On Wednesday, Aug. 25 the Gasparilla Island Water Association reported 2.87 inches of rain fell. Monday, Sept. 6 produced 2.18 inches of rain and August 23 and September 6 also ended with more than an inch of rain recorded.
In 2009 5.16 inches of rain fell within the same time period.

While no severe flooding issues have been reported, standing water between Loomis Avenue and Grouper Hole Drive on Gasparilla Road is creating a stink for some residents. Standing water that isn’t draining properly has been filling the ditch along Gasparilla Road for more than two weeks, and for those walking or riding on the bike path it’s more a question of holding their breath because of bad water than enjoying the scenery.

Tara Musselman, Charlotte County’s supervisor of storm sewer and drainage projects, said she would have a crew out by the end of the week to look at the ditches in the area to see what could be cleaned out.
Mosquitoes are also out in full force due to standing water.

Shelly Redovan, a representative for Lee County Mosqiuto Control, said they haven’t been doing any more or less spraying than normal for this time of year.

“Our spraying schedule is always driven by surveillance,” she said. “When they pull the truck traps to do mosquito counts, which they do every night this time of year, we take the information and review it. if the numbers meet the state requirements which to allow us to treat, we put the location on the schedule.”

Redovan said they have had both sprayer trucks and helicopters out to the island this has been a much more active year for the blood-sucking bugs.

“There certainly have been more mosquitoes than people are used to,” she said. “We have shifted the hours of treatment to some extent. When mosquitoes are active, which is when we try to spray, the old ‘dusk to dawn’ schedule is not necessarily working. We’ve recorded peak activity between 8 p.m. and midnight. After that mosquito activity levels have been dropping.”

Redovan said all Boca Grande residents are welcome to visit their web site, lcmcd.org, and file a service request there. You can also call them at (239) 694-2174 between 7:15 a..m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Here’s what you’re missing in this week’s edition:

– Obituaries for C. Malcolm Little Jr. and Patricia A. Goff

–  This week’s profile, featuring Lisa Seidensticker

–  A guest commentary by Peter Sholley in reference to bridge funding options

– Photos of Boca Grande’s Afterschool Program

– Police reports

– Delores Savas and her “Island Animals” column. This week features the Orb Weaver spider. She also writes this week about the FWC’s ruling on the sport of “fair chasing” foxes and coyotes.

– Hamming it Up in New Zealand with the Beacon’s own Karen Clark

– Phil Woods’ column titled “Chip Shots.” This week Phil talks about the birds he’s seen while on the links.

– This week’s birthday babies

– Classifieds

– Julianne in a poodle skirt … huh?

Sign up now today to get your subscription to the Boca Beacon … call Karen at the Boca Beacon office, (941) 964-2995.

GIBA's executive director Jim Cooper and Tom Shaw, an engineer with KCA, gave all the bidders the low-down on the swing bridge.

The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority held a bidding party on Wednesday for potential swing bridge designers, but only two companies showed up.

The pre-bid meeting was attended by numerous representatives from EC Driver and Associates and Hardesty and Hanover. According to Jim Cooper, GIBA’s executive director, two other companies had also shown interest in taking on the job of swing bridge design.“It wasn’t a mandatory meeting, but a presence here was strongly desired,” Cooper said to the company representatives that did attend.

There are five companies in Florida that are qualified to design movable bridges. Whether the other two companies that had expressed interest, which were PB Americas Inc. and Trans Systems, still planned on submitting proposals was a mystery to Cooper.

To the companies that did attend, Cooper and Tom Shaw, an engineer with Kisinger, Campo and Associates Inc., explained how the bidding process would take place.

Cooper said all bids on swing bridge design should be turned in by Monday, Oct. 25 for perusal by the engineering committee. They will judge each submitted bid on a point system, and will narrow candidates down to two sometime in the first two weeks of November.

On November 16 the top two companies will give their presentations to the board.
Two public meetings will be held during different phases of the swing bridge design. The first of those meetings will be held in December, at the 30 percent design phase. The second meeting, at the 60 percent phase, will be held in April.

Cooper explained to the two companies’ representatives that a simple design was what they were looking for.

“In 2008 the board picked their preferred design,” he told them. “We explored other options, such as a bascule bridge, but it was $10 million more than a swing bridge. We want it just about the same as it is now. We’re not looking for the Bridge of Lions.”

Cooper said one of the primary differences would be the height of the new swing bridge, which will be 15 feet taller than the existing bridge.

“After a three-month survey the Coast Guard took the heights of all the boats going through,” he said. “They found that by raising the bridge by 15 feet it would decrease bridge openings by 50 percent. That will decrease wear and tear on the bridge and make for smoother traffic flow during season.”

He continued, saying, “We have to salute smartly when the Coast Guard gives a directive,” he said. “And the view will be enhanced as well.”

Cooper said that the new swing bridge will actually be the same height as the Tom Adams Bridge in Englewood.

A web site has been created with statistical data about the bridge. While it was created for the purpose of allowing bidders to look at the bridge’s schematic, it can be viewed by anyone at https://extranet.kcaeng.com/Design/1201004/.

The user name is “1201004” and the password is “gibaswingbridge.”

All bridge inspection reports, design projects and a projected timeline for bridge replacement are included in the information on the site.

The meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 16 will be held at 10 a.m. in the Boca Grande Community Center auditorium.

The Boca Grande Fire Department's version of Abbey Road. The guys were human traffic cones while FPL worked on getting poles put up and power restored.

A downed power pole closed two island intersections on Friday, Sept. 3 as workers scrambled to correct the problem.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. a tall delivery truck pulled down low-hanging wires at Palm Avenue and East Railroad Avenue, which caused more power lines and a power pole to topple over.
The Boca Grande Fire Department closed the intersection of 7th Street and East Railroad Avenue, as well at Palm Avenue and 7th Street.
The intersection at Palm Avenue and 7th Street was closed until FPL resolved the problem at 6:30 p.m.
There were no injuries and the truck driver was not cited.

The speed sign being calibrated on Wednesday.

If you’ve been missing the bright and shiny electronic, ground-mounted, solar-powered speed sign that has graced the intersection of Gasparilla Road and 35th Street for three years, don’t fret.

It’s baaaack.

Stan Vasiloff of Lee County’s Traffic Signs Section (yes, they really do have one), said the sign had to be taken down several weeks ago because the top two rows of bulbs needed to be replaced.

It was sent back to the manufacturer, as it is under warranty (you can breathe easier, tax dollars aren’t being spent a second time).

On the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 8, the sign was back in its position of glory.
It is one of the only permanently-mounted speed signs in the county, and was placed on Gasparilla Road in December of 2007.

The sign was paid for by an aggressive driving grant issued by the state of Florida Department of Transportation.

Three years ago the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said they had received numerous complaints about speeding on the road, and decided that the location was perfect for an unimpeded view by motorists, as well as to receive full sunlight for its solar-panels.

She is acting as team development chairperson for the island’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life this upcoming year, and has announced that April 30, 2011 will be the famous day for all to come and make that conga line happen.

In addition, two Relay kick-off parties have been scheduled. The first will be held on Thursday, Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. at Sisters Restaurant. All members from teams who have paid their commitment fees will be entered into a drawing for door prizes. RSVP is required. Call Julianne at 525-7622.

Julianne with Stacey Deffenbaugh, an anchor for ABC-7 News, and Deborah Frybarger, the local community representative for ACS.

The second party, which will be more of a dress-up affair, will be held in October, with more details to come.

This past year, the Boca Grande Relay for Life raised $53,000 with many local businesses sponsoring teams and fundraising all winter long. This year the goal is to increase the numbers of volunteers, participants and contributions from the entire community.

Greenberg attended an ACS conference in Orlando last weekend, which is where the conga line idea was hatched.

“If you could have seen what I was participating in this past weekend in Orlando you would have wished you were there, too,” she said. “There were 900 excited people in one very large room, dance music blaring, stage lights washing the room with a purple glow, people dancing in a conga line banging purple thunder sticks, believe it or not … I was at an ACS function.”

It was officially called the 2010 Florida Relay For Life Team Development Summit and Volunteer Leadership Kickoff for the American Cancer Society  and Greenberg said it was incredibly emotional.

Local anchorwoman Stacey Deffenbaugh from Channel 7 in Fort Myers was the presenter for the event, who introduced physicians, survivors, cancer patients, U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq, young children, and volunteers and had them share their cancer survival stories.

“They all shared heartbreaking personal stories of lost loved ones, remission successes, painful cancer treatments, and ultimately their immense appreciation for those who volunteer their time and raise awareness for Relay for Life,” Greenberg said. “They make it possible that research and support programs can continue to be funded. Summit helped me to further understand the ACS mission, explained what services can be provided to cancer patients and their families, increased my awareness, and motivated me to exceed our Boca Grande fundraising goal.”

Every person who volunteers their time in Relay for Life does it for their own personal reasons. Greenberg’s reason is her father, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow) 10 years ago, and continues to fight his battle every day.

“He’s participating in a research group at the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy in Little Rock, Ark.,” she said. “He’s on a cocktail of drugs to keep in remission but he is delighted to be participating in research, as the alternative is not that attractive.”

Greenberg got involved in helping to fight the disease, and volunteered with the Boca Grande Relay for Life three years ago. At first she was a team member, but became a chairperson the following year.

“Because I tend to be vocal at small meetings, I was asked to be the Boca Grande’s Relay for Life team development chairperson for this 2011 Relay season,” she said. “As many people know, in past positions I have coordinated member functions, birthday parties, Easter Egg hunts, weddings, major holiday buffets, etc. … but coordinating Boca Grande’s Relay For Life is going to be an entirely different responsibility for me.”

The first Relay For Life was held in Washington state in 1985. In 2010, there were Relays in 5,166 communities in the U.S. and in 19 countries outside the U.S. This past year, 600,000 cancer survivors participated and 3.5 million people participated in Relay, as well as 600,000 cancer survivors. There were 10 million people that donated to the cause through the event.

The American Cancer Society is the biggest private funder of cancer research next to the federal government. Money raised by ACS has brought about Gleevac, mammograms, Tamoxifen, Herceptin, bone marrow transplants, among many others.

“The message is clear, if there is less funding for research, there’s less research and less research means more suffering,” Greenberg said. “Cancer affects all of us. If you want to assist us with our goal to fund more research, help support our Boca Grande Relay for Life. It’s your neighbors, friends and island employees trying to fight against cancer in their own personal way.”

To make a donation to the Boca Grande Relay for Life, participate in the Relay, or for information, contact Julianne Greenberg at the Boca Beacon or at jgreenberg@bocabeacon.com.

The party with the longest conga line in Boca Grande will be April 30, 2011 on the 7th Street soccer field. The 2011 Relay for Life for Boca Grande will be held at the 7th Street park the weekend of April 30. The theme this year is “Prime Time for a Cure.”

The Chico at the 2010 BoMo Tournament in July. It was the last time Chico was in the Pass for a tournament.

Chico is officially out of the water for good. That’s what Capt. Dumplin’ Wheeler has confirmed, but he’s still up in the air on the fate of the six-decade-old tarpon boat – a boat that had become one of the most famous boats in the Pass.
“The last day we had it out was the kids’ tournament,” he said, referring to the BoMo. “After that I retired it. The repairs were getting a little over my head. The boat is 66 years old. She was just getting a little weak in places. To keep it up and going was getting beyond my grasp.”
Chico was built in 1944, but Dumplin’ got her in 1992. At the time he had a 26 foot Daniels named Bocaneer. When his father passed away and he inherited Chico, it didn’t seem prudent to keep two boats. There were other reasons behind the decision as well.
“It was a request of my father’s before he passed on,” Dumplin’ said. “He wanted me to keep his boat, and keep it maintained.”
That is what Dumplin’ has done for 18 years now.
The boat was originally built by a man named Lee Hickok out of Panasola, Fl. Dumplin’ said that many of the old guide boats were built either by Hickock or by the Daniel Brothers who operated out of Fort Myers.
Chico was named after a monkey that Sam Whidden kept as a pet. He got the monkey from a man in town named Murdock, and while  Chico loved Sam, he didn’t necessarily love everyone else.
“That monkey bit a lot of people on this island,” Dumplin’ laughed. “Even me. We might have teased it a little bit, though, we were just kids.”
The long-transomed Chico had many thinking she was 40’ long, but Dumplin’ said she is just 36.9 feet long and 13 feet wide.
Through the years the Chico has seen a lot of clientele. Some were famous, as Dumplin’ and his dad before him guided for the Gasparilla Inn & Club for years. Others were just good friends who came back year after year to fish the Pass in Chico.
“I just got a call a while back from someone who heard about Chico retiring,” Dumplin’ said. “He told me he would have to change his will, because he had wanted to be cremated and taken out into the Pass on Chico.”
There have been weddings and funerals conducted aboard the vessel as well. When asked what some of his favorite memories aboard Chico are, though, Dumplin’  just can’t bring himself to nail it down to one.
“As far as memories go, I’ve had so many,”  he said. “There’s no way I could channel it into one. I do remember taking Al Hurt, the trumpet player, out. My dad probably took out more famous people than I have … at least well-known ones.”
Dumplin’ had been thinking about retiring the boat for about a year, but it wasn’t an easy decision.
“I had a suspicion that day of the BoMo that it would be the last time out in the Pass,” he said. “My heart was telling me to keep going with it, but my head knew better. It just kept gaining more problems all the time, and every year a few more things were happening to it. Then when I had a little incident with the engine, it kind of made up my mind for me. The best thing was to retire the boat.”
So is Chico for sale? According to Dumplin’, he’d much rather see her kept as a museum piece. He’s been talking about donating the transom with the famous name on it to the Maritime Museum on the island, but he hasn’t fully made up his mind.
“I’m not going to sell it, don’t think I want to let anybody else have it or put it back in the water,” he said. “My heart just won’t let it go. It’s been a good boat … that’s going to be the hardest thing, to not see it out there. There’s lots of memories there. If the Chico could talk,  it could tell some tales.”

While the Chico is retired, Dumplin’ is not. Not really, at least. He’s in negotiations to buy a new tarpon boat, a Morgan. He thinks he might even have a name picked out, but he wants to consult with his family before making a final decision.
“I might call it the Bocaneer, like the old boat I had,” he said. “I liked that boat.”
Dumplin’ will still fish the tournaments, and is still taking old clients out. He said he might take on a few new ones, but he isn’t going to “hustle,” as he put it, like he used to.

“When I retire, what am I going to do?” he said. “Go fishing?”

Boca’s “Lt. Joe” already missed … and he’s not even gone yet

Lt. Joe Caiazza accepting his new bars from Sheriff Mike Scott

Right now Lt. Joe Caiazza’s definition of “time off” is determined by the clothes he’s wearing, but that will change in October as he is set to retire from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
And yes, you read that right. It’s an “Lt.” in front of his name, not a “Sgt.”
This week Caiazza was promoted to Lieutenant in a ceremony attended by just about every law enforcement administrator in the county. While he respects Sheriff Mike Scott and his other bosses, it was two other familiar faces in the crowd that stood out for Joe.
“I was really, really pleased to see Maj. Gene Sims and Capt. Morgan Bowden standing up there for me,” he said. “They are two of my best friends, and it really meant a lot to me.”
Tears and obvious surprise greeted Caiazza when he first went out into the Boca Grande community after the announcement was made.
“It was hard to even go out,” he said. “Everyone was crying and that made me sad, so it just made me want to stick around in the office. I eventually got to where I could talk to people about it, but it sure wasn’t easy.”
Which brings us back to his clothes. He admits that when the phone rings, he sometimes has to look down to see whether he’s wearing a uniform or “civvies,” because his is a job that hasn’t stopped when his shift was over.
“When anything happens out here, I take it personally,” he said. “This has been a 24-hour a day job, because I always try to make myself accessible. I love it here, my kids grew up here, I owe it to the island and to the people who live here to be there for them.”
Caiazza has spent the last five and a half years on the island, but has seen much. He has been involved not only in every major case this side of the causeway, he has also had some rare opportunities to meet some of the world’s top dignitaries.
Caiazza has photographs on his desk of he and his youngest son, Nick, standing with Pres. George H.W. Bush and his son, Pres. George W. Bush, on one of their many visits to the island. He can’t say enough about what decent, kind people they were when he met them.
“They are good-hearted, respectful people without an ounce of arrogance,” he said. “It was a real honor to work helping to protect them.”
Caiazza started with the Lee County Sheriff’s Department in 1981, after entering the field of law enforcement in 1976 when he lived in Pennsylvania.He has received Lee County’s Medal of Honor, as well as a Purple Heart for being injured in the line of duty.

Prior to working the coastal district, which includes Boca Grande, Caiazza was stationed in East Fort Myers. During a shootout in 1983 his partner was killed and died in his arms. Caiazza still wears scars from a second bullet that struck him as he went to assist his fatally-injured partner.

While Boca Grande is a little more quiet than East Fort Myers, Caiazza has had his share of major cases. From drownings to suspicious deaths to bank robberies, he has helped to close out more than a few.

A retirement party plan is in the works for October, coordinated by his wife, Erin, and his good friend, Jack Damioli at the Gasparilla Inn & Club. The party is scheduled to be held at the Inn and more details will be provided as Caiazza’s retirement date draws closer.

Once he retires from Lee County, though, Joe isn’t going to sit in his easy chair and relax. He and his family will be moving back to Pennsylvania, where he will work for the federal government as a background investigator.

“It’s been fantastic working out here,” he said. “I attribute it to two things. One, behind every good man is a good woman … and my woman is amazing. Second, I have three of the finest guys anyone could ask to work with out here.

“I will miss everyone on this island, believe me. It’s been a great ride out here, and it will be strange to leave on November 1.”

Maj. Gene Sims, Sheriff Mike Scott, Lt. Joe Caiazza and Capt. Morgan Bowden at Caiazza's promotion ceremony earlier this week

The "Waldo" barge still sits, and waits, at the beach between 10th and 11th Streets.

The fate of the barge that remains on the beach between 9th and 10th Streets is still a mystery, as its owners ponder what to do next, but turning it into a reef isn’t out of the question.

Phil Gauntlett, a spokesperson for American Marine Constructors, Inc. out of Sarasota, is trying to maintain a sense of humor as he contemplates the 135-feet of steel and tons of rock that need to be moved.

“Well, we just haven’t gotten all the gold doubloons out of it yet,” he said. “We have to leave it there for now.”
Gauntlett is referring to the wreck, which looks like a rock-laden pirate ship to some. The story of the barge is long and harrowing, but he described the vessel’s journey from beginning to end.
“The day they were heading into the Pass it was very stormy with six to eight foot swells,” he explained. “They ended up fighting with the barge for about five hours but couldn’t get it back together. They never even made it into the Pass.”
The barge, which was headed to El Jobean on Monday, Aug. 23, broke loose from the tug that was towing it and wandered from the old “L” dock on the south end of the island (near the Boca Bay Pass Club), all the way up to its current resting place.
When salvage crews went out last Friday, Aug. 27, they found the beached barge had a broken back.
“That’s what we call it when it snaps in the middle,” Gauntlett said. “It’s back is broken. The structural steel isn’t good any more, so it has to be salvaged. There’s a lot of people involved in this, from the Coast Guard to the people of Boca Grande, and we want to make the right decision.”
When presented with the idea the barge’s remains be turned into an offshore reef, Gauntlett said that would work very well for his company if all parties involved agreed.
“It’s definitely worth looking into,” he said.

“The beach is considered safe for swimming with respect to bacteria,” Walther said.

The advisory that was originally posted on August 26 due to an elevated amount of a bacteria called Enterococcus was the first of its kind in recent Boca Grande memory.

The bacteria is normally found in the intestines of humans and animals, but it’s not a good idea to swim in it.

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, the advisory was lifted when the department re-tested the water and found it to be “acceptable.”

Walther said he doesn’t know the specifics as to why there were elevated levels of bacteria at Sea Grape Beach, but said it can be caused by anything from stormwater run-off to animal and human waste.

The Lee County Health Department has placed reflective metal signs on certain monitored beaches. They read “This beach monitored as part of the Healthy Beaches Program.” Under normal conditions the signs would say “No Water Quality Advisory at this Time,” but when a warning or an advisory is issued, the sign is changed to indicate an advisory recommending not to swim. Larger signs are also posted that warn visitors they should not swim at that location.

Lee County Health Department monitors the quality of water at 13 beaches throughout Lee County on a weekly basis.

More information on swimming advisories is available at doh.state.fl.us.