ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva 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 Alva 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.
A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir. A federal judge ruled against the case last year. Recently, United States Sugar Corporation, Okeelanta Corporation (Florida Crystals), and The Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, known as “Big Sugar,” filed for an appeal. The local non-profit Captains for Clean Water says if Big Sugar wins the lawsuit, it could upend years of Everglades restoration progress while threatening the future of Southwest Florida waters. Executive Director of Captains for Clean Water, Daniel Andrews, said it could mean more damaging discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries, more toxic algae blooms, more massive fish kills and more economic peril. Andrews and the local non-profit started a petition urging Big Sugar to drop the suit. “This lawsuit is essentially an attempted hijacking of that reservoir to be used for water supply for the sugar industry. And that was not the intent of the project,” said Executive Director of Captains for Clean Water, Daniel Andrews. In January, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned on the pumps for the first cell of the EAA Reservoir. The water flowed into the 6,500-acre project with promises of a healthy Everglades and Caloosahatchee estuary. “The EAA Reservoir is the crown jewel of Everglades restoration, ensuring that we are sending water south and reducing harmful discharges into our waterways,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the ribbon cutting. The massive project by the Army Corps of Engineers was built to capture, store, treat and deliver more clean water south while protecting the Caloosahatchee estuary from harmful and damaging discharges from Lake Okeechobee. The three industrial sugarcane corporations said the Army Corps’ design and intended use of the EAA reservoir threatens the water for irrigation they are owed. “In 2000, the Federal government made a promise to native tribes, businesses, farmers and millions of South Florida residents, but the Army Corps’ recent actions in how it will manage future water projects attempt to go back on that promise,” said Florida Sugarcane Farmers in a statement, “as a result, Florida’s sugarcane farmers are joining the City of West Palm Beach along with fruit and vegetable farmers in court to ensure the water rights of all South Floridians continue to be protected.” Andrews explains that if they win, the reservoir, which was meant to be emptied ahead of the rainy season to store water, will be kept high. “It really gets to that core of how are we managing water within the state? Are we going to hold it artificially high for water supply? Or are we going to benefit the environment by allowing that water to flow to the Everglades… to the Caloosahatchee when it needs it? So we don’t have to deal with the summer discharges as bad as we have in the past,” said Andrews. The Captains for Clean Water said if Big Sugar wins the lawsuit, they could push to use the reservoir as their personal taxpayer-funded water supply. “The attacks against South Florida’s sugarcane, vegetable, fruit and rice farmers are completely baseless and ignore all of the stakeholders seeking to defend the water rights of millions of South Floridians,” said Florida Sugarcane Farmers, “Should anti-farming groups like Captains for Clean Water prevail in court, less water for all of South Florida could threaten to offshore America’s food production in a major way.” “I’m 33 years old, born and raised here in Southwest Florida. They’ve never had significant crop loss in my lifetime due to water cutbacks,” said Andrews. “Meanwhile, just in the past couple of years, past decade or so, the Caloosahatchee River has been destroyed on multiple occasions from high-volume discharges, the way it’s being managed.” The appeal is pending, and the court will decide whether to hear arguments. However, the timeline remains unknown. Full statement from Florida Sugarcane Farmers: The attacks against South Florida’s sugarcane, vegetable, fruit and rice farmers are completely baseless and ignore all of the stakeholders seeking to defend the water rights of millions of South Floridians. In 2000, the Federal government made a promise to native tribes, businesses, farmers and millions of South Florida residents, but the Army Corps’ recent actions in how it will manage future water projects attempt to go back on that promise. As a result, Florida’s sugarcane farmers are joining the City of West Palm Beach along with fruit and vegetable farmers in court to ensure the water rights of all South Floridians continue to be protected. Should anti-farming groups like Captains for Clean Water prevail in court, less water for all of South Florida could threaten to offshore America’s food production in a major way.