Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort MyersThe Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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.
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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.
Gulf Coast Medical Center Dozens of new beds are being made available at Gulf Coast Medical Center to treat patients with the coronavirus. The hospital fast-tracked its construction project to help during the pandemic, so on Thursday, three new floors – 250 beds – will open to treat COVID-19 patients, and in the future, doctors will treat cancer on those floors. Ericka Lopez’s daughter Breana is fighting leukemia, and she said it isn’t easy to explain to children that the highly-contagious COVID-19 is a grave threat to people with serious illnesses. “Is it fair for Breana whose immune system … who may never have the opportunity like a normal child to go outside and see the blue skies, the green grass and know what it is to feel the sun and the heat, maybe not. Maybe now people can understand, this is a serious thing,” Lopez said. But now, the Lopez family is using this scary time to ask others to remember families like theirs, because they still have to go back and forth to the hospital for treatment. “In the short term, however, we’ll use this floor as a cohort floor for patients that end up with coronavirus or are suspected of having coronavirus,” said Dr. Jon Velez, vice president of operations and chief physician executive of Gulf Coast Medical Center. Gulf Coast Medical Center’s expansion project means more room for all patients, using the space for confirmed positive cases and patients considered under investigation. “You don’t know who your next-door neighbor is, and you don’t know what their immune system is…. just be considerate of your next-door neighbors,” Lopez said. The expansion project was already in progress just to meet Southwest Florida’s needs since we’re outgrowing hospitals, but they sped up the process about two months early to help get our community through this time. A message from Lee Health President & CEO, Larry Antonucci, M.D., MBA: “Though our sophisticated predictive analytics model helps us map out scenarios to help us prepare for the increase in patient volumes we will see, no crystal ball is going to tell us definitively how many persons under investigation (PUI) or COVID-19-positive patients we will treat. Because we are Southwest Florida’s major destination for health care, and it is our responsibility and privilege to care for our community, we have been working diligently to ensure we have beds, capacity and equipment to meet the needs. In addition to researching alternate care sites outside of our facilities, we also have expedited the opening of the expansion at Gulf Coast Medical Center. On April 2, two months ahead of schedule, we are officially opening the 216 beds on the fifth, sixth and seventh floors. The plan is to use these units to cohort PUI and COVID-19 patients. By opening these three new floors, we are adding 18 negative pressure rooms, which are critical to providing care to our patients. With the opening of the expansion, Gulf Coast Medical Center will have 250 beds for PUI and COVID-19 patients, 224 beds for non-COVID-19 medical care, and 76 ICU and ICU overflow beds. Expediting the opening of the hospital was made possible thanks to the amazing work of people across Lee Health and the community, including our contractors, equipment providers, supply chain, information technology, facilities planning, ancillary services and many others. The onus is on us to care for our community and it is a sacred responsibility. We are proud to be #LeeHealthStrong and we are ready to do all we can to care for our community. We’d like to thank all the teams that made this opening possible, but especially the people that have stepped up to lead and staff the various units. In times of challenge like today, we see who the true healthcare heroes are. Your bravery and exceptional professionalism is appreciated and valued.”