46th annual 4th of July Road Rally on Sanibel set

June 24, 2026

Presented by the Friends of Randy of Sanibel (FOROS), the 46th annual 4th of July Road Rally will take place on July 4 starting at noon at The Timbers Restaurant & Fish Market on Sanibel. This year’s edition will pay tribute to the 250th anniversary of the United States. Registration is open for teams interested in participating. The rally is an in-vehicle, visual scavenger hunt for answers to questions. Participants are provided with instructions, questions and driving directions and they must find the clues along the way. It is not a speed race; it is scored on correct answers, ...

Heights CareerTech Institute now enrolling students for August 2026

June 22, 2026

Heights CareerTech Institute is now accepting applications for its inaugural Fall 2026 semester, offering Southwest Florida residents a fast, affordable pathway to careers in some of the region’s most in-demand industries. Opening this August, Heights CareerTech Institute will provide hands-on, career-focused training designed to help students gain the skills employers need and earn industry-recognized credentials. Programs now enrolling include administrative office specialist, electrician, fundamentals of food service, HVAC/R (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and ...

Guest Commentary | Property tax reform amendment threatens conservation measures

June 22, 2026

In an abbreviated two-day special session on June 1-2 to discuss property tax reform, the Legislature passed the governor’s proposed state constitutional amendment to increase the existing property tax homestead exemption from the current $50,000 to an eventual $250,000. The amendment, which ...

Gulf Coast Village Foundation awards record $19,000 in scholarships

June 22, 2026

The Gulf Coast Village Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cape Coral’s only life plan community, recently awarded a record $19,000 in scholarships to six associates during its annual scholarship awards ceremony on Sunday, June 7, recognizing team members pursuing higher education while ...

Education Briefs 6-19-26

June 22, 2026

Siblings to receive master’s degrees together at Florida State University MaryJo Ellis, 2019 graduate of Ida S. Baker High School and 2023 graduate of FGCU, is graduating with her master’s degree in athletic coaching from Florida State University. She is a teacher at Gulf Elementary and ...

District reimbursed $7.1 million for temporary facility for Hector A. Cafferata Elementary School

June 22, 2026

FEMA has reimbursed the Lee County School District $7.1 million for the Hector A. Cafferata Elementary School’s temporary facility under its Public Assistance program. FEMA provided nearly $371 million to Florida in the past 90 days from post-disaster grant programs, including Hurricane ...