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.
The nonprofit Florida Coastal Corridor dropped 50 triangular concrete reef structures about 13 miles off Collier County in early September, the first in a planned chain of reefs along Florida's Gulf Coast. Artificial reefs give fish and coral more places to live as warming water stresses natural reefs. The group placed a second reef off Fort Walton Beach a few weeks later.
Source: WGCU and 1 more
About 80 land managers from roughly 20 organizations trained in prescribed burning at Naples Botanical Garden on Aug. 12, the Garden's second such workshop, the Garden said. Crews practiced responding to a simulated spot-over fire, compared brush trucks and equipment used by different agencies, and burned the Garden's bioswale. Controlled burns clear the brush that fuels wildfires and keep fire-adapted Florida habitats healthy.
Source: Naples Botanical Garden
Wildlife officials announced Monday that a 2-year-old male Florida panther was found dead along Randall Boulevard, about a quarter mile west of Everglades Boulevard, likely hit by a vehicle. It is the 15th panther death recorded in Florida this year, and nine of them have been in Collier County.
Source: WGCU (citing FWC) and 1 more
Collier County crews begin placing about 208,000 tons of sand on Naples Beach on Monday, Oct. 26, covering roughly 3.5 miles from Doctors Pass to just south of 21st Avenue South. The $8 million project replaces sand lost to Hurricanes Helene and Milton; trucks will run about 9,450 trips from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with completion targeted for Christmas. The beach stays open, but short stretches will be closed while crews work there.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
