Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figuresCaught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero
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.
Lehigh Acres man arrested in connection to cockfighting A Lehigh Acres man has been arrested after deputies found he was running a cockfighting ring near his home.
WINK NEWS Atlanta Dream hires long-time FGCU coach The Atlanta Dream has hired longtime FGCU coach Karl Smesko to lead the team as he steps down as head women’s basketball coach of the Eagles.
Duo arrested in Collier County for bank jugging The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two men who stand accused of bank jugging, stealing thousands of dollars in cash from a victim.
PUNTA GORDA 2 accused of trafficking narcotics after reckless driving stop in Punta Gorda A man and woman have been arrested for allegedly possessing trafficking amounts of drugs after deputies stopped them for reckless driving in Punta Gorda.
HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital purchases land in Bonita Springs Charlotte County’s HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital purchased a 4.3-acre site on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, according to Lee County property records.
NORTH PORT North Port woman wins $1M prize playing scratch-off A woman in North Port won $1 million from a scratch-off game.
FWC rescues baby manatee from shallow area in Caloosahatchee River A baby manatee found in the shallows of the Caloosahatchee River is recovering after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission transported it for care to SeaWorld.
Seacrest volleyball celebrates fourth straight state title The Seacrest Country Day School volleyball team celebrates its fourth straight state championship.
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.
Lehigh Acres man arrested in connection to cockfighting A Lehigh Acres man has been arrested after deputies found he was running a cockfighting ring near his home.
WINK NEWS Atlanta Dream hires long-time FGCU coach The Atlanta Dream has hired longtime FGCU coach Karl Smesko to lead the team as he steps down as head women’s basketball coach of the Eagles.
Duo arrested in Collier County for bank jugging The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two men who stand accused of bank jugging, stealing thousands of dollars in cash from a victim.
PUNTA GORDA 2 accused of trafficking narcotics after reckless driving stop in Punta Gorda A man and woman have been arrested for allegedly possessing trafficking amounts of drugs after deputies stopped them for reckless driving in Punta Gorda.
HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital purchases land in Bonita Springs Charlotte County’s HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital purchased a 4.3-acre site on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, according to Lee County property records.
NORTH PORT North Port woman wins $1M prize playing scratch-off A woman in North Port won $1 million from a scratch-off game.
FWC rescues baby manatee from shallow area in Caloosahatchee River A baby manatee found in the shallows of the Caloosahatchee River is recovering after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission transported it for care to SeaWorld.
Seacrest volleyball celebrates fourth straight state title The Seacrest Country Day School volleyball team celebrates its fourth straight state championship.
It’s no secret… after any major storm areas near the Caloosahatchee River take on water. The storm surge from the Caloosahatchee River was so bad that Michael Griffin with River Garden Condominiums said it took two years before they could fully open the bottom floor of the property to residents. “Our first floor throughout, pretty much the whole complex was wiped out. We had to gut the entire every unit, pretty much in the whole development, and we’re just now, almost more than two years later, are back open again and these places are finally habitable,” Griffin said. It’s a storm that hit in 2022 but they’re still dealing with the impacts at the end of 2024. “We just got appliances back in our unit just last week, so you couldn’t stay, you couldn’t live in them. We had to rebuild every unit. So, it’s been two years of paying taxes, insurance and maintenance, you know, per month at the property, but not being able to use it at all.” It’s a problem that spans back over a decade. It’s an issue city leaders are aware of which is why they discussed possible long and short-term solutions at a workshop Monday. Two of those solutions include grants that will help raise the seawall. “For the two main seawall elevation projects, those do look like they will be recommended to FEMA and based on where they are with the county’s priority list, it does look like they’re likely to be funded. So that’s about $31 million of potential seawall elevation funding.” Jessica McElwee, the Director of Grants and Special Projects division for the city of Fort Myers said. Those projects look at raising the seawall from Billy’s Creek to Edison Ford Winter Estates and then from the Edison Ford Winter Estates to the midpoint bridge for a total of over $31M in grants. Marty Lawing, the city manager did mention with permitting, environmental studies, and design and construction, it could take 5-10 years before this is completed. Lawing highlighted the need for further research and potential funding sources. Concerns were raised about the elevation of certain areas and the challenges of implementing new solutions which will be discussed by city leaders at a later date. In terms of short-term solutions, the city proposed having each business set up temporary barriers that they can remove, and backflow filters for Dean Park to prevent flooding ahead of the next storm. Solutions people like Griffin are on board for. “We have to take this seriously. If there’s things that we can do to mitigate that, I think, you know, we should do whatever we can,” Griffin said.