Fort Myers Beach, Florida

It seems fitting, somehow, that Tropicalia’s first- and second-place winners in its seventh birthday photographic scavenger hunt were a former snowbird and a Florida native, respectively.

About 1,200 North Naples residents were without electricity Thursday night after three Florida Power & Light feeders were knocked out of service by inclement weather.

About 1,200 North Naples residents were without electricity Thursday night after three Florida Power & Light feeders were knocked out of service by inclement weather.

The Collier County School Board approved a contract that allows academically ineligible students to continue participating in sports and extracurricular activities if they commit to improve their grades. The board voted unanimously to make freshmen and sophomores eligible for the program. Students whose cumulative grade point average falls below a 2.0 at the conclusion of a semester become academically ineligible to participate in sports and extracurricular activities.

Decorative lighting and preparing homes and businesses for the 2008 Christmas season is a Marco Island tradition. Christmas Island Style’s Home and Business Decorating Committee announces finalists for the 12th Annual Christmas House and Business Decorating Contest.

Workers at the Naples post office handle thousands of pieces of mail every day. Some letters receive special attention.

Two children were poisoned in Charlotte County. Detectives say their uncle laced their drinks with anti-depressants and both had to be treated at the hospital.

The reading community is preparing for its new state of the art library in Collier County.

The Florida Everblades in conjunction with the ECHL announced Thursday the revised schedule for the remainder of the 2008-09 season.

Southwest Florida is leading the nation in foreclosures. But in Cape Coral, experts say the market may be beginning to stabilize. Monthly home sales are way up and home inventories are way down.

Hundreds of Southwest Florida’s most needy families may face a Christmas without any presents.

A tortoise whose shell was crushed by a car near the Barefoot Beach Preserve, is now recovering at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in Naples. The organization now wants to raise money for the animal’s care and educate the public about keeping the threatened species safe.

Owners of boats, trailers and recreational vehicles now have more time to park their toys in front of their homes in Collier County.
But they’ll need a permit to do it. Collier commissioners last week approved a change to the rules, allowing residents to park their boats, trailers and recreational vehicles in front of their homes for 48 hours at a time during a 7-day period.

A Miami-Dade County man is facing felony charges after Collier County Sheriff’s deputies say they found counterfeit credit cards and a fake identity on him during a traffic stop in North Naples late Wednesday.

Here is a list of online links that were published in the Daily News today.