Steadily growing since the early 2000’s, the number of syphilis cases in Lee County saw an alarming spike in the first half of this year- already surpassing the total number of new reported cases in all of 2016. According to the Florida Department of Health in Lee County, there are 106 new cases of early syphilis infection confirmed as of July. In all of 2016, 96 cases were reported- which follows a trend that saw syphilis cases jump by more than 70% in the past seven years.

When Florida lawmakers approved a last-minute budget in special session earlier this year , $20.4 million in federal funding for mental health services expired with no plans to make up for it. Now, mental health and substance abuse facilities across the state are looking at slashing services —sometimes in half—because of the surprise de-funding.

As we send our kids back to school, we take a look back at an interesting study that calculates the costs of getting three- and four-year old students prepared for kindergarten across Southwest Florida. The price tag is about $12,000 per student for an ideal combination of small classes, experienced head teachers, and materials. But the study finds a roughly $8,000 gap between what's needed and what federal and state funds provide.

With a student population just under 900, New College of Florida in Sarasota has plans to grow to 1,200 students by 2020, and now they have the money to do it. This summer the school started phase one of its growth plan with $5.4 million on funding- another $45 million is expected to be spent on new buildings, forty more professors, and expanding enrollment.

Rip currents seem to be making headlines frequently this summer; from the viral eighty-person human chain in Florida’s panhandle which saved a family of ten in the gulf, to the tragic story just this week of a grandfather and son in law who drowned in Texas.

More people are touched by sinkholes in Florida than everywhere else in the world. Professor and scientist Dr. Robert Brinkman writes in his new book “ Florida Sinkholes: Science and Policy ” that at least one sinkhole forms somewhere in the state doing some type of property damage every week although most form between March and May.

In February, we brought you the story of a three-year-old pit bull mix- who was believed to have been used as a bait dog in an illegal and barbaric dogfighting ring. She was rescued, but not before her ear and half of her face was mangled by other dogs who—it’s believed—were being trained to fight using her as a kind of punching bag.

Who knew planning your personal or business finances could be so treacherous? Apparently, there are Seven Deadly Sins of finance and this weekend the Above Board Chamber of Commerce is putting on a panel presentation to make sure you don’t commit any of them.

The first in his family to graduate college, Mike Martin worked in higher education his entire career, watching as its role in society evolves, all the while rising through the ranks to lead schools large and small. Now he is president of FGCU in Southwest Florida, a school that saw booming growth recently, and is now on a steadier path to increase in size and graduation rates.

After nearly a decade at the helm of Florida Gulf Coast University, president Dr. Wilson Bradshaw is stepping down at the end of June. Before his tenure at FGCU, Dr. Bradshaw found himself linked to fundamental changes in Florida’s educational and cultural worlds. As a high school freshman, he was one of the first seven students to desegregate Central Junior High in West Palm Beach ; he credits his mother for making him a part of that pioneering group. That change was mirrored across the