Crews on scene of 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village DriveJake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people
ESTERO Crews on scene of 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Prescription drug shortages lead to higher prices There are currently more than 250 medications on the nation’s drug shortage list, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The organization says 2023 marked the worst year for shortages in about a decade.
ESTERO Crews on scene of 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Prescription drug shortages lead to higher prices There are currently more than 250 medications on the nation’s drug shortage list, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The organization says 2023 marked the worst year for shortages in about a decade.
Tampa Bay is dealing with red tide issues. (CREDIT: WINK News) Gov. Ron DeSantis toured the Tampa Bay region by boat Wednesday and pledged continued support for ongoing efforts to combat a red tide algae bloom killing marine life and impacting the region’s economy. Although DeSantis said his administration is “committed to being in this fight,” environmental groups expressed disappointment that the governor has ignored calls for him to implement a state of emergency in the region. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, for example, said in a tweet on Wednesday “the politicization of the governor’s response to red tide is truly sickening.” DeSantis, speaking to reporters during a press conference at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, said the area appears cleaner than a week ago, as dead fish are being collected and state funds are flowing into the response to the algae bloom. The Republican governor accused his critics of politicizing the environmental disaster. “This is something I tackled from day one in office. It’s never been political,” DeSantis said. “They were the ones who were saying, ‘you’ve gotta declare a state of emergency.’ And so, we asked them why? Well, they didn’t know why. They just wanted to do it for a political talking point.” DeSantis pointed to $4.8 million in the current state budget allocated for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Center for Red Tide Research, adding that an emergency declaration would only be warranted if the state needed to access unallocated general revenue. “We appropriated for this, not just red tide, but blue-green algae, because we knew that these were issues we had to tackle,” DeSantis said. “So literally, the only thing that would do is hurt some of these people, because it would send the message that somehow all of Florida has problems, when in fact the economy’s open here.” A “state of emergency does not help our economic vitality at all,” Robin Miller, CEO of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce, agreed. “What it does is it shines a light on the entire state of Florida,” Miller continued. “There could be ramifications outside of the Bay area if there is a state of emergency issued. We’ve seen it in other crisis situations.” Backing the state’s response, restaurateur Frank Chivas said more communications is needed between government officials. “We need to focus on projects that improve our infrastructure, because red tide occurs naturally (and) we are aiding it with runoff from sewage dumps, fertilized-laden lawns and farms that are giving these blooms a healthy diet,” Chivas said. “As of right now, I think the most important thing, or the important action is, bringing more boats that can (assist) in cleaning up. We need to get rid of the dead fish.” Authorities have collected hundreds of tons of dead fish from local waterways and beaches, and Pinellas County health officials recently advised to avoid swimming in areas of high algal concentration. Kriseman blasted DeSantis’ handling of the call for an emergency declaration. “The politicization of the governor’s response to red tide is truly sickening. My team and I are focused on fixing the mess that was sent our way. When crisis comes, partisanship must go. We should always come together in times like this,” Kriseman, who was not at the press conference, tweeted as the governor’s event was set to begin around noon. St. Petersburg City Council Chairman Ed Montanari, a Republican, was among more than a dozen state and local officials who flanked DeSantis Wednesday. The governor emphasized that his administration has been in “constant contact” with local officials, business owners and environmental groups throughout the disaster. Calls for an emergency order started in March following the discharge of wastewater from the former Piney Point phosphate plant in Pinellas County. Local businesses, conservation groups and the St. Petersburg City Council over the past week have escalated demands for an emergency declaration to coordinate efforts to combat and clean up impacts of the latest red tide outbreak on the region. Red tide is a naturally occurring growth of microscopic algae that feeds upon nutrients, which could be coming from runoff from area septic tanks, stormwater systems and agricultural and residential fertilizer. The Florida Conservation Voters organization maintains the governor can best deal with the environmental crisis by forcing polluters to mitigate their messes, requiring agriculture operations to use best practices to manage their land, and limiting runoff into waterways. “If we aren’t preventing pollution, what are taxpayers investing in?” the organization tweeted on Wednesday. Conservation groups including the Center for Biological Diversity last month filed a lawsuit over the potential threat from the Piney Point site, naming as defendants DeSantis; the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; HRK Holdings, LLC; and the Manatee County Port Authority. “Tampa Bay desperately needs help cleaning up this mess, and Florida needs to get its act together and start holding polluters accountable or this will continue to be a significant threat to our way of life,” Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director of the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a press release on Monday. DeSantis has ordered the site mothballed, noting Wednesday that $100 million in federal stimulus money has been directed to the site’s cleanup. Congressman Charlie Crist, a Democrat from St. Petersburg running for governor in 2022, responded to DeSantis’ comments by tweeting that the Tampa Bay region needs “an emergency declaration and aid, not happy talk.” “Maybe (DeSantis) needs a COVID test because if you can’t smell the rotting fish and red tide burn something’s wrong with your senses,” Crist tweeted.