Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell demonstrated where owners of singlefamily residences can find the market value for their structure, which is necessary to determine if repairs to the structure are below or exceed the requirements of the FEMA 50 percent rule. Visit the “Hurricane Ian Relief” section at the top of the Lee County Property Appraiser's website at https://www.leepa.org/ for more information. Staff can assist property owners with any questions. In addition, the Lee County Property Appraiser's website has a FAQ page that is available. ∫ City staff provided an update on debris removal and building permits. To view the presentation, visit https://files.constantcontact .com/97af97e6001/a7cea2bc4b75-479f-86f2-d4d7424 b3ed4.pdf.

Sea turtle season From page 1

SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

satellite-tracked loggerheads, Pepper, was observed to have nested on nearby beaches in Sarasota and Bonita based on satellite transmission data and visual confirmation. ” The SCCF reported that before Hurricane Ian, the season was already beginning to wind down, as peak nesting tends to occur in June and July. The vast majority of nests had already hatched and been inventoried. There were 17 remaining nests when the storm hit, only one of which — a green sea turtle nest — survived. Staff were able to confirm the nests' outcomes with Trimble GPS data. Two weeks ago, SCCF biologists inventoried the final nest to evaluate its contents and determine nest productivity. The nest was not observed to have hatched, but because it incubated the full duration, it met state requirements for a nest evaluation. The team was only able to find 19 eggs, which is low given that green sea turtles in Florida lay an average clutch size of around 110-115 eggs, Brzoza said. “This nest experienced severe and prolonged inundation from the hurricane, and it’s likely that some eggs were washed out to sea, ” he said. “It’s possible the turtle who laid the nest successfully produced offspring earlier in the year, since nesting females can lay up to six clutches over the season. ” Nesting multiple times per year helps sea turtles continually survive in environments with periodic large storms, Brzoza said, adding that he is hopeful sea turtles will be resilient and have another successful season next year despite 2022's setbacks. “Beaches are incredibly dynamic environments, and there’s a good chance the beaches will look different than they do now come the start of the 2023 nesting season in April. There’s time for dune vegetation to regrow and areas will continue to accrete or erode over the winter, ” Brzoza said. “Suitable nesting habitat still remains, and there is the potential for that to further improve over the coming months. ”

Workforce grants From page 1

Secretary Dane Eagle before a crowd at Miceli's Restaurant on Pine Island Road. In the days following Ian, DeSantis was contacted directlyregardingtheMatlachaBridge,hesaid.DeSantiswasable to respond to islanders immediately after they were told there was not a solution to the road leading to the bridge being out, meaning travel to and from Pine Island was by water only. “We decided to take up the mantle on that — not our road, not our bridge — at the state level, ” he said, adding that bureaucracy has to just be put aside to get things done. “We got it up and running in three days, ” DeSantis said. He said the Florida First Lady, as he referred to wife Casey DeSantis, has established the Florida Disaster Fund for charitable contributions — even before Ian made landfall — a fund that has raised more than $55 million for storm victims. “We’ve already distributed more than $7 million through the fund — and these are things for like helping our first responders that got impacted, helping our school teachers, helping residents repair and rebuild their homes, and there’s much more on the way, ” DeSantis said. Some work may be done in the coming weeks to make funding available to groups that do not currently qualify under Florida statutes, although he said he was happy to announce another $1 million will be awarded from the Florida Disaster Fund. “This will be to help emergency management personnel, National Guardsmen and other community members who have been displaced or negatively impacted by the hurricane, ” DeSantis said. The funds can help people with basic living essentials, like housing, food, transportation and also rebuilding and repair efforts. DeSantis said he has no doubt that the area is primed for a big economic recovery. “People see how beautiful it is. They’ve seen how resilient the community is, ” he said. “At the same time, something like this really does impact the economy. ” DeSantissaidtheneedtomakesureeverythingisinplace for a boom in the future is a priority, emphasizing making training available to people who will fill key positions in the workforce and economy, such as skilled laborers. He said $7.7 million was awarded to workforce education funds through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act grant program and the Job Growth Grant Fund. State College of Florida received $2.9 million to expand commercial drivers license and logistics programs. Florida Southwestern State received $2 million to expand training for information technology. South Florida State College received $618,000 to expand its CDL and welding programs. Fort Myers Technical College received $973,000 to expand programs in diesel maintenance and machine manufacturing. Cape Coral Technical College received $200,000 to expand its nursing program. CareerSource Florida received $1 million to expand services. “This will end up representing about 3,200 students that will be equipped with skills, that can go out and help power this economy going forward … We understand this is a very multifaceted recovery process. We’re going to look to do everything we can across all the different ranges, ” DeSantis said. “I know we’re going to be in a special session of the Legislature in December, we’ll announce those dates shortly, but it is going to happen — we’re going to do the property tax relief for those people whose homes were destroyed. We look forward to being able to do that. ”

Extensions From page 1

PAULETTE LEBLANC

Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks in Matlacha on Nov. 16.

DeSantis has stated a special session will be called next month for additional property tax relief for property owners impacted by Ian. Property owners whose home or business was uninhabitable for 30 days or more due to the storm, could receive a property tax refund of up to an amount equal to three months, Caldwell said. He said his office will follow up with property owners who are seeking the discounts and extensions for homes reported to be uninhabitable or destroyed. Aerial photographs taken by his office will aid in the process, though Caldwell acknowledged that his office will not be able to tell in all cases from the photographs if there was water or flooding damage inside without property owners alerting his office. The state currently has a statute on the books that will go into effect next year to provide tax relief for those whose properties were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by a catastrophic event. Branning and Caldwell said the state Legislature could make that retroactive to this year to provide tax relief, as DeSantis has requested. Branning said tax bills would be mailed out today, Nov. 23, and property owners should expect to receive them after Thanksgiving. The bills will also have mailers explaining details and instructions regarding the payment extensions and discounts. The Lee County Property Appraiser’s Office can be reached at 239-533-6100.