Boaters in Sarasota Bay have complained about hitting debris in the water since the new Ringling Bridge was built last year. Now officials know why. Boaters have been reporting damage to their vessels from debris in Sarasota Bay. The mystery would not have been solved without modern technology. The answer became more clear after County Environmental specialist Mike Solum says they used a variety of techniques to figure it out.

“The most sophisticated being side-scan sonar which is an amazing tool that allows us to see very clearly 3D pictures of live photos of what’s going on underwater. And then we did more traditional methods of actually putting scuba divers in the water to ground truth what we were seeing with the side-scan.”

And what they saw were large slabs of concrete and rubble piles which are descendants of the original Ringling Bridge, built in 1925 and demolished 48 years ago. Today’s technology was not able to reveal how far down into the sand the pieces go so there’s no way to know how much it would cost to remove them. Solum is working with the Coast Guard to realign channel markers and direct boaters away from the debris.

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Sarasota officials have discovered the 71-year-old remains of the original Ringling Bridge at the bottom of Sarasota Bay. That causeway was demolished in 1958. They investigated the debris field after boaters complained they were running into ‘something’. Environmental specialist Mike Solum used special 3-D pictures of the ocean floor to figure out the problem.

“And who knows what technology they had back in the 1950’s to remove and then find anything that was left over. It’s kind of a pretty little spot but we don’t want anyone once we get the winter low tides to strike this so we’re going to leave a hazard buoy on it and work with the coast guard to redirect the traffic over to where they should be.”

The area is about 160 feet outside the Sarasota intra-coastal waterway, where boaters should be, so Solum says he’ll get the channel markers realigned and a warning sign installed.
Sarasota Bay’s second bridge was razed in 2004. A third bridge was built last year.

According to the U-S Census Bureau – the number of Americans aged 65 and older will nearly double over the next 20 years…and concern over how they’ll maintain their independence and mobility is growing too. And advancing medical technologies, better diets and exercise means more of them will be healthier longer. But what happens when they can’t get where they want to go anymore?
That’s exactly the question posed to policy makers, transportation planners, law enforcement officials and aging advocates at a forum this week in Kissimmee. Judy Thames is President of Florida’s AARP…the event’s sponsor.

“Many older people in Florida particularly…their transportation is strictly the automobile. And when they get to be 85 and 90 and really are having problems being able to drive they literally become homebound because there are such poor transportation options available to them.”

Thames says the forum hopes to create a relationship between people who deal with transportation issues on all levels…and raise awareness among them of the need for not only safer roads but better and more accessible public transportation options.

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Transportation experts, road planners and members of the law enforcement community are gathering in Central Florida this week for a forum on senior mobility issues called “What will you do when your car won’t take you where you want to go”?

The A-A-R-P event not only promotes safe driving for seniors…but also ways for city planners to create more livable communities with broader transportation options built right into them.
Florida AARP President – Judy Thames – says more and better public transportation is critical…

“But more than that we need people when they’re doing the infrastructure, when they’re building the roads…we need lighted street names, we need bigger stop signs…there are a number of things that we could do that would not only be good for older people but would be good for anybody in terms of safe driving.”

Thames says simple ideas like these can be put into action…but only if planners and policymakers have them on their agendas.
And by bringing these people together for a forum, she hopes to start a dialogue that eventually spreads into all aspects of transportation planning in Florida.

Last night (Thursday), the U-S House of Representatives passed a bill that would lift a federal ban on off-shore drilling. Unable to come to a consensus on whether to support or reject the bill, the Florida delegation splintered its vote. But Fort Myers Republican Connie Mack says the bill does not give Florida the protection it needs. From Capitol Hill, Terry Gildea (gil DAY) reports.

The Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union dropped off thousands of petitions yesterday (Thursday) to the state’s Public Service Commission. The A-C-L-U wants an investigation of the federal government’s efforts to gain information on people’s calling patterns. The A-C-L-U has called for state regulators to investigate whether A-T-and-T, BellSouth and Verizon illegally turned over detailed call information to the federal government. The government said the information is needed to understand calling patterns and to try to track down potential terrorists living in the United States. Florida A-C-L-U executive director Howard Simon hopes the three-thousand signature petitions the organization gave to phone regulators will send a message:

“Please investigate this matter. There are thousands of people in the state of Florida who are concerned about the breach of trust they have with their telecommunications company and are concerned about the apparent violation of the privacy rights of millions of people in Florida.”

Vermont has launched its own investigation. The state of Washington is holding hearings and court cases are pending in California and Illinois.

Tests have found small amounts of the organism that causes red tide off the coast of Siesta Key in Sarasota County.

Biologists with the state’s Fish & Wildlife Research Institute say the very low concentrations of Karenia Brevis haven’t caused any ill effects…such as fish kills, or respiratory problems for people.

FWRI researcher Jay Abbott says while blooms of the toxic, naturally occurring algae often form this time of the year…the current levels are so low there’s little cause for concern.

“The concentrations that we found were only slightly above what we consider background…which is the concentration of Karenia Brevis that is normally occurring in the Gulf of Mexico. It doesn’t ever completely go away.”

Abbott says they consider 1000 cells per liter to be background concentration…and that the current levels are only slightly above that.

It’s the first time Karenia Brevis has turned up near Sarasota since one of the worst blooms in history finally disappeared about 5 months ago.

Trace amounts of red tide were also found recently off the coasts of Lee & Collier Counties.

The latest snapshot of how Floridians are ‘feeling’ showed a big jump in consumer confidence. The June report conducted by the University of Florida shows the state’s consumers apparently have a good view of the future. U-F Survey Director Chris McCarty says he’s not sure what to think about the survey because he expected consumer confidence to remain the same or even drop.

“So it might be that people think the stock market is due to make some increases or the Federal Reserve is going to stop raising interest rates and that’s going to lead to some increases in the stock market. People may feel that gasoline prices are, although high, leveling off and so that maybe making them feel somewhat better.”

Looking ahead, McCarty expects the monthly report to decline. He cites uncertainty in the stock market and continued sluggishness in the real estate market and the use of risky home loans.


Florida consumers apparently have a good view of the future. That’s the finding of the latest University of Florida monthly snapshot that measures the consumer confidence of the state’s residents. U-F Survey Director Chris McCarty says the stock market has dipped this month, gas prices remain high and interest rates are still going up – and he’s not sure why Floridians remain so positive. McCarty says the slowing of the state’s real estate market will drag down consumer confidence for the next six months.

“You can’t overstate the extent to which consumers used the equity in their homes following the 2001 recession in order to fuel purchases. The rising interest rates have pretty much put an end to that. They’ve also increased the inventory of homes.”

The Florida Legislature has approved nearly 11 million dollars in new adult substance abuse funding statewide. That means an additional two million dollars for treatment in Southwest Florida. But, it’s not enough to end the region’s waiting list.

Even with a pending 45 percent increase in state funding for adult substance abuse treatment, the region’s needs remain. Today, Southwest Florida addiction services will ask the Lee Memorial Hospital board to help it build a new detox center.

The agency - also known as SWFAS - has only 17 detox beds. That’s 1 for about every 35 thousand adults at-risk in Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. So its director, Kevin Lewis, says patients end up where they shouldn’t.

“In some cases they end up in local emergency rooms where they are a tremendous drain on resources there and it’s really the wrong place for them to be. In other cases they end up in our local crisis stabilization units in Charlotte county and Lee county where again, wrong place to be, not the right fit. And some will actually end up in local jails.”

About 800 people in need of detoxification end up in Lee Memorial’s emergency room each year. The hospital system’s board votes today to give SWFAS 75,000 dollars over three years to help build a larger facility on land the city of Fort Myers donated. It has already raised about 2.5 million toward that goal.

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Southwest Florida Addiction Services or SWFAS will ask the Lee Memorial Hospital Board for 75-thousand dollars today to help it build a 40-bed detoxification facility in Fort Myers.

The region’s population has outgrown the current 17-bed detox center and people in-need end up in the emergency rooms, mental health facilities and even jail.

The city of Fort Myers donated four acres of land. SWFAS has raised 2-point-5 million dollars. SWFAS Director Kevin Lewis says it’s also getting a million dollar state grant to make the new center a hurricane shelter.

“Our intent is to design a building that will function as a hurricane shelter as well. Presently we have to shut down that service for several days at a time when a hurricane threatens. And that leaves folks literally in Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties no place to go.”

While in detox, patients are medically managed and monitored so they can be safely withdrawn from alcohol and other drugs. They also get motivational and other counseling to alter their lifestyles.

Currently there’s room for only 1 person for about every 35 thousand adults at-risk in the area. This year, lawmakers realized the need and appropriated nearly 11 million dollars in new adult substance abuse funding statewide. That’s a 45 percent increase locally.

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There’s a turf war brewing in Sarasota County. No, not the political kind. But actually a fight over sod and grass. Sarasota officials are considering a law to ban the use of some kinds of lawn fertilizer. They want to reduce the amount of nutrients flowing into area waterways. But the fertilizer industry says not so fast. WGCU’s Valerie Alker has our story.

Blood centers in Southwest Florida say they’re facing a critical shortage. They say it’s even more worrisome heading into the July 4th holiday next week. Blood centers like to have a 3-to-5 day supply on-hand. Right now, some facilities in Lee and Charlotte Counties have less than a 12-hour supply. Medical managers say they’re concerned because fewer people donate in the summer. It’s complicated around holidays because there’s a much greater need due to car accidents. Ruth Wilburn is a donor coordinator with Florida’s Blood Centers in Fort Myers.

“There is nothing in this world that’s going to replace human blood. We can’t manufacture it and it has a limited life and that you can change somebody’s life by donating. And you can save three people by simply giving less than hour of your time.”

Wilburn spoke on Gulf Coast Live. She says blood has a shelf life of 42 days and someone can donate about once every two months.

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Florida’s blood centers have issued an urgent plea for all types of blood. It’s only the second time this year, they’ve found their inventories so low. Fort Myers Blood Donor coordinator Ruth Wilburn says they’re especially concerned because next week is July 4th. The holidays are some of their busiest times because of a spike in car accidents. Speaking on W-G-C-U’s Gulf Coast Live, Wilburn said donating is ‘a badge of honor’.

“You realize that you have made a commitment that is not just good –but it is life-changing, it is life-altering. And once you start doing it and make a commitment to the process, it becomes part of your life. It’s something that every 56 days you just do and you know you’re going to do it.”

Wilburn says 60-percent of U-S residents will need some extra blood at some point in their lives... but just FIVE-percent actually donate.