Punta Gorda church celebrates Pastor’s 45 years of serviceShift Coffee Bar in Fort Myers hosts annual Valentine’s Day Party
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda church celebrates Pastor’s 45 years of service The First Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Punta Gorda is alive with celebration as they honor a legacy of leadership.
FORT MYERS Shift Coffee Bar in Fort Myers hosts annual Valentine’s Day Party Shift Coffee Bar in Fort Myers held their annual Valentine’s Day pop-up/anniversary event on Sunday morning.
PUNTA GORDA Road rage leads to gunfire near US 41 bridge in Punta Gorda A road rage incident near the Gilchrist Bridge in Punta Gorda led to shots being fired, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
the weather authority Warm, breezy day with evening rain ahead of a slight cold front The Weather Authority says Sunday is starting off warm across Southwest Florida with overnight lows in the upper 60s and 70s, staying warm throughout the day before a cold front sweeps south later this evening.
FORT MYERS Edison Festival parade lights up Fort Myers with floats and bands The Edison Festival parade was a spectacle of lights and sounds, drawing crowds to celebrate the legacy of Thomas Edison.
CAPE CORAL Goth Gala for the Forlorn; How the alt scene honored Valentine’s Day Love Your Rebellion hosted the Goth Gala for the Forlorn at Nice Guys Pizza in Cape Coral on Friday night.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers gears up for Edison Festival parade; road closures in place Downtown Fort Myers is buzzing with excitement as the Edison Festival of Light Parade is set to begin.
the weather authority Near-record heat with sun and clouds for your Saturday The Weather Authority says the above-normal temperatures that Southwest Florida has been experiencing will stick around yet again for Saturday.
LEE COUNTY Savannah Bananas bring fun on the diamond at JetBlue Park The Savannah Bananas amazed and entertained a sold out JetBlue Park Friday night for the first time in Southwest Florida.
CAPE CORAL Caught on Camera: Cape Coral mailbox hit by drifting car A Cape Coral homeowner was left in shock after a car sent her mailbox flying through the air and left tire tracks next to her home.
ARCADIA DeSoto County man sentenced for deadly DUI crash Justice for a mother and son killed by a man driving under the influence.
NAPLES Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community Cleveland Bass Movers, founded in 1969, stands as the oldest Black-owned business in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.
St. James City Church plans $700k flood-proofing project for future safety Hurricanes have caused flood after flood, and one island church, The First Baptist Church of Saint James City, wants to build higher.
Romance scams rise in the US, AARP warns residents to beware Romance scams are on the rise, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 64,000 cases in the U.S. in 2023.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda church celebrates Pastor’s 45 years of service The First Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Punta Gorda is alive with celebration as they honor a legacy of leadership.
FORT MYERS Shift Coffee Bar in Fort Myers hosts annual Valentine’s Day Party Shift Coffee Bar in Fort Myers held their annual Valentine’s Day pop-up/anniversary event on Sunday morning.
PUNTA GORDA Road rage leads to gunfire near US 41 bridge in Punta Gorda A road rage incident near the Gilchrist Bridge in Punta Gorda led to shots being fired, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
the weather authority Warm, breezy day with evening rain ahead of a slight cold front The Weather Authority says Sunday is starting off warm across Southwest Florida with overnight lows in the upper 60s and 70s, staying warm throughout the day before a cold front sweeps south later this evening.
FORT MYERS Edison Festival parade lights up Fort Myers with floats and bands The Edison Festival parade was a spectacle of lights and sounds, drawing crowds to celebrate the legacy of Thomas Edison.
CAPE CORAL Goth Gala for the Forlorn; How the alt scene honored Valentine’s Day Love Your Rebellion hosted the Goth Gala for the Forlorn at Nice Guys Pizza in Cape Coral on Friday night.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers gears up for Edison Festival parade; road closures in place Downtown Fort Myers is buzzing with excitement as the Edison Festival of Light Parade is set to begin.
the weather authority Near-record heat with sun and clouds for your Saturday The Weather Authority says the above-normal temperatures that Southwest Florida has been experiencing will stick around yet again for Saturday.
LEE COUNTY Savannah Bananas bring fun on the diamond at JetBlue Park The Savannah Bananas amazed and entertained a sold out JetBlue Park Friday night for the first time in Southwest Florida.
CAPE CORAL Caught on Camera: Cape Coral mailbox hit by drifting car A Cape Coral homeowner was left in shock after a car sent her mailbox flying through the air and left tire tracks next to her home.
ARCADIA DeSoto County man sentenced for deadly DUI crash Justice for a mother and son killed by a man driving under the influence.
NAPLES Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community Cleveland Bass Movers, founded in 1969, stands as the oldest Black-owned business in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.
St. James City Church plans $700k flood-proofing project for future safety Hurricanes have caused flood after flood, and one island church, The First Baptist Church of Saint James City, wants to build higher.
Romance scams rise in the US, AARP warns residents to beware Romance scams are on the rise, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 64,000 cases in the U.S. in 2023.
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Women are paying more than men for some of the same products. A hidden tax known as the pink tax or gender tax is often found in several daily items women use and many women have no idea. Michael Cone is a partner at the law firm FisherBroyles, LLP and has studied pink tax for nearly two decades. “It is a higher cost on goods for women and girls, simply because those goods are marketed and designed for them,” Cone said. “We’re trying to find out if there’s a good reason for it.” Call for Action investigators went shopping to see if we could find similar products that cost more just because they were targeted for women. It turns out, the discrepancies are all over the store. We found a green set of pacifiers for $4.29; the pink set was $4.49. Fruit of the Loom underwear cost $9.19 for men and women, but the men’s pack had seven pair and the women’s had six. A 10-pack of men’s BIC razors cost $6.49, the woman’s was $8.99. A store-brand of shaving cream for women cost $2.14 for women, but only $2.04 for men. The only difference was the women’s can was pink and the man’s can was black. A two pack of women’s Degree (2.6 ounce) cost $7.39; a two pack of men’s Degree (2.7 ounce) cost $3.97. “I think that the higher prices are often due to more marketing costs for women’s goods. What the marketing does is inform women that they need to purchase specific products that are designed for them to be sexy and intriguing for example or beautiful and attractive. But that advertising does not do anything worthwhile in an economic sense. Advertising is only useful, if you take Econ 101, when it conveys information to the consumer. Does this deodorant protect you for six hours verses eight hours verses 12 hours. That’s real information that tells you about the effectiveness and the qualities of the good. If it’s to be sexy and intriguing, it’s a pure psychological play and women are taught that they need to buy marketing quite frankly to buy these things and purchase pink in order to be feminine, sexy and attractive,” Cone said. The gender discrimination goes much deeper though. Cone said Uncle Sam charges certain importers more if the product is for a woman. “Uncle Sam places different taxes on clothing, footwear and gloves based on whether those goods are imported allegedly for men or women, and the only difference between shirts for men and women is which side the buttons are on,” he explained. “My biggest pet peeve is the import tax on women’s athletic shoes. If you add up all those excessive taxes, those importers pay $100 million to $150 million more per year on athletic shoes.” Cone said some of that cost is passed down to you, the consumer. One example he gave was the import tax on women’s athletic shoes. Cone said there is a 10-percent import tax for women’s leather athletic shoes but only an 8.5-percent tax for men’s leather athletic shoes. However, Cone said there are places that this discrimination is being fought. He said in France a group has petitioned a government administrative agency that looks out for women and gender issues. “In Scandinavia they have now outlawed gender marketing for boys and girls. Their catalogs and their marketing in store is not pink and princess dolls are for girls and swords are for boys. It’s company awareness, it’s awareness for consumers.” For now, Cone said if you are fed up with paying more, simply buy the man’s product. Often he said they are the same thing.