Post Comments, share Views, read Blogs on CaPe-Coral-daily-Breeze.Com Blown away CAPE CORAL Mariner loses to Fort Myers 14-0 DAILY BREEZE — SPORTS WEATHER: Sunny • Tonight: Clear • Wednesday: Sunny — 2A cape-coral-daily-breeze.com Vol. 48, No. 81 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 50 cents Report: Cape man strangled girlfriend for talking been dead for “more than a few days; more likely closer to a week,” She ‘wouldn’t shut ... up,’ he stated reports state. An arrest warrant was issued for By CONNOR HOLMES that he had strangled Shannon 4921 Coronado Parkway on March Gullett and he was detained by the Sweet, 27, during an argument 30 after a neighbor reported a strong [email protected] Muskingum County sheriff’s Matthew Matthew Gullett told a witness because she “just wouldn’t shut the odor. deputies at an Ohio hotel Friday Franklin he strangled his live-in girlfriend and (expletive) up.” The Medical Examiner’s Office after being injured by gunfire in the put her body in an adjoining apart- The couple may have been argu- has determined Sweet’s death was incident. Gullett ment bathroom, according to an ing about drugs and money, docu- caused by strangulation, officials He faces second-degree murder arrest report released Tuesday. ments state. said. She was found with a belt and charges when returned to Florida. Gullett, 26, reportedly admitted Police discovered Sweet’s body pants wrapped around her neck. Police said Gullett stole Sweet’s to an individual, whose name was in an efficiency shower stall, cov- From the condition of Sweet’s redacted from police documents, ered with a blow-up mattress, at body, police determined she had See ARREST, page 14A Lee County hires firm to investigate alleged overbilling LMHS raises allegation about services provided By MCKENZIE CASSIDY [email protected] “We have the (billing) Lee Memorial Health System process built in now, but claims that it has been overcharged going back a few years for ambulance and ancillary servic- ago there is a question of es provided by the county’s public whether the hospital safety department, according to a should be billed or insur- complaint being investigated by ance billed.” Ernst and Young. The health system approached — David Kainrad, the county over “alleged impropri- Lee County Public MICHAEL PISTELLA eties” with billing services provid- Safety Department’s deputy director of ed by Advanced Data Processing administrative services Inc. Windy day Lee Memorial Health System Six-year-old Reid Schratwieser and his dad, Tom, get ready to give flight to a kite claims that ADPI overbilled for vate insurance carriers. It also claims that in some cases, services Tuesday on the beach at the Cape Coral Yacht Club Community Park. The Atlanta res- services already covered by idents are visiting family in the Cape. Medicare, Medicaid or other pri- See LMHS, page 14A Florida School Board Association Brush fire threatens outlines proposed budgets, impact home, burns 5 acres According to Blanton, proposed budgets from the Senate and House bring no change to base stu- Wind, dry ground aided House and Senate dent allocations. The allocation is not scheduled to change, DAILY BREEZE STAFF REPORT Blanton said, but overall student expenditures have [email protected] Prevention Cape Coral firefighters fought a covered by official decreased $300 from the previous year. Safety tips from the Cape Furthermore, he explained that flexibility grant- wooded-area brush fire on Gator By MCKENZIE CASSIDY Coral Fire Department, in ref- ed to school districts is bundled within the base stu- Circle early Tuesday afternoon as a erence to its brush fire slogan [email protected] dent allocation, leading to questions of whether the fire warning from the National “Lean, clean and green”: Four weeks are left in the Florida Legislature’s amount is inflated. Weather Service highlighted the 2009 session, and both houses are working to put danger. I Lean: Have only a small “You have taken categorical money and given us amount of flammable together a budget that will not devastate public edu- flexibility and rolled it into that (base allocation), Approximately five acres, cation. whipped by high winds, burned vegetation. which puts the base student allocation up,” said I Clean: Do not accumulate Dr. Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Blanton. with one unit defending a resi- Florida School Board Association, presented a dence as additional trucks and fire- dead vegetation. The Florida School Board Association also out- I Green: Keep plants video update of the current session and its effect on lined two state initiatives that may decrease salaries fighters responded. education. Brush units 3, 5 and 7 and one healthy and green, and given to superintendents and school board mem- irrigate lawn areas. “At this current time the Senate budget has a zero bers. The proposals would cut superintendent brush truck from the North Fort percent cut, and that means the base student alloca- salaries by 5 percent and cap school board member Myers Fire Department were called tion in the Senate budget is exactly what it was,” he in to fight the blaze, officials said. had issued a fire weather warning salaries at no higher than $30,000, the maximum for Tuesday afternoon, urging Lee said. “The House budget is a little better than that on amount a legislator can earn. High winds and dry ground were a per student basis, but both of those are the same.” contributing factors to the fire’s County residents to take precau- Thirty of the state’s larger districts, including tions. The Lee County School District receives funding Lee County, would have to reduce board member size. on a per student basis through the Florida Education The cause remained undeter- Wildfires often begin unnoticed pay under the proposal. Reductions could be as high and can spread quickly, igniting Finance Program. For each full-time enrolled stu- as $10,000, while in Lee the cut to board members mined early Tuesday evening, offi- dent the district receives $7,453. cials said. brush, trees and homes, officials See LEGISLATURE, page 14A The National Weather Service See FIRE, page 14A Union forms for city jobs without representation “Certainly they have a legal right to 24 ‘Professional Unit’ members now hold organizational meetings and take not part of a union that are now eli- take a vote,” Councilmember Bill a vote. I don’t know if organizing is By GRAY ROHRER going to give them any extra benefits.” [email protected] gible to be a part of the Deile said. “I don’t know if organiz- “Professional Unit,” as the new ing is going to give them any extra A new union of city workers — Councilmember Bill Deile formed last week in Cape Coral, but union is called, include professional benefits.” given the city’s financial con- engineers, project managers, mar- Non-union city employees’ straints, some council members keting and sales coordinator, site salaries held steady this year, plan review coordinator and plan- whereas raises are part of union ed 35 percent decrease in home val- affect the overall budget is not clear. have their doubts about whether the ues and attempting to cut at least City policy is not to discuss union union’s 24 members can bargain ning team coordinator. contracts. “Certainly they have a legal right Meanwhile, city council mem- $10 million from the budget. negotiations in public. for a better deal. How exactly the unionization of “We don’t discuss union negoti- Positions that were previously to hold organizational meetings and bers are contending with an estimat- some city professional workers will See UNION, page 8A ATAGLANCE AROUND THE CAPE NEWS OF NOTE WHAT’S INSIDE ‘Play Golf Cape Coral’ set Local man jumps from Annie’s Mailbox........8A Nation ..............14A Coral Oaks Golf Course has teamed up Fla. Lottery with PGA of America to offer “Play Golf Cape Edison Bridge and dies Cape Life ..........7A Obituary ............2A Coral” from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at 1800 A Fort Myers man died Tuesday CASH 3: evening after jumping off the Edison Classifieds ............1-6B Police Blotter ....2A 1-8-2 / 9-2-7 N.W. 23rd Ave. The free event is being held in conjunction Bridge, according to officials. Comics ............10A Sports ........11-13A PLAY 4: Fort Myers police received a call at 7-2-0-7 / 5-4-9-7 with the PGA’s “Play Golf America” cam- Crossword........10A State ..................3A paign, an initiative to promote the game of golf 7:06 p.m. after a passerby saw a man Fantasy 5 jump from the northbound side near the Dr. Donohue........8A Today in History......9A 10-11-12-16-17 PGA professionals will provide free, 10- 7-16-31-37 MB 10 minute lessons. Prize giveaways every hour. top of the bridge. Editorial..............4A TV Listings..............9A Lotto The event will include a golf clinic and trick A city employee who works at the Yacht Basin heard the radio transmis- Horoscopes........8A Weather ............2A 8-16-31-37-45-48 shot show from the “Golf Doctor.” Also enjoy Florida Powerball a “free demo day,” featuring merchandise sion, located the man and brought him 14-21-50-57-58 to shore on his boat. PB 7 x 3 from Taylor Made, Wilson and Paragon. To view an activities schedule and com- The man was taken to Lee Memorial plete a registration card to win prizes, call 573- Hospital where he died, officials said. 3100 or visit: www.CoralOaksGolf.com. Pre- Authorities have identified the man 7 48445 46010 1 registration is appreciated. as Daniel Fortune, 53.