f*. THE ISLANDS' NEWSPAPLR Or RECORD 1* \\-** WEEK OF J U LY 28 - AuG U ST 3, 2005 VOLUME 32 NUMBER 31 "24 PAGES';. • ;?5;;CEN?S': Cuban refugees come ashore on Sanibel By JENNY BURNHAM Sanibel, Tomlinson added. Miami, he said. [email protected] The construction workers called the Sanibel Police, Once the refugees are in detention, authorities will con- who summoned the U.S. Coast Guard. By noon Tuesday, duct a medical evaluation of the individuals in the group to Construction workers discovered 19 refugees from the U. S. Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs rule out the possibility of communicable diseases, and Cuba on the shore of Sanibel's West Gulf Drive at about 6 Enforcement (ICE) had taken custody of the refugees and then, if cleared, the immigrants will be "released into soci- a.m. on Tuesday, July 26, Chief Bill Tomlinson of the of the investigation into their arrival. ety," said McCullough. Sanibel Police Department told the Island Reporter. Pam McCullough, Public Information Officer for ICE, Criminal investigators of the ICE will conduct a follow- The group of 15 men, three women, and one child who said the Border Patrol would process and fingerprint the up on the incident, McCullough said. appeared to be three to four years of age reportedly waited immigrants in Fort Myers. No witnesses observed the craft that transported the calmly on the beach to surrender to authorities, said The group would then be transported to Pembroke immigrants to Sanibel, said Tomlinson. According to Tomlinson. Pines, which is the Border Patrol station in charge of the McCullough, there was nothing out of the ordinary about "They were waiting to be processed," Tornlinson said. Fort Myers area, according to Victor Colon, Public "They basically turned themselves in." Information Officer for the Border Patrol. From there, the See CUBANS To his knowledge, this is the first incident of its kind on immigrants may go to the Krome Detention Center in page 3 Babcock Ranch under contract to private developers By DAVID FISCHER [email protected] and JENNY BURNHAM [email protected] The 91,000-acre Babcock Ranch, which straddles Lee and Charlotte counties, has been sold to a private developer, despite attempts for public ownership over the past few years. Kitson & Partners, LLC, based in West Palm Beach, rffc* announced Thursday, July 21, that it had executed a contract with the Babcock family to purchase 100 percent of the "t stock of the Babcock Florida Company, which owns the ranch. Kitson & Partners will acquire the Babcock Florida Company in a joint venture with its financial partner, the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund. "This is a very special property, a very unique property," said Sydney Kitson, chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, during a press conference Thursday. • : .* • •'*•,- "There is nothing left like this. Whatever we do there, we want to make sure it's something the people of Charlotte County and Lee County can be proud of." Lee County Commissioner Bob Janes, who had spear- headed local attempts at the public acquisition of Babcock Ranch for the past several years, said he was disappointed to learn of the Babcock family's decision, especially as the Babcock Preservation Partnership was working hard to put together another offer for the Babcock Florida Company and the ranch land. "I would have preferred another outcome," Janes said. "My interest has always been to preserve as much of the land as possible. I have never supported development." i,*- The Babcock family declined two offers from the State of Florida, one for $400 million and a second for $455 mil- lion, for the ranch business and property. Negotiators were The Babcock Ranch encompiss( muio Ih.in «)0,000 unable to structure a deal for the purchase of the Babcock acres of pasture, v\cf!«in(is, jnd woods ai:d is home fo 1 - a - Florida Company, which owns the ranch, rather than just the numerous types of 'arc <ind endangered uiidlifc (ts ll as these Charolais l ranch land itself, and talks between the state and the -.if - •* Babcock family for the property fell through in December. ecologically impmuni .IK.IS in inn ULMOM b\ iK The most recent asking price for the land had been $480 Southwest Florida l<i*t i m il I'l.miiins; ( i'iin> 'i million. The Babcocks .i i.imiK ol Knn-vk iiii.i liimlvi in.m Kitson said he couldn't disclose the sale price of the nates, originally purchased 156,000 acres of land in Lee and Babcock Florida Company. He said that the sale price was Charlotte counties. In the 1940s, family head Fred Babcock greater than the highest offer made by the state when nego- transferred 65,000 acres to the state for an area now known tiations broke down. Kitson confirmed that the company has agreed to pay at least $480 million. See BABCOCK The Babcock Ranch has been called "one of the most page 4 I11E1 August 8: • LETTERS page 6 SCCF's Marine It's budget time JGity hosts back to school • POLICE BEAT page 10 Laboratory again seminar for • VOX POPULI page 12 City Clerks The Sanibel School Vehicles in both direc- • DATELINE page 14 starts classes at 8 a.m. on tions must STOP when the (The first in a series of The Mayor offers a number! ISanibel's city clerk wel- Monday, August 8th. school bus has its red • LOOKING BACK page 15 (articles by and about this of topics to be considered) jcomes colleagues from The Sanibel Police lights on and the stop sign • PERMITS & DEEDS... page 16 (special resource. and invites public (South Florida. Department reminds all is lowered. Also, the speed participation. drivers to be cautious and limit in the school zone is • TV LISTINGS page 16 remember to stop to allow 20 miles per hour. • OBITUARY page 22 the bus drivers to pick up Please do your part to — See page 11 — See page 5 — See page 5] and discharge the children keep our children safe. • CLASSIFIM)S page 20 in a safe manner 2 • Week of July 28 - August 3, 2005 a ISLAND REPORTER MARTHA'S LANF CAPTIVA CHARM COMPLETELY REMODELED NEW CONSTRUCTION Win di III ! mul i-l 1'id 'n< ••ion I hi Wnlii'i it'll ni ii il ml11 i (in ( 'lisi IIMI mi. ll>k 'b\iliiiil"\ iislmn MANGO CT. P|il|K'l\ li li k,s UI) ll« i nllsi \ illoil M Mil] \ III |l I'll I! (mil M> llM- I Ml IH (in lpli'i l\ it i Yukkiiiu PI lupin C nnsliui lion N UIHICTW I\ en IIIN I ind I loiii' "li' <s wi opt p 'inI I |.1-H -It |,-, I (ill] I'l I) 11 tl IMiJ Mill s KoHoMi I'lopx^ islix.itcdon qnii 1 i iislorn I mill I [?K4 li\lvm< sp ii imis ilnoipl MI \Al ' M • 1 1 mil' d !)• mil d 11 lint s )'< i o i1 'IK' l!\ til- \ i uptt lit HI'il i i>p( i i O'IV lo' ind |i s> i s'Hir slioll tmrn l*n ( Xti-iiiK >' In Midi |NMII with -|) i j uid i i'p>' •'•loiniv, ' i 'i« pi d "I i ill 11 !• il'•i Ii ( 111 (I |HIII i din uid i> Kh iiidlu* Wondi'nul i«.siirhii lit lUltltlll \K\tSill ill( H.1\ \PllK r im ( hi s IM si I, p MII'I d > sl( I'D II * Hut ll-l I f $1,549,000 shi d Sound liopillu Imnt |m > h hTHcd M.MKI Suiind <>(iiiiniit kilt hi n iiol 4 n ) | it f sli >i i i I'I ^ iiid is. ptu it( \vxi\ n< \\ uiinikiK niw tirslum i.ibim fi\ J/urn ic lilt p irkIM l"i im i \< In '• mid r lii.ildiii ( n liiiiLiiiil IM ni'n s ippli im <-s iml iri-JiK p mill d nit- mv t\ uixxl ll(ji)iiri' rliKiu^hdiil inrl mi lii'lij ii'Mn ui'1 '< "'li1- oi»' i ii run HIM-. IIIKMWI ' $1,269,000 ni li iv »ins | x m I II «. ii u I (I' • ks $599,900 I j SANTA FE GULF FRONT LIGHTHOUSE WA\ LAIKA BEAC H HOUSE ONE OF A KIND ESTATE l ii ir ,i < IIJS i m I1 in mi ID1 »* il»i dfip I his lii-dliili l\ piit«iih( uhliniin vildi-si< >|nsi iiiorisinihi ir nill 1 r I I* lilt it'll \[ IIU dill ( I C il li IKUlI \ ild it (< « l( > 'hi l ui'i \ kn [In-. h ". IH i n ( nnip'ctf l\ u i iiiiji«l»il ind li.ibil.il in lliis C iptu i (*'jti /i 'iin.1 (-' iti dtr> ts .i • i,k ' H * iii i ii hum ?»cijit r>\ dtiiis i ni rt ift t p \\ i'( t dot k is |i st Mcps tu llic lif.u li (>t1( mi!, i Ill'l 1 - UK 1 1 ll\ 'III Si HH'M I 11 Inipii il\<teMi(iii JiidWii iiii,pilips t'lhi 1)1 llll IlilhSC 11 I- Ill II 'hi I till Hid |li ( tfli III II Ml «.•• ind im -|IMI (ill flu K P( ill \-l ifiilfiunl Hid •.[).! 1,11.,( urmi 1 ipiin'i iv ii htrnnl wpixv'untK on ( ipti\ i \\ood 11'ml*- flni.il 'hni t ' sim ,|t ii >|iii> llHi ml in s iiihcl I I mil Tlit lot siind'i ,i> • I* • I" " nupli t Islmd \h •- ui' Int IHMSN KID II \» irf"i IIII pi H i id 'ipl ilinni P ' MM' s ippii) mii'i l\ lull ' I .