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Former Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler and his wife Bridget Ziegler, a Sarasota School Board Member and cofounder of the conservative group Moms for Liberty, have filed a lawsuit seeking to bar the release of records involved in the husband’s criminal rape investigation.The once powerful Republican power couple sued the City of Sarasota and State Attorney’s Office specifically to prevent the release to the media text messages they sent to each other recovered by police during the now-closed investigation.
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Timothy Meade, of Fort Myers, operated a prison phone call service under several business names and failed to pay employment taxes for 10 years.
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You've probably seen them parked in various spots around your area ... unmanned police units meant to be a word to the wise against speeding or other traffic infractions.Usual reactions, unless they've been previously seen in the same spot, are to initially hit the brakes ... and then motor on by when it's clear it's a "decoy."In this case, someone made a "comment" — on the car.
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Florida’s agriculture industry hopes a newly passed bill that would limit local regulations on farmworker housing will bolster efforts to bring in more non-immigrant foreign workers.The bill (SB 1082), which lawmakers unanimously passed, would prevent cities and counties from taking steps to “inhibit” construction of housing for farmworkers on agricultural land. The bill has not been formally sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who can sign, veto or allow the legislation to become law without his signature.
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FEMA opened applications for its Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program last week.The SAFER grant helps fire departments pay their firefighters in order to maintain industry standard staffing 24 hours a day. It offers $360 million directly to fire departments across the nation, and can be used only to pay personnel.Grants are awarded based on an organization’s financial need. Bayshore Fire Rescue, which mostly serves Northeast Lee County, has been a long-time recipient.
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has issued a reminder that sea turtles are starting to nest on the state’s beaches. Residents and visitors can play a big part in helping to protect vulnerable nesting sea turtles this spring and summer while visiting Florida’s coastal habitats.
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Basketball fans are gearing up for the excitement of March Madness, where college basketball teams hope to win the national championship.Michael Jordan once said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”It was teamwork and intelligence that ignited The Evangelical Christian School’s girls’ basketball team in Fort Myers to become class 2A state champions.
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A state appeals court Friday rejected requests by environmental groups for a rehearing after it ruled last month that a legal battle about conservation funding was “moot.” The 1st District Court of Appeal, as is common, did not explain its decision for denying motions for rehearing. The long-running legal battle stemmed from a 2014 constitutional amendment that required setting aside a portion of real-estate documentary stamp tax revenues in what is known as the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for conservation efforts.
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An Evening at the Ballpark at JetBlue Park recently focused on youth, baseball and the future.The annual event, hosted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County at the Red Sox Spring Training site, included recognition of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County’s 2024 Youth of the Year, Kaliyah Stephens, an eighth grader at Crestwell School.
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Jill Sander and Mary Laser picked up two top spots in the Fort Myers Beach Tarpon Hunters Club annual tournament.Sander won Angler of the Year. Laser won the most tarpon caught on light tackle.
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