Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast UniversityMissing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
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.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
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.
Fort Myers City Council discussed, at their Jan. 16 meeting, the potential purchase of the Hodges University property to be the site of a new City Hall. Hodges University, a private, nonprofit institution of higher learning, will permanently close by the end of August 2024. Located on 34 acres at the intersection of Colonial Boulevard and Winkler Avenue, the property comprises two buildings totaling nearly 110,000 square feet. The item for consideration was brought forward by council member Darla Bonk, who said she wanted to gauge where Council was in terms of exploring the opportunity further. “It’s obviously a little bit different to even think about moving City Hall from where it has traditionally and historically always been (in downtown Fort Myers). But with anything, for me, in decisions that we make, I always look at how can something work, why can’t it work or why shouldn’t it work,” Bonk said. Bonk said with so many refurbishments that are needed at the existing City Hall, she thinks it’s worthwhile to look at the cost-benefit analysis to see if moving to the Hodges property would make financial sense. At this point, city leadership and some council members have only toured the buildings at Hodges. While council member Terolyn Watson agreed a new City Hall was needed, she opposed moving out of downtown Fort Myers. Council member Johnny Streets also leaned more toward constructing a new City Hall building downtown. However, council member Fred Burson said it would be a great move financially. “That building is 110,000 square feet,” he said. “If you had the chance to tour it, that building is going to cost us today, $400 or $500 per square foot to build, and we couldn’t start to replace it for what they’re asking.” Burson’s comment aligns with Bonk citing the cost of retrofitting versus new construction as a possible benefit to considering Hodges as City Hall’s new home. Burson also acknowledged the location of Hodges, calling it the center of what Fort Myers is going to be. He said moving City Hall to a location that’s more accessible to all residents would be beneficial. “We’re right here on the north end of the city boundaries up against the river, whereas this would be more in the center of town,” Burson said. Burson even suggested using the existing City Hall as affordable or workforce housing. “As far as this site goes, we have the entire block. We could make a decision to sell it to a business and put it on the tax roll,” he said. “We increase the tax roll, make good use of downtown property for more workforce housing.” Additionally, Burson said the move to Hodges would eliminate the hundreds of thousands of dollars the city currently pays out in rent all over town. “This building is not nearly big enough to house all the city departments,” he said. “If we were to consolidate all the departments into one building, we would eliminate all those rents we currently pay. We would put this site back on the tax roll, which is extremely valuable, and we would get into a building that we could not start to duplicate for probably better than twice the price that we can actually acquire this for.” Now, having obtained the green light from Council, City Manager Marty Lawing said staff will begin to do some space needs assessments, evaluate the space needs of all departments and determine the modifications and renovations that would be necessary, as well as assess the associated costs. This story is a repost from Gulfshorebusiness.com.