The 52nd annual Fort Myers Boat Show beginsTracking Tropical Depression 19, expected to become Tropical Storm Sara
FORT MYERS The 52nd annual Fort Myers Boat Show begins An annual Fort Myers tradition has returned as the region’s premier display of boats and boating products, which will be on full display for enthusiasts to enjoy.
the weather authority Tracking Tropical Depression 19, expected to become Tropical Storm Sara The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Depression 19, which is forecast to strengthen into Tropical Storm Sara in the Caribbean later this Thursday afternoon.
the weather authority Gorgeous Thursday afternoon with highs in the mid 80s The Weather Authority is tracking pleasant afternoon conditions with temperatures in the mid-80s this Thursday.
SANIBEL Failed air quality tests push back reopening date for The Sanibel School The tentative reopening of The Sanibel School has been pushed back once again after being closed since Hurricane Milton.
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.
FORT MYERS The 52nd annual Fort Myers Boat Show begins An annual Fort Myers tradition has returned as the region’s premier display of boats and boating products, which will be on full display for enthusiasts to enjoy.
the weather authority Tracking Tropical Depression 19, expected to become Tropical Storm Sara The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Depression 19, which is forecast to strengthen into Tropical Storm Sara in the Caribbean later this Thursday afternoon.
the weather authority Gorgeous Thursday afternoon with highs in the mid 80s The Weather Authority is tracking pleasant afternoon conditions with temperatures in the mid-80s this Thursday.
SANIBEL Failed air quality tests push back reopening date for The Sanibel School The tentative reopening of The Sanibel School has been pushed back once again after being closed since Hurricane Milton.
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.
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. You may have heard the stories about people having trouble with parking meters in downtown Fort Myers. Some drivers reported their cards were hacked after paying for parking. It seems new locations are being targeted. RELATED: Possible pay-by-text scam in downtown Fort Myers may have cost woman nearly $1,000 Ellie Lorenc, from Fort Myers, visited Barefoot Beach on Friday, November 8th. She said it was a “great” beach day until a few hours later when she got a fraud alert text from her bank. “It is very frustrating,” said Lorenc. At first, she thought she got lucky when she got to Barefoot Beach. “We were fortunate. We thought to get parking in the parking lot because a lot of times it’s full,” Lorenc said. She spent four hours at the beach and spent eight dollars on parking. “The only option you have to get parking there is to scan the QR code, and then you have to put in all the information. You have to put in your license plate, and then it asks you for all your credit card information. So I did that, and it was not a problem,” said Lorenc. After a good beach day, she went to grab lunch. “I got the fraud notice on my on my phone, I got a text. So I had, at that point, call and let them know that, yes, it was not my purchase and I had to cancel the credit card. So, pretty much my whole lunch was interrupted, and then I had, you know, you have to go back and cancel all the stuff that credit card is on,” said Lorenc. She said she’s now out of a credit card. “I think it is important to let people know that this is going on, and I think it’s more common than people know so and I don’t know if the if they can change it, or if there’s any kind of protections they can put in,” said Lorenc. She’s calling on local governments to fix the issue. Collier County government said they are looking into it, but have not yet provided a plan to address the issue. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said they have no recent reports of parking scams at Barefoot Beach. “They’re so good at this stuff, they would put a different code, and you wouldn’t even notice it. Their own QR code cover the one and it’s for the parking meter. You’re literally giving them all your information,” said Lorenc. Scammers can replace the QR sticker itself with one that sends you somewhere else. To avoid this, check the URL to make sure it is legitimate. The pay stations do not take payments without using the QR code. “There’s really nothing you can do if you want to park there, and that’s the only way you can use the parking you have to use that parking code. I don’t even know if there’s other parking available besides that, but no, there’s nothing really. It could have done differently. No, and you couldn’t have,” said Lorenc. Although signs at Barefoot Beach say Lee County Parks and Recs, Collier County manages the parking.