American Sand Sculpting Competition returns to Fort Myers BeachEnglewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery
FORT MYERS BEACH American Sand Sculpting Competition returns to Fort Myers Beach After a year’s long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
FORT MYERS BEACH American Sand Sculpting Competition returns to Fort Myers Beach After a year’s long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
FILE – In this Oct. 26, 2020 file photo, an election worker sorts vote-by-mail ballots at the Miami-Dade County Board of Elections, in Doral. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File) Democrats and Republicans in Florida have engaged legions of lawyers ready to rush to court at any sign of voter suppression, fraud or other political shenanigans in this year’s election. So far, the lawsuits have been few, but Florida is well-known for its legal battles in past elections. The main hot-button legal issue this year is the use and counting of mail-in ballots, which President Donald Trump has criticized as a potential source of fraud, but which both parties have promoted in Florida — especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Juanica Fernandes, executive director of the nonprofit State Voices Florida group that promotes voting and civic engagement, said hundreds of Florida mail-in ballots have already been rejected because of issues such as new addresses and mismatched signatures. Voters do have the right to “cure” these problems, but that may not be enough. “This leaves a voter without an opportunity to have their voice heard, and that’s not acceptable,” Fernandes said. “What’s happening is they are not counting the ballots at all.” A week ahead of Tuesday’s election, advocates said about 21,000 mail-in ballots had been flagged in Florida because of a signature problem. About a third of those had already been fixed. More than 4.2 million votes had been cast by mail statewide, according to the Florida Secretary of State’s office. FILE- In this Oct. 26, 2020, file photo, Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Christina White, right, examines signatures on vote-by-mail ballots with members of the Canvassing Board Judge Raul Cuervo, left, and Judge Betsy Alvarez-Zane, center, at the Miami-Dade County Board of Elections in Doral. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File) As yet, there has not been widespread litigation in Florida related to the election. One battle fought earlier this year was over felons regaining their right to vote after the passage of a 2018 amendment, which ended in an appeals court ruling affirming a state law stating they must first satisfy any fines or fees in addition to a prison sentence. But given Florida’s history and its prized 29 electoral votes, anything is possible. Of course, perhaps the most famous legal battle in presidential election history came in 2000, when Republican George W. Bush wound up defeating Democrat Al Gore in Florida by 537 votes — handing Bush the presidency after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor. Tallahassee attorney Barry Richard, who represented Bush in 2000, said that experience casts a long shadow over elections in Florida, although voting practices and laws have changed markedly since then. “My primary premise is that there’s a lot more angst about what could happen as opposed to what may actually happen this time,” Richard said. “I think the biggest problem we might have would be delay. We don’t have that as much in Florida because ballots have to be in by Election Day.” Richard Hasen, a law and political science professor at the University of California-Irvine and election law expert, said Florida may not be quite in the forefront of the nation’s election-related legal battles as in past years. “It’s still in my top five,” Hasen said. “It’s not as high on my list as it has been in the past. It’s that other states, especially during a pandemic, are doing a worse job and are more likely to be pivotal.” Yet the GOP and the Trump campaign, as well as the Democrats and presidential nominee Joe Biden, are taking no chances. Florida Republicans, for example, have trained attorneys and volunteers in advance of the election. Some will be poll watchers, some will observe canvassing boards where votes are counted, and others will monitor legal developments, state party spokeswoman Alia Faraj said. “Our efforts include ensuring that supervisors of elections are following the law and observing and documenting any potential fraud or irregularities that could impact the election,” Faraj said in an email. “Our top priority remains ensuring that every legal vote is counted, that no voter is disenfranchised, and that voters understand election laws and procedures.” There are very few cases of election fraud in the U.S., despite Trump’s many claims to the contrary. Similarly, the Biden campaign is training volunteers and lawyers to watch for evidence of voter suppression, especially among Black and Hispanic voters. “Voting as a fundamental right is under attack from a range of bad actors,” said Mone Holder, voter protection advocate for the Advancement Project, a civil rights and voting rights organization. “These voting suppression tactics highly impact voters of color.” Richard, the Bush lawyer from 2000, said he thinks Florida courts have learned how to deal quickly with election challenges and changes in state laws make a lengthy delay less likely. But, he added, you never know. “In my business, nothing is out of the realm of possibility,” Richard said. “The kind of fraud you would need to affect the election would have to be massive. A lot of what people are freaking out about this time is just the fact we had that experience in 2000.”