Crews battle 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 battle 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 battle 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.
In Florida, correspondent Meg Oliver found Joshua Vaknin, who has been accused by the state’s attorney general of operating scam moving businesses. CBS NEWS Florida is cracking down on a group of moving companies accused of defrauding consumers around the country. The state’s Attorney General filed a civil suit in federal court last month against 14 companies it investigated. The movers face allegations ranging from damaging property to using deceptive marketing tactics and alleged extortion. Spartan Van Lines is one of 15 aliases one of the companies targeted has used since 2014. The allegations range from using “unskilled, untrained laborers who often damage or steal property,” to “holding consumers’ property hostage.” “CBS This Morning” looked into the company after reading through scores of complaints from customers who claim their belongings were held hostage until a cash ransom was paid. Many of the people we spoke to say they had no choice but to pay, while others we met are still waiting for their most prized possessions to arrive. Last June, Dolores Skeen moved across the country for life-saving back surgery. She hired a moving company called Spartan Van Lines to take her belongings from storage in Texas to a one-bedroom apartment in Maryland. Skeen was quoted $3,453.43, which she paid in full. But Skeen says that after they loaded her stuff, they jacked up the price to nearly $12,000. Eight months later, nothing has arrived. The walls in Skeen’s apartment are bare – not even pictures of her late husband or children. “What do your wedding pictures mean to you?” asked correspondent Meg Oliver. “Oh my God, everything,” Skeen replied. “He’s gone now. I have nothing to remember him by. The coffee cup that he used to use that I kept with me, I don’t have any of that.” “Are they holding your stuff hostage?” “Yeah!” Skeen said. “They want more money. To me, that’s being a hostage.” CBS News got price comparisons from three highly-rated companies for a similar move; estimates from other moving companies came in between $6,000 and $8,000, well below the $12,000 demanded by Spartan. In an email, the company told Skeen that if she doesn’t pay, her belongings will be sent to auction. “There’s no reason for this, other than people trying to make money,” she said. Her misery is echoed across the country. Angry Spartan customers like Jennifer Taylor Bell, in Illinois, are still waiting for items. Bell told Oliver, “When I said, ‘No, I will not give you cash, I will give you the money order,’ the man never showed up.” “That’s extortion,” said Oliver. “Yes.” In Florida, Davina Trafagander caved, and paid an extra $7,000 to reclaim her furniture. And when Amanda Peterson’s stuff arrived in Arizona, items were damaged beyond repair; the screen of her TV was smashed. Pennsylvania Senator Dave Argall passed a bill to crack down on scam movers. He said the underground market is hurting legitimate businesses. “We kept getting complaints about consumers who were being ripped off,” Argall said. “Something would be, you know, broken in the move, some old artifact from great-grandma, and of course they found out that while they thought they had hired real, legitimate movers, they had hired bandits.” Argall says legitimate business owners are also being targeted. Legitimate businessmen like Josh Hall, who owns a Florida moving company; he claims that Spartan Van Lines is masquerading under the same name as his company. He told Oliver it’s had a “definite impact” on his business. Hall estimates business is down 50 percent because of the negative reviews generated by the other Spartan Van Lines, a company CBS News tracked down to an office outside Philadelphia. Although the moving company told us their hub and fleet of trucks are located at a Doylestown, Pa., address, all we found there was a mailbox. More than a thousand miles away, in Hallandale, Florida, Oliver tracked down the company’s owner, Joshua Vaknin. He refused to talk on camera, but denied all accusations of fraud. Meanwhile, in her empty apartment, Delores Skeen is still recovering from surgery, and is facing retirement with no personal belongings, no furniture, and no clothes. “This is it; obviously I can’t work anymore,” she said. “Are you depressed?” asked Oliver. “Very,” she said, getting emotional. “It’s just horrible what this company has done to people, and I’m not the only one.” “CBS This Morning” reached out to Spartan Van Lines to help locate Skeen’s property. They finally told us her things never left Texas and were in storage. Spartan’s owner told us her property won’t be released until the remaining balance of nearly $9,000 is paid in full. To find out if a moving company is legitimate, consumers are directed to a website, moving.org, where they can find out if there are complaints against a firm.