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.
(Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images via CBS News/FILE) Gun rights would be expanded at churches and other places of worship and for local government officials in Florida who want to carry firearms at meetings under two bills approved by a House committee Tuesday. Members of the House Criminal Justice Committee cited several shootings around the country as they supported the bills, including one last month in which security volunteer Jack Wilson fatally shot a man who opened fire in a Texas church, killing two. “Every day that this is not the law in Florida is an insult to people of faith who attend church,” said Republican Rep. Anthony Sabatini. “We are probably moments away from the next Jack Wilson story, the next opportunity for someone to stand up in a church and save a life, and the failure of this bill to pass would, I think, encourage such violent acts.” While Florida doesn’t prohibit guns in churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship, many religious organizes worship on properties that also contain schools, ranging from preschools to universities, and guns are banned in those places. The measures were also passed as Florida’s Democrat s call for more gun restrictions two years after a shooting at a Parkland high school left 17 dead. Republicans have largely ignored those calls, while the two bills approved Tuesday received bipartisan support. “I understand that sometimes gun issues are hotly contested in our society, but on this measure here, members, there really should be no contesting this. This is something we all should be voting for, because the truth is that those people who attend churches are in harm’s way,” said Republican Rep. Byron Donalds. Rabbi Zvi Konikov of Satellite Beach strongly urged committee members to support the bill. “Synagogues and all houses of faith are in a state of crisis. Law enforcement cannot be expected on our sites 24/7. Rabbis and all leaders of faith cannot be left unprotected,” Konikov said. “Law enforcement agencies have response times in minutes, but the violent criminals can take our lives in seconds.” If a religious institution is leasing, renting or borrowing the site where it worships, the property owner could still impose a firearm ban, under the proposed bill. Three of the five Democrats on the committee joined Republicans in supporting the bill. The other bill would allow county and city commissioners and school board members to carry guns to meetings if they have a concealed weapons permit. In sponsoring the bill, Republican Rep. Mel Ponder cited shootings at government meetings around the country, including at a 2010 school board meeting in Bay County, where a gunman opened fire before being shot by a security guard and then taking his own life. Ponder is running for a seat on the Okaloosa County Commission. Current Okaloosa Commissioner Graham Fountain also spoke in favor of the bill. “Every day we get threats. We have people stalking our staff, our commissioners…This protects us,” Fountain said. ”And for my good friend Mr. Ponder here, he’s fixing to sit next to me here in the near future as a county commissioner and he’s dang sure going to need that pistol.” The legislative staff analysis cited shootings at government meetings in New Hope, Minnesota; Kirkwood, Missouri; Ross Township, Pennsylvania; and Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Rep. Spencer Roach was the only Republican to vote against the bill, saying it didn’t go far enough, and anyone with a concealed weapons permit should be allowed to take their guns to government meetings. “It sets a dangerous precedent when the exercise of your Second Amendment right, or any right, is conditioned upon your employment status, and even more dangerous when it’s conditioned on your membership in the government,” Roach said. “We are giving a superior right to government officials here that our constituents don’t have.” But Democratic Rep. Michael Grieco, a former Miami Beach city commissioner, said government officials should be able to protect themselves, and he found it strange that as a concealed weapons permit holder, he couldn’t bring his gun to meetings. “At least twice, if not three times, I have had death threats. I’ve had to have police vehicles placed outside my home,” he said, adding that commission meetings can get contentious. “There are plenty of places — city commission meetings, city council meetings — where you do feel unsafe and you are a target.” The measure was approved on an 11-3 vote, with two Democrats joining Roach in opposing it.