Parkland school shooter to get life sentence for killing 17

A jury spared Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz from the death penalty Thursday for killing 17 people at a Parkland high school in 2017, sending him to prison for the remainder of his life in a decision that left many families of the victims angered, baffled and in tears. The jury’s recommendation came after seven […]

insurance

Florida lawmakers add $360 million to Hurricane Ian efforts

A legislative budget panel Wednesday gave Gov. Ron DeSantis an additional $360 million to pump into Hurricane Ian projects, as response efforts continue two weeks after the storm made landfall in Southwest Florida. In an emergency meeting, the Joint Legislative Budget Commission approved adding the money to the state Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, which […]

gopher tortoises

US wildlife officials deny increased gopher tortoise protections

Concluding that the animals are “not in danger of extinction,” federal wildlife officials Tuesday rejected listing gopher tortoises in Florida as endangered or threatened species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a 113-page decision that said gopher tortoises would continue to be considered a threatened species in parts of southwest Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana […]

Search for victims done, Southwest Florida aims for Ian recovery

An army of 42,000 utility workers has restored electricity to more than 2.5 million businesses and homes in Florida since Hurricane Ian’s onslaught, and Brenda Palmer’s place is among them. By the government’s count, she and her husband, Ralph, are part of a success story. But turning on the lights in a wrecked mobile home […]

Southwest Florida shrimpers race to get battered fleet back to sea

The seafood industry in Southwest Florida is racing against time and the elements to save what’s left of a major shrimping fleet — and a lifestyle — that was battered by Hurricane Ian. The storm’s ferocious wind and powerful surge hurled a couple dozen shrimp boats atop wharves and homes along the harbor on Estero […]

Dogs, cats rescued from Hurricane Ian transported from Naples to Kalamazoo

Dogs and cats displaced due to Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Fiona are being transported to Chicago and Kalamazoo, thanks to the nonprofit Wings of Rescue. Wings of Rescue is a nonprofit organization that works to fly shelter animals out of areas where natural disasters have occurred. In partnership with PetSmart Charities, BISSEL Pet Foundation, and […]

Residents allowed to return to Florida island slammed by Hurricane Ian

Residents were allowed to return to a coastal island that was decimated by Hurricane Ian on Saturday with a warning from the governor that the disaster isn’t over. Many of the homes still standing on Estero Island lack basic services, so portable restrooms, hand-washing stations, shower trailers, and other essentials were trucked in for residents who want […]

Florida school shooter may have been his own worst witness

It’s possible Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz talked himself into a death sentence. Prosecutors played a video last week at Cruz’s penalty trial of jailhouse interviews he did this year with two of their mental health experts. In frank and sometimes graphic detail, he answered their questions about his massacre of 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman […]

babcock ranch

Babcock Ranch endures Ian with no loss of power, minimal damage

Anthony Grande moved away from Fort Myers three years ago, largely because of the hurricane risk. He has lived in Southwest Florida for nearly 19 years, had experienced Hurricanes Charley in 2004 and Irma in 2017 and saw what stronger storms could do to the coast. Grande, 58, said he wanted to find a new […]

Hurricane leads Allegiant to delay Sunseeker Resort opening

The parent of Allegiant Air said Friday that damage from Hurricane Ian has caused the company to delay the planned opening of a resort north of Fort Myers. Allegiant Travel Co. said its Sunseeker resort had been selling rooms for as early as May 2023, but that hurricane-related delays caused the resort to push back […]