Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plansMarco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 11, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
Second leading cause of chest pain The leading cause of cardiac chest pain is coronary artery disease, which affects over 18 million adults in the United States.
Vicky Bakery opens 26th location, first in Fort Myers A Fort Myers location just opened at 4429 Cleveland Ave., at El Dorado Plaza, just east of the Ginza sushi restaurant.
WINK News’ Matt Devitt, officials address resident flooding concerns In a slide presentation, WINK News Chief Meteorologist Matt Devitt showed surrounding coastal counties have the sensors that are installed and monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
FORT MYERS RSW offering remote parking for the holidays Southwest Florida International Airport, RSW, is offering passengers RSWRemote, a reserved holiday parking option.
Lee County man found guilty of manslaughter A 47-year-old man from Lee County has been found guilty of manslaughter after stabbing his neighbor multiple times in 2022.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 11, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
Second leading cause of chest pain The leading cause of cardiac chest pain is coronary artery disease, which affects over 18 million adults in the United States.
Vicky Bakery opens 26th location, first in Fort Myers A Fort Myers location just opened at 4429 Cleveland Ave., at El Dorado Plaza, just east of the Ginza sushi restaurant.
WINK News’ Matt Devitt, officials address resident flooding concerns In a slide presentation, WINK News Chief Meteorologist Matt Devitt showed surrounding coastal counties have the sensors that are installed and monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
FORT MYERS RSW offering remote parking for the holidays Southwest Florida International Airport, RSW, is offering passengers RSWRemote, a reserved holiday parking option.
Lee County man found guilty of manslaughter A 47-year-old man from Lee County has been found guilty of manslaughter after stabbing his neighbor multiple times in 2022.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is making a pitch for California companies to relocate to South Florida. (CREDIT: CBS Miami) A super PAC supporting Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s run for the Republican presidential nomination has launched an artificial intelligence chatbot to answer questions about him, marking yet another example of how generative AI tools are being used in 2024 presidential campaigns. The bot unveiled Wednesday by SOS America PAC listens to a user’s questions and matches them to video answers, created with an AI-powered avatar made to look and sound like Suarez. “Hi, I’m AI Francis Suarez,” the bot says to introduce itself, its mouth moving in a way that’s not quite human. “You’ve probably heard that my namesake, conservative Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, is running for president. I’m here to answer questions you may have about Mayor Suarez’s proven agenda for economic prosperity, cutting spending and supporting our police. So, how can I help?” The tool is powered by VideoAsk, a product created by the software company Typeform that advertises its use in recruiting and sales. The product’s website says clients can create “video funnels” that send visitors down different pathways depending on the questions they ask, allowing users to “choose their own adventure.” The chatbot doesn’t appear to answer a user’s actual questions on the spot; instead, it directs them to a video on a topic in Suarez’s platform. When asked Suarez’s plan on immigration, for example, the bot starts playing a 55-second video about “Mayor Suarez’s Miami Model” that discusses various topics including “economic prosperity in Miami,” unemployment rates, job creation, homicide rates and homelessness. When asked if Suarez would support Trump as the GOP nominee, however, the bot turns to a computer-generated caricature identifying itself as “AI Ron DeSantis.” The caricature, made to resemble the Florida governor, says Suarez is concerned with “saving America’s economy, supporting our police officers” while DeSantis thinks “the single greatest threat to American families today” is “Mickey Mouse, yes Mickey Mouse – run for your lives!” Some questions stump the bot, prompting a screen that reads, “Sorry, I did not understand…” The chatbot joins other examples of 2024 candidates using generative AI tools in new ways in their campaigns. Last month, DeSantis’ campaign released a video on social media that used images generated by artificial intelligence to show former President Donald Trump hugging infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci. And in April, the Republican National Committee released a dystopian campaign ad meant to show the future if President Joe Biden is re-elected, created entirely with AI-generated images. While artificial intelligence has been used before in political campaigning, AI tools have improved dramatically in recent years, making it faster, cheaper and easier to create images, videos or blocks of text from scratch. While the tools can streamline tedious tasks and create innovative ad campaigns, experts warn that they can also be used to churn out harmful and believable disinformation meant to influence elections. SOS America PAC and Typeform didn’t immediately respond to inquiries requesting more information about Suarez’s chatbot. ___ Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.