DeSoto County man sentenced for deadly DUI crashOldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community
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 Savannah Bananas make their way to Fort Myers for first time The Savannah Bananas have made their way to JetBlue Park for Friday’s sold-out game in Fort Myers to watch “the greatest show in sports.”
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Yacht Club receives key permit Cape Coral received a key permit for a Yacht Club Community Park. This permit opens up the necessary steps for the park to be built.
PORT CHARLOTTE Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church holds 31st annual Greek Fest The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Port Charlotte kicked off its 31st annual Greek Fest on Friday.
Donations helping young kids get fed Food insecurity is a pressing issue in the community, and organizations like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Meals of Hope and the Guadalupe Center are stepping up to help.
New risk factors contribute to heart disease February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to assess your heart health.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte High School student arrested for possession of BB gun According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, a student has been arrested after a BB gun was found in his backpack on Friday.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Regional Library to undergo multiple repairs due to Ian The Fort Myers Regional Library is preparing for essential repairs, nearly two years after Hurricane Ian made its impact.
Drug bust at Collier County home leads to triple arrest Three people are accused of running a drug house that held opioids, fentanyl and other illicit narcotics in Collier County.
Charlotte County’s first Grain & Berry opens Fast-growing organic vegan restaurant franchise Grain & Berry opened in Port Charlotte, making it the 19th in the state out of a total of 23 nationwide.
GOLDEN GATE Body found in Collier County canal prompts death investigation Collier County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation after a body was discovered in a canal.
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 Savannah Bananas make their way to Fort Myers for first time The Savannah Bananas have made their way to JetBlue Park for Friday’s sold-out game in Fort Myers to watch “the greatest show in sports.”
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Yacht Club receives key permit Cape Coral received a key permit for a Yacht Club Community Park. This permit opens up the necessary steps for the park to be built.
PORT CHARLOTTE Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church holds 31st annual Greek Fest The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Port Charlotte kicked off its 31st annual Greek Fest on Friday.
Donations helping young kids get fed Food insecurity is a pressing issue in the community, and organizations like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Meals of Hope and the Guadalupe Center are stepping up to help.
New risk factors contribute to heart disease February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to assess your heart health.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte High School student arrested for possession of BB gun According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, a student has been arrested after a BB gun was found in his backpack on Friday.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Regional Library to undergo multiple repairs due to Ian The Fort Myers Regional Library is preparing for essential repairs, nearly two years after Hurricane Ian made its impact.
Drug bust at Collier County home leads to triple arrest Three people are accused of running a drug house that held opioids, fentanyl and other illicit narcotics in Collier County.
Charlotte County’s first Grain & Berry opens Fast-growing organic vegan restaurant franchise Grain & Berry opened in Port Charlotte, making it the 19th in the state out of a total of 23 nationwide.
GOLDEN GATE Body found in Collier County canal prompts death investigation Collier County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation after a body was discovered in a canal.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida is confronting an uproar over whether the state’s highway patrol is requiring troopers to meet ticket quotas for drivers, including millions of tourists each year who crowd its interstate highways. Top state officials insist quotas are not allowed, but the second-highest ranking official in the Florida Highway Patrol resigned on Monday amid an ongoing review. Lt. Col. Michael Thomas stepped down after it was discovered he sent an email in late May that encouraged troopers to write two tickets an hour. In his letter announcing his early retirement, Thomas called the email a “grave error” and said he was taking responsibility for his actions. “This error has negatively impacted the patrol’s image, which was never the intent, but I feel it is in the best interest of the patrol that I retire,” wrote Thomas, who earned $131,000 a year in his job as deputy director. Col. Gene Spaulding, the highway patrol director, said that while the email was sent with the goal of “providing enhanced public safety” it was still “inappropriate to request a specific number of citations from our members.” The Florida Highway Patrol is responsible for monitoring state highways, including interstates 10, 95 and 75 that link Florida to the rest of the country Thomas had been with the Florida Highway Patrol for 30 years. His last day on the job will be Sept. 1. His resignation marked the second at the Florida Highway Patrol this month related to traffic tickets. Maj. Mark Welch of Tallahassee’s Troop H resigned after he told troopers they weren’t writing enough tickets. His email became public because the Tampa Bay Times reported that Welch had told troopers under his command via email that “the patrol wants to see two citations each hour,” adding that it’s not a quota. Welch resigned hours after Attorney General Pam Bondi called his actions “reckless” and “stupid” during a public meeting with top officials in the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. When drivers pay their ticket fine, the money doesn’t go back to the Florida Highway Patrol. Instead the money is turned back over to cities and counties where the ticket was written In his retirement letter, Thomas contended that no trooper has been disciplined or threatened due to how many tickets are written. Still he said in his personal opinion that it was “detrimental” to call goals a “quota.” Data provided by the department shows that the number of tickets written by troopers has been falling the last three years. Troopers wrote nearly 935,000 tickets in 2014, but that dropped to 749,000 in 2016. During the same time the Florida Highway Patrol has struggled to fill all of its trooper positions. As of the end of June, there were 162 vacancies, according to Beth Frady, a spokeswoman for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The department is authorized to have nearly 2,000 troopers statewide. State legislators and Gov. Rick Scott agreed this year to boost the starting pay of troopers and to give a 5-percent raise. Scott wants to give troopers another raise next year.