Deputy injured, suspect killed in shooting near State Road 72 in DeSoto CountySunSplash Waterpark hosts hiring event in Cape Coral
Deputy injured, suspect killed in shooting near State Road 72 in DeSoto County A deputy-involved shooting near State Road 72 in DeSoto County has left one deputy injured and the suspect dead early Saturday.
CAPE CORAL SunSplash Waterpark hosts hiring event in Cape Coral As chilly temperatures linger, it might be hard to think about the hot, humid days of summer, but SunSplash Family Waterpark in Cape Coral is already preparing for the season.
the weather authority Cold Saturday morning, warmer afternoons on the way The Weather Authority says Southwest Florida woke up to the coldest temperatures in 3 years.
Neighbors react to deputy-involved shooting of man with machete New body camera footage shows the moment Charlotte County deputies opened fire on a man armed with a machete.
FORT MYERS 21st annual Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival underway in Fort Myers The 21st Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival is underway. Despite the colder weather, visitors are enjoying the festivities in Fort Myers.
New video shows alternate angle of I-75 multi-county chase A theft ring in Lee County led to a dramatic car chase involving Paul Fritzson, who allegedly carjacked a couple in Collier County.
Meet the kids benefiting from Naples’ charity wine festival: Kolson’s story The Naples Winter Wine Festival, known as the largest charity wine auction in the world, kicked off on Friday with a focus on benefiting children in Collier County.
Iona Firefighter rescues homeowner from blaze A firefighter bravely rescued a homeowner from a burning house on Whiskey Creek Drive.
LEHIGH ACRES Father and son face off in hoops for the first time Gateway guard Quran Pettyjohn Jr. faced off against his dad, East Lee County head coach Quran Pettyjohn Sr., for the first time Thursday night.
NAPLES School burglars in Collier County make off with guns The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying four people who broke into Golden Gate Middle School and stole guns that were locked in a safe.
NAPLES Local veteran impresses Trump and Stallone with handcrafted flags A local veteran has always had a passion for art. After serving in the military, he found a new mission through his hobby of wood cutting.
FORT MYERS Dunbar High cross-country runner makes history as first girl in state finals A Dunbar High senior is making history. Jennifer Gonzalez is the first girl from the school to reach the state finals in cross country.
NORTH NAPLES Meet the Kids Day! Big dollar donors hear how their money helps Tooday is Meet the Kids Day. People who bid on high-dollar auction items at the Naples Winter Wine Festival get to see who benefits.
CAPE CORAL American Legion Post 90 to hold Four Chaplains ceremony American Legion Post 90 is holding the Four Chaplains ceremony commemorating the sinking of an American troop ship during World War II.
SUV crashes into Hendry County canal Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating after an SUV crashed into a canal in Hendry County.
Deputy injured, suspect killed in shooting near State Road 72 in DeSoto County A deputy-involved shooting near State Road 72 in DeSoto County has left one deputy injured and the suspect dead early Saturday.
CAPE CORAL SunSplash Waterpark hosts hiring event in Cape Coral As chilly temperatures linger, it might be hard to think about the hot, humid days of summer, but SunSplash Family Waterpark in Cape Coral is already preparing for the season.
the weather authority Cold Saturday morning, warmer afternoons on the way The Weather Authority says Southwest Florida woke up to the coldest temperatures in 3 years.
Neighbors react to deputy-involved shooting of man with machete New body camera footage shows the moment Charlotte County deputies opened fire on a man armed with a machete.
FORT MYERS 21st annual Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival underway in Fort Myers The 21st Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival is underway. Despite the colder weather, visitors are enjoying the festivities in Fort Myers.
New video shows alternate angle of I-75 multi-county chase A theft ring in Lee County led to a dramatic car chase involving Paul Fritzson, who allegedly carjacked a couple in Collier County.
Meet the kids benefiting from Naples’ charity wine festival: Kolson’s story The Naples Winter Wine Festival, known as the largest charity wine auction in the world, kicked off on Friday with a focus on benefiting children in Collier County.
Iona Firefighter rescues homeowner from blaze A firefighter bravely rescued a homeowner from a burning house on Whiskey Creek Drive.
LEHIGH ACRES Father and son face off in hoops for the first time Gateway guard Quran Pettyjohn Jr. faced off against his dad, East Lee County head coach Quran Pettyjohn Sr., for the first time Thursday night.
NAPLES School burglars in Collier County make off with guns The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying four people who broke into Golden Gate Middle School and stole guns that were locked in a safe.
NAPLES Local veteran impresses Trump and Stallone with handcrafted flags A local veteran has always had a passion for art. After serving in the military, he found a new mission through his hobby of wood cutting.
FORT MYERS Dunbar High cross-country runner makes history as first girl in state finals A Dunbar High senior is making history. Jennifer Gonzalez is the first girl from the school to reach the state finals in cross country.
NORTH NAPLES Meet the Kids Day! Big dollar donors hear how their money helps Tooday is Meet the Kids Day. People who bid on high-dollar auction items at the Naples Winter Wine Festival get to see who benefits.
CAPE CORAL American Legion Post 90 to hold Four Chaplains ceremony American Legion Post 90 is holding the Four Chaplains ceremony commemorating the sinking of an American troop ship during World War II.
SUV crashes into Hendry County canal Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating after an SUV crashed into a canal in Hendry County.
A roofer examines a home damaged by Hurricane Ian in Florida. Credit: CBS As Florida lawmakers try to stabilize the troubled property-insurance system next month, they could face worsening problems with reinsurance, a critical part of the system. Fitch Ratings released an analysis Wednesday that said overall reinsurance prices are expected to increase by more than 10 percent in 2023, pointing to losses from disasters such as Hurricane Ian and “increasing frequency and severity of natural catastrophe claims.” “Price rises will be most pronounced in the regions worst affected by natural catastrophe events in 2022, including Australia, Florida and France,” the ratings agency said. “Hurricane Ian is likely to have caused between ($35 billion and $55 billion) of insured claims, making it one of the costliest natural catastrophe events ever.” In the analysis, Fitch also said it expects tighter restrictions when reinsurance policies are renewed in 2023, while raising the possibility that Florida property insurers will not be able to buy all of the reinsurance they need. “Nevertheless, we believe demand for property catastrophe reinsurance during the 2023 renewals season will be broadly met, except for Florida,” the analysis said. Reinsurance, which is sold in a global market, is essentially backup coverage for insurers. It plays a crucial role in Florida, as evidenced by the projected tens of billions of dollars in damage from Category 4 Hurricane Ian, which made landfall Sept. 28 in Southwest Florida before crossing the state. When property insurers’ losses reach certain thresholds, reinsurance coverage is triggered to help pay claims. Costs of reinsurance are baked into policyholders’ rates. Florida property insurers rely on a combination of reinsurance bought in the private market and from the state-run Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. As an example of the importance of reinsurance, the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund estimated last month it would have $10 billion in losses from Ian. Reinsurance costs and availability were a problem in the Florida market before Ian. During a May special legislative session, lawmakers agreed to spend $2 billion in tax dollars to provide additional reinsurance coverage to insurers temporarily. Gov. Ron DeSantis called the May special session amid widespread problems in the insurance industry that have included homeowners losing policies and seeing massive rate hikes. Meanwhile, some property insurers have gone insolvent, and policies have flooded into the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which was created as an insurer of last resort. Problems, however, have persisted, and lawmakers will hold another special session the week of Dec. 12 that is expected to include making additional changes to try to bolster insurers. House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, said Tuesday that lawmakers will look at a “kitchen sink of options” during the special session to try to stabilize the market and expand private coverage. He indicated those options could involve spending additional money to help with reinsurance. “It would be temporary, and it has to be contingent on getting major reforms, so we actually fix the situation,” Renner told reporters. “I do not want to be in a situation where we make any kind of new long-term taxpayer commitment to underwrite insurance. That is not the goal. The goal is to have a healthy private market, to then begin depopulating (removing policies from) Citizens so that we get back to where we were not so many years ago, which is a healthy, vibrant market where people can not have a cardiac arrest when they get their renewal bills.”