Rush Hour Not the Best Time to Rob a Bank
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BO03 i i j (Sea)horsing . i A around page11 :. i Week of March 13-19,2003 SANiBEL & CAPTIVA, FLORIDA VOLUME 30, NUMBER 11, 24 PAGES 75 CENTS County DOT, Chamber members discuss Causeway matters Monday Rush hour not Changes coming the best time for state attorney's office to rob a bank Steve Russelltalks to island's retired military officers Police nab one suspect nine —See page 2 minutes after robbery attempt, other caught three Police charge two in car break -ins hours later; Tomlinson credits Officers evade alligators in department reorganization hunt for evidence — See page 3 for speedy arrests By Anne Bellew Associate editor New veggie rules A pair of 19-year-olds will face federal charges Renny Severance photo in connection with an attempted bank robbery last proposed From left, consultant Kris Cella, Lee County Department of Transportation spokes- week. Planning Commission woman Amy Davies , deputy director Paul Wingard, director Scott Giibertson and Friday, Sanibel Police examines new vegetation Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce executive director Steve Creenstein discuss the arrested Ralph Morgan and Causeway Monday morning with more than 60 Sanibel businessmen and women . Ralph Morgan for robbery of —See page 2 By Kate Thompson In the meantime, however, employees the branch office of Bank.of Staff writer have been affected. That was echoed by America on Periwinkle Way. Pete Adania. general manager of Sundial, The robbery was reported Businesses on Symbol .ue alie.ah see- w !'•> said he expected the Causeway would at 4:51 p.m and Morgan was ing some impact Inun llie Cadseu.is -* luivv." i biii millet on lecruiring and retain- arrested at 5 p.m. near the jxrobkaps, but naost aren't sur£ .what to ing staff. robbers' getaway car at the attribute to theOTlSge:'"""" But. the impact on business is hard to Amoco station. Chant was Wade through "There has certainly been a drop." said judge, Adania said. There has been less arrested at the Seahorse Doug Congress of Congress Jewelers. impact on tourists and his hotel business, Shops at 8:41 in response to a the seagrass "We're in the middle of the perfect storm he said. tip. The stolen money had — the Causeway, the war and the econo- "If you travel half way across the coun- been recovered earlier. Chant Let SCCF take you away my — so it's hard to pinpoint specifics." try, half an hour delay getting onto the Although most islanders While business is actually up right now island is not that big a deal," he said. "But were dumbfounded at the idea of anyone being fool- —See page 11 for the Dunes, it might be up more if it if you are in Fort Myers, planning a social ish enough to try to rob an East End bank at that weren't for the Causeway, said Kevin event or a business meeting, you might hour of the day, ""they had a plan and weren't afraid McCune, the Dunes' general manager. have second thoughts." to carry it out," Police Chief Bill Tomlinson said. "I think we would be up more," he said. "When we arrested the first one, Morgan, at 5, we "But I think the real impact might be more See CAUSEWAY found a mask, a cell phone and a walkie-talkie in OPIUMS next year." page 3 the car. The second one, Chant, had the money. Neither one had a gun. The Election reactions gun was found later behind County officials to discuss raising another business on M Periwinkle." Some islanders happy, others not so much Causeway tolls with City Council "Our officers did a phe- nomenal job. They immedi- By Kate Thompson —See page 7 ately secured the crime Staff writer scene, set up excellent com- munications — we had at Lee County Department of Transportation officials will discuss possible restructuring of least 10 deputies and canines •m the tolls for the Sanibel Causeway with the Sanibel City Council Tuesday. helping us and both Lee and JKA1HM County officials will brief the city on the possibility of increasing the cash toll for the Collier Sheriffs' department •j Causeway or changing it during season, said Amy Davies, spokeswoman for the helicopters in the air. Since it .4 Transportation Department. Morgan will be a federal case, too, For all your "There has been no decision," she : aid. "We are looking for the city's agreement for us the FBI helped as well." to do something like that." Sanibel will pursue planning needs The county can't treat residents and nonresidents differently, she said. There may be charges in state court and, because the federal gov- some changes to the discount system proposed, however, Davies said. I ernment insures bank deposits, the FBI will be fil- Tuesday, the Lee County Board of Commissioners approved spending up to $350,000 to ing federal charges. —See page 10 reopen the project development and emironmental study on the drawbridge portion of the I "The department and shift restructuring were Causeway. Davies said the DOT has awarded Post, Buckley, Schuh and Jemigan $175,000 instrumental in both this and our other major case, to reopen the study to evaluate the economic feasibility of rehabilitating the drawbridge and the car burglaries," Tomlinson continued. "The for the sensors installed by the University of Michigan under a subcontract. response time was very fast and everyone showed Post, Buckley, Schuh and Jemigan will also be doing the load analysis of the bridge to up. There were two supervisors here both times, determine whether speeds and weight limits can be raised or must be lowered, she said. instead of one, for example, because the restructur- The study is being reopened for the drawbridge because of the deterioration which has ing modified their shifts. And people who were fin- *• < • ENVIRONMENT page 11 been recently discovered, Davies said. If the firm recommends complete reconstruction ished for the day turned around and came back. We rather than rehabilitation, it would reopen the question of whether the bridge would be simply overwhelmed the bank robbers — if we'd • LOOKING BACK page 8 replaced as it is, would be replaced with a fixed-span bridge or with a higher drawbridge. given it anything less, someone might well have "That issue all comes back into play if they decide that is what they are going to do," been shot. • OPINION page 6 Davies said. "There was excellent cooperative effort among But the question of how the two fixed-span bridges will look has been settled and will the agencies, among our officers — terrific team- not be reopened, she said. , work. It was truly textbook, and it was great to see • DATELINE page 10 The county commissioners also approved 5>1.8 million for design work on the toll facil- the plan come together... not just once but twice in ities at Sanibel and Cape Coral. That money includes $1.5 million in interest-free loans a week." • TV LISTINGS page 15 from'the state and $300,000 from the surplus toll account. A proposal for a construction manager who will oversee reconstruction of the toll facility and the bridges is also out, • CLASSIFIEDS ...page 20 Davies said. 2 • Week of March 13-19, 2003 Q ISLAND REPORTER ISLAND REPORTER • Week of March 13-19, 2003 • 3 Police arrest two for parking. lot ! Republican Party picks ee cases New state attorney Sanibel Police arrested James Comer, 17, and Paul Matthew City working out new former mayor for Palermo, 19, of Fort Myers on felony charges in relation to the car streamlining office business council burglaries that have been taking place in parking lots on the island. Palermo was already on probation for burglary and has both By Kate Thompson vegetation ordinance Nola Theiss has been appointed to petty theft and grand theft charges on his record in addition to the Staff writer By Kate Thompson requirement to remove the list of eight serve on the Business Advisory Council new charges. Police also charged both young men with misde- by the National Republican meanor possession of marijuana. Steve Russell, the Florida State's Attorney Staff writer exotic invasives," Planning Director Congressional Committee, in recognition "These arrests cleared at least three, probably more, of these responsible for the five-county area that includes Bruce Rogers said. "(CASI) is asking of "valuable contributions and dedication cases," said Sanibel Chief Bill Tomlinson. "We're looking at 10 Lee County, spoke Monday evening to the To encourage native plants and dis- for two categories. That is a major poli- SANIBEL ISLAND COMMUNITY CENTER to the Republican Party." open cases in all, a couple of which aren't quite the same." Once Military Officers Association of America. courage invasive exotics, the Sanibel cy decision, a break from 27 years of Theiss will serve the state of Florida caught, the two confessed to several of the burglaries, even telling The second person to hold the job since it was Planning Commission spent the entire not making that distinction." and is expected to play a crucial role in police where they had thrown their loot. 2173 Periwinkle Way created in 1969, Russell was elected last year and day Tuesday holding a public hearing The currently proposed version of the party's efforts to involve top business "I had(Officer George) Krivas and (Sgt. Mike) Cooper slogging has just taken over. He is a native of Philadelphia on the city's vegetation ordinances. the ordinances doesn't make a distinc- Palermo people in the process of government around with in the wetlands looking for evidence," police detective MANY NATIONAL DEALERS and moved to southwest Florida in 1976.