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.
Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees. Credit: News Service Florida. Florida needs a new state surgeon general. The question could quickly become: Will it be easy to find someone? Scott Rivkees announced he will leave his post as surgeon general and secretary of the Florida Department of Health next month. But the move comes amid a surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Combine that with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ antagonism to federal health authorities and mask mandates, and it might make it difficult to find a replacement. “We are in a situation right now where it’s like a trauma center for public health. We are in the middle of a major pandemic in a mega-state. I would hope we could find a very highly trained, particularly public health physician who has good credentials in infectious diseases who would take that position right away,” said James Howell, a physician who headed the Department of Health for three years in the late 1990s. “Whoever takes that position works for the governor. They would have to have a working relationship. But it’s going to be a real challenge. That’s all I can say.” Florida has been a hotbed for COVID-19 in recent weeks as the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus has spread. As an example, the state reported 21,183 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, according to data posted online by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rivkees issued a statement Friday thanking DeSantis for the opportunity to serve as the state’s top public-health official and thanked public-health professionals who have remained on the front lines for more than 500 days during the pandemic. “Your tireless work and dedication has saved countless lives,” Rivkees said in the statement. “I am humbled and proud to have been part of your team.” Rivkees, who was chairman of the University of Florida College of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, was named surgeon general in spring 2019, a few months after DeSantis took office. He is an expert in pediatric endocrinology and developmental biology who joined UF Health from Yale University in 2012. Lt. Gov Jeanette Nunez helped negotiate an agreement that allowed Rivkees to remain a tenured professor of pediatrics at the university and continue full-time employment. Under terms of the five-page agreement, Rivkees was assigned to work as the Department of Health secretary, a position that doubles as surgeon general. Under the agreement, the state paid the university $140,000 a year in four quarterly installments of $35,000. The contract was allowable under a law dealing with the intergovernmental transfer of public employees between agencies. But with positions appointed by the governor, such as the Department of Health secretary, the law limits the length of such intergovernmental transfers to two years, with up to a three-month extension allowed. Rivkees’ resignation was first reported Thursday by Florida Politics. “We thank Dr. Rivkees for his meaningful work during the most challenging pandemic of our lifetime,” DeSantis spokeswoman Taryn Fenske said in a statement. “We appreciate his service to the people of Florida and wish him the best in his future.” Before hiring Rivkees, DeSantis considered several candidates but struggled to find a doctor to run the Department of Health, in part because of DeSantis’ support for allowing smokable medical marijuana. Shortly after taking office, DeSantis pushed the Legislature to pass a bill that allowed smokable marijuana, eliminating a ban lawmakers had put in place in 2017. The stance put DeSantis at odds with medical groups that maintain smoking can never be good for your health. Rivkees also faced controversy after being named to the post, following a News Service of Florida report that he had been the subject of a university sexual-harassment investigation and, separately, was found by a university auditor to have not properly filed financial-disclosure information. Questions surrounding Rivkees prompted the Florida Senate to postpone a confirmation vote until the 2020 session. DeSantis defended Rivkees and often praised the surgeon general during the early months of the administration. Rivkees, for instance, declared a public health emergency because of a hepatitis A outbreak and launched an aggressive vaccination campaign against the disease, which can cause liver damage. But Rivkees has come under fire during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, he appeared to be removed from a public meeting by a top DeSantis aide after acknowledging that people would have to wear masks and socially distance until a vaccine became available for COVID-19 and that it could take up to a year or more. His public appearances with the governor became limited, though Rivkees continued to take part in daily calls with hospital officials and providers last year as the state battled the first wave of the virus. Howell, now with the Florida Institute for Health Innovation, said Rivkees did a good job working with people on the front lines during the pandemic. “That he has done very, very, well,” Howell said. “That’s hard to do without a medical leader.” Chris Nuland, a Jacksonville health-care attorney and lobbyist, praised Rivkees and his ability to work with health-care providers during the pandemic. Nuland noted Rivkees recently issued an order that authorized registered nurses and paramedics to provide monoclonal antibody treatment at state-supported centers. The order means that patients who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 don’t need to first get physicians’ orders approving the treatment before going to the centers. Finske said 13,000 people have received monoclonal antibody treatment at the state-supported sites. Nuland, who represents physician groups, said Rivkees’ order goes beyond the scope of practice, or what is authorized by law, for nurses and paramedics. “But he got away with it. He was quietly effective,” Nuland said. “He goes with good feelings from the medical community.”