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.
LeeTran has started a pilot that cuts fixed-route fares in half for veterans who carry a new Veterans Discount TropiCard. Veterans can get the card on the spot at LeeTran headquarters on Metro Parkway or the Rosa Parks Transportation Station in Fort Myers by showing a veteran ID or a driver license with the veteran mark. The agency plans to review the program after 180 days.
Source: WGCU
Saturday, November 14
The Lee County Clerk & Comptroller will hold its seventh Big Shred from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Lee County Elections Center in Fort Myers. Residents can bring papers with sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, for free professional shredding; documents must be in boxes, and bags and electronics won't be accepted. The events have destroyed more than 45,000 pounds of paper since 2023.
Source: WGCU and 1 more
Midwest Food Bank Florida, Meals of Hope and The Learning Spot teamed up Oct. 28 for Nourish Together, an after-hours food distribution in Immokalee. Volunteers handed out food boxes and bottled water to farm, hospitality and construction workers whose shifts keep them from daytime giveaways. Organizers say more evening events could follow if funding and food donations allow.
Source: WGCU and 1 more
Yidel Perlstein, CEO of Lakefront Estates & Villas, told WINK News the community had expected opposition at some point and credited state and local agencies with acting quickly after an Orlando man, 31, was accused of posting threats against it. More than 80 families have moved in while the first 166 homes are built, and the developer plans about 1,300 homes on roughly 600 acres over about five years. Perlstein said the community is open to everyone while offering services such as kosher food, schools and a synagogue for Orthodox Jewish families.
Source: WINK News
The Collier County Clerk's office will take free passport photos throughout November for veterans and active-duty service members who show a DD-214, military ID or a driver's license with the veteran designation. Photos are available at the main and Immokalee courthouses and several branch offices, and veterans can also record their DD-214 for free at the Collier County Courthouse.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District held a groundbreaking Monday for Fire Station 108 and a new training tower, giving its firefighters a dedicated place to train inside the district. District leaders say the station is meant to keep up with the community's growth, and progress updates are planned ahead of a grand opening.
Source: Gulf Coast News and 1 more
Cape Coral native and Mariner High alumnus Niko Price says he is stepping away from the UFC after his first-round TKO of Leon Shahbazyan on Oct. 10 in Las Vegas, WINK News reports. Price, a father of seven, said the decision came after his wife and daughters told him they no longer liked watching him take punches. He is still training locally and says he's open to other combat sports.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
The American Cancer Society's Making Strides of Southwest Florida walk took place Saturday morning, Oct. 24, at Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples. Survivors, families and supporters walked to raise money for breast cancer research and patient support. The event page showed about $438,000 raised toward a $450,000 goal as of Sunday morning.
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
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
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, on the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission carrying more than 30 payloads, a day after weather scrubbed Monday's attempt. Local outlets published residents' photos of the rocket's trail as seen from Southwest Florida.
Source: Spaceflight Now and 2 more
Wednesday, October 21
Estero residents can bring leftover paint, cleaners, pesticides, pool chemicals and automotive fluids to Estero Park, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21. Nothing will be accepted outside those hours; Lee County's permanent drop-off site on Topaz Court in Fort Myers takes household chemicals on weekdays.
Source: Village of Estero and 2 more
The Lee County Shuffleboard Club held its first national tournament at the North Fort Myers Recreation Center this past weekend, opening the National Shuffleboard Association season. About 60 players from the U.S. and Canada competed on 24 courts that Lee County covered with an 18,000-square-foot roof and fitted with new lighting and scoreboards in a $2.2 million renovation finished in May.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
American Red Cross volunteers provided assistance to four adults following two residential fires in Fort Myers within a 12-hour period on October 17.
Source: WINK News
