Woman rescued from Peace River by good Samaritans days after MiltonRestaurant in Cape Coral helps another in Punta Gorda recover from Milton
Woman rescued from Peace River by good Samaritans days after Milton A woman is lucky to be alive after being found two miles off the coast in the Peace River and brought to shore by vigilant good samaritans.
PUNTA GORDA Restaurant in Cape Coral helps another in Punta Gorda recover from Milton Bartenders at the Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda have struggled since Hurricane Milton severely damaged the pub.
Warrior Homes of Collier awards scholarships to local veterans Four Collier County students with military ties are getting a boost toward their education.
Caught on video: Man arrested after leading police on chase in stolen truck Florida troopers say 36-year-old David Alfonso stole the vehicle in Collier County and then led them on a chase through Lee County to Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin.
Record early voting in SWFL may be linked to recent hurricanes On Monday, thousands of people got in line at their polling places as early voting started for most places in southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Milton leaves Fort Myers Beach residents buried in sand and seeking help Hurricane Milton pushed sand onto the streets of Fort Myers Beach, leaving many residents asking for help.
LEHIGH ACRES East Lee County principal uses lemonade to create gameday tradition East Lee County High School principal Tony Allen uses his lemonade recipe to create a new gameday tradition.
NAPLES Naples man defends home from flood waters One Naples man did not mess around when it came to Hurricane Milton prep. Guy Lollino got five feet of water in his home on Vanderbilt Beach during Hurricane Ian. This time he decided to stack a ton of sandbags and fill the cracks with sprayable Styrofoam.
Detecting pancreatic cancer early with AI A pancreatic cancer diagnosis is one of the most dreaded because it carries a very high mortality rate.
Lee County restores solid waste services The process of removing garbage and debris from the streets of Lee County has begun.
Algae bloom research turns into useful storm tool Many of us watched helplessly and waited as hurricanes Helene and Milton sent storm surges onto our roads, into our homes and businesses, altering what we know as home forever. At the same time, one Florida Gulf Coast University student saw the storms as a scientific opportunity.
Amendment 2: Right to fish and hunt Tens of thousands of Floridians, and thousands more visitors that come to our state, enjoy fishing and hunting. We live in a state surrounded by water and wildlife and people have taken advantage of that.
Amendment 1: Establishing partisan school board elections Some school board meetings have become political, with raised voices and the need for security
FORT MYERS Local salon withstands impacts from 3 major hurricanes One hurricane can be devastating; however, three storms will force you to find better ways to prepare for impacts.
Azaleas on the Corner sells plants, paintings, wine in downtown Fort Myers The mother-daughter team of Marie Dyer and Corinne Wimberly already had a business plan in place to start their own shop. They just didn’t have a place to put it.
Woman rescued from Peace River by good Samaritans days after Milton A woman is lucky to be alive after being found two miles off the coast in the Peace River and brought to shore by vigilant good samaritans.
PUNTA GORDA Restaurant in Cape Coral helps another in Punta Gorda recover from Milton Bartenders at the Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda have struggled since Hurricane Milton severely damaged the pub.
Warrior Homes of Collier awards scholarships to local veterans Four Collier County students with military ties are getting a boost toward their education.
Caught on video: Man arrested after leading police on chase in stolen truck Florida troopers say 36-year-old David Alfonso stole the vehicle in Collier County and then led them on a chase through Lee County to Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin.
Record early voting in SWFL may be linked to recent hurricanes On Monday, thousands of people got in line at their polling places as early voting started for most places in southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Milton leaves Fort Myers Beach residents buried in sand and seeking help Hurricane Milton pushed sand onto the streets of Fort Myers Beach, leaving many residents asking for help.
LEHIGH ACRES East Lee County principal uses lemonade to create gameday tradition East Lee County High School principal Tony Allen uses his lemonade recipe to create a new gameday tradition.
NAPLES Naples man defends home from flood waters One Naples man did not mess around when it came to Hurricane Milton prep. Guy Lollino got five feet of water in his home on Vanderbilt Beach during Hurricane Ian. This time he decided to stack a ton of sandbags and fill the cracks with sprayable Styrofoam.
Detecting pancreatic cancer early with AI A pancreatic cancer diagnosis is one of the most dreaded because it carries a very high mortality rate.
Lee County restores solid waste services The process of removing garbage and debris from the streets of Lee County has begun.
Algae bloom research turns into useful storm tool Many of us watched helplessly and waited as hurricanes Helene and Milton sent storm surges onto our roads, into our homes and businesses, altering what we know as home forever. At the same time, one Florida Gulf Coast University student saw the storms as a scientific opportunity.
Amendment 2: Right to fish and hunt Tens of thousands of Floridians, and thousands more visitors that come to our state, enjoy fishing and hunting. We live in a state surrounded by water and wildlife and people have taken advantage of that.
Amendment 1: Establishing partisan school board elections Some school board meetings have become political, with raised voices and the need for security
FORT MYERS Local salon withstands impacts from 3 major hurricanes One hurricane can be devastating; however, three storms will force you to find better ways to prepare for impacts.
Azaleas on the Corner sells plants, paintings, wine in downtown Fort Myers The mother-daughter team of Marie Dyer and Corinne Wimberly already had a business plan in place to start their own shop. They just didn’t have a place to put it.
Florida governor’s mansion and state capitol building. Credit MGN TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – After a passionate debate, the Florida Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would let a half million people use billions in federal dollars to buy health insurance, and added new measures to address criticism from the House, chiefly that the program would end in three years. A majority of Republicans supported the controversial health care bill. Earlier this week, a state economist said the plan would save the state money. A top state health official warned it was unclear whether more or less people would gain coverage under the bill. The Senate addressed some of those concerns by adding requirements to end the program in three years so the state isn’t locked in. Senators also folded in the state’s most vulnerable sick population, known as the medically needy program, strengthened a work requirement and ensured that premiums would not rise for those in the Healthy Kids insurance program. The Senate approved the measure 33-3. The bill faces an unlikely passage in the House even though sponsor Sen. Aaron Bean said it’s projected to save the state $547 million and draw down over $18 billion from the federal government. About 800,000 Floridians are eligible, but an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 would not meet the work or school requirement and would not get coverage, he said. Recipients would also be required to pay small premiums. State health officials worked late Tuesday night with the Senate to address potential problems with the bill, but Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Elizabeth Dudek said in a statement Wednesday “we still have many concerns” and are uncertain whether the plan “will be able to provide more Floridians with health coverage.” Gov. Rick Scott and House Republicans also remain adamantly opposed to taking any federal money tied to so-called Obamacare. The Obama administration would pay the entire expansion bill for the first few years and 90 percent after that, but the governor said it would still cost Floridians $5 billion over 10 years. The debate tore apart the Legislature’s regular session, with lawmakers unable to agree on a budget. The House adjourned three days early in late April, prompting the Legislature to return this week for a special session. The House and the governor want the Obama administration to extend a hospital fund known as the low-income pool. But the Senate, the Obama administration and hospital groups instead want the state to expand Medicaid, arguing it’s more efficient to use federal funds to give people insurance than to pay hospitals for caring for the uninsured retroactively. “This debate has become so rancorous and so fierce and so divisive,” said Republican Sen. Don Gaetz, who noted there is a split in his own family. His son, Rep. Matt Gaetz, has voiced opposition to the Senate plan. “Let’s not mimic the do-nothing Washington that we despise. Let’s work out our differences … it is not too late to rise to our finest hour,” the senior Gaetz said. At one point during the regular session, House Republicans were heard behind closed doors encouraging each other to hold strong in their opposition even if it meant a special session. “The only thing I’ve heard on the other side is politics, misrepresentation and scare tactics,” Sen. Darren Soto said of House Republicans. Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican who voted no, said he did not think it was “responsible” to grow the number of people who are given health care coverage. He also said Florida should not approve a program that would require the federal government to continue to borrow money. “There isn’t some magical pot of money,” Brandes said. “There’s no Confederate gold underneath the federal Capitol.” Senate President Andy Gardiner and supporters repeatedly stressed that the proposal does not expand Medicaid, but allows consumers to purchase private insurance – something the governor strongly supported in the regular Medicaid program. “If we were talking about traditional Medicaid expansion here I would be completely against it,” said Sen. Wilton Simpson. The Obama administration agreed to extend the hospital funds but at only half the amount the state received last year. The governor instead wants to funnel money from public hospitals to for-profit hospitals and has said it’s not necessary to use state funds to fill the gap, but local officials and hospitals are opposed to that plan. It’s unclear how legislators will balance the rest of the state budget and how much state money will be available for Scott’s top priorities – tax cuts and boosting money on public schools.