Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in SteinhatcheeThe Weather Authority: Isolated rain and storms for your Monday afternoon
Steinhatchee Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Steinhatchee Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Steinhatchee.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Isolated rain and storms for your Monday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking isolated rain and storms following a dry and sunny start to your Monday.
Charlotte County allowing temporary RVs and mobile homes after Hurricane Helene Charlotte County is now allowing people to live in an RV or mobile home on their property for the next three years.
Fatal crash involving wrong way driver on I-75 in Lee County The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal wrong-way crash that occurred on the northbound lanes of Interstate 75.
FORT MYERS BEACH Final day of Island Hopper Fest held despite effects from Helene The last day of the 10th annual Island Hopper Songwriter Festival was held on Fort Myers Beach Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sen. Rick Scott visits Fort Myers Beach in the wake of Helene Sen. Rick Scott traveled to Fort Myers Beach to survey the damage following Helene.
Distribution center provides aid for those affected by Helene Charlotte County received a bit of relief Sunday after being hit by Helene.
Death toll rises from Helene while supplies are rushed to North Carolina and Florida digs out The U.S. Southeast grappled Sunday with rising death tolls, a lack of vital supplies in isolated, flood-stricken areas and the widespread loss of homes and property while the devastating toll of Hurricane Helene became more clear and officials warned of a lengthy and difficult rebuild.
FEMA assistance available for some affected by Hurricane Helene Florida homeowners and renters in counties with uninsured damage or losses caused by Hurricane Helene may be eligible for FEMA disaster assistance.
SANIBEL Sanibel Fire & Rescue District traveling to assist with Helene relief The Sanibel Fire & Rescue District sent a crew to Perry, FL, early Sunday morning to assist with disaster relief following Hurricane Helene.
FORT MYERS Man accused of filming woman in Target dressing room A man is being accused of videotaping a woman while she was trying on clothes at a Fort Myers Target on Friday.
BONITA SPRINGS Man arrested in Bonita Springs for stabbing A man has been arrested in Bonita Springs after allegedly stabbing someone.
southwest florida WINK Neighborhood Watch: Animal abuse, grand theft auto and spousal murder This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features animal abuse, grand theft auto and a man murdering his wife.
President Biden approves Florida disaster declaration President Biden approved a Florida disaster declaration after Hurricane Helene left a wake of destruction.
NAPLES Crash in Collier County leaves car in canal and driver dead A traffic crash occurred in Naples on 12th Avenue Northeast near Wilson Boulevard.
Steinhatchee Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Steinhatchee Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Steinhatchee.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Isolated rain and storms for your Monday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking isolated rain and storms following a dry and sunny start to your Monday.
Charlotte County allowing temporary RVs and mobile homes after Hurricane Helene Charlotte County is now allowing people to live in an RV or mobile home on their property for the next three years.
Fatal crash involving wrong way driver on I-75 in Lee County The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal wrong-way crash that occurred on the northbound lanes of Interstate 75.
FORT MYERS BEACH Final day of Island Hopper Fest held despite effects from Helene The last day of the 10th annual Island Hopper Songwriter Festival was held on Fort Myers Beach Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sen. Rick Scott visits Fort Myers Beach in the wake of Helene Sen. Rick Scott traveled to Fort Myers Beach to survey the damage following Helene.
Distribution center provides aid for those affected by Helene Charlotte County received a bit of relief Sunday after being hit by Helene.
Death toll rises from Helene while supplies are rushed to North Carolina and Florida digs out The U.S. Southeast grappled Sunday with rising death tolls, a lack of vital supplies in isolated, flood-stricken areas and the widespread loss of homes and property while the devastating toll of Hurricane Helene became more clear and officials warned of a lengthy and difficult rebuild.
FEMA assistance available for some affected by Hurricane Helene Florida homeowners and renters in counties with uninsured damage or losses caused by Hurricane Helene may be eligible for FEMA disaster assistance.
SANIBEL Sanibel Fire & Rescue District traveling to assist with Helene relief The Sanibel Fire & Rescue District sent a crew to Perry, FL, early Sunday morning to assist with disaster relief following Hurricane Helene.
FORT MYERS Man accused of filming woman in Target dressing room A man is being accused of videotaping a woman while she was trying on clothes at a Fort Myers Target on Friday.
BONITA SPRINGS Man arrested in Bonita Springs for stabbing A man has been arrested in Bonita Springs after allegedly stabbing someone.
southwest florida WINK Neighborhood Watch: Animal abuse, grand theft auto and spousal murder This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features animal abuse, grand theft auto and a man murdering his wife.
President Biden approves Florida disaster declaration President Biden approved a Florida disaster declaration after Hurricane Helene left a wake of destruction.
NAPLES Crash in Collier County leaves car in canal and driver dead A traffic crash occurred in Naples on 12th Avenue Northeast near Wilson Boulevard.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has had several “Grandchild in Jail” scams reported over the past few months. Here’s what you need to know should you receive one of these suspicious phone calls: In this scam, the suspect contacts the victim posing as a grandchild or the grandchild’s attorney and claims your grandchild (with name) has been in a crash where he/she was driving under the influence of alcohol. The suspect then instructs you not to tell your grandchild’s parents of the incident and requests bond money to prevent them from going to jail. Once the con-artist convinces you of the story, they will send a courier to your home to pick up the money. The courier is typically, but not always a ride-sharing company that is hired by the suspect to pick up a “package” and deliver it to a new location. How can you keep from becoming a victim of the grandparent scam? Do not answer unknown phone numbers. Do not send cash or gift cards to someone you do not know. Attempt to contact the grandchild or family member who is allegedly in jail. Ask the suspect questions only a real family member would know. Secure all social media profiles to “friends only” access since criminals can use this personal information to answer certain questions about your family. If you think you have been a victim of this scam, please contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office fraud line at 239-258-3292 or contact your local law enforcement agency. For more information about this Safety & Security Tip or to have a Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Specialist speak to your organization about Frauds and Scams, please contact the Community Response Unit at 477-1CRU.
Putting smiles on faces while helping bridge a generational gap. A local letter-writing campaign is showing students and senior citizens how much words matter. These cards, letters and caring words are extremely important during a time when so many are living in a bubble. FGCU student Julie Gramazio started the program on their campus. “It allows students to process a lot of what’s been happening, this crazy chaotic year of 2020, while also reaching out to seniors in our local community that especially need some more human contact,” Gramazio said. The program is called ‘Students and Seniors: From our nest to theirs.’ The program is exactly as it sounds. Students write letters and cards that then get delivered to eight different senior centers in Lee County. Betty Bullock is s president at The Springs at Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers. “There’s just something wonderful about young people to be in contact with. As you can see, we’re a little short of them around here,” said Bullock. Betty says it’s been tough this year in the senior center because they haven’t really seen people. “It’s kind of tough, because at the senior centers, right now, things are going in, but I’m not really there’s not a lot of contact, human contact, that’s been permissible at the Centers because of the COVID-19 restrictions,” Bullock said. 325 students from FGCU sent thousands of letters and were able to build meaningful, friendships. “I had a call from a girl Chloe in the fall and we had several conversations and we talked about all sorts of things,” said Bullock. Mckenzie Mills works at The Springs and says she can see the difference these letters are making in residents’ lives. “Many of our residents aren’t getting a chance to see their loved ones face-to-face, so to get little moments of handwritten notes is a very special thing,” said Mills. “I’ve gotten a lot more from this project than I’ve given you know it by doing something good for other people. It’s provided me a sense of peace that has been in short supply this year,” said Gramazio. There are plans to expand the letter program to Naples and Cape Coral next year. There is also a Facebook page where students post their videos.
Three men have been indicted by grand juries on murder charges in two separate cases in Lee County. State Attorney Amira Fox held a press conference Friday announcing, JaQuan Robinson, 24, was indicted on first-degree murder and burglary with assault or battery charges. He’s accused of murdering a woman on October 14 or around in her Lehigh Acres home. Fox said Robinson is also accused of violating an order of protection that was in place for a member of the victim’s family. In a separate case, Dexter Lenard Thomas 39, was indicted on one count of first-degree murder, and first-degree burglary with assault or battery. Antonio Tyrell Crews, 30, was indicted on first-degree murder with a firearm, and first-degree burglary with assault or battery. Thomas and Crews are accused of the premeditated murder of Luiz Vazquez during a burglary on February 20, 2015.
As of 2:30 p.m. Friday, there have been 1,181,483 positive cases of the coronavirus recorded in the state. The case count includes 1,161,953 Florida residents and 19,530 non-Florida residents. There are 20,401 Florida resident deaths reported, 289 non-resident deaths, and 59,602 hospitalizations at some point during illness, according to the Florida Department of Health. *Numbers are released by the DOH every afternoon. STATEWIDE NUMBERS Total number of recorded cases: 1,181,483 (up from 1,168,483) Florida resident deaths: 20,401 (up from 20,305) Non-resident deaths: 289 (unchanged) Total deaths in state (Fla./non-Fla. residents combined): 20,690 (up from 20,574) 13,000 total new cases reported Friday 96 new resident deaths reported Friday 0 new non-resident deaths reported Friday Percent positive for new cases in Fla. residents: 8.75% This percent is the number of people who test PCR- or antigen-positive for the first time divided by all the people tested that day, excluding people who have previously tested positive. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA NUMBERS Total recorded cases in SWFL: 69,548 (up from 68,909) Deaths: 1,264 (up from 1,257) 639 total new cases reported Friday 7 new deaths reported Friday Lee County: 36,145 cases (up from 35,759) – 630 deaths (4 new) Collier County: 20,629 (up from 20,482) – 315 deaths (1 new) Charlotte County: 6,384 (up from 6,313) – 212 deaths DeSoto County: 2,707 (up from 2,694) – 50 deaths (2 new) Glades County: 734 (up from 732) – 11 deaths Hendry County: 2,949 (up from 2,929) – 46 deaths Click HERE* for a case-by-case breakdown – updated daily. *If not linked, the final report has not yet been made available. TESTING DATA Effective Oct. 27, the Florida Department of Health ceased releasing data showing overall testing numbers. Their statement: “The Florida Department of Health is making adjustments to the COVID-19 dashboard and daily report to provide clear, accurate information for Florida families. Moving forward, the daily report will focus on the number of tests reported to the state by day and the corresponding positivity rate by day. The previously reported cumulative number did not reflect the current status of the pandemic in Florida. This change is in line with the CDC recommendation that calculation of percent positivity [is] applied consistently and with clear communication, will allow public health officials to follow magnitude and trends effectively, and the trends will be useful for local public health decision making.” RESOURCES NOW HIRING: SWFL companies adding jobs FOOD PANTRIES: Harry Chapin mobile food pantry schedule, week of Dec. 14 REPORT COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS/TEST: International self-reporting system IF YOU FEEL SICK: The Florida Department of Health has a 24-hour COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours. LINK: Florida Department of Health COVID-19 updates *The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.
Police and fire rescue crews are responding to a small plane crash in the Westshore area of Tampa. Tampa Police said the crash happened at North Ward Street and West Laurel Street, which is near Tampa International Airport and several hotels. @TampaPD @FlyTPA and TFR will brief the media at 2:45 pm. Media stage on the NW corner of N Ward and W Grace. — Tampa Fire Rescue (@TampaFireRescue) December 18, 2020 Tampa Fire Rescue said three people were on board the small piper aircraft and have been taken to the hospital as trauma alerts. Tampa Police previously said one person had minor injuries. No one on the ground was injured. Drivers are asked to avoid the area while crews investigate. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. On scene of small plane crash at corner of Nassau and Ward. Three patients transported as trauma alerts. More details to follow. No injuries on the ground. pic.twitter.com/LseOEdBYKU — Tampa Fire Rescue (@TampaFireRescue) December 18, 2020 🚨🚨Tampa Police & @TampaFireRescue are working a small plane crash at N Ward St & W Laurel St. One subject on the plane is reported to have minor injuries. Details are still developing. 🚧Avoid the area to allow for the investigation. — TampaPD (@TampaPD) December 18, 2020
Florida State University’s regular-season finale game at Wake Forest has been canceled because of a positive COVID-19 test at FSU, according to the ACC. The ACC said the positive test, subsequent quarantining and contact tracing efforts resulted in not enough offensive linemen available to continue the game. The ACC Medical Advisory Group set standards for continuing or canceling games because of the pandemic during the preseason. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Wake Forest game was the fourth FSU has had to cancel because of coronavirus test results or ACC schedule shuffling. : Tomorrow’s @FSUFootball at @WakeFB game has been canceled.https://t.co/Nc1qk0LOt0 — ACC Football (@ACCFootball) December 18, 2020
U.S. officials says a massive cyberattack, discovered a week ago and blamed on Russia, was far more wide-reaching than previously thought, CBS News’ Catherine Herridge reports. The government’s top cybersecurity agency says the hack compromised critical federal infrastructure, and according to reports, the breach struck at least seven government agencies — including the Department of Energy, which maintains the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile and operates the Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico. In a statement, the department said there is so far no evidence the hack impacted nuclear weapons security. However, cybersecurity experts warn the damage done to the government’s digital systems may take a long time to reverse. “It’s going to take a while for our forensic cyber sleuths to find out where this attack is, where the Russians have gotten their tentacles in,” said former Principle Deputy Undersecretary for Homeland Intelligence Jack Thomas Tomarchio. U.S. officials call the hack “highly complex” and a “grave risk.” Tomarchio worries the full extent of the damage has not been realized. “We don’t have an easy fix here,” he said. “I would say if you look at it as a hemorrhage, the hemorrhage is probably still happening.” The hackers made their move at least as early as March and remained undetected until last week. They had broken into SolarWinds, a Texas-based software company, that served government agencies and many Fortune 500 companies. Officials now say they managed to infect networks using other methods. Sources tell CBS News that President Trump has been briefed on the attack, but so far has made no public comments about it. Some lawmakers are calling on Mr. Trump’s administration to act now. “In this setting, not to have the White House aggressively speaking out and protesting and taking punitive action is really, really quite extraordinary,” Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney told the Washington Post on SiriusXM. Despite what U.S. officials are saying, Vladimir Putin’s government denies involvement. Microsoft confirmed it is a SolarWinds client on Thursday evening, and that the tech giant found malicious activity in its system. It also notes its customers were directly affected in at least eight countries including the U.S. However, Russia appears to have not been affected.
Three men were arrested during two simultaneous searches in Fort Myers, which also uncovered large quantities of drugs as well as paraphernalia and firearms. On Thursday, the Fort Myers Police, working with other agencies, executed searches on homes on Eastland Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The searches were the results of a three-month-long undercover investigation targeting multiple people suspected of selling crack cocaine and fentanyl throughout the Dunbar area. Upon execution of both search warrants, four individuals were detained. A search of the Eastland Street residence yielded: two weapons numerous rounds of ammunition several pieces of crack 16 grams of an unknown white powder other drug paraphernalia walkie talkies to aide in drug sales A search of the MLK Boulevard residence: 9 grams of suspected fentanyl, which is about 13,000 fatal doses 16 grams of suspected crack 57 grams of suspected amphetamine pills 21 Xanax pills small amounts of meth and MDMA 2 more weapons 4 grams os suspected synthetic spice 1 gram of suspected marijuana other drug paraphernalia Arrested were: • Prince Davis – Sale of Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl) within 1,000ft of Public Housing Complex, Possession of Synthetic Narcotics (Fentanyl) with Intent to Sell within 1,000ft of Public Housing Complex, Trafficking in Synthetic Narcotics and Owning/ Renting a Structure for the Purposes of Selling Drugs (2 counts). • Roosevelt Jackson – Sale of Cocaine within 1,000ft of a School, Sale of Cocaine within 1,000 ft of Public Housing Complex and Possession of Cocaine with the intent to Sell X 2. • Austin Petersen Jr. – Possession of Cocaine This investigation remains ongoing as Fort Myers Police are still looking for four additional individuals who have pending drug charges stemming from this investigation. Additional agencies assisting in this investigation include the SWAT team, U.S. Marshals services, the Group Violence Intervention Unit, Patrol and the Metro Drug Unit. Seized contraband from the simultaneous searches. Credit: Fort Myers Police Department
A French former model agent accused of procuring underage girls for the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was detained by French police Wednesday at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport as he attempted to leave the country. Prosecution sources confirm to CBS News that Jean-Luc Brunel is now being questioned by Paris police and could face a range of sex charges. Brunel faces possible charges of rape and sexual assault, including of minors, some under the age of 15; sexual harassment and sex trafficking of minors. French police had been seeking him since an investigation was opened in August last year. A call for witnesses in September 2019 saw several former models come forward with details of alleged attacks spanning three decades. A French former model agent accused of procuring underage girls for the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was detained by French police Wednesday at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport as he attempted to leave the country. Prosecution sources confirm to CBS News that Jean-Luc Brunel is now being questioned by Paris police and could face a range of sex charges. Brunel faces possible charges of rape and sexual assault, including of minors, some under the age of 15; sexual harassment and sex trafficking of minors. French police had been seeking him since an investigation was opened in August last year. A call for witnesses in September 2019 saw several former models come forward with details of alleged attacks spanning three decades. Brunel and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and daughter of the late media mogul Robert Maxwell, are alleged to have helped the financier find underage girls. Both have denied the allegations. Maxwell is currently in jail in New York awaiting trial.
A woman was tied up and robbed by three men, one of them pretending to be pest control, Friday morning. The incident occurred at an apartment in the 4000 block of DeLeon Street, according to a Fort Myers Police Department news release. The victim told police a dark-skinned man wearing a pest control uniform knocked on her door to treat her home for pests. Once inside, the man tied the victim up and let two other men — one with a gun — inside. The woman was not assaulted but her apartment was ransacked, police said. Ronnie Casey, a nearby neighbor, said she wouldn’t think twice if someone knocked on her door and said they were pest control. Pest control is on the property all of the time, she said. “Each apartment complex gets pest control every three months so they come in and they spray until you just figure, oh it’s my time,” Casey said. Fort Myers police said the three men robbed the woman and fled. “We believe this female particularly may have been targeted for a specific reason,” said Fort Myers police Det. Amanda Averill. Submit Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.