Fort Myers Beach News - Island Sand Paper -Top Story Archives

01/24/2013 at 3:54pm

Meeting Set for Those Concerned
About Big Carlos Pass

For years, boaters have used Big Carlos Pass as a natural deepwater channel from Estero Bay into the Gulf of Mexico. Going back to the time of the Spaniards, stories have been written of galleons sailing into safe harbor through that pass– even Calico Jack Rackham escaped certain death through that waterway when he, Anne Bonny and their ill-fated crew hid from Spanish soldiers in the back bay in 1712. Earlier in the last century, shrimp boats regularly used the pass to head out on their forays into the Gulf and when the bridge was built from the south end of Fort Myers Beach to Lover's Key a drawbridge was added so that big boats could go through.

Issue 623

01/20/2013 at 11:28am

Four Generations Share
a Love of Fort Myers Beach
Caption: Jean, Harry and their 6 children on
Harry’s 95th birthday. Photo courtesy J. Sailian

Serendipity is a beautiful and unpredictable force in every life. Sometimes it sheds its radiance most kindly after a period of darkness. Serendipity brought Fort Myers Beach into the lives of the Gottlieb family of Chicago in 1955, and the ripples from that discovery have spread across 4 grateful generations, touching dozens of relatives, partners and friends.

Issue 622

01/20/2013 at 11:29am

COP Expansion Off to Slow Start

After 15 months of controversy, three public hearings and two workshops – not to mention a Herculean effort in research by Town staff – an ordinance to allow Consumption of Alcohol expansion onto the beach was passed by Town Council in early September of 2012. So what's happened since then? Despite some dire predictions, Town Community Development Director Walter Fluegel told us that, actually, very little occurred.

"Nemo's, the Cottage, Wicked Wings and the Holiday Inn have all been in for a couple of months now trying to get permitted,” he said. "We've rejected all of them so far because they've been struggling with the surveying requirements – specifically, the Mean High Water (MHW) line.”

Issue 621

01/20/2013 at 11:30am

Polar Bears Brrring in the New Year

The rarest of wildlife was sighted along the southern Estero Island shores on Tuesday as the Fort Myers Beach Polar Bear Club convened for their annual migration into the Gulf of Mexico.

The bears began gathering about noon at Castaways with Smoking Bill and the Smoking Section band entertaining the growing crowd at the Santini Plaza restaurant and bar. The group has been entertaining the Polar Bear Club on January 1st for several years.Band members volunteer to play for the fun-loving crowd before and after the plunge into the Gulf.