ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – A tourist who felt threatened by another driver and aimed his gun at the man shouldn’t have to prove his actions were protected under Florida’s “stand your ground law,” his attorney argued before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, adding that it should be up to prosecutors to prove the opposite. Jared Bretherick had the right to defend his family and shouldn’t have been charged because of the state law that says people can use force if they are in danger, said his attorney, Eric Friday. The 25-year-old Indiana man was given a hearing in which he requested immunity from an assault charge under the “stand your ground” law, but a lower court said no. Now Friday is arguing that Bretherick shouldn’t have even been charged until prosecutors first proved he wasn’t defending himself and the burden shouldn’t have been placed on Bretherick to prove he was. Some of the justices seemed skeptical of the argument. Justice Barbara Pariente said the 2005 legislation never spelled out a process for pretrial hearings to claim immunity from charges in “stand your ground” cases. It was the court that created the pretrial hearing process in 2010 in response to another “stand your ground” case. “I’m trying to see, other than sort of pulling it out of the stratosphere, where we come up with that additional burden,” she said. Friday said the Legislature passed “stand your ground” to give citizens more protection in self-defense cases. “So why then has this court created a burden that the Legislature never authorized and put the burden on the citizen?” Friday said. The Avon, Indiana, family was in Kissimmee driving to Walt Disney World in 2011 when the incident happened. The family says Derek Dunning almost ran them off the road and Bretherick’s father Ronald honked the horn. When he did, they said Dunning pulled in front of their pickup truck, jammed on his brakes and trapped them in traffic. When Dunning got out of his SUV and approached them, Ronald Bretherick displayed his holstered pistol. Jared Bretherick says Dunning told them he also had a gun and returned to his SUV and backed toward them. At that point Jared Bretherick took his father’s gun, left the vehicle and pointed it at Dunning’s SUV. In 911 tapes, Ronald Bretherick repeatedly said his son was prepared to shoot Dunning. “My son got out to try to get a better aim on him if he jumps out and tries capping at my family,” the elder Bretherick told the operator. “If he comes out with a gun in his hand, my son’s going to drop him.” No shots were fired, but Jared Bretherick was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm. Dunning didn’t have a gun. Friday argued the state should have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone wasn’t using self-defense before charging them. “It would seem to me if that’s the case and that’s your position it would require an entire trial,” said Chief Justice Jorge Labarga. “How can you make that determination … unless you hear all the evidence?” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Davenport told the justices no other states place the burden on prosecutors to prove someone wasn’t defending themselves before charging them. She also said the pretrial procedure the Supreme Court established hasn’t been questioned until now. “Nobody’s questioned it. Defendants aren’t complaining about it, the trial judges aren’t complaining about it,” Davenport said. “The Legislature knows what this court does. They’ve had four shots at amending this statute. They’ve never done anything.”