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A Southwest Florida artist has spent much of the pandemic painting murals in homes. Now her work is catching the eyes of even more homeowners.

All Jane Ford needs is water, paint and a splash of imagination. “Color, a lot of color. I love mixing colors and I love paint,” said Ford.

Jane is the artist that paints murals on the walls of Southwest Florida homes. Because of the pandemic, she’s in high demand right now.

“I’m doing a painting now of Sanibel island for a couple in Pennsylvania because they travel down here,” Ford said.

Nancy Brosey is just one of the homeowners who reached out to Ford. She was looking to turn her lanai into her own personal Florida oasis.

Brosey lives in Cape Coral. “Now, we’re so limited in what we do so to come home and have a space where I can just sit there and just relax and enjoy it, I love it!” she said.

Nancy says the finished product is more than she could ever imagine. Underneath all of the bright colors, the flora and the fauna, Ford added a piece of home.

“It brought me to tears when she had at my dogs. That’s my heart and I love my boys so that was the one that really did it,” said Brosey.

Ford says she’s glad she can bring joy to people during such a difficult time. “I find it really brings a lot of joy to people especially now,” said Ford.

This mural has generated quite a bit of social media buzz as well. More than 50,000 people have now seen it. Which is leading to new projects for Jane Ford.

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Your child’s education is being put through one of the toughest tests right now. From virtual learning to likely budget cuts, the future of our schools seems scary for parents.

But one man, Harlan Parrish, is putting education before all else. After 36 years in banking, he considers himself a numbers guy, but it’s his work in schools that he prioritizes.

“I firmly believe that it’s so important to our economic vitality,” Parrish said.

That’s why he has volunteered for 21 years for the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, work for which WINK News’ partners at Gulfshore Life Magazine have recognized him as one of its men of the year. The foundation’s coming year, he says, may be one of its most challenging.

“We know we’re going to see some significant cutbacks to the state budget, think they’re projecting about 2.7 billion next year, and in tax revenues shortfall, and that’s going to affect education,” Parrish said.

But Parrish and the foundation help raise money to make sure our teachers and children are supported, providing basic needs, mentorship and college/career prep to students as well as money to keep teachers well supplied.

With a busy job at FineMark National Bank and two kids out of school, some might wonder how Parrish is able to continue keep giving back to the district.

“Think it really came from my parents,” Parrish said. “Both of them have really put a high price on education.”

Because his parents had to work after high school, his dad got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while in the Air Force and his mom went back to school while raising a family. Parrish hopes that what his parents instilled in him will carry through to not only his family, but the whole community.

“I think what I’m most proud of is the fact that I know that the effort that I’m putting forth in my time is making a difference,” Parrish said.

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If you’re buying on a budget and looking for both perfect and practical, try for a gift that keeps on giving. One where the buck doesn’t stop there.

Christian Emmert, 22, graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University debt-free. He said, “I can really go into the workforce now and immediately start saving.”

Emmert can start saving now because at just eight years old, his mom and dad started saving for his future.

For nearly 10 years they set aside money every month into the state’s college savings plan, Florida Prepaid.

He said, “It’s very heartwarming to know that my parents have thought about that since I was a young kid.”

To stuff your child’s stocking with savings, consider opening an account, and asking family and friends for contributions instead of more clutter.

“I’ve gotten far more use out of it than any Lego set,” Emmert explained. “I would highly recommend that any parent do it it’s one of the most impactful things that I’ve had.”

Plans start at $50 a month.

And if your child doesn’t go to college, you get back what you paid into it.

Another idea is to give fractions of a stock.

Kimberly Palmer with NerdWallet says it’s a lot less money than buying a full stock and it’s a teaching opportunity for kids, too. “One way you can make this easy is by using a company like Stockpile. … I let my son take some Nintendo stock. My daughter picked Netflix stock $20, $25 each and they can actually see the graph watching it grow over time”

If your grandkids or nieces and nephews don’t live in Florida, ask their parents if they have a 529 College Savings Account.

RESOURCES

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While FDA approval of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine hangs in the balance, Southwest Florida is gearing up to receive it.

We learned more Friday about what the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine will look like in the region.

Charlotte County is keeping a close eye as COVID-19 cases climb.

“This is the last 14 days. We’ve had 30 hospitalized and 816 cases,” said Joseph Pepe, the administrator for Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County. “So really big numbers the last couple of weeks.”

Hope is on the horizon in the form of Pfizer’s vaccine for COVID-19.

“We fully anticipate it being approved today,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “That will then unlock the ability to start receiving shipments of the vaccine.”

Charlotte County is preparing to receive it.

“The Florida Division of Emergency Management’s purchased, I think, at least five dry ice making machines that will augment and allow for longer storage of those prepackaged Pfizer vaccines,” said Patrick Fuller, the emergency management director of Charlotte County.

“There are some refrigerators that are available for the ultra-cold storage and things like that, so we do have some opportunities there should we need to move in that direction,” Pepe said.

Even with dry ice and freezers, there are still challenges to be worked out.

“It really doesn’t lend itself to a mass vaccination type site,” Pepe said.

“The 15-minute mandatory waiting period, it was new for us,” said Chad Nielsen, the director of infection prevention at UF Health in Jacksonville. “We don’t do that for flu or any other type of vaccine. We have to do it for this. So that causes space requirements that causes, you know, just other logistical concerns that we’ve had to work our way through.”

UF Health in Jacksonville is one of the first facilities in Florida to receive the vaccine. There, Neilsen says his team is working through those problems now and plans to share their solution. When vaccines come to Southwest Florida, health professional here will be ready.

“At the end of the day, we’re all in this together,” Neilsen said. “We’re not competing with other organizations like a business perspective. We really are in this for the health care workers, for the patients.”

Charlotte County leaders discussed working with community partners, including fire, EMS, the department of health and schools to help with vaccination efforts.

Lee Health keeps tabs on vaccine rollout

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The Wounded Warrior Project of Collier County is fighting to make sure even more of those who’ve served can get back on their feet. They are turning to a federal judge to rally for more people to live in their Alpha House.

In Collier County, the Wounded Warrior Project helps veterans get back on their feet by providing them with resources and a place to live. But Naples City Council has limited the number of people who can live at the Alpha House.

President of Wounded Warriors Collier County, Dale Mullin, is going to fight for as long as they can. “We would fight as long as we had an ability to resist,” said Mullin.

They want to allow more homeless veterans to live at Alpha House. “That’s the most frustrating thing is we have beds here. We have four open beds right now that we could bring homeless veterans in,” Mullin said.

In September, the Naples City Council denied Wounded Warriors’ request to house more veterans. But Mullin wants to fight that decision in federal court.

He claims that they’re being discriminated against under the Fair Housing Act. Since they function as a family, the city should not be allowed to limit the number of people living at Alpha House.

Ben Walker lives at Alpha House “More people here at the house would be a blessing,” said Walker.

NAACP Collier County President Vincent Keeys says that many of the people who live in River Park East where, Alpha House is located, don’t want the home to expand. “To double the number, would be moving in the wrong direction,” said Keeys.

The City of Naples released a statement saying in part, “The City is disappointed that any organization would resort to lawsuits after such accommodations were made.”

Mullins says he doesn’t want to resort to a lawsuit but he’ll do what is necessary for the soldier sif a truce cannot be reached.

“Well I hope we reach a compromise,” said Mullin.

Wounded Warriors of Collier county expects to take the case to federal court in the next few months.

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Hearing, “you play like a girl” isn’t an insult to a particular football player at Oasis High School in Cape Coral – It’s a badge of honor.

This player says, “If you play like a girl, you play like a beast.”

That’s from Emma Osinski, and she just finished her first season playing offensive and defensive line.

When she joined the Sharks, she was determined to prove she belonged. She said, “If I was going to do it I was gonna do it just as good as anybody else in the field.”

Oasis head coach Jeff Love said, “She has done nothing but work and that’s why she’s gained the respect of, obviously me, but the rest of the coaches and the rest of the team at school. She just goes to work.”

Emma’s mom, Sharon Osinski, knew her daughter was destined for athletics.

She said, “She was probably two or three years old and she basically saw a football jersey in the store and wanted it and wouldn’t leave the store – with a temper tantrum – until I bought it for her.”

Emma’s dream is to have her name on the back of a college football jersey, and she saw Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller accomplish just that while becoming the first woman to play major college football.

Emma hopes she can be the next. “This is an opportunity that there is a chance you know. That there are coaches in college-level that can look at me and say she can play just as well as anyone else in the field and that gives me hope.”

And inspire more girls to take the field.

“I hope I give them a boost of confidence that they can do it,” Emma explained. “That there’s no limit. That they should have the confidence to step out on this field.”
And play like a football player.

She said running out of the tunnel for her first football game was one of the best moments in her life.

While she awaits the start of football season, she is currently playing for the Oasis High School girls basketball team.

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A local survey from Gulfshore Business is taking the pulse of the community’s willingness to get a vaccine for COVID-19.

Please take a few seconds to respond to a couple of questions and look for the overall results in a future issue of Gulfshore Business Daily. To take the survey, click here.

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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.

Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirms Friday it recovered the body of a man who fell off a boat into the Caloosahatchee River near the Midpoint Bridge recently.

According to LCSO, 37-year-old Joel Henderson of Naples was found days after he went missing in the water. He had been on a dinner cruise with other people.

First responders with LCSO, U.S. Coast Guard, Fort Myers Police Department and Florida Fish and Wildlife all initially responded to the incident around 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 and searched for almost 12 hours before calling off the night’s search and then continuing the following day.

The original search saw marine units and helicopter units search the water between east of Cape Coral Bridge and west of US-41.

LCSO says Henderson’s body was eventually found days after his disappearance about 4 miles from where he originally fell off the boat.

There are no further details at this time.

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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.

One sheriff’s office in Texas is ramping up efforts ahead of the holidays to combat package thefts across the county.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday kick off the holiday shopping season, a gold mine for porch pirates – or thieves who steal packages outside resident’s homes. This year, retailers are anticipating an uptick in home deliveries due to the ongoing pandemic.

As people start receiving more mail and packages, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s Burglary and Theft Unit investigators are leading several porch pirate sting operations in Harris County with support from the agency’s patrol units and U.S. Postal Inspectors.

“Beyond catching porch pirates who come into our neighborhoods to snatch our holiday packages, our goal is to also deter this activity from taking place by letting would-be package thieves know that we’re out here,” said Burglary and Theft Investigator Javier Ureña. “This is one example of many proactive policing efforts aimed at reducing crime in our communities.”

Burglary and Theft Unit investigators will be placing multiple decoy packages with a tracking device on residential porches to help investigators identify and locate the perpetrators. If a porch pirate takes one of the GPS-tracked packages, investigators receive an alert and can follow it in real-time.

Law enforcement urges you to take steps that will help avoid packages being stolen from their doorstep, such as signing up for tracking notifications, retrieving packages as soon as they arrive, or requiring a signature for delivery. Instead of having a package delivered to your home, investigators are asking residents to consider other delivery locations to pick up and return packages, including Amazon Hub Locker locations and postal boxes.

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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.

As of 7:00 p.m. Friday, there have been 1,106,396 positive cases of the coronavirus recorded in the state. The case count includes 1,087,956 Florida residents and 18,440 non-Florida residents. There are 19,714 Florida resident deaths reported, 263 non-resident deaths, and 57,728 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: 1,106,396 (up from 1,094,697)
Florida resident deaths: 19,714 (up from 19,591)
Non-resident deaths: 263 (up from 260)
Total deaths in state (Fla./non-Fla. residents combined): 19,977 (up from 19,851)

  • 11,699 total new cases reported Friday
  • 123 new resident deaths reported Friday
  • 3 new non-resident deaths reported Friday
  • Percent positive for new cases in Fla. residents: 7.90%
    • 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: 65,440 (up from 64,739)
Deaths: 1,223 (up from 1,217)

  • 701 total new cases reported Friday
  • 6 new deaths reported Friday

Lee County: ​33,829 cases (up from 33,431) – 610 deaths
Collier County: 19,684 (up from 19,496) – 306 deaths (3 new)
Charlotte County: 5,923 (up from 5,840) – 208 deaths (1 new)
DeSoto County: 2,577 (up from 2,565) – 43 deaths (2 new)
Glades County: 713 (up from 712) – 11 deaths
Hendry County: 2,714 (up from 2,695) – 45 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

#GulfshoreStrong: Covering people making a difference in SWFL

FOOD PANTRIES: Harry Chapin mobile food pantry schedule, week of Dec. 7

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.

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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.