Cape Coral Police Chief Tony Sizemore, Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter, and Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno
At a press conference at the Cape Coral Police Department on Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a June 1 launch of the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program.
The program was created to help Floridians in more than 50 professions purchase their first home. Funding will be available to residents, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, educators, health care professionals, childcare employees, and active military or veterans.
The $100 million program will aid eligible professionals with down payment and closing cost assistance to help first-time, income-qualified homebuyers to purchase a primary residence in the community they serve.
Mayor John Gunter and Gov Ron DeSantis
The governor also announced his support for the almost $363 million appropriated for affordable and workforce housing in the 2022-2023 budget, the highest total in 15 years.
To qualify, homebuyers must connect with a participating loan officer, have a minimum credit score of 640, provide certification for one of the eligible occupations and meet the income threshold for their county. Eligible borrowers will receive up to 5% of the first mortgage loan amount up to a maximum of $25,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance in the form of a 0%, non-amortizing, 30-year deferred second mortgage.
The Florida Housing and Finance Corporation administers the program. It is geared toward expanding on Florida’s existing housing programs to reach critical workers and those who have served our country.
Two golfers, two once-in-a-lifetime shots, resulting in back-to-back holes-in-one on a recent remarkable day at Palmetto-Pine Country Club in Cape Coral.
For Keith Polsinelli and Dave Breitner – both of Cape Coral – their shots on the par-3, 154-yard sixth hole at Palmetto-Pine were their first aces and believed to be the first “ones” on back-to-back shots in the 52-year history of the golf course.
The February day played out like this:
Keith stepped to the tee, hit his 8-iron, and watched the ball roll into the cup. After a celebration, he turned to Dave and said, “now, beat that.”
Considering the odds of any hole in one are 12,500 to 1, Dave didn’t back off the unthinkable as he watched his 8-iron shot roll into the hole as well. And if you thought the odds of making a hole-in-one were out of sight, consider the chances of making back-to-back aces were 17 million to 1.
The rest of the day was filled with plenty of celebration and buzz around the two golfers and their unbelievable accomplishments as drinks, handshakes and pats on the back were shared.
The Cape Coral Police Department is committed to doing everything possible to keep our community safe from various threats, including those posed by dangerous drugs that take lives every day.
As U.S. overdose deaths have reached devastating new heights – claiming a new victim every five minutes – the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) issued its first Public Safety Alert in nearly 7 years in September 2021 to warn the American public about the alarming increase in the availability of counterfeit “prescription” pills.
Counterfeit pills are illegally manufactured by criminal drug networks and are made to look identical to real prescription medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®), as well as amphetamines like Adderall®. These fake prescription pills are widely accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms – making them available to anyone with a smartphone, including minors.
Laboratory analysis has identified that nearly 4 out of every 10 seized counterfeit pill contains a lethal amount of fentanyl or methamphetamine. To put it into perspective, a lethal dose of fentanyl is only 2 mg, which is the equivalent of only 10 grains of table salt, and can fit on the tip of a pencil. All it takes is 2 mg of fentanyl in one of these counterfeit pills to end a life.
The CCPD is committed to bringing awareness to the public and warning them of the dangers of these counterfeit/fake prescription pills. The link posted below will take you to the DEA’s “One Pill Can Kill” website with a wealth of information.
Past efforts from the Cape Coral Police Department include the HOPE/HELP program (also linked below) as well as partnerships with SalusCare and the Lee County Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida. If you or anyone you love requires assistance or help with a drug problem, please reach out to us or one of the many community resources available.
As hospitals continue to fill up and walk-in clinics experience long wait times, some wonder what to do if they need care. Lee Health is providing another option to get what you need.
Lee Health sent a passionate plea urging people to think before coming into its locations as COVID-19 begins to near capacity again with more demand meaning longer wait times. To lighten the load, Lee Health is now making house calls, dispatching teams to conveniently assess patients at home.
The prices for these house calls are the same as they would be for an urgent care visit. Appointments can be scheduled from any of Lee Health’s online platforms.
A representative of Lee County Human & Veteran Services will offer monthly outreach services to veterans and their families at the Brotherhood of Heroes Resource Center & Museum, 4522 Del Prado Boulevard South, Cape Coral.
The outreach services will be available to veterans by appointment only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month starting Jan. 19. Services will be available to assist veterans, their families and their survivors make an application to the Veterans Administration for assistance.
To make an appointment, call 239-533-8381.
The Lee County Department of Human & Veteran Services serves as a hub for government, private and nonprofit resources designated to aid individuals and families. Specific program areas are: Family Self-Sufficiency, Housing Services, Neighborhood Building, Contract Management, and Veteran Services. For more information, call 239-533-7930 or visit www.leegov.com/dhs.
Lee County Government and its partners are asking the community to donate cold-weather supplies for Severe Weather Outreach Teams to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Blankets, gloves, socks, hand-warmers, and hats can be dropped off at the following locations between Jan. 24 and Jan. 28:
2210 Widman Way, Fort Myers, accepting items 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Severe Weather Outreach Teams are mobilized to specific locations when inland temperatures are projected to drop to 40 degrees or lower for an extended period of time. Teams include Human and Veteran Services staff and members of the HOT Team (Housing, Outreach and Treatment), including Law Enforcement and Centerstone Behavioral Health. Teams provide cold-weather items, coffee and access to transportation to enter into one of the participating shelters.
When activated, the Department of Human & Veteran Services’ coordinated entry phone line will be updated with a cold-weather announcement that promotes outreach locations, transportation assistance, sheltering and supplies. The number is 239-533-7996.
The county has identified several designated outreach locations on or near LeeTran routes where volunteers and staff will distribute blankets, hand-warmers, socks, hot coffee and a one-way LeeTran pass if a person experiencing homelessness accepts a sheltering offer.
