HENDRY COUNTY Hendry County crash closes eastbound lanes on State Road 80 A crash in Hendry County closed the State Road 80 eastbound lanes near Birchwood Parkway early this morning.
CAPE CORAL 2 evacuated from Cape Coral house fire The Cape Coral Fire Department responded to a house fire that forced two people out on Thursday morning.
Nokomis Arrest made in Sarasota shooting that killed a Port Charlotte man The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man for the Sunday shooting that killed a man from Port Charlotte.
the weather authority Feeling hotter this Thursday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a hot Thursday with more humid conditions attributed to “feels like” temperatures nearing 100°.
BONITA SPRINGS Food truck catches fire in Bonita Springs The Bonita Springs Fire Control & Rescue District has been working to extinguish a food truck fire that occurred on Thursday.
WINK NEWS Keeping your kids safe online over summer break As students enter the summer break, the use of tablets and phones will increase, which stresses the importance of online protection.
Annual Fort Myers Film Festival officially underway The Fort Myers Film Festival opened their 14th annual edition in Downtown Fort Myers on Wednesday night, featuring 92 films within the next four days.
Baby survives fentanyl overdose, Collier couple arrested Somewhere between the infant’s mother getting into the shower and getting out, it got its hands on a piece of tin foil.
FORT MYERS How dangerous is the five-point intersection in Fort Myers? Fort Myers City councilman Liston Bochette claimed that the closure of the Caloosahatchee Bridge will make the “5 points” intersection in Fort Myers more dangerous.
FORT MYERS Downtown Fort Myers hosts its 14th annual Film Festival The 14th annual Fort Myers Film Festival has announced it will return to Downtown Fort Myers on Wednesday night.
Live fire training takes place across Lee County Thick, grey smoke filled the air in Fort Myers’ southward village.
FORT MYERS FSW’s new summer program helps freshmen transition to college Amanda Bent, a first-year, work-study student at Florida Southwestern State College, isn’t like most college freshmen.
The drastic change in the middle class in the past ten years A recent analysis study from GOBankingRates determined the range of income needed to earn a spot in the middle class in all 50 states.
Insurers are using drones to inspect homes Insurers are figuring out if your home is worth their risk without even stepping foot on your property. Consumer advocates worry this is going to make the state’s insurance crisis even worse for homeowners. Industry experts believe using drones are a better way to asses homes.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Nikki Haley says she will vote for Donald Trump following their disputes during Republican primary Nikki Haley said Wednesday that she will be voting for Donald Trump in the general election, encouraging the presumptive GOP nominee to work hard to win support from those who backed her in the primary.
HENDRY COUNTY Hendry County crash closes eastbound lanes on State Road 80 A crash in Hendry County closed the State Road 80 eastbound lanes near Birchwood Parkway early this morning.
CAPE CORAL 2 evacuated from Cape Coral house fire The Cape Coral Fire Department responded to a house fire that forced two people out on Thursday morning.
Nokomis Arrest made in Sarasota shooting that killed a Port Charlotte man The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man for the Sunday shooting that killed a man from Port Charlotte.
the weather authority Feeling hotter this Thursday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a hot Thursday with more humid conditions attributed to “feels like” temperatures nearing 100°.
BONITA SPRINGS Food truck catches fire in Bonita Springs The Bonita Springs Fire Control & Rescue District has been working to extinguish a food truck fire that occurred on Thursday.
WINK NEWS Keeping your kids safe online over summer break As students enter the summer break, the use of tablets and phones will increase, which stresses the importance of online protection.
Annual Fort Myers Film Festival officially underway The Fort Myers Film Festival opened their 14th annual edition in Downtown Fort Myers on Wednesday night, featuring 92 films within the next four days.
Baby survives fentanyl overdose, Collier couple arrested Somewhere between the infant’s mother getting into the shower and getting out, it got its hands on a piece of tin foil.
FORT MYERS How dangerous is the five-point intersection in Fort Myers? Fort Myers City councilman Liston Bochette claimed that the closure of the Caloosahatchee Bridge will make the “5 points” intersection in Fort Myers more dangerous.
FORT MYERS Downtown Fort Myers hosts its 14th annual Film Festival The 14th annual Fort Myers Film Festival has announced it will return to Downtown Fort Myers on Wednesday night.
Live fire training takes place across Lee County Thick, grey smoke filled the air in Fort Myers’ southward village.
FORT MYERS FSW’s new summer program helps freshmen transition to college Amanda Bent, a first-year, work-study student at Florida Southwestern State College, isn’t like most college freshmen.
The drastic change in the middle class in the past ten years A recent analysis study from GOBankingRates determined the range of income needed to earn a spot in the middle class in all 50 states.
Insurers are using drones to inspect homes Insurers are figuring out if your home is worth their risk without even stepping foot on your property. Consumer advocates worry this is going to make the state’s insurance crisis even worse for homeowners. Industry experts believe using drones are a better way to asses homes.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Nikki Haley says she will vote for Donald Trump following their disputes during Republican primary Nikki Haley said Wednesday that she will be voting for Donald Trump in the general election, encouraging the presumptive GOP nominee to work hard to win support from those who backed her in the primary.
Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando. Credit: AP Disney on Tuesday released a study showing its economic impact in Florida at $40.3 billion as it battles Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his appointees over their takeover of the district that governs the entertainment company’s massive theme park resort in central Florida. Disney accounted for 263,000 jobs in Florida, more than three times the actual workforce at Walt Disney World, according to the study conducted by Oxford Economics and commissioned by Disney, covering fiscal year 2022. Besides direct employment and spending, the study attributed the company’s multibillion-dollar impact to indirect influences, such as supply chain and employees’ spending. The jobs include Disney employees as well as jobs supported by visitor spending off Disney World property. Disney employs 82,000 workers in Florida, not only at Disney World outside Orlando, but also Disney Cruise Line in Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, as well as a resort in Vero Beach. In central Florida, Disney directly accounts for 1 in 8 jobs, and for every direct job, another 1.7 jobs are supported across Florida, Oxford Economics said. The time period in the study is before the takeover earlier this year of Disney World’s governing district by DeSantis and his appointees after Disney publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. The law was championed by DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Disney officials in the past year have said the company plans to invest an additional $17 billion over the next decade in central Florida, including potentially adding another 13,000 jobs. However, the company has shown a willingness to pull back investing in the Sunshine State. Earlier this year, Disney scrapped plans to relocate 2,000 employees from Southern California to work in digital technology, finance and product development, an investment estimated at $1 billion. Disney World already has four theme parks, more than 25 hotels, two water parks and a shopping and dining district on 25,000 acres (10,117 hectares). Disney is battling DeSantis and his appointees in federal and state courts over the takeover of what was formally called the Reedy Creek Improvement District but was renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District after DeSantis appointees gained control. The district was created by the Florida Legislature in 1967 to handle municipal services like firefighting, road repairs and waste hauling, and it was controlled by Disney supporters until earlier this year. Before control of the district changed hands from Disney allies to DeSantis appointees, the Disney supporters on its board signed agreements with Disney shifting control over design and construction at Disney World to the company. The new DeSantis appointees said the “eleventh-hour deals” neutered their powers, and the district sued the company in state court in Orlando to have the contracts voided. Disney has filed counterclaims, which include asking the state court to declare the agreements valid and enforceable. Disney also has sued DeSantis, a state agency and DeSantis appointees on the district’s board in federal court in Tallahassee, saying the company’s free speech rights were violated when the governor and Republican lawmakers targeted it for expressing opposition to the law dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by its critics. In an earnings report last week, Disney noted that while its theme parks worldwide had a year-to-year increase in operating income, it had decreased at the Florida theme park resort due to costs related to the closure of its immersive Star Wars-themed two-night experience and lower visitor spending from a decrease in hotel rates.