AUGUST 13, 1993 VOLUME 22 NUMBER 32 islar 3 SECTIONS, 32 PAGES REPORTER SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA, FLORIDA Canterbury headmaster commits suicide self. water was found in his lungs and he did not Shoots himself at "All evidence points in that direction. Based drown, Plager said. on physical evidence, interviews and the totality Police immediately ruled out homicide and of the investigation, this is a suicide," Plager focused their investigation on determining his Sanibel home said. whether Romano's death was an accident or By MaryJeanne McAward Romano died of a wound to his heart and suicide. Staff Writer lung, according to an autopsy performed by the Sanibel Detective Ray Christensen would not Frank L. Romano, 58, headmaster at the Lee County Medical Examiner Wednesday. No Canterbury School and a Sandcastle Road resi- •please see page 2A dent, shot and killed himself with his own revolver early this week. Romano was found dead of a single gunshot wound to the chest, floating facedown in his backyard pool Tuesday afternoon, August 10. Sanibel Police Chief Richard Plager ruled the death a suicide yesterday morning. "There is sufficient indication based on the total investigation that Mr. Romano shot him- Police to vote !('->.•:,;••-- '/-,.• on union soon By MaryJeanne McAward Staff Writer Sanibel Police Department employees have i ?V the right to conduct an election and decide if they want to be unionized, ruled the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC). In a 13-page report, released Monday, August 2, the commission said police officers, dispatch- ers and two administrative sergeants all may cast their votes. It also said the election must take place as soon as possible. Sanibel has until Tuesday, August 17 to pro- vide the PERC and the Florida Police Benevolent Association (FPBA) with the names and addresses of those eligible to vote in the election. Lightning strikes fire chief's house This will be a secret election conducted by By MaryJeanne McAward Frederick was in Fort Myers when he Heard mail ballot, in accordance with Florida law. Staff Writer . the fire call. He realized the address, was his If a simple majority of police employees vote Just one of a number of recent direct hits by own and arrived home to find his children for the union, it will be certified and the city lightning on the islands in past weeks, Sanibel scared and the upstairs of his Leatherfern Lane must start contract negotiations. Fire Chief P. Charles Frederick's home was house a shambles. struck by lightning Friday morning, July 30. Apparently, lightning struck and damaged Sanibel Police Chief Richard Plager, who is Frederick was not at home but his children, the cupola on the roof. While there was no fire, ineligible to vote in the coming election, Jill and Cale, were downstairs in the two-story, the charge traveled along wiring from the roof declined all comment. wood frame structure when it was struck at into the bathroom, where it blew a large mirror about 9 a.m. They were unhurt. •please see page 2A •please see page 2A Erosion-control devices exposed on Captiva beach By Dawn Grodsky concrete groins to become exposed restaurant and extending south. rental and parasail business near Editor on a stretch of Captiva beach, At least one of these groins has some of the exposed groins, said he Erosion has caused a number of beginning at the Mucky Duck an eight- to 10-inch steel reinforce- talked to the administrator before ment bar jutting out of it and was she departed this week and was most likely the culprit of a foot reassured she was looking into the injury which occurred July 31, matter. according to Captiva Fire Chief Meanwhile, Ventura purchased John Bates. bright orange flags and attached All are. in water that varies them to five groins exposed in his between knee- and waist-deep, immediate vicinity Monday, hoping depending on the tide. to keep people away from the Alison Hagerup, administrator potentially dangerous objects. He for the Captiva Erosion Prevention said he knows there are more District (CEPD), is aware of the sit- exposed farther down the beach uation and is currently taking but has not been able to mark steps to either get the groins them, marked as dangerous or removed, "Alison is working on it, but she according to erosion district board must bring it before her board. In member Shirlee Starr. the meantime, [with the installa- Hagerup was out of town and tion of the warning flags,] we unavailable for comment but can hopefully eliminate possible These flags serve as warnings that cement groins, some with steel Marcel Ventura, who owns a jet ski reinforcement bars jutting out, are exposed on this Captiva beach. •please see page 2A 2A Q AUGUST 13,1993 • ISLAND REPORTER -LIGHTNING : However, the pager and charger, worth $500, •from page 1A may not be repairable, Frye added. off the wall over the sink and drove pieces of it Also during that Saturday morning storm, into bathroom walls. The ceiling was damaged lightning struck the Chateaux Sur Mer home of and electrical outlets destroyed. Sara Hendricks, blowing out her television but The jolt blew a hole in the wall between the otherwise, causing little damage. Hendricks said bathroom and kitchen; knocked shelves off the she Jumped six feet in the air when the lightning kitchen wall; damaged the refrigerator, knocked hit and noted it was the loudest noise she ever out the phone system, blew a ceiling fan off its heard. base and damaged copper piping throughout Bill Zeliff, a meteorologist and weather con- the house, causing water leaks. sultant to the City of Sanibel, said despite this Frederick said most of the damage was in the flurry of direct hits, this is a normal year for bathroom. An estimate was not available. thunderstorm activity. The following morning, Saturday, July 31, a "There are an average of 95 home on Casa Ybel Road was struck by light- thunderstorms...from May to October," on the ning during another violent storm. barrier islands, Zeliff said. More storms hit According to fire department records, no one inland areas than the islands, he added. was injured; while there was no fire, there was While lightning varies from storm to storm, structural damage to exterior rafters, and dam- there has been no more lightning than normal age to the interior of the home. this year. During that same storm, lightning struck "It just seems that way because there have three times at the communications tower been a couple of thunderstorms right together," behind the fire department on Palm Ridge Road. he added. Antennas on the grounded tower were not dam- Frye said in an average year, one island home aged but the jolt entered the fire department suffers great damage from a lightning strike in building, where it overwhelmed surge protectors the summer storm season. and damaged part of the telephone system, the Electrical storms can cause fire alarm activa- Lightning caused a mirror in Frederick's base station radio and a charger and pager, tion and Frye said the department may respond bathroom to explode and drove six-inch according to Assistant Fire Chief Don Frye. to four or more false alarm calls during a typical shards of glass through the opposite wall. The radio and telephone system were fixed. storm. -EXPOSE -UNION •from page 1A •from page 1A injuries," Ventura said. Starr noted the matter will be brought to the Sanibel City Attorney Robert Pritt said he The groins—which help stabilize the beach— forefront at the next CEPD meeting, slated near assumed the city was compiling the list. While were most likely installed by the CEPD in the the end of the month. the PERC will set the date of the election, Pritt mid-1980s, before the first beach renourish- Ventura said he put up the temporary flags said he has heard it may be Friday, September because he wants to keep the beach safe. ment; however Starr said there is some question 3. as to whom the groins legally belong. "I think this is a beautiful place and I want to keep it that way. I want to keep people coming Last week's ruling mirrors a recommended "We don't know if they're legally all ours. order, issued in May to the commission by a They could have been installed by the county or back," he said. a private property owner...years and years ago," Ventura said Hagerup mentioned installing PERC hearing officer. she said. temporary signs or perhaps sawing off the jut- Since February, the FPBA, based in ting reinforcement bars, which are the most Tallahassee, has been seeking to represent Sanibel police employees in a union. The City of -?.* dangerous parts. He added the administrator was aware of the Sanibel has been resistant to the proposal. groins gradually becoming exposed during the past year but that recent erosion has quickened In June, Orlando labor attorney Wayne the process. Helsby, representing Sanibel, filed objections to Ventura installed the flags because while the the hearing officer's recommended order. groins are visible when the gulf is calm, rougher Helsby argued against including dispatchers water stirs things up and makes them impossi- and the two administrative sergeants in the ble to see. bargaining unit. The foot injury is the only reported incident The PERC rejected all arguments and cited connected to the groins. In that case, a 52-year- court decisions between municipalities and old English man told Chief Bates he stepped on public employees from throughout the state in an unknown object which cut his food in the its rebuttals.