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.
Sen. Joe Gruters has proposed a bill that would lead to $25 million in compensation for victims and families in the mass shooting at a Parkland school. (News Service Florida file photo) Florida lawmakers next year are expected to consider a proposal that would clear the way for the Broward County School Board to pay $25 million in compensation in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, filed a bill (SB 84) on Monday that would authorize the school board to pay the money to the estates of students and faculty members who died in the shooting and to other victims of the attack. The proposal, known as a “claim” bill, is filed for consideration during the legislative session that will start Jan. 11. It would require a settlement of claims against the school board, though it would leave open the possibility that victims and family members could pursue other lawsuits stemming from the attack by former Marjory Stoneman Douglas student Nikolas Cruz. “(The) amounts specified in this act are not intended to constitute full and complete compensation to any victims for their damages, but are intended to satisfy only the claims by the claimants specified in this act against the School Board of Broward County and the School Board of Broward County’s share of fault, without regard to any claims of the claimants against other responsible parties and without regard to the liability of others,” the bill said. The proposal was filed after the Florida Supreme Court ruled last September that state law placed a $300,000 limit on how much the school board could be forced to pay to families and victims in lawsuits filed after the shooting. The ruling dealt with the state’s sovereign-immunity laws, which are designed to shield government agencies, including school boards, from costly lawsuits. Justices said mass shootings should be viewed as a single “incident or occurrence,” effectively placing the $300,000 limit on the school board’s liability in the Parkland attack. Attorneys for families and victims had contended that the shots were separate occurrences and that each plaintiff filing a claim against the school board should be able to receive $200,000. The school board, however, can pay more than $300,000 if the Legislature authorizes it through a claim bill. Gruters’ bill would do that by authorizing the payment of $8,333,333.33 in three annual installments. The bill does not detail how the money would be allocated to the estates of the 17 people killed and to 34 other people named in the proposal. Cruz, who was 19 at the time of the attack, continues to await trial on murder charges. “(The) negligence of the School Board of Broward 34 County contributed to the damages suffered as a result of the events of February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, to the extent that School Board of Broward County personnel had information regarding the risk of Nikolas Cruz committing acts of physical harm and violence toward others but failed to take reasonably appropriate action to protect the campus from Nikolas Cruz; were unprepared to deal with repeat trespassers and intruders on campus, such as former students like Nikolas Cruz; were unprepared to address armed intruders on campus; failed to prevent Nikolas Cruz from entering the campus and failed to intercept Nikolas Cruz once he did enter; and were unprepared to respond in the event of an active shooter on campus,” the bill said.