Erika Jackson

Two Southwest Florida counties on Tuesday decided against mandating face masks. Their decisions come after several major cities in Florida started requiring residents to wear masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Charlotte County commissioners decided against a mandate, instead encouraging businesses to set their own rules. Collier County commissioners also decided not to […]

Everyone has been affected by the pandemic in different ways. Kids are out of school, health care workers are putting their lives on the line to save others, and those who were looking forward to opening their business had to put their dreams on hold. The Twisted Fork Bar and Restaurant in Port Charlotte is […]

Recently, two Charlotte County business owners created a plan for a waterfront shopping center. Waterside Park is envisioned to be a place with waterfront shopping, restaurants, hotels and a potential place for watersports operation. The complex would be in old Florida style and would contain 15,000 square feet of above-first-floor parking. The second floor would […]

The federal government will reimburse Charlotte County for the financial assistance it gave residents for costs lost during the pandemic. It has been a tough few months for Sharon Williams and her eight kids. They just moved to Charlotte County from Georgia. “Loss of job, there’s really no work actually right now; I’m actually homeless […]

Help could be on the way for Southwest Florida citrus farmers as they deal with added struggles from the pandemic. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) wants to ban commercially-produced citrus imports from China. The number of stressors for U.S. citrus growers piles up by the day. Just ask Ron Mahan, who operates four Florida citrus farms, […]

The Punta Gorda Train Depot, a big piece of Southwest Florida and African American history, has recently been a topic of debate over its ties to segregation. Today, there is only one entrance to the historic depot, but during times of segregation, black people had a separate entrance from white people, and those two doors […]

Guest speakers at a Black Lives Matter protest in Punta Gorda on Friday highlighted what the black community has faced for generations. Demonstrators said they want to inspire change. After hearing from several black rights activists, protesters marched from Laishley Park to city hall. There, the group held a moment of silence to honor the […]

There are groups nationwide pushing to defund police departments across the U.S. And, here in Southwest Florida, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube of Florida’s 17th Congressional District is making it clear that he doesn’t support that idea. Rep. Steube, who represents parts of Charlotte County, has a different suggestion on ways to eliminate the bad police […]

Dozens of people gathered and prayed for peace, justice and change Wednesday at the Charlotte County Justice Center in Punta Gorda. We went to the public gathering and spoke to community leaders, including Rev. Louis Anderson, the president of the NAACP in Charlotte County. Local officials were also present. Watch the video above for the […]

First responders understand that emergencies can happen anywhere at any time. That’s why Charlotte County Fire and EMS are excited about their new machine. The ‘Lucas’ Chest Compression system issued to help perform CPR on patients in cardiac arrest. “This is the only piece of equipment that Charlotte County now carries that does the compressions […]