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 Hurricane Earl Batters Caribbean Islands,
Heads for U.S. East Coast
A major storm blowing across the northeastern Caribbean Sea has strengthened to a Category Four hurricane, generating sustained winds of 135 miles per hour with higher gusts.
Hurricane Earl has been ripping roofs off buildings, toppling trees and cutting power to islanders on a course that could threaten the eastern United States later this week.
Cruise ships were diverted and flights canceled across the eastern Caribbean region Monday. Hurricane Earl has damaged homes on several islands including Antigua and Barbuda, where emergency response officials said about 350 people were in shelters. On the island of St. Martin, 186 miles east of Puerto Rico, winds hit 88 miles per hour and there were numerous reports of power outages and flooding Monday. Read more... | |
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County to Use Tourist Tax Dollars
for Red Sox Stadium
The Board of County Commissioners came on step closer to making the new Red Sox stadium a reality Tuesday when they voted to authorize the sale of bonds to begin construction of the $75 million dollar project.
The meeting began with Commissioner Ray Judah reading a ceremonial presentation recognizing Healthy Start, a program that assists pregnant moms and their babies with medical care.
The BoCC then passed the entire Consent Agenda, which included the addition of $927,764 in grant funds to the Low Income Energy Assistance Program to help struggling residents with their utility bills and the adoption of a resolution requesting funding for the coming fiscal year from the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection Beach Erosion Control Program - this enables the County to qualify for state assistance for beach erosion control projects.
The first item on the Administrative Agenda authorized a Bond Purchase Agreement for the purpose of locking in a low interest rate for the construction of a new Red Sox stadium. The new stadium and training facility will be built on 100 acres of land on Daniels Parkway north of the airport. Read more... | |
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Help Turtles Win the Race for Survival
Florida's sea-turtle nesting season began in May, and now that the two and a half month incubation period is over many nests have begin hatching, the tiny turtles making their way to the Gulf - as they have for millenia - aided by the light of the moon. Unfortunately, lights from buildings and streets can disrupt the hatchlings' sea-finding ability. Confused, some of them wander inland and are crushed by vehicles or die from heat exhaustion in the sunlight. After hearing reports about this happening in Bonita Springs, we decided to meet with Turtle Time founder Eve Haverfield to help us remind readers to use the right kind of lighting.
We caught up with Eve Wednesday morning as she and volunteer Shelly Sue Williams were checking on a recently hatched nest near Gulf Street. "This nest hatched 3 days ago, and we always come check in case some of the turtles get stuck,” she said, digging into the nest. "There are 16 nests left on Ft. Myers Beach that haven't hatched yet, so people still need to be careful with their lights.” Read more... | |
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Thursday, September 02, 2010
Issue 499
 Workin' for a Livin'
Most residents are aware of who the council members and Town Manager are, but many may not be aware that there are a whole host of folks behind the scenes at Town Hall who labor every day to see that the business of running our island paradise gets done. For our Labor Day issue this year, the Sand Paper decided to introduce readers to the folks they seldom see but whose services they couldn't live without - the Fort Myers Beach Town Staff.
The first thing that most visitors see after climbing the stairs to the second floor of Town Hall is the smiling visage of Rick Sebastian, Administrative Assistant and Receptionist. It is also Sebastian's soothing voice one hears on the telephone directory, calmly directing callers to the right department. Sebastian, who has worked for the Town for four years and been an island resident for 30+, told us he learned his professionalism from years working customer service for the airline industry and Marriot hotels.
"I worked for Northwest Airlines for 25 years," he said. "One day I was looking for flood insurance information on the Town's website and saw they were looking for a receptionist. I knew the airline was cutting back and I had a window where I could semi-retire and still be eligible for my benefits, so I interviewed for the job and thought I was a good fit."
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Issue 498
Help on the Way for Estero Bay
Last week, Town Council passed a resolution asking the South Florida Water Management District to develop a watershed mangement program for Estero Bay. At that meeting, Environmental Science Coordinator Keith Laakkonen talked about how important it is for the quality of life on our island that we become good stewards of our back bay, saying that the "oil spill is not half the threat to us as mismanagment of our watershed”. We decided to meet with Keith this week to find out exactly what he meant and to learn more about the resolution that Council passed.
"The governing board of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has had this on their list of things to do for quite a while,” Keith told us. "With Dr. Greg Tolley at FGCU just finishing a comprehensive study of Estero Bay, the science is now there for them to establish a Minimum Flow Level (MFL) for Estero Bay by 2011.”
Keith explained that, naturally, freshwater flows into Estero Bay at a higher rate during the summer rainy season and a lower rate during the winter dry season. "Now, if the wet season is wetter and the dry season is drier, it can alter the entire ecosystem – oysters, fish, crabs and plankton – if there are certain times of the year when there's way too much fresh water coming in than naturally,” he said.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Issue 497
7 Contend for 2 County Judge Vacancies
It's nearly time for the primaries, so everyone get ready to vote! Three weeks ago the Sand Paper profiled all eight Republican county commission candidates and all those running for school board. But there's another important decision that all Lee County residents get to make regardless of party affiliation and that's Lee County Court Judge. This week, we decided to introduce readers to the four men vying for Group 3 and two for Group 4 so that islanders can make an informed decision on this highly important matter. All six candidates were asked the following question: What's the number one problem facing Lee County courts? Lee County Court judges decide civil disputes under $15,000, misdemeanor cases and other duties. According to statistics from the Lee County Clerk of Court, Lee's eight county judges handled 13,132 cases in June and 151,006 new filings from June 2009 to this June. They make $134,280 a year.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Issue 496
It's Back To School Time!
(Mouse over image for caption, Click to enlarge)
Beach kids have been busy with camp and summer fun, but the calendar keeps on turning and it's now August and time for school. All the great people at the Beach School are getting ready for the beginning of another terrific year. We had the opportunity to talk with Principal Larry Woods and a few teachers and can pass along that they are really looking forward to seeing everyone with the start of school in a few days.
The Beach School has had some good news lately-they remain an "A” school!. Lee County Schools also retained their "A” rating. Joy Rockwell, a Beach School teacher, indicating the high expectations of Island residents for their local elementary school, comments, "What else would we be?”. Cathy Trent, Beach School teacher and President of the PTO, credits the extraordinary students of the Beach school, " We have a group of over achieving kids here.” She also credits parents, "Our parents' participation is what makes us an "A” school.” She echoes national education experts in touting the importance of parental involvement in the educational process. One way Beach parents are encouraged to participate in the Beach school is with the Parent Teacher Organization or PTO. Their first meeting will be Sept. 14th- Cathy Trent invites all Beach parents to come out and participate in the PTO. The PTO will be hosting a Pool Party on August 27th and a Movie Night on Sept 24th just to get the year started.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Issue 495
St. Raphael's Episcopal Priest
Moves on to Create New Church
(Mouse over image for caption, Click to enlarge)
Last Sunday, Pastor Alice Marcrum, priest and vicar of St. Raphael's Episcopal Church, preached her last sermon at the historic structure. She is leaving to form a new church, the St. Raphael's By the Sea, an Anglican church next week. Most of the members of the congregation stood up and read letters of support for Pastor Alice, as she is known, declaring that they would make the change with her and leave St. Raphael's to form a new church. This Anglican church will meet, starting next Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at the Fellowship Hall of the Beach United Methodist Church. They will meet there until they find a suitable home for themselves. Bob Bunting, the Junior Warden of St. Raphael's, said that Rev. Marcrum left without any warning and he had to call the bishop to get a priest to come and do the service for next Sunday. He said there was never any time that it was a possibility that St. Raphael's would close, and Rev. Marcrum agreed. She said she knew that St. Raphael's would be fine. That was just a rumor that was stifled immediately.
Top Story Archives...
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Workin' for a Livin'
Most residents are aware of who the council members and Town Manager are, but many may not be aware that there are a whole host of folks behind the scenes at Town Hall who labor every day to see that the business of running our island paradise gets done. For our Labor Day issue this year, the Sand Paper decided to introduce readers to the folks they seldom see but whose services they couldn't live without - the Fort Myers Beach Town Staff.
The first thing that most visitors see after climbing the stairs to the second floor of Town Hall is the smiling visage of Rick Sebastian, Administrative Assistant and Receptionist. It is also Sebastian's soothing voice one hears on the telephone directory, calmly directing callers to the right department. Sebastian, who has worked for the Town for four years and been an island resident for 30+, told us he learned his professionalism from years working customer service for the airline industry and Marriot hotels.
"I worked for Northwest Airlines for 25 years," he said. "One day I was looking for flood insurance information on the Town's website and saw they were looking for a receptionist. I knew the airline was cutting back and I had a window where I could semi-retire and still be eligible for my benefits, so I interviewed for the job and thought I was a good fit." Read more... | |
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 Laid Back Labor Day in Paradise(Mouse over image for caption, Click to enlarge)
Labor Day is a United States Federal holiday that is observed on the first Monday in September of each year. It began as a tribute to the workingman by President Grover Cleveland in 1894.
It is now celebrated as the "end of summer" and very often includes picnics, barbeques, fireworks, water sports and public events. It was previously a last opportunity to travel before the start of school; however, with the school year now starting in August, that, too, is in the past. Widespread use of air conditioning in public schools can be both blamed and thanked for this! (For more on this story read The Island Sand Paper) | |
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 Laguna Shores Dredging Dilemma(Mouse over image for caption, Click to enlarge)
10 years ago, Laguna Shores homeowner Lou Marrone began to have trouble navigating his boat into Buccaneer Bay to get to his home on the island's south end. Then he noticed that his neighbors were having trouble too - some of them were either waiting for high tide or even anchoring their boats and walking across the sand bar that was forming across the entrance to the little cove on which they lived. As the sand continued to collect, Marrone, then president of the Laguna Shores Homeowners Association, found himself at the helm of a project that would span the next decade of his life - getting the area dredged and designated as a navigable channel. In 2009, it seemed all his hard work had finally paid off: a channel was dug, mile marker signs put in, and everyone could come and go at their leisure. This lasted for about 9 months as the channel immediately filled back in. Now, the 171 waterfront property owners of this quiet community at the tip of Fort Myers Beach - all of whom chipped in for the project along with the condo owners at Marina Towers - are looking for some answers. (For more on this story subscribe to the Island Sand Paper) | |
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