Eileen Kelley and Andrea Melendez/WGCU Investigative Team

Ashelba Brown with CASL, spoke to a man who was living in his car, but would not allow them to count him for the PIT. The Point In Time count took place in Lee and Collier Counties. Volunteers walked the parking lots, woods, parks, and even set up a basecamp in areas they know the homeless will be at to get a count on the need in the area. The face of the homeless has changed over the past few years. The first time homeless made mostly up of elderly and single parents with kids are starting to outnumber the chronic homeless.

Homeless count in Lee and Collier looks to assess problem -- preliminary figures suggest it's bad

Thousands of outreach workers fan out each January in search of the homeless. The situation is such, officials said, that the resulting numbers will not be positive.

Farmworkers and their allies marched on Palm Beach. Around 500 peaceful protesters came out on the last day of the march in support of the farmworkers. With the determination to “build a new world”, where farmworkers can live free of human rights abuses and have dignified work the Farmworkers and allies marched the 45, plus, miles. On Tuesday they left the fields of Pahokee, FL, and walked to the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach. One of the biggest goals for the march was to put pressure on Wendy’s, Publix and Kroger corporations into joining the Fair Food Program. FFP was started by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Human Interest

They marched to end modern day slavery in the agricultural fields

Eileen Kelley and Andrea Melendez/WGCU Investigative Team

Farmworkers share stories of life in the Florida agricultural fields

Lucas Benitez, a farmworker and co-founder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers was awarded the Wallenberg Medal by the University of Michigan for his extraordinary achievements in the field of human rights. Here is Benitez as he helped lead the march. Around 500 peaceful protesters came out on the last day of the march in support of the farmworkers. With the determination to “build a new world”, where farmworkers can live free of human rights abuses and have dignified work the Farmworkers and allies marched the 45, plus, miles. On Tuesday they left the fields of Pahokee, FL, and walked to the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach. One of the biggest goals for the march was to put pressure on Wendy’s, Publix and Kroger corporations into joining the Fair Food Program. FFP was started by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Human Interest

Over 100 start march across Florida to protest modern slavery in the agricultural fields

Eileen Kelley and Andrea Melendez/WGCU Investigative Team

For more than a decade the Coalition of Immokalee Workers have been trying to entice giant retailers to join the Fair Food Program. Wendy's, Publix and Kroger have been hold-outs

State trailers are being set up on the property of the Gulf Coast Camping Resort. An upgrade to the electrical panels and hookups is needed before the new tenants can move in.

Government & Politics

New government trailers moved into Gulf Coast Camping Resort

Eileen Kelley and Andrea Melendez/WGCU Investigative Team

State trailers are being set up on the property of the Gulf Coast Camping Resort. An upgrade to the electrical panels and hookups is needed before the new tenants can move in.

Rhetta McEntyre and her husband Chucky have found themselves living on the side of a road in North Fort Myers after having two days to get out of the Gulf Coast Camping Resort in Bonita Springs. They have bounced around from place to place over the past month and are just waiting for the knock on the door telling they have to move once again. They are have a lead on a few spots up near Jacksonville. McEntyre said she doesn’t ever want to come back to this area.

Hurricane Recovery

Residents of Bonita Springs RV and mobile home park chased away as new owner takes over

Eileen Kelley and Andrea Melendez/WGCU Investigative Team

A new owner of the RV park in Bonita Springs is forcing renters to leave. Could it be because of FEMA trailers?

Barbara Clark has to give up her dog of 9 years and move back to Connecticut. The residents of Gulf Coast Camping Resort in Bonita Springs, FL, got eviction notices at the beginning of December after new owners purchased the park for 5 million in October.

Investigation

New ownership at Bonita Springs RV park sparking stress, eviction concerns among residents

Eileen Kelley and Andrea Melendez/WGCU Investigative Team

Considering that Southwest Florida already had a housing crisis before Hurricane Ian, what’s happening at the Bonita Springs RV and mobile home park, possibly in the name of housing storm victims, is especially upsetting.