Genesis of Naples breaking ground on new car dealershipEmails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment
Genesis of Naples breaking ground on new car dealership A genesis—or new beginning—is under way for Genesis of Naples. The local franchise plans to break ground this summer on a new and expanded luxury auto dealership in North Naples.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
CAPE CORAL 13-year-old arrested for allegedly getting involved in hit-and-run with stolen car, fleeing from Cape Coral police A teen was arrested on multiple charges after allegedly getting involved in a hit-and-run with a stolen car and then fleeing from police.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caloosahatchee River Bridge to close overnight for construction The Caloosahatchee River Bridge from First Street to North Key Drive in North Fort Myers will close so crews can perform bridge work.
CAPE CORAL Accused Cape Coral double murderer, Wade Wilson, goes to court to try to get death penalty off the table Wade Wilson, the man who allegedly murdered two women, will be in court to try to persuade the court to get the death penalty off the table.
Jupiter DeSantis announces funding for developmentally disabled individuals Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke on education for children with developmental disabilities at the Els Center of Excellence in Jupiter.
CHARLOTTE COUNTY Bradenton man arrested after allegedly masturbating inside Charlotte County Walmart A man from Bradenton has been arrested after he was allegedly masturbating inside a Walmart in Charlotte County.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres work trailer explosion injures 1 The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District responded to a work trailer explosion that injured one person.
CBS News Trump and DeSantis, once GOP rivals, meet in South Florida to talk about 2024 election Florida Governor Ron DeSantis met privately with former President Donald Trump for several hours on Sunday morning to talk, in part, about fundraising ahead of the 2024 general election, several sources familiar with the meeting tell CBS News.
WINK NEWS Florida Prepaid open enrollment deadline approaches All parents fear the expense of college for their children; however, the state offers a great option in the Florida Prepaid Plan.
The Weather Authority Few showers Monday afternoon in SWFL The Weather Authority is tracking a few rain showers on Monday afternoon into the early evening.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead, 1 arrested after North Fort Myers shooting The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested one person following an evening shooting that killed a man in North Fort Myers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
Genesis of Naples breaking ground on new car dealership A genesis—or new beginning—is under way for Genesis of Naples. The local franchise plans to break ground this summer on a new and expanded luxury auto dealership in North Naples.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
CAPE CORAL 13-year-old arrested for allegedly getting involved in hit-and-run with stolen car, fleeing from Cape Coral police A teen was arrested on multiple charges after allegedly getting involved in a hit-and-run with a stolen car and then fleeing from police.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caloosahatchee River Bridge to close overnight for construction The Caloosahatchee River Bridge from First Street to North Key Drive in North Fort Myers will close so crews can perform bridge work.
CAPE CORAL Accused Cape Coral double murderer, Wade Wilson, goes to court to try to get death penalty off the table Wade Wilson, the man who allegedly murdered two women, will be in court to try to persuade the court to get the death penalty off the table.
Jupiter DeSantis announces funding for developmentally disabled individuals Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke on education for children with developmental disabilities at the Els Center of Excellence in Jupiter.
CHARLOTTE COUNTY Bradenton man arrested after allegedly masturbating inside Charlotte County Walmart A man from Bradenton has been arrested after he was allegedly masturbating inside a Walmart in Charlotte County.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres work trailer explosion injures 1 The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District responded to a work trailer explosion that injured one person.
CBS News Trump and DeSantis, once GOP rivals, meet in South Florida to talk about 2024 election Florida Governor Ron DeSantis met privately with former President Donald Trump for several hours on Sunday morning to talk, in part, about fundraising ahead of the 2024 general election, several sources familiar with the meeting tell CBS News.
WINK NEWS Florida Prepaid open enrollment deadline approaches All parents fear the expense of college for their children; however, the state offers a great option in the Florida Prepaid Plan.
The Weather Authority Few showers Monday afternoon in SWFL The Weather Authority is tracking a few rain showers on Monday afternoon into the early evening.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead, 1 arrested after North Fort Myers shooting The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested one person following an evening shooting that killed a man in North Fort Myers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
MGN ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Criminal defendants in three central Florida counties often face a stark choice, a public defender says: Pay hundreds of dollars in fees that help fund the prosecutors’ office, as a condition of reaching a plea deal, or face trial and risk stiffer punishment. Now public defender Rex Dimmig says that the practice creates unequal treatment for the criminal justice system’s poorest defendants. “My office only represents indigent people, and they ought to be entitled to the same punishment for the same offenses as someone who has money,” said Dimmig, public defender for the 10th Judicial Circuit, which covers Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties. “If they can’t pay … they are unable to get the same deal. This violates the principle of equal protection.” State Attorney Jerry Hill says his office considers a defendant’s ability to pay when making a plea offer, and he says that poor defendants aren’t being treated any differently from other people. “Nobody is being forced to pay the cost of prosecution,” Hill said. “They can always say no. They’re welcome to go to trial.” He also said his office depends on the fees to supplement state funding. Florida law says courts can impose “cost of prosecution” fees, set at a minimum of $50 for misdemeanors and $100 for felonies. The money is deposited in a trust fund used to pay for the operations of the State Attorney’s Office. A court can set a higher amount if prosecutors are able to show additional costs. But Dimmig said the State Attorney’s Office isn’t being required to show proof to support the higher fees. He said he’s seeking a change in the law. Dimmig’s objections to the fees got attention in Florida criminal defense circles last week when he circulated his account of an exchange about a case to other Florida public defenders. The negotiations between a prosecutor and the public defender’s office concerned a plea deal for a defendant charged with driving with a suspended license, a third-degree felony. The State Attorney’s Office offered to reduce it to a second-degree misdemeanor in exchange for the defendant paying $400 and participating in a weekend work release program. The defendant worried that back problems would prevent him from working and land him in jail. The prosecutor countered with an offer for the defendant to pay a $1,000 fine, with no jail time or work release requirement, ostensibly for the cost of prosecution. “Anybody want to wager how much time the SAO (State Attorney’s Office) has actually put into working on this case?” Dimmig asked in an email to his fellow public defenders. Hill said it was a good case to reach a plea deal since it was a nonviolent felony. “Anything we can do to offset the burden on the taxpayer, anything we can do to make this a user-funded system, I personally view it as an obligation to do it,” Hill said. “I don’t want the taxpayers paying the judge, the public defender, the prosecutor if we can make the offender, the user pay it.” The president of the Florida Public Defender Association says the practice seems limited to the 10th Circuit. “It doesn’t appear that anyone else is undergoing the same kind of problem,” said Julianne Holt, the public defender for the Tampa area. A 2010 Brennan Center for Justice report faulted Florida’s court system for being over-reliant on fees from defendants. Linking plea agreements to a defendant’s ability to pay fees raises concerns since raising funds may take priority over furthering justice, it said. At one time, the practice was considered “perfectly taboo,” Hill said, but it has become a necessity since the Legislature doesn’t fully fund his office. The State Attorney’s Office is required to get anywhere from a fifth to a quarter of its salaries from the trust fund. “Is that good or bad? One can draw their own conclusions,” he said. “But that’s the reality of 2015.”