LEHIGH ACRES
FWC officers arrest Lee County woman for illegal deer possession
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has arrested a woman after she allegedly mutilated a deer and kept it as a pet.
Byron Donalds talks campaign goals for Florida governor race in 2026
Video Player is loading.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is gearing up for his campaign to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2026.
Donalds announced his candidacy last month, shortly after receiving an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Donalds has been a close ally to Trump for years, serving as a surrogate during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
“I always believe you have to put in more work,” said Donalds. “I’m honored to have President Trump’s support and endorsement, and I told him when he endorsed me ‘Sir, thank you so much for your support. I’m going to go work hard, and I’m not going to let you down.’ I think in politics, if you work hard like in life, good things happen. And so I’m not going to sit back and rest on my laurels. I’m going to go out there and earn the vote of every Floridian. And that work has already started.”
Video Player is loading.
Donalds emphasized that his message remains consistent across Florida.
“The message doesn’t really change,” he said. “Because if you’re standing on principles and if you have the right policies, there’s no need to change your tune. And I think that whether I’m in Florida or any other state in the country, the message remains the same. And that’s because what we’ve done in Florida when it comes to education, when it comes to our environment, when it comes to our economy and our regulatory environment, we have a great story in our state.”
When asked about representing all Floridians, Donalds highlighted his open-door policy.
“I’ve always had an open door policy, I take any meeting just about any time,” he said. “And the key thing is having open door policy making sure that people have an ability to make their case and make their argument to me and to my team. That’s how I think the job should be done.”
He added, “To people in our state who may say, ‘I don’t want to support him’, please understand that that doesn’t mean I’m not going to be there to help you, to assist you and do what’s necessary for all Floridians.”
Donalds is actively working to build support and will hold a campaign kickoff event in Bonita Springs next Friday.