FREE - Island Sand Paper|Fort Myers Beach News · THE CALUSA For over two thousand years, Calusa Indians dominated Southwest Florida. This was their home. Built by amassing millions

Volume 20, Number 05 “By Islanders, For Islanders” January 31st, 2020

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AWRA ConferenceFGCU Hosts Water Seminar

By Gary [email protected]

The Southwest Florida Chapter of the American Water Re-sources Association (AWRA) held its 29th Annual Conference at Flor-ida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) on Friday, January 24, before a jam-packed room of roughly 120 people. Since it broke ground on March 22, 2019, for The Water School to ex-plore water-based issues and solu-tions, ten of the fifteen speakers were from FGCU. In his welcoming remarks, FGCU Provost Dr. James Llorens stated, “The research we will ad-vance through The Water School will focus on one unique research area and that is water, but the re-sults we attain will spread through-out the state and nation in science, business and all other related disci-plines.” Roger Copp, Florida AWRA President, added, “We follow a mul-tidisciplinary non-political focus on water, while involving as many peo-ple as possible in this movement, with our proceeds helping students

to pursue the discipline of water. In 2019, we contributed $25,000 in scholarships, and this year we will increase that to $38,000 to foster a new generation of water resource folks who are smarter than I am! We are happy to announce as well that Florida will host the National AWRA Meeting this November in Orlando.” Chauncey Goss, Chair of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), gave the Open-ing Remarks. “Our area was Ground Zero for the 2018 Blue-Green Al-gae and Red Tide outbreaks, but fortunately in 2019, God was good to us, as it was an average rainfall year, and all I want is average, as extreme years are tough! The Unit-ed States Army Corps of Engineers took a new approach last year and lowered Lake Okeechobee in the spring, so subsequently they did not have to release water down the Caloosahatchee and Saint Lucie Rivers in the summer when we did not want it, and that contained the Blue-Green Algae. Governor Ron DeSantis, in his FGCU Senior Nicole Weigold, who assists with the Mound House’s “What’s In The

Water” FMB water quality monitoring program, explains her poster project at the AWRA Conference.

Cont’d pg.12

Mound Key - A Living MonumentIsland History

By Parke Lewis

THE CALUSA

For over two thousand years, Calusa Indians dominated Southwest Florida. This was their

home. Built by amassing millions of shells, carried in woven baskets on the backs of untold numbers of people in their thousands and over generations. Collected and piled high. Moved and

Bike Estero Boulevard WiselySafety Do’s & Don’ts


With the reFRESH Estero Boulevard Projects nearing the midpoint to completion, Fort Myers Beach residents and visitors are acclimating themselves to the new dedicated five-foot bike lanes on each side of the roadway from just south of the Red Coconut RV Park that will eventually reach the south end of the island. Due to the narrow right-of-way in the one-mile segment from the base of the Matanzas Pass Bridge to Lovers Lane, however, construction crews combined bicycle and vehicular uses into one, in travel lanes called “Sharrows.” To help provide the safest possible Fort Myers Beach biking experience, avid bicyclist Dan Moser, a founding member of BikeWalkLee and current chair of the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinating Committee, shared his thoughts on the Fort Myers Beach bicycle lanes to date, along with bicycle safety “Do’s & Don’ts!”

“When you bicycle, you bike with traffic,” stressed Dan, “as opposed to walkers who face traffic. By biking with traffic, you lower the odds of intersection accidents, where motorists only tend to look to their left in the direction of oncoming cars. Lights are a must, no matter where you are in Lee County, unless you are on private property. As for Fort Myers Beach, the overall design is really good, and the idea that the center lane should be a stormwater drain to leave space along both edges of Estero Boulevard for bike lanes, is in my opinion, an exceptional concept.” That makes Dan happy because, “even though this is a Lee County project, the Town since its 1995 inception wanted the best possible bike lanes and they held out until they got them, as biking is especially important for a beach community, so I congratulate them.”

SHARROW THE ROAD!

Dan has Cont’d pg.19 Cont’d pg.14

Kayak landing on Mound Key.

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By Monica Lynn

Albert Einstein noted, “There’s no question dolphins are smarter than humans as they play more.” Few of us would disagree with that assessment after observ-ing our local dolphins for even a short time. They are incredibly so-cial creatures who enjoy frolicking and expressing physical affection with one another. They are a joy to behold as they seemingly embrace life with fins wide open. Our local residents are coastal common bottlenose dol-phins and live here year-round, with no need to migrate. Randall Wells, senior scientist and program manager for the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program at the Mote Ma-rine Laboratory & Aquarium, has studied the coastal dolphins that inhabit Sarasota Bay for decades and refers to them as “fission fu-sion” societies. In these societies, the group’s size and its members can vary over time, whether it be hours or days. Our local dolphins function much the same way as their Sara-sota counterparts, in smaller groups that meet up as their needs and de-sires coincide. These groups might consist of adult females and their calves (a nursery group) or two or three males who have formed an alliance. When these individual groups congregate, it is often with the purpose of socializing; playful shenanigans on full display.

SINGING THEIR SONG

Dolphins enjoy close bonds

with one another and the stron-gest of these is the one that exists between a mother and her calf. A mother will “sing” her own signa-ture whistle (her “name”) to her calf while he is still in the womb and with greater frequency as the birth nears, much as a human mother sings to her unborn child. This con-tinues for the first couple of weeks after the calf is born. Researchers theorize that one reason for this increased sig-nature whistle repetition is to help the calf imprint upon his mother. Another theory is that mama is en-couraging her little one to develop his own signature whistle in time, establishing his own “name.” Re-cent research indicates that dolphin calves, well aware of their individu-ality, actually recognize themselves in a mirror sooner than a human in-fant. Communication between dolphins includes the use of clicks and whistles. So, if you are tempt-ed to use “dolphin sounds” or whis-tles to lure dolphins closer to you, remember that you could be dis-rupting that essential imprinting process between mother and calf, as well as interfering with other im-portant communications between dolphins. Calves will stay close to their mother for the first three to six years of their lives, male calves tending to stay longer than females. Our back bay serves as a nursery and mothers and their calves, like Wendy and her baby, Whistler, of-ten can be observed together. It is touching to see a young calf swim-ming in synchronization with its

mother, learning to master the art of echolocation, fishing techniques and other necessary survival skills.

MAMA DOLPHINS

Particularly when we see mothers and calves, it is tempting to come too close when operating a boat or personal watercraft. It can cause a mother dolphin great stress to feel pursued, encircled or surrounded. We need to remember that a mother is fiercely protective of her calf and will put herself in harm’s way to protect her little one. Just last spring, in our back bay, a mother and her tiny calf were ob-

served together, both with mutilat-ed dorsal fins, apparently struck by a boat propeller. A grieving mother dolphin was observed in the waters around St. Petersburg, Florida last sum-mer, raising her dead calf to the surface, refusing to leave it behind. When she lost hold of it briefly, an-other dolphin helped her lift him back to the surface. Their grief was visceral and undeniable. That viral video resonated deeply, reminding us that humans do not have a mo-nopoly on deep maternal attach-ment or grief. Here in our own San Carlos

Our DolphinsUnique & Loyal Individuals

Cont’d pg. 30

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COASTAL PLAIN HAWKWEED Coastal Plain Hawkweed, Hieraci-um megacephalon, a herbaceous perennial that grows on sandhills, flatwoods and pine-lands in almost every county in the State. A single main stem grows from a tap root through a basal rosette which is common for Aster plants. The upper portion of the main stem divides into branches. Plant height is about 18” to 20”. Simple leaves are alternate. Length 1 ½” to 3” long and ½ as wide. Leaf shape elliptic to obovate. Leaf margins are slightly toothed. Leaves and stems are covered with coarse hairs. Flora stalks and flower heads form at the tips of branches. Inflorescence is termi-nal. Flowers heads are ¾” in diameter. There are no disc florets, only yellow ray florets that are ligulate or strap shaped. Ray florets grow in ranks. As many as 20 to 50 Florets per head. As many as 50 flower heads are pro-duced on the plant. Fruit is the common Aster achene pod. Hairs are actually stick-like append-ages called Trichcomes. Trichomes have functions such as absorbing water and nutri-ents, reflecting radiation, and reducing water loss, and warding off insects. The specimen in the photo was found in Powell Creek Preserve in North Fort Myers.

Seeing the LightGuest Commentary: Candidate IssuesBy Jay Light

The election for three seats on the Town Council is less than two months away and there are seven candidates vying for them. It’s time for the local voters to start asking who these people are, why they’re running and what they stand for. One incum-bent is seeking re-election. At least three others have served on various advisory committees. As a life-long observer of the human condition, I’ve concluded that the moment someone announces his candidacy for an elected office, they raise questions about their fitness for it. Their reasons are most often one combination or another of – an ego trip; a power trip; they’re an altruist; or they’re a fool. The idea that anybody who runs for office shouldn’t have a sub-stantial ego is naïve. The question is whether they’ll use their ego for the good of the community or just self-ag-grandizement. Power trips are a little scarier. We have a long history of peo-ple running for office just to be able to tell us what we can’t do. It would be delightful to have people on the Coun-cil that were more interested in telling us what we can do. Altruism is very subjective. No one has ever run with-out convincing themselves that their motives are noble. A fool is a fool. A fool on a power trip is dangerous. Below is my list of local sub-jects/issues that hearing where can-didates stand on them will determine how I’ll vote. There may or may not be correct answers. Answers that are correct for me may or may not be right for others. There may not be any an-swers, but we deserve to know candi-

dates’ positions before we vote.

• Taxes – Are the current rates too high, too low or just right (the Gold-ilocks conundrum)? I don’t have a big problem paying taxes as long as I think the money is being used intelli-gently and efficiently.

• The Town Manager – Is he per-forming the way he should or not? It has certainly happened in the Town’s history that people have been elected with a single agenda item – the remov-al of the current manager. If that’s part of a candidate’s plan, he should have the guts to say so before we vote.

• Proper Council and Town Manager relationship - Knowing the difference between oversight, pol-icy-making and micro-managing has been a chronic problem.

• In-house or Out-house? (Sor-ry, I couldn’t resist.) Should the town be farming out vital functions such as planning, financial management, development and other services, or should they come in as regular town employees? We’ve gone back and forth about this several times.

• Water quality – Obviously, no can-didate is going to come out against improving water quality. The ques-tion is what, if anything, can a council member do about it.

• Margaritaville – Where has the candidate stood on the issue from the outset and what will be his stance on the existing situation? One candidate has already made public his sympa-thy and support for the lawsuits delay-

ing the project. If further delays and/or stopping the project altogether is what you believe should happen, he’s your guy.

• Bay Oaks – We were graciously given this (saddled with it) years ago by the County. What is your plan to make it more viable, better-used and less of a financial burden?

· Mooring Field – There are cur-rently two projects being pushed in Town Hall - whether to expand the field westward beyond the bridge and whether to take over the management by the town instead of the current franchisee.

· Traffic and Parking – How much more money are you willing to waste on studies that conclude that there are too damned many cars on the island?

That’s my list. Surely, other voters will have their own questions. I urge them to send letters to the local papers with them so the candidates have a chance to state their positions and the voters have a chance to de-cide whose answers best fit their fan-tasy about what a viable council mem-ber should be. One last thought: If you don’t bother to find out about the candidates and don’t bother to vote, you’re not entitled to whine about it if they turn out not to match your fantasy. See you at the polls.


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By Missy [email protected]

After a two month break, the Board of Directors of the Fort Myers Beach Library met Tuesday night, with a quorum of four members present: President Sallie Seabury, Treasurer George Ballantyne, Rick Sebastian and Erik LaFave. Jan Fleming and Ed Scott were absent. Treasurer George Ballan-tyne reviewed budget informa-tion for November and December, pointing out line items that were over or under budget for the month. At the end of December, expendi-tures totaled $291,385, while the year to date (YTD) budget called for expenses of $342,016. YTD In-come at the end of December was listed at $1,435,736, already over the amount called for in the annu-al budget of $1,388,975. Seabury raised several questions regarding line items which Library Director Cletus Poser deferred to Assistant Director John Lukow, who was not present. The board elected officers for 2020: President Sallie Seabury; Vice-President Rick Sebastian; Treasurer George Ballantyne and Secretary Jan Fleming. The board continues to operate with one emp-ty position since last May when Mif-fie Greer resigned due to moving out of the district. The board’s char-ter requires the Florida governor appoint someone to fill the empty seat. Greer’s seat, Seat 7, as well as those held by Seabury (Seat 5) and Sebastian (Seat 6) will be on the ballot November 3, 2020. The candidate qualifying period for those three seats is noon, June 8 to noon, June 12. Pre-qualifying begins May 25, 2020. A filing fee of $25 is required unless the can-didate qualifies by petition. Qualifi-cation information can be found at lee.vote under “Candidates.” Seabury reported that the January Friends of the Library Book Sale brought in over $2,300, a record amount. “Lots of volun-teers, constant crowd and it only took 30 minutes to put everything away at the end, we had so many volunteers!” In the Library Director Re-port, Poser informed the board that he has completed and filed the li-brary’s Facilities Report, explaining that even with no changes, one is required every five years. At the Friends annual meet-ing, Poser said, he was asked about police presence for the Jan 18 & 19 Book Sale, due to its prox-imity of the one-year anniversary of Dr. Leroy Hommerding’s murder, which took place as a book sale was opening. Poser said he spoke to someone at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) and they of-fered to provide drive-by coverage throughout the day. When volun-teers said that wasn’t enough, he arranged for a LCSO deputy to be present for the hours of the sale at a total cost of $504 to the library. Seabury said, “If nothing else, it was a matter of comfort for those working the sale, some of whom had been at the library when Hommerding was killed on January 20 last year.” LaFave noted that a deputy on site would probably not have prevented Hommerding’s death and he didn’t think it neces-sary to have police presence at a book sale. Sebastian said that if visible security was desired there were several less expensive op-

tions available, suggesting private uniformed security. He suggested getting quotes for private security and sharing them with the Friends

to let them decide if they wish to invest in book sale security. Other board members agreed and asked Poser to look at security options to

present to the Friends before their next book sale. “It’s something to explore. We certainly don’t want people frightened to come to the library. There is a sense of security know-ing someone is here,” said Seabury. Poser brought up the pos-sibility of opening the stairwell so patrons could walk to the third floor instead of using the elevator. He’ll check with the Fire Department about safety issues related to prop-ping the stairway door open. During public comment Fort Myers resident and former library employee Alice Mack repeated a complaint about Hommerding and waste of staff time. The third floor Commons area currently sports a tree dec-orated for Valentine’s Day by the Estero Island Garden Club. They plan to decorate it using a different theme each month. The next Library Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 25 at 6:30pm in a third floor meeting room at the Beach Li-brary.

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BY MISSY [email protected]

The Greater Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce will host their Annual Meeting & Star-light Social on Friday, February 7, 2020 from 5:30 – 9 p.m. at the Mound House, 451 Connecticut St., Fort Myers Beach. Enjoy the setting of the old-est standing structure on Fort My-ers Beach as the sun sets and the stars come out. Tour the museum and stroll the grounds before and after the meeting. As part of their Annual Meeting, the Chamber will present awards in six different categories. Honored with the Civic Award will

be the Fort Myers Beach Woman’s Club; Environmental Award – Keep Lee County Beautiful; Friends of the Beach Award – Friends of the Mound House; Outstanding Ser-vice Award – Captains for Clean Water; Commitment to Community Award – Larry Kiker (posthumous) and Special Recognition – Dr. Le-roy Hommerding (posthumous). Tickets to the meeting and social are $60/person and include hors d’oeuvres, pizza oven al fres-co, two drink tickets, entrance to the Mound House Museum and grounds, Live Music and more! RSVP required by February 3 to 239-454-7500 or fmbchamber-events.com. Overflow parking at 216 Connecticut.

Starlight SocialAnnual Chamber Awards

The Mound House is the setting for the FMB Chamber of Commerce Annual Meet-ing & Starlight Social on February 7. PHOTO BY M. LAYFIELD.

Florida NewsSenate Takes Aim at Sunscreen Bans

By Ana CeballosNews Service of Florida

Without any debate, the Florida Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that would pro-hibit local governments from reg-ulating drugs and cosmetics sold over the counter. The Senate fast-tracked the bill during this year’s legislative session after a similar proposal did not pass in 2019. The 25-14 vote Wednesday came as Key West prepares to enforce a ban on the sale of certain sunscreens next January. City officials said last year they decided to ban sunscreens that contain the chemicals oxyben-zone and octinoxate. Studies have shown the chemicals can be harm-ful to coral reefs, which are essen-tial to Key West’s tourism-driven

economy. Sen. Rob Bradley, a Flem-ing Island Republican who spon-sored the bill (SB 172), has ar-gued that local regulations on sunscreens would send “mixed signals” to people about the impor-tance of using the substances to prevent skin cancer. “Unfortunately, with all of the wonderful things that come with our beaches and our sunshine, we also rank second in the nation for the highest rate of new melanoma cases,” Bradley said during a No-vember committee meeting. He argued local sunscreen bans would discourage people who live and visit Florida from using sun-block to protect themselves and, as result, would put their health at risk.Bradley said his opposition to Key West’s ban was also based on re-search compiled by the Office of

Cont’d pg.15


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An independently owned island newspaper

Publisher Bob LayfieldEditor Missy LayfieldLead Writer Gary MooneyAdvertising Sandy SandnessProduction Mark List

Phone: 239-463-4461 Fax: 855-886-3568Email: [email protected]: 450 Old Sand Carlos Blvd; #108 Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

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Letter PolicyThe Island Sand Paper welcomes original letters of up to 300words on local issues. All letters must include the name and city of residence of the author, plus a phone number for verification.We reserve the right to edit for clarity, length, accuracy and to prevent libel. No poetry. Letters are printed at the discretion of theEditor. Repetitive letters from the same individual on the same subject will not be printed. There is a publication limit of two letters every 4 weeks. Submissions over 300 words may be considered for publication as a Guest Commentator based on available space, relevance and the quality of the submission.

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Editorial LettersPROTECT NATURAL HABITAT

Let’s start with this: everything is not about money. Sometimes we have to recognize a greater good that overrides rich people’s desire to be richer. I’m talking, of course, about Texas Hold ‘Em, LLC and Squeeze Me In, LLC’s drive to endanger a conservation area in the interest of enhanc-ing their property values. They feel inconvenienced by the perpetual move-ment of sand and water that characterizes life on a barrier island. They are disappointed that these naturally occurring changes resulted in making them walk farther to the beach than they’d like. They’re angry that despite buying a property abutting an established Critical Wildlife Area (CWA), the town continues to assert that this fragile, ecologically important area needs to be preserved and protected, that it a source of pride for the island, not a nuisance. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife: “CWAs are discrete sites, such as mangrove islands or sandbars, where species gather daily or sea-sonally for essential activities, such as breeding, feeding or resting. The FWC establishes CWAs at sites where there is already documentation of human disturbances interfering with these activities.” We’ve learned the hard way that money cannot be the only stan-dard for decision making about the environment. It has led us to the brink of disaster (and as last year’s red tide/blue green algae debacle showed us, over the brink). We can do better. We can decide to protect this oasis of natural habitat on our island. We can decide to be honorable stewards of the land and wildlife that depend on this habitat. A walkway for the conve-nience of a handful of houses will do irreparable damage to this area that hundreds of birds rely on for resting, feeding and breeding. Please don’t let this happen.

Gloria AbramoffFort Myers Beach

VOTE NO ON WALKOVERS

We have been asked to allow beach walkovers near one of our most unique natural areas- the Critical Wildlife Area. (CWA) Beach walkovers, by increasing human activity, decrease the ap-peal of an area tor wildlife. Walkovers harm birds by allowing humans to come too close. They give predators easy access to nests. Walkovers scare off shorebirds and turtles and add to their peril. Fort Myers Beach is a vibrant business district and a living natural area on one shared barrier island. The extraordinary natural beauty and the convenience of nearby restaurants combine to make Fort Myers Beach a wonderful place. We brag about our busy Times Square and treasure our Florida flora and fauna To change the commercial north or the natural south of Ft Myers Beach would lessen Fort Myers Beach. (I urge Town Council to) vote no on beach walkovers. Keep Fort Myers Beach a haven for shorebirds and turtles on the south.

Mary Rose SpallettaFort Myers Beach

BOAT SPEEDS TOO FAST

We live in a condo on the south end of FMB and have great con-cerns about the new boat speeds in Estero Bay. Since the speed limits have been increased to 25 mph the boat traffic Letters cont’d pg.10

WHILE YOU WERE GONE

Season has arrived on Fort Myers Beach, with traffic and wait times and happy faces and what seems like a thousand walkers & runners each morning along the new section of Estero Blvd. Welcome Back! With season comes the question, “What happened after we left?” Here’s a condensed review of top news stories since last spring, with a little bit of com-mentary.

MARGARITAVILLE Still on hold. The lawsuits filed by Christine Patton with the backing of Lani Kai owner Bob Conidaris in August 2018 continue to work their way through the courts. The civil lawsuit was dropped in June 2019, but the Request for a Writ of Certiorari limps along. In September 2019, it was denied by the local court, then they appealed to the Florida Second District Court of Appeals. The case continues to drag on. So now we wait some more. Some tenants in the proposed resort area have moved to new quarters, others are awaiting word on a demolition plan. In brighter news, the off-island portion of the project, Beaches Gateway Village, which will include a Homewood Suites Hotel and large parking lot for overflow parking at the NE corner of Pine Ridge and San Carlos Blvd, behind 7-11, has been approved by Lee County.

WATER QUALITYSo far, so good. 2019 was not a repeat of the disastrous 2018 summer of Red Tide and Blue Green Algae. Given the most credit for that improvement was the “operational flexibility” of the US Army Corps of Engineers, which they used to draw down Lake Okeechobee in the spring of 2019, so they were not forced to release algae-laden water when the summer rains arrived at peak algae sea-son. It worked, though they are not following that plan this year, leading Stuart, Florida to consider a lawsuit against them. We had a fairly normal Red Tide year with some spotty areas of medium concentration, but nothing like summer 2018.

ESTERO BLVD CONSTRUCTIONProgress there also. The new road is complete to Publix. The first two miles of the six-mile project is done and the first bike lanes are in place. The entire road from Publix to the Big Carlos Pass Bridge is now a construction zone, with water line, sewer, stormwater drainage, or roadwork being done. Progress in these sections is expected to come faster than previous sections and completion is still expected by the end of 2021, less than two years from now.

TOWN POLITICSWith an election for three Town Council seats on the March 17 ballot, there’s plenty of town politics in the air. There are seven candidates for those seats. The town is also embroiled in a battle over a dune walkover on the south end near the Little Estero Critical Wildlife Area, with a decision on that at Monday’s Council meeting. Plenty about that in today’s opinion pages.

THE RESTHurricane Dorian missed us. Record Turtle Nesting Season. Roar Offshore brought powerboat racing back to the beach, though the stats touted by pro-moters have raised a few eyebrows. Fire Dept is buying the Topps property to replace Station 31. Efforts to keep Water Quality front and center for politicians continues. Stay tuned, there’s always more to come on FMB.

Missy LayfieldEditor


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appears chaotic with some going slow and many going very fast. It’s a wonder there have not been any collisions between boats. In addition to boat safety there are questions about the serious damage being done to docks and mangroves by excessive wakes from boats. We can observe the shoreline eroding away and the docks deteri-orating. In addition, we used to see dolphins, manatees, kayakers and paddleboats in the bay but it now appears far too dangerous for anything other than boats. The authorities that have the power to change the speed back to slow speed or no wake should act before an accident occurs and/or irre-versible damage is done to docks and shorelines.

Robert CarranFort Myers Beach

END ANIMAL OPPRESSION

On January 27th, the world observed the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date marks 75 years since the liberation of Aus-chwitz-Birkenau, Hitler’s largest death camp. It’s an opportune occasion to reflect on how each of us can help end oppression. A key question facing historians is how could an enlightened soci-ety that produced our civilization’s greatest philosophers, poets, and com-posers also produce its most notorious mass murderers? How could it get millions of ordinary citizens to go along? Was the Holocaust a peculiarly German phenomenon, or are other enlightened societies capable? And, is it just about killing humans, or does it extend to other sentient beings? Jewish Nobel laureate, Isaac Bashevis Singer provided a clear an-swer when he wrote: “To the animals, all people are Nazis.” His message was that, even in our own country, we are willing to subjugate our own compassion and affection for animals to those of our society. We have allowed social norms to supersede our own. It follows that the only way to end our own participation in oppres-sion is for each of us to reclaim our own moral values. Our very first step should be to drop animals from our menus.

Colin CruzCape Coral

NO DUNE WALKOVER

We are being challenged by a deci-sion that could result from a rehearing of the walkover dune on Fort Myers Beach at the south end. Do we want this? I think not! This pristine beach has been able to allow birds to nest and bring us a population of shore birds that we have not had in years. How can we allow Council to possibly vote for a walkover that will stop that process? Can we please unite and support the present vote of the coun-cil to not allow this walkover? Let your thoughts be known. Without our shore birds, we will be missing such an in-tegral part of our lovely white sand beach. I took this photo in the area of the proposed walkover. This would be lost if there is a walkover built there.

Sharon HegstromCastle Beach PresidentFort Myers Beach

Letters cont’d from pg.9

SHOW UP; SPEAK UP; BLOCK WALKOVER

As it now stands, on February 3, 2020, the Fort Myers Beach Town Council will be rehearing the proposal by the property owners at 8150 and 8170 Estero Blvd. for a dune walkover approximately 300 feet in length. The dune walkover would be built adjacent to the Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area and have a negative impact on the many birds that depend on this area. The construction of this dune walkover would alter the integrity of the ecosystem and the natural look of what is a small remnant of pristine habitat at the South End of Fort Myers Beach. This area is recognized by many to be a place of natural beauty, distinct and unique, to anywhere else on Fort Myers Beach. The south end of Fort Myers Beach hosts an array of wading birds and shorebirds. The following birds are on the Florida State Threatened and Endangered Birds List – American Oystercatcher, Black Skimmer, Least Tern, Little Blue Heron, Piping Plover, Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Red Knot, Snowy Plover, Tricolored Heron, and Wood Stork and are frequently seen inhabiting from the lagoons out to the Gulf. Habi-tat fragmentation and the addition of human structures (dune walkover) in their habitat will be detrimental to these species. I encourage every Town Resident who cares about keeping this pristine habitat as is to attend the Town Council meeting on Feb. 3, 2020 starting at 9:00 am. As Town Residents, we can speak in support of the November 2019 vote of 3 to 2 by the Town Council to deny the Special Exception required for the construction of the dune walkover. Penny Jarrett, Fort Myers Beach

Class Action Lawsuit Tired of dealing with Town Code Enforcement issues? Proper-ty owners in Fort Myers Beach have had enough of false reports & liens. The Town seems to be working against property owners. If you agree and would consider joining a Class Action lawsuit to address this situation, email [email protected]. Town Council candidates interested in this issue are invited to contact me.

Martin G. LeBlanc, Fort Myers Beach


I fished with my brother Captain Pete a couple of weeks ago and a discussion started about fishing gear on a boat, more specif-ically what terminal tackle to always have on board. It seems we fisher folks are all guilty in one way or another of carrying way too much gear for a day on the water. The conversation started with my reminiscing about my first year of being a fishing guide. I men-tioned that when it came to tackle I had just about everything I owned onboard. It was stashed in every locker, under the seat, and in the console. There was barely enough room for the required safety equip-ment and anything my guest might bring with them on a charter. I ex-plained that I was worried I’d be missing the one lure that might lead to a better bite. Now, think about that for minute. Every tackle shop I’ve ever been in has rows upon rows of fish-

ing lures. Each and every one of those lures are also available in multiple col-or combinations making for a staggering num-ber of choices. The odds of hav-ing that one lure onboard would be astronomical. I ex-plained to Pete that about two years into my guiding career I had slowly, but surely pared down my terminal tackle to a very man-ageable tackle bag. This simply came from on-the-water experi-ence. I had learned what type of leader and lure worked for the ma-jority of my targeted fish species. The discussion led to a list of must haves from not one, but two fishing captains. The leader used between the line and the lure is very import-ant in Florida saltwater fishing. For the majority of days you’ll need 15-pound to 30-pound test fluoro-carbon. The light line will improve the bite from finicky fish and the heavy line will handle the bigger stuff that wants to drag you into the mangrove roots. Jig heads are a must. For the uninitiated, these are basically hooks with a lead head that looks somewhat like a boxing glove. There are thousands of them! I car-ry an assortment in a small tackle tray from 1/8 ounce to 1/2 ounce

with what I consider being the es-sential colors, in order of prefer-ence… yellow, red, gold, brown and white. A jig head is useful for fishing live shrimp and an array of soft plastic lures. Soft plastics can look like shrimp, worms, minnows or small baitfish. I always have Gulp! Shrimp on standby along with a couple of favorites from D.O.A. Lures and Z-Man Lures. Stick with colors that look natural. Pink, light green and grey for the shrimp along with silver and white for the baitfish. Casting plugs come in an array of colors and designs. They are mostly made of plastic and have a couple of attached treble hooks. There are twitch, diving and walk-ing varieties. The twitch is nothing more than an imitation of a small bait fish that can be retrieved with a jerking action to make it look like it’s trying to flee from a predator. The diving lure is the same thing, but with a plastic lip that causes it to dive when retrieved or jerked. The

walker is a topwater lure that won’t sink and can be “walked” across the top of the water. This is a fun sum-mer lure when the water is warm. Stick to the same colors as the soft plastic lures. Last, but certainly not least is the popping cork. They are es-sential for fishing our local waters, simple to use and great for locat-ing fish on an open body of water. A live minnow, shrimp or artificial can be attached via a leader under the cork for whatever depth is required. Once casted away from the boat or shoreline you simply jerk the rod to make a popping sound. I call it, “ringing the dinner bell.” Remember. Keep it simple and instead of constantly changing lures, work on your technique with a few choices. The more you prac-tice the more fish you’ll catch.

Captain Rob Modys is a lifetime Florida outdoorsman and retired

spin & fly fishing guide. He is past president and board chairman of the Florida Outdoor Writers Asso-ciation and serves on the board of

the Florida Guides Association.

Trout and jig head. PHOTO BY PETE MODYS.

The essentials. PHOTO BY ROB MODYS.


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AWRA ConferenceFGCU Hosts Water Seminar, Cont’d from pg.1

second day in office, issued his Executive Order on water, and that set the policy and funding lev-els to combat water at $625 mil-lion and the State Legislature was very good to us and allocated even more. The Governor requested an-other $625 million this year and the Legislature is in session right now. The Governor appointed a new Blue-Green Algae Task Force with Dr. Mike Parsons of FGCU on the panel and their recommendations are now Senate Bill 712 that we hope becomes law this year.” Three large water storage reservoir projects motivate Goss. “These are the Everglades Agri-cultural Area (EAA) Reservoir and well as the C-43 and C-44. We will start the EAA as soon as we re-ceive the Army Corps permit, the C-44 on the east coast started to fill last month and that is exciting, and C-43 is right in our backyard, with construction well underway, so it is fun to watch that move along. In his Executive Order, Governor DeSantis made sure these have water quality components and we took public comment on that this week in LaBelle, as that will be re-ally important. Governor DeSantis last week set aside 20,000 acres in the middle of the Everglades previ-ously earmarked for oil exploration and drilling and now, on that land, that will never happen. Next week will be one year since he appoint-ed me to the SFWMD and we are following his directive to restore the flow of water to the Everglades. It is hard work, but fun, and we have a great staff, so I am really looking forward to a terrific 2020!”

FGCU RESEARCH & PROGRAMS

In the first session, “The FGCU Water School: Prominent Research & Programs,” Dr. Greg Tolley, Executive Director of The Water School, explained, “When we broke ground last March 22 on The Water School, our region at that time was still recovering from the water crises from a cou-ple of years – from fall of 2017 with Hurricane Irma and the next year from the fifth-longest Red Tide in Florida history and the extensive

Blue-Green Algae bloom from Lake Okeechobee all the way down the Caloosahatchee, so that made a research institution to combat these issues crucial, and to train future water leaders to better in-form our citizenry for their health, ecosystem, and economic devel-opment. Water is not always our friend, when you consider Climate Change, hurricanes, Blue-Green Algae blooms and all the rest, so we must use a systematic approach to avoid potential conflicts well into the future that may bring unintend-ed consequences, and that is what

will set The Water School apart, to protect the economy and quality of life that Southwest Florida loves and expects.” Dr. Parsons of The Water School, Director of the Vester Field Research Station, and Blue-Green Algae Task Force Member, stated, “The 2018 cyanobacteria algae blooms got so bad that they flowed down the Cape Coral canals and led to massive fish kills and dis-colored water that smelled so bad it was like sewage, and became terrible for homeowners, business-es and our economy. It affected a lot of different organisms, including people! Cyanobacteria blooms are in every single state in the nation and all parts of the world, so this is not just a phenomenon here but a real trend. “Cyanobacteria like nutri-ents, particularly nitrogen. Lake Okeechobee has a phosphorous Basic Management Plan but not one for nitrogen, so we suspect that nitrogen plays a high role in Mi-crosystin blooms. Red Tide is a dif-ferent beast. That is a natural phe-nomenon that develops 50 miles off the coast, but as it moves closer to the shore, nutrients from Saha-ran dust that blows all across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa leads to fish kills. Nutrients from runoff plays a role but not a dominant role, as Red Tide needs a very specific set of conditions to bloom, so this is a hard problem to figure out.” In trying to analyze future water quality issues, “you must take population growth into account,” stressed Dr. Parsons. “Florida is adding roughly 1,000 people a day, we expect Lee County’s population

Dr. Tom Frazer, the Chief Science Officer to Governor Ron DeSantis, spoke at the AWRA water conference last week. PHOTOS BY GARY MOONEY.


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grow by 300,000 by 2030, and Col-lier County another 120,000 over that same time frame, and that is now just 10 years down the road! We need land use plans, water management programs, stormwa-ter treatment plants, and a lot more data to prevent further strain on the system. What you can do is to use less or no fertilizer, plant native Florida landscaping and similar ef-forts. There is a long road ahead of us, but I am hopeful and optimistic!” Dr. Barry Rosen of The Wa-ter School noted, “Cyanobacteria is speed dating! They grow fast be-cause all they have to do is split in half and by the end of the day, one cell becomes eight and that is how you get a bloom. Cyanotoxins are highly potent but you have to get them in your mouth through food or drinking water. We still don’t know about breathing through the air and that is what we are working on right now.” Fritz Roka, Executive Di-rector of the FGCU Center for Agribusiness, said, “It is extremely important for us to get a handle on water issues so we do not repeat the same mistakes as those who came before us. Fifty years from now, we don’t want people looking back at us and saying, ‘Those peo-ple weren’t very smart,’ like we do with those from a 100 years ago, who were doing their best for the public interest. Like Mike, I am an optimist that we will make better decisions.” Jennifer Jones, Executive Director of the FCGU Center for Environment & Sustainability Edu-cation, related, “Environmental ed-ucation alone will not get us out of this! We need to change our behav-ior because we can have all the ed-ucation in the world, but if we take no action, it will not do us any good. We need to make environmental education local, personal and rele-vant in our jobs and life and family, and that is the Center for Environ-ment & Sustainability Education’s priority, to nurture an engaged cit-izenry through systematic change.”

CLIMATE CHANGE PREPAREDNESS

During the presentation “Climate Change Preparedness and Community Engagement in Southwest Florida,” Dr. Mike Sava-rese of The Water School said, “You prepare a community for Climate Change through Context, Voluntary Analysis, a Reliable Strategy and then Implementation of the Adopted Plan, including how to allocate the money necessary to achieve the goal. At current levels, we will have extreme temperatures and sea lev-el rise. By the year 2100, tempera-ture elevation will be as high as 4 to 5 degrees Centigrade rather than our current target of 1.5 degree, meaning that sea level rise may be as much as 8 feet. If we keep burn-ing fossil fuels at the present pace, we can be reasonably sure that it will be business as usual through the year 2060, with life as we know it still sustainable, but without effec-tive adopted plans, there is no way to reduce these results. Like others here, however, I am hopeful and not fearful, but 2060 is not that far away! Climate Change must bring us together because it knows no political boundaries, meaning we have to share our resources, in-cluding funding.” Dr. Darren Rumbold of The Water School noted that the nutri-

ent load in Southwest Florida from the “C-43 (watershed) basin that is our own backyard, between the tidal basin and Lake Okeechobee, is as large or larger than that com-ing from the lake, but every time I speak with the media, they only say that the lake discharges are the problem, no matter what I say! These nutrients change the color of the water, and that leads to hor-rific economic results, as that dirty water is what the tourists see. My take-home message is that we fo-cus too much on the lake and miss opportunities to solve water quali-ty problems right here in our own backyard, in the C-43 basin, with-out relying on anyone else, but like others here today, I view this with optimism.”

EAT THE WHOLE ELEPHANT

The final speaker of the conference was Dr. Tom Frazer, the Chief Science Officer & Advisor to Governor Ron DeSantis. “My goal is transparency and to cut through the soundbites to form an effective

policy that includes the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commis-sion, Department of Agriculture, all the Water Management Districts, and all the people involved from the private sector and academic community. The Governor wants to focus on the environment and the Blue-Green Algae Task Force, and my job is to capture their comments and put them forward as recom-mendations, then to move those forward aggressively. We produced that document in October, with ways to reduce nutrients in our water, Basic Action Management Plans, Blue-Green Algae blooms, septic and sanitary sewer systems, pub-lic health, science-based decision making, and monitoring, among other things. This is now Senate Bill 712 that is moving through the system right now, and I think we are making significant progress. Dr. Parsons is on that Task Force and this community is lucky to have him!” Dr. Frazer addressed Basic Management Action Plans, Best Management Practices, Onsite

Sewage Treatment & Disposal sep-tic tank systems, Florida’s aging infrastructure, stormwater treat-ment systems, innovative technol-ogy, and public health, stating, “We need science-based decision-mak-ing on all these, based on acquiring good data and a solid monitoring program, because these are the hallmarks of the Blue-Green Algae Task Force recommendations. The State must invest in water quality monitoring and strategy with the Water Management Districts, be-cause until we expand water qual-ity monitoring in each area, we will never be able to eat the whole ele-phant! “These are not just South-west Florida problems but affect systems all over the State, so as we move forward, all these actions go far beyond the Southwest Florida landscape. The Blue-Green Algae Task Force is very aggressive in ensuring that these recommenda-tions will make it into public policy and I hope the Legislature comes out with that this March!”

AWRA ConferenceFGCU Hosts Water Seminar, Cont’d from pg.12


Jim Atterholtfor

Fort Myers Beach

Town CouncilPublic service to me is about having an approach to

government that focuses on service to others—not self-interest. I don’t have a hidden agenda or an axe to grind—I simply love this island and feel called to utilize my experience in

order to serve my community. If given the privilege to serve, my governing philosophy will be one of limited government

through common sense, professionalism and civility.

ExperienceBefore moving to Fort Myers Beach permanently, I had the privilege to serve the state of Indiana in various roles including congression-al aide, state legislator, insurance commissioner, chair of the utility regulatory commission and as chief of staff to the governor. I cur-rently serve as a volunteer for the Town of Fort Myers Beach as a member of the Local Planning Agency (LPA) which assists the town council on zoning and planning issues. I also serve on the Board of Directors for the Bermuda Dunes Condominium Association.

PositionsI believe the town can assist with the long-term solutions Florida has recently put forward to address the water quality crisis. My wife Brenda and I are blessed to live directly on the beach, and we experienced first-hand the horrific impacts of red tide in 2018. There is rarely a day when we are not running, walking, swimming or riding our bikes along the beach. Both the environmental and the economic damage from the red tide are seared in my memory. As the solutions to this problem are long-term, we must engage the thousands of tourists and part-time residents who visit each year. We must urge them to become advocates to their members of Congress back home for the critical need to continue to support the solutions that are just beginning to have a positive impact in Florida. The attention span of Washington is short, and I hope to use my experience at both the federal and state level to keep the pressure on so we can successfully complete these critical water quality projects.

Whenever possible, the Town should issue fewer tickets, fines and penalties to our residents and businesses. Instead, there needs to be more notice, education and cooperation. The Town must partner more with our citizens instead of being adversarial.

I strongly support the town councils’ unanimous 5-0 vote in 2018 to move forward with the TPI/Margaritaville project. Significant compromises were made by all sides and it is time to work together as a community and move forward.

PersonalI am a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and have been married to my college sweetheart, Brenda, for 32 years. We have three grown sons who work as a bartender/aspiring musician, a cyber security analyst and a graduate student in geophysics at Caltech. We are members of Chapel by the Sea Church.

“Political advertisement paid for and approved by Jim Atterholt for Fort Myers Beach Town Council”, Jim Steele, Treasurer

If you would like to share your thoughts or concerns, please e-mail Jim at: [email protected]

If you would like to contribute to Jim’s campaign, you may send a check made payable to

Jim Atterholt for Fort Myers Beach Town Council7390 Estero Blvd, Unit 902 • Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

I respectfully ask for your vote on March 17th.

– Jim Atterholt

control of Florida to the United States in 1821 and in 1835 the Sec-ond Seminole War ended the era of Cuban fishing ranchos in Florida as the United States sought to end for-eign settlement of its new territory. Many Cubans left, others remained becoming part of the patchwork of early Floridians that settled here. Pioneer families and early settlers lived on Mound Key, fishing and farming for more than a hundred years. Their legacy is a rich part of Mound Key history as well.

ASHES ON ASHES

A few months ago, some old friends camped on the last remain-ing piece of private land on Mound Key. With the County purchase of the McGee property, and the State of Florida owning the rest, the en-tire island is now protected from de-velopment, and that’s a good thing. But, as protected public land, strict rules and regulations for visitors are observed as they should be. I like to think that we probably enjoyed the last legal campfire and whiskey that island will ever see. The ashes of

our fire atop the ashes of some oth-er camp fire of a long gone mullet fishermen, the home fire of a pio-neer farmer, a Cuban fishing fam-ily, perhaps even a Calusa father keeping warm on a chilly February morning and watching a Spanish ship pull into the pass and weigh anchor. To learn more about our area’s rich history, or schedule a trip to Mound Key, visit the Mound House museum at 451 Connecti-cut Street, Fort Myers Beach. The Mound House offers a unique view of Calusa history, Early Settlers and the natural environment of Estero Island through cultural and environ-mental programs, including guided tours, beach walks and kayak eco-tours. A Shell Mound Tour, offered daily Tuesday – Saturday at 11am and 2pm offer a look inside a 2,000 year old Calusa Shell Mound. For a full schedule visit Moundhouse.org or call 239-765-0865. Be sure to ask for Alison.

Parke Lewis is a former “beach kid” who now lives in Fort Myers. He is a biologist with DexBender.

Mound Key - A Living MonumentIsland History, Con’t from pg.14

MOUND KEY BOAT TOURSThe Mound House offers Boat Tours to Mound Key twice a month Feb-ruary – April. The approximately three hour tours begin at Fish Tale Marina and include a stop at the Mound House and a trip to Mound Key, Capital of the Calusa, in Estero Bay. Participants hike the trails of Mound Key, exploring sites used by the Calusa and early settlers on the undeveloped island. Reservations can be made at moundhouse.org

Full boat tour heads to Mound Key. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MOUND HOUSE.

CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT Tired of dealing with Town Code Enforcement issues? Property owners in Fort Myers Beach have had enough of false reports & liens. The Town seems to be working against property owners. If you agree and would consider joining a Class Action lawsuit to address this situation, email [email protected]. Town Council candidates interested in this issue are invited to contact me.

Martin G. LeBlanc, Fort Myers Beach

Senate Takes Aim at Sunscreen Bans, Cont’d from pg.8

Program Policy Analysis and Gov-ernment Accountability, the Legisla-ture’s research arm. An OPPAGA study found last year that oxybenzone and octi-noxate in sunscreens can have a negative effect on coral reefs and marine life when exposed to “con-centration levels generally not ob-served in nature.” “You have to apply (the chemicals) directly, in an intense matter to the coral reefs over a long period of time in a little, small space. We are talking about a large ocean around the coral reefs here,” Bradley said in November. When approving the regu-lation last year, Key West Commis-sioner Jimmy Weekley argued peo-ple could still use many sunscreens that do not contain oxybenzone and octinoxate. “I, too, am concerned about

the health of the citizens of this com-munity, but there are alternatives to what people can do. There is no alternative for the reef,” Weekley said. “But we only have one reef.” The House has also moved quickly on a measure that is iden-tical to the Bradley bill. The House version (HB 113), sponsored by Rep. Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers, will be considered Thursday by the House Health & Human Ser-vices Committee, the last commit-tee stop before it could get a vote in the full House. Gov. Ron DeSantis last year vetoed a proposal that would have pre-empted local regulation of plas-tic straws. However, his office did not answer questions on Wednes-day about the governor’s position on blocking local governments from regulating sunscreens.


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Seminoles of FloridaLecture Series Continues


“The Friends of the Mound House are excited to continue our 2019-20 Lecture Series,” related Penny Jarrett, the Mound House Education Program Coordina-tor. “The Lectures are the second Tuesday of each month through May, with Social Time at 5:30 p.m. and Lectures at 6. In addition to the fascinating and educational presentations, we offer lovely re-freshments that includes fruit and gourmet cheese, and you can even enjoy a glass or two of wine! We request, however, that you make advance reservations at 239-765-0865, as the Mound House can ac-commodate just 45 people, so re-serve your spot today! Admission is $5 for Mound House members and $10 for non-members that we will collect at the door, and cash only please.”

SEMINOLES OF FLORIDA FEB. 11

The next program in the Lecture Series is Tuesday, Feb-ruary 11, with David Scheidecker, who is the Research Coordinator for the Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Seminole Tribe of Flor-ida, with “Seminoles of Florida.” Scheidecker, who is an archaeolo-gist, is a graduate of Florida Atlan-tic University with a Bachelors in History and Texas Tech University with a Masters in Anthropology. He

worked on historic and prehistoric archaeological sites in Texas, Ec-uador and Zimbabwe before re-turning to Florida to work with the Seminole Tribe for the past four years. In the “Seminoles of Florida” lecture, Scheidecker will explore the tribe’s history and their connec-tion to the State. The March 10 speaker will be Stephen Brown, the UF/IFAS Horticulture Agent for Lee Coun-ty, with “Landscaping with Florida Native Plants.” Brown is an expert on most local landscaping issues, including native plants, flowering trees, plant identification and insect and disease problems. Dr. Michael Parsons, Pro-fessor of Marine Science for Flor-ida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and The Water School, Director of the Vester Marine & Environmental Science Research Station, and a member of Governor Ron DeSan-tis’s “Blue-Green Algae Task Force,” will present, “Red Tide, Blue-Green Algae, & Water Quality” on April 14. Dr. Parsons established a success-ful research career, receiving over $20 million of extramural funding to study ciguatera fish poisoning, harmful algae blooms, coral reef ecology and phytoplankton ecol-ogy, including the recently-funded Greater Caribbean Center for Cig-uatera Research through the Cen-ters for Oceans and Human Health Program by the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Health. He collaborates as well in three Gulf of Mexico Research

Dave Scheidecker, Research Coordinator for the Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, will present the February 11 Mound House

lecture, “Seminoles of Florida.”


Initiative Consortia studying the impacts of the Macondo oil spill in coastal ecosystems in multiyear projects at over $30 million. At FGCU, Dr. Parsons teaches cours-es on Marine Ecology and Data Collection & Analysis. Dr. April Watson, a Lynn University and Florida Atlantic Uni-versity Professor in Natural & Ap-plied Sciences and Secretary of the Florida Archaeological Council, will conclude the Lecture Series on May 12 with “Sifting for Sustainabil-ity: An Archaeological Case Study from Boca Raton, Florida” that will highlight sea level rise. Dr. Watson completed her undergraduate and master’s de-gree in Anthropology with a focus on Archaeology. She concentrated her undergraduate work on Florida prehistoric mound sites, particular-ly looking at the use of ceramics and shell tools. Her Masters stud-ies were on the coast of Cuba, to create a predictive model of pre-historic archaeological sites that in-volved extensive use of geographic system tools, as well as conducting research on artifacts recovered from the Guantanamo Bay area, including pottery shards and lithic artifacts. Dr. Watson earned her Ph.D. in Geosciences from Flori-da Atlantic University. After gradu-ating, she worked throughout the Southeastern United States in cul-tural resources management as a Staff Archaeologist for an environ-mental engineering firm and cur-

rently serves as the Secretary for the Florida Archaeological Council, in conjunction with federal agen-cies for archaeological and histor-ical preservation. On May 12, when Dr. Wat-son presents her lecture, she will discuss South Inlet Park, a beach-adjacent recreational area in Palm Beach County, near the Boca Raton Inlet that contains historic material and large shell middens. In 2018, Lynn University conducted a Phase I and Phase II Survey on the property and identified a previously unknown subsurface midden layer that is particularly at risk over cli-mate related impacts, as it is within 25 meters of the water, with less than 10 meters of elevation. It be-came the first excavated site under the Regional Climate Action Plan that includes prevention, mitigation and monitoring of climate change impacts to natural and cultural re-sources, with results indicating the need for immediate action to en-sure the best chance at recording and preserving these sites into the future. Penny explained that part of the funding for the Friends of the Mound House Lecture Series came from the “What’s In The Water” Project sponsored by the Mound House, FGCU and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Adminis-tration’s (NOAA) Planet Steward-ship Education Program. “NOAA provided $2,500 for educational outreach, to share with people the

value and benefits of using Flori-da native plants in landscaping, so that is why I selected several of the speakers.” “What’s In The Water” volunteers to date have conducted two Fort Myers Beach-wide water sampling days, with Dr. Parsons and his students doing the neces-sary testing to discover what is in our local waters and the actions necessary to improve our water quality. If you would like to volun-teer for the next sampling day that will most likely be on a Saturday in March or April, before the start of the rainy season; contact Penny di-rectly at [email protected]. FREE “TROUBLED WATERS”

SCREENING

In a related program, the Mound House on Friday, Febru-ary 21, will host a free screening of “Troubled Waters,” the new 40-min-ute documentary produced by the Calusa Waterkeeper organization that explores the human health impacts and emerging medical sci-ence of Harmful Algae Blooms such as Blue-Green Algae and Red Tide. The film showcases many expert doctors and scientists from around the nation who weigh in on South-west Florida’s water quality issues and their potential health impacts. The free showing of “Troubled Wa-ters” begins at 7 p.m. The Mound House, at 451 Connecticut Street, is the oldest standing structure on Estero Island.

The Town of Fort Myers Beach op-erates the Mound House as a mu-seum complex that offers numer-ous educational programs each month, including guided tours to explore the 2,000-year-old Calusa Indian Shell Mound, beach walks, and kayak eco-tours. Admission is $10 for ages 13 & up, $8 for stu-dents with IDs, $5 ages 6 to 12, and 5 & under free, with Town resi-dents receiving a 50% discount. It is open Tuesdays through Saturdays through April 30; then Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Saturdays for the balance of the year, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Overflow parking is available at 216 Connecticut. For information & programs, call 239-765-0865 or see www.moundhouse.org. “I have been organizing educational lectures since 1992,” concluded Penny, “and in my opin-ion, this series is one of the best! Hear first-hand about pioneering work done by archaeologists, natu-ralists, wildlife researchers, marine scientists and other leading author-ities. These are unique experienc-es where experts come right into our community, and it is nothing like what you might see on televi-sion, so take advantage of these great opportunities. Events like these are exactly why the Mound House happily continues to expand its programming!”

Seminoles of FloridaLecture Series Continues, Cont’d


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Barrier Island RambleFree Nature Walks


The weather was warm and sunny on a recent Friday morning, with the temperature in the low 70s and a delightful sea breeze, as our group of 12 people, including two children, attended the Barrier Is-land Ramble guided nature walk at Bowditch Point Park from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Volunteer Pat Feinstein led our program that began at the pavilion. “Seven acres at Bowditch Point park feature manmade de-velopments like the pavilion and restrooms,” said Pat, “with the re-maining ten in its natural state. Bowditch Point Park is, of course, part of Fort Myers Beach that is a 7-mile-long barrier island that his-torically protects the mainland in hurricanes.” Bowditch Point Park is a 17-acre natural gem managed by Lee County Parks & Recreation at 50 Estero Boulevard, the northern tip of Fort Myers Beach. Lee Coun-ty purchased the site in 1987, with the park’s grand opening in Febru-ary 1994. It was the last remaining undeveloped large tract on Estero Island with shoreline on the Gulf and Back Bay. The park is home to dredging spoil piles from Matanzas Pass that make it the highest ele-vation on Fort Myers Beach at 22 feet above sea level. As the Ram-ble starts, we scale one of the more prominent spoil piles, with Pat ex-horting, “This is our mountain climb; you cannot do this on any other part of the island!” Nathanial Bowditch, the park’s namesake, was an early American mathematician who lived from 1773 to 1838, Pat explained. “His great contribution is his work on ocean navigation, and his ac-claimed book, ‘The New American Practical Navigator,’ first published in 1802, that is still aboard every commissioned United States ves-

sel. He was from Salam, Massa-chusetts, almost certainly never visited Florida, much less Fort My-ers Beach, but points of land that stick out into the water often carry his name.” We encounter a gumbo limbo tree, “that has a light, sturdy wood,” Pat explained, “that carpen-ters used to make old-time carou-sel horses. The nickname of the gumbo limbo is the ‘Tourist Tree’ because its bark resembles peel-ing skin, like tourists often get when they take in too much sun their first few days of vacation!” She pointed out an Osprey nest and as we con-tinued on the walk, they seemed to be all over the park. The group looked for go-pher tortoises that are native to the Southeastern United States, the only tortoise originally from North America, and are prevalent at the park. “They are a ‘keystone spe-cies,’” offered Pat, “that digs bur-

rows with a wide tunnel system that provides shelter for at least 360 other animals, as keystone species have a disproportionately large ef-fect on their environment relative to its numbers. They are roughly one foot in diameter, burrow 3 to 4 feet into hillsides, orients its burrow to face the sun, and are strictly vege-tarian. Notice that they dig the bur-row entry wide enough so they can turn around to leave, as they can-not back up.” Roughly a third of the way through the Ramble, we finally encounter our first and only gopher tortoise and it is huge – “the biggest I have yet to see,” exclaimed Pat!

BOOTS, MANGROVES, & SHIFTING SANDS

We come across a Sabal Palm, with Pat relating that it is Flor-ida’s state tree. “People often refer to it as ‘boots’ because of its unusu-al protruding bark that rolls up and

out from the trunk. Cowboys would hang their wet boots from these to dry or broke them off for shoe-horns.” We notice sea grapes “that are full of berries,” she said, “that are excellent for jellies and jams.” Pat led us to Matanzas Pass, explaining, “Estuaries are where fresh and salt water meet. They are a feeding ground for birds, fish and wildlife, and crucial to the ecosystem – that is why we have mangroves here. Red mangroves grow closest to water, black man-groves in drier areas, with whites in the driest locations. They stabilize the shoreline and are critical to our environment, especially during hur-ricanes. Mangroves help to collect sediment that captures sand that allow the beach to expand, offer a safe place for small birds and an-imals, and the growth of sea oats and dunes to prevent erosion.” She displayed several old photographs to show that over 70 years ago, there was no Bowditch Point Park to protect! “In 1944, where we are standing today, this was water! By 1953 the sand moved north to form a small part of it. By 1958, more sand filled in most of the park site, until it was all here by 1970. That is the marvelous thing about a barrier island – it is dynam-ic and alive. If humans would not interfere, today Estero Island would grow out into the channel.” Other natural sights includ-ed in the walk are the maritime hammock environment, sea oats and their deep root system that helps to keep the beach intact, Railroad vines, Morning glories, the butterfly garden, Nickerbeans, an array of birds and small animals, and of course the beach. The Bar-rier Island Ramble is offered every Friday through April 24. We walk roughly three quarters of a mile at a comfortable pace, with frequent stops to examine what we find.

Volunteer Pat Feinstein describes the Gumbo Limbo tree during the Barrier Island Ramble.


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OTHER FMB NATURE WALKS

On Tuesdays through March 31, attend “Exploring the Five Natural Communities of Bowditch Point Park.” This is a new program, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tour the interesting BPP land-scapes on the walk that affords visitors the unique opportunity to experience its five natural plant communities: beach dune, coastal strand, coastal grassland, man-grove swamp, and the restored natural aspect; meet at the pavilion and arrive early, as the small park-ing lot fills fast. Lee County Parks & Recre-ation also offers two nature walks at the San Carlos Bay – Bunche Beach Preserve at 18201 John Morris Road, across from Fort My-ers Beach. “Life Along The Shore-line” is Wednesdays through April 22, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. A new pro-gram is “Everything Changes” on Thursdays through March 26 from 9 to 10 a.m. All Lee County nature walks are free, with no reservations necessary, and parking $2-an-hour. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes that can get wet; bring bug spray, water, camera and bin-oculars. For details, call 239-533-7275 or see www.LeeParks.org. Lovers Key State Park hosts a schedule of nature walks, programs, kayak and bicycle tours free with park admission year-round at 10 a.m. Bring bug spray, sunblock, water, sunglasses, cam-era, and hat. Lovers Key is open every day from 8 a.m. to sundown, with $8-per-car admission for 2 to 8 people, $4 for single occupant

vehicles or motorcycles, and $2 pedestrians and bicyclists at 8700 Estero Boulevard; for information and reservations, call 239-463-4588 or see www.floridastate-parks.org/loverskey. The Mound House pres-ents the “Guided Beach Walk” at Newton Beach Park at 4650 Estero Boulevard Tuesdays year-round and most Thursdays through April 30 at 9 a.m. While the hour-long walk is free and does not require reservations, parking is $3-per-hour. Volunteers identify things found on the beach, meaning no two walks are the same. Meet at the thatched hut and wear sunscreen, shoes to get wet, sunglasses and hat; for details call 239-765-0865 or see www.moundhouse.org.

Railroad Vines proliferate in Bowditch Point Park. PHOTOS BY GARY MOONEY.

biked the “sharrow lanes” and emphasized, “Bicyclists are entitled to as much of that lane as a car, vehicles should not be passing you, and no auto should be any closer to you than three feet. For a competent bicyclist, using the sharrow is best, but for children and maybe those up in age, the sidewalk is a better option. If you are on a road with a bike lane, however, use the bike lane as much as possible.” Many people on Fort Myers Beach, however, “prefer to bike on the wide sidewalks rather than the bike lanes or sharrows,” Dan noted. “Some communities prohibit bicycles on sidewalks, but generally not in Southwest Florida. I wish bicyclists only rode on the sidewalks with traffic, because when motorists are at a sidestreet, not only is it tough to see a bicyclist to begin with, but the natural inclination of drivers is to just look to the left, and not to scan right for a bicyclist who may be moving at a pretty fast clip. You do not see these crashes in the news because they are rarely fatal, but they happen every day!” Bicyclists on the sidewalk are “the second-class citizens, to pedestrians, and must act accordingly,” stressed Dan. “This means you must be very considerate! Your bike needs a warning device to alert pedestrians you are coming from behind to pass. It is the responsibility of bicyclists to pass people on sidewalks safety, even if you must hop off and walk around them.”

SMALL PRICE TO PAY

Dan implores everyone to wear a bicycle helmet, “even though the only ones who must legally do so are children age 15 and under. It is even more important for adults to wear helmets than kids, because they generally bike faster, fall further before they hit the

ground, and will do so with greater force. The most tragically-famous example locally is the death of the meteorologist Jim Reif, who roughly 5 years ago hit his head on the curb and passed away. Bicycle helmets cost anywhere from $10 to $300 so that should not be an issue to owning one, as compared to the medical costs you can incur, that is a small price to pay.” Bicyclists must obey the same traffic laws and rules of the road as any vehicle driver, added Dan, “with fines and violations, and that includes a DUI, though you do not lose any points on your driver’s license. If you receive a violation, that can lead to the suspension of your driver’s Iicense, so don’t just ignore it because it happened on your bike, because, it will be on record. The one thing bikes can do that cars cannot is when in stopped or slow traffic, you can legally pass by the traffic (on the right) if there is enough space, but keep an eye out that no one is too far over, hits you with their sideview mirror, or suddenly makes a turn.” Dan concluded with a warning: “Remember when you drive a car, you are a threat to take someone’s life. If a car going 30 miles-per-hour hits a bicyclist, the biker only has a 50/50 chance of survival; at 40 mph, that drops to roughly 15% and those who live will most likely endure a life-long, life-changing physical condition, so please keep that in mind, especially on Fort Myers Beach where cars, bicycles and pedestrians are so close together in large numbers and tight conditions. “Take your time and be considerate of each other, leaving enough space and obeying the speed limits, as biking on Fort Myers Beach can be a great way to travel in a timely and safe manner!”

Bike Estero Boulevard WiselySafety Do’s & Don’ts, Cont’d fm pg 1

Tom Groves1936 – 2020

Tom Groves passed away peacefully on January 25, 2020 with family and close friends by his side. Tom loved to travel, and was an avid golfer. He and his wife Andrea Carriere have owned the iconic Silver Sands Resort on Fort Myers Beach for over 20 years. Survived by his wife, his children Martha, Dean, Brian and his wife Lisa, as well as several grandchildren and great grandchildren, Tom will be sorely missed by his family and many friends. A Celebration of Life will be held at Cypress Lake Golf Club, 6767 Winkler Road, Fort Myers on Tuesday, February 4th from 4-6 PM.

Barrier Island RambleFree Nature Walks, Cont’d


By John Russo and Jeff Helman

I was extremely saddened and confused to learn that Lee County led the entire state of Flori-da in manatee deaths during 2019 with 144 total deaths, coupled with 182 deaths in 2018. Of the 144 deaths in 2019, 26 were confirmed to be caused by watercraft, also the highest statistic in the state, and 72 were categorized as “unrecovered,” an ambiguous definition that in my opinion, could still be related to wa-tercraft injury. This is not a statis-tic we, as Florida residents, should be proud of; in fact, we should be ashamed. Now allow me to explain my confusion; I have been a resi-dent of the Bay Beach area for over 33 years, now residing at the Wa-terside Development; I am also a floating dock owner at Waterside and an avid boater. For the past 22

years or more, the channel leading from Fish Tale Marina to the start of Big Carlos Pass has always been a “No Wake / Idle-Slow Speed” zone area. Sometime at the end of 2019 new signs were posted, changing this back to an alleged “old statute,” which indiscriminately defines this channel area as a 25 mile per hour zone; (and we all know 25 mph means 35 mph for many disreputa-ble boaters.) This is confusing be-cause no one knows who exactly physically did this or who actual-ly has the total jurisdiction of this area. I don’t even have the words to describe how confusing and mad-dening this is for many of us, why this was even necessary, given the substantial risk and damage which is now occurring. We are the leading county in the state for watercraft related manatee deaths, yet the “powers that be” have increased the speed

limit from “no wake” to 25 miles per hour! This obviously seems ridicu-lous in the context of trying to limit or decrease manatee deaths, de-spite comments from public officials that claim manatees are less active in this season. (We observed one near our dock just last week) After 40 years of personal boating expe-rience, I can safely assume that no boat traveling 25 plus mph can stop in time to avoid hitting this slow moving mammal; that is impossi-ble. Therefore, this change, unless a person in authority can explain otherwise, does absolutely NOTH-ING to create positive change for the wildlife in our channel. In point of fact, this change has proven extremely negative in many other ways, proving to be dangerous and destructive in the following ways: 1. The wake created

by these boats traveling at 25 mph can now be as high as 3-5 feet de-pending on the size of the boat.

2. Extreme wave ac-tion is eroding our shore line, dam-aging the mangroves, and damag-ing our sea walls.

3. The 42 floating docks at the Waterside develop-ment are in imminent danger of substantial damage from wave ac-tion that was never there when they were permitted and installed over 22 years ago; the engineering and design of these docks were pred-icated on the current postings in the channel which indicated a “no wake” zone. They were NOT de-signed for 25 mph large watercraft adjacent travel.

4. Recently there have been reports of several dock users experiencing injury from attempting to board a boat from the dock which is pitching up and down at a vertical rate differential sometimes of 2’ or 3’ from the wave action, thus creat-ing a serious public safety hazard by making it nearly impossible to board any watercraft. In summary, I am asking all Fort Myers Beach City Coun-cil members, county officials with Florida Fish and Wildlife, the Coast Guard, the Lee County Sheriff, the State of Florida officials, and the residents of Bay Beach for any help possible to get this speed reduced back to a safe “no wake” zone be-fore we create any more manatee deaths, or worse yet, any threat to human life and safety. The bottom line is that the increased 25 mph speed in this channel poses a very high risk and substantial liability for all those public and official entities named above should a person be-come injured or dies from the new 25 mph speed limits in this channel. I urge you to consider that just be-cause an old and outdated speed statute was somehow indiscrim-inately and secretly resurrected does NOT mean it is applicable to-day, given all current conditions.

Boat Speed Limit ChangesGuest Commentary


Guest CommentaryTown Deserves Final Word in Protecting Its Own Nature

By Brad CornellSouthwest Florida Policy AssociateAudubon Florida

Last fall, the Town of Fort Myers Beach asserted its rightful authority in determining how to pro-tect the nature of this unique barri-er island paradise. In so doing, the Town Council voted 3-2 to not ap-prove a special exception to Town rules prohibiting a 300 foot board-walk across mangroves, tidal la-goon and marshes and into a sen-sitive, pristine beach habitat next to the Little Estero Island Critical Wild-life Area. As important as access

is to the beach, the two applicants already have access and decided they want their own private walk-way across and into pristine habi-tat. Granting such an exception to them would create a precedent that would see many more boardwalks in the vital Critical Wildlife Area at the south end of the island, thus severely compromising the integrity of this rare habitat for several im-periled species. It also is unfair to see the public trust in protecting ex-tremely rare habitats and the wild-life that depend on them subverted for two properties’ private privilege. Every citizen of the Town deserves

to appreciate the amazing nature of this barrier island and it is the Town’s responsibility to assure it is protected for all. Boardwalks over water, wetlands and into wildlife habitat introduce predators such as rats, raccoons and feral cats, as well as encourage human foot traffic in ar-eas that conflict with wildlife needs for nesting, resting and feeding. This part of Fort Myers Beach hosts one of the largest nesting colonies of imperiled shore and seabirds in Florida every spring and summer. It’s so important that Audubon hires two biologists and trains dozens of volunteers, as does the State wildlife agency, FWC, for this area. Listed species on this part of the is-land include American oystercatch-ers, black skimmers, least terns, little blue herons, piping plovers, reddish egrets, roseate spoonbills, red knots, snowy plovers, tricolored herons, wood storks and American avocets, plus loggerhead and other sea turtles. Additionally, the man-grove and dune vegetation which would be impacted by increased foot traffic and the permanent struc-ture itself, is critical not only to wild-life, but also to protecting the very properties asking for this boardwalk – a sad irony. Ultimately, the Town must balance the short-term wants of two rental properties against the responsibility to assure the few but outstanding remaining natural ar-

eas of this barrier island commu-nity remain vital for future genera-tions. Fort Myers Beach should not let the narrow considerations of a Tallahassee agency – FDEP – im-pose its ill-informed priorities on the Town. The Council’s vote last fall was wise, and it should not waver from that for the re-hearing of this same question in February’s repeat vote.

By Eddie Rood, Texas Hold’em LLCKurt Kroemer, Squeeze Me Inn LLC

Florida Audubon states our walkover has been struck down time and time again, when in fact the Audubon lost each lawsuit filed to stop our State permits. DOAH Case 18-1451 on the DOAH web-site allows the public to read the final order, which overruled every objection presented by the Audu-bon to block permits granted by Florida Department of Environmen-tal Protection (FDEP). The Audu-bon continues to use these same objections to influence the Town council to block our Special Ex-ception and attempt to sway public opinion against our walkover. We find it interesting, that just 50 miles east, the Audubon promotes and sells tickets to Audu-bon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. This is a bird preserve where one can walk a two mile boardwalk, owned by Audubon, in a protected and environmentally sensitive en-vironment, to enjoy bird watching. In contrast, the Audubon says our walkover would be destructive. The Administrative Law Judge presiding over the State hearing addresses Florida Audubon’s statement that birds do not recognize boundaries, by stating, “while birds do not recog-nize boundaries, regulators must”. This dune walkover project IS NOT in the CWA and thus, has different permitting requirements. We will

not accept the Town or Audubon to use the CWA as an excuse to deny our permits. Florida Audubon states this project is on public land. However, the Audubon has no documents to prove this claim. Why did the Audu-bon and Town sue the State and us over who owns this land? The suit was dismissed for lack of standing, as the Town nor Audubon own this land. The two parties who do own this land are not contesting owner-ship. Regardless of ownership, the State and us have entered into a legal agreement that gives us the right to use of the land for a private walkover. During our rehearing re-quest last week in the last Town council meeting, it was disclosed the Town spent approximately $80,000 in legal fees in a failed at-tempt to block our State and Fed-eral permits. The Audubon was a partner in the suit, it would reason the Audubon spent as much. The suit consisted of four different law-suits, each pertaining to the per-mitting process. The documents related to the suits can all be found online on the DOAH website. The trial consisted of a three-day hear-ing. The first day we defended why our project met the permitting re-quirements. The second day, the FDEP defended their permitting process, to assure the project was reviewed correctly. On the third day, the Audubon and the Town’s

management stated all objections as to why the permits should be de-nied. Not one of the objections had factual information or professional studies to back up the Towns and Audubon’s claims. It was ruled our project does not damage the en-vironment, will not be destructive, does not affect turtles, and there are no nesting birds in the vicinity of the project and will actually be a benefit by directing foot traffic through the dune environment and around the CWA. The Town and the Audubon lost the hearing, and yet, they continue to use the same ob-jections to block our Special Excep-tion application. We received the FDEP En-vironmental Resource Permit. We received the FDEP Beaches and Dunes Coastal Construction Con-trol Line intent to permit. We re-ceived the Army Corp or Engineers Fish and Wildlife permit. We won all four lawsuits against these per-mits. We brought a 7-0 recommen-

dation by the Town’s LPA board to approve our Special Exception application to town council. Town Council denied our special excep-tion application for reasons not re-quired by the application. It is the job of State and Federal agencies to protect beach-es and dunes and wildlife. Whether private or public, it is proven that walkovers provide a benefit to the environment and wildlife. Walk-overs are encouraged in sensi-tive areas. Walkovers are allowed through a permitting process. We have met these requirements. The town of Fort Myers Beach allows minor structures, such as these walkovers, to be built in EC zoning districts. We have met these re-quirements. For the whole story and all the details please visit our web-site www.beachaccessmatters.com

Guest CommentaryDune Walkover Should be ApprovedFDEP, Army Corps & LPA Said Yes

Aerial view of location where property owners of 8150 and 8170 Estero Blvd (cleared sand in center) wish to construct a dune walkover to reach the beach.

The Stop Sign indicates where another property owner has blocked access to the beach from neighboring properties. PHOTO PROVIDED.

Snowy Plover with chicks. PHOTO BY PENNY JARRETT.

Black Skimmer feeding its chicks. PHOTO BY JEAN HALL.


TOUR MOUND KEYJoin the Mound House educators for a tour of the Mound House and Mound Key, Capital of the Calusa Indians. On SU Feb 9 from 1:30 – 4:45pm, this tour begins at Fish Tale Marina as you board the Es-tero Bay Express for a boat ride to first the Mound House, then Mound Key. Learn about the rich Calusa history and new discoveries about this ancient people. Tour requires walking over rough terrain. Mound House Museum admission includ-ed. Cost: $55/person (MH mem-bers $50) Weather permitting. Res-ervations required at moundhouse.org Future Mound Key Tours are scheduled for Feb 27, Mar 9 & 27 and Apr 11 & 27.

LIBRARY ARTISTSStop by the Beach Library third floor Commons to view the amaz-ing photography of the February Artists of the Month, the Fort Myers

Camera Club. Art will be on display from Feb 3 -28. Be sure to vote for your favorite photo. A “Meet the Art-ists” Reception will be held on TU Feb 11 from 3-5pm. www.ftmyer-scc.com

BLUEWAY SPEAKERLee County Parks & Recreation offers a Calusa Blueway monthly speaker this season. On TU, Feb 4 at 6:30pm, Joanne Semmer will be the guest speaker, presenting, “Curious Tales of the Lee County Waterways.” The speaker series is free and held at Wa-Ke Hatchee Recreation Center, 16760 Bass Rd, Fort Myers. For more information or directions, call 239-432-2154.

MEDICAL SPEAKERThe Shell Point 2020 Medical Breakthroughs & Discoveries se-ries continues with a presentation by Julie A. Johnson, Pharm.D., dean and distinguished professor at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy on “What is it and How It Can Improve Healthcare.” The lat-est advances in medicine, consid-ering individual factors, especially genetic, and making decision about health care. TU Feb 4 at 7pm in the Village Church Auditorium, Shell Point. Free and open to the public.

BOATING CLASSESThe San Carlos Bay Sail & Power Squadron offers several boating classes at their classroom at 16048 San Carlos Blvd. For more infor-mation on classes, times and reg-istration, call 239-466-4040 or visit www.scbps.com Upcoming classes include: -America’s Boating Class - Feb 1 & 8

-Local Waters; Local Charts – Feb 15.

SHRIMP DINNEREnjoy our area’s finest delicacy, Gulf Pink Shrimp, at the monthly Shrimp Dinner offered at Historic St. Raphael’s Episcopal Church, 5601 Williams Dr. on SA, Feb 1 from 5-7 p.m. All you can eat GULF shrimp, homemade coleslaw, baked beans and cornbread. Soda, beer & wine tickets are included. $20. Future dates: Mar 7 and Apr 4.

BAY OAKS SOCIAL SENIORSAre you a member of Bay Oaks So-cial Seniors (BOSS)? They are an active group with road trips, games and theater trips available for those age 50 and up. Game Day with Mahjong, dominoes, etc is held every MO, TU, TH & FR. Free to BOSS members; $5/nonmembers. Call 239-765-4222 for more infor-mation. Upcoming BOSS activities include:Feb 4 – Bike Trip on Marco IslandFeb 12 – River Cruise on Caloosa-hatcheeFeb 14 – Sock HopFeb 19 – “Kinky Boots” at Broad-way PalmsFeb 25 – Kayak Trip at Manatee ParkFeb 29 – Health Day

SONGWRITERS AT SUNSET Friends of Lovers Key joins with the Americana Community Music Association to offer a Songwriters at Sunset concert on the first TH each month at the gazebo on the Lovers Key State Park beach. On Feb 6 Charlie McCoy is featured in

the concert that begins at 4:15pm. One of the most in-demand session players in Nashville, his session credits are literally a who’s who of country music. Roy Schneider and Kim Mayfield will also perform. Pri-or to the concert, Food Truck ven-dors will be on site offering food and beverage options with a portion of sale supporting the future Welcome & Discovery Center. Free with park entry fees. Bring a chair or blanket.

GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPBeach United Methodist Church hosts a GriefShare Support Group. They meet on Mondays from 1-3pm in the Fellowship Hall. Anyone who has lost a loved one who would benefit from a loving compassion-ate group to help deal with their loss is welcome to attend. Join the group at any time. For more infor-mation call 239-463-9656. 155 Bay Rd, FMB.

CRAFT FAIRSiesta Bay RV Resort will host a Craft Fair on FR Feb 7 from 9am to noon in Primero Hall. Over 50 ven-dors to browse. The Café will be open from 7am -2pm for breakfast and lunch. Their next Craft Fair will be on March 13. 19333Summerlin Rd, Fort Myers.

OPEN HOUSEThe Fort Myers Beach Fire Depart-ment invites the public to join them for an Open House on SA Feb 8 from 10am -12noon at Station 33, 121 Lenell Rd, FMB. Light refresh-ments will be provided. The depart-ment’s new Ladder Truck 33 will be on display. Station 33 is also the location of the department’s 9-11

A Publ ic at ion of FortMyersBe ach .ne ws

F R E E

A Dai ly Gu ide to Fun on the Be ach

February

(239)314-5304 • www.SeaRacerFortMyers.comSalty Sam’s Marina ~ 2500 Main St. Fort Myers Beach, FL


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Please bring old license plates or anything to decorate your dock with your state pride!

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Jan 31st - MinnesotaFeb 7th - PennsylvaniaFeb 14th - Ohio

Help Save the Water & Celebrate Your State Pride!

Unique State Food and Drink Specials Live Bands • Raffles and More!

In partnership with Ocean Habitats help raise fundsto place 6 artificial reefs under our docks.

Each artificial reef will filter 30,000 gallons of water daily and provide local fish a place to hatch and grow safely.

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HISTORIC SOCIETY SPEAKERJoin the Estero Island Historic So-ciety on MO, Feb 10 at 7pm at St. Raphael’s Church for the Febru-ary speaker, Dr. Darren Rumbold, Program Director of the Coastal Watershed Institute and Professor with Vester Marine & Environmen-tal Science Research Field Station at Florida Gulf Coast University. Dr. Rumbold will present, “The Evolu-tion of South Florida’s Water Qual-ity Issues” covering from 1881 to the present. Open to the public. No admission charged, but donations welcome.

PENNING & LANGFORDShell Point’s Concerts & Conversa-tions series continues WE Feb 12 at 7pm in the Grand Cypress Room at Shell Point, with this concert by Soprano Diane Penning and tenor and pianist Paul Langford. Enjoy a musical journey with a remarkable variety of great music from Broad-way, Gershwin, Cole Porter and more. Guests can enjoy fellowship

with the performers and a dessert reception following the concert. Tickets $30 at shellpoint.org/con-certs or by phone 239-454-2067.

SUNSET SINGALONGHave you participated yet in a Sun-set Singalong? They’re held every TH from 5pm to sunset in Bowditch Point Park. Acoustically led clas-sics from Motown, 60’s classics and more. Bring a chair. Warm up begins at 4:45pm. Free activity; parking is $2/hr.

MOUND HOUSE LECTUREThe Mound House Lecture Series continues on TU Feb 11 with Dave Scheidecker, Research Coordina-tor for the Tribal Historic Preserva-tion Office, Seminole Tribe of Flor-ida will speak on, “Seminoles of Florida.” Refreshments at 5:30pm; Lecture at 6pm. Cost $10/person ($5/MH members) Cash at door. Limited seating, Reservations re-quired by calling 239-765-0865, Lectures are held on the 2nd TU each month through May. 451 Con-necticut. Overflow parking at 216 Connecticut.

VALENTINE’S DINNER DANCEJoin the Beach United Methodist Church on FR Feb 14 at 6pm for a Valentine’s Dinner Dance. The public is invited and a buffet will be available. Pastor Ivan will be the music DJ for this fun evening of food and dancing. $12/person. Call 239-463-9656 to reserve tickets or for more information.

VALENTINE’S DAY SOCK HOPThe Sock Hop is back. Head to Bay Oaks on FR Feb 14 to en-joy an evening of Great Music, Dancing, Food, Drinks and Nos-talgia from 6-9pm, presented by BOSS. Beer & wine available for purchase. Come dance the night away! Proceeds benefit Bay Oaks programs. Tickets $20 in advance; $25 at the door. Every-one is welcome! For details call 239-765-4222.

VALENTINES DINNER DANCEThe Knights of Columbus of As-cension Parish will host their an-nual Valentine’s Dinner Dance on SA Feb 15 in the Parish Hall, 6025 Estero Blvd. Doors open at 5:30pm. Enjoy a catered dinner and dancing to the music of San-chez Entertainment. Proceeds benefit the Ascension Knights of Columbus local charities. Tickets $30 per person and are avail-able at the gazebo after weekend masses, at the door or by calling George at 630-546-4801 or Jim at 937-545-4751.

KEYS COMEDY St. Raphael’s Episcopal Church will host a BBQ dinner show with Jimmy Keys Comedy Concert at St. Rapha-el Comfort Hall on SA Feb 15, doors open at 5:45pm. Dinner and show $55. For tickets call 239-463-6057 or visit www.StRaphaelsChurch.org.

FMB YACHT CLUBThe local Yacht Club welcomes the public to a half-price Happy Hour & Social at Bayfront Bistro on MO, Feb 17 from 3-6pm. Come see what this long-time local boat club has to offer with year round social and boating ac-tivities. Boat not required.

HIGH ROLLIN’Get your tickets now for the Beach School PTO fundraiser, “High Rol-lin’” on SA Feb 22 from 6-10pm on the FMB Woman’s Club grounds. Tickets begin at $60 for general ad-mission with VIP tables of 8 for $600. General admission tix offer $10K in “funny money”, appetizers, gaming, prizes & dancing with a cash bar. VIP tickets offer $15K in “funny money”, free champagne, table seating, va-let parking and more. Don’t miss this fun gaming experience that benefits Beach Elementary School. Tickets at highrollinonthebeach.eventsmart.com

CO-ED SOFTBALL Want to get outside and have some fun? Join the slow pitch softball group that gathers at the Bay Oaks field on TU and TH at 9:30am. No glove needed. Men & women of all ages welcome. Let’s have some fun! Ques-tions? Call Perry 239-281-0752.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

Monday, 2/3 9:00am Town Council

Tuesday, 2/4 9:00am Bay Oaks Advisory Board

Thursday, 2/6 9:00am Council Planning Session

All meetings take place in Town Hall, 2525 Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach unless otherwise noted. Meetings are subject to change.


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WHAT IS COMMUNITY COMICSEach week I draw a cartoon and put it up on my FB page (Mark List) on Saturday morning, and ask all my FB

friends to contribute captions for the cartoon. I also ask that everyone vote for the ones they think are the funniest. The ones with the most Likes by Monday or Tuesday get printed in the funnies pages that week. We

do it simply for the fun of it.

Your Favorite Phone Number(239)274-0461

or (239) 463-0890www.linshousefortmyers.com

“”Why so heavily dressed kamrat?””Well, my Swedish friend, it shouldn’t take long before you to real-

ize that’s Fahrenheit not Celsius!!””Eric M. Huntsman

“I take it you are from around here!”Marie Flaugher

“You can always spot the local.....”Sharon Perry



Paint Around 2020 The artists of the Fort Myers Beach Art Association are commit-ted to supporting young artists with-in the community. One way they do that is by offering student scholar-ships each year. Funds for those scholarships got a boost January 23rd as the FMBAA hosted a ‘Paint Around’ at their gallery, where funds were raised from entry fees, raffles and auctioning the finished artworks. What is a Paint Around? Think of it as a very creative adult version of the children’s game of “telephone,” where what one

person starts, is added onto and changed until you get to the end of the circle and something totally different has been created. In the FMBAA Student Scholarship Fund-raiser Paint Around, four talented and award-winning artists each be-gan a mixed media collage work. Then after 15 minutes or so, it was passed on to the next artist, who added their touch to it, and so on until at the end of about an hour, the result was four stunning mixed media collage works that they each signed before they were auctioned. This year’s artists were Deborah

Butler, Helma Gansen, Bea Perrin Pappas and Lynne Wesolowski. The FMBAA will host a Stu-dent Scholarship Show at the Gal-lery from April 4 – 8. The Scholar-ship Awards Reception, open to all, will be held on Sunday, April 5 from 1-5pm. The current show in the gal-lery through February 6 is “Not the Status Quo.” Beginning February 10 and continuing through March 5, “Defying the Ordinary” show will be in the gallery. Studio 2 will host the Buelow/Gansen Show from Feb-ruary 8-20, then the Walling Mex-

ico Trip Show from February 22 – March 5. The FMBAA Gallery is open Monday – Saturday from 10am -3pm through mid-April when summer hours of Wednesday and Thursday 9am -noon begin. Admis-sion is free. The gallery is located at 3030 Shell Mound Blvd, at the corner of Donora Blvd. and Shell Mound Blvd. The FMBAA hosts numerous classes and workshops during season. Learn more at fort-myersbeachart.com or call 239-463-3909.

The four artists with their completed mixed media artwork. From left, Lynne We-solowski, Bea Perrin Pappas, Deborah Butler and Helma Gansen. Lynne Wesolowski and Bea Perrin Pappas work on their artwork.

Helma Gansen, foreground, and Bea Perrin Pappas add textural elements. All four artists at work during the Paint Around.

Paint Around attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, beverages, raffles and viewing the current art show in addition to all the Paint Around action

Lynne Wesolowski laughs at a comment from a Paint Around spectator.

Artists apply finishing touches. A closeup of one of the finished pieces. PHOTOS BY M. LAYFIELD.


For all tides go to www.saltwatertides.com

Tides • Matanzas Pass • Ft. Myers BeachDay High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon /Low Time Feet Sunset Visible

F 31 High 4:32 AM 1.5 7:13 AM Rise 11:19 AM 28 31 Low 10:13 AM 0.4 6:09 PM 31 High 4:59 PM 2.0 31 Low 11:38 PM 0.2

Sa 1 High 5:55 AM 1.2 7:13 AM Set 12:06 AM 37 1 Low 10:43 AM 0.6 6:10 PM Rise 11:51 AM 1 High 5:35 PM 2.1

Su 2 Low 12:55 AM 0.1 7:12 AM Set 12:59 AM 47 2 High 7:56 AM 1.1 6:11 PM Rise 12:26 PM 2 Low 11:13 AM 0.9 2 High 6:17 PM 2.2 M 3 Low 2:10 AM -0.1 7:12 AM Set 1:54 AM 56 3 High 7:07 PM 2.2 6:12 PM Rise 1:05 PM

Tu 4 Low 3:16 AM -0.4 7:11 AM Set 2:51 AM 66 4 High 8:03 PM 2.3 6:12 PM Rise 1:50 PM

W 5 Low 4:12 AM -0.7 7:10 AM Set 3:50 AM 75 5 High 9:03 PM 2.4 6:13 PM Rise 2:41 PM

Th 6 Low 5:02 AM -0.9 7:10 AM Set 4:50 AM 84 6 High 1:22 PM 1.5 6:14 PM Rise 3:38 PM 6 Low 3:11 PM 1.3 6 High 10:00 PM 2.7

F 7 Low 5:48 AM -1.1 7:09 AM Set 5:48 AM 91 7 High 1:44 PM 1.5 6:14 PM Rise 4:41 PM 7 Low 4:10 PM 1.2 7 High 10:55 PM 2.8

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PUZZLE ANSWERS


Our DolphinsUnique & Loyal Individuals, Cont’d from pg.3

Bay, just a few years ago, a tour group came upon a dead dolphin

calf with visible propeller marks on his broken little body. It is so very

important to slow down in the back bay, no matter the posted speed limit, and be alert to the presence of dolphins and manatees. The possibility of a fatal tragedy is real and extends far wider than the loss of one precious life. It can place a heavy burden of grief upon the vic-tim’s companions and family mem-bers. Male dolphins often will form an alliance with one or two oth-er males while they are still young calves. These “friendships” are the second most powerful bond in the dolphin world and can last their entire lives. The dolphin “allies” of-ten will herd fish together and work as a team when pursuing a mate, with one serving as a “wing man,” a lookout for predators or rivals while the other woos his mate. Current research reveals that dolphins form relationships based on shared in-terests, whether it is a love of jump-ing or a favored fishing technique. Two local males, known as Reuben and Clarence O’Malley, often are spotted together in hot pursuit of a female paramour or engaging in playful athletic antics. We are so fortunate to be able to observe these intelligent, loyal and unique individuals in their own world, on their own terms. We can be a powerful force for their good by remembering these basic laws and guidelines put in place to protect them:

1. Don’t feed or touch dolphins.2. Don’t drive directly toward or over dolphins.3. Don’t deliberately encourage dolphins to jump in your wake.4. Don’t encircle or surround dol-

phins with your boat or personal watercraft.5. Don’t lure dolphins to you with loud noises, whistles or dolphin sounds.

If you witness dolphin ha-rassment, please record it if pos-sible and call: NOAA at 800-853-1964 and FWC at 888-404-3922.

Paul Watson, champion and protector of marine mammals, said, “I have been honored to serve the...dolphins, seals and all the other creatures on this Earth. Their beauty, intelligence, strength and spirit have inspired me.” May we find the same inspiration in our local dolphin family and be equally determined to protect them and to educate others to do the same. “Fairy Podmother” Monica Lynn will be sharing her next dol-phin presentation at the Fort Myers Beach Library on Tuesday Febru-ary 11th at 10:30am. There is no admission fee for this 45 minute audio visual event about our local dolphins.

Allies Reuben & Clarence in action

Baby Whistler takes a look around

Baby Whistler embraces Mama Wendy. PHOTOS BY MONICA LYNN.


CLUB FRIDAY 1/31 SATURDAY 2/01 SUNDAY 2/02 MONDAY 2/03 TUESDAY 2/04 WEDNESDAY 2/05 THURSDAY 2/06

COTTAGE/SHUCKERS1250 Estero Blvd

765-5440

STEVE FARST BAND8-12PM

SIDESHOW BOB & JOE BEST 2-5PM

TROUBLEMAKERS8-12PM

SIDESHOW BOB & JOE BEST 2-5PMTROUBLEMAKERS

8-12PM

SOAPY TUNA8-12PM

FADED ROOTS8-12PM

STEVE FARST8-12PM

NEW VINYLS8-12PM

DIXIE FISH CO.Fisherman’s Wharf

233-8837MARK WESLEY

5:30-8:30PMSOME LITTLE FISH

5:30-8:30 PMGIRL MEETS BOY

5:30PMMATT HAVERS

5:30PMTEQUILA TOM5:30-8:30PM

OBE GONZALEZ530-8:30PM

SAM DeARMOND5:30-8:30PM

DOC FORDS708 Fishermans Whf.

765-96603 CROOKED STEPS

6:30-9:30PMHAZY, HOT & HUMID

1-4PM AND6:30-9:30PM

DEB AND THE DYNAMICS

1:00-4:00 PMBOBBY BLAKEY

6:30-9:30PMGIRL MEETS BOY

6:30-9:30PMKAPO KINGS6:30-9:30PM

MANGO RITA’STime Square233-8261

JPH 1-4PMKARAOKE WITH CINDY

6-10PM

D-ROCKS 1-4PMKARAOKE WITH CINDY

6-10PM

D-ROCKS 1-4PMKARAOKE WITH CINDY

6-10PMD-ROCKS

1-4PMJPH MUSIC

6-10PMKARAOKE

WITH CINDY6-10PM

MATANZAS on the BAY414 Crescent463-3838

DANIEL D5-9PM

SCOTTY BRYAN 12-4PM

MARY WINNER 5-9PM

SAILOR LARRY5-9PM

SCOTTY BRYAN5-9PM

SAILOR LARRY5-9PM

PETE BEARD5-9PM

MARY WINNER5-9PM

NAUTI PARROT19001 SAN CARLOS BLVD

314-5667

MIKE GLEAN2-6PM

TOP SHELF7-10PM

CLIVE LIVE 1-5PM

LIMITED EDITION6-10PM

JOHNNY WALKER 1-5PM

BUBBA LOVE5:30-9:30PM

SKUNK RON 1-5PM

COLLABORATION6-10PM

PETER KOLTER1-5PM

BETHAN CROWLEY 5:30-9:30PM

PAUL ALLODI1-5PM

LONZA BARTLETT5:30-9:30PM

SEAMUS1-5PM

JOHNNY RAWLS7-10PM

NERVOUS NELLIES1131 FIRST STREET

463-8077

BILL ZINK12-4PM

HAZY, HOT & HUMID6-10PM

SHERRIN McCUNE12-4PM

SHAWN RUSSELL6-10PM

BILL ZINK12-4PM

MEAGAN ROSE6-10PM

KATHY HANLON12-4PM

JOE JOHNSON6-10PM

RASHIMBA12-4PM

BILL ZINK6-10PM

SHAWN RUSSELL12-4PM

MEAGAN ROSE6-10PM

SHERRIN McCUNE 12-4PM

JOE JOHNSON6-10PM

OUTRIGGER6200 Estero Blvd

463-3131ALAN SMALL

5-8MEAGAN ROSE &

SMOKIN’ BILL 2-5PMPRINCESS &SMALLTOWN

2-5PMJENNY VE

5-8PMMEAGAN ROSE

5-8PMENDRE D

5-8PMNICOLE D’ANDREA

5-8PM

PARROT KEY2500 Main St463-3257

GATLIN SHOW FRANK TORINO7-10PM

FRANK TORINO7-10PM

PETE’S TIME OUTTime Square463-5900

DANIEL D6-10PM

ANTHONY WAYNE 6-10PM

AARON SEYFFERTH6-10PM

DAVE COLLATON6-10PM

JAMES GRAGG 6-10PM

PIERSIDE BY TOWN PIER

765-7800

SHERRIN 1-5PM

JEFF WHIDBY 6-10PM

FRANK THOMSON1-5PM and 6-10PM

FRANK THOMSON 1-5PM

SHERRIN 6-10PM

ANTHONY WAYNE 1-5PM

SHERRIN 6-10PM

BILL ZINK1-5PM

JEFF WHIDBY6-10PM

BILL ZINK1-5PM

MARY WINNER6-10PM

BILL ZINK 1-5PM

LEE BIRCHFIELD 6-10PM

SALTY CRAB1154 Estero Blvd

233-8224

ANTHONY WAYNE 12-4:00 PM

JPH 7-10 PM

BERNIE HYLAND 12-4:00 PM

AARON SEYFFERTH 6-10PM

ONE HICK WONDER6-9PM

BUSTED STUFF6-9PM

BRIZ & LADY6-9PM

JEFF GREENE1-5PM

CHRIS KEMP 6-9PM

SHRIMP DOCK2200 MAIN STREET

463-3043LIVE WIRE

7PMMIKE IMBASCIANI

7-10PMCAR SHOW

4PMGATLIN DINNER

7:00PMNEW YORK DAYGAITLIN DINNER

7PM

EARSHOTDUELING PIANOS

7-10PM

SOBsOld San Carlos Blvd

463-3474ANTHONY WAYNE

6-10PMWILL KAISER

6-10PMLEE HAGAN

6-10PMWILL KAISER

6-10PMANTHONY WAYNE

6-10PMFRANK THOMPSON

6-10PMSHAWN RUSSELL

6-10PM

WHALE1249 Estero Blvd

463-5505TYLER KLUESNER

4PMSTEVE FARST 2-5PM

KARAOKE w/ BRENDA 7:00PM

BOBBY BLAKEY2PM

STEVE McDOUGALL4PM

WHO’S PLAYING WHEREON AND AROUND THE BEACH

Who’s Playing Where Page is a free service for current Island Sand Paper Advertisers. ALL LISTINGS ARE SUPPLIED BY THE ADVERTISERS. ALL LISTINGS FOR THE MONTH ARE DUE ON THE 15TH OF THE PREVIOUS MONTH TO BE INCLUDED IN THE WHO’S PLAYING WHERE. To qualify for listing, venue must have live music scheduled regularly on multiple days per week.

CONTACT SANDY AT 463-4461 TO DISCUSS ADVERTISING OPTIONS!


Ginger LimeShrimp

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www.DocFords.com708 Fisherman’s Wharf • 239.765.9660

1249 Estero Blvd. • 239-463-5505 • www.thewhalefmb.com

Lee County’s Newest

Waterfront Restaurant& Fish House!

www.dixiefishfmb.com714 Fishermans Wharf • 239.233.8837

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Mon - Fri 2-5pm

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We’re Open!

“For the sun-kissed & sun-desirous alike, a vacation

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Waterfront • Live Music • Great Views

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FREE - Island Sand Paper|Fort Myers Beach News · THE CALUSA For over two thousand years, Calusa Indians dominated Southwest Florida. This was their home. Built by amassing millions