City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meetingThe future of electric planes in Southwest Florida
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, there have been 7,773 positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Florida. The case count includes 7,495 Florida residents and 278 non-Florida residents. There are currently 102 deaths reported, according to the Florida Department of Health. Two new deaths were reported in Lee County on Wednesday: a 67-year-old man who hadn’t traveled and had no contact with a known positive case, and a 78-year-old man who hadn’t traveled but had contact with a positive case. STATEWIDE NUMBERS Total number of cases: 7,773 (up from 6,995) Deaths: 102 (up from 87) SOUTHWEST FLORIDA NUMBERS Total in SWFL: 433 (up from 400) Deaths: 14 Lee County: 235 (up from 212) Collier County: 158 (up from 150) Charlotte County: 26 (up from 24) DeSoto County: 7 (no change) Glades County: 3 (no change) Hendry County: 4 (no change) Click HERE for a SWFL case-by-case breakdown – updated daily. There have been 69,265 total tests administered in the state of Florida, with 7,773 positive tests. 60,356 tests have come back negative, and the remainder is pending, according to the FDOH website. NOW HIRING: SWFL companies adding jobs as business picks up amid coronavirus crisis LATEST CLOSURES: Southwest Florida business updates and store closings WEDNESDAY COVID-19 HEADLINES Attorney Generalâs Office is taking action to address allegations of price gouging Grocery stores adding more precautions to keep shoppers safe State working to improve response for those applying for unemployment âSafer at Home:â Gov. DeSantis asks Floridians to limit movements to only essential activities Wimbledon canceled for first time since World War II Small businesses in downtown Fort Myers weighing options amid coronavirus-stunted economy Fort Myers City Councilman Kevin Anderson recovering from COVID-19 Audit reveals Department of Economic Opportunity knew about unemployment website flaws Some struggling to pay rent following unemployment due to coronavirus precautions Nurse at Naples clinic personally asks governor for help, more tests for first responders Whatâs being done to respond to your unemployment applications WATCH WEDNESDAY’S NEWS CONFERENCES: 1 p.m. Gov. DeSantis gives a daily briefing, announces executive order. WATCH HERE 4 p.m. Lee County commissioners hold an emergency meeting. WATCH HERE 5 p.m. White House Coronavirus Task Force daily briefing. WATCH HERE Governor issues order to stay home, limit travel to essential services Gov. Ron DeSantis is issuing an executive order that will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, April 3, asking all Floridians to âlimit movement to only essential services and activities,â and stay at home. He said, âit is an order to individuals to stay close to home.â It does not force non-essential businesses to close, but the public is advised to stay home as much as possible. The governor says non-essential businesses may be able to do something else such as deliveries. Your movements should be limited to essential things like work, grocery shopping, getting prescriptions, and such. You can see a full list of what Homeland Security considers essential services here. READ MORE DOCUMENT: Click here to read Executive Order 20-91 in its entirety. Fort Myers City Councilman Kevin Anderson recovering from COVID-19 A Fort Myers City Council member has COVID-19. Kevin Anderson tested positive about a week after returning from a cruise that left New Orleans on March 6 and ended in California on March 20. His travel home from San Diego took him through Chicago before he landed at Southwest Florida International Airport late on the 20th. READ MORE Whatâs being done to respond to your unemployment applications What started as frustration is now anger. Thousands of people in Southwest Florida whoâve lost their job canât go to the Fort Myers unemployment career center because itâs closed. And no one can get through on the phone because the lines are jammed. And electronic filing canât be completed because the website keeps crashing. So what can you do? We asked the people in charge of state unemployment benefits that very question. READ MORE 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 <span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start">ï»ż</span> *The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.