The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 121

Tornados rip through three Collier County areas tore the roof out and just threw everything around inside like it was stirred with a spoon Vince Duerr fire chief By JEFF LEEN Herald Stall Writer Tornados touched down in three areas of Collier County Thursday morning knocking down power lines ripping off roofs and according to witnesses driving tree limbs into plywood like arrows A Dade County man was slightly injured when high winds flipped a van on US 41 about 20 miles East of Ochopee No other injuries were reported Property damage was reported in three widely separated areas Ochopee East Naples and Golden Gate A tornado was sighted at 7:30 am about 1 y2 miles west of the Dade-Collier County lineonUS 41 Heading north near Ochopee the tornado damaged two bungalows owned by Seminole Indians and destroyed a trailer more than 40 minutes Bill Wagner the Collier County disaster preparedness director said a third tornado touched down at the Hitching Post RV Travel Resort in East Naples causing $6000 damage to a trailer scattering trees and knocking down phone and power lines About 300 people were without power for four hours had lines down in six different places mostly due to trees blown by the said Bill Longshore a Florida Power and Light Co spokesman In Naples about 1800 FPL customers in the Coquina Sands and Moorings subdivisions were without power for 18 minutes At Naples Airport winds overturned a Cessna 150 airplane causing about $6500 damage owned by 83-year-old Raymond Austin Then the twister crossed US 41 and tore the root oft the Service Station tore the roof out and just threw everything around inside like it was stirred with a said Vince Duerr chief of the Ochopee Fire Control District He estimated the damage at $30000 The only reported disruption in phone service occurred at the station according to United Telephone Service spokesman Ed Hall The funnel cloud also flung a car through the front window of a trailer belonging to the station owner Joyce Andrews James Hinds and Steven Saunders were in a van on US 41 when the winds upended it Saunders received a cut on his right forearm and was taken to i Miami hospital The tornado also flipped an empty van that was refueling at the station The twister also disabled power lines and threw a large dumpster more than 50 feet a word this was the morning for it let me tell Duerr said of the lack of serious injuries In Golden Gate another tornado tore the roof off a Shop Go on County Road 951 at 6:45 am About 1800 people were without power in northeastern Golden Gate for Court docket has twice as cases many Judge Charles Carlton: CHRISTOPHER BOYD Miami Herald Bureau Breezy thoughts Dorothy Strobl of St Louis spent a peaceful afternoon in the ists managed to crowd the pier and stroll the beaches all shade of a pine tree near the Naples Municipal Pier watch- week ing the waves roll in Despite frequent lashings of rain tour- By JEFF LEEN Herald Staff Writer The caseload in the Collier County Circuit courts almost doubled in the last decade according to statistics from the court administrator for the 20th Judicial Circuit While the case load increased however the number of judges In 1982 two circuit judges handled most of the 4225 felony civil juvenile and probate cases filed in the county In 1972 cases totaled 2179 still going to need another part-time judge down said Doug Wilkinson court administrator of the 20th Circuit the entire year of 1982 we should have had a full-time judge down The 20th Circuit which encompasses a five-county region including Collier ranks second in the state in terms of number of residents per judge Circuit judges Charles Carlton and Ted Brousseau each handled a far heavier load than the 1350 average figure that the state uses in determining the number of judge-ships to be placed in a circuit The two judges were occasionally assisted by a part-time judge A third circuit judge Hugh Hayes was added to the bench in November embarassing when the lawyers let you know ready for trial and you say will get to you the early part of said Carlton who has sat on the bench for 13 years how critical it Carlton recently took drastic scheduling measures when he found his court time bQoked up through 1983 He set a policy of putting cases on the docket six weeks after lawyers told him they were ready With as many as 50 cases on the trial docket Carlton rapidly cut through the thicket had 29 jury trials set for this week and disposed 14 which is more than ever done Carlton said Hard and fast court dates tend to Commission considers gas-tax increase make a lot of parties settle outside the courtroom Carlton said Only two of the cases went to trial Carlton estimated he handled about 1600 filings last year Brousseau said he presided over more than 50 jury trials last year almost double the average of 29 His docket is currently filled through July 5 For the judges the case load causes a lack of time to reflect on legal matters to do research or sometimes even to eat lunch on Monday when legal motions are heard Brousseau said For those involved in divorce cases or mortgage foreclosures there is the burden of having things Brousseau said The statistics are revealing apart from being a measure of judicial workload Both Carlton and Brousseau said they noticed a drop in time-consuming drug-trafficking cases among the felony filings rather have 10 first-degree murder case than a drug case because the lawyers will swamp you with motions because the people involved in drugs can afford high-paid and very good lawyers who know every avenue to Carlton said get a lot of really necessary roadwork underway in this Commissioner John Pistor said been delaying many of projects for eight or nine years and they wait much The State Association of County Commissioners of Florida Inc (SACC) a group which lobbied for allowing a county gasoline levy estimates Collier could receive $23 million in annual revenues from a four-cent tax and $576000 from a one-cent tax tax offers local governments their best chance at improving their secondary road systems John Thomas executive director of SACC a tax that would charge the people who use the roads for the By CHRISTOPHER BOYD Herald Staff Writer Collier County officials are considering increasing gasoline taxes by as much as four cents this year as a means of financing county road projects Collier commissioners told the staff to explore how to impose such a tax this week A state law adopted this month makes the tax possible The state law requires that money raised through gasoline taxes be used for transportation projects and comes at a time when the state and federal departments of transportation have made sharp cutbacks in the amount of money they contribute toward local road projects could be our only hope to is certainly a funding source that we need to take a hard look Billick said got to do something about the shut off of state and federal road According the the law Naples and the county would have to agree on a five-year formula for distribution of revenues Commissioner Pistor said the county should push to have the distribution time lengthened to 10 years five-year limit would mean we float the long-term bonds needed to finance some Pistor said He said the current requirement that the city and county renegotiate the formula after five years would require all road bonds be retired within that amount of time The tax which could go into effect on Sept 1 would require an agreement between the county and the city of Naples MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization will discuss this proposal at its next Pistor said we can get agreement there it will be a first step toward the city and county cooperating on the The membership of the MPO a federally mandated body includes representatives from the city county and state The body plans road projects in Collier The commission voted on Tuesday to have the county staff study the state legislation On Thursday Naples Mayor Stan Billick said he was interested in the proposal as well Mff Boast EHapponings cept that would put nuclear weapons in space The meeting begins at 8 pm at the Legion Hall ASOLO TRIP The Naples Art Association is planning a trip to the Asolo Theater The $40 cost includes air fare and a reserved seat for a showing of Dining Room Theatergoers will depart from Naples Airport at 12:30 pm and return before before supper Details: 262-6517 PORCELAIN DEMONSTRATION Local porcelain artist Jo Ann Keene and teacher Mildred Boivin will lecture about and demonstrate the art of painting on porcelain at 1:30 pm at the downtown Fort Myers Library WORLD AFFAIRS James A Works associate professor of history at the University of Missou-ri-StLouis will discuss the problems and progress of emerging nations at a meeting of the Naples Council on World Affairs beginning 7:30 pm at the Naples Depot The public is invited Details and reservations: 774-7847 or 775-3156 Thursday WILDLIFE FILM Wild Canada: Coast and Coast an Audubon Wildlife film sponsored by the Collier County Audubon Society will begin at 8 pm in Naples High auditorium John Wilson will narrate his film Admission is $3 LUCINDA WATTS Happenings appears in The Herald every Friday If your organization would like to let the public know about tournaments concerts plays art exhibits or other Gulf Coast events write: Happenings The Miami Herald 991 Second Ave Naples Fla 33940 CHOIR CONCERT The Gulf Coast Oratorio Choir will perform A German Requiem at 4:30 pm in the First Presbyterian Church at 250 Sixth St Monday EUROPEAN ART Doris Bayley Littlefield curator of collections at Vizcaya Museum will present an illustrated lecture to the Naples Art Association at 10:30 am in the Norris Room at the Naples Depot Her subject will be Influences on European Architecture and Admission is $2 for nonmembers MUSEUM EXHIBIT An exhibit of professional works depicting the environment and inhabitants of Southwest Florida will be displayed at the Collier County Museum for a month beginning today Photographers in the exhibit include: Steve Chase Diana Tomlinson Kevin Bedford Mark Harmel Penelope Taylor Bob Pearson and Michael Kimble The museum is located at the Collier County Government Complex at Airport-Pulling Road and 41 Hours are 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday Admission is free Wednesday SESSION The third session of the Sunshine Shufflers classes begins at 6:30 pm for beginners and 8 pm for advanced beginners at Naples High School The classes are instructed by Willie Burton LEGIONNAIRES MEETING The next meeting of the Hardee Mills Post 135 American Legion will include a showing of a 25-minute film entitled £ligh Frontier nhont a nuclear-defense con 9th Spring Festival of Lehigh begins The Ninth Annual Spring Festival of Lehigh begins Sunday and continues through March 26 Opening day ceremonies begin at 1 pm The festival will include professional entertainment a variety of booths an art show a YMCA road race and a pancake breakfast and a chicken barbecue on parade day Several contests will take place at the community building on the festival grounds: Baking wine and liquor making arts and crafts homemade canned goods flowers and vegetables jams jellies and marmalades There will also be golf and tennis tournaments throughout the week Friday OPERA PRESENTATION The Gulf Coast Opera Co will present Rodgers and Oklahoma! tonight at 8 at Gulf View Middle School Tickets are available at the door and at Mahalo Apartment Motel 261-6332 The second show begins at 8 pm Saturday at Cape Coral High School Tickets are available at the door and at the Lee County Alliance of the Arts The final shows begins at 2 and 8 pm Sunday at the Port Charlotte Cultural Center Tickets are available at the door and at the center Tickets are $6 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens and students Saturday ELEPHANT SALE The Republican Club of Grater Nanles will hold its tnual Elegant Elephant Sale from 9 am to noon at Grace Lutheran Church at Banyan Boulevard and US 41 North Merchandise will include clothing household items books and magazines Baked goods coffee and donuts will be sold STAMP EXHIBITION The Collier County Stamp annual exhibition will be held today and Sunday at the Naples Depot The theme will be The A 30-minute film Tim-bromania starring Ernest Borgnine will be shown at 11 am and 3 pm daily Admission is free ENDANGERED SPECIES WEEK Endangered Species Awareness Week will be celebrated from 9 am to 5 pm today and from 1 1 am to 5 pm Sunday with a fair to benefit the Endangered Species Research Foundation at Tin City A live Florida panther endangered species displays wildlife art photography and many more examples of Florida wildlife will be on hand The WRGI Road Show will give away free gifts and provide music CARIBBEAN TOURS The Conservancy Nature Center is conducting two natural history tours of the Caribbean The excursions to the tropical rain forests of Trinidad and Tobago take place today through March 26 The tours include a stop at the Asa Wright Nature Center and a glass-bottom boat ride across Buccoo Reef Details: Caribbean Cruises 950 Ninth St 261-8511 Sunday ITALIAN DINNER The Italian-American Club will serve dinner from noon to 6 pm at its clubhouse at Airport-Pulling Road and Orange Blossom Drive The menu will include spaghetti with meatballs bread tossed salad cake and coffee The cost is $175 for children and $350.