Featured Government & Politics

Ongoing Construction-Site Theft

June 8, 2022

By Sheriff Carmine Marceno Last August, I reached out to a number of areas in our county regarding the theft...

Lehigh Acres Update From District 2

June 8, 2022

By Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass Another busy season has come and gone, but it’s clear that Lee County is a year...

The Lee County Government Never Stops Working For You

February 1, 2022

By: Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass Happy New Year! Although this past year brought some challenges, we have had many more successes...

Free Federal Tax Return Preparation Service Offered By United Way Vita Program Volunteers

February 1, 2022

Submitted By: Patrice Cunningham Tax Season has officially opened, and United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades’ free tax filing...

More Stories

Good Grief! What is Going On With The Price Of Homeowners Insurance?

February 1, 2022

By: Butch Swank Last year I wrote an article explaining why our home insurance market was so broken. Guess what? It’s still pretty banged up. My agency gets calls daily from frantic people wanting help because they’re either getting dropped by their insurance carrier or their rate skyrocketed. The odds...

Another Amazing Year On The Horizon For East Lee County

January 5, 2022

By Commissioner Brian Hamman As January brings the past year to a close, we look forward to the blessings and opportunities that 2022 will bring for our communities in Lee County. The economic future is bright in both Lehigh Acres and East Lee County.  Through the leadership of your state...

Representative Roach Files Bill To Eliminate Child Care Costs For Foster Parents

January 5, 2022

By Representative Spencer Roach Today, Representative Spencer Roach filed HB 945 to eliminate the skyrocketing out-of-pocket costs for childcare currently shouldered by foster parents in the state of Florida.  Despite state vouchers that cover a portion of the cost for early learning, there is often a significant difference between what...

Holiday Greetings from Commissioner Pendergrass

December 9, 2021

By Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass I want to extend a warm holiday greeting to our residents of Lehigh Acres and East Lee County. As we prepare for the holidays and the New Year we have much to reflect on as we pass from 2021 to 2022. With hopeful hearts we as...

Representative Roach Files Bill To Require Disclosure Of Financial Interests For Municipal Officials

November 3, 2021

Representative Spencer Roach filed HB 301 to increase transparency in local government by requiring municipal elected officials to publicly disclose their financial interests and assets. Currently, mayors and city council members are not required to file a full and public disclosure of financial interests. Instead, they file a statement with...

Rising In The East: A Message From Sheriff Marceno

October 5, 2021

By: Sheriff Carmine Marceno At times, I believe that people forget that driving a motor vehicle is a privilege…not a right granted by the Constitution. As a privilege granted to those who demonstrate the skills and abilities necessary to operate a multi-ton piece of machinery, this privilege comes with a...

East Lee County Chamber Of Commerce Welcomes New Additions To The Board Of Directors

May 3, 2021

By: Mike Welch The Chairman and Board of Directors of the East Lee County Chamber of Commerce are honored to announce the following addition to the Board of Directors: LEE COUNTY COMMISSIONER CECIL PENDERGRASS Commissioner Pendergrass is no stranger to East Lee County with his involvement in the development of infrastructure...

The Fight to Save Florida’s Medical Marijuana Program

May 3, 2021

By: State Representative Spencer Roach In 2016, Florida voters overwhelmingly expressed their desire for a safe and accessible medical marijuana program, and I am fighting to preserve the medical nature of the program that voters demanded.  What we have now is a recreational drug program masquerading as a medical marijuana...

Half Cent Sales Tax Revenue Benefits Schools And Students

April 30, 2021

It has been two years since the School District of Lee County received its first disbursement from the half cent sales tax voters approved in November 2018.  The check was for $6.3 million.  Since taking effect, the School District has collected more than $163 million. “I can’t thank the community...

Tax Deadline Update for Individuals: Tax Deadline Extended

April 30, 2021

With the recent passing of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a decision was made by the IRS to extend the 2020 filing tax deadline only for individuals to May 17, 2021. This provides an extension of time to pay 2020 income taxes, otherwise due on April 15, 2021. This extension does not apply...

New Equipment Increases Patient Safety And Lowers Injury Risk for Firefighters

April 30, 2021

(March 18, 2021) The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District (LAFCRD) is using new equipment from Stryker Corporation to reduce the risk of injuries to their patients, firefighter EMTs, and firefighter paramedics. The Power-LOAD™ system is a revolutionary method for managing the stretcher during loading and unloading while increasing security...

Dr. Greg Adkins - Superintendent of Lee County Schools

Lee School Superintendent To Be Speaker At Monthly Republican Women’s Luncheon

April 12, 2021

Dr. Greg Adkins, Superintendent of Lee County Schools, will be the featured speaker at the Friday, April 16, Fort Myers Republican Women’s luncheon.  Adkins will discuss “The State of Our Schools.”  A question-and-answer session will follow their formal presentations. The public is invited to attend the luncheon and the program,...

East Lee/Lehigh Acres Welcomes Spring 2021 – Happy Passover! Happy Easter!

March 31, 2021

By Mike Welch With Spring dawning on Lehigh Acres and East Lee County, our communities are opening up cautiously after a long year of pandemic and social and economic stress. As each day passes more sites and opportunities are opening up for citizens to get their COVID-19 vaccine. For more...

Brian Hamman

Lee County Preparing For The Future

March 31, 2021

By Commissioner Brian Hamman One million full-time residents. It’s a reality that will happen in Lee County in the not too distant future. Census projections have us reaching this milestone around the year 2040, however it is likely to occur sooner than that. The good news is that your County...

United Way Of Lee, Hendry, Glades, And Okeechobee Offers Online Tax Filing Tool For Free

March 9, 2021

More than 1.2 Million MyFreeTaxes® Filers Have Used MyFreeTaxes since 2009 Fort Myers, FL (Feb 1, 2021) – Today, United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades, and Okeechobee announced the launch of this tax season’s MyFreeTaxes.com site. For the 12th year, United Way is providing online tax filing software, accessible through...

The Politics Of Rage

March 2, 2021

By State Representative Spencer Roach Last Wednesday a very contentious hearing was held in the Criminal Justice Subcommittee on House Bill 1, Combatting Public Disorder. This legislation is designed to deter criminal rioting and the looting and burning of businesses, and provides enhanced penalties for assaulting law enforcement officers in...

General Michael Flynn To Attend Two Fort Myers Fundraiser Events At Undisclosed Location

March 2, 2021

By Alyssa Stoner The Florida Conservative, PC in association with the Red Bell Roadshow is presenting the guest of honor, General Michael Flynn. He will be speaking during the evening inaugural fundraiser in an undisclosed location Central to Lee County on March 11, 2021 from 6PM to 9PM. An after-party...

Lehigh Acres Fire Control And Rescue District Officially Breaks Ground For Station 106

February 24, 2021

The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District (LAFCRD) officially broke ground at the site for Station 106 this morning. LAFCRD Chief Officers, Commissioners, and firefighters joined members of Wright Construction for the celebratory groundbreaking at the site. Station 106 is positioned in the Northwest section of the District on...

New Constitutional Officers Sworn-in, Branning And Caldwell Take Office In Lee County

January 21, 2021

FORT MYERS, Fla. (January 5, 2021) – There is a changing of the guard at two Lee County government offices. This morning, Noelle Branning was sworn-in as the new Lee County Tax Collector, replacing Larry Hart, while Matt Caldwell took office as Property Appraiser, replacing Ken Wilkinson. Both Hart and Wilkinson...

Sheriff Carmine Marceno

Phony Tax Man Calls The Lee County Sheriff’s Office

December 31, 2020

By Sheriff Carmine Marceno The IRS phone scam is a con that has cost American taxpayers more than $20 million in financial losses and does not appear to be slowing down any time soon. Once again, Lehigh residents and snowbirds will be targeted in this widespread scheme. Even Deputies and...

Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass

Lee County Government Never Stopped Working For You And Your Neighbors

December 31, 2020

By Commissioner Cecil L. Pendergrass Greetings from District 2! I hope you all enjoyed a great holiday and are gearing up for the New Year! This past year has certainly proven to be an unforgettable one and brought with it some hardship and tough times for many of us. Our...

Brian Hamman

2020: A Look Back At The Year

December 31, 2020

By Commissioner Brian Hamman This year has been unlike any before it. Each of us has had to deal with unbelievable challenges, and as a nation, we have faced uncertainty about the future. One thing Lehigh Acres residents can be certain about is that their local government will provide them...

Southwest Florida International Airport Reports October Traffic

December 9, 2020

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Nov. 23, 2020) – During October, 417,305 passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fla. This is a decrease of 34.7 percent compared to October 2019; however, it is a 63.1 percent increase compared to September 2020. The traffic leader in October was American...

The IRS Issues Guidance On The Tax Treatment Of PPP Loans

December 8, 2020

In May of this year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued guidance that PPP loans used to pay for payroll and other qualified expenses would not be deductible. At that time, there was uncertainty on the timing for the nondeductible treatment, if it would be in the year that the...

Happy Holidays And A Look Back At 2020

December 2, 2020

By Commissioner Ray Sandelli As we head into the holiday season we typically think about the many events of the past year and start to anticipate what the New Year will bring. Fact is, almost nothing about 2020 was ‘typical’! The events of the year posed many challenges and answers...

Editors Choice

Ongoing Construction-Site Theft

By Sheriff Carmine Marceno Last August, I reached out to a number of areas in our county regarding the theft of materials, tools and appliances

Lehigh Acres Update From District 2

By Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass Another busy season has come and gone, but it’s clear that Lee County is a year round destination. Our SWFL International

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