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The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has clarified rules fort license plate holders as outlined in a new state statute that took effect Oct. 1. Some media sites have reported any part of the plate being covered by a frame would lead to a possible violation. A FLHSMV memo issued Dec. 12 and posted to the department social media accounts on Monday defines the plate rules for frames and said it does not consider information on the plate’s bottom a primary feature. A plate frame that impinges on information at the top of the plate is permissible, as long as law enforcement is able to identify the state that issued the plate.

Florida department clarifies statute on license plate frames; number, renewal decal are the most important plate areas

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is clarifying a new Florida statute regarding penalties for obscuring license plates with frames or covers. The statute went into effect October 1.

Environmentalists fear if the Town of Big Cypress is approved near the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, the master-planned community will doom the endangered Florida panther

First Florida panther death of 2026 reported; killed off I-75 in Collier

The Florida Wildlife Commission has reported the first Florida panther death of 2026, a one-and-a-half to two-year-old female found at a Collier County location.

Sarasota County to host community event on 2026 hurricane season preparedness

A free Community Conversation on Hurricane Preparedness event is plannedfrom 9a.m.to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 11 at Riverview High School inSarasota.

A Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon is a traffic control device designed to help pedestrians safely cross higher-speed roadways at midblock crossings and uncontrolled intersections. One along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fort Myers goes active as of Wednesday night.

New traffic control device should aid pedestrians on MLK Boulevard in Fort Myers

Motorists driving on state Route 82, also known as Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard in Fort Myers, will need to watch for the new Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon just west of Ben Street that became fully operational Wednesday.

Principals Dr. Cynthia Phillips-Luster and Matthew Miller

Two Lee County Schools earn state recognition for reliability

Two Lee County Schools earn high certification level as High Reliability Schools — the only two in the state.

Moving stress measured across 355 US metro areas -- Southwest Florida ranks among the highest

Moving can be a stressful endeavor: selling your home, showing your home to prospective buyers, negotiating a price, buying another home, packing up, unpacking — it can be a high-stress activity.Research carried out by federally legal cannabis retailer, Mood, analyzed 355 U.S. metro areas across and found seven of the top 10 most stressful places for moving are in Florida and four of them are right here in Southwest Florida — Naples, Punta Gorda, North Port and Cape Coral.

Deadline is Friday for supplemental food assistance due to Hurricane Milton

Sarasota woman faces prison for social media threats to shoot MAGA supporters

A Sarasota woman faces five years in prison for multiple threats against MAGA supporters posted on social media.

All lanes of I-75 at Proctor Road in Sarasota County remained closed after a truck hit a road sign and a bridge earlier Monday.

All lanes reopened on Interstate 75 at Proctor Road in Sarasota County after trucks hits sign, wedges under bridge

All lanes reopened on Interstate 75 after emergency crews and others cleaned up after a truck hit an overhead sign near Proctor Road in Sarasota County Monday morning. After striking the sign, the truck continued forward and struck a bridge, where it wedged beneath the structure.

Florida's school supplies tax holiday runs now through Aug. 31.

Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday is on now through Aug. 31

Florida’s 2025 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is now open for business and runs until Sunday, August 31. The holiday will now occur annually, every August, according to the Florida Department of Revenue.

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