Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Anonymous

The Internet Edition- Vol. 2 Issue 10           March 17, 2006


A WINK television camera rolls as several residents against the tax meet at Loons on a Limb Monday to discuss the issue. A total of 17 rode a bus organized by Bonnie McGee to the Fort Myers hearing on Tuesday.


Lee County Commissioners Bob Janes, Tammy Hall and Ray Judah listen at a hearing on expanding a Municipal Service Taxing Unit for the control of iguanas on the island.
Index...

Big Saturday...................pg 3

History.............................pg 4 (Printed Edition)

Cookin’ with Lee............pg 5

Letters..............................pg 6

Publisher’s Corner.........pg 7

Kenya Safari...................pg 9

Art Show.......................pg 12

Whiffenpoofs...............pg 13

Roy Chapman Memorial.......................pg 14

Babcock Book Review...........................pg 16

Golf Tourneys..............pg 17 (PRinted Edition)

BIPS Gala ........pgs 18, 19, 20


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No New Taxes Effort Fails, MSTU Expanded, No Dollar Amount Set
By Jim Tucker
Despite a concerted effort by a number of Boca Grande residents, Lee County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to amend the existing Gasparilla  Island Street Light District Municipal Service Taxing Unit to include controlling the island iguana population. The actual tax rate will be determined later. Most taxpayers at the Lee County Commission meeting spoke in opposition to a new tax. They cited 
the burden of real estate

Continued On Page 20
GIWA Calls Special Meeting On Rate Hikes April 10
By Linda Fudala-Tucker
A proposed rate hike in island water bills has prompted the Gasparilla Island Water Association to call a special membership meeting on April 10, at 5p.m. at the Boca Grande Community Center Auditorium.

A rate hike of 6 percent is slated for all residential users starting Jan. 

 2007. Those using larger meters will see an increase starting in May 2006. Purpose of the meeting is to amend the water and sewer rate schedule.

In a letter dated March 10 sent out to GIWA customers, Mike Holmes, president of the GIWA board, cited the decline in new connection sign

 up fees along with increased 
FP&L surcharges due to the 
active hurricane seasons with a subsequent raise in insurance 
costs as reasons for the rate hikes.

"The consulting firm of Public Resources Management Group, Inc.
Continued On Page 16
Boca Grande Health Clinic Annual Meeting
Board Reports on Budget/Services; Welcomes New Members
By Linda Fudala-Tucker

The Boca Grande Community Center Auditorium was noticeably more filled than in recent years for the annual board meeting of the Boca Grande Health Clinic held Monday. Besides the usual reports on finances and services, two of the clinic's physicians reported on the topic of early detection and treatment of strokes.

Another area of interest to the audience was the 911 emergency response time issue. Audience members questioned Art Garcia, Lee County EMS director about the routing of 911 calls and recent confusion about emergency operations

 

finding locations on the island. New board member, Yvonne Anderson, manager of the Boca Grande Club, told the group that she was working on a locator card that would be placed in each unit in the club that would assist a caller in giving a dispatcher exact

Continued On Page 8

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