3H* -4 K .! -hi i 11 ]\ t,. t.» b M''' 7 ?> Mlr.imr island SAW IBEX. FL 33957 PORT Week of July 26-Aug. 1,2001 SANIBEL & CAPTIVA, FLORIDA VOLUME 28, NUMBER 29, 24 PAGES 75 CENTS BUYING BUNCHE BEACH? City notes One candidate left Lee County's recycling coordinator to speak at stewardship committee meeting; Mayors meet with county elections for city manager job supervisor. By Pete Bishop city council to consider at Friday's —See page 2 Staff writer special city council meeting. Murphy, who served as Sanibel White cap waves Bemie Murphy has withdrawn city manager from 1979 to 1984, from consideration as Sanibel's has taken a job as city manager of A unit owner at White next city manager, leaving just one Caps calls city's short-term candidate, Michael Copp of rental law "selective prose- Glenwood Springs, Colo., for the t> See City manager cution." . page 4 —See page 3 County says no Storm destroys 71 sea turtle nests Lee County Commissioners decided M Report from Captiva, page 5 storm of relentless rains washed Tuesday not to accept B Saving hatchlings, page 5 away or flooded two-thirds of the amendments Sanibel City nests on Bonita Beach while nests Council made to a joint By Dawn deBoer on Fort Myers Beach and Big resolution regarding feder- Staff writer Hickory Island fared no better. al funds for affordable With flood warnings out for Lee housing. Sunday's stormy waters rolling and Collier counties throughout in on an extremely high tide dis- last weekend, Southwest Florida —See page 20 rupted this year's sea turtle nest- downpours brought more than 15 ings along San-Cap shores, inches of rainfall by Sunday, with destroying 44 of the 76 nests yet to more than 6 inches on Sanibel. hatch on Captiva. Sanibel lost six Captiva saw 3 inches within an ..n^ste-on the East End [Lighthouse to Tarpon Bay Road]; The West While heavy lightning, high Eco-business Michael Pistella End [Tarpon Bay Road to Blind Sanibel environmentalists A partnership between the federal government and Pass], left underwater for stretches and businesses get togeth- Lee County may soon result in the acquisition of 733 on end, lost 21 nests !> See Turtle nests er to create new eco- key acres surrounding Bunche Beach, see page 3. Across the bay, a weekend page 18 guides for the islands. —See. page 5 Coast Guard finds County, city to talk causeway issues compromise on ordinance, however, rather than First phase of conflict resolution process Aug. 2 interlocal agreement, and sent the drawbridge schedule plan to rebuild to the U.S. Coast New Pippins coming By Pete Bishop give the city veto power over the Guard which will distribute the By Pete Bishop Staff writer number of travel lanes on rebuilt plan to agencies such as the Staff writer Pippins restaurant on causeway bridges. The veto power Department of Environmental Sanibel is in the process of At the suggestion of Lee would have been included in an Protection and the U.S. Fish and In a decision that should make being renovated after a fire County Assistant Attorney David amended, interlocal agreement Wildlife Service. Sanibel motorists happy, the U.S. in March. Owen, county commissioners concerning the causeway. Coast Guard has decided to open decided Tuesday to participate The council presented a resolu- S anibel Mayor Nola Theiss said the causeway drawbridge for —See page 7 with Sanibel in the first phase of a tion supporting the county's plan to Tuesday she hoped Ackley and waiting boats every half-hour, conflict resolution process con- rebuild, provided lanes on bridges Wyckoff will have more success rather than quarter-hour, Monday cerning plans to rebuild portions of be restricted to 38 feet in width, at dealing with county staff than the through Friday. the Sanibel Causeway. Owen and the June 26 commission meeting. If council has had dealing with coun- "It's going to be on the hour possibly other county representa- the county decided to stay with the ty commissioners. and the one-half hour during, the tives are scheduled to discuss the existing plan for 40-foot roadways, "May.be we made a mistake week, and on the .quarter-hour on issue with Sanibel Interim City council members told the board the working with the commissioners," weekends,", said Barry Dragon, Island Gardening Manager Sam Ackley and City city would need the amended inter- said Theiss. "They're making the chief of bridge, operations for the Attorney Doug Wyckoff, Aug. 2. local agreement to ensure the roads decisions but basing them entirely U.S. ' Coast • Guard Seventh Ron Sympson's excite- on staff recommendations. Staff- ment about a pair of red- Sanibel City Council asked the would never be four-laned. District. bellied woodpeckers nest- county to participate in the process The commission opted to guar- t> See Drawbridge, page. 4 j ing in a birdhouse in his after the commissioners refused to antee two-lane roadways through. See Causeway, page 4 garden turned to sorrow this week., —Seepage 15 Periwinkle property • Environmental News-..page s negotiations to heat up Li a letter to Ray Pavelka, presi- • Business. ._.„. -page 7 By Pete Bishop Staff writer dent of Mariner Properties •Looking Back........... pages Development Inc. and Sanibel Interim City Manager Sam Land Company Ltd., Ackley states • Opinion —page 9 Ackley has proposed that the city the city would like to buy two com- • offer $4.5 million for commercial mercially zoned tracts surrounding property at the northwest corner of Dairy Queen, the Lazy Flamingo Restaurant and a real estate office. • T¥ listings-.... the intersection of Periwinkle Way and Bailey Road. Michael Pistella •Classifieds... ...page 21 |> See Property, page 3 One edge of the Periwinkle property. 2 Q Week of July 26-Aug. 1,2001 Q ISLAND REPORTER Citfy «..'*>• VJ election laws and ballot technology, along Recycling coordinator with the glowing numbei of elections held in the county, make it impossible tor the to speak July 27 county to conduct geneial municipal elec- Lee County Recycling Coordinatoi tions in Novembei. Emory Smith will be speaking at the "Young said she is willing to basically Sanibel Stewardship Committee meeting conduct the elections for free if we do it at Friday, July 27. The public is encouraged diffeient times of the year," said Theiss. to attend the meeting, which will be held "If we conduct elections at the same time, in MacKenzie Hall starting at 10 a.m chances are the ballots won't be counted Smith coordinates the state's most suc- until the second day after the election." cessful county recycling program Lee The mayors were given the option of County cuirently lecycles about 36 pei- holding elections in the months of .'"""ft- * t *'," • cent of its solid waste, or approximately February, Maich oi Apnl Although Fort 110 tons of gaibdge each day during the Myeis Mayoi Jim Humphrey suggested .-• off-wintei season A new recycling facili- municipal mnoffs be held in Maich and ty will soon allow the county to process up final elections m Apnl, Theiss said she to double that tonnage. suggested geneial elections be held in The Sanibel Stewardship Committee Maich. has been tiymg to inciease Sambel's par- If newly elected officials enteied then ticipation m the recycling program It has new jobs as late as May, Theiss said, they been estimated that islanders and island would almost immediately have to start businesses lecycle only 11 peicent of woik on the next yeai's budget. Sambel's solid waste. Additionally, candidates would have to qualify for the elections befoie Chnslmas, Mayors meet with but campaigns probably would not begin until aftei the holiday, cutting the cam- election supervisor paign season to six weeks, said Theiss. Mayor Nola Theiss attended a meeting The mayors did not make a decision between the county's five mayors and Lee but hope to begin meeting legulaily so Saturday, July 28 County Elections Supei visor Philmda municipalities can shaie ideas and gain Young, Tuesday to discuss the possibility more influence at the county and state lev- 4' of moving municipal elections to the els, according to Theiss. The mayors will Dress as y< spring. meet again at the Floada League of Cities Young announced in May that new Legislative Confeience in August. 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Custom Beading • Furniture IncMctes Salad Eas; Clioke of Carol JAfweia Malszycki Qagnon 3eeney >k.«. {/INTERIORS Simbel Promenade (Across fiom the Post Office) • 69") Tarpon Bay Road 8 30 4 30 Mem Fn «Complimentary Consult ttion (941) 472-6551 ISLAND REPORTER • Week of July 26-Aug. 1, 2001 • 3 Beach at hand Pines destroyed By Pete Bishop By Pete Bishop birds that use the grass Hats and coastal Staff writer Staff writer strand vegetation to replenish energy ate chased away.