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
County workers removed dozens of NO REZONING signs posted by residents opposing a proposed 28-home development called The Woodlands at Rock Creek.
Source: Gulfshore Business
Habitat for Humanity of Collier County went public Oct. 29 with Together, We Build, a $100 million campaign to help 1,000 more families buy homes. The group says it already has $74 million in commitments. The money would build 500 homes and pay for land and infrastructure for 500 more.
Source: WINK News
Collier County's Contractors' Licensing Board voted unanimously Oct. 21 to indefinitely revoke the permit-pulling privileges of Lexander Acosta, the state-certified qualifier for Modern Lux Pools, after finding willful building code violations. County investigators said 17 of the 18 permits pulled for the company under his license since early 2024 were abandoned or terminated. The county sent its evidence to the state DBPR, which has open cases on his license, and a state board hearing is set for next month.
Source: WINK News
FDOT will fully close Pine Ridge Road under I-75 from 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, to 6 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, for overhead sign work at the interchange, with detours via Immokalee Road and Golden Gate Parkway. The southbound I-75 off-ramp to Pine Ridge also closes tonight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.; I-75 stays open.
Source: @MyFDOT_SWFL and 4 more
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
FDOT says the I-75 southbound off-ramp to State Road 29 near Immokalee will close overnight Wednesday, Oct. 28, for paving, with a posted detour. The work is part of the SR 29 project south of I-75, where FDOT warns of nighttime ramp closures throughout construction.
Source: FDOT District One (@MyFDOT_SWFL and 1 more
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
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
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
Visitors to Collier County spent about $169 million in August, according to county tourism figures reported by WINK News. The station reported that not every local business felt the boost.
Source: WINK News and 1 more
