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.
At this time of year, you may begin to see more snakes slithering around your home. A local expert explains why that is, how you can tell if the snakes are venomous, and what to do if they are. April showers bring more than May flowers—in Florida, they also bring snakes. Credit: Virginia State Parks, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons “As the rain picks up, and some wetlands start to fill up, snakes need to get on the move to find a new place to stay high and dry, maybe to find water and maybe to find some prey animals,” said Ella Guedouar, a graduate snake biologist at Florida Gulf Coast University. A high and dry location could well be your home. Guedouar identified one fearsome specimen, recently captured by a man named Mike Falcone in a Fort Myers neighborhood, as a cottonmouth, roughly two years old. “That is a venomous viper; it’s a watersnake,” Guedouar said. “You can kind of see this band on the eye, and the triangle-shaped head is a good way to tell what that is.” Another reason you may notice a more active snake population in the coming weeks: The adults will be out looking for mates. “We’re coming to the end of mating season, so we’re seeing a lot of activity with snakes because they’re looking for their mates, just trying to get that in while the weather’s good,” Guedouar said. “Because then the females do need time to go find a nice place to lay their eggs or give birth.” The egg-laying won’t happen until the end of summer, but for now, they’re hitting the streets. Guedouar says the two venomous snakes you’re most likely to see are cottonmouths (also known as water moccasins) and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes. “The way that you can tell those is the diamondback is gonna be this really big snake with diamonds on its back and a rattle at the end,” Guedouar said. A lot of non-venomous snakes, however, have evolved to resemble venomous species to ward off predators. And some venomous snakes change their appearance as they age. “The best rule of thumb is just to not touch a snake, especially if you don’t know what it is,” Guedouar said. “In the case of the cottonmouth, they are lighter colored as juveniles, and then as they grow bigger, they’ll get fatter and darker colored.” The eastern diamondback rattlesnake looks roughly the same its whole life. And if they end up on your property, Guedouar says not to reach for a shovel. ”You can spray it with the hose; they do not like being sprayed in the face with water,” Guedouar said. “That’s a safe distance for you to be from the snake and get it to move away, or take a broom and push it away.” As much as you may want to keep snakes away, the biologist stresses their importance in our environment. “I get the safety concern because it can be a concern for little kids or dogs that are in the yard, but the reality is they are here; we are on their land,” Guedouar said. “We need to learn to live with them… From my experience working with snakes, the snakes are so much more afraid of you than we are afraid of them. “ You can also reach out to FGCU’s snake team at swflrattlesnakes@gmail.com to have snakes removed for free.