It’s getting harder to financially get by in the State of Florida. Despite the minimum wage rising this past year to $14, that amount is not enough to get by according to the Florida Policy Institute.

Folks in Immokalee who depended on the community's only supermarket, Winn Dixie, are frustrated and concerned. The store closed about a week ago as part of Aldi's acquisition of Southeastern Grocers.

Some local businesses are being honored as the best in Lee County. The Horizon Council, a group dedicated to business excellence and growth in Lee County, announced its Industry Appreciation Awards for 2025.

Local construction industry leaders took a crack this week at showing area high school students how building a future isn't just a play on words.

Business is booming in Charlotte County. The area recently unveiled that it will be the home of the next Buc-cee’s, a massive gas station and convenience store that has a rabid and loyal fanbase.

The Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Fort Myers has approved two rebates for major developments. One is a home ownership project in Dunbar; the other a downtown hotel.

Ecological Laboratories Inc. in Cape Coral, went from microscopic status to statewide success, making Florida’s Top 10 Manufacturing Employers list for 2025. FloridaMakes, a statewide partnership, selects 10 manufacturing employers that create thriving workplaces with connected cultures and abundant growth opportunities.

Collier County is a major step closer to getting a second Costco wholesale facility. County commissioners Tuesday approved a Costco at Rattlesnake Hammock Road and Collier Boulevard in East Naples.

Publix is allowing shoppers to open carry firearms in its Florida stores.The super market chain’s move comes after an appeals court decision in September overturned a 1987 law banning open carry. Attorney General James Uthmeier embraced the open-carry decision by a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal as “the law of the state.”

Farmers affected by tariffs could be receiving a federal payout. President Trump announced his plan on Truth Social, stating; “We’ve made so much money on tariffs, that we are going to take a small portion of that money, and help our farmers.”Many of them rely on imports like fertilizer ingredients, machinery, fuel and pesticides, in order to grow crops. The 10% blanket tariff on imported goods has increased costs while damaging the trade relationships farmers rely on to export their products.