Former Cape Coral teacher who sent inappropriate pictures to student reaches plea deal12 vehicle crash shuts all lanes of I-75 near MM 116
CAPE CORAL Former Cape Coral teacher who sent inappropriate pictures to student reaches plea deal Reynolds’ plea agreement includes 12 years in prison followed by an additional 96 months of probation.
BONITA SPRINGS 12 vehicle crash shuts all lanes of I-75 near MM 116 Bonita Springs firefighters are working the scene. Tow trucks are helping to get the affected vehicles off the road.
IMMOKALEE Strong storms cause wind damage in Immokalee, power outages reported Powerful storms leading to flood advisories and severe thunderstorm warnings have been impacting Southwest Florida for most of Thursday.
NAPLES Busy summer on horizon for top SWFL recruit The wide receiver has more than 30 offers from NCAA Division I programs, the majority of which are in power five conferences.
Port Authority, Lee County to work together on terminal expansion project A delay of at least a year in finishing the Southwest Florida International Airport terminal expansion construction project prompted elected officials to make a change.
FORT MYERS SAO: FMPD ‘justified’ in shooting Christopher Jordan The state attorney’s office says a Fort Myers police officer who shot and killed a man who was believed to have had gun during a confrontation with police was “justified in deadly force.”
Punta Gorda City Council denies extension to Fishermen’s Village receiver At a May 15 meeting, Punta Gorda City Council unanimously denied the request of Fishermen’s Village representatives to extend the deadline to market and sell the property.
WASHINGTON (AP) Justice Department formally moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in historic shift The Justice Department on Thursday formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in a historic shift in generations of U.S. drug policy.
Collier commissioners discuss allowing guesthouse rentals in Urban Estates Collier County commissioners moved forward with a plan to allow urban estates homeowners to rent guesthouses.
Punta Gorda, YMCA inch closer to New Operation Cooper Street lease Punta Gorda City Council and representatives of the YMCA of Southwest Florida approached a lease agreement for New Operation Cooper Street during a special session May 14 where members of the public commented on the matter.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 3rd worst city for commuters Cape Coral drivers, has your work commute worsened? It’s not just your imagination, as a study ranked the worst cities for commuters.
BOSTON (AP) Teen died from eating a spicy chip as part of social media challenge, autopsy report concludes A teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge on social media died from ingesting a high amount of a chili pepper extract.
The Weather Authority Strong storms moving through SWFL Minor flooding in low-lying and poor-draining areas is expected in Southwest Florida due to stormy conditions.
BOKEELIA Waterspout spotted near the Bokeelia Fishing Pier A WINK News viewer spotted a water spout near the Bokeelia Fishing Pier on Thursday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Man accused of groping woman in North Fort Myers Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man accused of groping a woman of 65 years or older in North Fort Myers.
CAPE CORAL Former Cape Coral teacher who sent inappropriate pictures to student reaches plea deal Reynolds’ plea agreement includes 12 years in prison followed by an additional 96 months of probation.
BONITA SPRINGS 12 vehicle crash shuts all lanes of I-75 near MM 116 Bonita Springs firefighters are working the scene. Tow trucks are helping to get the affected vehicles off the road.
IMMOKALEE Strong storms cause wind damage in Immokalee, power outages reported Powerful storms leading to flood advisories and severe thunderstorm warnings have been impacting Southwest Florida for most of Thursday.
NAPLES Busy summer on horizon for top SWFL recruit The wide receiver has more than 30 offers from NCAA Division I programs, the majority of which are in power five conferences.
Port Authority, Lee County to work together on terminal expansion project A delay of at least a year in finishing the Southwest Florida International Airport terminal expansion construction project prompted elected officials to make a change.
FORT MYERS SAO: FMPD ‘justified’ in shooting Christopher Jordan The state attorney’s office says a Fort Myers police officer who shot and killed a man who was believed to have had gun during a confrontation with police was “justified in deadly force.”
Punta Gorda City Council denies extension to Fishermen’s Village receiver At a May 15 meeting, Punta Gorda City Council unanimously denied the request of Fishermen’s Village representatives to extend the deadline to market and sell the property.
WASHINGTON (AP) Justice Department formally moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in historic shift The Justice Department on Thursday formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in a historic shift in generations of U.S. drug policy.
Collier commissioners discuss allowing guesthouse rentals in Urban Estates Collier County commissioners moved forward with a plan to allow urban estates homeowners to rent guesthouses.
Punta Gorda, YMCA inch closer to New Operation Cooper Street lease Punta Gorda City Council and representatives of the YMCA of Southwest Florida approached a lease agreement for New Operation Cooper Street during a special session May 14 where members of the public commented on the matter.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 3rd worst city for commuters Cape Coral drivers, has your work commute worsened? It’s not just your imagination, as a study ranked the worst cities for commuters.
BOSTON (AP) Teen died from eating a spicy chip as part of social media challenge, autopsy report concludes A teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge on social media died from ingesting a high amount of a chili pepper extract.
The Weather Authority Strong storms moving through SWFL Minor flooding in low-lying and poor-draining areas is expected in Southwest Florida due to stormy conditions.
BOKEELIA Waterspout spotted near the Bokeelia Fishing Pier A WINK News viewer spotted a water spout near the Bokeelia Fishing Pier on Thursday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Man accused of groping woman in North Fort Myers Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man accused of groping a woman of 65 years or older in North Fort Myers.
A Punta Gorda conglomerate recently acquired Collier Enterprises, a Naples-based real estate investment and development firm founded in 1976 by grandsons of Barron Gift Collier Sr., the namesake of Collier County. The Tarpon Blue Family of Companies, which owns and operates a variety of entities that focus on the acquisition and management of agricultural, development and natural resource assets across the nation, purchased Collier Enterprises in early October for an undisclosed amount, according to a company statement. Collier Enterprises manages a broad portfolio of businesses engaged in real estate investment and development, agricultural operations and private equity investments. Following the sales process between the companies’ shareholders, Collier Enterprises’ management, corporate entities and names of all operations will remain the same, said Ken Smith, president and CEO of Tarpon Blue Companies. Ken Smith, Tarpon Blue President and CEO “While Tarpon Blue’s acquisition will bring no great change to (Collier Enterprises’) diverse and storied portfolio of companies and assets, we recognize the important responsibilities before us. For both the transition and future, we are committed to serving as responsible stewards of the remarkable legacy created and carried out for more than a century by the Collier family and, in the same manner, affirm our responsibility to the environment and all communities affected by this transition,” Smith said. “Our strong heritage in agriculture, and history of successful and responsible land and resource management and development, will ensure that the assets, companies and employees will continue to be strongly supported through the highest standards.” Miles C. Collier and Barron G. Collier II founded Collier Enterprises 46 years ago. Originally conceived as a real estate development firm, the local company grew significantly and became more diversified in subsequent decades. “While we are all incredibly proud of our family’s stewardship of these lands and properties across a storied history, we wish the new owners positive results,” said Miles C. Collier. “We sincerely hope they will enjoy building a legacy with these properties in their own way.” Christian Spilker will continue in his leadership role as president of Collier Enterprises. “Although ownership is changing, this transaction ensures continuity of both the management and development of those assets,” Spilker said. “This is a positive step for all stakeholders in (Collier Enterprises), and I would like to thank the exiting shareholders for their immeasurable contribution over decades to the communities of Southwest Florida and beyond.” Smith, formerly chief operating officer and executive vice president for Alico Inc., has known Spilker and others at Collier Enterprises for many years so the entity-based sale transpired organically. “We all had worked together as large landowners over time and just had known each other,” he said. “We worked on it for a while and closed it (Oct. 6) actually.” The sale will not affect Collier Enterprises’ plans to develop new communities between Golden Gate Estates and Ave Maria in rural Collier County. In fact, plans for the Town of Big Cypress and its neighboring villages of Bellmar, Longwater and Rivergrass made the deal more attractive, Smith said. “They had a tremendous set of assets across the board and definitely the villages is a part of that,” he said. “That family has done a tremendous job in everything they’ve done over time, clearly, so that surely was one of the attractive pieces.” Collier Enterprises made business headlines last fall with major sales of two of its most well-known properties in the Naples area. Naples-based Hoffmann Family of Companies acquired Old Collier Golf Club, an 18-hole championship course on nearly 400 acres in North Naples, for more than $45 million. The previous week, tech billionaire Michael S. Dell’s MSD Partners purchased the exclusive Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club on 28 waterfront acres in Naples for $16.625 million. All of Collier Enterprises’ employees wanted to join Tarpon Blue, Smith said. “They have a talented team. They’ve done a lot of work getting it to where it’s at. We intend to let them continue down the path that they’ve been on and let them do that,” he said. Christian Spilker, Collier Enterprises President “The reality is what we really want to do here is grow the platform from here and look at other investments across the U.S. that may fit in this kind of space because that’s what we’ve all done our whole career. (Spilker) is going to lead that effort and be instrumental in everything we do. It should be business as normal from their perspective and the market’s perspective. Nothing’s going to change there.” Although the corporate acquisition of Collier Enterprises closed the week after Hurricane Ian made landfall, the deal had been in the works for months. “We started negotiations on this deal some months ago and completion has happened at a time of great trauma for many in Florida,” said Smith, whose Fort Myers home was damaged by the hurricane. “Our thoughts and prayers are with every Floridian who has lost loved ones and experienced loss or damage to property and possessions in this unprecedented event for Southwest Florida.” In addition to Collier Enterprises Management, the Tarpon Blue Family of Companies includes Tarpon Blue Agriculture BRP LLC, Tarpon Blue Land & Resource Management Inc., Tarpon Blue Silver King I LLLP, Tarpon Blue Real Estate Services LLC, Tarpon Blue Insurance Advisors LLC and Babcock Ranch Eco-Tours.