New MRTF member attends first meeting tonight
Mango Street Inn Owner Dan Andre will be introduced as the newest member of the Marine Resources Task Force tonight, Dec. 9, at the committee’s December meeting for the Town of Fort Myers Beach.
Andre has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and four years of college study in Environmental Marine Biology from the University of West Florida.
In his October letter to the FMB Town Council, Andre wrote that he “firmly believes that (his) education and (his) love of the water and beaches of Florida would be an asset to the committee” and that he “would greatly appreciate the opportunity to be involved in the long term commitment to maintaining and improving these resources.”
Andre, who moved to the Beach from the Potomac River area in Alexandria, Va., is excited about his new appointment.
“I want to get in there, roll up my sleeves and see how I can help,” he said. When asked what he can bring to the table for MRTF, Andre was quick with his reply.
“Hopefully, energy and some different insights,” he said. “I’m working on my captain’s license, and I’ve always been involved in the environment.”
MRTF’s agenda items for Wednesday include a presentation by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida for proposed reclassification of surface water in Florida as well as updates on beach raking by town liaison Keith Laakkonen; Web site fertilizer ordinance education by member Charles Hester; pole and troll zone education by member Al Durrett; canal depth survey by vice chair Jay Light; and a monofilament recycling project by Laakkonen.
MRTF is also expected to set an agenda for its next meeting on Jan. 13.