Candidates challenge Punta Gorda incumbents over land, building regulations1 dead after crash on SR 31 and Busbee Rd. in North Fort Myers
Candidates challenge Punta Gorda incumbents over land, building regulations A growing grassroots movement has united residents seeking to stem high density and restrict building heights, and three are challenging Punta Gorda City Council members who are up for reelection this year.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead after crash on SR 31 and Busbee Rd. in North Fort Myers At around noon Wednesday, the Florida Highway Patrol said a PT Cruiser and a car hauler collided on State Road 31 and Busbee Road, near the Lee/Charlotte County line.
Man sentenced to 25 years in prison for molesting Lee County child A Florida man will spend the next 25 years in prison for molesting a child in Lee County.
LEHIGH ACRES Man accused of using stolen credit card from car burglary at Lehigh Acres CVS Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man who allegedly used a stolen credit card at the CVS in Lehigh Acres.
ARCADIA Family of flea market murder victim struggles to find closure The family of a woman who was murdered at an Arcadia flea market continues to seek justice as the accused killer awaits trial.
NAPLES Naples man accused of possessing child porn After an investigation, a Naples man has been arrested after allegedly having child pornography in his home.
CAPE CORAL Arrest report for volunteer softball coach accused of inappropriate behavior released New details have been released about the arrest of a Cape Coral volunteer softball coach accused of sending nude photos and touching a 17-year-old student.
The Weather Authority Isolated storms pop up this afternoon and evening Afternoon of isolated storms in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach to test hurricane emergency messaging alert The Town of Fort Myers Beach is set to test its CodeRED alert system as hurricane season begins in 31 days.
FORT MYERS Students make goodie bags for kids fighting Cancer A special delivery, straight from the heart, to Galisano’s Children’s Hospital. Three 8th graders from Lexington Middle School delivered 100 goodie bags to bring smiles to kids fighting cancer.
TICE Large police presence seen at park in Tice Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies and K-9s were seen investigating at Schindler Hall Community Park on Palm Beach Boulevard in Tice.
CAPE CORAL Lee County superintendent candidates face off in debate These three people, Denise Carlin, Morgan Wright and Sheridan Chester, are making it clear that they want the job.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA DEA to reclassify Marijuana as Schedule Three drug When you think of marijuana in Florida, You might think of an illegal drug seized by law enforcement. Kim Rivers, the CEO of Florida-based cannabis retailer Trulieve, says when used medicinally, it can help a lot of people.
FORT MYERS Expect more delays on Colonial and Fowler due to intersection project Work on the Colonial Fowler intersection in Fort Myers is underway, and there are many moving parts.
FORT MYERS Possible pay-by-text scam in downtown Fort Myers may have cost woman nearly $1,000 Pay-by-text parking may have cost one woman nearly a thousand dollars after her credit card was hacked.
Candidates challenge Punta Gorda incumbents over land, building regulations A growing grassroots movement has united residents seeking to stem high density and restrict building heights, and three are challenging Punta Gorda City Council members who are up for reelection this year.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead after crash on SR 31 and Busbee Rd. in North Fort Myers At around noon Wednesday, the Florida Highway Patrol said a PT Cruiser and a car hauler collided on State Road 31 and Busbee Road, near the Lee/Charlotte County line.
Man sentenced to 25 years in prison for molesting Lee County child A Florida man will spend the next 25 years in prison for molesting a child in Lee County.
LEHIGH ACRES Man accused of using stolen credit card from car burglary at Lehigh Acres CVS Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man who allegedly used a stolen credit card at the CVS in Lehigh Acres.
ARCADIA Family of flea market murder victim struggles to find closure The family of a woman who was murdered at an Arcadia flea market continues to seek justice as the accused killer awaits trial.
NAPLES Naples man accused of possessing child porn After an investigation, a Naples man has been arrested after allegedly having child pornography in his home.
CAPE CORAL Arrest report for volunteer softball coach accused of inappropriate behavior released New details have been released about the arrest of a Cape Coral volunteer softball coach accused of sending nude photos and touching a 17-year-old student.
The Weather Authority Isolated storms pop up this afternoon and evening Afternoon of isolated storms in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach to test hurricane emergency messaging alert The Town of Fort Myers Beach is set to test its CodeRED alert system as hurricane season begins in 31 days.
FORT MYERS Students make goodie bags for kids fighting Cancer A special delivery, straight from the heart, to Galisano’s Children’s Hospital. Three 8th graders from Lexington Middle School delivered 100 goodie bags to bring smiles to kids fighting cancer.
TICE Large police presence seen at park in Tice Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies and K-9s were seen investigating at Schindler Hall Community Park on Palm Beach Boulevard in Tice.
CAPE CORAL Lee County superintendent candidates face off in debate These three people, Denise Carlin, Morgan Wright and Sheridan Chester, are making it clear that they want the job.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA DEA to reclassify Marijuana as Schedule Three drug When you think of marijuana in Florida, You might think of an illegal drug seized by law enforcement. Kim Rivers, the CEO of Florida-based cannabis retailer Trulieve, says when used medicinally, it can help a lot of people.
FORT MYERS Expect more delays on Colonial and Fowler due to intersection project Work on the Colonial Fowler intersection in Fort Myers is underway, and there are many moving parts.
FORT MYERS Possible pay-by-text scam in downtown Fort Myers may have cost woman nearly $1,000 Pay-by-text parking may have cost one woman nearly a thousand dollars after her credit card was hacked.
Credit: WINK News. Hurricane Sally brought a lot of rain to Southwest Florida when it passed by as a tropical storm. A new concern due to all the wet weather is more pesky mosquitoes. Crews were all over Sanibel Island on Tuesday checking to see if there are more mosquitoes than normal. The Lee County Mosquito Control District said mosquitoes that lay their eggs in the water can carry West Nile virus, but the water can also kill other breeds of mosquitoes. A pool of water surrounds Bobby and JoAnn Vines’ house on Sanibel. They’ve rented for about a decade and never saw as much water as they got from Sally, even during a hurricane. “We just never comprehended that a foot of water would fall continuously,” Bobby said. “We’d open the front door, and everything looked OK,” JoAnn said. “Then, we opened it again and the water had breached over the little step. We kept measuring, looking down, seeing, trying to figure out if it was coming in the house.” The Vines are not alone. Standing water is still covering many yards after Sally slowly moved over the island, dumping more than 20 inches of rain over the weekend as a tropical storm. “Just because we had rain doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going to have a big emergence of mosquitoes,” said Eric Jackson, the deputy director of Lee County Mosquito Control District. Jackson said they aren’t taking any chances. Crews are out in full force, checking for eggs in the water. Jackson said the heavy rain could actually help keep the mosquito population down. “When you have a lot of water, that there’s so much that it floods that it connects with other bodies of water that already have fish in it, those fish will start moving into those flooded areas and you’ve got a natural form of control.” While the water slowly recedes, the Vines have their bug spray ready. “I was out sweeping the porch, and there was this mosquito flying around looking at me,” JoAnn said. “And I said, ‘Go away; I don’t need you.’” The standing water isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you have lots of standing water outside your home, the Lee County Mosquito Control District wants you to put on that bug spray and walk around your home, dumping out any containers full of water where mosquitoes might lay their eggs. If you are experiencing a high number of mosquitoes at your residence in Lee County, you can make a service request by clicking on this link or contacting the LCMCD directly at (239) 694-2174. In Collier County, you can do that by clicking here, and in Charlotte County, visit this site. Collier Mosquito Control District is also working to limit a mosquito outbreak due to standing water from Sally. Here’s what the Collier Mosquito District has planned this week: Last night we flew a treatment for mosquitoes in the East Naples/Lely area because surveillance indicated high numbers of mosquitoes Also last night, we drive our A1 Mister truck through the Bayshore area, dispersing larvicide* for kill mosquito larvae in standing water Our surveillance this morning indicated high numbers of mosquitoes in Ave Maria and Immokalee, so we are flying a treatment for mosquitoes in that area tonight Our Field Technicians’ trucks are fitted with equipment to treat all ditches and roadside swales with larvicide* as they drive through the District One Field Technician is closely monitoring the water in the downtown Naples area, and this morning he reported that it’s still moving/draining which is a good sign (mosquitoes can’t breed in moving water) Our surveillance also includes aerial inspections via helicopter, and this morning’s visual report indicates that Golden Gate Estates is quite full of standing water, so beginning tomorrow we are dispersing granular larvicide* via helicopter throughout Golden Gate Estates. The granules are a slow-release treatment that lasts about 30 days, so the intent is to minimize the potential for high numbers of mosquitoes The current conditions of standing water and warm temperatures mean mosquitoes can be breeding/hatching in about 7 days, so it’s important that we interrupt the life cycle of the mosquitoes by controlling the larvae that could be developing As always, we encourage residents to survey their own property and please, please dump out anything that is holding water (i.e., buckets, trash cans, wheelbarrows, tarps, etc.) Note: the larvicide we use is Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis ) which is a biological or a naturally occurring bacterium found in soils. It contains spores that specifically target and only affect the larvae of the mosquito, blackfly and fungus gnat. It is harmless to people, animals, plants, and fish, and is also used in organic farming.