Island Living

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SPD releases weekly blotter

As Sanibel continues to recover from Hurricane Ian, the Sanibel Police Department is committed to keeping the community safe and secure. To support that effort, a weekly police blotter will be issued on Tuesday that will include real time information about law enforcement response to criminal activity.

Last week, the SPD provided the following updates:

Enforcement actions

∫ A vehicle occupied by two men was escorted off the island for not having a hurricane pass displayed and suspicious activity. ∫ Residential and contractor hurricane passes continue to be confiscated due to misuse. ∫ One search warrant was in process.

Enforcement operations statistics

Week to date for Nov. 29 to Dec. 5: ∫ Alarm calls (business and residential): 5 ∫ Non-emergency calls: 16 ∫ Traffic crashes: 0 ∫ Traffic stops: 25 ∫ Residential area checks: 669 ∫ Business area checks: 269 ∫ Field interviews: 14 ∫ Total CAD calls: 1,338 Month to date: ∫ Alarm calls (business and residential): 4 ∫ Non-emergency calls: 10 ∫ Traffic crashes: 0 ∫ Traffic stops: 15 ∫ Residential area checks: 445 ∫ Business area checks: 208 ∫ Field interviews: 11 ∫ Total CAD calls: 944

Reminders from the SPD

Sanibel Residential Hurricane Passes are not transferrable. In addition, Sanibel Commercial Reentry Passes are not transferrable; unauthorized use of passes by individuals other than the contractor to whom a pass was issued will result in immediate revocation of the commercial entry pass. Contractors from whom passes have been revoked will be ineligible to receive new passes.

Multiple search warrants have been issued and executed as part of post-hurricane investigations, resulting in the discovery of items that may be missing property. Residents, property owners and business owners are encouraged to review photos at http://www.mysanibel.us/police/property/.

Solicitation is not allowed on Sanibel. Please share any photos of solicitation hang tags to police@mysanibel.com or use Tip411.

Reporting suspicious activity

Anonymous tips regarding crimes or suspicious activity can be submitted via Tip411: ∫ Text the keyword SANIBEL then your tip to 847411. ∫ Web tips can be submitted at https://www .tip411.com/tips/new?alert _group_ id=22450. ∫ Use the free “Sanibel PD” app for your Android or iOS device.

The SPD's non-emergency line is 239-472-3111.

Find the SPD on Facebook at https://www.face book.com/SanibelPolice.

Sanibel library to present next lecture in virtual series

With support from the Sanibel Public Library Foundation, the Sanibel Public Library has launched a series of virtual author talks to include bestselling authors and thought leaders. The next lecture will be held today, Dec. 14, at noon and will feature Nicole Eustace, author of “Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America. ” Explore early-American history with the Pulitzer Prizewinning historian as she discusses her award-winning book. Eustace reconstructs a murder and its aftermath,

Nicole Eustace bringing readers overlapping worlds into the of white colonists and Indigenous peoples in the early 1700s.

She is a professor of history at New York University. A historian of the early modern Atlantic and the early U.S., Eustace specializes in the history of emotion. She also authored “Passion Is the Gale: Emotion, Power, and the Coming of the American Revolution” and “1812: War and the Passions of Patriotism, ” as well as co-edited “Warring for America: Cultural Contests in the Era of 1812. ”

A question-and-answer session with the author will follow.

To register for the author talk, visit https://libraryc.org/sanlib/20927.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, the library is offering limited services.

Patrons can browse the bookshelves, check out materials and use the public computers. The drive-up book drop located in the parking garage on the west side of the library is also accepting returns.

Currently, overdue fines are not being assessed for materials returned late.

In addition, it is offering curbside assistance on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. from now through December. To use the service, place items on hold online or make requests by calling the library at 239-472-2483. Patrons will then be notified when their items are ready for pick up.

The library’s eShelf and all online services are available 24/7. Library cardholders can stream or download eBooks, movies, music, newspapers, magazines and more. For assistance with the services or a library card, contact notices@sanlib.org.

If you have photos taken during Ian or of post-storm damage or recovery in Southwest Florida, consider allowing the library to archive the images. It is also looking for photos of the islands before the causeway, during the land boom of the early 1920s, and of notable locals. Images, videos and stories can be emailed to sanibelpubliclibrary@gmail.com.

The Sanibel Public Library is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, call 239-472-2483 or visit www.sanlib.org.

The Sanibel Public Library is at 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel.

The Sanibel School

The Sanibel School, at 3840 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel, reported the following:

Students to perform Holiday Program

The Sanibel School will present its “Holiday Program” on Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. in the South Fort Myers High School auditorium, at 14020 Plantation Road, Fort Myers.

Led by Music Department Director Joey Giangreco, it will feature performances by students in the grades K-2 classes and grades 3-5 classes, along with the Seahorse Chorale and The Steel Drum Band.

The performance is free to attend.

For more information, call 239-472-1617 or visit sbl.leeschools.net.

Sanibel Public Meetings

The following public meetings/hearings are scheduled: ∫ Today, Dec. 14: Sanibel Fire and Rescue District meeting at 9 a.m. at Station 171, at 2351 Palm Ridge Road, Sanibel. For more information or the agenda, visit www.sanibelfire.com. ∫ Dec. 20: Sanibel City Council special meeting at 9 a.m. at BIG ARTS, at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, and via Facebook Live. For more information or the agenda, visit www.mysanibel.com.

CECI offers update on recovery efforts

The Children's Education Center of the Islands recently provided an update on the post-hurricane recovery efforts taking place at its facilities on Sanibel. Last week, officials shared that remediation has been finished at the center. To support the CECI in its recovery, visit https://gofund.me/7debba48.

CHILDREN'S EDUCATION CENTER OF THE ISLANDS

County launches website with housing resources

To better assist Hurricane Ianimpacted residents connect with state, federal and other partnering entities for housing needs, Lee County has launched a new landing page at its storm website.

Visit www.leegov.com/storm and click on the house icon or look for “Housing” in the rail on the left.

Lee County reported that people who are homeless or in damaged homes due to Ian can still apply to FEMA for help. The deadline was extended to Jan. 12. Visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov and complete an application, call 800-6213362 or visit a local Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). A complete list of DRC locations is available at www.leegov.com/hurricane/storm/avail able-resources.

Once residents have completed a FEMA application, then they can apply for State of Florida housing assistance by visiting www.IanRecovery.fl.gov. It is the Unite Florida program page. It is for people who need temporary sheltering and temporary or permanent repairs to their homes. It also offers help with unmet needs such as transportation, senior services and household supplies. Additional federal, state and local resources are available. The new landing page explains the phased-in housing plan post-hurricane that FEMA and its partners use. There is also information about the U.S. Small Business Administration loans for homeowners and information on county recovery resources for homeowners and renters, including home-repair assistance, insurance-deductible assistance, utility assistance and the coordinated entry program for people at risk of homelessness or who are homeless.