SWFL NowVERIFIED NEWS. LOCAL IMPACT.83°F in Cape Coral,Sunny · Cape Coral
The Southwest Florida stories that are too local, too early or too ongoing for the evening news.
Sunday, October 25
The SWFL Sports Card Show is on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pondella Bingo, 959 Pondella Road, in North Fort Myers. Collectors can browse and trade sports cards. Check with the organizer for admission details.
Source: TCG Shows Near Me and 2 more
Northeast winds of 15 to 25 mph are forecast across Southwest Florida on Sunday, with gusts topping 35 mph possible, strongest near the coast, WINK News meteorologists say. Highs reach the mid-80s, with a few showers but little rain for most areas. Strong gusts are expected again Monday before winds ease midweek, and a small craft advisory remains in effect for coastal waters.
Source: Gulf Coast News and 1 more
A crash involving several vehicles closed all northbound lanes of I-75 near Exit 164 at Duncan Road, just south of the Peace River Bridge, on Saturday afternoon, WINK News reports. Northbound drivers were sent off the interstate at Duncan Road and told to expect delays. Injuries had not been reported in the coverage checked.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
Trucks over the posted weight limits on the State Road 29 drawbridge over the Caloosahatchee River in LaBelle still have to detour by way of State Road 78, US 27 and State Road 80; the base limit is 26 tons for single-unit trucks. In Clewiston, FDOT's US 27 improvement project from Industrial Canal to West Sagamore Avenue continues with sidewalk, lighting and utility work, bringing daytime and some nighttime lane closures. The state expects the project to wrap up in mid-2027.
Source: Lake Okeechobee News and 2 more
A driver who fled a Florida Highway Patrol speeding stop near State Road 82 and Gun Club Road Friday night bit a trooper's arm and ran off on foot after troopers ended the chase with a PIT maneuver, WINK News reports. The trooper was treated at a hospital. FHP says it found trafficking amounts of meth and cocaine plus a gun in the BMW, has identified the driver and is seeking a warrant on charges including battery on an officer.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
At Friday's rally at FGCU's Alico Arena, President Trump pointed to two Lee County killings while making his case on immigration, WINK News reports. The president of the Haitian American Community Coalition of Southwest Florida said the community is grieving and worries about being judged by one person's actions. Relatives of both victims told WINK the renewed attention is emotional.
Source: WINK News
The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay has extended its small craft advisory for Gulf waters from Bonita Beach northward through Wednesday evening, Oct. 28. Northeast winds of 20 to 30 knots with stronger gusts are forecast, peaking Sunday, with seas of 4 to 8 feet near shore and higher offshore. Forecasters say a gale watch may be needed for some waters on Sunday.
Source: National Weather Service and 1 more
Wednesday, October 28
Estero's Village Council meets at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Village Hall to consider items on the Bonita Estero Rail Trail, landscape upkeep at Estero SportsPark, a water monitoring contract and state funding requests. A workshop on the village's vulnerability assessment follows. Residents can send eComments until noon the day before the meeting.
Source: Village of Estero
Fort Myers police arrested a driver on a DUI charge after spotting a vehicle going the wrong way near Fowler Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Police said the driver's blood alcohol level was nearly twice Florida's legal limit.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
A 74-year-old Naples woman died after a three-vehicle crash just before 7 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, on Immokalee Road at Esplanade Boulevard in Collier County. Florida Highway Patrol said the crash followed a lane change by a 17-year-old driver.
Source: Yahoo News (syndicated) and 1 more
Cape Coral City Council gave final approval to the $500 million Bimini East project, a 34-acre mixed-use redevelopment around Bimini Basin with apartments, hotels, shops and a marina. The plan takes in Four Freedoms Park, which city leaders say will be relocated and redesigned, though some nearby families worry about losing the greenspace. No construction start date is set, but the agreement requires work to begin within two years.
Source: WINK News and 2 more
President Donald Trump spoke for close to two hours Friday afternoon at Florida Gulf Coast University's Alico Arena, urging supporters to back gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds and the rest of the Republican ticket. Gov. Ron DeSantis met him at Southwest Florida International Airport, and his remarks covered the economy, energy prices, foreign policy and his Democratic opponents. He finished around 4:20 p.m. and Air Force One left RSW shortly before 5 p.m.
Source: WINK News and 3 more
Legacy Harbour Marina on the Caloosahatchee River in downtown Fort Myers is taking boaters again after a roughly $15 million rebuild following Hurricane Ian. The 13-acre marina has 131 slips for boats from 40 to 140 feet, with stronger breakwaters and taller pilings. A soft opening came in late September, and a restaurant next door is due in December.
Source: WINK News and 3 more
Monday, November 2
Lee County plans to open the Three Oaks Parkway extension across the Fiddlesticks Canal to Daniels Parkway on Nov. 2, after a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting south of the new Fiddlesticks Boulevard intersection. The link gives drivers a north-south route parallel to I-75 from Collier County through Bonita Springs and Estero. The contract had allowed until mid-2028; remaining restriping and Daniels Parkway paving should wrap up in early 2027.
Source: WINK News and 2 more
The City of Cape Coral expected three through lanes in each direction to open by Oct. 23, weather permitting, on Cape Coral Parkway East between Coronado Parkway and Del Prado Boulevard. Parking will no longer be allowed on either side once the lanes open. Overnight paving and striping continue from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., and the project should finish in November.
Source: Cape Coral Breeze and 2 more
The National Weather Service has a small craft advisory from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening for Gulf waters from East Cape Sable to Bonita Beach. Northeast winds of 20 to 25 knots with gusts near 30 are forecast tonight, rising to 25 to 30 knots by Sunday afternoon. Seas build from 3 to 5 feet to as high as 5 to 7 feet Sunday night.
Source: National Weather Service and 2 more
Cape Coral City Council voted Oct. 21 on a resolution supporting expansion of the city's outpatient VA clinic into a full-service veterans hospital, with a campus offering independent living, assisted living, nursing and memory care. The measure also lets city staff seek funding help from the Legislature and other partners. Veterans say many now make a two-hour trip to the Tampa Bay area for specialized or inpatient care, and a grassroots committee plans to ask the five Southwest Florida counties for similar resolutions.
Source: WINK News
FDOT says drivers should expect daytime southbound lane closures on S.R. 29 (East Main Street) between 11th and 13th streets in Immokalee from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Crews are working on poles on the south side of the road ahead of a planned roundabout.
Source: FDOT District One
Friday, October 23
President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear at a campaign rally today at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Alico Arena in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds.
Source: WINK News and 2 more
Two people riding in the same vehicle were hurt, neither seriously, when someone fired at them during a road rage confrontation on Santa Barbara Boulevard in Cape Coral on Oct. 22. Police said the shooter was still at large and asked anyone who saw it to call the Cape Coral Police Department at 239-574-3223.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
HCA Florida plans to turn its freestanding emergency room on Pine Island Road in Cape Coral into a 100-bed hospital with operating rooms and a cardiac lab, a roughly $300 million project that includes about $30 million in local incentives. Construction is expected to start in 2027, with completion projected for 2029.
Source: WINK News and 2 more
A Collier County special magistrate ruled Oct. 16 that work went on at a concrete batch plant on Taylor Road after the county's Sept. 23 stop-work order, WINK reported. The owner faces a $500-a-day fine if unpermitted work continues; nearby Autumn Woods residents say the plant's noise, lights and vibration reach their homes, and the company has been applying for the missing permits.
Source: WINK News
Curran Young Construction has started building a 7,280-square-foot amenity campus at Turnleaf, the 426-acre community off Burnt Store Road south of Punta Gorda. Plans call for a 5,500-square-foot clubhouse, pool and pickleball pavilions and a mail room for a neighborhood planned for 1,735 homes.
Source: Gulfshore Business
Saturday, November 14
Sierra, the off-price outdoor and activewear chain, will open an 18,676-square-foot store Nov. 14 in the former Party City space at Park Shore Plaza, 4377 Tamiami Trail N. It will be the chain's second Florida store after Jacksonville, and it is hiring full- and part-time workers.
Source: Gulfshore Business
A state DOGE review of Cape Coral estimated the city could save $3.8 million to $6.5 million, mostly through changes to personnel costs and purchasing. The city says the review, dated Oct. 16, found its staffing below the median of comparable cities and no misuse of funds. Cape Coral plans to post a response to each recommendation by the end of October.
Source: WINK News and 3 more
Mayor Kevin Anderson, in office since 2020, is seeking another term on a platform of public safety, infrastructure, economic development and affordable housing. Challenger Amber Ware, a city employee since 2002, says her first act would be a complete audit of city finances, and she wants to restart neighborhood utility projects. The race is on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Source: WGCU News and 1 more
Friday, October 23
The 16th annual Stone Crab Festival fills the Tin City waterfront in Naples this weekend, opening Friday at 5 p.m. and running through Sunday. Admission is free, with live music, vendors and seafood to mark the start of stone crab season; general parking is $5.
Source: Florida Weekly and 2 more
Sunday, October 25
The 18th annual Naples International Film Festival is under way through Sunday, with screenings, outdoor Cinema Under the Stars showings and an awards ceremony on Oct. 25. Artis-Naples lists "Tenor: My Name Is Pati" on Oct. 23 and "Too Soon" on Oct. 24 under the stars, and closes with "Superman" accompanied by a live orchestra on Oct. 25.
Source: Artis-Naples and 3 more
Thursday, October 22
Whataburger's second Southwest Florida location opens Thursday, Oct. 22, at 22927 Lyden Drive in Estero, in the former Pollo Tropical building near Coconut Point. A ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m., with service starting at 11 a.m. It will be open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, unlike the 24-hour south Fort Myers location.
Source: Gulfshore Business and 1 more
Boat House Tiki Bar & Grill is now open in the main terminal at Southwest Florida International Airport, in the pre-security hallway to Concourse B, in space that Dunkin' and Beaches Travelmart left in April. State liquor license records show a full license there took effect Oct. 5. The original restaurant at the Cape Coral Yacht Club remains closed after an October 2024 fire; the city approved a 30-year rebuild agreement in September 2025.
Source: Florida DBPR and 2 more
Hertz, headquartered in Estero, announced Oct. 20 that its fleet management business Oro Mobility secured an $80 million strategic equity investment from a group that includes Cohen Private Ventures and funds tied to Certares and Knighthead. Hertz keeps majority economic ownership of Oro, which manages about 45,000 vehicles for rideshare rentals, driver-led fleets and autonomous vehicles in major U.S. markets.
Source: Hertz Newsroom and 2 more
Tuesday, November 17
Estero's Planning, Zoning & Design Board pushed Waypoint Residential's proposal for 355 apartments on the former Regal theater site at Coconut Point to Nov. 17, at the developer's request, after a lengthy review on Oct. 20. The four-story plan is smaller than the five-story, 365-unit version the board criticized earlier this year, but still seeks a reduced amount of garage parking. Residents filed seven written comments and four spoke at the meeting, raising concerns; the Village Council will make the final decision.
Source: Village of Estero Planning and 1 more
Monday, November 9
The Lee County Clerk and Comptroller will open a satellite office Nov. 9 at 600 Homestead Road South in Lehigh Acres, inside the East Lee County Government Complex. The roughly 6,200-square-foot office will handle most services offered in Fort Myers, including traffic tickets, evictions, injunctions and marriage licenses and ceremonies. It will have 12 service windows, a wedding room and a private room for people filing domestic violence injunctions, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Source: WGCU News and 1 more
Tuesday, October 27
More than 50 large-format photos of old-growth bald cypress by National Geographic photographer Mac Stone will line the boardwalk at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary starting Oct. 27. The outdoor exhibit runs through March 31, 2027, and is included with regular admission. It accompanies Stone's new book, "Cypress: The Last Old-Growth Swamps."
Source: WGCU News and 1 more
WINK News expects dry, mostly sunny weather through Friday around Fort Myers, with morning lows in the low to mid 60s and highs in the low to mid 80s, a bit below normal. Winds are forecast to strengthen Friday afternoon and could affect weekend outdoor and boating plans.
Source: WINK News
Fort Myers City Council's Monday, Oct. 19 meeting ended early when council members Liston Bochette, Fred Burson and Darla Bonk left during public comment, leaving the board without a quorum. Several speakers were urging Mayor Kevin Anderson to resign over sexual misconduct allegations, which he has denied; a Florida Department of Law Enforcement review closed without criminal charges. The city said its charter requires at least four members to conduct business, so the mayor adjourned the meeting.
Source: Gulf Coast News and 3 more
Linda Penniman, a former Naples City Council member and vice mayor, has died at 83, WGCU and WINK News reported Oct. 20. She left the council this fall after her husband, Nicholas Penniman IV, died Sept. 29. Penniman also chaired the city's Community Redevelopment Agency and was active in Collier County water-quality and government-ethics efforts.
Source: WGCU News and 2 more
Tuesday, October 27
The Florida Department of Transportation will hold an in-person public hearing Oct. 27 at Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, 1225 Piper Blvd., Naples, with an open house at 4 p.m. and a presentation at 4:30 p.m., followed by a virtual hearing Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. The project would add capacity, including auxiliary lanes, on I-75 from north of Golden Gate Parkway to south of Alico Road. Comments for the hearing record are due Nov. 10; noise wall details will come later.
Source: Collier MPO and 3 more
The City of Marco Island will shut off water service in the 631 Peru St. area on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for scheduled work. A precautionary boil water notice takes effect there and stays in place until the city lifts it. Affected residents should boil water before drinking or cooking with it.
Source: City of Marco Island and 2 more
Lee County Judge Bruce Kyle on Oct. 19 granted a new trial to Anastasiya Zadorozhna, whom a jury convicted in August of vehicular homicide in a July 2024 crash on Pine Island Road that killed a 52-year-old man. Her attorney argued that the prosecution's only eyewitness, a co-defendant, misled jurors about his own plea deal. A status hearing is set for Oct. 29; no date has been set for the new trial.
Source: WINK News
