Good morning, Fort Myers.

Waste Pro honored 30 employees for 20 years of service by awarding them $10,000 bonuses, commemorative plaques, and catered lunches during events in Fort Myers and Tallahassee — the company affirmed its commitment to loyal staff amid rapid growth.

Cape Coral business owner Michelle Shore has launched HarvestPak, a seed subscription service providing vegetables, herbs and fruits selected for local growing zones—complete with an app, hotline and garden planner.

The service was started in December 2025 to empower new gardeners.

Several airlines are expanding seasonal routes into RSW for fall and next winter and spring, including Southwest Airlines with new nonstop service from Omaha starting March 13, 2027 and daily flights from Raleigh-Durham set to begin Nov.

21. Other carriers like Avelo and Delta are adding schedules to boost travel.

The Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers will host its first free artificial intelligence workshop for business owners on Aug.

14 from 9 to 11 a.m. led by Heidi Cramer (Florida Small Business Development Center) and Bruce Kelly from Vivitec, with further sessions planned for upcoming months.

Coastal Voices, an all-women’s barbershop chorus from Harmony, Inc., is inviting former high school and college singers to its open house on Aug.

27 at 6:30 p.m. at Cypress Lake Presbyterian Church on Cypress Lake Drive.

Allegations surfaced that some Lee County schools assign a minimum grade of 50 percent for missing work & absences based on a training video, but district spokesman Rob Spicker stated the claim is false and that the new grading guidelines promote consistency.

The controversy has stirred mixed reactions on social media.

The School District of Lee County is focusing on student achievement, school safety and a new GPS enabled bus routing system for the '26-'27 school year.

Superintendent Carlin said instruction and teacher incentives (up to $10,000) will support students missing benchmarks and fill vacancies.

Robert Neeld, a 70-year-old accountant from Cape Coral, is running for Florida’s District 19 seat and will face primaries on Aug.

18. He says his plan is to clean local water, protect Medicare and Social Security, and boost economic stability (aiming to serve local needs).

Kris Fried at Snappers Comedy Club

6:00-7:30 p.m. — Snappers Comedy Club Fort Myers — Tickets from $62 — Kris Fried brings an unforgettable comedy experience to Fort Myers.