SWFL

After nine years and three developers failed to draw up plans for the site, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency decided to take the lead on the McCollum Hall historic preservation and redevelopment project in early August. Since then, the agency has worked to engage the community, aiming to hear what people want for the building’s future and to deliver on those desires once and for all, precisely what the Sept. 30 community engagement session tried to accomplish.

High association fees, constant assessments and strict state policies are some of the reasons Southwest Floridians are putting condo’s up for sale at a record pace.

The Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island metro area led southwest Florida in annual job growth over the 12 months ending in February, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, besting the statewide figure by almost a half percent. Total nonfarm payroll employment for the Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island area grew by 2.7 percent year-over-year adding 4,500 jobs for a 173,700 employment total in that region.

From the economy to the environment, from how the community rallied around each other to the very personal struggles in the recovery process, WGCU takes a unique look at how some of us fared during and after Hurricane Ian.

Floridians are still picking up what was lost a year ago during Hurricane Ian, a deadly and destructive Category 4 storm. The Collier Community Foundation is one of the leading organizations providing support to Ian victims.

A scam targeting people being subpoenaed for court cases and demanding money to stave off an arrest is spreading around Southwest Florida.

Dr. Dawn Belamarich has been named the new president and CEO of Collaboratory.

The National Weather Service forecast is calling for a heat advisory for much of Southwest and West Central Florida from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

The month of August begins a rapid climb to the climatological peak of hurricane season on September 10th. Historically, 90% of all hurricanes and 95% of all major hurricanes happen after August 1st.

Hurricane Don was short-lived, returning to tropical storm status Sunday and likely to lose tropical characteristics by early Monday while a low pressure system still has a chance to become a tropical depression during the next few days while it moves westward across the tropical Atlantic and eastern Caribbean Sea. Additionally, heat advisories were continued in most of Southwest and South Florida.