WEEK OF AUGUST 6, 2025
Summer camp
Lee County Parks & Rec thanks Bobby Holloway Jr. Memorial Fund for support
— INSIDE
PINEISLAND-EAGLE.COM
VOLUME 49, NUMBER 13
National Water Quality Month a call to action
Clean water advocates stress the importance of local waters to environment, economy By CJ HADDAD
cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com
The lifeblood of the Sunshine State — water and water quality — should always be at the forefront of decision making and a priority in local communities, environmental experts say. This year, Florida Governmental Utility Authority and water utilities around the nation are celebrating the 20th anniversary of National Water Quality Month, which was founded in 2005 by the Environmental Protection Agency and backed by the United Nations. The goal of this concerted annual campaign which occurs every August is to promote the value of this natural resource,
encouraging action at the household and community level to ensure access to safe, clean drinking water for generations to come. Southwest Florida in particular relies on clean water to harbor endangered marine life, sustain local business, and bring in tourism dollars that greatly impact the economy. One of the biggest advocates for clean water in the region, the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, puts out a weekly water report that ties into water management decision, especially regarding Lake Okeechobee, “We’re collecting all that data and talking with stakeholders and partners in the region, and packaging it into
those reports that we then can give out to the general public and media, and concerned individuals who want it,” said SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis. “That also goes to water managers so that they understand what’s happening in our part of the system, and hopefully that weighs in when they’re making their decisions.” As far as the current water quality levels in Southwest Florida go, despite a lack of releases from Lake Okeechobee, there are still high levels of nutrients in the water from other sources. See WATER QUALITY MONTH, page 10
Celebrating Pine Islanders: Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Joanna Anderson underway
By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Pine Island Experience podcast host Joanna Anderson said she would describe herself as an optimist. She said she came to Pine Island with her husband Trygve (Trig) in 2015. “We’d been coming here a lot. We’d been in Florida for 26 years, but we worked our way down here. We were spending our weekends on Fort Myers Beach and we decided we needed to get a weekend home here, so at first, we ended up coming to Pine Island from Thursdays to Sundays,” Anderson said. An emotional attachment for the island came fairly quickly, she said, for the two of them, as she recalls a great feeling of love striking the moment they first drove over the Matlacha Bridge. Anderson recalls an author she was particularly fond of who lived across from the Tarpon Lodge in Bokeelia, who made her want to come out here to begin with. The author, she learned, was also a fishing guide and although she credits him with making the couple aware of the island, she credits Matlacha ultimately, for the love they found once they’d arrived. Anderson said they were told, by their Realtor immediately that there were no beaches on Pine Island. “We said, we don’t care. We have a fishing boat,” Anderson said. Once they made the decision to be here full time, rather than just on long weekends, they ended up with the home were they still live. Something she said they found their way to immediately were volunteer positions. “One of the first things we did was volunteer for the VFW. I’ve done things for churches in the past and fund drives. But coming here made us realize, this is a volunteer island. Everybody helps everyone. It was very rewarding to go to the VFW. They asked me to do their website and Trygve set up their cameras. We became lifetime members immediately,” Anderson said. She admits being on Pine Island changes folks, just as it did her. She said she finds herself wanting to do more for the community.
By CJ HADDAD
cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com
PHOTO PROVIDED
Trygve and Joanna Anderson. Being the host of the Pine Island Experience podcast comes with certain limitations, she said, such as trying to interview everyone without offending a guest by having their competitors on the podcast as well. Although, as an optimist, she finds her rule of thumb is, ‘the more the merrier.’ In her explanation to a stranger for a description of Pine Island, she said she might begin by describing it as a Floridian island, the size of Manhattan, filled with artists and creative types that very few people seem to be aware of. “People may be aware of Sanibel or Captiva, but we’re nothing like Sanibel or Captiva. Either you stumSee ANDERSON, page 12
Getting prepared for the upcoming school year? Throughout August Floridians can save at the checkout line, as Florida’s annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday runs from Aug. 1 through 31. During the annual sales tax holiday period, tax is not due for the retail sale of: n Clothing, footwear, wallets, bags, handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, and diaper bags with a sales price of $100 or less per item. n Certain school supplies with a sales price of $50 or less per item. n Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles with a sales price of $30 or less. n Personal computers and certain computer-related accessories with a sales price of $1,500 or less, when purchased for noncommercial home or personal use. “Proud to deliver additional sales tax holidays, including the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday that begins on Aug. 1,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis at a press conference in Panama City Beach on Monday. “With the new school year just around the corner, Florida families can save on back-to-school shopping during the tax holiday for the entire month of August. By cutting taxes, empowering parents, and growing our economy, we’re making it easier for people to live, work, and thrive in the Free State of Florida.” There is no option for dealers to opt-out of the annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. No tax is due on the sale or purchase of any school supply item with a sales price of $50 or less per item. The exemption does not apply to sales of school supplies within a theme park or entertainment complex, public lodging establishment, or airport. “School supplies” means pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunch boxes, construction paper, markers, folders, See SALES TAX HOLIDAY, page 12
Beat......................11 Fishing Column.................8 Local Tides........................7 INSIDETODAY Bridge Beacon of HOPE................7 Kittens of the Week...........9 SJCCA Update...................6
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