WEEK OF NOVEMBER 23, 2022
VOLUME 61, NUMBER 1
Sea turtle season comes to an end on islands n Nov. 16, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation reported that sea turtle nesting season has officially ended on Sanibel and Captiva, with the last remaining nest inventoried the prior week. A total of 787 nests were laid this year, and 35,857 hatchlings successfully emerged. Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) laid 769 of the nests, and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) laid 18 nests. Although numbers were down a bit this year on Sanibel and Captiva compared to the previous year, other areas in the region such as Bonita Springs and Lovers Key State Park experienced record nesting. “Preliminary statewide numbers for the 2022 season are pretty encouraging, and our lack of a record is not necessarily a big cause for concern,” SCCF sea turtle biologist Jack Brzoza said. “Turtles don’t typically nest every year, and it could be a year where a lot of their off years coincide, or they could be nesting on other local beaches, among other potential factors. For instance, one of our
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See SEA TURTLE SEASON, page 11 SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
DeSantis announces $7.7M more in workforce grants By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Gov. Ron DeSantis made another visit to Matlacha on Nov. 16 to assure Southwest Floridians that the state is financially behind those who have been affected by Hurricane Ian, announcing another $7.7 million in workforce grants. “You’ve seen me here a lot over the last six or seven weeks,” he said, adding that he has had to spend time on Gov. Ron the other coast due DeSantis to Hurricane Nicole, which made landfall on Nov. 10. DeSantis acknowledged widespread damage in Lee County, giving a verbal thumbs up to locals who have been working hard to get everything back on track, as well as those on the state level and even those across the country who came to help and assist. “It was something that we knew would be difficult, but we said, we understand it’s going to require a lot of effort, but we’re going to do well by this and we’re going to get it done,” he said as he stood with Senate President Designate Kathleen Passidomo and Department of Economic Opportunity See WORKFORCE GRANTS, page 11
Tax bills to include discount and payment extensions IslanderInsIde By NATHAN MAYBERG
nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com
Starting this week, tax bills will be mailed out by the Lee County Tax Collector’s Office for the 2022 period. There will be payment extensions available for property owners whose homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by Hurricane Ian, as well as an extension on discounts for all property owners. The Lee County Tax Collector’s Office announced extensions for all property taxpayers for the 4 percent discount for those who pay their 2022 tax bills before Dec. 31, a 2 percent discount for those who pay in February, and 1 percent in March before the March 31 deadline. For those whose homes were rendered uninhabitable or destroyed, the deadline for tax payments will be extended to May 31. In addition to the 4 discount, those property owners will also be eligible for a 3 percent discount for taxes paid in
January, 2 percent for taxes paid in February, and 1 percent for March, according to Lee County Tax Collector Noelle Branning. To qualify for the additional extensions, property owners whose homes or businesses were uninhabitable or destroyed must notify the Lee County Property Appraiser’s Office of the damage. The office can be contacted at www.leepa.org. Property owners can provide detailed explanations of the damage and length of time their property has been uninhabitable or if it has been totaled. “We want everybody to contact us at our website and upload photos. We want to have it processed as soon as possible,”
Lee County Property Appraiser Matthew Caldwell said. “The communication is critical to the process,” Branning said. “We really need property owners to be communicating with the property appraiser’s office so they know what the overall community impact looks like.” The property appraiser will also reassess properties in January and will use information provided from property owners with damage from Ian. Caldwell said property owners who suffered damage during the hurricane should notify the department of storm damage regardless of whether the property was left uninhabitable in order to update assessments. The relief is part of declarations made by Gov. Ron DeSantis through an executive order last month regarding property tax relief for those in counties most impacted by Ian. See EXTENSIONS, page 11
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alsOInsIdetOday Guest Commentary........................4 Web Poll.........................................4 Captiva Current..........................6-7 Business......................................8 Preserving Paradise....................12 Island Living................................14 Sports.........................................16