Bonita Springs house catches on fire 3 times in less than 24 hoursFeeling warmer for your Friday afternoon plans
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs house catches on fire 3 times in less than 24 hours A house in Bonita Springs has caught on fire three times in less than 24 hours.
SWFL High School Football Scoreboard Week 12 The regular season finale of high school football in SWFL brings district champions crowned and playoff spots fortified. .
Trash pile on San Carlos Island continues to grow Residents of San Carlos Island have grown tired as garbage and debris from hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton piles up.
Law enforcement presence at Alfie Oakes’ North Naples home and Immokalee packing house Several federal and state law enforcement agencies were at Alfie Oakes’ home and packing house for an investigation that remains undisclosed.
MATLACHA Matlacha restaurant Miceli’s reopens after six weeks Popular Matlacha restaurant Miceli’s has reopened just six weeks after enduring damage from back-to-back storms.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Accused Dollar General thief arrested A man accused of robbing a Dollar General store is behind bars.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Ward 4 candidate seeks vote recount In the race for Fort Myers city council, Cindy Banyai lost the Ward 4 race to incumbent Liston Bochette by just 77 votes or 1.58% of the vote.
FORT MYERS Lee County considers adding second fixed-base operator to RSW The Lee County Port Authority is officially moving forward with negotiations for a new fixed-base operator at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral roofing business owes $2M to IRS after guilty plea The owner of a Cape Coral roofing business owes the Internal Revenue Service over $2 million after pleading guilty to fraud charges.
FDA approves new shoulder implant From high school seniors to senior citizens, more than 100,000 people will need a shoulder replacement each year.
Private Sky sues future competitor at RSW Private Sky Aviation Services will be getting future competition from a company with trillions of dollars in assets.
Taberna Burntwood opens rebranded tavern at Mercato in North Naples The Mercato restaurant’s difference in decor is clearly striking. Taberna is less rustic and more modern.
IONA Iona home catches fire, at least 2 vehicles also ruined A person lost their home and at least two vehicles after a fire engulfed their property.
FORT MYERS LeeTran scheduled to resume trolley system this month LeeTran brings back the popular seasonal River District trolleys and Fort Myers Beach tram later this month.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs house catches on fire 3 times in less than 24 hours A house in Bonita Springs has caught on fire three times in less than 24 hours.
SWFL High School Football Scoreboard Week 12 The regular season finale of high school football in SWFL brings district champions crowned and playoff spots fortified. .
Trash pile on San Carlos Island continues to grow Residents of San Carlos Island have grown tired as garbage and debris from hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton piles up.
Law enforcement presence at Alfie Oakes’ North Naples home and Immokalee packing house Several federal and state law enforcement agencies were at Alfie Oakes’ home and packing house for an investigation that remains undisclosed.
MATLACHA Matlacha restaurant Miceli’s reopens after six weeks Popular Matlacha restaurant Miceli’s has reopened just six weeks after enduring damage from back-to-back storms.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Accused Dollar General thief arrested A man accused of robbing a Dollar General store is behind bars.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Ward 4 candidate seeks vote recount In the race for Fort Myers city council, Cindy Banyai lost the Ward 4 race to incumbent Liston Bochette by just 77 votes or 1.58% of the vote.
FORT MYERS Lee County considers adding second fixed-base operator to RSW The Lee County Port Authority is officially moving forward with negotiations for a new fixed-base operator at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral roofing business owes $2M to IRS after guilty plea The owner of a Cape Coral roofing business owes the Internal Revenue Service over $2 million after pleading guilty to fraud charges.
FDA approves new shoulder implant From high school seniors to senior citizens, more than 100,000 people will need a shoulder replacement each year.
Private Sky sues future competitor at RSW Private Sky Aviation Services will be getting future competition from a company with trillions of dollars in assets.
Taberna Burntwood opens rebranded tavern at Mercato in North Naples The Mercato restaurant’s difference in decor is clearly striking. Taberna is less rustic and more modern.
IONA Iona home catches fire, at least 2 vehicles also ruined A person lost their home and at least two vehicles after a fire engulfed their property.
FORT MYERS LeeTran scheduled to resume trolley system this month LeeTran brings back the popular seasonal River District trolleys and Fort Myers Beach tram later this month.
FILE – Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses attendees during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on July 22, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. One of the 20 people arrested with fanfare under an election fraud program launched by Gov. Ron DeSantis had his case dismissed Friday by a Miami judge, but the governor plans to appeal the ruling. Those arrested had voted in 2020, the first major elections since a state constitutional amendment allowed many felons to have voting rights automatically restored, except for those convicted of murder and felony sexual assault or those who still owe fines or restitution. The arrests announced in August under the governor’s election integrity initiative were people who had been convicted on those charges and therefore ineligible under the new rules. But voting advocates say the fact that the defendants could successfully register with their local election officials gave them a false sense of eligibility, so the cases were unfair. Court records show Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch agreed that Robert Lee Wood, 56, should not be prosecuted under the initiative because it did not involve multiple jurisdictions in Florida. That’s because the cases against Wood and the others were brought by the Office of Statewide Prosecution rather than a local state attorney, something the judge concluded was improper on jurisdictional grounds. For that office to prosecute someone, Hirsch found, the crime must have taken place “in two more judicial circuits as part of a related transaction.” “Here the crime, if there was one, occurred exclusively in Miami,” Hirsch wrote. “It is an old truth that all politics is local. OSP seeks to stand that old truth on its head.” The two dismissed felony charges against Wood — giving false information on registration forms and voting even though he knew he was not qualified — had to do with his September 2020 registration to vote and then the subsequent votes he cast in that November’s election. It turned out Wood, previously convicted of second-degree murder, was not eligible to vote under the amendment that restored voting rights for other felons. State Corrections Department records show Wood was released in August 2010 after serving 19 years behind bars. The judge did not address the merits of the charges in his ruling. “We’re pleased with the ruling. We’re going to wait to see whether the statewide office wants to appeal it,” said Wood’s attorney, Larry Davis. DeSantis, a Republican running for reelection this year and widely considered a 2024 presidential candidate, will appeal the case, according to his spokesman. “We disagree with the court’s jurisdictional ruling and intend to appeal. Given that elections violations of this nature impact all Florida voters, elections officials, state government, and the integrity of our republic, we continue to view the Florida Office of Statewide Prosecution as the appropriate agency to prosecute these crimes,” press secretary Bryan Griffin said in an email. DeSantis said in announcing the charges that the people targeted had been convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense and therefore were not eligible to vote under the 2018 constitutional amendment. The 20 people arrested were among more than 11 million Florida voters who cast ballots in the 2020 election, leading critics of DeSantis to renew accusations that the election police force would serve as a political tool for the governor. Neil Volz, deputy director of Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, said Florida should have a voter verification system that properly screens potential voters when they attempt to register for the vote so that once registered they can safely assume they’re eligible to vote.