Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees sceneWest End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a crash involving one vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Florida policyholders urged to contact OIR if policies are canceled or nonrenewed If your insurance has been canceled or is not being renewed due to this year’s storms, the state of Florida wants you to reach out to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
BAREFOOT BEACH Woman thinks QR code got hacked A Fort Myers woman says a fraudulent QR code at Barefoot Beach caused her credit card to be hacked. She’s on a mission to warn others.
CAPE CORAL Sticker shock: Cape Coral residents hit with unexpected property tax hikes This is the time of year when people start paying their property taxes, but what happens when you get your bill and it’s more than you expected?
SANIBEL Sanibel workshop teaches residents benefits of elevating homes and businesses With each hurricane that brings damage to our area, many people rush to be more resilient. On Sanibel, more than 300 people have RSVP’d to learn about raising their homes and businesses.
SANIBEL Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local business Repairing the Sanibel Causeway after recent storms has caused more than just traffic back-ups.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures Everything inside the Escondido Lounge whispers an authentic speakeasy, from the dim red lights to the fancy vintage glasses.
ESTERO Caught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero A business manager feels violated after a man took money from a tip jar on Tuesday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 13th for establishing small businesses A blog set out to find the top U.S. cities where aspiring business owners can thrive in 2024, Cape Coral was named 13th.
NAPLES Minimally invasive balloon procedure for sinus issues Battling a sinus infection is bad enough, but contending with chronic sinus infections can be a real problem.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024.
ESTERO Car crashes into restaurant window in Gulf Coast Town Center Authorities are investigating after an SUV crashed into a restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump picks Sen. Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a crash involving one vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Florida policyholders urged to contact OIR if policies are canceled or nonrenewed If your insurance has been canceled or is not being renewed due to this year’s storms, the state of Florida wants you to reach out to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
BAREFOOT BEACH Woman thinks QR code got hacked A Fort Myers woman says a fraudulent QR code at Barefoot Beach caused her credit card to be hacked. She’s on a mission to warn others.
CAPE CORAL Sticker shock: Cape Coral residents hit with unexpected property tax hikes This is the time of year when people start paying their property taxes, but what happens when you get your bill and it’s more than you expected?
SANIBEL Sanibel workshop teaches residents benefits of elevating homes and businesses With each hurricane that brings damage to our area, many people rush to be more resilient. On Sanibel, more than 300 people have RSVP’d to learn about raising their homes and businesses.
SANIBEL Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local business Repairing the Sanibel Causeway after recent storms has caused more than just traffic back-ups.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures Everything inside the Escondido Lounge whispers an authentic speakeasy, from the dim red lights to the fancy vintage glasses.
ESTERO Caught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero A business manager feels violated after a man took money from a tip jar on Tuesday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 13th for establishing small businesses A blog set out to find the top U.S. cities where aspiring business owners can thrive in 2024, Cape Coral was named 13th.
NAPLES Minimally invasive balloon procedure for sinus issues Battling a sinus infection is bad enough, but contending with chronic sinus infections can be a real problem.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024.
ESTERO Car crashes into restaurant window in Gulf Coast Town Center Authorities are investigating after an SUV crashed into a restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump picks Sen. Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday.
Part of east Lee County is slated to become a 10,000-home development between Corkscrew Road and State Road 82, which could affect Florida panthers living in the area. This project is known as the Kingston development in East Lee County. Sunday is the U.S. Corps of Army Engineer’s public comment deadline for the Kingston development project. The proposed development in East Lee County would include as many as 10,000 homes, but endangered Florida panthers already call this place home. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida staunchly opposes the project and is calling on the public to oppose the Kingston development too. “The 7,000 acres (of the Kingston development project) includes primary and secondary panther habitat. And the US Fish and Wildlife Service has estimated that the traffic costs for this development could kill up to 22 panthers every year,” said Julianne Thomas, the senior environmental planning specialist at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Florida panther standing outside of a wildlife crossing. CREDIT: florida-panther-east-collier.jpg, fStop Foundation, Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved – Used by Permission, https://www.fws.gov/banner/florida-panther-east-collierjpg Florida Fish and Wildlife reports that vehicle collisions are the number one cause of death for the Florida panther. “If this project goes through any panthers that are using the land, and we think there could be as many as seven panthers that use this property based on past telemetry that has been collected by FWC, they’re going to have to use other areas that are available,” said Thomas. “That could cause interspecies aggression, which could end up with moving additional panthers.” RELATED: 16th Florida panther death of 2024, struck by vehicle in Collier County RELATED: Endangered Florida panther deaths surpass 2023 total in 5 months But, Joe Cameratta, the CEO of the company overseeing the Kingston project, Cameratta Companies, has heard the concerns of panther advocates. He says the biggest issue facing the species is feline leukomyelopathy, also known as FLM. “As far as the Panthers are concerned, the number one concern that it’s out there today, is this feline disease (FLM). They gotta get that under control, and our dollars that we’re using in mitigation, we’ll go for research for that feline disease,” said Cameratta. Florida Fish and Wildlife says that Wildlife Crossings are beneficial to panthers. Wildlife Crossings and bridges can be installed in an area that helps wildlife stay out of harm’s way and navigate safely across a road without getting close to any cars. Vehicle strike statistics for Florida panthers. CREDIT: FWC Examples of highway crossings and bridges built for Florida panthers to use. CREDIT: FWC Cameratta plans to have Wildlife Crossings around the construction project if it does go through. “We’re paying a prop share to the county. And that includes monies that they’re going to use in that area to install Wildlife Crossings. Plus, we’re paying for our own Wildlife Crossings, east of the project that was recommended by the Wildlife Federation that connects the project and those properties to CREW,” said Cameratta. “We’re also installing about a dozen small and larger Wildlife Crossings throughout the new road that’s going to be used for hurricane evacuation. Estimates by the National Wildlife Federation put the current Florida panther population at slightly more than 200. To learn more about the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s opposition to the Kingston Development project, click here. Click here to learn about Cameratta Companies, the company overseeing the Kingston project. Florida panthers have been endangered since 1967. Then in 1982, the Florida panther became the official state animal of Florida.