Gator stuck on Estero porch gives homeowner a wild surprise Sunday nightNorth Fort Myers crash leaves motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries
ESTERO Gator stuck on Estero porch gives homeowner a wild surprise Sunday night Imagine glancing out your back door and seeing a gator sliding around on your deck. That’s exactly what happened to an Estero homeowner who found an unexpected visitor on their property.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers crash leaves motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries A motorcyclist is in critical condition following a collision with a sedan at the intersection of North East Pine Island Road and Judd Creek Boulevard in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane Ian recovery delays impact tourism and local businesses Fort Myers Beach is still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which struck over two years ago.
FORT MYERS Alliance for the Arts hosting Jazz on the Green, celebrating historic music genre Catch Grammy winners and jazz virtuosos at the Jazz on the Green event hosted by the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS Twins host fans for open house and first full squad workout The Minnesota Twins held their first full squad workout of Spring Training as well as hosted fans for an open house.
Shingle roofs could phase out in the future Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky recently made comments at the Florida Chamber Insurance Summit about the potential phasing out of shingle roofs in the state.
SANIBEL Sanibel islanders rally to restore beloved fishing pier after Ian damage The Sanibel Fishing Pier, a beloved spot for many, has been in disrepair since Hurricane Ian struck more than two years ago. Now, dedicated fishers are pushing to restore it using private funding.
PUNTA GORDA Gunfire erupts on US 41 bridge in Punta Gorda; bikers arrested A road rage incident escalated into gunfire on the U.S. 41 bridge connecting Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, causing fear among drivers.
BONITA SPRINGS Will San Carlos Estates merge with Bonita Springs? Residents of San Carlos Estates in Bonita Springs are fighting to maintain their neighborhood’s independence.
PUNTA GORDA New flight routes at Punta Gorda Airport The Punta Gorda Airport is expanding its offerings, adding new flight options for travelers.
LEE COUNTY Bregman’s arrival and Devers’ denial highlight Red Sox first full squad The addition of Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers’ refusal to change positions highlighted the first full squad workout for the Red Sox.
NORTH FORT MYERS March to a Million Meals: Teaming up to help feed families Feeding a quarter of a million people each month requires a lot of money and help.
Charlotte County residents voice concerns over Burnt Store Road upgrades An emergency meeting was held to address concerns from residents about the development along Burnt Store Road in Charlotte County.
PORT CHARLOTTE Local nonprofit gives back to veterans for their service A military wife has found a heartfelt way to honor veterans and first responders.
Miracle Moment: Ronald McDonald House offers hope to boy battling cancer It’s time for Miracle Moment.
ESTERO Gator stuck on Estero porch gives homeowner a wild surprise Sunday night Imagine glancing out your back door and seeing a gator sliding around on your deck. That’s exactly what happened to an Estero homeowner who found an unexpected visitor on their property.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers crash leaves motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries A motorcyclist is in critical condition following a collision with a sedan at the intersection of North East Pine Island Road and Judd Creek Boulevard in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane Ian recovery delays impact tourism and local businesses Fort Myers Beach is still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which struck over two years ago.
FORT MYERS Alliance for the Arts hosting Jazz on the Green, celebrating historic music genre Catch Grammy winners and jazz virtuosos at the Jazz on the Green event hosted by the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS Twins host fans for open house and first full squad workout The Minnesota Twins held their first full squad workout of Spring Training as well as hosted fans for an open house.
Shingle roofs could phase out in the future Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky recently made comments at the Florida Chamber Insurance Summit about the potential phasing out of shingle roofs in the state.
SANIBEL Sanibel islanders rally to restore beloved fishing pier after Ian damage The Sanibel Fishing Pier, a beloved spot for many, has been in disrepair since Hurricane Ian struck more than two years ago. Now, dedicated fishers are pushing to restore it using private funding.
PUNTA GORDA Gunfire erupts on US 41 bridge in Punta Gorda; bikers arrested A road rage incident escalated into gunfire on the U.S. 41 bridge connecting Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, causing fear among drivers.
BONITA SPRINGS Will San Carlos Estates merge with Bonita Springs? Residents of San Carlos Estates in Bonita Springs are fighting to maintain their neighborhood’s independence.
PUNTA GORDA New flight routes at Punta Gorda Airport The Punta Gorda Airport is expanding its offerings, adding new flight options for travelers.
LEE COUNTY Bregman’s arrival and Devers’ denial highlight Red Sox first full squad The addition of Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers’ refusal to change positions highlighted the first full squad workout for the Red Sox.
NORTH FORT MYERS March to a Million Meals: Teaming up to help feed families Feeding a quarter of a million people each month requires a lot of money and help.
Charlotte County residents voice concerns over Burnt Store Road upgrades An emergency meeting was held to address concerns from residents about the development along Burnt Store Road in Charlotte County.
PORT CHARLOTTE Local nonprofit gives back to veterans for their service A military wife has found a heartfelt way to honor veterans and first responders.
Miracle Moment: Ronald McDonald House offers hope to boy battling cancer It’s time for Miracle Moment.
A pair of Southwest Florida boat captains came together to create the nonprofit Captains for Clean Water and educate people about the environment. “The vast, vast majority of our supporters are not captains; half of our supporters don’t even fish,” said Capt. Daniel Andrews. “But we have the business community that typically doesn’t want to talk about environmental issues, because they don’t want to impact their tourism. They’re our biggest supporters now.” “Senate Bill 2508 is a good example of that power, of that movement and the engagement of the people,” said Capt. Chris Wittman. With only a few hours’ notice, troops rallied from around the state to oppose the bill they feared would undo Everglades restoration. “I personally canceled thousands of dollars worth of charters to be here,” Wittman said. “I would say in the room behind me, we have over $40,000 worth of income that was canceled to be here today.” “We had about 50,000 people reach out to their elected officials during that time… that’s more captains than we have in the state times five,” Andrews said. How did two men born and raised in Southwest Florida go from fishing guides to stewards of environmental activism, liasions of the waterways and Gulfshore Life’s men of the year? Like many, their adult passions started as childhood interests. “Both of us, as kids, didn’t really care a whole lot about anything else besides being outdoors and fishing, and hunting and hiking, and whatever we could do just not have to be inside,” Andrews said. “Even if our kids don’t have any interest in fishing or being outdoors, you at least want them to have the opportunity to make that choice themselves, not watch these places [be] destroyed.” Capt. Chris Wittman and Capt. Daniel Andrews of Captains for Clean Water were selected as Men of the Year by Gulfshore Life. (CREDIT: WINK News) As fishermen and fishing guides, Andrews and Wittman both had front-row seats to the blue-green algae water crisis in 2016. “We felt the impact of, you know, discharges’ poor management and the symptoms that come along with that,” Wittman said. In February of 2016, Andrews, Wittman and four other captains penned a petition to the mayor of Fort Myers, and Captains for Clean Water was born. “The next morning, we wake up, and there’s like 300 people that were like, you know, ‘I’m a local guide, add me to the list,'” Wittman said. “If people understood the science behind it, and the policy solutions to make it happen, then you actually have a chance at fighting the fight and saving the place,” Andrews said. Since then, their goals, reach and impact have only grown. “I think, to see the rise of people holding water quality as the highest standard of what is important to our community, even times outside of crisis, is the biggest measure of the success of organization,” Wittman said. What do the next six years look like? Continuing the Everglades Restoration Project. “It’s about maintaining that momentum or even growing that momentum, and we want to see Everglades restoration completed, all 68 projects; we want to see our water specs, and at that point, that’s when we’ll look to what is the next fight.”