Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendmentLee County deputy subdues convicted felon with Taser at North Fort Myers Walmart
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.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County deputy subdues convicted felon with Taser at North Fort Myers Walmart Lee County deputies used a Taser on a man after they raced through a North Fort Myers Walmart searching for him.
FORT MYERS 2 posing as Target Corporate employees steal over $6K at Fort Myers Target SWFL Crime Stoppers seeks information on two men who allegedly claimed to be employees of Target Corporate and stole over $6,000 at Target.
Punta Gorda cosiders fate of historic A.C. Freeman House It was built by politician and businessman Augustus C. Freeman whose name the house bears, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested for armed robbery in Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man for armed robbery and falsifying his name to law enforcement.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis signs bills to provide financial options for Floridians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will provide financial options to Floridians and another bill that curates the state public school curriculum.
BONITA SPRINGS LCSO seeks information on missing 77-year-old kayaker LCSO seeks information on a missing kayaker after responding to a call about a missing kayak off the coast of Bonita Beach.
FORT MYERS Tim Tebow speaks at annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow took the stage at Hammond Stadium for the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project The Fort Myers City Council is set to provide an update on the progress of the Fowler Street intersection project.
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.
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.
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.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County deputy subdues convicted felon with Taser at North Fort Myers Walmart Lee County deputies used a Taser on a man after they raced through a North Fort Myers Walmart searching for him.
FORT MYERS 2 posing as Target Corporate employees steal over $6K at Fort Myers Target SWFL Crime Stoppers seeks information on two men who allegedly claimed to be employees of Target Corporate and stole over $6,000 at Target.
Punta Gorda cosiders fate of historic A.C. Freeman House It was built by politician and businessman Augustus C. Freeman whose name the house bears, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested for armed robbery in Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man for armed robbery and falsifying his name to law enforcement.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis signs bills to provide financial options for Floridians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will provide financial options to Floridians and another bill that curates the state public school curriculum.
BONITA SPRINGS LCSO seeks information on missing 77-year-old kayaker LCSO seeks information on a missing kayaker after responding to a call about a missing kayak off the coast of Bonita Beach.
FORT MYERS Tim Tebow speaks at annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow took the stage at Hammond Stadium for the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project The Fort Myers City Council is set to provide an update on the progress of the Fowler Street intersection project.
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.
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.
FORT MYERS, Fla. Airline industry officials are worried that passengers are getting their pets a free ride by claiming them as emotional support animals. One major U.S. carrier reported carrying more than 24,000 emotional support animals in its cabins in one year. That number is nearly double the amount of people who brought trained service animals on that same carrier in the same year. Airlines allow passengers to bring emotional support animals in the aircraft cabin as long as they present a letter signed by a medical professional attesting to their need for the animal. The letters must be signed by a licensed mental health professional stating that the passenger is under their care and that they have a diagnosable emotional disorder. Airlines normally charge fees, and have size restrictions, to bring animals into the cabin. Such fees are waived for those with emotional disabilities, according to the Air Carrier Access Act, as interpreted by the Department of Transportation. The measure allows emotional support animals to have the same access as trained service animals. For a gate attendant, deciphering which is which isn’t always easy. “You can imagine somebody coming to the gate, the plane is leaving soon and they have to decide relatively quickly, very quickly as to whether this is a pet or an emotional support animal,” said Doug Lavin, vice-president for North America for the International Air Transport Association. The process A WINK News investigation found that those letters can be obtained by filling out online questionnaires without seeing or speaking to a mental health professional. Lauren Sweeney and Katie Cribbs, a reporter and producer on WINK News’ investigative team, completed the questionnaires. Within two hours, both were sent letters from licensed mental health professionals. The cost ranged from $90 to $160. “It’s not really adequate to simply take in some survey information and issue somebody a letter that’s a real diagnosis or some disability other than the fact that we all like dogs,” said William Allen, a professor of medical ethics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. The letter Sweeney received was good enough to satisfy a ticket agent at Southwest Florida International Airport. She didn’t board due to her dog’s excitable nature. Pigs, horses and ducks Industry officials are aware of the practice, said Lavin, who added that pigs and miniature horses are extremely popular. A diaper-donning duck named Daniel made headlines in October 2016 when a passenger tweeted a photo of him. The duck’s owner said he helps with her post traumatic stress disorder. Daniel, the duck on my flight, likes to look at the clouds. pic.twitter.com/YiOjCvZ0NO — Mark Essig (@mark_essig) October 16, 2016 Industry officials asked to restrict emotional support animals to only dogs and to remove the medical letter requirement. “Because there is such fraud we actually agreed to eliminate the requirement for certification by a medical professional, but instead we said that the passengers would have to do a mandatory attestation that number one they suffered from AN emotional disability and number two they are under the care of a licensed professional and the licensed professional had seen them and they needed an ESA,” Lavin said. Appropriate method? The therapist who signed the letter for Cribbs did not respond to requests for comment. Instead, a representative from CertaPet responded, claiming that significant analysis went into the determination of the diagnosis and that their screening process is created to weed out fraudulent answers. The psychologist who signed the letter for Sweeney claimed her analysis conformed to the standard of care for “tele-medicine.” The Florida Department of Health, however, said “tele-medicine” typically involves meeting via telephone or some type of video conferencing, and that online surveys are only part of the treatment. The department encouraged anyone concerned about a professional’s standard of care to file a complaint.