Naples Botanical Garden performs prescribed burn in garden areaJerry Seinfeld to perform at Barbara B. Mann in SWFL
NAPLES Naples Botanical Garden performs prescribed burn in garden area The Naples Botanical Garden is conducting a prescribed fire as part of its maintenance of the nature preserve.
NEAR FORT MYERS Jerry Seinfeld to perform at Barbara B. Mann in SWFL Comedian and co-creator of a popular sitcom of the same name, Jerry Seinfeld, is set to perform near Fort Myers.
COLLIER COUNTY DOH-Collier cautions of blue-green algae at Lake Avalon The Florida Department of Health in Collier County (DOH-Collier) wants to caution the public of the presence of blue-green algae in Lake Avalon.
City, Naples Beach Club to preserve green space in perpetuity More than 104 acres of recreation and open space at the former Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club’s golf course will be forever preserved.
FORT MYERS The 52nd annual Fort Myers Boat Show begins An annual Fort Myers tradition has returned as the region’s premier display of boats and boating products, which will be on full display for enthusiasts to enjoy.
the weather authority Tracking Tropical Depression 19, expected to become Tropical Storm Sara The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Depression 19, which is forecast to strengthen into Tropical Storm Sara in the Caribbean later this Thursday afternoon.
the weather authority Gorgeous Thursday afternoon with highs in the mid 80s The Weather Authority is tracking pleasant afternoon conditions with temperatures in the mid-80s this Thursday.
SANIBEL Failed air quality tests push back reopening date for The Sanibel School The tentative reopening of The Sanibel School has been pushed back once again after being closed since Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a rollover, single-vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Florida policyholders urged to contact OIR if policies are canceled or nonrenewed If your insurance has been canceled or is not being renewed due to this year’s storms, the state of Florida wants you to reach out to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
BAREFOOT BEACH Woman thinks QR code got hacked A Fort Myers woman says a fraudulent QR code at Barefoot Beach caused her credit card to be hacked. She’s on a mission to warn others.
CAPE CORAL Sticker shock: Cape Coral residents hit with unexpected property tax hikes This is the time of year when people start paying their property taxes, but what happens when you get your bill and it’s more than you expected?
SANIBEL Sanibel workshop teaches residents benefits of elevating homes and businesses With each hurricane that brings damage to our area, many people rush to be more resilient. On Sanibel, more than 300 people have RSVP’d to learn about raising their homes and businesses.
NAPLES Naples Botanical Garden performs prescribed burn in garden area The Naples Botanical Garden is conducting a prescribed fire as part of its maintenance of the nature preserve.
NEAR FORT MYERS Jerry Seinfeld to perform at Barbara B. Mann in SWFL Comedian and co-creator of a popular sitcom of the same name, Jerry Seinfeld, is set to perform near Fort Myers.
COLLIER COUNTY DOH-Collier cautions of blue-green algae at Lake Avalon The Florida Department of Health in Collier County (DOH-Collier) wants to caution the public of the presence of blue-green algae in Lake Avalon.
City, Naples Beach Club to preserve green space in perpetuity More than 104 acres of recreation and open space at the former Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club’s golf course will be forever preserved.
FORT MYERS The 52nd annual Fort Myers Boat Show begins An annual Fort Myers tradition has returned as the region’s premier display of boats and boating products, which will be on full display for enthusiasts to enjoy.
the weather authority Tracking Tropical Depression 19, expected to become Tropical Storm Sara The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Depression 19, which is forecast to strengthen into Tropical Storm Sara in the Caribbean later this Thursday afternoon.
the weather authority Gorgeous Thursday afternoon with highs in the mid 80s The Weather Authority is tracking pleasant afternoon conditions with temperatures in the mid-80s this Thursday.
SANIBEL Failed air quality tests push back reopening date for The Sanibel School The tentative reopening of The Sanibel School has been pushed back once again after being closed since Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a rollover, single-vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Florida policyholders urged to contact OIR if policies are canceled or nonrenewed If your insurance has been canceled or is not being renewed due to this year’s storms, the state of Florida wants you to reach out to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
BAREFOOT BEACH Woman thinks QR code got hacked A Fort Myers woman says a fraudulent QR code at Barefoot Beach caused her credit card to be hacked. She’s on a mission to warn others.
CAPE CORAL Sticker shock: Cape Coral residents hit with unexpected property tax hikes This is the time of year when people start paying their property taxes, but what happens when you get your bill and it’s more than you expected?
SANIBEL Sanibel workshop teaches residents benefits of elevating homes and businesses With each hurricane that brings damage to our area, many people rush to be more resilient. On Sanibel, more than 300 people have RSVP’d to learn about raising their homes and businesses.
This undated photo provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows CDC’s laboratory test kit for the new coronavirus. (CDC via AP) The Florida Department of Health confirmed 39 new cases of Coronavirus in Florida Sunday morning. Update: The health department’s website is now showing 30 new Florida resident COVID-19 cases on its website in addition to the numbers announced early in the day. There is also an update to the number of non-Florida residents who have tested positive for the virus Sunday night. Of those new cases, three are here in Southwest Florida. This brings the total positive cases of COVID-19 in the state to: 136 – Florida Residents 6 – Florida Residents Diagnosed and Isolated Outside of Florida 13 – Non-Florida Residents Deaths: 4 Florida residents Number of Negative Test Results: 478 | Pending Test Results: 221 People Under Public Health Monitoring: 365 – currently being monitored 1413 – people monitored to date A 72-year old female in Lee County has tested positive for COVID-19. A 76-year-old male in Collier County has also tested posted for COVID-19. Both individuals are isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. And a 28-year-old male in Collier County has tested positive for COVID-19. His case is travel-related and he is also isolated until cleared by public health officials. Collier County commissions said they will hold an emergency special meeting to discuss COVID-19 Monday at 2 p.m. MORE: Coronavirus Complete Coverage Other new positive cases announced Sunday morning in Florida include: A 55-year old female in Clay County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 79-year old female from Connecticut has tested positive for COVID-19 in Baker County. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. The epidemiological investigation is ongoing. A 60-year old female in Citrus County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A male in Duval County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. Further details to follow. A 64-year old female in St. Johns County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 71-year old male in Volusia County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 48-year old female in Orange County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 70-year old male in Clay County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A male in Duval County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. Further details to follow. A 47-year old male in Hillsborough County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a domestic travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 67-year old male in Pasco County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a domestic travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 32-year old female in Hillsborough County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a domestic travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 17-year old male from Cuba has tested positive in Hillsborough County. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. The epidemiological investigation is ongoing. A male in Duval County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. Further details to follow. A 28-year old male in Miami-Dade County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 58-year old female in Miami-Dade County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 25-year old female in Miami-Dade County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 62-year old male in Miami-Dade County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 74-year old male in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 48-year old female in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 19-year old female in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 19-year old female in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 65-year old male in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 20-year old female in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 42-year old male in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 52-year old male in Miami-Dade County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 65-year old female from New York has tested positive for COVID-19 in Alachua County. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. The epidemiological investigation is ongoing. A 63-year old female in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 19-year old female in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 30-year old male in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 60-year old male in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 20-year old female in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 19-year old female in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 66-year old male in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. An 83-year old male in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. A 20-year old female in Broward County has tested positive for COVID-19. This is a travel-related case. This individual is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. IF YOU FEEL SICK: The Florida Department of Health has opened a 24-hour COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours. LINK: Florida Department of Health COVID-19 updates *The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version. Actions the State of Florida has taken on COVID-19: Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-52 declaring a State of Emergency for COVID-19. Governor Ron DeSantis directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to activate to Level II to coordinate the state’s response to COVID-19. Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-51directing the State Surgeon General to declare a Public Health Emergency. State Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees declared a Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 in Florida. Established an Incident Management Team to coordinate response operations. Activated a dedicated incident command post for on-site response activities. Conducted public health and health care stakeholder conference calls to provide statewide updates on the current outbreak situation, response actions and guidance for pandemic planning. Over five hundred participants joined these calls. Participated with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) on statewide conference calls with nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospitals. Established a public call center for questions regarding COVID-19. Developed and distributed an updated COVID-19 presentation to CHDs for use at community meetings. Implemented protocols for investigation, surveillance and monitoring for COVID-19 to rapidly detect and contain cases. Established mechanisms for ongoing monitoring and coordination with the CDC regarding epidemiological activities. Distributed CDC Interim Guidance for public health personnel evaluating Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) and asymptomatic close contacts of confirmed cases at their home or non-home residential settings to CHDs. Distributed the updated Clinician Screening Tool for identifying PUIs for COVID-19 and a health care provider letter regarding Enhanced Surveillance and Preparedness for COVID-19 to associations, licensed providers, Health Care Coalitions and CHDs. Implemented testing at all three State Public Health Laboratories. Distributed updated CDC guidance for schools to CHDs and the Department of Education. Distributed updated Laboratory Guidance regarding implementation of testing at State Public Health Laboratories. The Florida Department of Education in partnership with FLVS is training an additional 10,000 teachers statewide on the Virtual Teacher Training for COVID-19. Superintendents who are interested in offering their teachers the Virtual Teacher Training for COVID-19 should work with their County Virtual Principals to provide a list of teachers to FLVS through: https://www.flvs.net/FLVSTeacherTraining. Governor DeSantis directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Agency for Health Care Administration to take action to restrict access to vulnerable populations for those who may have been exposed to COVID-19. The Governor also directed the Florida Department of Corrections to suspend visitation at state prisons for 30 days. Governor DeSantis requested that Health and Human Services send home the 61 Floridians that were previously aboard the Grand Princess cruise line, home from isolation from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. Governor DeSantis has directed the Department of Health to hire additional epidemiologists from university health programs to help with workload. Governor DeSantis has directed the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to extend all existing nursing home and ALF licenses for 90 days to remove distraction from patient care. Governor DeSantis directed Director Moskowitz to expand his emergency order and prohibit all visitation to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult family-care homes, long-term care facilities and adult group homes to all visitors for the next 30 days. Governor DeSantis directed the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to suspend drivers’ license renewal requirements for 30 days. Governor DeSantis directed all agencies to suspend for 30 days licensing and registration renewal requirements for existing professional licenses (e.g. realtors). Governor DeSantis has recommended that local authorities strongly consider canceling mass gatherings and follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. CDC has issued recommendations for implementation of mitigation strategies in Florida, including recommendations to cancel large gatherings of more than 250 people and smaller gatherings that may bring persons together from multiple parts of the country. Florida Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has provided strong recommendations for extending spring break following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issuing guidance specific to COVID-19 in Florida. In addition, the Department of Education announced that the start of state testing will be delayed by a minimum of two weeks. What you Should Know COVID-19 can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, including when an individual coughs or sneezes. These droplets may land on objects and surfaces. Other people may contract COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days following exposure. Most people recover from COVID-19 without needing special treatment. The elderly and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetes are more likely to develop serious illness. There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. The Department recommends everyday preventive actions to help stop the spread of respiratory diseases, including: Avoiding close contact with people who are sick; Staying home when you are sick and avoiding contact with persons in poor health; Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then disposing of the tissue; Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing; If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty; and Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. The CDC does not recommend that asymptomatic, healthy people wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility). A person that experiences a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, within 14 days after travel from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan and any other destination under CDC travel advisory should call ahead to their health care provider and local CHD and mention their recent travel or close contact. If a person has had close contact with someone showing these symptoms who has recently traveled from this area or been in contact with a person with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, they should call ahead to a health care professional and the CHD. The health care provider will work with the Department to determine if the person should be tested for COVID-19.