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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-10-07 PL-BOA-2026-000128 EMAIL TESTIMONY FROM SHARON HANDGISFrom: Kona Business Center To: Plannina Board of Anneals Cc: handaisCabhawaii.rr.com; sharon.handaisCubamail.com Subject: Testimony for Meeting 10/09/26 - Keauhou Bay Lighting Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 2:10:58 PM Attachments: SH Meetina Cover letter.odf SH Oriainal letter to countv.odf TBI vs liahtina.odf Aloha, Please find attached testimony from Mrs. Handgis for this Friday's meeting. If there is any issue with the attachments, please let me know. Mahalo, Kona Business Center 808-329-0006 Colors seen in proofs may not be accurate to colors printed. We ask 5-7 business days for most jobs if you need it sooner please let us know. Sharon Handgis 78-107A 78-107 78-110 78-110A Holua Rd Kailua Kona, Hawaii. 96740 Dear board of appeals, I am taking this opportunity to submit an additional complaint regarding the lighting emitting from the July, 26 2025 till mid September 2025 from 133 and 131 Ehukai St., Kailua Kona Hawaii 96740. Since the other hearings have been postponed and or extended, I want to add to my original complaint. My first was submitted in writing to the county planning department in September 2025. Those complaints were dated and time stamped. This is all about the lighting that caused TradeWind productions to violate their permit issued by the Planning Dept Director Jeff Darrow for the filming of Temptation Island. Season two. My husband, George Handgis, and I have made every effort to comply in support of the county and the state for films being produced on Hawaii Island. After six years of filming across from us on Keauhou Bay, this is the first time there has been such blatant disregard for others and they're right to the simple enjoyment of their life and home. The TradeWind production crew came to our house, to tell us what would be going on. We just found out a few days before filming was to begin, in their words they were told by their management to keep it a secret from the neighbors. At that late date Shawn still hemmed and hawed on the truth. He even cried from what he said was stress. Shawn is part Hawaiian but there has never been in the past the blatant disregard for HAWAII culture for HAWAII HISTORY and the protection of Keauhou Bay. It is the birthplace of Kamehameha the III. Keauhou Bay is an (SMA) area and an (FMA) area fisheries management area. It is a protected. It is supposed to be! On July 28th sitting at our home, Shawn Pila, Rodney Frazier, Kenoi and a man that ID'd himself as Milton. Tried to gain our support, Rodney Frazier trying to bribe us "What will make you happy" "What can we do for you?". All along.... talking about our grandson and his Foundation. At this meeting they all KNEW that George suffered from traumatic brain injury ( TBI) Rodney even saying he was the same and had had a stroke. When they did not gain our support, the lighting issue became purposeful and intentional. That night we had a tsunami warning to evacuate our home, and I received a disturbing text. Could the production company buy us a room at the hotel. I declined, stating we have a lot of friends and we're already settled ... the nerve!! I am sending you information on what happens to someone with TBI when lights are shone all night into their windows and living quarters. The photos are the photos and so are the timestamps. I am not trying to pull one over on you as Shawn Pila from TradeWind productions did in his submission of five photos, to this Board of appeals, times stamped in October way after the offense in early morning hours. Like I said before he's taking us for fools. The photos were taken at the season follow up filming. I went to the Planning dept to inquire if they had pulled a new permit for filming and I was told no. The home at 133 Ehukai St. is under new ownership since the filming in question therefore, I believe that the permits should have the new resident owner on it. It shows accountability. 131 is the one with offensive lighting now, but was never held accountable because the permit was not taken with their address. It was all included in one permit. This all boils down to either there was excessive light shining into the water, or there was not. It also makes a huge statement to everyone, whether people can get away with not adhering to legal permits, issued by the county as they are using our resources and our backdrops for their gain. Thank you once again, Sharon Handgis 808-960-4914 sharon.handgis@gmail.com Attachments: • Documentation on how bright lights can affect people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). • Original letter requesting investigation into the zoning and permits for the homes used by Banijay, TradeWind Productions. RE Lighting. • Screenshot of Instagram post by Shawn Pila 04/27/26 Sharon Handgis 78-110 Holua Rd, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 78-110A Holua Rd, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 78-107 Holua Rd, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 78-107A Holua Rd, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 Phone: 808-960-4914 1 Email: sharon.handgis@gmail.com TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, This is an urgent request for an expedited zoning inspection, permit review, and immediate enforcement action regarding severe, ongoing outdoor lighting violations occurring nightly at 133...Eh.uka.i..St and 131 Ehuka.St on Keauhou Bay. This unshielded lighting array directly violates the Hawaii County Outdoor Lighting Ordinance (Chapter 14, Hawaii County Code) and breaches local permit boundaries. Furthermore, this invasive glare penetrates private bedrooms and living spaces directly across the bay along Holua Road, causing acute neurological suffering and profound distress to a household resident recovering from a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). ro<lr ph#c evidence, ,;�;ts grod n t. l uding Se r beor 6 '1, ` (2'>, and .t rt rtc r,t l / f)ri ()(,tr)ber 15, 2025, at 6,134 PM dearly rJr r,urrj(:nt"`; a pattern of high -Intensity, uri%hi(dded lightinq projer;ting directly into the Keauhou Say Special Management Area (;AMA) and Fisheries Management Area (FMA). 1. Breach of Film Permit constraints (1' Ehukai t): The intensive lighting array deployed at this location overstepped standard environmental and community constraints granted by temporary filming provisions, creating a massive wall of unshielded, high -intensity glare over the water. 2. Lingering Invasive Fixtures (131 Ehuk.ai St); While some lighting adjustments may have occurred, three specific high- intensity fixtures remain fully active at 131 Eh gka t. Despite utilizing a yellow/amber tone, these lights are completely unshielded and un-targeted. Instead of facing downward to illuminate the ground safely, they project horizontally directly across the bay, completely destroying the privacy of our residential properties on Holua Road. 3. Failure to Shield & Contain Beam Spread: Chapter 14 of the Hawaii County Code strictly mandates that all coastal outdoor light fixtures must be fully shielded and directed downward to prevent horizontal light trespass and upward bloom. The continuous, brilliant reflections dancing entirely across the water's surface in the attached photos serve as absolute optical proof that these beams are unshielded. II. Acute Medical Impact on a Resident with a Traumatic Brain Injury While this unshielded light trespass constitutes a clear zoning violation, its environmental path directly targets our home, creating an unsafe and physically painful living environment for a resident recovering from a severe TBI. A damaged brain lacks the neurological gating mechanisms required to filter out harsh sensory stimuli. The inescapable glare from 131 and 133 Ehukai $t inflicts direct physiological harm: .............................. II. Acute Medical Impact on a Resident with a Traumatic Brain Injury While this unshielded light trespass constitutes a clear zoning violation, its environmental path directly targets our home, creating an unsafe and physically painful living environment for a resident recovering from a severe TBI. A damaged brain lacks the neurological gating mechanisms required to filter out harsh sensory stimuli. The inescapable glare from 131 and 133 Ehukai. St inflicts direct physiological harm: • Suppression of Essential Brain Repair: Neuroplastic healing requires deep, undisturbed Slow -Wave and REM sleep. The continuous nighttime light trespass suppresses natural melatonin production, inducing severe, chronic sleep deprivation that actively stalls the resident's medical recovery. • Triggering of Post -Traumatic Migraines and Neuralgia: The extreme contrast of these unshielded lights reflecting off the moving surface of the bay acts as a severe visual trigger, inducing debilitating headaches, sharp neurological pain, eye strain, and deep cognitive fog. III. Requested Executive Actions Because a citizen's health and brain injury recovery are being actively compromised by documented code infractions, we respectfully request that Hawaii County Code Enforcement execute the following steps immediately: 1 . Conduct an Expedited Nighttime Zoning Inspection o 131 and .1.3.3 ....E.h.u.kai...S.t to measure the exact horizontal light spill across eauhou Bay. 2. Enforce Immediate Shielding Mandates: Order the property owners/managers to immediately down -shield, cowl, or remove the 3 violating fixtures at 131 Ehukai St so that no . light beams project horizontally toward Holua Road. 3. Audit the Filming Permit at 133..E.h.ukai_.St: Review the lighting compliance logs for the film permit and issue retroactive or active penalties for lighting arrays that failed to minimize impact on the surrounding SMA, FMA, and adjacent residential neighborhood. 4. Impose Compounding Daily Fines: Enforce the maximum penalties allowed under Chapter 14 until total light containment is realized and the privacy and safety of our home are restored. Time is of the absolute essence to prevent further medical degradation. We are fully prepared to provide the county with original, high -resolution files containing the embedded camera metadata upon request. Thank you for your immediate assistance in protecting a vulnerable resident. Sincerely, z4e_4_�74 W_c Sharon Handgis On behalf of the affected households at.• 78-110, 78-110A, 78-107, & 78-107A H o I u a Rd, Kailua-Dona, HI 96740 Phone: 808-960-4914 Email: sharon.handgisgmail.corr) What effect does this light have shinning into a home directly across ... The unshielded, high -intensity light arrays captured in your photos —which shine continuously across the bay from dusk until dawn —can cause severe physiological and psychological distress for someone recovering from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). When a person has a severe TBI, their brain's ability to filter, process, and recover from environmental stimuli is profoundly compromised. Constant light trespass into their living and sleeping spaces inflicts direct harm across several medical vectors: 1. Profound Disruption of Circadian Rhythms and Brain Healing Sleep is the single most critical component of neuroplasticity and brain healing following a TBI. * The Biological Mechanism: The brain's pineal gland secretes melatonin to initiate deep, restorative sleep. The high -intensity white and green light wavelengths shown in your photos are the exact spectrums that the human eye perceives as "daylight." * The Suffering: When this light penetrates a bedroom window all night, it suppresses melatonin production, preventing the TBI survivor from entering Slow -Wave Sleep (Deep Sleep) and REM sleep. Without these deep sleep stages, the brain cannot clear metabolic waste products (like tau proteins) or repair damaged neural pathways, effectively stalling or reversing TBI recovery. 2. Exacerbation of Post -Traumatic Photophobia (Light Sensitivity) Photophobia is one of the most common and debilitating chronic symptoms of a severe TBI. • The Sensory Overload: A healthy brain can easily adapt to changes in ambient light. A TBI-damaged brain lacks this regulatory control; its sensory gating mechanisms are broken. • The Suffering: Exposure to the harsh horizon glare and water -reflected light beams seen in image_RaH4tm.png and image_03aZI7.png forces the damaged brain into a state of continuous visual overload. Even at low levels inside a darkened room, this light spill can cause immediate, sharp neurological pain, severe eye strain, and a feeling of being constantly "under attack" by the environment. 3. Triggering Intractable Post - Traumatic Migraines TBI survivors are highly susceptible to severe, chronic headaches that are easily triggered by environmental factors. The Trigger: The high -intensity glare, combined with the motion of the water reflecting those light beams into the home, creates a shifting, flickering pattern of high - contrast light. • The Suffering: This specific type of visual movement is a major neurological trigger for debilitating migraines. For someone with a severe TBI, a light -induced migraine is not just a headache; it frequently triggers an entire cascade of autonomic symptoms, including severe nausea, dizziness, and cognitive fog (the inability to think, speak, or remember clearly). 4. Psychological Distress, Hyperarousal, and Anxiety A severe TBI frequently compromises the brain's emotional regulation centers, such as the amygdala and frontal lobes. • The Sensory Trap: TBI patients often experience heightened states of hyperarousal or a "fight-or-f light" response to sensory stimuli they cannot escape or control. • The Suffering: Being subjected to forced, invasive illumination inside their own home causes profound psychological distress. The inability to escape the glare can induce intense anxiety, feelings of helplessness, extreme irritability, and emotional exhaustion ---all of which severely compound the baseline cognitive and emotional deficits caused by the brain injury itself. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, This is a formal request for an expedited inspection and immediate enforcement action regarding severe, ongoing outdoor lighting violations occurring nightly at the subject property on Keauhou Bay. This unshielded, high -intensity lighting array directly violates the Hawaii County Outdoor Lighting Ordinance (Chapter 14, Hawaii County Code) and causes invasive light trespass into a residential property directly across the bay. Furthermore, this invasive glare is causing acute neurological suffering and severe medical distress to a household resident recovering from a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). from a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). I. Documented Code Violations (Hawaii County Code Chapter 14) Photographic evidence captured over multiple nights (including September 6 through September 9, 2025, between the hours of 8:27 PM and 5:30 AM) documents that the subject property operates a high -intensity commercial/resort lighting array continuously all night long. These fixtures are in direct violation of the Hawaii County Dark Sky Regulations: • Failure to Shield / Upward Light Spillage: The property utilizes upward -facing spotlights into the palm canopy and unshielded horizon floodlights. Chapter 14 mandates that all outdoor light fixtures must be fully shielded and directed downward to prevent light from shining above the horizontal plane. • Prohibited Blue/Cool Light Spectrum: The brilliant white and intense green accent spotlights emit a cool, blue -rich light spectrum. County code explicitly restricts outdoor blue -light content to protect astronomical research and native wildlife, mandating narrow -spectrum amber or low- pressure sodium alternatives. II. Severe Medical Impact on a Resident with a Traumatic Brain Injury While these unshielded fixtures constitute an actionable zoning and environmental infraction on their own, their invasive path directly penetrates the windows of a home across the bay, creating an unsafe and uninhabitable living environment for a resident with a severe TBI. Medical consensus recognizes that TBI survivors suffer from a profound breakdown in sensory gating. The continuous, invasive glare from this property inflicts direct physiological harm: 1. Suppression of Brain Healing: Sleep is the primary mechanism for neuroplastic repair. The blue/green wavelengths emitted by the violating property suppress melatonin production, causing chronic sleep deprivation and actively stalling the resident's neurological recovery. 2. Intractable Post -Traumatic Migraines: The high --contrast glare reflecting off the moving water of the bay acts as a severe visual trigger, inducing debilitating, painful migraines, cognitive fog, and nausea. :Z3 3. Severe Neuropsychological Distress: Forcing inescapable, high -intensity illumination into a TBI survivor's private living and resting spaces induces a constant state of neurological hyperarousal (fight -or -flight response), causing severe anxiety and emotional exhaustion. III. Requested Action Because a vulnerable citizen's health and brain recovery are being actively compromised by a documented code violation, we respectfully request that the County: 1. Expedite a Nighttime Inspection of the violating shoreline property at Keauhou Bay. 2. Issue an Immediate Citation requiring the property owner to immediately turn off non- compliant accent lighting, down -shield all floodlights, and transition to fully compliant, low -wattage, narrow -spectrum amber lighting. 3. Enforce Daily Fines as permitted under Chapter 14 until total compliance is met and light trespass across the bay ceases.