Beloved Charlotte County man killed outside home, investigation ongoingThe Lani Kai Resort reopens on Fort Myers Beach
Beloved Charlotte County man killed outside home, investigation ongoing A man loved by his peers and his community was taken away from them in the middle of the night at his own home.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Lani Kai Resort reopens on Fort Myers Beach An iconic spot on Fort Myers Beach is back open and taking reservations for the first time since Hurricane Ian.
Gov. DeSantis being considered for defense secretary Will Ron DeSantis be your governor in 2025, or is he headed to Washington?
NAPLES Naples votes to remove fluoride from tap water The Naples City Council has voted to remove fluoride from its tap water.
Red meat linked to health complications Doctors with the Cleveland Clinic are researching a link between eating red meat and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man arrested on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested a 71-year-old Lehigh Acres man on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
WASHINGTON (AP) Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over allegations: AP sources Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick, was fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions Wednesday about his personal conduct as the president-elect’s team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
COLLIER COUNTY 2 indicted in unrelated Collier County cases for fentanyl distribution death The State Attorney’s Office announced two unrelated indictment cases involving the distribution of fentanyl that led to death.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee County woman wins $1M playing Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game The Florida Lottery has announced a Lee County woman claimed a $1 million top prize from the Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weapon The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Huge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures, as Wednesday afternoon highs are expected to be in the lower 70s.
CAPE CORAL 3 men involved in home invasion in Cape Coral neighborhood Three masked men broke into a house, pistol-whipped the owner and took off with cash.
FORT MYERS Advocates urge safety measures for retention ponds after boy drowns The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off Wine, music and making a difference! On Tuesday evening 40 couples joined together to kick off the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
PUNTA GORDA Blue Angels returning for 2025 Florida International Air Show The Blue Angels will finally return for the first time in over 12 years to next year’s Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport.
Beloved Charlotte County man killed outside home, investigation ongoing A man loved by his peers and his community was taken away from them in the middle of the night at his own home.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Lani Kai Resort reopens on Fort Myers Beach An iconic spot on Fort Myers Beach is back open and taking reservations for the first time since Hurricane Ian.
Gov. DeSantis being considered for defense secretary Will Ron DeSantis be your governor in 2025, or is he headed to Washington?
NAPLES Naples votes to remove fluoride from tap water The Naples City Council has voted to remove fluoride from its tap water.
Red meat linked to health complications Doctors with the Cleveland Clinic are researching a link between eating red meat and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man arrested on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested a 71-year-old Lehigh Acres man on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
WASHINGTON (AP) Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over allegations: AP sources Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick, was fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions Wednesday about his personal conduct as the president-elect’s team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
COLLIER COUNTY 2 indicted in unrelated Collier County cases for fentanyl distribution death The State Attorney’s Office announced two unrelated indictment cases involving the distribution of fentanyl that led to death.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee County woman wins $1M playing Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game The Florida Lottery has announced a Lee County woman claimed a $1 million top prize from the Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weapon The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Huge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures, as Wednesday afternoon highs are expected to be in the lower 70s.
CAPE CORAL 3 men involved in home invasion in Cape Coral neighborhood Three masked men broke into a house, pistol-whipped the owner and took off with cash.
FORT MYERS Advocates urge safety measures for retention ponds after boy drowns The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off Wine, music and making a difference! On Tuesday evening 40 couples joined together to kick off the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
PUNTA GORDA Blue Angels returning for 2025 Florida International Air Show The Blue Angels will finally return for the first time in over 12 years to next year’s Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport.
Crews from the U.S. Sawfish Recovery investigating mysterious fishkill. CREDIT: U.S. Sawfish Recovery Scientists are urgently searching for answers to understand why smalltooth sawfish are dying at an alarming rate or have been seen acting bizarrely at the shoreline. According to the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has 21 documented smalltooth sawfish deaths in 2024. Tagging smalltooth sawfish in the Florida Keys. CREDIT: FSU Coastal & Marine Lab To help FWC authorities uncover details about the fish mortality events at Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay and the Florida Keys, commissioners secured $2 million in state funds. The FWC is not going into this research blind. FWC is eliminating some of the possible causes of the fishkill based on results from recent necropsies: There have been 21 total documented smalltooth sawfish deaths since the first was reported on Jan. 30, 2024. There are no signs of a communicable pathogen and specimens were negative for bacterial infection. Additional sawfish tissues are still being processed for analysis. Dissolved oxygen, salinity, pH and temperature are not suspected to be the cause of the fish behavior or kills. To date, Red Tide toxins (brevetoxins) produced by Karenia brevis have not been detected in water samples. At this time, the cause of the abnormal behavior and mortalities is not known, and efforts to collect and analyze samples are ongoing. “We know there is a lot of frustration in the community not knowing what is going on,” said Monroe County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln. “We are all extremely concerned about our ecosystem and what is causing this to happen.” Kudos to @SawfishRecovery team member Gregg Poulakis & crew at @MyFWC who have necropsied 20+ #sawfish recovered in the Keys to help identify the cause of this mass mortality event. Research conducted pursuant to NMFS ESA Permit No. 25864. Latest info at https://t.co/2q2MbvhkGF pic.twitter.com/wFwkra0j9H — U.S. Sawfish Recovery (@SawfishRecovery) March 18, 2024 The FWC will work side by side with nonprofit organizations to collect vital information to get to the bottom of the mysterious fishkill. “We are fully supporting our State scientists and experts in working as quickly as possible to discover what is happening,” said Monroe County Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein. Smalltooth sawfish death investigation. CREDIT: U.S. Sawfish Recovery Videos of the endangered species acting strangely at the shoreline in the Florida Keys have been spreading on social media. RELATED: $20K reward offered after finding endangered smalltooth sawfish missing its snout The Calusa Waterkeeper retweeted a map pointing out the 60 reported smalltooth sawfish sightings FWC received between Jan. 30 and March 5. Again….shared adversity…. pic.twitter.com/Ob8JP9Pwbk — Calusa Waterkeeper (@calusawater) March 15, 2024 Lake Okeechobee has been releasing water into the Caloosahatchee for the past few weeks. This has caused some concerns over water quality in Southwest Florida. It’s unclear if it is related to the fishkill or what is happening to the endangered smalltooth sawfish. Folks from the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory posted to social media about a recent trip to the Florida Keys for routine smalltooth sawfish sampling. Crews set a new winter trip record by tagging 11 large juveniles and adult sawfish. The Grubbs lab traveled to the FL Keys with @BiminiSharkLab for smalltooth sawfish sampling. They tagged 11 juvenile & adult sawfish w/10-year acoustic tags! If you encounter a sawfish, please report it to: 1-844-4SAWFISH. Research conducted under ESA permit 22078 and SAL 1345. pic.twitter.com/57pneWTzsp — FSU Coastal & Marine Lab (@FSUMarineLab) March 18, 2024 The acoustic trackers will last ten years. Receivers will log the date and time whenever one of the tagged sawfish swims past them. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, authorities believe the species’ decline is due to overfishing, habitat loss and the fact that the species takes a long time to reproduce. Smalltooth sawfish research. CREDIT: FWC Despite historically having habitats from Texas to New York, the smalltooth sawfish has one final stronghold on the planet: from Charlotte Harbor to the Florida Keys, including Everglades National Park. Click here to learn more about the species from NOAA. You can report a sawfish sighting to FWC by calling the hotline at 844-472-9347. You can also report a fish kill to the FWC by clicking here.