Decreasing humidity and mostly sunny skies for your ThursdayThe Salvation Army of Collier County launches annual toy drive
the weather authority Decreasing humidity and mostly sunny skies for your Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking a cold front dropping humidity and temperatures on this Thursday afternoon.
The Salvation Army of Collier County launches annual toy drive The annual Toys for Tots donation drive in Collier County has officially begun, aiming to bring Christmas joy through generosity.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral’s new council eliminates stipend on day one People in Cape Coral are getting what they voted for: the new city council members were just sworn in, and they eliminated the stipend.
LEHIGH ACRES Man arrested for fatal hit-and-run crash with motorcyclist in Lehigh Acres A man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a motorcyclist on Tuesday night.
Latest details on fatal Alligator Alley crash ; 1 killed According to the arrest report, a man told troopers he got a minivan from a pastor but did not get permission to take it out because he left in the middle of the night
Enforcing state law on street camping in Punta Gorda More than a month since the new state law banning sleeping in public places went into effect the city of Punta Gorda voted on if an ordinance change was needed.
Cape Coral home vandalized; homeowner calls it a “hate crime” A man returned to his unfinished Cape Coral home to find it’s been violated and vandalized. Cape Coral police are searching for the suspect.
SWFL organizations putting donated money to good use 41 Southwest Florida organizations are still in shock about the millions of dollars they received from philanthropist Tom Golisano.
Utility scams awareness day: what you need to know Wednesday is utility scams awareness day. These types of scams target customers by going door-to-door, sending phone calls or texts and using false information online.
NAPLES Salvation Army of Collier County kicks off annual Christmas toy drive The Salvation Army of Collier County has kicked off its annual Christmas toy drive, and you won’t have to travel far to get involved.
Record Store Day Black Friday: Where to go in SWFL Record Store Day Black Friday is approaching quickly, and if you’re not looking for a new TV or a video game console, go to your local record store, as they will have exclusive deals to expand your record collection.
Manasota Key residents concerned over new development on the island Residents of a small island community are expressing their concerns about potential changes to their neighborhood.
FORT MYERS Resident reacts to plan for new Amazon facility in Fort Myers Amazon has paid $66.5M for 143 acres in Fort Myers to build a new warehouse. A resident who lives by the property said she has reservations about the facility.
ESTERO Caught on Camera: Woman accused of stealing from Kate Spade outlet A Cape Coral woman has been arrested for grand theft after she was allegedly caught on camera shoplifting at a Kate Spade store in Estero.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers basketball player returns to the court after two years Fort Myers High School basketball player Karsten Schafer played his first game in two years Tuesday night after having a spinal surgery.
the weather authority Decreasing humidity and mostly sunny skies for your Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking a cold front dropping humidity and temperatures on this Thursday afternoon.
The Salvation Army of Collier County launches annual toy drive The annual Toys for Tots donation drive in Collier County has officially begun, aiming to bring Christmas joy through generosity.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral’s new council eliminates stipend on day one People in Cape Coral are getting what they voted for: the new city council members were just sworn in, and they eliminated the stipend.
LEHIGH ACRES Man arrested for fatal hit-and-run crash with motorcyclist in Lehigh Acres A man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a motorcyclist on Tuesday night.
Latest details on fatal Alligator Alley crash ; 1 killed According to the arrest report, a man told troopers he got a minivan from a pastor but did not get permission to take it out because he left in the middle of the night
Enforcing state law on street camping in Punta Gorda More than a month since the new state law banning sleeping in public places went into effect the city of Punta Gorda voted on if an ordinance change was needed.
Cape Coral home vandalized; homeowner calls it a “hate crime” A man returned to his unfinished Cape Coral home to find it’s been violated and vandalized. Cape Coral police are searching for the suspect.
SWFL organizations putting donated money to good use 41 Southwest Florida organizations are still in shock about the millions of dollars they received from philanthropist Tom Golisano.
Utility scams awareness day: what you need to know Wednesday is utility scams awareness day. These types of scams target customers by going door-to-door, sending phone calls or texts and using false information online.
NAPLES Salvation Army of Collier County kicks off annual Christmas toy drive The Salvation Army of Collier County has kicked off its annual Christmas toy drive, and you won’t have to travel far to get involved.
Record Store Day Black Friday: Where to go in SWFL Record Store Day Black Friday is approaching quickly, and if you’re not looking for a new TV or a video game console, go to your local record store, as they will have exclusive deals to expand your record collection.
Manasota Key residents concerned over new development on the island Residents of a small island community are expressing their concerns about potential changes to their neighborhood.
FORT MYERS Resident reacts to plan for new Amazon facility in Fort Myers Amazon has paid $66.5M for 143 acres in Fort Myers to build a new warehouse. A resident who lives by the property said she has reservations about the facility.
ESTERO Caught on Camera: Woman accused of stealing from Kate Spade outlet A Cape Coral woman has been arrested for grand theft after she was allegedly caught on camera shoplifting at a Kate Spade store in Estero.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers basketball player returns to the court after two years Fort Myers High School basketball player Karsten Schafer played his first game in two years Tuesday night after having a spinal surgery.
Our newsroom emails are still filling up with people complaining about contractors, especially Beattie Development. Their offices were raided by Cape police on Aug. 7. We’ve shown you how the number of official complaints has more than doubled since we broke the story, so we wanted to figure out the best advice we could give anyone considering building or remodeling. Beattie Development customers are angry. We showed you Beattie’s offices being raided by police as it happened. Dozens of people complained. The company took their money and didn’t build what they were supposed to. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll hear that there’s more to the story. Beattie was at one time a top-rated builder around here, and many customers who are now out thousands, some hundreds of thousands, did research who they hired. “We’re smart people, and we thought we had vetted him, right?” said Kristen Kramer last month. “We looked a lot on social media. We went to the Better Business Bureau. I mean, we’re doing a lot of looking and digging, and everything was really good, and then all of a sudden, there were so many warning signs in the very beginning,” We discovered that if you’re going to build or remodel, you’d better learn to find those warning signs on your own. “In many cases, they can go to the Department of Business and Professional Regulations website and find out,” said attorney Adam Linkhorst in Palm Beach County. Linkhorst gets calls from people here on our coast with contractor problems. “Oftentimes, if contractors are having a lot of problems, other folks will post things,” Linkhorst said. But we found that after all the Beattie complaints we’ve gotten, and a police raid at their office, the DBPR website shows no complaints for Beattie and an active license. While the attorney general has 38 complaints now, up from 15 when we last checked, they are not searchable on the website, so you won’t find them there. Cape police aren’t talking. Only the Better Business Bureau now shows an “F” rating, but that took months and a lot of unanswered complaints. “Ask for references and not only get the references but call them up,” Linkhorst said. Ideally, at least one person has just finished a project, one who is on a project and one who is just starting. Search social media carefully for emerging patterns of complaints, and don’t forget the clerk of court’s site for lawsuits. “And you start adding up all the little bits and pieces,” Linkhorst said. It can save you from not just paying for something you don’t get but paying twice because of a subcontractor not being paid and putting a lien on your house even though you paid your contractor. “The big picture is Florida legislation needs to change,” said Jason Yoraway, a former Beattie Development customer. Meantime, the bottom line is you’ve really got to protect yourself upfront. Another important step is to get your own lawyer to review the contract up front to make sure you understand things like what happens if building material prices go up in the middle of the project. No one at the company has been charged. Bottom line: you are your own best protection.