WGCU Staff

In 2008, during the so-called Great Recession, real estate markets and financial institutions collapsed under the weight of over-expectation and you might say greed. Homes became investments instead of places to call home. Mortgages became bundled financial instruments instead of financial arrangements to make a big purchase over time. Loans were handed out without so much as a glance at proof of income or strength of one's financial footing. It all came tumbling down and suddenly there were long lines at food pantries filled with people who never dreamed they would be in need of food assistance. University Press of Florida recently re-released a book first published in 2010 called "Exiles in Eden: life among the ruins of Florida's great recession." It's part memoir, part Florida history, and part sociological exploration of the world in the year or so after the 2008 collapse. We talk with its author, Paul Reyes, to reflect on the past, and the present.

Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity have notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service they intend to sue the agency for failing to finalize critical habitat protections for Florida and Antillean manatees. The mammals are subspecies of the West Indian manatee.

Emergency units were at the Bayshore Road site, not far from the I-75 overpass, where a private plane landed on the roadway. There was no report of any injuries.

Join FGCU November 9–13, 2026, for a week honoring military service and sacrifice as part of America's 250th anniversary, featuring ceremonies, a Veterans Expo, and community events.

Work on Ortiz Avenue in Fort Myers will prompt some caution this weekend.

A precautionary boil water advisory put in place after a low water pressure issue is rescinded for customers in the Burnt Store Village area south of Zemel Road.

Through new partnerships with the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) and Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX), customers can now pay unpaid tolls through the Tax Collector’s Office as part of their motor vehicle transaction.

The crash happened Thursday morning along the southbound lanes of I-75.

Charlotte County Utilities Department customers in the Burnt Store area south of Zemel Road may experience low to no water pressure.

Votes are being counted across Florida and the nation as polls close state-by-state and time zone-by-time zone.