Weeks after lawmakers wrapped up their work in Tallahassee, Gov. Rick Scott is calling them back to the capital for a special session . On Gulf Coast Live, Sen. Kathleen Passidomo joins the show to discuss what she's focusing on for Southwest Florida when it comes to the state budget and the special session.

The first case of canine influenza, or "dog flu," was confirmed in Florida this week. More than a dozen cases of the highly contagious H3N2 canine flu virus has been identified in northern and central Florida since the first diagnosis, including cases in the Orlando area.

Hoping to get ahead of potential Zika outbreaks , Planned Parenthood of Collier County is launching a new education initiative aimed at prevention. While anyone is a target for a mosquito carrying the virus, the awareness program aims to help women protect their unborn children from the virus in underserved communities like Immokalee.

South Florida's clean water crisis often focuses on large-scale topics like Lake Okeechobee , but Southwest Florida water watchers say the conversation must also include smaller-scale bodies of water: the health of ponds, lakes, and canals that dot the landscape across the region.

The governing board of the Goodwill LIFE Academy , a charter school in Fort Myers serving more than fifty students with intellectual disabilities, made an abrupt and unanimous vote by to close last week . Citing declining revenue from Goodwill stores and a $250,000 annual budget shortfall, the closure will be effective by the start of the next school year.

The first few months after having a baby is usually referred to as the “fourth trimester,” and while it’s a time of tremendous growth for baby, it’s a time when moms undergo a steep learning curve. To help provide support during that time, Lee Health has introduced a new, bi-weekly program for new moms called the “Fourth Trimester Club” .

Cardinals in Florida have been sickened or killed due to crowded and potentially unclean bird feeders and bird baths. Ornery alligators are increasingly making their way into pools , yards, and other human habitats as they search for a mate. It's the time of year when wildlife experts are urging residents of Southwest Florida to be alert to possible wildlife interactions.

Despite a months-long season for red snapper in state waters off Florida and other Gulf states, fisherman across the Gulf of Mexico are gearing up to protest a brief three-day opening to catch the prized fish in federal Gulf waters. Fishermen argue a short opening hurts businesses and hampers anglers across the Gulf, but fishery managers say a small window is important to preserve a species still recovering from overfishing .

On Memorial Day, Gulf Coast Live looks back at the Vietnam War through a panel discussion held with several veterans recently at WGCU.

A small team of paramedics is quietly transforming community health in Manatee County, scheduling house calls and building relationships with patients who would otherwise be frequent visitors to emergency rooms and regularly calling 911.