Hot and humid Thursday before evening isolated storms impact coastal communitiesGov. DeSantis to hold a news conference in Jacksonville
the weather authority Hot and humid Thursday before evening isolated storms impact coastal communities The Weather Authority is tracking a humid Thursday morning with high afternoon temperatures and evening coastal isolated storms.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis to hold a news conference in Jacksonville Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Jacksonville.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sea turtle nesting season begins in Fort Myers Beach Sea turtle nesting season has officially begun, and the FWC wants to remind visitors about the fragility of the young reptiles.
BAREFOOT LAKE Neighbors react to chaos at Barefoot Lake Imagine being scared to leave your home on the weekends. Ana and Anrik understand the feeling all too well.
CAPE CORAL The story of Ollie’s Pub and what kept it open through years of hardships Before Ollie’s housed weekly events, packed to the brim with artwork and home to many, it was a simple dream and an empty space.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Remembering Fort Myers Beach ‘Mayor’ Brad Benson To know Brad Benson was to know a legend. He recently passed away at the age of 71 after battling health issues.
CAPE CORAL Proposed Cape Coral City Council meeting time change fails In a 4 to 4 vote, the motion to move Cape Coral meeting times from 4:30 to 9 a.m. failed.
Greater Dunbar initiative begins A duplex that has been around since the 1960s and is filled with generations of memories is being demolished.
Caught on camera: funnel clouds, hail and more during thunderstorm Wednesday’s thunderstorms storms have produced hail and funnel clouds.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New mammography guidelines Breast cancer is much easier to treat when it’s caught early.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral church picking up the pieces after massive fire Calvary Connection ministries is unrecognizable after a massive fire swept through a Cape Coral Complex on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Day Two of FEMA code compliance hearings in Cape Coral Another 50 people were summoned Wednesday for the second day of code compliance hearings before the special magistrate.
PUNTA GORDA Cracking down on vapes in Charlotte County schools Vaping is taking over, and that’s why three Charlotte County High schools are testing out vape sensors.
State lawmakers want to hear your opinion on voting in Lee County Right now, everyone votes for or against all five of the Lee Commissioners, but they’re talking about changing the system so that each commissioner represents a specific part of the county.
the weather authority Hot and humid Thursday before evening isolated storms impact coastal communities The Weather Authority is tracking a humid Thursday morning with high afternoon temperatures and evening coastal isolated storms.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis to hold a news conference in Jacksonville Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Jacksonville.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sea turtle nesting season begins in Fort Myers Beach Sea turtle nesting season has officially begun, and the FWC wants to remind visitors about the fragility of the young reptiles.
BAREFOOT LAKE Neighbors react to chaos at Barefoot Lake Imagine being scared to leave your home on the weekends. Ana and Anrik understand the feeling all too well.
CAPE CORAL The story of Ollie’s Pub and what kept it open through years of hardships Before Ollie’s housed weekly events, packed to the brim with artwork and home to many, it was a simple dream and an empty space.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Remembering Fort Myers Beach ‘Mayor’ Brad Benson To know Brad Benson was to know a legend. He recently passed away at the age of 71 after battling health issues.
CAPE CORAL Proposed Cape Coral City Council meeting time change fails In a 4 to 4 vote, the motion to move Cape Coral meeting times from 4:30 to 9 a.m. failed.
Greater Dunbar initiative begins A duplex that has been around since the 1960s and is filled with generations of memories is being demolished.
Caught on camera: funnel clouds, hail and more during thunderstorm Wednesday’s thunderstorms storms have produced hail and funnel clouds.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New mammography guidelines Breast cancer is much easier to treat when it’s caught early.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral church picking up the pieces after massive fire Calvary Connection ministries is unrecognizable after a massive fire swept through a Cape Coral Complex on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Day Two of FEMA code compliance hearings in Cape Coral Another 50 people were summoned Wednesday for the second day of code compliance hearings before the special magistrate.
PUNTA GORDA Cracking down on vapes in Charlotte County schools Vaping is taking over, and that’s why three Charlotte County High schools are testing out vape sensors.
State lawmakers want to hear your opinion on voting in Lee County Right now, everyone votes for or against all five of the Lee Commissioners, but they’re talking about changing the system so that each commissioner represents a specific part of the county.
National Park Service / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic THE EVERGLADES, Fla. –(CBS) Hundreds of people are taking part in a month-long “Python Challenge” in the Florida Everglades, hunting for Burmese pythons. While the species is not venomous, the snakes are strong and deadly, and can also threaten the ecosystem, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann. In the Florida Everglades, it is “basking season” for Burmese pythons when the cold-blooded snakes seek out the warmth of the sun. Tom Rahill’s team is hunting for these snakes. Burmese pythons are not a venomous, but they are an invasive species – and an evasive one. “It is a challenge. And we’ll go multiple days and not see anything,” said Tom Aycock, a member of Rahill’s team. Burmese pythons average about eight feet and camouflage themselves in more than one million acres of swamp and sawgrass. But Rahill is known as the “snake whisperer.” “I’ve supervised hundreds and hundreds of captures and over 300 captured personally,” Rahill said. Rahill tracked down his first Burmese in 2008 and was hooked. “You go into an alpha predator mindset. If you don’t have an alpha predator mindset, some people can get hurt easily,” Rahill said. First, they bite. “They have sharp, hundreds of sharp, razor teeth. You have to just breathe deep and just let it release on its own,” Rahill said. “If you pull away from a python that bites you, your arm is going to be shredded.” Big Burmese can also coil and crush you. “I had a hold of a 17-foot python a number of years back. Totally ecstatic… I had a hold of it and it moved me like I was a feather on a freight train,” Rahill said. A big Burmese can even swallow a deer. As captured in one photo, an alligator inside the python’s stomach was so big, the snake actually exploded. Like the population of these snakes in the Everglades, a female can lay up to 100 eggs. “There could be tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of snakes. We just don’t know,” said Kristen Penny Sommers who works for the Florida Conservation Commission. Some experts believe pet owners released their Burmese into the wild when the snakes grew too big. “Burmese pythons don’t have any natural predators in the state of Florida,” Sommers said. “They’re not supposed to be here.” For help removing them, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Officials started the “Python Challenge,” with a top prize of $5,000. Rahill’s competing with his team of volunteers called the “Swamp Apes.” They invite combat vets with PTSD on the hunt for what he calls “wilderness therapy.” These hunters grab a Burmese by the neck, behind the jaw and let it wear itself out, then drop it into a bag. They can deliver it dead or alive to wildlife officials. Rahill’s “Swamp Apes” will be featured on an upcoming “Animal Planet” that focuses on the Python Challenge and hunters who play hide-and-seek with the killer snakes.