Week of AUGUST 23, 2023
VOLUME 61, NUMBER 40
City council OKs waste assessments and petition By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
BAILEY-MATTHEWS NATIONAL SHELL MUSEUM
Shell museum restores landscape, wetlands with help
T
he Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum reported that in addition to repairing the damage to the building and aquariums following Hurricane Ian, staff have been working to restore the museum's surrounding landscape and wetlands on Sanibel. In partnership with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and with the help of dozens of volunteers, the museum recently installed over 800 plants of native vegetation and grasses. Museum volunteers, along with members of the Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club, F.I.S.H. of Sanibel-Captiva and Florida Gulf Coast University, dedicated two days to helping
with the restoration. “We're glad to have the museum's surrounding landscape on the road to recovery, and grateful to SCCF for the guidance and our intrepid volunteers for enduring the heat to get this done,’’ Executive Director Sam Ankerson said. The museum reported that the SCCF guided the project by creating the landscaping plan, determining the appropriate native species and supervising the installation. “Restoring Sanibel's unique wetland habitat is critical to the health of our island's ecosystems,” SCCF Adult Education
The Sanibel City Council approved the solid waste collection assessment for fiscal year 2023-24 at its recent meeting, as well as supported a petition opposed to the county's proposed Land Development Code height and density amendments for Captiva and heard about plans for the city's 50th anniversary. On Aug. 15, the council voted unanimously 5-0 on two resolutions regarding the annual special service assessment to fund the collection and disposal of solid waste, recyclables and horticultural waste. It approved the rate of assessment, Waste Management assessment and collection of assessments through the annual Lee County tax bill. From Oct. 1 through September 2024, the collection and disposal cost per dwelling unit will be $369.44 for curbside services or $487.82 See CITY CoUNCIL, page 20
IslanderInsIde
See SHeLL MUSeUM, page 18
County commission receives hurricane after-action report By CJ HADDAD
cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com
Nearly a year after devastating Hurricane Ian changed Southwest Florida forever, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners were presented with the official after-action report. The Lee County Hurricane Ian AfterAction Report presented on Aug. 15 reviewed the county’s preparedness, response and recovery efforts. Lee County Assistant County Manager Christine Brady detailed that Ian was the third costliest hurricane to make landfall in the United States, totaling $112 billion
in damages. She said the report focuses on county-wide operations, and does not cover department-specific operations. “It focuses on broad policy-level issues or operational challenges encountered as a result of Hurricane Ian and does not document department-level issues, adjustments or improvements that have taken effect during or after the event,” she said. “Observations and recommendations in the report are intended to contribute to Lee County's preparedness and readiness for future storm events.” The report details 14 different “observations” made in regard to the county's
response and recovery actions take before, during and after Ian. The observations note actions made by the county, such as opening shelters, leveraging resources, the sending of information and more. Each of the observations comes with recommendations on how to improve the action moving forward. Recommendations include the county coordinating with all Emergency Operation sections and county leadership to develop checklists or job aids for personnel; further developing an EOC guide; continuing to explore and evaluate strategies to coordinate shelter operations; See CoMMISSIoN, page 20
alsOInsIdetOday Guest Commentary........................4 Web Poll.........................................4 Captiva Current..........................6-7 Business......................................8 Preserving Paradise.....................12 Island Living................................14 Sports.........................................16 Classifieds 27
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