ALVA Woodpeckers build home in 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 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.
While many children look forward to summer break as a time full of carefree fun, too many kids dread it due to abusive parents, homelessness and a lack of regular meals. Now, the Collier County organization Youth Haven is stepping in to help. “I was kind of couch-surfing with some friends here and there,” said Joshua Farias, a former Youth Haven resident. When he was just 15 years old, Joshua’s life was turned upside down when his mother got in trouble with the law. “I get a call by, like, 20 minutes later from her; she’s crying in the back of a police car because she got stopped at a red light,” Joshua said. “She was driving without a license, and she was also undocumented.” Joshua had to fend for himself. He moved around and took multiple jobs, all while trying to make good grades in school. He had no home and no direction until he was brought to Youth Haven. Youth Haven is an organization that takes in abused or homeless children and helps them get on the right track. Its website calls Youth Haven “Southwest Florida’s only emergency and residential shelter for boys and girls ages 10-20 who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment.” “I wouldn’t even know what to tell you, man; I’d probably still be homeless, or I’d be living in my car,” Joshua said. “I don’t know if I’d even be in college.” These group homes on campus help teens develop close relationships with programs that help with education and careers. Sadly, they are busier than ever, and it gets worse in the summertime with kids out of school. “Definitely an influx of more kids coming in different hours,” said Culmer St. Jean, Youth Haven’s residential manager. “All the situations are different: Sometimes it’s homeless, sometimes it’s runaway… most of the time, it’s abuse.” St. Jean said the teens who arrive are typically apprehensive of a group environment and new people, at first, but that changes over time. “Once they see that two, three days, and that they’re getting square meals a day, they’re going to do activities on campus,” St. Jean said. “Like, right now… they’re going to deal with the [Collier County] Sheriff’s Department and building chairs, gaining rapport with the community, shedding a different kind of light on what CCSO are… you know, a lot of these people experience the cops coming in and pulling them away from the home, and now they’re going to experience interacting and building something together.” Joshua is living proof of the success seen at Youth Haven. “I’m in college; I’m finishing up my first year at FGCU, Florida Gulf Coast University here in Fort Myers,” Joshua said. “I’m a nursing major hoping to be a pediatrician or a travel nurse eventually.” Jennifer Dant, Youth Haven’s program director, has a simple way for adults to help children who may be nearing homelessness or facing abuse in their households. “I think probably paying attention to your children’s friends, if you’re seeing something that might, you know, raise a red flag a little bit, not being afraid to talk to that child or reach out to someone,” Dant said. “If you’re seeing a family in the street, give them some water… see the humanity. We all have stories, we all carry our stories, and we don’t know what other people’s stories are.” You can help by volunteering at the Youth Haven campus, located at 5867 Whitaker Road. The group is in the process of building another house to help even more kids.