SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
FILE – Oranges rot on the ground on Oct. 12, 2022, at Roy Petteway’s Citrus and Cattle Farm after they were knocked off the trees from the effects of Hurricane Ian in Zolfo Springs, Fla. According to U.S. Agriculture Department estimates released Friday, Dec. 9, production of oranges in Florida is forecast to drop by 36% for this season compared with estimates from October, in part a reflection of twin hurricanes that battered growing regions. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File) Florida citrus officials are promoting the “grit of this industry” as the growing season is set to close with the lowest production in nearly a century. But they say growers are getting more anxious while continuing to wait for federal assistance approved after Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole uprooted trees and flooded fields last fall. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday released a report that estimated Florida will produce 15.75 million boxes of oranges this season. That would be down from 41.2 million boxes during the 2021-2022 season — a total that itself was the lowest production in decades. The department will release a final report for the 2022-2023 season in July. Hurricane Ian caused heavy damage to the industry after it made landfall in September in Southwest Florida and crossed the state, including barreling through major citrus-growing areas. But even before the hurricanes, the 2022-2023 harvest was expected to be smaller than in previous years, as an initial “fruit per tree” count was down. “It was a short crop to begin with, even before the hurricanes hit,” U.S. Department of Agriculture State Statistician Mark Hudson said. “The hurricanes made it even shorter.” The estimates released Friday showed Florida producing 1.82 million boxes of grapefruit this season, down from 3.33 million in 2021-2022. They also showed the state producing 490,00 boxes of specialty crops, mostly tangerines and tangelos, down from 750,000 in 2021-2022. The industry uses a standard of 90-pound boxes. The overall total of slightly more than 18 million boxes would represent the lowest production for Florida growers since 17 million boxes were filled in the 1927-1928 season. Matt Joyner, CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, said that while growers are resilient, “we must have the hurricane relief promised by our federal government in order to overcome the damages and losses inflicted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.” Congress passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill in December that included $3.742 billion for crop and livestock losses across the nation in 2022. Several Florida lawmakers have championed a block-grant process to help distribute money, but it awaits congressional approval. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has estimated Hurricane Ian inflicted up to $675 million in damage to the state’s citrus growers. Meanwhile, the industry faces development pressures and has grappled for two decades with deadly citrus greening disease, more formally known as huanglongbing. “We remain optimistic about the future, with new treatment methods making a real difference in our fight against greening,” Joyner said. “With hurricane relief, the dedication of our growers and the grit of this industry, I’m confident Florida citrus will come back.” State lawmakers last month passed a budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year that would increase funding for various aspects of the citrus industry from the current $37 million to $65 million. Gov. Ron DeSantis has not signed the budget or issued vetoes. The fiscal year will start July 1. The proposed state spending includes $49.5 million for citrus protection and research, including large-scale field trials on trees that are resistant to huanglongbing. Friday’s estimate for orange production would be the lowest since the 1932-1933 growing season. At that time, the state was still reeling from hurricanes that crossed Florida after hitting Miami in 1926 and West Palm Beach in 1928. Also, a Mediterranean fruit-fly invasion in 1929 affected the industry. Meanwhile, this year’s grapefruit crop is set to be the lowest since 1911-1912. The estimate for specialty crops is slightly above the levels in 1920-1921. Friday’s estimates represented a relatively small improvement for oranges and grapefruit compared to a May forecast. The estimate for oranges increased by 100,000 boxes, while the estimate for grapefruit increased by 20,000 boxes. The estimate for specialty crops, however, decreased by 10,000 boxes.