WGCU Staff

The Lee Board of County Commissioners Tuesday voted to award a $1.8 million contract for a a Regional Alternative Source Water Study in east Lee County and Lehigh Acres and a $174,334 proposal to develop a countywide wildfire protection plan.In other action, the Lee Board of County Commissioners also voted Tuesday to approve an agreement with Collaboratory to allow the county to address a series of objectives included in the $19.3 million Community Change Grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to tackle environmental challenges related to disaster preparedness.

Online and in-person public hearings will be held Jan. 28 by the Florida Department of Transportation for the Burnt Store Road Project Development and Environment Study.The area to be affected runs from Van Buren Parkway in Lee County to the Charlotte County Line.

The National Park Service in conjunction with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Bureau of Indian Affairs will be conducting a joint prescribed fire operation in late January and continuing through February. The 151,434-acre Boundary Prescribed Fire Project — sited south of U.S. 41 between mile markers 36 and 44, including the Miccosukee Reserved Area — removes jurisdictional boundaries to complete prescribed burns with the assistance of federal, Tribal, state and local resources.

Charlotte County is working on a strategic plan update as part of the county’s two-year budget process.

A live online meeting is set at 5:45 p.m. on Jan. 22. for the SR 78 (Pine Island Road) Project Development and Environment Study.

Registered nurse members of the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United protested Thursday morning asking for safe staffing levels and patient safeguards amidst the rapid introduction of artificial intelligence technologies. The nationwide protests included nurses at HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital in Port Charlotte.

Volunteers are available to help families maximize tax benefits on their 2024 returns.

Kings Highway between Harborview Road and Westchester Boulevard in Charlotte County will shift to one lane between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday this week for converting older streetlights to LED-type devices.

Big Cypress National Preserve has issued a temporary closure to promote visitor safety during prescribed fire activity beginning Tuesday, Jan. 14. Closure incudes all areas and trails within the treatment perimeter, trails on the perimeter of the unit will remain open for use. During the closure all recreational use including off-road vehicles, hiking, camping, hunting and commercial activities are prohibited in the designated areas. Unlike the closure in the area last week, during this closure all parts of the Florida National Scenic Trail will remain open.Prescribed fire is a carefully planned fire that uses fire science and specific environmental conditions to meet management goals for the preserve. A prescribed fire is one of Big Cypress’s best tools to help create a mosaic of diverse habitats, manage for our endangered species, and reduce the threat of a destructive wildfire.