Iconic Fort Myers statue to undergo repairsCollier County Salvation Army Thrift Store closing its doors
FORT MYERS Iconic Fort Myers statue to undergo repairs The iconic “Rachel at the Well” statue on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers has been a landmark for 94 years. However, it became a casualty of Hurricane Ian in 2022, and discussions for its repair are ongoing.
Collier County Salvation Army Thrift Store closing its doors The Salvation Army has announced the permanent closure of the Naples Family Store on Davis Boulevard.
SANIBEL Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a cause Construction crews are hard at work making the Sanibel Causeway more resilient. The bridge is being fortified to withstand future storms.
LEE COUNTY No. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training Roman Anthony, who is ranked as the second best in baseball, is with the Boston Red Sox for his first Spring Training.
MANASOTA KEY Popular Manasota Key restaurant reopens after storm damage Manasota Key is steadily recovering from a challenging hurricane season, and residents are celebrating the reopening of a beloved local spot.
PINE ISLAND Construction to start on hurricane-proof fire station on Pine Island A new hurricane-proof fire station is coming to Pine Island. The current station, over 40 years old, is in dire need of replacement.
NORTH PORT Braves’ Chris Sale on the mound in southwest Florida once again Spring Training is in full swing for the Atlanta Braves, who’s full squad reported on Tuesday, that means Chris Sale is back in SWFL.
NORTH NAPLES Construction on Collier County diverging diamond begins in March Construction on Southwest Florida’s third diverging diamond interchange is set to begin in March.
Charlotte County homeowners consider elevating homes Recent hurricanes and flooding events prompted some Charlotte County homeowners to either demolish or elevate their homes.
CLEWISTON Clewiston man shoots friend over alleged sexual crime against relative There is new information about a murder in Clewiston earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Bridge design vote aims to improve traffic flow Residents and drivers in Cape Coral have long shared a common frustration: traffic congestion, particularly on Cape Coral Parkway.
Symptoms and treatment for pleurisy, the inflammation of lungs’ lining This winter season in Southwest Florida has been rampant with illness, from flu to viral infections.
Lee county approves major road projects to improve traffic flow, safety The Lee Board of County Commissioners continued its commitment to improving the county’s transportation network.
NAPLES Young bobcat injured by car; rehabilitated, released into Naples A young bobcat has been released back into the wild after recovering from its injuries through the collaborative efforts of several Florida environmental agencies.
Florida house speaker appoints Charlotte County sheriff to state immigration enforcement council Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez has appointed two sheriffs, one of whom is Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, to the state immigration enforcement council.
FORT MYERS Iconic Fort Myers statue to undergo repairs The iconic “Rachel at the Well” statue on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers has been a landmark for 94 years. However, it became a casualty of Hurricane Ian in 2022, and discussions for its repair are ongoing.
Collier County Salvation Army Thrift Store closing its doors The Salvation Army has announced the permanent closure of the Naples Family Store on Davis Boulevard.
SANIBEL Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a cause Construction crews are hard at work making the Sanibel Causeway more resilient. The bridge is being fortified to withstand future storms.
LEE COUNTY No. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training Roman Anthony, who is ranked as the second best in baseball, is with the Boston Red Sox for his first Spring Training.
MANASOTA KEY Popular Manasota Key restaurant reopens after storm damage Manasota Key is steadily recovering from a challenging hurricane season, and residents are celebrating the reopening of a beloved local spot.
PINE ISLAND Construction to start on hurricane-proof fire station on Pine Island A new hurricane-proof fire station is coming to Pine Island. The current station, over 40 years old, is in dire need of replacement.
NORTH PORT Braves’ Chris Sale on the mound in southwest Florida once again Spring Training is in full swing for the Atlanta Braves, who’s full squad reported on Tuesday, that means Chris Sale is back in SWFL.
NORTH NAPLES Construction on Collier County diverging diamond begins in March Construction on Southwest Florida’s third diverging diamond interchange is set to begin in March.
Charlotte County homeowners consider elevating homes Recent hurricanes and flooding events prompted some Charlotte County homeowners to either demolish or elevate their homes.
CLEWISTON Clewiston man shoots friend over alleged sexual crime against relative There is new information about a murder in Clewiston earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Bridge design vote aims to improve traffic flow Residents and drivers in Cape Coral have long shared a common frustration: traffic congestion, particularly on Cape Coral Parkway.
Symptoms and treatment for pleurisy, the inflammation of lungs’ lining This winter season in Southwest Florida has been rampant with illness, from flu to viral infections.
Lee county approves major road projects to improve traffic flow, safety The Lee Board of County Commissioners continued its commitment to improving the county’s transportation network.
NAPLES Young bobcat injured by car; rehabilitated, released into Naples A young bobcat has been released back into the wild after recovering from its injuries through the collaborative efforts of several Florida environmental agencies.
Florida house speaker appoints Charlotte County sheriff to state immigration enforcement council Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez has appointed two sheriffs, one of whom is Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, to the state immigration enforcement council.
President Biden recently signed into law the Water Resources Development Act with an aim to improve rivers and harbors across the country and provide for the conservation of water. Southwest Florida was included in that act. Putting the 240-page plan together took a lot of work, not just from state and federal lawmakers, but also from stakeholders and non-governmental organizations like the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). “The passage of this act is a good bellwether for how much enthusiasm the federal government has for continuing these projects,” said Matt DePaolis, environmental policy director at SCCF. “I think when you’re seeing what we did with the passage of this act, it took a lot of effort and advocacy… to really work with our partners to come up with creative solutions to push a lot of these projects forward.” The Water Resources Development Act is nothing new. Known as WRDA, it has been passed by the U.S. Congress every two years since 2014. “It’s a big, exciting event every time it passes even though it does happen pretty regularly,” said DePaolis. “And that’s just because of the contents of this act. It’s different every time.” This time around, advocates pushed for a key long-time southwest Florida issue: Everglades restoration. “Since human intervention, we took a lot of water out of that area,” explained DePaolis. “We put a lot of that land into farming and agriculture and other production, and that has really reduced the amount of water, not only that’s hydrating the Everglades, but then ultimately that reaches Florida Bay as well.” According to SCCF, the 2024 WRDA is expected to expedite the Western Everglades Restoration Project, which is essential for rehydrating and reconnecting the greater Everglades ecosystem so that more clean water can be sent south. “This bill guarantees a lot of funding for Everglades projects such as the Western Everglades restoration project and others that are going to help the overall central Everglades restoration plan move forward,” said DePaolis. So why should this matter to you if you don’t live in the Everglades? Well, our waterways are much more connected than you think. “There’s sometimes a disconnect here in South Florida to the importance of Everglades restoration, especially when we’re talking about the Caloosahatchee,” said DePaolis. “While it (the WRDA) might not say that it’s protecting the Caloosahatchee estuary, anything we do to convey more water into the system where it’s needed is another drop of water that’s not at risk of being pushed down the Caloosahatchee at a later date.” We’re all familiar with the releases from Lake Okeechobee. Oftentimes, they lead to harmful algal blooms in the Caloosahatchee and neighboring canals. Right now, the Everglades is in dire need of water, which it gets from Lake Okeechobee. “But that water is too polluted when it’s in Lake Okeechobee to directly convey to the Everglades,” explained DePaolis. “So there’s all these projects in place that are aiming to clean that water, remove enough phosphorus from that water to meet the legal standard so that we can push that water down into the Everglades.” DePaolis said the WRDA will help manage that water, which should ultimately mean less harmful algal blooms to deal with in your backyard. “The closer we get to Everglades restoration, the closer we are to a future where we’re not getting damaging releases from Lake Okeechobee,” said DePaolis. According to SCCF, the WRDA is expected to speed up the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration project, which will increase capacity in our watershed. It’s also anticipated to improve the quantity and timing of Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee. “I’m hoping we can carry that energy, not just through the federal change in administration, but also as we look down the road, two years, four years, six years, I’m hoping that this just signifies that leadership, whatever party, whatever level, is supportive of Everglades restoration,” said DePaolis. If you’d like to read through the WRDA, click here.