Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort MyersThe Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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.
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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.
Via U.S. Coast Guard FORT MYERS, Fla. – The search for a family reported missing in the Gulf of Mexico has been suspended, Coast Guard Capt. Gregory Case said in a press conference Saturday. Case also confirmed two bodies recovered from the Sarasota family of four belonged to Ace Kimberly, 45, and daughter Rebecca Kimberly, 17. Ace Kimberly’s sons — 14-year-old Roger Kimberly and 16-year-old Donny Kimberly — are still missing. The search, which began Tuesday, covered more than 33,830 square nautical miles, according to the Coast Guard. A Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation will continue. “I made the very difficult decision to suspend the active search operations for the Kimberly family,” Case said. “It is with a heavy heart and sincere condolences to the family and friends that I do this. This is probably the most difficult decision I ever have to make in this position.” Case said in a Thursday morning press conference that the Coast Guard believes they saw a flare sent out at about 2:30 a.m. that morning from the search area for the family that went missing after their 29-foot sailboat disappeared while traveling to Fort Myers. He cautioned that flare sightings can be tricky and that the possibility exists that what they saw might not have been a flare. Still, they’re working off the assumption that it was, Case said. A Coast Guard official said Thursday that the agency never received a distress call. “We are doing everything we can and throwing everything we have at this search,” Case said this week, before the search was suspended. Crews recovered several items in an area about 35 miles off Sanibel, including a cell phone, birth certificates, a wallet, as well as kayaks and wetsuits. They found what they thought at one point was a sailboat mast, but it was just a bucket of fishing gear. Earlier, the brother of Ace Kimberly told Coast Guard officials that a tarp, four water bottles, tennis shoes, a basketball, a propane tank and six life jackets belonged to the family. “Rebecca had a life jacket on but Ace, the father, did not,” Case said. Maj. Roger Young of the wildlife commission says state investigators will evaluate all the debris recovered from the five-day search in the waters off southwest Florida. It remains unclear whether the boat sank where the debris was found, or if the family had to abandon ship. Young says investigators will “try to get to the bottom of what happened.” The boaters had set out to visit the brother, Fort Myers resident Lawrence Joseph Browning, and have repairs done to the boat. Staff at Marina Jack, where the family would on occasion stop to get fuel, described their boat as “rickety.” The boat was outfitted with many of the tools necessary for the trip, but it lacked a VHF marine radio, which is more reliable than a cell phone, and an emergency position indicating radio beacon device, which allows rescue authorities to track the location of a vessel in distress, the Coast Guard said. Authorities are trying to figure out how much boating experience Ace Kimberly had. The last anyone heard from him or his children was at about 3 p.m. Sunday, when he called Browning and told him he was struggling in 6-foot seas off Englewood, the Coast Guard said. “A brother said he was experiencing rough seas and thunderstorms and he was worried and wanted his brother on land to send him some weather reports and that’s the last that he heard from him,” Case said. Browning alerted the agency on Tuesday, Case said. The Coast Guard officials wouldn’t speculate when asked why Browning waited two days to contact them. Cangemi said earlier in the week, before the search was suspended, that he was optimistic that survivors would be found. The Coast Guard has searched an area stretching from Boca Grande to Fort Myers, deploying multiple crews: HC-130 Hercules fixed-wing rescue aircrew MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew 45-foot Response boat-medium boat crew 45-foot response boat-medium boat crew A Coast Guard cutter The Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Iona-McGregor and Cape Coral fire departments, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and customs and border protection were all involved in the search. Anyone with information about the family is asked to contact the Coast Guard at (727)824-7506 or FWC at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.