Hong Kong investor buys former Sears at Edison Mall for $5.8MFEMA to hold farm recovery events for Lee and Hendry counties
Hong Kong investor buys former Sears at Edison Mall for $5.8M Edison Florida Real Estate LLC bought the buildings at 4125 Cleveland Ave. on Nov. 18.
FEMA to hold farm recovery events for Lee and Hendry counties FEMA is set to hold a farm recovery event for both Lee and Hendry counties to educate farmers on available government assistance programs.
FEMA approves $4 million for Charlotte County debris removal FEMA has approved an additional $114 million to reimburse Florida communities for debris removal after Hurricanes Milton, Helene and Debby.
NAPLES Attorney for Naples mayor files deposition to question officer for DUI arrest The attorney defending the mayor of Naples after she was arrested for DUI wants to depose a Naples police officer who responded to a call saying she was driving drunk.
HENDRY COUNTY Man dies in construction-related accident in Hendry County A man has died after a construction-related accident early this morning at a South Florida Water Management project area in Hendry County.
FORT MYERS BEACH Precautionary boil water notice in effect for Fort Myers Beach A Precautionary boil water notice is in effect for all residents of Fort Myers Beach due to a water main break on Estero Boulevard.
LEE COUNTY Lee Commissioners accept $22.7M state grant for water management project at Larry Kiker Preserve The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted on Tuesday to accept a $22.7 million Resilient Florida Grant for a water management project.
LEE COUNTY Lee Commissioners vote to adopt Lee County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a resolution adopting the Lee County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
FORT MYERS Accused prowler arrested after deputies find cell phone and ID at Lee County crime scene Deputies have arrested a man after discovering his cell phone and driver’s license at the scene where they responded to calls about a suspicious person.
FORT MYERS Precautionary lockdowns for 2 Fort Myers schools have been lifted The Lee County School District has lifted its precautionary lockdowns on two Fort Myers schools early Tuesday morning.
Car engulfed in flames on West Villages Parkway in Sarasota A head-on collision that ended in a fire occurred on River Road, south of West Villages Parkway, in Sarasota County.
Caloosahatchee Bridge drivers endure traffic delays due to construction running late Motorists on the Caloosahatchee Bridge in Fort Myers endured severe traffic delays Tuesday morning due to the Florida Department of Transportation pedestrian walkway project.
31 endangered Florida panthers killed in 2024; breaks record for most deaths in a year A grim record has been broken, as another endangered Florida panther has been slain by a vehicle on Interstate 75 in Collier County.
CAPE CORAL ‘Keep the Wreath Green’ fire safety campaign underway in Cape Coral The Cape Coral Fire Department has launched its 12th annual “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign.
the weather authority Cool weather with abundant sunshine this Tuesday The Weather Authority is tracking cooler temperatures, with abundant sunshine expected this Tuesday afternoon.
Hong Kong investor buys former Sears at Edison Mall for $5.8M Edison Florida Real Estate LLC bought the buildings at 4125 Cleveland Ave. on Nov. 18.
FEMA to hold farm recovery events for Lee and Hendry counties FEMA is set to hold a farm recovery event for both Lee and Hendry counties to educate farmers on available government assistance programs.
FEMA approves $4 million for Charlotte County debris removal FEMA has approved an additional $114 million to reimburse Florida communities for debris removal after Hurricanes Milton, Helene and Debby.
NAPLES Attorney for Naples mayor files deposition to question officer for DUI arrest The attorney defending the mayor of Naples after she was arrested for DUI wants to depose a Naples police officer who responded to a call saying she was driving drunk.
HENDRY COUNTY Man dies in construction-related accident in Hendry County A man has died after a construction-related accident early this morning at a South Florida Water Management project area in Hendry County.
FORT MYERS BEACH Precautionary boil water notice in effect for Fort Myers Beach A Precautionary boil water notice is in effect for all residents of Fort Myers Beach due to a water main break on Estero Boulevard.
LEE COUNTY Lee Commissioners accept $22.7M state grant for water management project at Larry Kiker Preserve The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted on Tuesday to accept a $22.7 million Resilient Florida Grant for a water management project.
LEE COUNTY Lee Commissioners vote to adopt Lee County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a resolution adopting the Lee County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
FORT MYERS Accused prowler arrested after deputies find cell phone and ID at Lee County crime scene Deputies have arrested a man after discovering his cell phone and driver’s license at the scene where they responded to calls about a suspicious person.
FORT MYERS Precautionary lockdowns for 2 Fort Myers schools have been lifted The Lee County School District has lifted its precautionary lockdowns on two Fort Myers schools early Tuesday morning.
Car engulfed in flames on West Villages Parkway in Sarasota A head-on collision that ended in a fire occurred on River Road, south of West Villages Parkway, in Sarasota County.
Caloosahatchee Bridge drivers endure traffic delays due to construction running late Motorists on the Caloosahatchee Bridge in Fort Myers endured severe traffic delays Tuesday morning due to the Florida Department of Transportation pedestrian walkway project.
31 endangered Florida panthers killed in 2024; breaks record for most deaths in a year A grim record has been broken, as another endangered Florida panther has been slain by a vehicle on Interstate 75 in Collier County.
CAPE CORAL ‘Keep the Wreath Green’ fire safety campaign underway in Cape Coral The Cape Coral Fire Department has launched its 12th annual “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign.
the weather authority Cool weather with abundant sunshine this Tuesday The Weather Authority is tracking cooler temperatures, with abundant sunshine expected this Tuesday afternoon.
Social distancing rules are in effect in Delray Beach, Fla., as the beaches reopened Monday, May 18, 2020, as part of the Palm Beach County Beach reopening. Police and lifeguards were enforcing social distancing. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP) Florida and Georgia, two states that were among the first to announce the reopening of businesses and public spaces, have come under scrutiny for the accuracy and transparency of their reporting on COVID-19 cases. In Florida, Rebekah Jones, the official behind the state’s “dashboard,” a web page showing the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, said she was removed from the project and questioned the state’s commitment to accessibility and transparency, according to Florida Today. And in Georgia, data tracking COVID-19 cases has come under question after a misleading chart was posted on the Department of Public Health’s website with the dates out of order, suggesting cases were declining over time, according to an article by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The scrutiny highlights the importance of accurate data — and the public’s trust in that data — as states ease stay-at-home restrictions that strangled the economy but successfully slowed the spread of coronavirus. Florida employee said she was removed Late last Friday, Jones announced in an email to researchers and people who had signed up to receive updates about the data portal that she had been removed from her post at the Florida Department of Health, according to Florida Today. “As a word of caution, I would not expect the new team to continue the same level of accessibility and transparency that I made central to the process during the first two months,” Jones wrote, according to Florida Today. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis contested the claims during a press conference Tuesday, referencing an email from Jones and said her words had been “misrepresented,” and that the situation was “a non-issue.” CNN has reached out to Jones and she responded via text, “I’ve been advised to wait on interviews at this time.” The Florida Department of Health said Tuesday that Jones had “exhibited a repeated course of insubordination” during her tenure there, making “unilateral decisions to modify the Department’s COVID-19 dashboard without input or approval from the epidemiological team or her supervisors. “The blatant disrespect for the professionals who were working around the clock to provide the important information for the COVID-19 website was harmful to the team.” Jones has been asked to resign, the department said, and if she doesn’t do so by 5 p.m. Thursday, she will be “terminated.” Jones started working for the Florida Department of Health one year and nine months ago, according to her LinkedIn profile. Florida allowed many businesses to open, with limitations, on May 4. The phase one reopening went into full effect Monday, allowing malls, restaurants, gyms and libraries to open at 50% capacity. Georgia chart taken down In Georgia, which started reopening last month, a bar chart on the Department of Public Health’s website appeared to show that the number of new confirmed cases in the counties with the most infections had dropped every single day for the prior two weeks, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported on May 13. The bar graph showed a downward trajectory, but did not list dates in chronological order or keep the counties in the same position each day, both of which caused confusion. The graph has since been taken off the website. The website also reported 2,400 more confirmed cases than tests that were performed on one day last week, according to the article. The error was quickly fixed. In the article, the AJC said they were told by a spokeswoman for the department that the chart was incorrect because of an error in how they sorted data. CNN has not received a response from the Department of Health on inquiries about the bar graph. In an interview with the AJC, state Rep. Scott Holcomb said he sent a letter to the governor’s office regarding the discrepancy. “I don’t know how anyone can defend this graph as not being misleading, I really don’t,” he told the paper. Candice Broce, a spokeswoman for Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted on May 11, “The graph was supposed to be helpful but was met with such intense scorn that I, for one, will never encourage DPH to use anything but chronological order on the x axis moving forward.” She tweeted on the same day, “The x axis was set up that way to show descending values to more easily demonstrate peak values and counties on those dates. Our mission failed. We apologize. It is fixed.” CNN has reached out to Broce, Kemp’s office, the Georgia Department of Health and Holcomb’s office for comment.