WEEK OF MARCH 19, 2025
VOLUME 63, NUMBER 18
Fire board OKs station equipment, gets budget update By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
Golf tourney to raise funds for Trailways Camps By TIFFANY REPECKI
A
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
n inaugural fundraiser will support an island nonprofit focused on adults with special needs. Trailways Camps will host its 1st Annual Charity Golf Tournament on March 24 from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Shell Point Golf Club in Fort Myers. It will include a mix of awards, lunch and more. “Our mission is to reach out to adults with special needs and
The Sanibel Fire and Rescue District’s commission approved a fire alerting system for Station 171 and several district policies at its recent meeting, as well as received a six-month financial fiscal update. On March 12, the commissioners voted unanimously 3-0 on a resolution authorizing the purchase of communications equipment from US Digital Designs/Honeywell for a total amount not to exceed about $22,270. The fire alerting system will include one G2 ATX station controller, one ATX UPS and one UPS wall mount. Prior to the vote, Fire Chief Kevin Barbot explained that in order to connect with the alerting and dispatch system used by Lee County and to continue to serve the community, they took the equipment purchased for Station 172 on Sanibel-Captiva Road and installed it at the Palm Ridge Road station. He continued that when the construcSee BUDGET UPDATE, page 50
ISLANDERINSIDE
provide respite for their caregivers. There’s an incredible void out there,” Sharon Miller, who founded the organization with her husband, said, noting that 600 or more adults leave the system each year and enter life in their community. “There’s almost no services for them in the community to serve their needs,” she added. Miller explained that Trailways Camps applications have gone up and their waitlist has grown. See TRAILWAYS CAMPS, page 20
Audubon Society to present lecture ALSOINSIDETODAY
The Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society will present its next lecture for the 2025 season. “Kites & Kestrels,” with Avian Research Conservation Institute (ARCI) founder Dr. Ken Meyer, will take place on March 26 at 6 p.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. He will pro-
Dr. Ken Meyer
vide history and updates on long-term studies by ARCI on two raptor species that share a common dependance on Florida’s native plant and animal biodiversity: the swallow-tailed kite, a long-distance neotropical migrant; and the southeastern American kestrel, a non-migratory genetically distinct subspecies. His presentation will highlight the
importance of native insect species and the communities that support the species, and the survival and successful reproduction of the threatened birds of prey. Meyer also will talk about ARCI’s strategies for turning research into management practices that can be delivered by federal and state natural resource agencies, public conservation and citizen-science organizations, timber companies, and private land owners and managers. Meyer received his Bachelor of Science in zoology from the University
Guest Commentary........................4 Web Poll...........................................4 Captiva Current...............................6 Business......................................8 Preserving Paradise.....................12 Island Living..................................14 Sports.........................................16 Classifieds 43
Residential Customer ECRWSS
Ft MYERS, FL Permit #5733
PRSTD STD US POSTAGE PAID