WEEK OF APRIL 10, 2024 FLIER INSIDE
Special honors Firefighters earn awards from Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District — INSIDE PINEISLAND-EAGLE.COM
VOLUME 47, NUMBER 49
‘Extremely active’ hurricane season predicted By CJ HADDAD
cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com
While all was quiet on the Southwest Florida front when it came to the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane season, early indications from forecasters are scripting a different story for ’24. Researchers at Colorado State University, one of the leading entities in hurricane season forecasts (now in its 41st year), are predicting an “extremely active” season in their initial 2024 estimate. The team points to record warm tropical and eastern subtropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures as a primary factor for the high number this year. The CSU Tropical Weather and Climate team is predicting 23 named storms during the Atlantic hurricane
The CSU Tropical Weather and Climate team is predicting 23 named storms during the Atlantic hurricane season. Of those, researchers forecast 11 to become hurricanes and five to reach major hurricane strength (Saffir/Simpson Category 3,4,5) with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater. season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Of those, researchers forecast 11 to become hurricanes and five to reach major hurricane strength (Saffir/Simpson Category 3,4,5) with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater.
Celebrating Pine Islanders: Bernard Johnson By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
ue to the legendary status of Bert’s Bar and Grill, many think of Bernard Johnson as a local restaurateur, or more accurately, a guy who made a valiant contribution to the community, as he did in giving People’s Choice Award winner Mike Imbasciani a place to get his musical career off the ground, by allowing him to gig at Bert’s when he was a kid, or giving future fellow restaurateur, Lisa Dence, one of her first jobs on the island, or being the starting ground for renown local band, Deb and the Dynamics. Johnson however, describes himself as a long-term resident of Matlacha. It was in the mid 1970s, he said, when he first came to south Florida -- Bonita Springs. “In the early '80s, someone wanted to swap some land up in Bokeelia and that was the first time I came to Pine Island. I saw it and I just thought it was terrific. As I drove out there and back, all I could think of was, boy I’d love to live here someday,” Johnson said. In 1998, he and partner Laura Smith ended up in Matlacha, and they’ve been there ever since. In addition to being a meeting place for organizations like Kiwanis and the Matlacha Hookers, Bert’s Bar and Grill was more than simply a place where locals gathered. “It becomes a community. When you’re living in a place where so many people know each other … you don’t want to go anyplace else,” Johnson said. Bert’s was a stalwart place where many Pine Islanders found themselves taking respite, refuge and recreation until September 2022 when Hurricane Ian destroyed it, along with Bert’s Pine Bay Gallery, another of Johnson’s businesses located just across the street. Many former Bert’s customers, he said, are now finding themselves at Bubba’s Roadhouse on Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, owned by Johnson’s son, Jay. “My son is very active in Lee County, I’m very proud of him — and my daughter, too. She’s up in Memphis. She’s got four restaurants and a pretty big catering service,” Johnson said of his daughter, Michelle Wilson.
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“Our analog seasons were all very active Atlantic hurricane seasons,” wrote Phil Klotzbach, senior research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at CSU and lead author of the report. “This highlights the somewhat lower levels of uncertainty that exist with this outlook relative to our typical early April outlook.” CSU experts state their outlook for the season is based on extremely warm Atlantic temperatures and high probability of La Nina conditions, or when temperatures in the Pacific are lower than long-term normals, causing implications across the Atlantic. This is the highest prediction for hurricanes that CSU has ever issued with its April outlook, though the team stresses that the April outSee HURRICANE SEASON, page 19
Randell Research Center’s Karim discusses the Calusa at GPICA meeting By PAULETTE LeBLANC
peleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
PHOTO PROVIDED
Laura Smith and Bernard Johnson Although Bert’s Bar and Grill and Bert’s Pine Bay Gallery have been destroyed, many other projects are currently keeping Johnson busy, such as a golf course development in Mississippi, he said. His attitude and sense of humor remain intact and most noteworthy, as post-hurricane, Johnson announced, tongue-in-cheek of course, that a reward would be given to anyone who could find and return Bert’s Bar and Grill in its entirety. T-shirts for that witty endeavor sold out immediately, See BERNARD JOHNSON, page 16
The Greater Pine Island Civic Association invited Randell Research Center Operations Manager Annisa Karim to speak at the monthly meeting April 2, at First Baptist Church. Karim asserts that knowing the history of Pine Island will give residents more of an appreciation for the island. The Randell Research Center is part of the University of Florida and the Museum of Natural History. Being a part of the state’s Natural History Museum, Karim said, comes with the benefit of having the backing of some incredible scientists as well as having a home here on Pine Island, (The Randell Research Center) where learning about the Calusa Indigenous People continues. Her presentation, "Knowing the Calusa — Turning Anthropology on its Ear," is so named for the accomplishments of the Annisa Karim Calusa, Karim said. “I’m hoping this will encourage people to come out to the Randell Research Center and learn more about the Calusa — to maybe even become members of the Randell Research Center and support this very important place on your island,” Karim said. When she was young, Karim said, she was told, as many of us were, that Ponce De Leon discovered Florida. Though she concedes that he did sail to Florida, the implication, she said, was that, upon his arrival, there was nothing else here. By the time Ponce De Leon arrived, she said, there were likely more than 100,000 people already here. “Not just one group of people, many groups of people See THE CALUSA, page 16
Athlete of the Week.........18 Cat of the Week...............11 Local Tides......................19 insidetoday Cribbage Corner..............19 Island Mahjongg.............16 On the Water....................14 Classifieds & Obituaries