southwest spotlight - april 2011

Southwest Spotlight April 2011 S O U T H W E S T

APRIL 2011Vol.2, No.4 FREE

™

Events, things to do and opportunities to give back to our community in and around Bonita Springs PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAID

FT MYERS, FLPERMIT #980

RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERECRWSS

Inside

Town Talk 12

Business Beat 10

Got water? 16

Relay for Life 9

Opportunities togive back 24

Beach nourishment planned

Staff Photo | [email protected] 1995, Lee County constructed two rock structures protruding into the Gulfof Mexico at the northern tip of Little Hickory Island. These structures, shownin the photo above, help prevent erosion.

By Peter R. O’[email protected]

Bonita Springs – The shore-line of Little Hickory Island,which stretches over a fiveand a half mile crescent fromBarefoot Beach in the southto Bonita Beach in the north,ranks among the finest beach-fronts in Florida. On any giv-en day one might notice anangler tending multiple lines,snowbirds sipping a sunsetcocktail, a couple plantingski poles in a cardio workoutor, perhaps, a few skimpilyclad spring breakers.

However, one man’s fo-cus, when on the beach, isdecidedly downward – de-ciphering the movements ofthe sand beneath his feet.Robert Neal is a Coastal En-gineer with Lee County’s Di-vision of Natural Resources.Lee County’s beaches are its“number one economic andenvironmental resource,” ac-cording to county docu-ments, and keeping the sandon beaches that ring LeeCounty is his job.

Bonita Beach is experi-

encing little of the criticalsand erosion that affects al-most half of Florida’s beach-es, including fifteen of theforty-one miles of beachunder Lee County’s over-sight, according to staterecords. Now, sand will be

added to mitigate the ero-sion that has occurred, onBonita Beach’s north end.It is the result of what theFlorida Department of En-vironmental Protectionranks as a primary cause ofbeach erosion statewide –tidal currents at an inlet.

“Anything next to an in-let is going to be interesting,”said Neal. “The influence ofBig Hickory Pass is inter-esting to me.”

Big Hickory Pass, sepa-rating Little Hickory Islandfrom its northern neighbor,

Big Hickory Island, is a bu-colic feature in the EsteroBay watershed. But, beneaththe surface, tidal action inthe pass is removing sandfrom an adjacent stretch ofBonita Beach.

“Generally in southwest

Florida sediment transportis going to be from north tosouth,” said Neal, explainingthe forces that typically movebeach sand. “Any boater willrealize that the gulf water isrougher in the winter. It isthose winds from the north

that create waves that movethe sediment.” So do sum-mertime winds, which comefrom the south, but they aremore gentle and of shorterduration. Winter cold frontscan endure for several days,

“The influence ofBig Hickory Pass isinteresting to me.”

– Robert Neal, LeeCounty Coastal Engineer

Continued on page 30

Southwest Spotlight April 2011

Advertising SalesKathy O'[email protected]

Office ManagerKatie O'[email protected]

Contributing WritersKate DanaherMax Harris Dorota HarrisBen Nelson Jr.Barbara NewellPeter R. O'Flinn

Contributing PhotographersMeghan EasterlyDavid Di MartinoChris GriffithWilliam L. MeyersLori NelsonLogan NewellRobert L. SmithLoraTaylor

Locally owned andoperated since 2010

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Fundraisers

Rotary Run 5KSat., April 2, 7:30 a.m.The Fourth Annual RotaryRun to benefit the Gift ofLife program kicks off at 7:30a.m. at Riverside Park inDowntown Bonita Springs.The Gift of Life programhelps children with failinghearts in desperate need ofcardiac surgery but do nothave the resources to havethe operation. The programhas saved over 9,000 children’slives from all over the world.You can register for the racebetween 6:15 a.m. and 7:15a.m. the day of the race. Theentry fee is $25. After therace, enjoy the day in RiversidePark for the 12th annual Cel-ebrate Bonita Festival.

Relay for LifeFri., April 8, 6 p.m. Last year, Bonita’s Relay forLife raised $63,000 for theAmerican Cancer Society.The relay gets started at 6p.m., goes through the night,ending at noon the follow-ing day. For more informa-tion, turn to page 9. Where:YMCA of Bonita Springs,27200 Kent Rd.

Chinese AuctionTues., May 3, 5 to 7:30 p.m.The Bonita Estero Associationof Realtors is holding a Chi-nese Auction to benefit Boys& Girls Clubs of Lee County.Where: Villages at CountryCreek. For more information,call 239-992-6771.

Arts and Entertainment

Celebrate BonitaSat., April 2, 2 to 8 p.m.

Happy Birthday Bonita!The 12th annual CelebrateBonita Festival will featurelive music by Jimmie VanZant, Screaming Orphans,New Odyssey, Jay Frost & 3Below and the TownsmenBand. Chili cook-off, chil-dren’s activities, food andfun! Where: Riverside Park.Cost: Free.

Family Days at the Art CenterSat., April 2, 9, 23, 30, 1 to 3 p.m.Children can come create artfrom tools and everyday ob-jects this month during Toolsin Motion: Works from theHechinger Collection. Tools

in Motion, on display throughApril 30, is an exhibition ofwitty, light-hearted works byemerging and prominent con-temporary artists. Childrenand parents join instructorsfor a quick tour of the artworkand then spend time creatingtheir own artwork. Cost: Free,pre-registration is required.For more information, callthe Center for the Arts ofBonita Springs at 239-495-8989.

Extreme skiingSundays, 4 p.m.The Southern Extreme WaterSki Show Team performsevery Sunday at the MiromarOutlets. For more informa-tion about the show, go toswspotlight.com and read story on page 11 of our Marchissue. Cost: Free.

Live at the PromenadeApril 7, 21Two performances are sched-uled this month at the Prom-enade including, “AmericanDance Standards,” on April7, featuring professionaldancers Erin Dunbar andJessie Garcia for an elegantevening filled with dance ac-companied by American stan-dards. A variety of classicdances like Swing, Foxtrot

EVENTS

PublisherPeter A. O'Flinn

[email protected]


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By Kate Danaher [email protected]

Bonita Springs – JoeHogue, a Bonita Springselectrician, entered ThePewter Mug one night awhile back and stoppedshort. Across the room hunga large painting. The hairsstood up on his arms. Hegot the goose bumps.“That’s my grandfather’sboat!” he said to his wifeMarisa. They went up for acloser look. Yes, there wasthe Bonita, along with Vic-tory Morn, the Sea Horse,the Mary Von, the NorthStar, Miss Georgia, and theSea Robber. “It’s the Mack-erel Fleet!

Joe, the family historian,learned from the painter,the well-known maritimeartist Jerry Vallez, that thepiece was out of print. Itwas a limited edition com-missioned by the LutgertInsurance Company in1963, from a photo takenin 1947, the very year Joe’sdad graduated from highschool and started fishing.

Joe contacted Lutgert In-surance. They found twocopies of the painting intheir archives and gave one

to Joe, free of charge. Joetook the picture to his father,John Emil, who has demen-

tia, but when he saw thepainting, his eyes welled upwith tears. Joe’s Uncle Gary

was there as well. He, too,was overcome with emo-tion. Before them was one

painting, and in that paint-ing, so many memories oftheir boyhood days.

John Emil and Garyspent a good ten years onthe 47 foot Bonita, learningthe life of a fisherman. Butin their twenties, they sawaround them bigger boats,with planes to spot the fish.They knew they couldn’tsurvive in the business.Their father hung in andfished into his eighties. Afirm believer in the oldschool, he declared, “If youhave to have a plane findfish for you, you ain’t nofisherman.”

Joe’s grandfather rearedfour children and sent oneto college, something hewas very proud of, on afisherman’s wages. TheMackerel Fleet caughtmackerel from Novemberto early January, did theirmullet run in January, thenwent after kingfish, and soon through the year. Theysold their fish to BobCombs, who owned a fishhouse in what is now TinCity. Bob eventually soldthe fish house to HuettMcGill, the captain of theMiss Georgia. After ten years,

Huett turned it into arestaurant and named itKelly’s, after his wife. So avisitor to Kelly’s Fish House,“the oldest and most re-spected seafood restaurantin Naples,” might thinkback to the days when asingle man could own asingle boat and make a liv-ing on the sea.

Joe Hogue treasures JerryVallez’s painting and is proudof his family history. Thefishing tradition wasn’t lostwhen Joe’s father took upthe electrical trade, as didJoe himself. Joe’s an ex pert at throwing a cast net.On a recent fishing trip, hisson asked, “Why would any-one fish with a hook whenthey can catch ten at a time?”It’s not the thousands hisgrandfather caught in hisnet, but in Joe’s mind, it’s asclose as he can get, and thatmakes him happy.

The Bonita: A family tale of fishing past

Contributed | [email protected] 27, 1954 – Joe Hogue’s grandfather and Joe’s Uncle Gary, gutting a catchof 14,571 pounds of kingfish on the Bonita.

”If you have to havea plane find the fish

for you, you ain’tno fisherman.”

Staff [email protected]

Bonita’s LibraryThe all-volunteer Bonita

Springs Library Task Force,chaired by Jeffrey Brown,recently delivered its FinalReport on options for thelibrary to the Bonita SpringsCity Council. The BonitaSprings branch library is op-erated as part of Lee Coun-ty’s system. Located on PineAvenue north of West TerryStreet, the library buildingwas last expanded in 1991.In the intervening twodecades, Bonita Springs’ pop-ulation has more than dou-bled. During the last decade,City taxpayers contributedalmost $24 million more inlibrary tax dollars to LeeCounty than the BonitaSprings branch library re-ceived in direct spending,not including spending forshared services within thesystem. The task force foundthat this has left BonitaSprings with a branch in-sufficient in size, with min-imal meeting space, com-puters and study roomswhen compared to countylibrary standards. It alsocompares poorly to the in-dependent libraries in thecities of Sanibel and FortMyers Beach that the taskforce visited. The librarystaff, headed by MaureenPollock, was praised for do-ing an excellent job underthese conditions.

The task force’s primaryfinding was that the Cityneeds an expanded facility,to almost triple its currentsize. It recommended thatthe City Council enter intonegotiations to have LeeCounty expand the library.

Councilman Bill Lonkart,who served as liaison to thetask force, plans to discussthe matter with Lee CountyDistrict 3 CommissionerRay Judah; and City Man-ager Gary Price and staffwill begin discussions withtheir Lee County counter-parts. The matter may be akey agenda item when CityCouncil members meet withLee County commissionersin May.

The task force also rec-ommended that, if an ex-

pansion commitment wasnot forthcoming from LeeCounty, the City pursue areferendum on forming alibrary independent of LeeCounty. If that transpired,several issues would have tobe addressed, includingtransfer of existing facilitiesand access to transitionalservices from Lee County.Also, to avoid double taxa-tion, the County’s consentwould be required to releaseBonita Springs propertyowners from taxation forthe county library system.

Prioletti isPresident

Mike Prioletti has movedfrom his position of Vice-President to President of theBoard of Directors of theBonita Springs AssistanceOffice, announced ExecutiveDirector, Maribel Slabaugh.Prioletti has been an activemember of the community,serving as a trustee at HodgesUniversity, Past Lay Leaderof North Naples UnitedMethodist Church and PastPresident of the Noon RotaryClub in Bonita Springs.

Mike is the senior mem-ber of The Prioletti MurphyGroup at Baird PrivateWealth Management. Whenasked about his new statuson the Board of the Assis-tance office, Prioletti re-sponded, “I am proud to bea part of a thirty-year tradi-tion of serving those in needand will continue the missionof the organization, partic-ularly as we navigate thechallenges and opportunitiesassociated with the expan-sion and growth of a newlocation in March of thisyear to Bernwood Drive inBonita Springs..”

Celebrate BonitaThe 2011 Celebrate Boni-

ta Festival is Saturday April2, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., atRiverside Park. The stage isset for a full day’s worth of free family fun and en-tertainment.

“It has always been a greatcommunity event, it startedout small and every yearit gets bigger,” said LoriNelson, owner of the SurveyCafé. This year’s event marksour city’s 12th anniversaryand will feature musical en-tertainment from JimmieVan Zant, Screaming Or-phans, New Odyssey, JayFrost & Three Below andthe Townsmen Big BandOrchestra. “The ScreamingOrphans is just a great, greatact,” said Jim Dati, Presidentof the Rotary Club of BonitaSprings.

The day’s activities willkick-off with the 4th AnnualRotary Run 5K from River-side Park at 7:30 a.m. The5K run will benefit the Giftof Life program. A large kids’activity area will includebounce houses, a fun house,30-foot rock climbing wall,train ride, swing, turtle ridesand a high striker with prizes.Community activities andbooths will be set upthroughout Riverside Parkand the Artists’ Cottages atthe Liles Hotel will be openduring the event.

There will be a traditionalchili cook-off and the winnerof the annual Sammy theSnook contest will be an-nounced. All food and bev-erages sales proceeds willbenefit the Bonita AssistanceOffice. The Bonita EsteroAssociation of Realtors hasdonated cupcakes for thesinging of happy birthdayto our city.


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Bonita Springs – In recentdecades significant advanceshave been made in cancerdetection and treatment, andsurvival rates for many can-cers have improved dramat-ically. More improvement isneeded, and so on April 8and 9 hundreds of Bonitanswill gather on the YMCAfields on Kent Road to dotheir part in a nationwideAmerican Cancer Societyfundraising event, the Relayfor Life.

“If there was not a treat-ment for what I had, I wouldnot be here,” said CathieBartlett, an event committeemember, referring to her per-sonal experience with thedisease. “The Relay is so im-portant,” she said, under-scoring the need to raisemoney for research. Cancer“hits everybody in some waywhether it be a friend, a sisteror a mother. It does not dis-criminate,” she said.

Among the many localpatient services funded withRelay proceeds are trans-portation to and from treat-ment, lodging at Florida’s

Hope Lodges, the ReachingOut to Cancer Kids program,children’s summer campsand counseling services. Bob-bi Bird, the event chair, em-phasized that by highlightinglocal programs, the event in-forms the community ofhelp that is available.

After the Veterans of For-eign Wars opening ceremonyFriday evening, the Relaywill begin with a walkinglap by survivors of the dis-ease, and continue throughthe night to Saturday morn-ing. The progression of therelay, from dusk throughthe night to the dawn of anew day symbolizes thephases of a patient’s illness,from initial awarenessthrough some darker timesto the daylight of cure. Whileeach team will have someoneon the track for its duration,the Relay is not an athleticevent. Many participantswalk.

The Luminaria, the light-ing of candles around thetrack amidst the 9 p.m. dark-ness, is a remembrance ofthose who have passed whilesummoning the hope oftreatment for those facingthe disease. “Everybody

makes the walk. We are hon-oring all at that point,” saidBartlett.

The Relay goal is to raisemuch needed money,$65,000 this year, but theevent is about much more.It is a community celebrationof life, mutual support andfun, with a touch of friendlycompetitiveness. “We willhave the best jerk chickenand kabobs on the track,”guaranteed Darrell Brown,who is organizing a Carib-bean display for the NoonRotary Club.

The Relay is packed fullof events to “keep it fun,keep people going, said Bird.A partial list: country andwestern music from mid-night to 1 a.m., with a pro-fessional dance instructor totutor line dancing; a limbocontest; a frozen tee shirtcontest - “crack it open andwear it for a lap” - brrr; the“pajama bed head game”contest at wake up time;Zumba dancing lessons; thehula hoop contest; yoga class;the purple color contest -“everyone gets as purple aspossible”; the tug of war -“you have to be in yourpajamas” and, yes, a second

purple color contest.The Relay of Life is open

to everyone. “There is food

and other things you canpurchase for as little as adollar that goes toward the

end result of finding a cure,”said Bartlett. And there isfriendship and hope. “Iwalked beside someone whohas been a survivor for ayear,” she said, “and I toldher I have been a survivorsince 1987. I want you toknow how good that madeher feel.”

Relay for Life _and hope and friendship

Contributed | Special to the SpotlightThe Relay for Life starts at 6 p.m. on April 8 with an opening survivor lap.

Contributed | Special to the SpotlightThe Relay for Life at the YMCA on April 8 and 9 willraise funds to support the American Cancer Society.The lighting of the luminaries at 9 p.m. is always anemotional ceremony.

For more information...www.relayforlife.org

www.cancer.org 1-800-ACS-2345


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Staff [email protected] Springs – The inau-gural meeting of the BonitaSprings Economic Devel-opment Council is slatedfor April 1 at 9 a.m. at theBonita Springs Chamber ofCommerce. The Council isa non profit organizationdedicated to fostering jobgrowth by supporting exist-ing businesses and potentiallyattracting new businesses toBonita Springs. A nominat-ing committee will beformed to compile a list ofpotential board of directornominees. The initial boardwill be comprised of twelveindividuals from various seg-ments of the business com-munity, as well as a repre-sentative from the City, Boni-ta Springs Utilities, BonitaSprings Fire and Rescue Dis-trict and the Bonita SpringsChamber of Commerce. TheCity has approved seed cap-ital of $25,000 and up to anadditional $75,000 in fundsmatching contributions fromBonita Springs businesses.

The initial work of theCouncil will include devel-oping an “enterprise pro-

gram” for existing businessesthat involves accumulatingtheir perceptions, concernsand demographic informa-tion.

Even in the incipientstages, Council representa-tives are busy. They recentlyparticipated in Lee Countyeconomic development pre-sentations to business siteselectors representing com-panies from around thecountry. A reception is beingorganized to present the ben-efits of doing business inBonita Springs to businessleaders who are part time

residents of the area. The Lee County Library

System introduced a newservice last month at theSouthwest Florida ReadingFestival – Freegal Music, afree and legal downloadablemusic service for Lee CountyLibrary System full use li-brary card holders. FreegalMusic offers access to theSony Music Entertainmentcatalog with hundreds ofthousands of current songs.The downloaded songs willwork with any MP3 player,including an iPod, and canbe loaded into iTunes. It

works on both PCs andMacs. Lee County LibrarySystem full use library cardholders are limited to threedownloads per week.

Membership appreciationweek at the Bonita SpringsChamber of Commerce isthe week of April 4. Memberscan stop by the Chamber topick up a copy of BeautifulBonita Magazine and havebagels and coffee with cham-

ber board members andchamber ambassadors, April4, 5, 6 or 7, from 8 to 9:30a.m. The magazine includesthis year’s membership directory.

Nelson Marine Con-struction is celebrating its30 year anniversary. Ribboncuttings for several newBonita Springs businesseswere held last month in-cluding New Image Fitness,Florida Community Bank,and Parmesan Pete’s. TheBonita Assistance Officealso celebrated the openingof their new location on

Bernwood Drive next to theLee County Tax Collectorlast month.

The Chamber is holdingits monthly Business AfterHours event on April 14 at5:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel at12200 TamiamiTrail North in Naples; callthe Chamber at 239-992-2943 to register. The YoungProfessionals are holdingtheir monthly, free network-ing event on April 20 at 5:30p.m. at Stevie Tomato’s at25271 Chamber of Com-merce Drive; registration isnot required.

Bonita Business Beat

Contributed | Special to the SpotlightDirk Novak, Branch Manager of Florida Community Bank, cut the ribbon last month at 3360 Bonita Beach Road.

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TOWN TALKBonita NaturePlaceAndy Bravo, right, of the Bonita Nature Place, was presented acheck for $1,000 last month byMary Shallies, Rick Perry and LoriNelson of the Rotary Club of BonitaSprings Noon. For more informationabout the Nature Place go toswspotlight.com and read the coverstory in the January issue. Chris Griffith | Special to the Spotlight

Adam Botana of Bay Water Exclu-sive Boat Club is celebrating hisbirthday on April 27. Wish him ahappy birthday when you see him.He wants you to know the BonitaSprings Chamber of CommerceYoung Professionals are havingtheir monthly networking event at5:30 p.m. on April 20 at StevieTomato’s at 15215 Chamber ofCommerce Dr.

David Di Martino | [email protected]


Mike Joyce and Denise Joyce of Gulf CoastCoin & Jewelry were at the Chamber’s TechExpo last month at the Embassy Suites. Thenext Auction at Gulf Coast Coin & Jewelry isset for noon on April 9.

Happy Birthday Auction April 9


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Lora Taylor | Special to the Spotlight

Two hundred volunteers helped fill two twenty yarddumpsters on February 26 during the Keep BonitaBeautiful City Wide Clean-Up. The clean –up wassponsored by Buffalo Chips, Keep Lee County Beauti-ful, Nelson Marine Construction and Veolia Environ-mental Services. “This clean-up is one of the greatestthings we can do for our community. It shows a com-mitment to community and pride in our City,” said volunteer Joseph Cofield.

Contributed | Special to the Spotlight

Don Thomas, Bobbi Bird and Jane Goble at the Ro-tary Club of Estero’s BBQ & Family Fun Fest lastmonth at the Estero Community Park. They want youto save the date of May 14 for the Million MealsPackaging Event. For more information about thisproject, turn to page 24.


Women’s Council of RealtorsJeanette Igoe, Chair of the B.E.A.R. Community Relations Committee,and Heather Wightman, President of the Bonita Springs Estero Chapterof the Women’s Council of Realtors, at their March business meeting.WCR’s next luncheons at the Club at Grandezza are scheduled forApril 1 and May 6. April’s luncheon is a Spring Fashion Show withfashions provided by Dillards. For more information, go to wcrbonitaestero.com.

$1,000,000for breastcancerA record $1,000,000 wasraised at the Race for theCure last month at CoconutPoint Mall. Seventy-fivepercent of all net proceedsstay in Southwest Floridato fund local programs ofeducation, screening, andtreatment. Twenty-five per-cent is applied to a na-tional research program.

Tools in MotionLuka Pavlovic creates apiece of artwork usingwire during the free Satur-day Family Activity Daysat the Center for the Artsof Bonita Springs. The freefamily days will be selectSaturdays through April30 and are a part of theexhibition Tools in Motion:Works from the HechingerCollection. The art projectis different each week.Staff Photo | [email protected] Meghan Easterly | [email protected]

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By Barbara [email protected]

Bonita Springs – “They didnot have a voice or a leader.”These are the words of YaroGarcia, a young BonitaSprings mother of two whoalso has a demanding career.Garcia was remembering herexperience of a little overtwo years ago, when she waswith her children at a cityactivity at Pueblo Bonita, lo-cated behind the Art Leagueof Bonita Springs.

She noticed a group of28 to 30 kids of all ages play-ing soccer on the concretebasketball court. When sheasked why they were playingon the concrete court, theyexplained that they did nothave anywhere else to play.

“OK, I’ll have to do some-thing about it, after all isn’tthat what we all should do,”said Garcia. She obtainedpermission for the kids toplay on a soccer field for ashort period of time. Afterthat, they attended a CityCouncil meeting where theypresented the City with athank you, a trophy and anAmerican flag. This was fol-lowed by meetings with the

City and the Parks andRecreation Department. Shewas allowed to use the fieldson a continuous basis. Theonly requirement from herwas insurance. Garcia wentfurther than that. She set upa non-profit corporation andthe kids named the league.The Bonita Springs Wildcatswere born. Garcia is thefounder and president ofthis non-profit charitableorganization. There is nocharge for the children toplay on this league. She raisesmoney for expenses – someout of her own pocket. Thejourney led to the opportu-nity for these children toplay in a league at an officialsoccer field.

Ramon Villa is the coachthat Garcia met on that lifechanging day at Pueblo Boni-ta. His story is unique. He ishead coach for the BonitaSprings Wildcats. The chil-dren feel very fortunate tohave him, as he was a pro-fessional soccer player inMexico. An accident left himunable to play professionally.“Putting others before myselfseemed the right thing todo,” he said through histranslator. He volunteered

his time to be with thesechildren as their coach.

The league, now 200strong, has uniforms, socksand shin guards, cups andwater, tournaments, trophiesand rivals from across thestate. There is pride, passionand love and it shows in allof their faces.

The Valentine’s tourna-ment was recently held atthe Marni Fields off EastTerry Street and broughtteams to Bonita Springs fromHomestead, Labelle,Immokalee, Clewiston andCape Coral. All of the chil-dren were lined up for thetournament kick-off. Theywere so polite, quiet and ap-preciative.

Alexia Carsolio, an EsteroHigh School student, hasbeen playing soccer withCoach Ramon for 8 years.With pride she tells us thathe is an amazing man. “It isawesome that this wouldhappen,” is a comment thatbrings glimmer to her eyes.“I thought we would stillplay on concrete, but thingsgot better,” said Carsolio.More is planned, and hopedfor, including a bus for the


Wildcats roam Bonita’s green fields

Logan Newell | [email protected] Gutierrez floats through the air. The Wildcats and visiting teams fromHomestead, Labelle, Immokalee, Clewiston and Cape Coral play at the soccerfields off East Terry Street. Continued on page 28

By Kathy O’[email protected] Springs – In BonitaSprings there is no hill toclimb to fetch a pail of water.It is all underground, enoughlast year to produce about2.5 billion gallons. In a recentvisit to the facilities of BonitaSprings Utilities (BSU) onEast Terry Street, manage-ment explained where the

water comes from and howit is treated.

Before 1971 many coastalwells were salty with sulfurand iron. At that time agroup of residents formedBonita Springs Water Systemto provide 1,500 residentswith water for drinking andfire fighting. BSU, a mem-ber-owned utility governedby an elected board of di-rectors, has grown along withBonita Springs itself and to-day provides water to over40,000 people within its 60square mile service area.

Two different watersources provide water andeach is treated with a differ-ent process. The Lower Tami-ami Aquifer lies beneath sur-face water and a layer of clayand porous limestone thatis 50 to 60 feet deep and 20to 30 feet thick. This aquifersystem is, “unique to thearea... if you go much furthernorth of Alico Road or southof Pine Ridge, the clay layer...thins out and doesn’t existbeyond that,” said FredPartin, Executive Director atBSU. “We are very fortunateto have a very good qualitywater supply to work with.”

The aquifer is accessed

by nineteen wells, located intwo well fields, one at EastTerry Street parallel to I-75and the other east of BonitaGrande, which have an av-

erage depth of 100 feet. MelFisher, Director of Opera-tions, explained that noneof the wells contain iron.This water is pumped to alime softening plant, whichremoves the hydrogen sulfidethrough aeration (whiffleballs do the work) and thenpasses through wood chipsthat decompose the hydro-gen sulfide. Chloramines arethen added. Chloraminesare a combination of chlo-rine and ammonia, a disin-fectant agent.

As Bonita Springs’ pop-ulation grew, with more de-mands on the water supply,BSU limited its withdrawalsto 9 million gallons a day

from the Lower TamiamiAquifer System. “It wouldbe foolish to over pump itand allow it to go salty,”through intrusion of sur-rounding coastal salt water,said Partin.

In response to the grow-ing demand, BSU developedeight wells at a depth of 800feet, from another source,the Lower HawthorneAquifer. It contains brackish water too salty to drink,requiring treatment by areverse-osmosis process(RO). Fisher explained thatthe RO process, introducedin 2004, forces water throughmembranes filtering out im-purities down to .1 microns.The membrane concentrate,or brine, is then pumpedinto a very deep injectionwell 3,000 feet deep as a per-manent method of disposal.Chloramines are added asneeded.

The treated water fromthe two aquifers is blended– about 60% RO water and40% lime softened water.The finished product is thenstored in three 2 milliongallon tanks for eventualdistribution to BSU cus-tomers. The blended water

has a pH of 8.3 with somehardness and alkalinity. Thewater in southwest Floridais typically hard because itis exposed to calcium andnutrients in the ground.According to Fisher, “If wetook all hardness and alka-linity out, it would actuallytaste funny.”

The RO process, alongwith the lime-softening waterprocess, help to ensure thatBSU customers will have anadequate and safe water sup-

ply for years to come. To-gether both water processescan now provide a total of14 million gallons of watera day for its customers.

Partin explained that sev-eral governmental agencieshave oversight of drinkingwater. Lee County HealthDepartment tests the wateron a monthly basis and con-ducts inspections severaltimes a year. The State De-partment of EnvironmentalProtection reviews plans for

expansion of the drinkingwater system. The SouthFlorida Water ManagementDistrict controls impacts onthe aquifer system throughconsumptive use permits onwater withdrawals. It overseesthe water resources in thesouthern half of the state,managing and protectingwater quality, flood control,natural systems and watersupply.

In January BSU issued asystem wide precautionary

boil water notice, the first inPartin’s 29 years at the utility.An electrical failure causeda temporary drop in waterpressure below 20psi, withthe possibility of somethinggetting into the water. Aftertwo days of testing, the waterwas determined safe fordrinking. “We did the pru-dent thing even though therewas no reason to believe thatthere was anything wrongwith the system bacterio-logically,” said Partin.


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and Waltz will take centerstage throughout the evening.Join Keith Raygor on April21 in an evening of intimatetheater that fuses the elementsof music and laughter withsleight-of-hand artistry andthought-reading. His talentsas magician and mind readerwill amaze in, “The MusicalMindreader.” Call the Centerfor the Arts of Bonita Springsat 239-495-8989 for ticketsand show times.

Evening in the ParkFri., April 8, 5 p.m.The artists of the six historiccottages at Riverside Park inviteyou to join them for an eveningin the park and view theirmost recent work. The BonitaSprings Historical Society willbe at the Liles Hotel, adjacentto the cottages where you canview history of Old BonitaSprings and talk to City His-torians. At the Liles Hotel inRiverside Park, at 7 p.m., au-thor Maureen Sullivan-Har-tung will present her new book,“The Hidden History of Ever-glade City.” Cost: Free.

Movies in the ParkSat., April 9Come out to Riverside Parkto catch a free outdoor show-ing of “Finding Nemo.”Where: Riverside Park. Cost:Free.

The official concert bandSun., April 10, 2 p.m.Come see the Bonita Springs

Concert Band in their finalperformance of the season.Enjoy an afternoon of musicmarches, pop, ragtime, bigband, light classics and showtune medleys conductedby Dr. Dennis Hill. Where:Riverside Park. For moreinformation, go tobonitaspringsconcertband.com. Cost: Free.

Films for Film LoversMon., April 11, 25, 7 p.m. The Center for the Arts FilmSociety presents two eveningsof Films for Film Lovers.Twelve films will be shownas part of a series that runsthrough May. The Full Montyand Bread & Tulips will beshown this month. Where:Promenade at Bonita Bay.Cost: $8. For more informa-tion, call the Center for theArts of Bonita Springs at239-495-8989.

Arts WorldwideSat., April 16, noon to 4 p.m.Children and families enjoya day of art and culture fromaround the world. Watchmusic and dance perform-ances from groups fromAfrica, Japan, Ireland andmore. Create art at dozensof stations set up around thePromenade. Art projects willinclude painting, clay, jewelryand more. There will be foodand refreshments available.

Where: Promenade at BonitaBay, 26811 S Bay Dr. Cost:Free.

Big band in BonitaSun., April 17, 2 p.m.The Townsmen Big BandOrchestra under the directionof Pat Callen will present afree concert of popular fa-vorites as performed by themost celebrated bands of thebig band era. Where: River-side Park. Cost: Free.

Historical Society Speakers’ ForumWed., April 13, 7 p.m.This month, David Southall,Curator of Education for theCollier County Museum anda well-known speaker on awide range of local historicalsubjects, will talk about Flori-da’s historical Shipwrecks.Where: Bonita Springs Com-munity Hall on Old 41. Cost:Free. For more information,call 239-992-6997.

Death and DessertThurs., April 14, 2 to 4 p.m.This event features three localmystery authors. Marty Am-brose has written Peril inParadise, Island Intrique andMurder in the Mangroves.Terrell Griffin has written theMatt Royal Mysteries, BitterLegacy, Blood Island, MurderKey, Longboat Blues and


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Eventsfrom page 2

By Max Harris and Dorota [email protected]

Bonita Springs – We were planning to write this month about greyhounds,and the interesting transition they sometimes make from racing dog tofamily pet. However, as we put pen to paper, our attention was caught byan article in the Daily Mail, a British newspaper. The headline said, “RedTibetan Mastiff becomes world's most expensive dog.”

The dog in question turns out to have just been sold for 10 millionChinese Yuan. That’s a little over $1.5 million!

His name is Big Splash, or Hong Dong in Chinese – yes, really, wecouldn’t make this stuff up! He was bought by a coal baron in China, and

his diet is “chicken and beef, spiced up with Chinese delicacies such as seacucumber and abalone.”

Big Splash is 11 months old, and will apparently charge $15,000 eachtime he is bred. With a life span of 14 years, and a good work ethic, the doghas a shot at earning back the coal baron’s $1.5 million.

Now we have to be honest, we think we are quite well-informed aboutdogs, but we did not know much – nothing, actually – about TibetanMastiffs. So we looked them up, and the first surprise was that – Big Splashis not the most expensive! Last December, a Tibetan Mastiff sold for 16million Yuan ($2.5 million).

So here are some other facts we discovered:The weight of an adult male is 180 pounds, but they can be as heavy as

280 pounds. They are “primitive dogs.” Like wolves, the females havepuppies only once a year, whereas most domestic breeds produce puppiestwice yearly. They were bred as guards, and used in nomad camps, but alsoin monasteries and palaces. Although the breed’s Tibetan name translatesas “dog which is tied up,” nomadic tribes were accustomed to let them runwild at night to see off intruders.

As a guardian of the flocks, the Tibetan Mastiff is reported to confrontwolves or leopards without flinching.

After centuries of breeding as a night-time guard, the dogs tend to sleepmore in the day, and be active and alert at night. The American TibetanMastiff Association warns potential owners that the dog is a “night-barker,” and may not be suitable as a pet if you have neighbors livingclose-by!

We must compliment the American Tibetan Mastiff Association on theexemplary honesty of their website. It tells us: Tibetan Mastiffs are notalways willing to please their owners. They are not recommended forformal obedience competition. They can be extremely determined to gettheir own way. They are very cat-like in their behavior. They often displaydominance over unfamiliar dogs to which they are introduced. Dogs canbe very athletic, and may climb high chain link fences to escape.

This sounds like a dog that should come with a warning, “For experiencedowners only.”

Next month we really will talk about greyhounds. We thought theymight prove difficult to keep in the house… but compared to this, we aresure they are child’s play.


Contributed | [email protected] Red Tibetan Mastiff was bought by a Chinese coal baron forjust over $1.5 million. According to the American Tibetan MastiffAssociation, Tibetan Mastiffs are not always willing to please theirowners and they can be extremely determined to get their ownway.

This sounds like a dog that should come with a warning, “For experienced owners only.”

The million dollar dogWyatt's Revenge. Suzi Weinerthas written Garage Sale Stalk-er. Where: Bonita SpringsLibrary. Seating is limited,contact the Library at 239-992-0101 to RSVP.

Markets

Get it while it’s freshSaturdays, 7:00 a.m. to noon.Lions Club Farm Fresh Mar-ket at the PromenadeWednesdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.Farmer’s Market at RiversidePark.

Meetings

Come watch the actionlive and in person Wed., April 6, 1 p.m.

Wed., April 20, 9 a.m.Bonita Springs City Council Where: Council Chambers,9101 Bonita Beach Rd. For

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TOWN TALKBonita Blues FestivalLast month’s Blues Fest at Riverside Park raisedmoney for the Bonita Assistance Office, theWounded Warrior Project, and the Music for MinorsFoundation.

We saw Les and Karen Heuser, of Alpharetta, GA,reading a copy of the Spotlight at the Blues Festivalat Riverside Park last month. Send us your photos ofyou and your friends reading the Spotlight and we’llpublish it in Town Talk.

Lesley Phillips is exhibiting her abstract impressionistart at the Kathleen Bradford Studio/Gallery at 4259Bonita Beach Road.

Staff Photo | [email protected]

Staff Photo | [email protected]

Staff Photo | [email protected] Rose and Erik Melia, of Minnesota, were mar-ried on Barefoot Beach March 10.

Lorraine Mason | Special to the Spotlight

Congratulations

Abstract art

Jim Dati, President of The Rotary Club of BonitaSprings and Sabra Smith, Chair of the Board of theBonita Springs Chamber of Commerce at the 5th An-nual Bonita Blues Festival at Riverside Park last month.


TOWN TALKBonita’s newest park

Ben Nelson, Bonita Springs Mayor,cuts the ribbon at River Park. Over60 people attended the ribbon cut-ting celebration last month. The newpark has boardwalks and twodocks.

Gary Price, Bonita Springs CityManager, wearing his American flagtie, gives a tour of the new park. Thepark is located west of U.S. 41,north of Bonita Beach Road, behindTuffy Auto Service Center.

Staff Photos | [email protected]


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Three years in the same location

By Ben Nelson [email protected] Springs – “Youknow, we haven’t gone downto watch the sunset in a long time. Why don’t we gofor a walk on the beachtonight?” My wife and I saythis to each other at least 3or 4 times a year. I bet we’renot the only ones that areso involved with work andour day to day routines that

we forget that there’s a worldclass beach with the mostbeautiful sunsets anywhere,all of 5 minutes away. It’sso strange… it’s like we haveto “make” ourselves go there,but as soon as we walk outonto the beach, on a calmevening just before the suntouches the water, we can’tbelieve what we’ve beenmissing and that we’re notthere every day.

It feels so good to stroll

along without any purposeother than to take in thescenery and relax. Your onlygoal is to listen to the wavesgently end their journey bysetting themselves with awhoosh onto the shore, tofeel the clean coarse sandon your feet, to close youreyes and feel the gentle sunand breeze on your face. Wetalk… not about work, butabout the sandpiper zigzag-

ging back and forth in frontof us, about the coquinasthat appear and then fran-tically rebury themselves be-neath our feet with everywave, about the beautifulpatterns and variety of colorsin the sky surrounding thesun… about that one heav-enly beam of yellow lightescaping between the distantclouds. Soon we’re bothstooped over, looking down

as we walk, stopping nowand then to exam an un-broken or especially colorfulshell. My favorite thing tolook for is driftwood. I likehow the rough edges seemto have been painstakinglysanded to perfection bychance… like some of thepeople I’ve got to know inmy life.

Occasionally you pass an-other person or couple and

you nod to each other, ac-knowledging that you’resharing the same wonderfulexperience. Although watch-ing the wildlife is fun… peo-ple watching can be just asinteresting. For example…it’s pretty easy to spot ourtourist friends. I have a fa-vorite list of signs that maylead you to believe thatsomeone is a visitor to thearea. 1. He’s wearing shorts

with black socks and sandalsor dress shoes. 2. The coupleis well camouflaged inmatching seashell-patternedoutfits. 3. They’re wearingway too much clothing. 4.They’re wearing way too lit-tle clothing. 5. The watertemperature is below 70 de-grees and they’re swimming.6. They are so sun burntthat you’re tempted to throwa blanket on them and rollthem on the ground to putout the flames.

Lori and I invariably endup sitting side by side to-gether next to our sandals,our toes digging into thecool sand, as we watch thesun ever so slowly disappearbeneath the horizon. Afterthe sun has blinked out, wepause quietly for a minute,but the show is over. Wehaul each other off of oursandy butts and head backtowards our day-to-day lives,somehow calmer, refreshedand more confident that weare blessed to live in the bestplace in the world. Arm inarm, one of us always says…“We should do this moreoften!”

Yes…we all should.


It’s so strange…it’s like we havem

to “make” ourselvesgo there…

We should do this more often

Lori Nelson | Special to the SpotlightSometimes we forget that there’s a world class beach with the most beautiful sunsets only a few minutesaway.

Staff [email protected]

One Million MealsRotary International has announced a districtwide initiative to pack one million meals inone day for distribution through our localfood banks. All of the meals will stay inSouthwest Florida. May 14 is the day that3,000 Rotarians, friends, families and com-munity partners will gather at RiverviewHigh School in Sarasota, Harborside Con-vention Center in Fort Myers and NaplesHigh School in Naples to pack the meals.Volunteers are needed for this massive project.Anyone from age five to 100 can help packthe food. Two positions in each team areseated jobs, weighing and sealing. The otherpositions are more easily done standing. Pack-ing sessions will last two hours. The firstsession will run from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.and the second session will run from 10:30a.m. to 12:30 p.m. To register for this event,go to www.massivero-taryaction.com.

School suppliesThe Bonita Estero Asso-ciation of Realtors is col-lecting pencils, coloredpaper, plain paper, notepads, sticky notes andother school supplies thismonth for Pinewoods El-ementary School. Dona-tions can be dropped offat the B.E.A.R. offices at25300 Bernwood Drive off Old 41 Rd., nextto the Lee County Tax Collector.

Beach Bucketsfor ScholarsThis large scaleraffle will benefitscholarships forlocal students aswell as providesupplementa lsupport to BonitaSprings Chamber

of Commerce programs. A variety of prizeswill total at least $5,000 in value. Winnerswill be announced on May 7 at the Chamber’sKentucky Derby Party at the Hyatt RegencyCoconut Point Resort. Tickets are $20 andyou do not need to be present to win. Topurchase a raffle ticket call 239-992-2943.

Hope HealthCare ServicesHospice is a special kind of care designed toprovide comfort and support to people ofall ages that are facing a life limitingillness. More than a quarter-century ago, asmall group of volunteers envisioned a newconcept in care for the people of southwestFlorida. It was their belief that life could belived better, even at its end. This chartergroup of Hope Hospice workers cared forperhaps 10 or 12 patients a day in the begin-ning. Today Hope cares for more than 2,000people each day. For information on becoming

a volunteer call Hope’s Volunteer Departmentat 239-482-4673.

Friends of Barefoot Beach PreserveBarefoot Beach is one of the last stretches ofundeveloped beachfront land in South Florida;it remains as natural and unspoiled as it washundreds of years ago. The preserve consistsof 342 acres on a barrier island, separatedfrom the mainland by mangrove swampsand tidal creeks. For information on how tobecome a volunteer, call Margaret Winn,President of the Friends of Barefoot BeachPreserve, at 239-495-9100, or visit fobbp.org.

Boys and Girls Club of Lee CountyVolunteers arealways welcomeat the Boys &Girls Clubs ofLee County. Just

an hour a few times a week can have a mean-ingful impact on a child’s life. So many timesyoung people need the guidance of positiveadults to help them through tough times.Volunteers can be one on one tutors, coaches,art teachers, mentors and so much more. Tolearn more about volunteer opportunitiescall Alex Lindsay at 239-334-1886 or [email protected].

Music for Minors FoundationThe Foundationworks closely withmiddle school stringorchestra and bandteachers to identifyqualified seventhgrade students whohave had a year ofband or orchestra,that demonstrate a sincere desire, and thathave a financial need. The candidates arethen interviewed for participation in theMFM program. The students that are acceptedinto the program are notified and invited toa reception where they are honored with ayearly grant for the instrument of their choice.Each year the students are re-certified toensure they continue to meet Foundationrequirements. The organization offers a varietyof volunteer opportunities for individualsor groups who have an interest in furtheringthe musical education of children. For moreinformation, call 239-947-1943.

Bonita Springs Lions ClubOur local Lions Clubsupports many localcauses. The FarmersMarket at the Prom-enade, Thrift Storeon PennsylvaniaAve., and Saturdaypancake breakfasts(in season), help

them raise money for the causes they supportincluding the Literacy Council, Harry ChapinFood Pantry, scholarships for local highschool students and the Lion’s Eye Clinic.For volunteer opportunities call the office at239-992-6665.


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Boston Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino presents LeeCounty Board of County Commissioners Chair FrankMann with a silver shovel during a groundbreakingceremony at the site of the Red Sox future SpringTraining facilities last month. The new facility, locatedjust north of Bonita at Daniels Parkway, is scheduled toopen next spring.

5 o’clocksomewhere Roberta Moore andTony Eller of KellerWilliams Elite Realty atthe Bonita Estero Asso-ciation of Realtors 5o’clock somewhereevent. Last month,B.E.A.R. collectedcandy and cookies forJoanne’s House atHope Hospice inBonita Springs.

BonitaBay ClubMember-ownedBonita Bay Club isoffering a limitednumber of golfmemberships tothose who live out-side the Bonita Baycommunity. TheClub has 90 holesof championshipgolf, with threeArthur Hills-de-signed courseswithin the 2,400-acre Bonita Baycommunity, andtwo courses by TomFazio at nearbyBonita Bay East.

David M. Arter Jr., of Private ClientInsurance Services, wants you toknow the 20th Annual B.E.A.R. GolfChallenge is set for June 3. SuzieUrban, of Island Title will be drivingthe beverage cart during the charityevent at Miromar Lakes Beach &Golf Club. All proceeds will benefitHabitat for Humanity of Lee Countyand the B.E.A.R. Charity Founda-tion. To register, contact the B.E.A.R.office at 239-992-6771.





Debbi Redfield, of the Bonita Springs Fire Con-trol & Rescue District, and Pastor Matt Loveall,of Oak River Church at the Chamber’s BusinessBefore Business Event.

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league. “It would be won-derful to have all the childrenbe able to attend the games,”said Garcia.

Not only do the children

learn about soccer andsportsmanship, they havea list of special accomplish-ments which include, walk-ing in the 4th of July pa-rade, participating in theSusan G. Komen Race forthe Cure, enjoying a visitwith the Chicago Fire Pro-

fessional Soccer Team andlistening to educationalspeakers each month in-cluding speakers from organizations such as the Lee County Sheriff’s De-partment and the AbuseCounseling and TreatmentCenter.


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Logan Newell | Special to the SpotlightEduardo Pedro unleashes a powerful kick at the Marni Fields in Bonita Springs.


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Cypress Masonic LodgeApril 14 & 28, 6 p.m.Cypress Masonic Lodge No.295, F. & A.M. meets on thesecond and fourth Thursdayof each month. Where: Masonic Temple, 5850 Tami-ami Trail North, Naples. Din-ner is at 6 p.m. and the meet-ing is at 7 p.m. Travelingbrethren are always welcome.For more information, call239-597-3030.All dates, times and prices aresubject to change.

Pelican Landingraises over$50,000

The Pelican LandingCommunity raised over$57,621 for the United Wayof Lee, Hendry, and Glades.Ted and Jane Grant chairedthe campaign which resultedin a 250 percent increaseover last year.“A heart-felt‘thank you’ to the Pelican

Landing residents who didan incredible job of sup-porting the United Way. Theenthusiasm and hard workof the campaign committeereally made a difference be-cause this year’s total is atremendous increase overthe previous year,” said CliffSmith, President of the Unit-ed Way of Lee, Hendry, andGlades.

Volunteers organized thecampaign and special eventssuch as “A Little Classic andAll That Jazz” concert andreception which was attend-ed by over 160 people. “Hav-ing members of the South-west Florida Symphony per-form at this event made it a

huge success,” said Ted GrantCampaign Chair. The eventfeatured a night of enter-tainment featuring classicalstring and jazz quintets.

Water qualityThe City recently pre-

sented Charles Dauray witha proclamation of appreci-ation for his efforts over thepast four years as governingboard member of the SouthFlorida Water ManagementDistrict. He was cited forhis support of the BonitaSprings efforts to improvewater quality and for helpingsecure twenty environmen-tally sensitive acres off KentRoad for the City.

Staff Photo | [email protected], Mango, Avocado and other tropical fruittrees were on sale at Riverside Park last month.

Eventsfrom page 19

Up and Downfrom page 6

while summer thunder-storms last a few hours. “Thesediment goes back and forthbut the overall trend is goingto be south,” he said.

Near every pass, includingBig Hickory Pass, tidal cur-rents can reverse the normalnorth to south flow of sedi-ment, said Neal. The incom-ing, or “flood" tide, “is justlike a vacuum cleaner – it isgoing to suck up from alledges,” carrying sand off thebeach. The outgoing, or“ebb” tide, “shoots out likea jet,” said Neal, with sedi-ment typically forming asandbar offshore.

“For about 2000 feet onthe northern end of BonitaBeach the flood tides arecarrying” sand into Big Hick-ory Pass, said Neal. Also, lossof sand from this area leavesless sand to replenish thenormal north-south flow foran additional 2100 feet ofbeachfront immediatelysouth. Design and permittingplans to nourish this 4,100-foot beachfront are under-way, said Neal, with com-pletion of the project ex-pected in 2013.

The beachfront has re-treated to its position beforeprior nourishment in 2004,when an average of one hun-dred twenty feet of depth

was added. In 1995, theCounty also added sand andconstructed two rock struc-tures protruding into theGulf of Mexico at the north-ern tip of Little Hickory Is-land. Without these struc-tures, said Neal, “the sandwould come straight off thetip” of Little Hickory Island.

Strong storms also causeerosion, but natural recoveryprocesses help reverse thedamage. “Each wave in acold front may carry sedi-ment twenty or thirty feet,”said Neal. As a cold frontdissipates lower energy waveswill move the sand back insmaller time steps, two tofive feet at a time.” It willtake a lot longer but even-tually it will push it back toshore,” said Neal.

In 2004, Hurricane Char-lie and the other storm eventsinitially removed an averageof forty feet from the shore-line nourished earlier thatyear. Some nourished shore-line may get lost in a storm,but what remains protectsstructures by buffering in-coming wave energy, saidNeal. He contrasted the fateof two structures on LoversKey, where an ongoing beachnourishment project was in-complete when HurricaneCharlie arrived. The beach-front pavilion, which stoodbehind a nourished shore-line, was not impacted. A

pedestrian bridge, frontingon a shoreline not nourished,was destroyed by wave dam-age.

Locating a suitable sourcefor the Bonita Beach projectis a challenge. “There is ob-viously plenty of sand veryclose by that we could goout and grab,” said Neal.“But we have to considerimpacts of taking sand…making sure you are nothurting any down drift prop-erties,” such as Big HickoryIsland. Big Hickory, the smallisland located north of BigHickory Pass, has significanterosion issues. It temporarilysplit into two in 2010.

A sand bar off the south-ern tip of Estero Island, thelocation of Fort Myers beach,provided material for the2004 nourishment project.Another potential source ofsand is the area off Light-house Point on Sanibel Is-land, currently approved fora nourishment project onnorthern Fort Myers beach.Depending upon the dis-tance from Bonita Beach,the source sand will bebrought in by a slurrypipeline or barge. The BonitaBeach project, including sandsourcing, requires approvalsfrom the state and the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers.

The cost of designing,permitting and constructingthe new Bonita Beach project

is currently estimated at$3,026,000, according to LeeCounty officials. Past fundingsources for beach nourish-ment have varied. In 1995,prior to the City’s incorpo-ration, private property own-ers were assessed approxi-mately $2,000,000. For the2004 project, funding total-ing $3,250,000 was providedby the State ($868,000), LeeCounty ($1,693,000) and theCity ($790,000).

What are the prospectsfor state funding of the newproject? “Not looking good,”said Neal. Florida receivedover $101 million in beachnourishment requests thisyear, with just $15 millionavailable. The design andpermitting phase of theBonita Beach project rankedlow on a priority list com-piled by the Florida Depart-ment of Environmental Pro-tection.

State ranking for the con-

struction phase of the projectmay improve in the nextyear, but state funding ap-pears quite uncertain, saidNeal. Any state aid is fundedfrom property transfer taxes.

County contributions,funded by taxes on shortterm and seasonal rentals,are calculated by referenceto the number of nearbypublicly available parkingspaces.

The Bonita Springs CityCouncil recently focused onthe project design and per-mitting stage. It approvedan allocation of $178,000from general revenues tofund the City’s share. TheCounty will pay $222,000.

At a later date, the CityCouncil will consider financ-ing options for the more ex-pensive construction stage,including consideration ofany property owner contri-butions, pending determi-nation of state participation

and final project cost esti-mates. If no state monieswere available, Lee Countywould pay about $1,460,000or 55 percent of the currentlyestimated construction cost,leaving the City’s share atabout $1,166,000.

Federal Emergency Man-agement Agency assistancemay be forthcoming for sandlost in Hurricane Charlieand other 2004 storms. Ifso, County and City fundingrequirements would be re-duced.

The Bonita Beach projectis one of seven beach man-agement projects in whichNeal is currently involved.Other projects include Gas-parilla Island, Captiva Islandand Northern Sanibel, LoversKey and Estero Island. Nealis a fourteen-year veteran ofbeach management for LeeCounty. “It is hard to sayno,” he said, “to working onthe beach.”


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Sandfrom page 1

Source: Lee County Natural Resources Division4,100 foot stretch of beachfront on the northern end of Bonita Beach is slatedto receive sand.

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Southwest Spotlight April 2011 S O U T H W E S T

APRIL 2011Vol.2, No.4 FREE

™

Events, things to do and opportunities to give back to our community in and around Bonita Springs PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAID

FT MYERS, FLPERMIT #980

RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERECRWSS

Inside

Town Talk 12

Business Beat 10

Got water? 16

Relay for Life 9

Opportunities togive back 24

Beach nourishment planned

Staff Photo | [email protected] 1995, Lee County constructed two rock structures protruding into the Gulfof Mexico at the northern tip of Little Hickory Island. These structures, shownin the photo above, help prevent erosion.


Bonita Springs – The shore-line of Little Hickory Island,which stretches over a fiveand a half mile crescent fromBarefoot Beach in the southto Bonita Beach in the north,ranks among the finest beach-fronts in Florida. On any giv-en day one might notice anangler tending multiple lines,snowbirds sipping a sunsetcocktail, a couple plantingski poles in a cardio workoutor, perhaps, a few skimpilyclad spring breakers.

However, one man’s fo-cus, when on the beach, isdecidedly downward – de-ciphering the movements ofthe sand beneath his feet.Robert Neal is a Coastal En-gineer with Lee County’s Di-vision of Natural Resources.Lee County’s beaches are its“number one economic andenvironmental resource,” ac-cording to county docu-ments, and keeping the sandon beaches that ring LeeCounty is his job.

Bonita Beach is experi-

encing little of the criticalsand erosion that affects al-most half of Florida’s beach-es, including fifteen of theforty-one miles of beachunder Lee County’s over-sight, according to staterecords. Now, sand will be

added to mitigate the ero-sion that has occurred, onBonita Beach’s north end.It is the result of what theFlorida Department of En-vironmental Protectionranks as a primary cause ofbeach erosion statewide –tidal currents at an inlet.

“Anything next to an in-let is going to be interesting,”said Neal. “The influence ofBig Hickory Pass is inter-esting to me.”

Big Hickory Pass, sepa-rating Little Hickory Islandfrom its northern neighbor,

Big Hickory Island, is a bu-colic feature in the EsteroBay watershed. But, beneaththe surface, tidal action inthe pass is removing sandfrom an adjacent stretch ofBonita Beach.

“Generally in southwest

Florida sediment transportis going to be from north tosouth,” said Neal, explainingthe forces that typically movebeach sand. “Any boater willrealize that the gulf water isrougher in the winter. It isthose winds from the north

that create waves that movethe sediment.” So do sum-mertime winds, which comefrom the south, but they aremore gentle and of shorterduration. Winter cold frontscan endure for several days,

“The influence ofBig Hickory Pass isinteresting to me.”

– Robert Neal, LeeCounty Coastal Engineer


southwest spotlight - april 2011

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