WEEk of NoVEmbEr 6, 2024 FLIER INSIDE
‘Plunk-a-plank’ Calusa Land Trust brings back fundraiser for help cover restorational costs — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 48, NumbEr 27
Renovation work continues at Miceli’s By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
David and Ellen Lane, along with partners Amber and Mike Brady, took over ownership of Miceli’s on June 28, 2023, and opened on July 3. Lane said the only issue they’ve had, so far, is that once people found out the restaurant was under new ownership, they assumed there were going to be a vast amount of changes. In fact, she said, none of the partners thought changing anything major would be a good idea, since Miceli’s had a history of great food and great service. The Lanes, who have also owned the Riverside Café in Vero Beach, Florida, since 2006, have learned in their experience as restaurateurs not to change something when it’s working. In fact, she said, they have had the same employees, much in the same way as it’s been at
Miceli’s. “We kept the same staff, exactly — we may have hired one or two that we needed after some may have gone off to college or something. We still have the same exact kitchen staff,” Lane said. Plans to renovate were already set in motion but happened to come together at the same time most island businesses were looking to close for possible inclement weather. “Helene flooded us — we got opened quick but then See MICELI’S, page 9 The sign says it all at Miceli’s in Matlacha. Renovations at the restaurant were underway when the recent storms slowed progress. PAULETTE LEBLANC
County’s temporary permitting office at library to remain open Fridays until Nov. 22
Perfect Cup comes back By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
While Perfect Cup owners Rich and Rachael Chalupski were excited to get back open after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, they admit they were delighted to see the comeback of Matlacha with the reopening of Blue Dog, their “cross the street neighbor,” which was especially hurt two-plus years ago. “We were super happy to see them open even sooner than us because they got hit a lot harder by Ian than we did, (Rich) Chalupski said. “I love our community, my customers, my team - we are all so happy to be back open again.” “We are fortunate that we weren’t as devastated as so many of our neighbors, and we hope they can quickly get reopened, get back in their homes and get their lives back to normal,” (Rachael) Chalupski said. Water taken on by Helene closed the Perfect Cup for three days and left the crew cleaning and drying everything off, Rich said. He described Helene as a bump in the road, explaining that two weeks later, Hurricane Milton brought an influx of water into the building. “We had to open up some walls and get them dried out. We had to replace some materials with PVC this time. We had to remove baseboards and make sure everything was dry. We had to clean it all and treat it, so everywhere that we had to do that, we replaced it with PVC material, which is really meant for exterior—it can’t rot or be damaged by water,” he said. This is an effort to streamline a process he See PERFECT CUP, page 9
PHOTO PROVIDED
Perfect Cup owners Rich and Rachel Chalupski.
Lee County Government has announced an extension of the temporary permitting office on Pine Island to further assist residents to apply for permits to repair existing buildings damaged by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. The Lee County Department of Community Development initially opened the temporary office three times a week at the Pine Island Public Library on Oct. 16. The county will continue the service on Fridays through Nov. 22. Staff are readily accessible to help residents navigate the permit process 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on these dates, with the last customer sign-in being at 2:30 p.m. The library is located at 10701 Russell Road, Bokeelia, FL 33922. The remote location will have staff readily accessible to help residents navigate the permit process. The county may add additional temporary, remote permitting offices in other unincorporated Lee County locations as needed. Monitor www.leegov.com/storm. Residents must live in these areas to use the temporary locations. Residents acting as their own contractor can submit permit applications, have them reviewed and – in some cases – issued from the remote office. The applicants need their address, a description of the damage, estimated cost to repair, material cost documentation, and, if available, a floor plan. Hired contractors are asked to continue to use the existing electronic permitting process. Residents seeking a full demolition or complete replacement of a structure will need to visit the main Department of Community Development permitting office at 1500 Monroe St., Fort Myers, FL 33091, for a permit. Lee County Government is reminding residents in unincorporated areas to pull permits for work on their See PERMITTING OFFICE, page 9
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