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The Big Indian Rocks Fishing Pier, shown here on an undated postcard years before Hurricane Elana blew it down in 1985, was the 'summer home' of Tom Bayles, who is now WGCU's senior environmental reporter, but then was just another 15-year-old "pier rat" and part of a group of friends who fished for tarpon all summer long with no cares about red tide or blue-green algae. The harmful algae blooms, which are happening at the same time right now, have become such a fixture in the waters off of Southwest Florida's beaches in the decades since that now red tide and blue-green algae are rarely not on Bayles' mind

Water Quality Report: 'Tarpon Fever, No Harmful Algae Blooms, And Little Me - The Red Tide Tales'

Fishing for tarpon on the Big Indian Rocks Pier as a teenager, WGCU senior environmental reporter Tom Bayles says he cannot remember ever smelling a red tide or seeing blue-green algae. Now, they are both blooming at the same time where he lives

Tourism Numbers Up In First Half Of Year

Florida tourism is on pace to set an annual record, with an estimated 65.5 million people traveling to the state during the first half of the year,...

Political Newcomer Curt Clawson Wins the GOP Primary

Political Newcomer Curt Clawson has won the GOP primary in a special election for Florida’s 19th Congressional District Tuesday night.Amid a crowd of more…

Seasonal Overcrowding at Caxambas Park on Marco Island Spurs Council Discussion

Overcrowding and parking regulations at Marco Island’s Caxambas Park dominated the city’s council meeting earlier this week, but no proposed solution or vote came of the conversation.

Lee Health and NCH to Set Up Mobile Testing for COVID-19 as More Cases Confirmed in Florida

A 77-year-old Lee County resident who was previously determined to have COVID-19 died this weekend according to the Florida Department of Health. Another…

HEROS program helps Cape Coral police in drug overdose situations

Cape Coral City Council recently approved a bid from the Cape Coral Police Department to participate in a Florida Department of Health program that prevents opioid-related deaths.The Helping Emergency Responders Obtain Support Program, or HEROS, provides free doses of naloxone, better known as Narcan, to participating emergency response agencies. Narcan is a nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, and has the ability to save lives.

Nicasio David, right, with two other contestants following the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, in Oxon Hill, Md.

Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School student ties for 36th at Scripps National Spelling Bee

Southwest Florida’s contender in the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee semifinals bowed out in semifinal competition Wednesday afternoon, stumbling during a vocabulary round.

FILE - Trucks come and go from the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Collier County, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Alligator Alcatraz closing could come in June, New York Times and CBS report

Florida’s controversial immigration detention center, known as "Alligator Alcatraz" could shut down as early as next month.

Buildings on Sanibel didn't fare well in the storm surge of Hurricane Ian.

What 2018's Hurricane Michael could teach us about elections post-Hurricane Ian

A new research paper found that following Hurricane Michael in 2018, the eight counties most impacted by the storm saw an 7 percent decline in voter turnout in the November elections. What could it mean post-Hurricane Ian?

COVID-19 Morning Report

State health officials reported 11,541 new COVID-19 cases, Wednesday, for a total of 1,155,335 cases.The Florida Department of Health also reported 122 new coronavirus-related deaths, Dec. 16, increasing the statewide death toll to 20,490 fatalities since the start of the pandemic.

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