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.
Diana Stevens’ mugshot. Credit: Sarasota Police Department A woman from North Fort Myers has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty and abuse while operating her pet grooming business in Sarasota. According to the Sarasota Police Department, Diana Stevens, 41, was arrested on Tuesday following an investigation after employees working for her reported seeing her abuse several animals. But it all started with Steven, as she was the one who put her business on Sarasota police’s radar. “Stevens actually called police to report financial crime that she believed was happening at her business, that case is still open,” said Cynthia McLaughlin, Public Information Officer for the Sarasota Police Department. “Through the course of that investigation, our detectives were interviewing other employees, other groomers there, as they’re trying to gather information, they were alerted to this animal abuse and animal cruelty that was occurring by Stevens herself.” According to detectives, the animals were allegedly abused by Stevens while she groomed them at the Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming Sarasota pet store located at 1129 S. Tamiami Trail. Customers of pet grooming businesses reported their pets behaving abnormally after being picked up. Three business employees gave an account of what they witnessed while working for Stevens, stating that she would strike dogs and shake cats, flipping and tethering the animals around their necks. RELATED: Man arrested by Lee County deputies for aggravated animal cruelty One employee stated that tethering a cat like Stevens did could have broken the animal’s neck. Another employee saw a litter of bulldog puppies for sale held in unsanitary conditions, living in a box filled with feces and urine. One puppy died due to being unsupervised in a bathing area, according to a witness. The witness then continued to mention that Stevens found the dead puppy, placed it inside a cardboard box, and kept it within the store. The person was unsure what happened to the puppy. Another account by a former store employee stated that while bathing a red doodle, the animal became afraid of the blowdryer and urinated on itself. Stevens allegedly became angry with the animal and proceeded to grab it by the scruff. She then threw it into a bathtub for rewashing. She then pinned the animal down to blow dry it, causing the animal to defecate itself. The witness then intervened to help the animal. “The anger as she’s, you know, berating these helpless animals when she’s supposed to be one of the best caretakers for animals in her position, setting an example for her employees, and instead she’s abusing helpless animals,” McLaughlin said. “It’s sick.” According to officers, they have video evidence of Stevens abusing the animals, but the investigation is not over yet. “We don’t know how long this has been going on,” McLaughlin said. “We don’t even know how long Stevens was owning this franchise location. So, we really need you know, current groomers, former groomers, former customers, current customers to give our detective or Crimestoppers a call. So, we can look into a pattern here and bring those charges forward.” She was arrested and charged with five counts of aggravated animal abuse and five counts of animal cruelty, but has since been released from the Sarasota County Jail on Wednesday. Stevens was taken back into custody after, for violating her probation in Lee County.