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gulfcoastnewsnow.com

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Peace River flooding forces about 100 animals out of wildlife park in Arcadia

DESOTO COUNTY, Fla. — Flooding from the Peace River has submerged Jungle Doria's Wildlife Park in Arcadia, forcing the evacuation of about 100 animals and leaving the park closed until further notice. "This is the pathway," a park representative said, pointing to a walkway now completely underwater. "Here to...

Arcadia, FL · 20h
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WINKNEWS.com

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‘We’re just stuck’: Hendry County residents face severe flooding after record rain

PIONEER PLANTATION, Fla. (WINK) — Desperate Hendry County homeowners are pleading for help after relentless rainfall swamped properties and turned farmland into lakes, creating flood conditions emergency officials say the area hasn't seen in at least a decade. Heavy rain since Sunday has left several properties near Pioneer Plantation...

Hendry County, FL · 2d
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Venice Gondolier

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Peace River water levels expected to top 16 feet

ARCADIA — Due to days of heavy rainfall in portions of Florida, water levels in the Peace River have caused flooding in multiple counties, including DeSoto County.

Desoto County, FL · 3d

everafterinthewoods.com

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This Florida Retirement Town Has A Historic Downtown And Lakes Close By

An Ohio pottery maker designed an entire downtown around one perfect circle, and the streets still spin off it like wheel spokes. He laid it out back in 1912. Today, that ring of historic storefronts sits at the heart of one of Florida’s most underrated retirement towns. Then the...

Sebring, FL · 2d
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The News-Press

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Results: Frantz wins the race for the Florida House 78 seat

This story has been updated with the latest results. First-time Republican candidate Susan Frantz has won the race for Florida House District 78 with 54.15% of the vote. Frantz defeated progressive Democrat Cindy Banyai, who had sought elected office three other times: in Florida's 19th Congressional District in 2020 and 2022, and for Fort Myers City Council in 2024. More: What progressive Cindy Banyai will do if she wins a state house seat Raised in Fort Myers, Frantz founded Frantz Marketing Solutions more than 15 years ago. She's on the advisory board for Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lutgert College of Business as well as the board of the nonprofit Our Mother’s Home , Cancer Alliance Network and SWFL Inc. On her website, she calls herself a "Trump Republican – Florida First, MAGA always." Frantz did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More: What conservative Susan Frantz will do if she wins a FL house seat In a candidate questionnaire she completed for The News-Press, Frantz said: "In 2019, I founded Frantz Marketing Solutions in Fort Myers, just before COVID hit. Building a business through a pandemic taught me what small business owners across District 78 go through every

Florida · 3d

fastfoodclub.com

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Arcadia Is The Cattle Town Where Retirees Still Find Antique Streets And Low Costs

Some Florida towns chase the next big thing, and some simply keep being themselves. Out in the ranch country of Southwest Florida sits a small city with fewer than 7,500 residents, a downtown on a national historic list, and a cattle heritage that never packed up and left. People looking...

Arcadia, FL · 7d

WINKNEWS.com

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Arcadia flood damage leaves Hidden Oak Hideaway treehouse closed

ARCADIA, Fla. (WINK) — Flooding from the Peace River left an Arcadia Airbnb owner without her only source of income as the river crested above 16 feet Thursday night. Jessica Dobbins told WINK News she and her husband had to pump floodwater off the property before they could accept reservations again at the Hidden Oak Hideaway Treehouse. The flooding left the landscape completely underwater.

Arcadia, FL · 1d

capecoralbreeze.com

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Local officials prepare for impacts of Amendment 3

For those hoping Amendment 3 will reduce their tax burden, Tuesday’s vote was the easy part. With 62% of voters in favor of the homestead exemption increase, property owners who live in their homes will now be exempt from paying local property taxes for up to $150,000 of their property’s value next year and up to $250,000 of their property’s taxable assessed value in 2028. The increased exemption will not apply school taxes.

Lee County, FL · 2d

gulfcoastnewsnow.com

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'We have never seen it this bad': Record rain floods Pioneer Plantation properties in Hendry County

HENDRY COUNTY, Fla. — Severe flooding in Pioneer Plantation, Florida, has submerged homes and properties after this weekend's historic rainfall. "My shed, that's my office, it's completely underwater," said Milva Di Lorenzo, whose workspace, garden, and backyard are all submerged. DiLorenzo said the flooding began Sunday after heavy rain...

Hendry County, FL · 1d

WINKNEWS.com

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Hendry County reacts as Democrat Pia Dandiya wins District 22

HENDRY COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — Hendry County residents are weighing what Democrat Pia Dandiya’s win means for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District. The inland South Florida county has not been represented by a Democrat in Congress in over a decade. The Legislature redrew the lines of District 22...

Hendry County, FL · 2d

The Financial Wire

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Lee Health says it will leave UnitedHealthcare’s networks, including Medicare Advantage, on Jan. 1, 2027 without a deal, as Florida members face a Dec. 7 deadline

Lee Health, the Fort Myers hospital system, says it will leave UnitedHealthcare’s networks on Jan. 1, 2027, including the Medicare Advantage network, unless the two sides sign a new contract first. UnitedHealthcare’s member page says Lee Health “intends to leave” its commercial and Medicare Advantage networks and notified the insurer in late August. Florida members... The post Lee Health says it will leave UnitedHealthcare’s networks, including Medicare Advantage, on Jan. 1, 2027 without a deal, as Florida members face a Dec. 7 deadline appeared first on The Financial Wire .

Fort Myers, FL · 3d

WINKNEWS.com

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Clewiston neighbors fear floodwaters could block emergency help

CLEWISTON, Fla. (WINK)—After days of flooding in the Pioneer community, neighbors said standing water left some people stuck at home and worried emergency crews could not reach them. WINK News went to the Pioneer community, where neighbors said some people had been stuck in their homes for five days...

Clewiston, FL · 1d

gulfcoastnewsnow.com

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Immokalee man mows more than 20 acres of overgrown cemetery for free ahead of Día de los Muertos

IMMOKALEE, Fla. — Steven Trujillo spent five days clearing overgrown grass at Immokalee Cemetery, ensuring families could access graves for Día de los Muertos. "Let's do something, a blessing. Pay it forward," Trujillo said. Trujillo, like many visitors, noticed the cemetery’s overgrown grass. "The grass was about...

Immokalee, FL · 2d

gulfcoastnewsnow.com

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Fort Myers library becomes refuge for homeless people as living costs rise

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The downtown Fort Myers library is increasingly serving as a haven for people experiencing homelessness, offering free internet access, phone charging stations and air conditioning. Community leaders say homelessness is growing in the city, citing inflation and the high cost of living as key factors....

Fort Myers, FL · 20h

The News-Press

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Target plans new store in growing eastern Lee County

Target has secured land in eastern Lee County for a new store. Property records show Target Corp. purchased a nearly 21-acre site on the doorstep of Lehigh Acres, along the high-growth State Road 82 and Daniels Parkway corridor. The deal closed on Oct. 28. The price was $9 million for a future location at Creekside Marketplace, one of two shopping centers planned by The Sembler Company, based in St. Petersburg, Florida, in the same booming area. The dual retail centers are near the sister Timber Creek and Daniels Creek communities developed by Lennar, which will have a little over 2,900 homes. "The project represents a vital retail milestone for the rapidly expanding submarket bridging unincorporated Lee County and the western edge of Lehigh Acres. Positioned near the strategic convergence of State Road 82 and Daniels Parkway/Gunnery Road, Creekside Marketplace is designed to address the immense residential influx and rooftop growth that has surged across the corridor in recent years," said Paige Rausch, a commercial real estate and land analyst at Aslan Realty Advisors in Fort Myers. Situated on about 41 acres, Creekside is a planned 250,000-square-foot retail and medical-office destination with 11 outparcels. The planned development reflects Sembler’s longstanding approach:

Lee County, FL · 3d

The News-Press

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'Crown jewel' Edison estates welcomes first addition in 60 years

It has been 60 years since something was built at the venerable Edison Home. That’s going to change. The Edison and Ford Winter Estates Board of Trustees presented plans to the Fort Myers city council on Nov. 2 for a new welcome center. The city council gave a unanimous 6-0 blessing to the plans, with Councilman Liston Bochette absent for the vote. Council member Terolyn Watson did vote against one item, which is a letter from the city guaranteeing a $1.6 million loan the Edison board of trustees plans to help fund the project. Watson said she had met with former council member Mike Flanders, who chairs the board of trustees, and that banks may be willing to loan the money without a city guarantee. Council member Darla Bonk pointed out that since the city owns the 21-acre property it would be on the hook for any loan default regardless. Former city officials Flanders, Henderson part of Edison board The Edison non-profit board of trustees also includes former mayor Randy Henderson. The welcome center was designed by architect Joyce Owens, founder and principal of Architecture Joyce Owens, a 12-person firm in southwest Florida. Owens is the national American Institute of

Fort Myers, FL · 1d

gulfshorebusiness.com

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Plans for Lee Memorial Hospital site could include parks, homes

A linear park along Cleveland Avenue, rowhouses like those in Philadelphia, bike trails and a big civic green are some of the ideas for what the Lee Memorial Hospital site could look like when the hospital closes in 2028. Members of the Fort Myers Economic Development Advisory Board received an...

Fort Myers, FL · 1d

Naples Daily News

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Voters choose Lauren Melo to replace longtime state senator representing SWFL

Republican Lauren Melo has won the Florida Senate race in District 28. In the race, Melo, a six-year veteran of the Florida Legislature, faced David Silverberg, a first-time Democratic candidate and veteran journalist. She secured 62.2% of the vote — or a total of 142,378 votes. In a Facebook post after her win on Tuesday night, she wrote: "I'm humbled and honored to be your next state senator. Over these past months, I've met so many wonderful people across Collier, Hendry and Lee counties. Whether you opened your door, came out to an event or shared what matters most to your family, every conversation shaped this campaign." She thanked her family for standing by her "every step of the way." District 28 covers all of Collier and Hendry counties, along with eastern parts of Lee County . The new senator will have big shoes to fill, replacing former Sen. Kathleen Passidomo. After serving in the Florida Senate since 2016, Passidomo, R-Naples, reached her term limit this year. She served longer than the eight-year limit because of redistricting. She became the third woman elected Senate President and secured billions of dollars in state funding for Southwest Florida during her tenure in

Florida · 3d

WINKNEWS.com

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SWFL counties avoid alerts as Florida hits 524 dengue cases

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (WINK)—Florida reported 39 new locally acquired dengue cases in one week. That brought the statewide total to 524 cases in 2026 across 12 counties. Health officials continued to urge people to take precautions against mosquito bites. The report placed 11 counties under advisories, including Manatee and Sarasota....

Florida · 1d

gulfcoastnewsnow.com

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Lee County voters approve term limits for sheriff, tax collector and other county officers

LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Lee County voters have approved a county charter amendment to limit elected constitutional officers to three consecutive four-year terms, with the change set to take effect in November 2026. The measure applies to the sheriff, property appraiser, supervisor of elections, clerk of the circuit court,...

Lee County, FL · 3d