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.
Surges in early voting, beyond 2014 totals. Photo via MGN. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Florida legislators racing against the clock on a new state budget struck a deal Friday on a $2 billion plan to steer money to more than 200 hospitals that treat large numbers of low-income patients. House and Senate budget negotiators will sink $400 million in state tax dollars to replace some of the lost federal funds from the so-called low-income pool that is expected to end this summer. The deal removes a major obstacle to finalizing a new state budget. State government would be partially shut down if a new budget isn’t passed by the end of June. It’s also a relief to hospitals that were anticipating more extensive cuts. Senate President Andy Gardiner, an executive at an Orlando hospital, had pushed to help hospitals dealing with the loss of federal aid. He said that the agreement would allow the hospitals to transition as the low-income pool money is reduced. “It’s important though, that we provided some stability in the health care system for hospitals,” Gardiner said. The issue blew up the regular session because the Senate wanted to take federal money to expand Medicaid to roughly 800,000 Floridians, which would make hospitals less reliant on the federal funds because they’d have more paying patients. But Gov. Rick Scott and Republican House leaders were adamant against taking any money tied to President Obama’s health law. The Senate compromise would have brought more federal money to Florida while allowing recipients to choose private insurance instead of a straight up Medicaid expansion, but the House voted it down last week during the special session. As several hospital officials warned they would be forced to close or cut services without the funds, Scott has worked to show that hospitals are not in as bad of financial shape as they maintain. He even proposed a hospital profit-sharing plan. Jackson Health System officials said the small cuts under the new deal would not noticeably affect services. “This projected loss is much more manageable than a devastating cut of approximately $200 million that we anticipated just a few months ago,” CEO Carlos Migoya said in a statement. The Obama administration has tentatively said it would partially extend the hospital funds for two more years. The federal funding would be $600 million in the 2015-16 fiscal year – down from about a billion in the current fiscal year- and just over $300 million next year. The administration says it’s more effective to give consumers insurance than to pay hospitals for caring for the uninsured retroactively and will not give Florida any hospital funds to help folks who would be covered if the state had expanded Medicaid. The disagreement about Medicaid expansion and how to fill the hole in Florida’s budget got so tense that the House abruptly adjourned three days before the session was scheduled to end May 1. The governor is also suing the Obama administration over the matter, accusing them of withholding the hospital funds because the state won’t expand Medicaid. Budget negotiators plan to work over the weekend to resolve remaining differences in school spending and environmental programs.