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.
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 *The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.