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.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Federal investigators said Tuesday that the captain of the doomed cargo ship that sank after being battered by a hurricane intended to pass 65 miles from the center of the storm, a decision maritime experts say was risky. The 790-foot El Faro left after the National Hurricane Center sent out an advisory on Tuesday, Sept. 29 that then-Tropical Storm Joaquin was predicted to become a hurricane. The next day, the captain, Michael Davidson, sent his plan to the company, saying he thought he’d be able to outrun it, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a news release. “The captain emailed a company safety official that he intended to take a route south of the predicted path of the hurricane and would pass about 65 miles from its center,” the agency wrote. The 41-year-old freighter eventually sank after Davidson radioed in that they had lost engine power and were tipping and taking on water. The NTSB said the U.S. Coast Guard received three different electronic distress alerts from the ship. All 33 crew members aboard were lost. A Navy team is currently searching for the wreckage. Some maritime experts said intending to go 65 miles from the center of a storm is risky, and that many others choose to stay much farther away from a dangerous storm, which is what the Category 4 hurricane Joaquin became. “The rule of thumb for me is 300 miles,” said F. John Nicoll, a retired captain who spent years piloting cargo ships like the El Faro on the run to Puerto Rico. “My supervisor always used to say that 300 is the rule. It’s weather. And the only thing you can predict about it is that it’s unpredictable.” Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss said there is no minimum distance that ships are told to stay away from a hurricane; it is not advisable to travel anywhere near them, he said. “Any time there’s a hurricane, the rule of thumb for the Coast Guard is to avoid it,” Doss said. Michael Hanson, a spokesman for Tote Maritime, the company that owned and operated the El Faro, said Tuesday that the company would not speculate on events surrounding the sinking, and directed questions to the NTSB. But Phil Greene, president and CEO of Tote Services Inc., has said that Davidson was a capable captain with lots of experience, and expressed confidence in his decision making. “The captain established a plan. He had been observing this weather system for many days prior to this voyage occurring,” Greene said. “On Wednesday he sent a message back to the home office providing his status on the developing tropical storm and highlighted his plan and said he had very good weather and what his intentions were and that his crew was fully prepared.” At least one crew member who perished with the ship had expressed concern about the approaching storm, sending a message to her mother while at sea. “Not sure if you’ve been following the weather at all, but there is a hurricane out here and we are heading straight into it,” wrote Danielle Randolph, according to court documents. The families of two other crew members have filed wrongful death lawsuits against Tote, and one named the captain as well. They argue the company and captain took undue risks in sailing despite hurricane warnings. The NTSB’s investigation also found that the El Faro had been inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard and was qualified on March 6, 2015. A few months later, the vessel’s boilers, used to power the ship, were inspected and it was recommended that they be serviced when they returned to dry dock on Nov. 6, a routine procedure.