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Florida Weekly - Fort Myers Edition
BSU Expands Water Treatment Plant to Meet Growing Demand
Bonita Springs Utilities Inc. (BSU) completed its Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant expansion, which increased the plant capacity from 8.5 million gallons per day to 12.5 million gallons per day. The expansion will provide redundancy in treatment plant components and resiliency in water supply sources, enabling BSU to keep pace with population growth. Additionally, the $60-million project includes a 47,000-square-foot […] The post BSU Expands Water Treatment Plant to Meet Growing Demand first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
LARC’s Career Camps for Young Adults with IDD
The Lee Association for Remarkable Citizens (LARC) is pleased to announce its upcoming Career Camps for students aged 14 to 21 with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Scheduled for July 8-12 and July 29-August 2, these camps offer up to three weeks of 30-hour sessions, focused on career exploration and job skill development for students with an Individualized Educational Plan […] The post LARC’s Career Camps for Young Adults with IDD first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Blue-Green Algae Alert for Caloosahatchee River
The Florida Department of Health in Lee County (DOHLee) has issued a caution regarding the presence of blue-green algae at Caloosahatchee River—Alacante Canal North. Water samples taken on June 19, prompted this warning. The public is advised to be cautious in and around this area, as blue-green algae have the potential to produce toxins. Water sample testing is currently ongoing, […] The post Blue-Green Algae Alert for Caloosahatchee River first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Florida’s largest property insurer proposes double-digit rate hikes
While saying Florida’s insurance market is improving, the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors backed a proposal that would lead to customers across the state seeing double-digit rate increases in 2025. The proposal, in part, would lead to an average 13.5 percent rate increase for the most-common type of Citizens policy, known as homeowners’ “multi-peril” coverage. Condominium-unit owners would […] The post Florida’s largest property insurer proposes double-digit rate hikes first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Shady Rest Foundation Donates $50,000 to Support Older Adults
The Shady Rest Foundation has established a $50,000 fund through the Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) to benefit older adults living or working on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. This contribution will support nonprofit organizations serving residents aged 60 and above. CFI executive director Dolly Farrell noted, “The Shady Rest Foundation Fund is CFI’s first field-of-interest fund, specifically supporting the […] The post Shady Rest Foundation Donates $50,000 to Support Older Adults first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Kiwanis Club Distributes Over $45,000 in Scholarships
The Kiwanis Club of Sanibel-Captiva has revealed the recipients of its 18th annual Scholarship Awards for the 2024-25 academic year. Scholarship winners, along with their families and friends, were honored at a recent Kiwanis breakfast meeting. Since its inception, the Kiwanis Scholarship Program has awarded 399 scholarships, amounting to over $660,000 in financial support. Eligible students must reside in Sanibel […] The post Kiwanis Club Distributes Over $45,000 in Scholarships first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Did you adopt anybody?
All of us need to be adopted. And we need to do some adopting. I’ve learned this after being offered the lesson a number of times in letters responding to my bloviating commentary. The light finally dawned. I figure it’s so important that even St. Peter, deciding who gets past him and who doesn’t in the long line at the […] The post Did you adopt anybody? first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Lee County’s Strategic Preparedness for Hurricane Season
All forecasts point to an extremely active hurricane season, but whether there is one storm or 20, “we don’t want the community to panic,” said Ben Abes, director of the Lee County Department of Public Safety. He recently spoke with Florida Weekly about lessons learned from past storms, new plans and projects and revisions to existing plans that will improve […] The post Lee County’s Strategic Preparedness for Hurricane Season first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Fishing for the Future
Any fishing story that has roots in the 21st century should start with numbers — not just the measurements of a fish or quantity of a fish population, but numbers of people. There are more than eight billion in the world, about 342 million in the United States, and almost 23 million in Florida, many of whom like to catch […] The post Fishing for the Future first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Family Fun Farm Tours at ECHO
Exciting and educational ECHO Family Fun Farm Tours are back for another year. The walking tours will take place at the Regional Impact Center in North Fort Myers on Saturday, June 22, and Saturday, July 20. Tours will be led by certified docents who specialize in sharing ECHO’s mission with children ages eight and up. Families will participate in activities […] The post Family Fun Farm Tours at ECHO first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Paying high school athletes
The Florida High School Athletic Association opened the door for student athletes to earn money from business agreements such as endorsement deals, with the organization’s president calling the move a “good starting point.” The FHSAA’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve a seismic change in the organization’s bylaws. The change allows athletes to be compensated for their name, image […] The post Paying high school athletes first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
First-time homebuyers: learn what it takes to own
The Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers is hosting a First-time Homebuyers Summit in partnership with Premier Lifestyle Group on Thursday, June 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to support aspiring buyers on their paths to homeownership. The event, which is free for the public to attend, will guide participants in how to engage with local entities […] The post First-time homebuyers: learn what it takes to own first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Grant money to help high school students
Bank of America awarded $20,000 to The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools to support the organization’s workforce development programs to help Lee County high school students achieve success. The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools aims to develop and encourage students through assorted STEM experiences, peer to peer mentoring and summer opportunities. Programs such as Peer-to- Peer Mentoring (P2P) […] The post Grant money to help high school students first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Celebrate Lee County’s top businesses and innovators
The 2024 Industry Appreciation Awards will recognize Lee County’s top businesses and business leaders on Friday, Oct. 25, at Caloosa Sound Convention Center in Fort Myers. This year, awards will be given in eight categories: ¦ Large Business of the Year ¦ Small Business of the Year ¦ Large Manufacturer of the Year ¦ Small Manufacturer of the Year ¦ […] The post Celebrate Lee County’s top businesses and innovators first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Lai takes the Visit Florida board chair position
John Lai, president and chief executive officer of the SanCap Chamber, took the one-year position of chair for the Visit Florida board of directors, moving up from second vice chair. The board of directors is the governing body for Visit Florida’s private sector. It provides guidance, input, and insight for the evolution of its marketing programs. The board, which is […] The post Lai takes the Visit Florida board chair position first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Protect Lee County’s water quality and follow the fertilizer ordinance
Summer in Southwest Florida brings a much-anticipated reprieve from traffic congestion as seasonal residents and visitors shelter in their northern homes. It also brings muggy mornings, 90-degree days and torrential downpours during afternoon thunderstorms. Although those rain showers bring a slight break from the heat while recharging our groundwater, replenishing our waterways and rejuvenating our landscaping, they can also introduce […] The post Protect Lee County’s water quality and follow the fertilizer ordinance first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Letter to my children
Recently, something put me in mind of what I should leave my three children. You may have considered what to leave your children, too. If not, I encourage you either never to consider the matter, or to consider it now, while you can still read Florida Weekly and demonstrate a respectable level of acumen. I quickly made a list. It […] The post Letter to my children first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
From wreckage to wonder
Can art come out of destruction and chaos? Wilson McCray, gallery director of Sanibel’s BIG Arts, thinks so. He’d been driving back and forth over the Sanibel Causeway after Hurricane Ian and saw “these balls of torn up or twisted rebar on the side of the road.” He immediately thought of Wendy Klemperer, who was going to be the artist-in-residence […] The post From wreckage to wonder first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
Hope for Hatchlings
Sea turtle nesting season is in full swing, and as it enters its peak in June and July, enthusiasts, environmentalists and scientists are eagerly awaiting the 2024 season’s numbers. Last year, turtle watchers were thrilled at the record total of 212,195 nests laid by the three main species that nest on Florida shores: loggerhead, green and leatherback turtles. Loggerhead and […] The post Hope for Hatchlings first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly.
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