Gov. DeSantis signs order making many hunting and fishing licenses 50 percent off through Jan. 3

Women's basketball coach Karl Smesko announces he's leaving to take a similar job in Atlanta

The 21st Annual Calusa Blueway Kayak Fishing Tournament returns to Lee County on Saturday, Nov. 9, with proceeds benefiting the Candlelighters of Southwest Florida, a charity that supports children with cancer or blood disorders and their families.

Southwest Florida baseball fans will be able to tune in to Tampa Bay Rays and Florida Marlin games, but it’s going to come with a price.Rays and Marlin games became available again on the Bally Sports Network (channels 401 and 402) on Thursday. Comcast removed the channels on May 1 when it couldn’t reach an agreement with Diamond Sports, owners of the Bally Sports Network.

The Florida High School Athletic Association on Tuesday opened the door for student-athletes to earn money from business agreements such as endorsement deals, with the organization’s president calling the move a “good starting point.”The FHSAA’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve a seismic change in the organization’s bylaws to allow athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness, or NIL. The changes will be in effect for the upcoming school year.

Estero’s Gianna Clemente will get plenty of television time today during the Mizuho Americas Open that will air on the Golf Channel.The 16-year-old is leading the amateur portion of the tournament being played at the Liberty National Golf Course in New Jersey.Clemente will tee off with the number one player in the world, Nelly Korda, who is leading the professional part of the tournament, and Australian Hannah Green, who is in second place.

The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team fell to the University of Florida Gators Friday in regional College World Series action.

Florida Gulf Coast University's softball team won the 2024 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship 7-6 Saturday on a Neely Peterson walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth.It was the first ASUN softball championship for the Green and Blue since 2012 and qualified the team for the NCAA College World Series.The Eagles (37-19) will pair up against the Number 4 seed University of Florida Gators (46-12) in the Gainesville regional playoff contest at noon on Friday.

Attorney General Ashley Moody signaled her support for Florida State University’s appeal of a North Carolina judge’s decision to allow a lawsuit filed against the school by the Atlantic Coast Conference to proceed — and is asking her counterparts in six states to join her efforts.Florida State and the ACC are involved in a big-money legal battle centered on media rights, with court fights in North Carolina and Tallahassee as the school considers leaving the conference. With major conference realignments in the works, challenges are being closely watched by college athletics throughout the country.

Fewer fans during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a drop in economic returns on state programs that provide sports-related grants and incentives, according to a newly released state analysis.The Florida Sports Foundation claimed a small positive return for each $1 spent on grants to professional and amateur events, the analysis by the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research found. But with many games held without fans or with limited crowds because of pandemic restrictions, larger incentives tied to publicly funded stadiums and arenas posted negative returns.