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. f> 1 1 I } ;? 1 , / ,r 4 1 ' \ t t • I r ( i Week of Jan. 24-30, 2002 SANIBEL & CAPTIVA, FLORIDA VOLUME 29, NUMBER 3, 24 PAGES 75 CENTS retires . FOGGED OUT Sanibel Deputy Police Chief Jack Primm has announced that his last day on the job will be Feb. 16. —See page 3 Political coalition sets Wednesday, at 10 ;:.m. in the Jan. 30 open meeting Sanibel Library. According io organizers, the coalition has L'jb.s than a week alter 1 formed an Advisory Committee .lack Primm announced he News editor with about 2.0 members during was leaving the Sanibel its three meet ings and has Police Department, Chief Motivated by a perception authored governing rules and a Lew Phillips did the that the city has not responded mission statemcnl. The group same. to the desires of its citizenry, a will be a Registered Florida fledging group of Sanibel resi- Political Committee shortly —See page 4 dents is forming a new political after the Jan. 30 meetini>. said coalition in an effort to give a SGGC Chair Ted Tyson. " larger cross-section of residents The SGGC has also pub- voice in local government. lished in today's Island Michael Pistella The group, Sanibel Good Reporter a press release s Early morning fog, which some days stretched into the early Government Coalition, or afternoon, made traveling the Causeway a misty experience SGGC, has scheduled an intro- See Coalition Mel Fisher's Treasure during the past week. Company recently ductory meeting next page 2 reopened for business, -Sec pn»e 7 Imwd iniefls HD@W dti ill. |(,h ill iiii mi \> Wii1.' il Hi I>I ii'ii ii •nun Staff writer ., i ' 1 >'. ,i vast exped- However, thepoiice department Sauibd jt-Mili'iu 1'L.U1! r.ii>jM:< We've got issues The Sanibel Planning ience in is investigating a complaint that at compared it to a "<lrive-hy shoot- Porter Goss offers his Commission selected its new pre- Sanibel plan- least some of the commission ing" and called it "a corruption of views on the new legisla- siding officers Tuesday, but the ning and members violated the stale's sun- the process." tive session in way they went about it caused development .hine laws, apparently by dis- The allegations made are evi- Washington D.C. the some controversy — and an inves- issues. cussing Downes' nomination dence of an attempt to abuse the COTI Board of Directors tigation by the Sanibel Police "We owe before the meeting. Florida law system by criiaaliziiig ordinary explains its stance on Department. our excellent prohibits two or more officials political thought and discourse," Shared Vision, and The commission tapped Linda quality of life Irom discussing public business Pappas said. Stephen Alexander writes Robison to be the new chairperson outside a public forum. Former City Councilman to this man's Downes about sunshine laws and and Marie Gargano for the vice efforts," she Det. Scott Ashby confirmed Andrew Reding called into ques- the Sanibel Planning chair's slot. Both selections were said. that a complaint had been filed tion the Sunshine Law's applica- Commission. Plus, letters unanimous. Downes — who is in the and is under investigation, but bility to the situation, because the to the editor. process of selling his house and declined to comment further until topic discussed does not greatly "I appreciate this," Robison affect the public. said, "but I feel the better person moving off-island — turned down the investigation is complete, —See page 8-9 has declined here." the nomination, citing personal which should be early next week. "It's an imperfect process," Gargano had nominated and family reasons. Some members of the public Reding said. "Laws always have Commissioner Dick Downes for "I just could not do the kind of condemned the unidentified com- unintended consequences." Crab races Whitecaps owners denied Crab races are back at ACTION! 'Tween Waters Inn on Captiva, with part of the short term rental request proceeds going to United long-term stays. Way. By Erik Burriss Staff writer "People don't have that kind of money and they certainly don't have —See page 13 The future of White Caps the time," White Caps unit owner Condominiums was cast into doubt Iris Hoffman said Tuesday. Island Gardening Tuesday when the Planning The units' small size — they Commission first denied a request average 575 square feet — is also a Gardgn expert Ron to delay action on revising the prop- deterrent for monthly rentals, said Sympson explains what to erty's development permit, then William Staples, president of the do about that sooty mold denied the revision. condominium association. on your wedelia. Although located in the heart of Ebelini had requested that the the island's resort district, White commission delay action on the —See page 15 Caps owners were barred from rent- owners' request to amend their ing their units for periods of less development permits since he was than four weeks by their develop- scheduled to be in court in Fort ment permit. Originally built as a Myers Tuesday. The commission 8 BUSINESS page 6-7 motel in 1953, the prohibition on denied the request since all the weekly rentals was put into place material relevant to a decision was * OPINION page 8-9 when it was converted to condo- gathered on Dec. 11. miniums in 1980. "All the evidence is in, all the Anna Liakas » LOOKING BACK page 10 At a Dec. 11 hearing, the owners legal arguments made," City Production was underway on Captiva this week as the of the nine-unit complex and their Attorney Doug Wyckoff said. Touchstone Pictures and Original Film romantic comedy 8 DATELINE page 14 attorney. Mark Ebelini, argued for The commission then approved a "Sweet Home Alabama" staged two scenes from the pic- being allowed to rent on a weekly resolution denying the proposed ture starring actors Reese Witherspoon, who received ® TV LISTINGS page 16 basis because of the units' location critical acclaim in this summer's "Legally Blonde" and in the i^'vOit disuiet, and the diflt- See Josh Lucas, who just recently co-starred with Russell culty oi lindmg icnteis mteiested in Crowe in Ron Howard's "Beautiful Mind." • CLASSIFIED' page 21 I»agt W!'. <.'5lL» u», 2 • Week of Jan. 24-30, 2002 • ISLAND REPORTER WHITE CAPS From page 1 permit amendment, following a Planning Options include Department recommendation. using the condomini- At the hearing, Planning Director Bruce ums as second Rogers testified that White Caps does not homes, something have the required amount of recreational several owners are area for resort status. Assistant Planning doing, Staples said, Director Ken Pfalzer testified that the then- or selling to a devel- owners of White Caps voluntarily agreed oper. Ebelini said the to the condition in 1980. owners have several The current owners are split on Pfalzer's legal options or they point, although they expressed disappoint- could appeal to City ment in the commission's decision. Council. "It was there for us to read, although Hoffman said two they never enforced it," Staples said. offers have already However, Hoffman said that when she been made from a developer who wants to and her husband purchased the property, build a multi-unit resort like the two that they were told that the restriction was a currently sandwich White Caps. technicality, "You folks are beginning to look like "We all knew what we were getting Miami Beach," she said. "We're the last of Pete Bishop into?" Hoffman said. "Not at all, not all." old Sanibel." Condominium units at White Caps, which lies in the resort housing The future of White Caps is still unde- Any decision to sell to a developer is district, average 575 square feet in area. The Sanibel Planning not likely to happen immediately, Commission denied unit owners' request to revise a development per- termined. The owners association is meet- mit so they could rent their condos for less than 4 consecutive weeks. ing Monday to discuss the matter. Staples said. the [Dark Skies] ordinance?" Stauss asked. "No-one knows. Knee jerk is a good word . With the Wildlife COALITION Committee the Council took an individual complaint, took some action and disrupt- From page 1 ed the activities of the Committee. That's just the tip of this Council's reign. What explaining its mission and listing specific endorsed the Earth are they doing addressing issues like the organizing principles or goals that will Charter last spring, a Earth Charter — issues none of us have guide its activities (see page 8). paid advertisement brought to them? It's a Council out of con- "The Earth Charter was a catalyst that calling for rescinding trol, and we'll be a watch-dog." brought together many voices, people the endorsement was Tyson stressed that while sections of who did not really know one another," published in local the community not usually associated said Stephen Alexander, the coalition's papers. The Council with environmentalism, such as youth and public relations director and a member of has since rescinded the business community, will be "impor- its Advisory Committee. "It made us all endorsement. tant cohorts" in the coalition, the group is aware of an undercurrent of people con- "We bring togeth- dedicated to the principles of the Sanibel cerned that their voices are not being er members of all the The images in the SGGC logo rep- Vision Statement. heard. If so many of us feel this way, we Sanibel communities resent the coalition's inclusive- Tyson ness, say organizers. "We're for Below Market Rate Housing, thought, why not form something to give who wish to partici- and we're for the environment," Tyson said.