2011: The Year in Review

If it seems incredible to you that it is already time to ring in another new year; if it feels as if time is just flying by whether you're having fun or not; if you feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish all you need to do, you may be on to something.

According to various bloggers, physicists, and a limitless parade of gurus and predictors, time is actually speeding up. "For thousands of years, the Schumann Resonance (used as a basis for global military and other communications) or pulse (heartbeat) of Earth has been 7.83 cycles per second. However, since 1980 this resonance has been slowly rising. It's now over 12 cycles per second! This means there is the equivalent of less than 16 hours per day instead of the old 24 hours.” - 2012 Unlimited

While there is no clear scientific evidence readily available to prove or disprove the "time is speeding up” theory, we all know ‘time flies when you're having fun'. Therefore, one might conclude that, for the most part, we've all been having a good time on Fort Myers Beach this year.

With everything racing by in a blur, hopefully a look back over the past twelve months on our beloved island will help you remember the good times, and put the not-so-good times into perspective. Read more...

Bipartisan Efforts in Washington
to Help Everglades

On Wednesday afternoon, the Sand Paper participated in a conference call with Florida Senior Senator Bill Nelson and Everglades Foundation CEO Kirk Fordham where they discussed how Nelson and U.S. Rep. Bill Young, a Republican, have managed to help push forward a bipartisan effort that is bringing over $142 million towards Everglades construction projects – including the C-43 Reservoir near LaBelle that is vital to the health of the Caloosahatchee River - while also authorizing another 5.5 miles of bridges along the Tamiami Trail to improve water flow in the ‘Glades.

Senator Nelson began by saying how happy he is that the tide is turning in Washington in regards to the Everglades.

"We are quite pleased that two very important things got included in this omnibus appropriations bill, ” he said. "One is the language for a series of bridges - totaling 5 and a half miles – that will raise Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) to allow water to flow underneath. These bridges start 1/4 mile west of a one-mile bridge that is already being constructed. When the Trail was built in the 1920's, it essentially became a dam preventing the natural water flowing south to Florida Bay. The second thing is the amount appropriated for Everglades reconstruction - $142 million.” Read more...

David J. Moore
15 Years at the Beach Pierside Grill

It is said that behind every successful man is a great woman. In the music business, behind every famous face, there is a legion of monster players who may not be recognizable to the public, but who are well known in the industry. One such player is David J. Moore.

Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Dave, the youngest of four children, was six months old when his family moved to Hawaii. "My dad was in the Navy.” Stationed on a submarine at the age of 19, Dave's dad was on board when it was sunk in a battle on the Java Sea in World War II. The Japanese took the survivors to the island of Makkassar in the Dutch Indies, where Dave's dad was a prisoner of war for three years and ten months. They were not rescued until three months after the war ended. Read more...

Times Square Rebirth

Times Square – the very heart of our island and the jewel of our downtown area is about to to experience a rebirth never before seen in its long and storied history. Not only is the north end beach renourishment project about to create a huge new beach, but for the first time ever all the merchants in the square have banded together and are working with Town Council to see the area live up to its full potential. On Tuesday afternoon, the Sand Paper met with Plaka owner Steve Maillakakis and Pete's Time Out owner John Lallo to hear about the new Times Square Alliance and the exciting plans they have for the most famous part of our island.

Read more...