Crews on scene of 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village DriveJake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people
ESTERO Crews on scene of 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
ESTERO Crews on scene of 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) After sidestepping the issue for months, Gov. Rick Scott said for the first time Monday that he supports having the state acquire thousands of acres to build a reservoir system south of Lake Okeechobee to help battle toxic algal blooms. The governor also announced he wants state legislators to set aside $200 million this year to help repair the aging federally operated dike that surrounds one of the nation’s largest freshwater lakes. Scott’s decision to immerse him into the ongoing debate over Lake Okeechobee comes while the state Legislature is caught in a tug-of-war over how to deal with the so-called “guacamole” algae that fouled coastal waterways a year ago, causing national headlines. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases polluted water from the lake to lower the pressure on the dike to avoid a repeat of a 1928 hurricane breach that killed 2,500 people. Senate President Joe Negron’s solution to water woes is to pass an ambitious $1.2 billion plan to use agricultural and state-owned land to store water south of the lake instead of releasing it into coastal estuaries. Scott has remained silent on the proposal as it has moved through the Senate, but now says he’s willing to support it with some conditions. “Our environment and the local economy in south Florida were hit hard,” Scott said. “Businesses were hurt, our tourism industry was impacted and we have to continue to do all we can to make sure we keep enhancing the quality of our water.” Federal authorities have been promising to fix the dike, but under current proposals the repairs would not be finished until 2025. In the past Scott has blasted the administration of President Barack Obama for failing to move more quickly on repairs. But now with the administration of President Donald Trump in power, Scott is willing to have the state put up $200 million now to expedite the repairs. He said this would help meet a goal of having the repairs done three years earlier. Negron welcomed Scott’s support for his plan, but was somewhat skeptical about whether or not the federal government would repay the state for the dike repair. Negron said that “I want to make sure we do not spend hundreds of millions of dollars … on what is unquestionably a federal responsibility.” John Campbell, a spokesman with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said repairing the dike is a “significant public safety issue” in case it breaches, but he said ecological consequences have not been studied yet. “We could be trading one ecological problem for another,” Campbell said. While Scott said he now supports building the reservoir system, he does not support having the state take private property. The Senate has already passed a bill (SB 10) that creates a reservoir system that could potentially take between 3,000 and 6,000 acres of agricultural land out of production. This has received pushback from the powerful sugar and agricultural industry, which often gives hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations to leading politicians in Florida. U.S. Sugar Corporation late last month wrote a $100,000 check to Scott’s political committee. Since January, Scott has gotten a total of $300,000 from the two major sugar companies in the state. A representative of the industry praised Scott’s approach Monday. “In advocating for up to $200 million in dike repairs and using existing state-owned lands for future water projects, Governor Scott has shown he understands the importance of protecting lives and saving jobs by taking such a responsible position,” said Ryan Duffy, a spokesman for the Florida Sugarcane Farmers.