The Captiva Erosion Prevention District’s (CEPD) commission selected its officers for the new year and greenlighted the hiring of a few interns through a college program during its recent meeting.
On Dec. 8, the commissioners held the annual reorganization of the board.
Chairman John Wade, Vice Chairman and Treasurer Rene Miville, and Commissioner Bob Walter nominated themselves to serve as chair for 2026. Wade won the vote as Commissioners Bernie Dupre and Timothy McGowan threw their support behind him continuing to serve in his current position.
For vice chairman, Walter again nominated himself. The vote was an unanimous 5-0.
Walter nominated McGowan for secretary, which also received a 5-0 vote.
The board was unable to fill the treasurer position and will readdress it at a later time.
Also at the meeting, General Manager Brighton Heard reported on a program that would allow the CEPD to bring on Florida Gulf Coast University students to conduct some work, in particular modeling sediment transport following the beach renourishment project and looking into the dune vegetation.
It would cost $3,000 per intern per semester, or a cost of $6,000 for two.
After a discussion and staff’s recommendation, the commission voted 5-0 to hire two interns.
On a related noted, Heard reported that the dredging portion of the renourishment was finished on Nov. 22. The board directed staff to look at wrapping up the full project, including the pathways and ropes.
Also during the meeting, Heard presented the commissioners with a letter from Sanibel Captiva Beach Resorts requesting consideration of about $6,416 in reimbursement for losses suffered due to the renourishment. It alleged that it was not given an agreed upon 48-hour notice of the work entering the resort’s beachfront property, which resulted in having to move a wedding and problems with guests.
The CEPD’s attorney noted that it appears the promise was made by the project contractor, not the CEPD itself. He recommended going to the contractor to figure out exactly what happened and having staff coordinate a discussion between the two parties in order for them to find a possible resolution.
The commission agreed, voicing concern about proper liability and any future legalities.
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