Sanibel Island Reporter/Islander

Page 1

WEEK OF JANUARY 31, 2024

VOLUME 62, NUMBER 11

Public hearings set for draft charter change on annexation By TIFFANY REPECKI

trepecki@breezenewspapers.com

The community will have a chance to weigh in on a proposed amendment to the Lee County Charter that would establish an approval process for voluntary annexation of a property by a municipality. At its meeting on Jan. 16, the Lee County Charter Review Commission voted 12-2 to move forward with the public hearings on the draft language, which would add a “Voluntary Annexation” section to the charter under the “Creation, Powers and Ordinances of Home Rule Charter Government” article. Commission Members Doug Congress and Eric Feichthaler voted against the motion to proceed. Per the proposed section, voluntary annexation of a property by a municipality at the request of the property owner may only be approved through one of two methods, starting in January of 2025. See HEARINGS, page 19

Sanibel school PTA to present ‘Movie Night on the Lawn’ By TIFFANY REPECKI

trepecki@breezenewspapers.com

T

he community is invited to attend an upcoming event that will take place at the island school. The Sanibel School's Parent Teacher Association will host a “Valentine's Movie Night on the Lawn” on Feb. 2

from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the pavilion on the school's grounds on Sanibel. Free and open to the public, it will feature a showing of the movie “Shrek,” along with food trucks, a photo booth and more. PTA member Samantha Britt explained that the event was originally planned for mid-December. However, a

IslanderInsIde

strong storm blew in and the group decided to postpone it until after the holidays. “Due to the weather and the winds, we could not have the projector and movie display up,” she said. See MOVIE NIGHT, page 19

Endangered state animal facing threat from 10,000 homes alsOInsIdetOday

By NATHAN MAYBERG

nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com

A public hearing on a proposed development, which opponents say would constitute one of the gravest threats to the survival of the endangered Florida panther in Lee County, brought out state and national environmental groups that warned of the dire consequences that up to 10,000 homes on the eastern border of the county could bring to the species. A study from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the project See ENDANGERED, page 19

Between 120 and 240 Florida panthers are estimated to survive in the wild, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service figures. FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

Guest Commentary........................4 Web Poll.........................................4 Captiva Current..........................6-7 Business......................................8 Preserving Paradise.....................14 Island Living................................16 Sports.........................................18 Classifieds 31

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