ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Man teaches classroom full of children. (Credit: Neonbrand Unsplash) The Florida Senate released an initial $92.83 billion budget proposal Thursday that would provide across-the-board pay raises for state employees, increase money for teacher salaries and help fund water-quality projects. The Senate proposal for the fiscal year that starts July 1 would be about a 2 percent increase over the current year’s budget. Also, it exceeds a $91.4 billion budget proposal that Gov. Ron DeSantis released in November. Much of the Senate package had been unveiled in subcommittees earlier in the week, such as providing $500 million to increase teacher pay and earmarking $643.6 million for water quality and protection. That slightly exceeded DeSantis’ proposal to spend $625 million for Everglades restoration and other water projects. DeSantis proposed spending $602 million to set minimum teacher salaries at $47,500. The Senate would use a large chunk of its proposed $500 million to move toward that minimum-salary goal, while also providing money to boost pay of veteran teachers. “These significant increases allow us to reach Gov. DeSantis’ goal of increasing the minimum classroom teacher salary over the next few years, while also providing opportunities for districts to invest in veteran teachers and the many other members of school district personnel who have such a tremendous impact on our children’s education,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said in a prepared statement. The plan is a first step as Senate and House negotiators prepare to hammer out a final budget before the annual legislative session is scheduled to end March 13. A full House proposal had not been posted Thursday afternoon, though House subcommittees released many details earlier in the week. A major difference between the Senate plan and DeSantis’ proposal is that the Senate would provide a 3 percent pay raise to state employees, while also setting aside additional money for correctional officers. DeSantis has proposed additional money for correctional officers but not for rank-and-file state employees. “We also include a meaningful investment in across-the-board salary increases for our hard-working state employees, as well as forward-looking investments in infrastructure that are critical to future security and economic growth,” Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, said in a statement. AFSCME Florida, a union that represents state workers, has tried to press lawmakers for raises, including holding rallies this week. It praised the Senate budget proposal. “We are thrilled that the hard work of our dedicated state employees is being recognized in the Senate budget,” AFSCME Florida President Vicki Hall said in a statement. “Our members raised their voices to remind our legislators who it is makes this state tick, and those voices have been heard.” The Senate proposal would fully fund increases in state-employee health insurance costs and fully fund affordable-housing programs at $387 million. Also, the Senate said the budget includes such things as a $368.5 million increase in the Department of Transportation’s work program and would not increase tuition in state colleges and universities. The Senate noted in a news release that its spending plan is based on January general-revenue estimates from state economists. Those estimates were not available when DeSantis rolled out his budget plan in November. On Jan. 14, the economists boosted the estimate of revenues by about $400 million over two years. The Senate Appropriations Committee is slated to take up the spending plan Wednesday and could make changes. The full Senate then would consider the plan the following week.