—INDEX- Acts & Leisure 8B At Larae 5A Citvslde 8A Classifieds 3C Commentary 1C Front-runners Crossword 5C Pay changes? Environment 1B Prioritized list Police Beat 2A Consultant issues Scuba Scoop 4A report on Sanibel's of beach plan Weather Watch 4A salary, benefit system engineers set IB Since 1961 Still first on Sanibel and Captiva VOL. 31, NO. 19 TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1992 THREE SECTIONS, 32 PAGES 50 CENTS Mayor Miracle Elderly widow won't run again raped on Sanibel y Frances Adams ander staff writer By Steve Ruediger Sanibel Mayor Mike Miracle announced Friday, May 3, Islander staff writer that he would not be running for a second term on the A 69-year-old widow was raped in her home at the north Sanibel City Council. end of Sanibel late Sunday night, May 10. The assailant "I've served city government for six years, and that's a broke into her home and used duct tape to tie a pillowcase long enough time," said Miracle. "I think it's time for over the woman's head. He also taped her hands before rap- other people to step forward and do the same sort of ing her. thing." "We've got a wacko running around," said Sanibel Po- Miracle, who is serving his second year as mayor, said lice Det. Sgt. Wayne Hinz Monday, May 11. "This is his decision not to run has nothing to do with term limi- way out of the normal context for Sanibel Island." tations, which he is very much against. Hinz said the details of the case make it very similar to "I simply want to be able to give my family opfibrisT" a rape that happened around the beginning of April in the which I couldn't do if I committed myself to another four Whiskey Creek area of Fort Myers. years," he said. Traveling is highest on his list of possi- The Sanibel assault took place between 11:15 p.m. bilities. Sunday and 12:15 a.m. Monday. The man entered the While he says he is a retired American Red Cross execu- home by removing the screen from a sliding glass win- tive, Miracle still does consulting work for the Red Cross dow. The window itself was open. The home was not an and said he may consider taking on some lon^ei-term as- isolated house. There were other houses nearby with peo- signments once his calendar is open in November. ple in them. Miracle was elected to the City Council in 1988, after The man jumped on the elderly woman in her bed and : defeated Roz Wegryn, 2,148 to 1,019, in the race for held her down as he covered her head with a pillowcase and the council seat vacated by Mike Klein. He had served on then used duct tape around her neck to hold the pillowcase the Sanibel Planning Commission for two years prior to over her head. The pillowcase was from one of her pil- his seeking a council seat. lows. The man brought the duct tape with him. He also The four-year terms of Miracle and councilmen Francis used it to bind her hands. Bailey and Mark "Bird" Westall are up in November. Mir- Then he raped her. acle is the first of the three incumbents to make public his Afterward he searched her house for about 15 minutes. intentions regarding re-election. He took a small amount of money but did not show inter- Westall, who may make a bid for a second term on the est in other things, such as jewelry. council, has picked up a Declaration of Intention to Seek The woman never saw the man but believed by his Office form from City Hall, but has not yet filed it with voice that he was white. She told police he whispered Deputy City Clerk Renee Lynch in the Finance Depart- while talking to her. She also believes he wore a dark col- ment. The perfect spot ored, long-sleeved, hooded sweatshirt. Bailey, who has served on the council since the city's Lori Wilson of Fort Myers recently biked all Any information regarding a person dressed in such a incorporation in December 1974, traditionally has waited the way from the toll booths at the Sanibel shirt on Sunday night, or any other information relative to until nearly the last day to file his paperwork, so the Causeway entrance to this bright, peaceful this case should be reported to Sgt. Hinz at 472-3111. and somewhat secluded sunning spot near Please see MAYOR, page 9A Blind Pass. Please see RAPE, page 11A ome fear proposed law could decrease coastal land values By Steve Ruediger Flood Insurance, Mitigation and Erosion Management Act be. Islander staff writer of 1991. It is a long and complicated piece of legislation. The primary concern of the CEPD and one of the con- Both the Lee County Commission and the Captiva Ero- Among the things it does is ban new construction or cerns of the Lee County Commission is whether or not sion Prevention District expressed concerns last Wednes- substantial improvement of old construction within the erosion control projects such as Captiva's will be consid- day, May 6, about a bill to amend federal flood insurance 30-year erosion line and ban commercial construction or ered when the lines are determined. laws. substantial improvement within the 60-year erosion line. The answer is yes, according to Mike Buckley, an engi- The bill would forbid new construction in eroding The law provides that 10-year, 30-year and 60-year ero- neer with the Federal Emergency Management Administra- coastal areas and reduce federal flood insurance on some sion lines be determined for all coastal areas at an esti- tion in Washington, D.C. Buckley, who would have the existing structures. mated cost to the federal government of $25 million. job of implementing that part of the law, told The Islander If the bill passes as written, "within the 30 year erosion These lines will not necessarily be in the same locations Thursday, May 7, that such projects would be considered line, undeveloped land would be worthless, and houses and as any similarly named state lines. The rate of erosion is if they met three criteria: they were well designed, they condos virtually unsalable," according to the Florida Shore to be determined by finding out what the historical rate had an ongoing maintenance plan and they had reliable and Beach Preservation Association Inc., a lobbying group has been in the average year and then multiplying by 10, funding available. for shoreline projects. 30 or 60. The proposed law does not fix the number of Another section of the proposed law deals with struc- the County Commission and the CEPD both voted in years to be used in the average or the length of the area. tures in imminent risk of collapse. Under current law that separate meetings to write letters expressing their concerns Obviously, a vastly different erosion rate would be ob- is defined as five times the current annual erosion rate plus to Sen. Bob Graham and Sen. Connie Mack. tained using, for example, all of Sanibel's gulf coast ver- 10 feet, and the federal government offers financial incen- The proposed law passed the U.S. House last year on a sus using only the area in front of Gulf Pines or only the tives to those people to demolish or relocate their home or 388 to 18 vote. Congressman Porter Goss (R-Sanibel) area at Blind Pass. Also, different figures would be ob- business. The incentive is that the government will pay voted in favor of it. tained if the average of the last five years, the last 20 years part of the cost of demolishing or relocating. It is coming before the Senate this month. or the last 100 years were used. So, it is impossible to The proposed law is Senate Bill 1650, The National know exactly where those 10, 30 and 60 year lines will Please see LAW, page 7A All Ihe following information was taken di- A man refused to pay the toll at the Sanibel Causeway rectly from Sanibel Police Department records. POLICE Friday, May 8. He said he didn't have any money but he did have friends he was meeting on Sanibel. After talking Police received a report Sunday, May 10, of noisy dogs BEAT with police he was convinced to turn around and go back and birds on Birdsong Place. When they got there they to Fort Myers. ffididn't hear anything. Q A dachshund dog disappeared from a car while its owner Scott Joseph Miceli of Cape Coral was charged Mon- was shopping in Periwinkle Way stores May 8. (A day, May 11, with driving on a suspended license on work on a deck she was having added to her home without Periwinkle Way and Limpet Drive. having obtained a permit. She told police she had not known a permit was needed. They told her to get one be- A snake was reported in a kitchen on Sunset Circle May David Pangburn of Fort Myers was charged Saturday, fore resuming work. 8. Police caught the 3-foot-long black snake and released CM May 9, with going 58 mph and driving without a valid it elsewhere. a> o> driver's license on Sanibel-Captiva Road. A 3 1/2-foot-long alligator was removed May 9 from i— of the Periwinkle Resort Apartments at Sanibel-Captiva A Sanibel restaurant manager reported a suspicious car Paul Christopher Millican of North Fort Myers was Road and Jamaica Drive.