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Almost two years after Hurricane Charley took the roof off Charlotte County’s Emergency Operations Center – officials broke ground Thursday on a new Public Safety Complex. The state-of-the-art facility will also house the Fire/E-M-S Administration and the county’s information help line. Charlotte County Commission Chairman Tom Moore praised recovery efforts.

“you’re the bunny you keep clicking down the trail- you’ve about got the commsioners worn out going to ribbon cuttings, and keep it up…”

The 8-and-a-half million dollar complex will be built withstand to 170 mile an hour winds. The building on Airport Road in Punta Gorda should be complete next summer.

Florida citrus growers got some good news today (Wednesday). The state of Alabama has indicated it will continue to accept Florida-grown fruit despite a new federal quarantine of Florida citrus.
Last week the U-S Department of Agriculture said it would ban Florida from shipping fresh citrus to six citrus-producing states because of the threat of canker. Canker is a bacterial plant disease that is rampant in Florida groves. Citrus is worth an estimated nine-billion dollars to the state economy. Hendry County grower Mark Wheeler says he’s pleased Alabama will still accept Florida citrus. He says it’s not just where the fruit is sold, it’s how it’s distributed.

“If there’s large retailers in Atlanta who have distribution centers in Alabama, then that fruit can’t go to Alabama so they potentially have an issue buying it because of where are they going to store it until they can get it to the store. So it helps.”

Wheeler spoke on WGCU’s Gulf Coast Live. Ninety percent of Florida-grown oranges are used for juice so the U-S-D-A quarantine doesn’t apply to that part of the industry.

Immokalee High School’s principal has received his punishment for allowing overage students to play sports. Immokalee High principal Manny Touron won’t get a merit raise, can never coach a public school team in Collier County again and his contract will have to be approved annually…not every few years like other principals. Those are the among the punishments from Collier Assistant Superintendent Eric Williams. Williams says at least three students including one who was 30 played soccer and football at Immokalee High.

“It was a serious failure in terms of not fulfilling his responsibilities as a principal. And so because it was viewed as serious, we wanted the consequences to be serious.”

Touron will also have a written reprimand kept in his file. The school district also wants to know whether other Immokalee High staff members should be disciplined.

State Senator Burt Saunders has decided he does NOT want to be the next Attorney General. The Naples Republican says he’s pulling out of the crowded field of G-O-P candidates. He also trailed two of his opponents in fundraising. Saunders says it was an easy decision.

“I have had a great opportunity to campaign across the state. I’ve enjoyed it very much and met a lot of great people. But I’ve come to the conclusion that I can continue to serve Southwest Florida as a member of the Senate for the next two years. It wasn’t that much of a function of whether the money was coming in or not. It was just a matter of my deciding that this was best.”

Several termed-out lawmakers, including Representative Dudley Goodlette, and others had been eyeing Saunders’s Senate seat.
Saunders also DENIED that he wants to be the next lieutenant governor.

A cut in federal funding for AIDS programs could mean a decline in the quality of life for people with HIV/AIDS in Southwest Florida.

A five percent cut in federal AIDS funding goes into effect in two weeks. The five county area has been receiving 850 thousand dollars from the federal program for several years. The money is earmarked for services that enhance the quality of life for people with HIV/AIDS – including counseling and dental care. Dr. Peter Brite of the Island Coast Aids Network in Ft. Myers says the cut will leave gaps.

“We didn’t have enough to meet the needs to begin with and now we have five percent which is five percent less than what we had which is not enough so I mean – what we need is a substantial increase – not level funding or a decrease.”

More than 700 people in Lee County are HIV positive. And Brite says the number is growing because drug therapy is extending the lives of people with AIDS.

Cape Coral homeowners who water their grass too often will have to empty out their wallets. The city council just approved new fines that are double what they were before. First-time violators now will get a warning. But after that, it could range as high as 400-dollars if homeowners water their grass more than twice a week. Cape Coral Mayor Eric Feichthaler says an exploding population and a lack of rain are too blame.

“We’re not out of the dry season yet. We still are very low in the aquifer. We’re very low in our canals. And in the next couple of months, I hope we have a very good rainy season and the issue is alleviated while we were our making these other solutions to make it a long term fix.”

Feichthaler says 70 Cape Coral homeowners have had their wells run dry this year. He blames it on excessive landscape watering.

The Cape Coral City Council has approved new fines for people who violate watering restrictions. Cape Coral is the largest city in Southwest Florida and it’s got a healthy thirst for water. Last year, the average Cape homeowner used 25-thousand gallons a month -- and that’s just for landscaping. So the city has decided to double its penalties for those that violate the twice-a-week watering rule. First time violators will now get a warning. But it’s 50 dollars for the second, 200 for the third and 400 dollars each time after that. Cape Coral Mayor Eric Feichthaler says water is a precious resource.

“We’ve had 70 people in Cape Coral have their wells run dry this year and it is from people irrigating too much. There is no doubt in my mind about that. If everyone used irrigation in reasonable amounts, we would not be having the problems we’re having.”

Feichthaler says the hefty fines don’t cover Cape Coral’s costs to enforce the new watering codes. The new penalties take effect immediately.

State wildlife officials say down-listing the manatee from endangered to threatened won’t affect the way it’s protected - because the marine mammals are still protected under federal law. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission last week voted to reclassify the manatee – citing population increases over the past few decades. “Save the Manatee Club’s” incoming Executive Director - Patrick Rose – says only a small percentage of the current manatee speed zones statewide are federally enforced…and he’s far more concerned about what the Florida Legislature might do.

“They have several times in the past several years weakened the Manatee Sanctuary Act. And because of the unique situation the constitutional authority that was given to the Fish & Wildlife Commission, they only have legislative authority to protect the manatees.”

The FWC has no constitutional authority of its own over endangered and threatened marine species like sea turtles and manatees.

Officials with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission say down-listing manatees from endangered to threatened won’t change the level of protection the marine mammals get…but not everyone agrees. Incoming Executive Director of the Save the Manatee Club - Patrick Rose - says reclassifying the manatee didn’t happen because manatees are suddenly less endangered, but because the state adopted new definitions of what it means to be endangered or threatened. He says while Florida adopted the exact same criteria for endangered as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature…or IUCN… it calls that same criteria threatened.

“So it’s not hard to understand…if manatees meet the exact criteria for endangered under IUCN but the state calls it threatened, a species that meets the endangered category, will be called threatened.”

According to a state report about half the current manatee population will be gone in 45 years. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission’s decision to down list manatees came on a unanimous vote.