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.
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.