LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Discolored water from Tropical Storm Elsa was seen over the Gordon River in Naples as it meets the Gulf of Mexico. The same thing is happening in Lee County. A similar plume meeting the waters of the Gulf of Mexico was seen at the Sanibel Causeway, as the freshwater makes its way from the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. When Dr. Barry Rosen from FGCU’s Water School first saw the aerial photos of the brown water, he wasn’t surprised. “I think thats a very natural phenomenon that happens when you have relatively clean ocean water and then...
LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Although Elsa may be gone, the storm has left a breeding ground for blood sucking mosquitoes. The potential for the population to dramatically increase has mosquito control preparing for battle, and they’re enlisting the help of Mother Nature to rid Southwest Florida of the pesky insect. They’re using mosquito fish whose main delicacy is mosquito larva. Eric Johnson heads the Lee County Mosquito Control and said property owners with pooling water that may contain the larva can request the fish which look like minnows to join the list of natural predators...
NORTH PORT, Fla. – North Port is seeing concerning levels of flooding after Hurricane Elsa brought a significant amount of rain to the city. The city is asking residents in areas prone to flooding to consider voluntary evacuations as quickly as possible. Officials said many roads in impacted areas won’t be passable. The city has already had to make a few calls for service using high water vehicles. Impacted areas — Courtesy of the City of North Port City officials said the Emergency Operation Center is still actively watching flooding impacts as a result of the storm. Waters...
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.– Collier County residents are noticing more mosquitoes after Tropical Storm Elsa. For neighbors in the Lakewood community in East Naples, the heavy rainfall from Elsa turned backyards into one giant pond. “A lot of birds are here and ducks all kind of flying. Everything comes here,” resident Nabila Zafur said. The moment neighbors stepped outside, they realized it was a haven for blood-sucking critters. “Between the mosquitoes and the noseeums back here, and I think it’s mostly the mosquitoes, we get bitten up. We can’t sit outside,” resident Connie...
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Liquor stores in Fort Myers saw an uptick in sales over the holiday weekend. Some said their increased profit extended through Monday as customers prepared for the upcoming storm. Managers said customers are coming in waves. Many buying a few bottles to wade out the weather. “People are going to buy more when a hurricane is here, but a tropical storm – it was a moderate sale. But people bought pretty well and were really surprised,” said Thomas List, owner of List Distillery. Those familiar with severe weather say this is common practice....
SOUTHWEST, Fla.- School Districts in Southwest Florida are making decisions as Tropical Storm Elsa nears the area. Below is a list of the school decisions. Click here for the latest on Tropical Storm Elsa. LEE COUNTY The School District of Lee County announced Monday that all school campuses will be closed to students on Tuesday, July 6 due to potential impacts from Tropical Storm Elsa. This includes: Elementary Face to Face Summer School classes will be cancelled.Elementary Virtual School classes will be in session.Middle and High School Face to Face Summer School classes will be taught...
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. – Charlotte County leaders declared a local state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa. County leaders passed the declaration unanimously. They will not be issuing orders on storm shelters yet, however, there are two shelters on standby if they need to open. Elsa, a strong tropical storm, was nearing landfall in Cuba as of the 8 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Conditions are expected to begin deteriorating in Southwest Florida by Monday evening. Coastal Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties are under a tropical storm warning. Inland Lee and...
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline has expanded as Tropical Storm Elsa moves closer to Florida. Attorney General Ashley Moody activated the hotline following Governor Ron DeSantis’s state of emergency declaration. The Price Gouging Hotline can now receive reports of extreme price increases on essential commodities needed to prepare for the storm, according to Moody. Florida’s price gouging law only applies to commodities and services essential to preparing for or recovering from a storm with the areas of the declared state of emergency. Governor DeSantis...
SURFSIDE, Fla. – Governor Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency that will be in place for 15 Florida counties ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa. Lee, Collier, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties are all under the state of emergency, the governor said during a morning news conference in Surfside. Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Levy, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota are also under the order. Elsa was downgraded to a tropical storm in the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. advisory. Governor DeSantis said officials are expecting the storm to begin...