Mike "Popeye" Dearden joined us to talk about Popeyepalooza. Steve and Cindy Johnson talk turtles, lights, the COVID vaccine and much more. FACEBOOK   YOUTUBE  SPOTIFY  SUPPORT THE SHOW

(By Ed Ryan) For anyone who didn't understand just how complicated managing Lake Okeechobee is, they do now. That is, if they attended the Sanibel Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Pink Shell on Fort Myers Beach Wednesday to hear a presentation by Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Andrew Kelly.

Turtle Time tells us that on Fort Myers Beach there are now 86 nests - all loggerheads. The first generation of nests were negatively affected by Tropical Storm Elsa. Very few of the early nests survived although a couple of the nests that were deposited in the dunes did survive.

On Monday the Fort Myers Beach Town Council approved $47,730 worth of repairs to the historic structure. The repairs need to be done to prevent further rot and damage to the building.

FWC has informed us that the sandspur removal planned for Monday, August 16th has been postponed due to the uncertainty of Tropical Storm Fred. FWC Shorebird Biologist Tyson Dallas tells us that when the new date is determined he will let us know.

Several member of the Fort Myers Beach Town Council believe gas-powered leaf blowers are too loud and they've instructed staff to start the process to ban them. Sanibel is in the process of banning gas-powered leaf blowers by the end of 2022. Vice Mayor Rexann Hosafros says Sanibel has already done the homework for us. 

The Local Planning Agency denied an application for an adult video arcade advising the applicant to take it to the full town council for a ruling.

The Fort Myers Beach Fishing Pier at Lynn Hall Memorial Park will be closed for about three weeks beginning Monday, Aug. 16, so that a contractor can resurface the entire concrete deck. The pier is expected to re-open in time for Labor Day weekend.

(By Kim Ryan) The Caloosahatchee is a 67 Mile long river with three locks: S79 Moore Haven, S78 Ortona and S77 Franklin lock (located in Alva). When water is released on schedule from Lake O it is measured in cubic feet per second from S77 which is the lock that is closest to the Lake.

The battle over masks is heating up, especially in schools. Despite the Governor's Executive Order prohibiting mask mandates, the Lee County school district is requiring masks, but giving parents the option to opt-out.

It remains to be seen if Lee County will file a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers over its plan to manage Lake Okeechobee for the next decade. Army Corps Colonel Andrew Kelly presented the plan Monday in a 2-hour virtual meeting with stakeholders from all over the state of Florida.