INSIDE: Legal Notices CITY LEGALS FICTITIOUS NAMES AUCTIONS MISCELLANEOUS
Cape Coral man sentenced to life in prison in Barry Schmalbach’s murder www.capecoralbreeze.com
By CJ HADDAD
cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com
A Cape Coral man has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder. Christopher Gregory Davis, 37, was sentenced Thursday in the death of Barry Schmalbach, 56. Davis was also sentenced to five years
News of Note
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
in prison for tampering with physical evidence, and five years on each of eight counts of fraudulent use of, or possession with intent to fraudulently use personal identification information concerning a deceased individual. All counts are to run consecutively.
Davis
Davis was sentenced immediately after a jury returned a guilty verdict following a four-day trial in Lee County. Schmalbach was last seen alive on the evening of July 19, 2023, and his body not been found. Davis lived with the victim and was aware the victim had planned
Friends of Cape Library to discuss ‘Books We’ve Read’ July 26
Everyone is invited to the Friends of the Cape Coral Library General Meeting Saturday, July 26. The topic of discussion will be “Books We’ve Read.” The morning will begin at 9:30 a.m. with coffee, tea, light snacks and social time. The business portion will start at 10 a.m., and the program. The Friends’ traditional July meeting program has been one of its most popular. Attendees sit in a big round table set up and take turns talking about books they’ve recently read and would recommend. Each person may describe a couple of books, or more if there’s time. FOCCL General Meetings, which take place in the large meeting room of the Cape Coral Library at 921 S.W. 39th Terrace, are free and open to the public. You are welcome to bring a guest or two. For more information, please visit Friends of the Cape Coral Library website at www.capefriends.org and follow them on Facebook.
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to end their relationship, according to the prosecution’s case. Schmalbach was at a Cape Coral bar with Davis on the night of July 19, 2023, and that a witness said “it appeared that they were not getting along.” Prosecutors contend that just after 7
Overall taxable valuation up in Lee County
See MURDER, page 4
City of Cape Coral sees an overall increase of 7.40%
By CJ HADDAD
cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com
Local ham radio operators hold summer field day
By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers.com Gone are the days when ham radio operators operated out of their basement on old-time equipment that looked like it came from the 1930s. Today, ham radio is state of the art. It uses computers and modern equipment to hear from people all over the world. This is a good thing, since during an emergency such as a hurricane when all the power and cell phone towers are out, it often can be the only way to communicate. On Saturday, under the concession stand near the football field at North Fort Myers Community Park, dozens of radio operators
gathered to test their skills in the event of an emergency. The Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club hosted the American Radio Relay League Field Day, an annual nationwide emergency preparedness exercise and public outreach event demonstrating the critical role of amateur radio in post-disaster
See HAM RADIO, page 4 Kathy and Tom Provenzano work their ham radios during the annual ARRL Field Day at North Fort Myers Community Park on Saturday. CHUCK BALLARO
Lee County Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell released the final tax roll values Tuesday with taxable valuations up county wide. According to Caldwell’s office, the release starts the process that allows jurisdictions and other taxing authorities to hold public hearings and set proposed ad valorem tax rates that will apply to properties within their respective jurisdictions. In Lee County, the total just tax roll values in 2025 come in at $219,991,886,433, which is an increase of .24% from 2024. The total assessed tax roll value is up 7.96% throughout the county from last year, with the total taxable values seeing a 8.17% increase. In Cape Coral, the total just tax roll values are at $46,891,828,971, which is a .40% decease. The total assessed tax roll value is up 7.58% from 2024, with the total taxable values seeing a 7.40% increase. New construction just tax roll values in 2025 in Cape Coral comes in at $1,588,865,557, which is down from $2,114,727,819 in 2024. The taxable value for new construction in 2025 came in at $1,579,597,916 as compared to $1,621,436,698 in 2024. The Property Appraiser’s Office will send out individual Notices of Proposed Property Taxes (TRIM Notices) in mid-August once the proposed tax rates are set. For additional information about the Lee County Property Appraiser, please visit its website at leepa.org, or call the office at 2480 Thompson St., 4th Floor, Fort Myers, at 239-533-6100.