JW Marriott Marco Island preparing for busy holiday weekend

A surge in coronavirus cases has a lot of people rethinking their Fourth of July plans. The JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort is booked for the holiday, but that means only half of the rooms can be full to keep everyone safe. Visitors like Dasha Voit have noticed their family vacation on Marco Island […]

Body of a man found on beach off Gordon Drive in Naples, death ruled a suicide

A body was found on the shoreline near the 3800 block of Gordon Drive Wednesday evening. Following further investigation, Naples police determined that no foul play was involved and the man had died by his own hand. A good Samaritan alerted police to the body washed up on the beach in the area of Port […]

Audubon Florida wants everyone to avoid use of fireworks near beaches, mindful of wildlife

Audubon Florida is asking Southwest Florida community members to watch where personal fireworks are launched during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Audubon Florida wants revelers to avoid lighting personal fireworks near the beach. It’s part of an effort to protect shorebirds, which are already threatened in Florida. “I mean, most people aren’t trying to […]

Are hotels getting booked in SWFL ahead of July 4?

We spoke to a hotel owner in Naples Tuesday to see if they are getting all booked up ahead of the Independence Day weekend. And some beachgoers have mixed opinions on restrictions at Naples beaches and others in Collier County for the holiday weekend that could keep people from coming over from the other coast. […]

SWFL guitarist dies of COVID-19, remembered for devotion to music

Community members are mourning the loss of a well-known musician in Southwest Florida. Loved ones say guitarist AJ Mullins died from the coronavirus recently. He was a member of local group The Collaboration Band. We spoke to Mullins’ fellow band member Tuesday who said it happened very quickly. And we spoke to the guitarist’s roomate, […]

Health officials in Collier County give COVID update and warnings

Health officials in Collier County are worried about a recent trend in new positive COVID-19 patients. They aren’t staying at home but instead are heading to the hospital. John Drew, with the Florida Department of Health in Collier County, said, “COVID patients in hospital, that was remaining pretty steady until about 3 or 4 days […]

July Fourth vacation concerns could result in mask mandates or beaches closing

Independence Day falls on a Saturday this year so, in addition to weekend beach trips, many could flock to Southwest Florida beaches for holiday travel. This is a concern for locals of the region’s beach communities and for city and county officials. Penny Taylor, Collier County commissioner, said, “People love to go to the [beach […]