WEEK OF NOVEMBER 16, 2022
VOLUME 60, NUMBER 52
Sanibel library board re-elected in landslides By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
Local animal shelters moving forward post-hurricane By CJ HADDAD
cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com
he impact of Hurricane Ian has affected all in the Southwest Florida area, including our fourlegged friends. Local animal shelters were lucky to have not sustained major damage in the storm, but throughout the event, many pets were displaced and many came in as surrenders. Officials with the Cape Coral
T
Animal Shelter and Lee County Domestic Animal Services shared their experiences over the last month and how they are working to continue to find dogs and cats forever homes. CCAS Executive Director Liz McCauley said thanks to the building being built just recently and to withstand hurricanes, minimal damage was had to trees and fencing in the immediate area. Due to the power outage, the shelter did lose all of its refrigerat-
ed vaccines and medical tests. On the day of Ian, the CCAS had 93 animals in its shelter and others in foster homes. That number increased after the storm, as more than 100 animals have been taken in since. The bright side? More than 100 animals have been adopted from the CCAS since Ian. “We have definitely seen an increase in requests for owners to surSee SHELTERS, page 3
All three incumbents vying to retain their seat on the Sanibel Public Library District's Board of Commissioners fought off a challenger in the Nov. 8 General Election with a massive win. Of the 518,035 registered voters in Lee County, a total of 275,962 ballots were counted as part of the election — a voter turnout of 53.27 percent. On Sanibel, 2,582 votes were cast in the Seat 2 race (1,673 Vote-by-Mail and 909 early votes), 2,524 votes were cast in the Seat 5 race (1,644 Vote-by-Mail and 880 early votes), and 2,622 votes were cast in the Seat 7 race (1,710 Vote-by-Mail and 912 early votes). Incumbent Seat 2 Commissioner Susan Holly scored the biggest win by garnering 76.76 percent or 1,982 of the total votes against opponent Chelsea F. Sweiss, who received 23.24 percent or 600 votes. Incumbent Commissioner Barbara Ruben beat out opponent Jude Sincoskie in the race for Seat 5, landing 70.76 percent or 1,786 of the total votes compared to Sincoskie's 29.24 percent or 738 votes. Incumbent Seat 7 Commissioner Roy Gibson secured a win in the closest battle, earning 68 percent or 1,783 of the total votes versus the 32 percent or See LIBRARY, page 3
Fisher and Langford-Fleming win school board seats IslanderInsIde By MEGHAN BRADBURY
news@breezenewspapers.com
Two newcomers won seats on the Lee County School Board on Nov. 8 during the General Election, while the lone incumbent retained hers. With polling sites limited due to damages and impacts wrought by Hurricane Ian, final results came in shortly after 11 p.m. showing Sam Fisher as the top votegetter in District 1 and Jada LangfordFleming in the at-large District 6. Incumbent Debbie Jordan won the District 4 race, which was not on the ballot for Sanibel and Captiva votes. Results are not final until certification on Nov. 18.
District 1 The District 1 seat was between two candidates, Fisher and Kathy Fanny, who were neck-and-neck through the evening with Fanny ahead at the 9:45 p.m. count.
Page
18 Sam Fisher Debbie At 10 p.m., Fisher moved ahead where he stayed at final count to win the seat. At 11:04 p.m., Fisher had 26,425 (51.75 percent) votes to Fanny's 24,634 (48.25 percent). Fisher, a resident of Lee County since 2008, became a resident of Cape Coral in 2013. He is a small business owner and
Jada Langford-Fleming Jordan an attorney, and former Oasis Charter School Governing board member and former deputy administrator of a local state agency. Fanny moved to southwest Cape Coral 12 years ago with her husband, Lew. She has a bachelor's and master's degree in eduSee SCHOOL BOARD, page 5
alsOInsIdetOday Guest Commentary........................4 Web Poll.........................................4 Captiva Current..........................6-7 Business......................................8 Preserving Paradise....................10 Island Living................................12 Sports.........................................14