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
Southwest Florida International Airport's new 14-gate concourse is about two years into construction with roughly 12 to 14 months left, putting the opening around the 2027-28 holiday season, Lee Port Authority CEO Steve Hennigan said. The roughly $1 billion project comes as the airport set a record of 1.5 million passengers in March and says it is short on capacity in peak season.
Source: WGCU and 1 more
Lee County Sheriff's Office detectives arrested Noah Lils Alcantara on a charge of aggravated child abuse after a 9-day-old was brought to a children's hospital on Oct. 31 with severe breathing trouble. Deputies say doctors found injuries consistent with violent shaking. The infant remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition, WINK reported.
Source: Gulf Coast News and 2 more
Lee County deputies arrested Leonardo Rivera, 28, on Oct. 22 at an I-75 rest area near Daniels Parkway, according to an arrest report cited by WINK News. He is charged with luring or enticing a child younger than 14. No details of the alleged incident have been released, and he remained in custody.
Source: WINK News
Lee County deputies and the Florida Gaming Control Commission served search warrants Oct. 27 at five arcades in Fort Myers, North Fort Myers and Bonita Springs and at a home in Pennsylvania. Ten people were arrested on charges that include racketeering conspiracy, keeping a gambling house and money laundering, and officials seized 239 illegal slot machines and about $1.59 million in cash, gold and frozen bank accounts.
Source: Lee County Sheriff's Office via WINK News and 2 more
Lee County commissioners have adopted Comprehensive Plan changes for about 82,000 acres of southeast Lee, the area that includes the Density Reduction/Groundwater Recharge lands. The News-Press reports the plan preserves about 61,000 acres and cuts nearly 5,000 potential homes while allowing up to 32 million square feet of commercial and industrial space. Environmental groups asked for more time, citing panther habitat and water supply.
Source: News-Press and 1 more
The Florida Commission on Ethics said Wednesday it found no probable cause on the complaint against Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, going against its own advocate's recommendation on the gift allegation. The case involved furniture he allegedly received and failed to report, and whether he misused his office by hiring the complainant as a consultant. The Sheriff's Office says the complaint was dismissed in full.
Source: WGCU and 1 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
