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.
Gov. Ron DeSantis with members of law enforcement at a new conference Thursday, August 18, 2022. Credit: CBS Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that 20 people who voted in the 2020 election would be arrested and charged Thursday for breaking the state’s election laws on felon voting rights. The move was described as the “opening salvo” for the Office of Election Crimes and Security, created by DeSantis and approved by the Florida Legislature. Some fear the office could discourage minorities and other communities from voting. The office began its work on July 1. DeSantis said the twenty people arrested were all convicted for either murder or sexual assault and were mostly from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. He added they were not among those whose voting rights were restored by “Amendment 4,” a ballot measure that overwhelmingly passed in 2018 which restores voting rights to felons in the state, with the exception of those convicted of rape or murder. “They did not go through any process. They did not get their rights restored and yet they went ahead and voted anyways. That is against the law and now they’re going to pay the price for it,” DeSantis said at a news conference Thursday. “These people who we’re following up – are outside the contours of Amendment 4.” The potential penalty is up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. DeSantis also said the Office of Election Crimes and Security would also be looking at voters who were undocumented when they cast their vote in 2020. Just under 11 million Floridians voted in 2020. “This is just the first step,” DeSantis said. “There are going to be foreign nationals. We want the federal government to be working constructively on this, and so far, that has not been the case. We have an obligation to make sure that U.S. citizens are voting.” Cecile Scoon, president of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Florida, said there are still open questions about the election crimes office, such as how law enforcement will be utilized and if their presence will be felt at the polling centers. “It’s potentially threatening people. They feel these police — how are they going to be utilized? Are they going to be standing over people’s shoulders?” she said. Scoon added that was concerned that after DeSantis’ recent removal of State Attorney Andrew Warren from office, election supervisors and officials could be next. “That was a red flag for me. Because he had removed one person from office, there was a concern of, ‘what’s next? What’s going on?” Scoon said. News of the arrests comes at a time when many Republicans still believe there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election, a claim perpetuated by former President Donald Trump. A CBS News poll from July showed that 69% of Republicans believe there was widespread voter fraud in 2020, despite the rejection of almost 70 legal challenges, according to the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project. “We must have elected leaders that are ensuring free and fair elections and also assuring our public and the citizens that they can have confidence in the election process,” said Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd. “I am sure this will allay fears that behind the scenes, within state government, people are ignoring violations of law. That is not the case.” Multiple Republican nominees on the ballot in November have signaled that they harbor doubts about the legitimacy of the 2020 elections, including at least nine out of the 24 nominees for secretary of state, often the highest election official in the state, according to a CBS News analysis. DeSantis has often said the 2020 elections in Florida were very secure, and praised the state’s quick count of ballots, compared to other battleground states that took much longer. But he has also shared the stage with candidates who believe the election was stolen, like Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake and Pennsylvania gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano. “A potential presidential candidate in 2024, DeSantis is up for reelection this fall. Florida’s primaries are Tuesday, Aug. 23, but he is running unopposed.”