2 airboats crash between mile markers 74 and 75 in Collier CountyCape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal
2 airboats crash between mile markers 74 and 75 in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 East between mile markers 74 and 75.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
Punta Gorda Man accused of indecent exposure at school bus stop in Punta Gorda The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of indecent exposure at a school bus stop in Punta Gorda.
estero Firefighters to perform 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park San Carlos Park Fire Protection & Rescue Service District will perform a 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park.
Tim Aten Knows: 2 new eateries coming to East Naples After operating La Rosa Pizzeria for more than 15 years, owners Bill and Alda Rosa decided to sell their local business and restaurant space.
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT opens all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge are open, a year ahead of its original pedestrian sidewalk project estimate.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
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.
2 airboats crash between mile markers 74 and 75 in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 East between mile markers 74 and 75.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
Punta Gorda Man accused of indecent exposure at school bus stop in Punta Gorda The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of indecent exposure at a school bus stop in Punta Gorda.
estero Firefighters to perform 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park San Carlos Park Fire Protection & Rescue Service District will perform a 76-acre prescribed burn at Koreshan State Park.
Tim Aten Knows: 2 new eateries coming to East Naples After operating La Rosa Pizzeria for more than 15 years, owners Bill and Alda Rosa decided to sell their local business and restaurant space.
the weather authority Warmer with sun and clouds for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking a warmer day ahead, with a mixture of sun and clouds expected this Friday afternoon.
FDOT opens all lanes of Caloosahatchee Bridge year ahead of construction schedule The Florida Department of Transportation announced all lanes of the Caloosahatchee Bridge are open, a year ahead of its original pedestrian sidewalk project estimate.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
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.
As of 6 p.m. Thursday, there have been 9,008 positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Florida. The case count includes 8,694 Florida residents and 314 non-Florida residents. There are 129 deaths reported and 1,167 hospitalizations, according to the Florida Department of Health. There have been 9,008 positive tests administered in Florida and 71,348 tests have come back negative. The remainder are still pending, according to the FDOH website. One of the newly reported deaths was a person who tested positive for COVID-19 in Collier County. STATEWIDE NUMBERS Total number of cases: 9,008 (up from 8,010) Deaths: 145 (up from 129) SOUTHWEST FLORIDA NUMBERS Total in SWFL: 506 (up from 448) Deaths: 15 (up from 14) Lee County: 275 (up from 245) Collier County: 178 (up from 161) Charlotte County: 38 (up from 28) DeSoto County: 8 (up from 7) Glades County: 3 (no change) Hendry County: 4 (no change) Click HERE for a SWFL case-by-case breakdown – updated daily. NOW HIRING: SWFL companies adding jobs as business picks up amid coronavirus crisis LATEST CLOSURES: Southwest Florida business updates and store closings THURSDAY COVID-19 HEADLINES Options for you if you’ve recently lost your health insurance What’s being done to help small businesses and newly unemployed workers Lee County leaders working to clarify what changes when executive order goes into effect WATCH WEDNESDAY’S NEWS CONFERENCES: 4 p.m. Lee County government press conference. WATCH HERE 4:30 p.m. Gov. DeSantis gives a daily briefing on COVID-19. WATCH HERE 5 p.m. White House Coronavirus Task Force daily update Youngest confirmed COVID-19 patients in SWFL The Florida Department of Health dashboard confirms the youngest cases for the coronavirus in Southwest Florida counties are in Charlotte County and Collier County currently. An infant in Charlotte County has tested positive for COVID-19. And there is a 6-year-old in Collier County who has tested positive for COVID-19. 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 “limit movement to only essential services and activities,” and stay at home. He said, “it is an order for individuals to stay close to home.” 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, but those unable to do so, like salons, would have to close. 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. LEE COUNTY EXPANDS CLOSURES Parks: All Lee County parks and Conservation 20/20 preserves will close until further notice beginning Thursday night, with the exception of boat ramps. County-owned boat ramps will remain open for regular hours at this time. LeeTran: Lee County Transit (LeeTran) will adjust fixed-route schedules beginning Friday, April 3, to operate a modified Sunday service schedule. LeeTran will operate the modified schedule seven days a week as the county responds to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ safer-at-home order for non-essential services. LeeTran’s Passport service is not impacted by this operational change. Until further notice, all routes that run on a typical Sunday – except the previously suspended Gold Line and beach trams and trolleys – will remain in operation. In addition, LeeTran will add the following routes to the modified Sunday schedule: 5, 10, 30, 40, 60, 80, 160 and 515. Information: All of Lee County’s previously announced closings, operational changes, links to Constitutional Offices, county news conferences and news releases are available at www.leegov.com/covid-19. 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"></span> *The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.