George Texs blog

During Senator Kathleen Passidomo’s recent appearance before the Southwest Florida Community Advisory Board, it became clear why the Republican of Naples was nominated by her fellow legislators as the next President of the Florida Senate after the 2022 election. During her nearly hour-long session with the Advisory Board, Passidomo reflected in a thoughtful and clear manner on the recent endeavors and future roles of the Florida legislature – a way that many of her colleagues in Tallahassee would well emulate. While Passidomo, for example, raved about how much the legislature achieved during its just-concluded session – including converting an expected $ 6 billion deficit into an approved $ 101 billion budget with ample reserves, passing a major bill on reforming child protection and passing a COVID liability law to protect businesses and more – she also freely admitted to some frustration that many achievements were obscured by the attention devoted to var...

Smart real estate investing is about accurately predicting future events, even if current circumstances indicate risk. Despite a virtual shutdown in the first six weeks of the pandemic in 2020, the U.S. housing market got back into action with an unleashed glut of demand. Since then, things have been in full swing with rising property sales prices and fierce competition for a limited supply of existing properties. One of the most interesting developments in the last year was the sharp sale of existing properties that are to be used as holiday properties and destination rentals. Research by the National Association of Realtors found that vacation home sales grew 16.4% from 2019 to 2020, while the share of vacation home sales in total existing home sales increased from 5% in 2019 to 5.5% . This year the pace of vacation home sales was even more dramatic. From January to April 2021, vacation home sales shot up 57.2% year-on-year and the share of vacatio...

LEE COUNTY, Florida – Some freshwater channels in Cape Coral are still low, even after the recent rainfall in the area. Although it rains steadily in many communities in southwest Florida, many Cape Coral residents are unable to moor their boats due to the low water level. Cape Coral City officials issued an emergency notice during the consultation phase warning residents that a one-day irrigation schedule could be created if the water level does not improve. Officials have stepped up enforcement of irrigation regulations, but illegal irrigation is still a problem in the city. According to the Cape Coral website, all Cape Coral residents are allowed to water two days a week, regardless of the source of the irrigation water. Here is the two day schedule that applies to all of Cape Coral : Monday and Friday: midnight to 4 a.m. for addresses that end in 0 Monday and Friday: 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. for addresses ending with 1 Wednesday and Saturday: midnight to 4 a.m. for...

Voters casting ballots. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images WASHINGTON—Republicans during a U.S. House Judiciary panel hearing on Tuesday argued that a bill that would reinstate a preclearance section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is unnecessary because there is no discrimination in voting. The top Republican on the panel, Rep. Mike Johnson, (R-La.), said that the legislation is not needed and that the federal government should not be telling states how to run their electoral processes. He added that recently voting bills passed by Republicans in Georgia and Florida are meant to “enhance election integrity and increase the public’s waning confidence in our election process.” “It is outrageous to see the federal government fighting back against these common sense reforms, such as the latest lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against Georgia over its election law,” Johnson said. The Justice Department  announced last week  that the agency is suing Georgia in an attem...

Paris Thompson and Brennan Van Hoecke were among the best in their respective sports this season, perhaps among the best in the country. For their outstanding performance on the court and on the mat, the two took home the grand prizes at the Southwest Florida High School Sports Awards on Monday night. Thompson, a senior volleyball player at Fort Myers High, was named Sportswoman of the Year. Van Hoecke, a junior wrestler and soccer player from Palmetto Ridge, was named Male Athlete of the Year. The Sports Awards is the annual ceremony at which The News-Press and Naples Daily News announce their 2020-21 Player of the Year in all high school sports. The USA Today Network’s two newspapers also announced the winners of their premium awards such as Athlete and Trainer of the Year. Apropos: Sports tourism in southwest Florida is recovering More: Here is the schedule for the Naples Daily News Spring All-Area Teams The virtual ceremony was broadcast on the newspapers...

Rescue workers continue searching for condo collapse survivors in Miami Rescuers continued to search for survivors of the collapsed residential complex in Surfside, Florida on Tuesday. The death toll from the collapse rose to eleven after first responders pulled two bodies from the site on Monday. Miami-Dade mayor Daniella Levine Cava said 150 people were still missing. Officials also said Monday that first responders are still on a search and rescue operation. “They are out there with every resource they need to make sure they can search this area,” said Levine Cava. Miami-Dade Chief Fire Rescue Assistant Ray Jadallah said crews had identified additional voids in the rubble where residents could be found, but there was no evidence anyone was inside. Jadallah said the decision to move from search and rescue to recovery could not be made until crews are certain that no part of the rubble could be alive. After record-breaking heat, the residents of the Pacific Nort...

Isolated showers and thunderstorms will return to the Gulf Coast on Monday. The day starts dry and pleasant, in the mid to late 1970s. As we heat up in the afternoon, thunderstorms form inland. They will move towards and grow along the coast as the afternoon progresses. Some storms can be strong at times with gusty winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning strikes. The highs stay near or above average through Tuesday, but a change comes around mid-week. On Wednesdays and Thursdays an increase in humidity comes into play. This will increase rain throughout the area as well as increase cloud cover. Both rallies will lead to lower afternoon highs in the mid to upper 80s. At the weekend the 90s return and the best chance of rain shifts inland. Tracking the tropics: The National Hurricane Center has increased the development opportunities for the low pressure area off the Georgia coast. It has a medium (50%) chance of development as it continues westward for the next few day...

Gov. Ron DeSantis briefs the press on search-and-rescue efforts at the remains of the Champlain Tower South disaster in Surfside on June 72, 2021. Source: Screenshot/Florida Channel State and local officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, said Sunday that learning what caused the collapse of a 12-story condo building in Surfside must take a back seat, for now, to continuing search-and-rescue efforts, but stressed that they are determined to understand what happened. Miami Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed that the number of deaths has reached nine. Four have been identified and their survivors notified. Family members are briefed several times per day. Volunteer Florida, a state agency, is helping to coordinate assistance. Some 150 people are listed as missing. “We want, obviously, to get a definitive explanation of what happened and to see what the proper response would be either from the local or state level or even both,” DeSantis said. “Now, this build...

WINK NEWS Here is a list of the July 4th events taking place in Southwest Florida. BONITA SPRING What: Star Spangled Bonita Where: Riverside Park, 10450 Reynolds St. When: Sunday, July 4th, 7pm. Fireworks at dusk. Free There is live music from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Food and drinks will be available for purchase during the event. At 8:30 p.m., the town of Bonita Springs will host a Glow Parade with golf carts. The motto of this year’s parade is “Be the Light”. Participants are asked to light up the night by decorating their golf carts with various lighted items. There is no fee to take part in the parade, but advance registration is required to take part in the event. Please expect road closures during the event. Old 41 Road from Wilson to Ragsdale will close at 6:30 PM and will remain closed until 10:00 PM. For more information on the parade, visit cityofbonitasprings.org/july4th. The evening’s celebrations conclude with a lase...

Tallahassee took home two major honors this week, one for being one of the country’s top public utilities and another for recognizing Tom Brown’s disc golf course as the best in the state. The City of Tallahassee Utilities received the American Public Power Association’s EF Scattergood System Achievement Award. The award is linked to the city’s commitment to clean energy, customer service and mutual help. The city has pledged to be fully renewable energy by 2050 and has already taken measures that include the operation of electric public transport and parts of its urban fleet. More: Tallahassee continues with the clean energy plan, banning single-use plastic at events The city already operates two solar parks, one of which uses part of the energy generated to supply municipal buildings. It is also in the process of developing its clean energy plan for the next year. This includes plans to convert the entire community to renewable and clean energy ...

The humidity stays high so we’ll stay stuffy tonight. Most of the area will wake up in the mid to late 70s, with the lower 80s being possible closer to the coast. By the time you step out the door, the heat indexes will likely be in the 90s. In the afternoon we will feel like the three-digit again. Mornings get more comfortable in the middle of the week as the lows fall in the mid-1970s. The thunderstorms on Monday concentrated over the inland towards the lake region during the afternoon, but we could see storms growing towards the coast in the late afternoon and evening. In the middle of the week the probability of rain increases. Claudette leaves the east coast, which draws a frontal border downwards that comes to a standstill with our north. This will help bring in additional moisture for greater storm coverage. Tracking the tropics: Tropical Depression Claudette will cross the Gulf Stream off the coast of the Carolinas tomorrow. It will likely turn into a tr...

This season’s compelling chronicle. It doesn’t appear that Smith & Wesson did anything significant at first glance. The only difference in the micro-compact handguns is the “PLUS” text on the slide. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other guns in the gun. S&W has taken its Shield pistol platform to a whole new level. The M&P9 SHIELD Plus increases the magazine capacity by up to two digits without any significant increase in size. This makes an old design a formidable competitor to some of today’s most innovative handguns. The M&P Shield was launched in 2012 to capitalize on a booming concealed-carry market. NRA led a national movement to expand concealed carry laws at the state and federal levels. More than 40 states had passed right-to-carry legislation by 2012. A decade ago, there were far fewer options for those who needed a small handgun that could be used as a self-defense weapon. With its single-stack magazine and slim profile, the ori...

Gov. Ron Desantis addressed the press in Pensacola on June 25, 2021. Source: Screenshot/Florida Channel Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled to Pensacola Friday to dispatch 50 state law enforcement agents to the Texas-Mexico border, a mission highlighting what Republicans like the governor consider security failings by the Biden administration. DeSantis didn’t mention the president by name during a press conference, conducted at a highway weigh station with the uniformed officers in attendance, although in the past he has criticized President Biden for reversing the Trump administration’s border policies. Although those were punitive toward asylum seekers including children, the governor had insisted they had been “curbing illegal immigration, securing our border, and keeping Americans safe.” DeSantis, who has been using culture war battles to boost his national profile ahead of his reelection bid next year and a possible run for president, indicated that at least part of the t...

Derek Chauvin was sentenced on June 25, 2021 to 22 1/ years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. Credit: Screenshot, Court TV; Courtesy of the Minnesota Reformer. Convicted in the murder of George Floyd, ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison Friday, becoming the first white Minnesota police officer to serve prison time for a murder committed while on the job. The sentencing marks a significant milestone in the effort to get justice for Floyd, who died begging for his life under Chauvin’s knee for more than 9 minutes on Memorial Day 2020. Three other officers present also face charges in Floyd’s death, with trials scheduled for next year. “What the sentence is not based on is emotion or sympathy, but at the same time I want to acknowledge the deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family,” Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill said when he delivered the sentence. ...