The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is conducting a comprehensive review of alligator management for the state. It’s seeking public input at a meeting in Key Largo in early December.

At the same time, a Sanibel author is out with a new book titled “Alligators, Sharks & Panthers: Deadly Encounters with Florida’s top Predator – Man.”

WGCU’s Amy Tardif spoke with the author.

Environmental groups are thrilled with a court ruling against a developer who wanted to build on protected mangroves on Captiva Island.

Harbor Point is a planned residential community and marina on the northern end of Captiva. South Florida Water Managers approved a building permit - and the destruction of 8 acres of mangroves in Outstanding Florida Waters in the process.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation and the Captiva Civic Association appealed the permit to the state. The court ruling returns the permit to the water management district, saying alternatives to mangrove destruction were not considered. The Conservancy’s Andrew McElwaine says it’s a nice victory.

“I think this is a precedent setting case because I think it will, we think, require developers who are destroying mangroves and wetlands in SWFL to consider alternatives to their destruction. So it’s not only an important case in terms of Captiva Island and maintaining the remaining mangroves on the island, but I think it’s important region-wide.”

McElwaine says the water management district now has to act on the court’s recommendations. If it doesn’t consider something other than letting the mangroves be bulldozed, the plaintiffs could take the issue to a higher court.

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Eight acres of mangroves in Outstanding Florida Waters on the north end of Captiva Island will remain intact for now, after an administrative law judge issued a 50-page ruling against their destruction. He nixed a developer’s permit, okayed by the South Florida Water Management District, because alternatives to mangrove destruction were not considered.

Three groups, including the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, appealed the permit. The Conservancy’s Andrew MAC-ul-wayne says they’re very pleased because of the ramifications this decision could have on another planned development.

“We don’t always get successful outcomes in appealing water management district cases. We’ve got a tough one ahead of us on the Mirasol development here in Collier County. So this was a very good win and I think it sets us up to be perhaps more successful than we thought we might be appealing Mirasol’s permit.”

Environmentalists want the same outcome in the Mirasol case – in which the water management district also approved destroying wetlands near Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary for a golf course community.

Each school day in the United States 46 children, or two classrooms full of kids, are diagnosed with cancer. More than half that number of local children were honored this weekend in Fort Myers for reaching milestones in their treatment. Candellighters of Southwest Florida, which provides services to families of children with cancer, held the ceremony. It’s founder and director, Klair Snellbaker says five years is the magic mark.


“When a child survives after five years of treatment that’s usually considered that they’re cured. And then we have a couple kids that are celebrating ten years and again that’s hope they’ve grown, some of them have graduated, gone on and gotten married. I mean there’s all kinds of good stories about our kids depending on what age they’d been diagnosed.”


Twenty six kids who have successfully beat the odds of having cancer were treated to lunch, games and an awards ceremony Saturday at Florida Gulf Coast University. Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease for children and adolescents.


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Twenty six Southwest Florida children who have successfully completed milestones of being off chemotherapy for cancer have been recognized for beating the disease. The children finished either one year, five year or ten year anniversaries of being finished with their cancer treatments. They were honored by the Candellighters of Southwest Florida – an independent nonprofit charity which provides support for families with children with cancer or blood disorders. Klair Snellbaker is the founder and director. She says though five years is the magic mark that says a child is cured, the often have residual issues to deal with as they age.


“As they age certainly secondary cancers are a possibility. But they have educational needs, trying to find insurance always difficult because they have the stigma of cancer being tagged on to their life. And sometimes they do have learning disabilities that make a difference as far as what kind of job opportunities they can take advantage of.”


Candlelighters provides free services to more than 350 families in the five county area. Each year, more than 12,000 children and teens are diagnosed with cancer. Nearly three thousand of them will die.

This is the last day that I will be your regular host of Morning Edition – after nearly 14 years as your alarm clock. Starting Monday Mike Kiniry takes over. I will then be able to immerse myself in my new duties as FM station manager as well as News Director. You’ll still hear stories from me on occasion and of course there will be days that Mike takes off and I’ll fill in. Kiniry is our talk show host producer, fill in host and a reporter. And he's also a native Fort Myers resident?

The new director of the grassroots Sanibel group - People United to Restore our Rivers and Estuaries or PURRE - is in Washington DC this morning. Mary Rawl of Fort Myers is getting training on how to lobby Congress. Because today she’ll represent Southwest Florida during River Lobby Days.
PURRE's goal is to promote the protection and restoration of the Caloosahatchee River and its estuary. Rawl has 22 years of experience as a water resources professional and a degree in geology. She also sits on the board of Riverwatch and chairs the Southwest Florida Water Resources Conference.
The Army Corps of Engineers holds its final series of meetings to gather public comments on the proposed new water control plan for Lake Okeechobee. The meeting is Thursday at 6:30 at Lee County Commission Chambers in Ft. Myers. WGCU’s Amy Tardif spoke with Rawl.

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Goals were not likely reached Saturday night at the 17th annual Arts for ACT auction at Harborside Convention Center in downtown Fort Myers. The event raises money for the Abuse Counseling and Treatment Center to helps victims of domestic abuse and survivors of sexual assault in Lee, Glades and Hendry Counties.
Despite guest auctioneer, supermodel and actress Lauren Hutton’s 2nd appearance, bidding was low, even for a signed lithograph by contemporary art icon James Rosenquist which went for only 3,200. The most pretigious piece - Bob Rauschenberg's original work, "Party" only went for 100,000.
Here’s a glimpse into what’s traditionally the highlight of the evening, beginning with a toast to Rauschenberg. You’ll hear TV anchor Kellie Burns, ACT director Jennifer Benton, MC John Finstrom, Lauren Hutton and the auctioneer.
Former Fort Myers first lady Marilyn Smith bought the Rauschenberg for a bargain 100,000 dollars.

The school food service is taking applications now for students who need free or reduced meals.
In Charlotte County about 42 percent of public school students qualify for free and reduced meals. The Charlotte School District’s spokesman Michael Riley says at one school in particular almost 80 percent of students qualify. And just getting food to them is not enough.

“There has been a focus recently on health and nutrition with the kids./ They’re trying to find alternatives to get so many of the sweets out of the school and get more nutritious snacks in. Our food service director has worked very hard to comply with federal and state standards and really to provide nutritious meals to the kids. That’s their goal.”

Riley says qualifications for free and reduced meals are based on a federal formula involving the number of children in a household. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals, while those between 130 and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced meals.

Forget all the negative things experts said about Florida’s universal voluntary pre kindergarten program this year – the day was too short, teachers lacked degrees and lessons varied too greatly. Because this summer, it’s everything it’s supposed to be – with certified teachers, small class sizes and an all-day program in public schools. WGCU’s Amy Tardif reports on the first summer version of Florida’s voter-mandated free pre –k.