LEHIGH ACRES FGCU softball team helps Habitat for Humanity build three homes The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team helped Habitat for Humanity build three homes Saturday.
ESTERO Home Base Golf Tournament helps SWFL Veterans Veterans hit the green at the Copperleaf Golf Course on Saturday. This was part of the Home Base golf tournament.
FORT MYERS At least one person dead after propane truck collides with golf cart Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that has left one person dead and another injured Saturday morning.
Scattered storms ahead for your Saturday plans The Weather Authority is tracking weekend temperatures in the low to mid-90s this weekend with a chance for scattered storms this afternoon.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 3 Thunderstorms tried to put a stop to week three of high school football on Friday Night, but gridiron action prevailed.
Man accused of plotting murder-for-hire denied bond A man suspected of being involved with a murder-for-hire plot will stay behind bars. Ryan Toranzo had his renewed motion to set bond denied today in Collier County Court.
LABELLE Two dead after crash on State Road 80 According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there was a crash on State Road 80 that has left at least one person dead Friday evening.
DeSoto County looks to recruit more teachers While it can sometimes be easy to fill a classroom with students, it is not so easy for teachers. Schools across the nation and locally in Southwest Florida are still dealing with the challenges of teacher shortages. With class back in session, so is teacher recruiting for DeSoto County schools. The assistant superintendent, Jake Reynolds, […]
IMMOKALEE ROAD Push for change after deadly crash on Immokalee Rd. We’re told the woman was driving with two kids in the car when a semi ran a red light and hit her Thursday morning.
FORT MYERS BEACH Mobi-Mats deployed on Fort Myers Beach A walkway to paradise! Brand new and blue, the Mobi-Mat is making things easier for Fort Myers Beachgoers.
NAPLES Women of Steel business conference inspiring and empowering women Focused, hardworking, empowered. These women have made a name for themselves as Women of Steel.
NAPLES Beloved Collier County bus driver retires after 20 years After 20 years of getting kids to school safely, a beloved Collier County bus driver is retiring.
Wade Wilson has new death row mugshot Convicted double-killer Wade Wilson has a new death row mugshot.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Sizzle Dining is back in SWFL It’s Sizzle Season! Local restaurants are ready to welcome new faces by offering exclusive menu deals to attract new customers.
LEHIGH ACRES FGCU softball team helps Habitat for Humanity build three homes The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team helped Habitat for Humanity build three homes Saturday.
ESTERO Home Base Golf Tournament helps SWFL Veterans Veterans hit the green at the Copperleaf Golf Course on Saturday. This was part of the Home Base golf tournament.
FORT MYERS At least one person dead after propane truck collides with golf cart Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that has left one person dead and another injured Saturday morning.
Scattered storms ahead for your Saturday plans The Weather Authority is tracking weekend temperatures in the low to mid-90s this weekend with a chance for scattered storms this afternoon.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 3 Thunderstorms tried to put a stop to week three of high school football on Friday Night, but gridiron action prevailed.
Man accused of plotting murder-for-hire denied bond A man suspected of being involved with a murder-for-hire plot will stay behind bars. Ryan Toranzo had his renewed motion to set bond denied today in Collier County Court.
LABELLE Two dead after crash on State Road 80 According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there was a crash on State Road 80 that has left at least one person dead Friday evening.
DeSoto County looks to recruit more teachers While it can sometimes be easy to fill a classroom with students, it is not so easy for teachers. Schools across the nation and locally in Southwest Florida are still dealing with the challenges of teacher shortages. With class back in session, so is teacher recruiting for DeSoto County schools. The assistant superintendent, Jake Reynolds, […]
IMMOKALEE ROAD Push for change after deadly crash on Immokalee Rd. We’re told the woman was driving with two kids in the car when a semi ran a red light and hit her Thursday morning.
FORT MYERS BEACH Mobi-Mats deployed on Fort Myers Beach A walkway to paradise! Brand new and blue, the Mobi-Mat is making things easier for Fort Myers Beachgoers.
NAPLES Women of Steel business conference inspiring and empowering women Focused, hardworking, empowered. These women have made a name for themselves as Women of Steel.
NAPLES Beloved Collier County bus driver retires after 20 years After 20 years of getting kids to school safely, a beloved Collier County bus driver is retiring.
Wade Wilson has new death row mugshot Convicted double-killer Wade Wilson has a new death row mugshot.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Sizzle Dining is back in SWFL It’s Sizzle Season! Local restaurants are ready to welcome new faces by offering exclusive menu deals to attract new customers.
Lolita the killer whale at the Miami Seaquarium on Feb. 8, 2022. (CBS4) Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has informed the operators of the Miami Seaquarium that her administration is reviewing the operator’s lease with an eye toward terminating it, citing ongoing care of animals at the aquatic attraction. In a letter date Jan. 21, the mayor wrote to Eduardo Albor, president of The Dolphin Company, expressing “deep-seated concerns regarding the quality of care provided to the animals at the Seaquarium.” Levine Cava was apparently responding to a Notice of Intent to Confiscate issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding four animals currently housed at the Seaquarium. She said it was “the first time in 30 years that the USDA has taken such a measure with marine animals.” Said Cava in the letter: “This underscores the gravity of the situation and cannot be taken lightly, and the County will take all possible measures in coordination with the USDA to ensure the welfare of the animals at the Seaquarium.” The most recent report by federal regulators cited issues that included: a manatee that was suffering from a skin condition, a sea lion pool that contained excessive bacteria; pools for dolphins that were in bad physical shape; and inadequate ventilation in the penguin enclosure. Federal regulators in 2022 inspected the operations at the Seaquarium and found that the mammals at the attraction were underfed and underweight, according to the findings in a 10-page report they issued. The federal officials said in July that dolphins at the park were becoming violent as a result of their conditions at the facility, a 38-acre oceanarium originally founded in 1955 and located on the island of Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay. The Dolphin Company assumed operations of the park in March 2022 and told CBS News Miami then that any negligence in animal care preceded their arrival. “When we acquired the Miami Seaquarium, our staff found many of the dolphins overweight,” General Manager Patrick Pearson said at the time. He added that the company had corrected issues with the dolphins’ diets. “Animal welfare and water quality are at the top of our list,” he said. “They [USDA] examined a period of time, when we were still transitioning. I think if they came here now they would be happy with what they’d see.” Pearson left the facility in October 2022. After the USDA issued its report, Levine Cava said she was disturbed by the findings. “Like people across our community, I was deeply disturbed by the findings,” she said in 2022. “The facility while I was there, and clearly afterward, was by far the worst marine mammal facility I’ve ever worked at, hands down the staff was some of the worst I’ve ever worked with,” said veterinarian Dr. Jenna Wallace who used to work at the facility. Wallace, who exposed the conditions that are happening beyond those walls, said this is a good start but she would like to see more. “I would love to see criminal charges being brought against the people that were obstructing justice in regard to the USDA inspections,” she said. On Monday evening, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Executive Vice Present Tracy Reiman reacted to the mayor’s letter, saying, “After a years-long PETA campaign that included lawsuits, celebrity ads, letters to county officials, and lively rallies, including this month at the Miami-Dade County Mayor’s Office, along with a decade of weekly protests by local activists, the county has finally announced that it is moving to revoke the Miami Seaquarium’s lease, marking the beginning of the end for this animal prison.” “PETA has champagne on ice and is preparing to celebrate the day the animals are finally freed from the dilapidated concrete tanks where Lolita and so many others lived and died in misery. We urge Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the county commissioners to act swiftly to shut the Miami Seaquarium down. The animals are ready!” We have reached out to the owners of the Miami Seaquarium and are waiting to hear back. Beloved whale Lola died in captivity at Miami Seaquarium In Aug. 2023, Lola, a beloved whale who had been a mainstay at the attraction, died at the Miami-Dade park, sparking national concern in some corners and outrage in others. At the time, the operators of the park said Toki, who was also known by her Native American name of Tokitae, or “Toki,” had been showing “serious signs of discomfort” over the past two days before she died. A necropsy reveal the killer whale died in part from the affects of a renal condition. In a Facebook post, the Miami Seaquarium said she died from what was believed to be a renal condition. Lola’s death sparked a protest from PETA officials who called on park operators to free other animals that were at the attraction. Click here to read the letter from Miami-Dade informing The Miami Seaquarium they intend to terminate the lease.