LEE COUNTY

Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio joined "The Five" to offer an update on how the Sunshine State is faring and responding to Hurricane Ian.

The category 4 storm had sustained winds of 150 mph, just shy of category 5 status, before making landfall in Lee County.

Five years ago, forecasters warned of a 15-foot storm surge as Hurricane Irma approached Southwest Florida. With Ian, the region wasn't as lucky.

Evacuations for Hurricane Ian have been ordered in Florida for counties on the west coast. Here's what evacuees should be gathering and packing if they haven't already.

A Florida deputy doubled as a snake wrangler the other day in Lee County.

A 7-foot alligator greeted students at a Lee County middle school drop-off, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a tweet.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement has issued a missing child alert for 6-year-old Zainab Hassan.

Florida Man vs Florida Sheriff In this image taken from an undated video posted by the Lee County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Carmine Marceno speaks at a news conference in Fort Myers, Fla. Sheriff Marceno refers to the jailhouse as the "Marceno Motel." It’s pretty clean, pretty quick.”The Sunshine State has become internationally notorious for the oddball miscreants who populate its police blotters and local news reports — known collectively as Florida Man. Florida Man, meet Florida Sheriff. “Save the taxpayers’ money.”On the Atlantic Coast, near Cape Canaveral, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey makes a game of crime — literally. Over in central Florida is, perhaps, the highest-profile enemy of Florida Man (and Florida Woman).

Maybe Florida Man has finally met his match.

When a naked man in southwestern Florida recently raised a ruckus outside his house and threatened a deputy with a kitchen knife, the SWAT team swooped in and apprehended him. The Sunshine State has become internationally notorious for the oddball miscreants who populate its police blotters and local news reports — known collectively as Florida Man. There are murders and mayhem, like anyplace else, and then there are the only-in-Florida incidents like the man charged with assault with a deadly weapon for throwing an alligator through a Wendy’s drive-thru window in Palm Beach County in 2015. Florida Man, meet Florida Sheriff.

Andrew T. Hall was last stationed in Camp Pendleton, California.

Metro Phoenix’s Maricopa County had among the biggest growth in white, Black and Hispanic residents last year, as well as the biggest increase overall of any U.S. county.

A Florida missing child alert has been issued Wednesday morning for two children, including an infant, out of Fort Myers.

Gov. Ron DeSantis touted more than $1 billion earmarked for Everglades and water resource investments in the upcoming state budget at a news conference in Fort Myers Beach Wednesday morning.

Justices, in a 7-2 opinion, sided with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration in a case that drew national attention.

Nearly 14 years after a Lee County girl was catastrophically injured when she was hit by a truck, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said Florida’s Medicaid program can recoup a chunk of the money it paid for her initial care.

Tractor-trailer falls off overpass in Florida after fiery crash Photos and video show the wheels of the trailer touching the ground beneath the overpass, while the cab remained on top. (Florida Highway Patrol)LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A crash and fire sent a semi-truck over the edge of a Florida interstate, leaving it dangling until troopers were able to lower the truck to the ground. >> Read more trending newsPhotos and videos posted to social media by Florida Highway Patrol show the truck hanging off northbound Interstate 75 in Lee County. Northbound Interstate 75 at Alico Road Overpass in Lee County. Fiery crash leaves tractor-trailer hanging off overpass View from the northbound I-75 overpass in Lee County, where you can see what remains of a truck's cab after a fiery crash.

An overturned semi-truck closed westbound lanes near Interstate 75 in Lee County Friday morning, the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post.

A Florida woman has been convicted for her part in a 2016 Florida nightclub shooting that left two teenagers dead and 14 other people injured.

A 29-year-old man is accused of filming two young girls as they tried on clothes in a fitting room at a southwest Florida Walmart store.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Friday that Florida has passed the mark of 1 million registered recreational vessels.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis doubled down on claims he made last month the Biden administration withheld funding for tornado victims in Lee and Charlotte counties because of “politics” and announced $1.1 million was raised for repairs, temporary housing and other forms of relief.

A new donation portal opened for those impacted by tornadoes that touched down in southwest Florida last month.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Biden Administration of delaying help to Floridians impacted by recent tornadoes because of “politics.”

Absolutely no one asked for it, but the Lee County Mosquito Control District (LCMCD) wants everyone to know that they currently have 1 million mosquitos...

A Florida sheriff’s deputy is facing charges that he conspired to arrest an innocent person on drug charges in exchange for sexual favors and a trip to Paris.

The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Black man's argument that he was denied his right to an impartial jury because of a flawed process that excluded Black people and resulted in only white jurors. It is the second time the state’s high court heard an appeal from Kenneth Lee Lilly, who was convicted for helping a relative rob a southeast Iowa bank in 2016. Lilly alleged that his right to an impartial jury under both the U.S. and Iowa constitutions was violated because neither his jury nor the group from which his jury was selected contained any Black people.

A winter storm that was expected to blast the southern U.S. with dangerously high winds Sunday did not disappoint, as some South Floridians witnessed and filmed infamous weather events likely uncommon to them: tornadoes.

Severe weather ahead of a cold front caused damage and prompted tornado warnings in parts of Lee and Collier counties Sunday morning.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said 1 million Abbott COVID-19 rapid tests that expired in a warehouse last month are now “going out” to testing sites after their usage date was extended to March 2022 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded $16.8 million to Bonita Springs Wednesday to fund repairs to the city’s stormwater infrastructure.

A Florida missing child alert has been issued for a 12-year-old girl out of Lee County.

Caloosahatchee River flows are looking good at a time when algae is absent from the entire system, and other health indicators seem promising as the region transitions into the brunt of the dry season.

A roundup of news from across the nation.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news briefing at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in South Florida.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper died following complications with COVID-19.

School shooting thwarted: At right, a sheriff’s deputy escorts two teens, ages 14 and 13, to jail in Lee County, Fla., on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. The boys, both students at Harns Marsh Middle School in Lehigh Acres, are accused of planning a shooting at the school. It was just devastating.”Both boys are charged with conspiracy to commit a mass shooting, according to Lee County officials. Authorities believe the teens may have met over Zoom to discuss the proposed mass shooting, NewsNationNow.com reported. Florida school shooting: Nikolas Cruz, left, is escorted into court Jan. 27, 2020, for a pretrial hearing.

The boys, both students at Harns Marsh Middle School in Lehigh Acres, are accused of planning a shooting at the school. The boys, ages 13 and 14, are charged with conspiracy to commit a mass shooting, according to Lee County officials. The teacher acted immediately, said Ken Savage, superintendent of the Lee County school district. Florida school shooting: Nikolas Cruz, left, is escorted into court Jan. 27, 2020, for a pretrial hearing. Lee County deputies were very familiar with both boys, Marceno said.

Two middle school students have been charged with plotting a Columbine-style attack in Lee County, Fla. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said a 14-year-old and 13-year-old from Harns Marsh Middle School are currently in custody after they were arrested and charged on Thursday with conspiracy to commit a mass shooting. The boys were later identified as Philip Byrd and Conner Pruett. “These ...

Two Florida teens who “took an interest” in the Columbine High School shooting are accused of plotting to carry out a school shooting, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

This is strange, even by Florida standards.

A school board meeting in one Florida community turned physical this week, with protestors for and against a mask mandate pushing, shoving, and fighting one another.

‘There will be no virtual instruction during the closure’ of this Kentucky school district.

The driver was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the pickup truck when it hit a ditch, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol.

A Florida K-9 helped track down a missing 12-year-old girl during the severe weather then Tropical Storm Elsa brought to the state, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Civics education will be expanded in Florida, including instruction about communist and totalitarian governments, and state universities will be prevented from quashing conservative ideology under bills Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed.

Iowa House Democrats Elesha Gayman, Democratic chairwoman in Scott County, Iowa, stands outside her office, Wednesday, May 26, 2021, in Davenport, Iowa. Even as the coronavirus pandemic gradually wanes and President Joe Biden's job approval remains strong, Iowa Democrats say they can feel their party receding, particularly from the industrial river towns they once claimed as bastions. Before that, Iowa Rep. Leonard Boswell, a Democrat, farmer and Vietnam War veteran, served for 16 years, carrying vast swaths of rural southern Iowa. But the once-robust Democratic union base has dwindled as manufacturing jobs have left cities such as Burlington, Fort Madison and Keokuk along the river. In 2016, Trump carried 9 of 10 Iowa counties along the river, only missing Scott County, the most metropolitan.

There are signs of Democratic fatigue in Iowa, a state viewed for decades as a true political battleground.

Democrats lost last year's election for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District by the narrowest margin in a House race in almost 40 years. After the six-vote heartbreaker, some expected Democrat Rita Hart to immediately declare a rematch in the southeast district long held by her party. “I kind of think we're past the point of no return,” said Rich Taylor, a former Democratic state senator who lost last year after eight years representing economically struggling Lee County, which hugs the Mississippi River in the state's southeast corner.

A 34-year old man accused of raping two children in Washington state in January was arrested this week on a boat on which he was living in Lee County, Florida.

After a months-long manhunt, a man accused of raping two children in the state of Washington was found and arrested off Florida's coast.

We know alligators can be aggressive during mating season but also apparently when they're “hangry for a cheeseburger.”

A seven-foot-long alligator was thwarted in its hunt for a Baconator on Monday, after authorities removed from the parking lot of a South Florida Wendy's....

Researchers believe ornate box turtles, once living in half of Illinois' 102 counties, are found in less than 10. Ornate box turtles’ shells have distinct yellow markings in a sunburst pattern. The data collected during Friday's survey will be added to previous years' findings to help researchers determine what is threatening the environment and health of the ornate box turtles. “Ornate box turtles are sentinels of environmental and ecosystem health, so they utilize both land and water sources, just like humans do in this environment," Allender said. "And so the health of the ornate box turtle is a reflection of the health of the environment that we draw our natural resources on.”

U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers said he will seek money to check ways to protect Beattyville.

Six Boykin spaniels lead a search for ornate box turtles May 6, 2021, at the Nachusa Grasslands in Lee County. A team of researchers and veterinary students from the University of Illinois Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory located and performed health assessments in the field on the threatened turtles.

Jordan Johnson and Julian Johnson were safely located in Orange County, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.

LEE COUNTY, Fla. – CVS Pharmacy will be receiving more COVID-19 vaccine doses and expanding its inoculations across Florida beginning Friday, Gov. Under Florida vaccine eligibility groups: K-12 school employees, law enforcement officers and firefighters, all 50 and older, can also get vaccinated. AdCVS, CVS Pharmacy y más, Navarro Discount Pharmacy, Publix, Winn-Dixie and Walmart pharmacies are also offering vaccines in Florida by appointment. I mentioned we are going to probably do another Walgreens would be really, really good,” DeSantis said. Just make an appointment come into your local pharmacy, do it.”Find a list of CVS Pharmacy locations and make an appointment for a vaccine here.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle. It’s the fourth panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of six total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The remains of the 7-year-old female panther were found Saturday in Lee County on a rural road near Wild Turkey Strand Preserve, wildlife officials said. Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but now their habitat mostly is confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle. It’s the third panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of four total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. A total of 22 Florida panther deaths were reported in 2020, with 19 killed by vehicles. Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but now their habitat mostly is confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.

LEE COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida dog whose rescue went viral last month has a brand new job. Gunner, a 5-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is now a “deputy dog” with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. “Do you swear to up hold the constitutional law for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Gunner,” Sheriff Carmine Marceno asked the pup. In a video shared by the Sheriff’s Office Wilbanks retold the story of the wild encounter when he rescued Gunner from the jaws of an alligator. Gunner is fine, I’m fine and so am I,” Wilbanks said.

Meredith Budd, regional policy director with Florida Wildlife Federation, said Wilbanks volunteers with an educational program called Sharing the Landscape. It’s a campaign part of the Stop Foundation with a mission to teach about co-existing with wild animals. The nonprofit organization hopes the video will serve as a learning experience for people to maintain their distance from wild animals and make sure to stay safe. “You know, I didn’t even realize that until people started making that comment after they saw the video. Gunner is fine, I’m fine and so am I,” Wilbanks said.

Published: May 21, 2020, 5:56 pm Updated: May 22, 2020, 10:11 amORANGE COUNTY, Fla. The Florida Department of Health has released a list of coronavirus testing sites where tests were damaged. The Department of Health said 1,702 tests were damaged in transit. Anyone who used a damaged test will have to be retested. Someone who used a damaged test will be contacted as soon as possible, according to the Department of Health. More than 90,000 tests were administered at these sites above in May.

Published: May 20, 2020, 7:57 pm Updated: May 21, 2020, 7:31 amTALLAHASSEE, Fla. More than 1,700 COVID-19 tests in Florida were damaged, according to the Florida Department of Health. These tests were issued at drive-thru and walk-up test sites in May, according to the department of health. The Department of Health says 1,702 tests were damaged in transit. Anyone who used a damaged test will have to be retested. Someone who used a damaged test will be contacted as soon as possible, according to the Department of Health.

MIAMI, Fla. – As restaurants in many Florida cities prepare to re-open on Monday under new pandemic rules set by Gov. Restaurants in all but three South Florida counties can reopen inside dining rooms at 25% capacity. In Lee County, for example, officials are allowing restaurants to place tables and seating in areas not previously allowed, such as parking lots. Florida is saying no condos can be rented, but restaurants can be open. The governor’s order said retail and store-front businesses can reopen, but only if the local government allows it.

Ron DeSantis is properly communicating coronavirus information. State health officials waited 24 hours after receiving the first two positive test results to send out a press release. Since then state health officials have put out regular updates about new positive cases, but the information being released about the outbreak is limited. Coronavirus: Florida Gov. Appearing at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton with hospital officials, Buchanan said the screening will prevent other hospital patients and staff from being exposed to the virus.

Ron DeSantis is properly communicating coronavirus information. State health officials waited 24 hours after receiving the first two positive test results to send out a press release. Since then state health officials have put out regular updates about new positive cases, but the information being released about the outbreak is limited. Coronavirus: Florida Gov. Appearing at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton with hospital officials, Buchanan said the screening will prevent other hospital patients and staff from being exposed to the virus.

Ron DeSantis is properly communicating coronavirus information. State health officials waited 24 hours after receiving the first two positive test results to send out a press release. Since then state health officials have put out regular updates about new positive cases, but the information being released about the outbreak is limited. Coronavirus: Florida Gov. Appearing at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton with hospital officials, Buchanan said the screening will prevent other hospital patients and staff from being exposed to the virus.

Two Florida seniors who had traveled abroad have become the states first residents to die from the novel coronavirus, the Florida Department of Health announced late Friday. One of the deaths involved a 72-year-old Santa Rosa County man who had previously been disclosed as having the virus. The department did not immediately release the Lee County residents gender or age, saying the person was in their seventies.Both died following international trips. Symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and shortness of breath, the Department of Health said in the announcement late Friday. Consumers could be reluctant to seek testing or treatment due to other anticipated costs.News Service of Florida

The Florida Department of Health announced late Friday that two residents have died in the coronavirus outbreak. One person was a new presumptive positive case in Lee County, the department said. The other person was a previously announced presumptive positive case from Santa Rosa County. A person is marked as a "presumptive positive" case when a state lab receives a positive test result without confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the state's health department, there have been 11 positive new coronavirus cases in the state as of Friday 9:57 p.m.

In less than a week the coronavirus has now been detected in five Florida counties, with six confirmed cases in the state and two deaths. As of Friday, cases of the virus have been confirmed in Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Broward County and Santa Rosa County. Since then the virus has been detected in three other counties, the latest two cases being in Broward County. On Friday Doctors Hospital of Sarasota discharged one of the first coronavirus cases in Florida. The five counties with coronavirus cases encompass a broad swath of the state that extends from the Panhandle down to Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida, and over to heavily populated South Florida.

In less than a week the coronavirus has now been detected in five Florida counties, with six confirmed cases in the state and two deaths. As of Friday, cases of the virus have been confirmed in Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Broward County and Santa Rosa County. Since then the virus has been detected in three other counties, the latest two cases being in Broward County. On Friday Doctors Hospital of Sarasota discharged one of the first coronavirus cases in Florida. The five counties with coronavirus cases encompass a broad swath of the state that extends from the Panhandle down to Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida, and over to heavily populated South Florida.

Ron DeSantiss request for $25 million to help the state combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19. COVID-19 is continuing to spread as legislators begin to hammer out details on the states roughly $92 billion budget. "The concern is great and its mostly because of possible panic," House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, said of the coronavirus. Meredith Beatrice, a spokeswoman for DeSantis, said the coronavirus response "is an evolving situation and funds will be used to address the most pressing needs." DeSantis said earlier this week that the federal government will be sending "tens of thousands" of coronavirus testing kits to the state.

In less than a week the coronavirus has now been detected in five Florida counties, with six confirmed cases in the state and two deaths. As of Friday, cases of the virus have been confirmed in Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Broward County and Santa Rosa County. Since then the virus has been detected in three other counties, the latest two cases being in Broward County. On Friday Doctors Hospital of Sarasota discharged one of the first coronavirus cases in Florida. The five counties with coronavirus cases encompass a broad swath of the state that extends from the Panhandle down to Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida, and over to heavily populated South Florida.

In less than a week the coronavirus has now been detected in five Florida counties, with six confirmed cases in the state and two deaths. As of Friday, cases of the virus have been confirmed in Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Broward County and Santa Rosa County. Since then the virus has been detected in three other counties, the latest two cases being in Broward County. On Friday Doctors Hospital of Sarasota discharged one of the first coronavirus cases in Florida. The five counties with coronavirus cases encompass a broad swath of the state that extends from the Panhandle down to Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida, and over to heavily populated South Florida.

In less than a week the coronavirus has now been detected in five Florida counties, with six confirmed cases in the state and two deaths. As of Friday, cases of the virus have been confirmed in Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Broward County and Santa Rosa County. They are a Manatee County man in his 60s and a Hillsborough County woman in her 20s. Since then the virus has been detected in three other counties, the latest two cases being in Broward County. On Friday Doctors Hospital of Sarasota discharged one of the first coronavirus cases in Florida.

In less than a week the coronavirus has now been detected in five Florida counties, with six confirmed cases in the state and two deaths. As of Friday, cases of the virus have been confirmed in Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Broward County and Santa Rosa County. They are a Manatee County man in his 60s and a Hillsborough County woman in her 20s. Since then the virus has been detected in three other counties, the latest two cases being in Broward County. On Friday Doctors Hospital of Sarasota discharged one of the first coronavirus cases in Florida.

In less than a week the coronavirus has now been detected in five Florida counties, with six confirmed cases in the state and two deaths. As of Friday, cases of the virus have been confirmed in Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Broward County and Santa Rosa County. They are a Manatee County man in his 60s and a Hillsborough County woman in her 20s. Since then the virus has been detected in three other counties, the latest two cases being in Broward County. On Friday Doctors Hospital of Sarasota discharged one of the first coronavirus cases in Florida.

In less than a week the coronavirus has now been detected in five Florida counties, with six confirmed cases in the state and two deaths. As of Friday, cases of the virus have been confirmed in Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Broward County and Santa Rosa County. They are a Manatee County man in his 60s and a Hillsborough County woman in her 20s. On Friday Doctors Hospital of Sarasota discharged one of the first coronavirus cases in Florida. The five counties with coronavirus cases encompass a broad swath of the state that extends from the Panhandle down to Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida, and over to heavily populated South Florida.

In less than a week the coronavirus has now been detected in five Florida counties, with six confirmed cases in the state and two deaths. As of Friday, cases of the virus have been confirmed in Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Broward County and Santa Rosa County. They are a Manatee County man in his 60s and a Hillsborough County woman in her 20s. On Friday Doctors Hospital of Sarasota discharged one of the first coronavirus cases in Florida. The five counties with coronavirus cases encompass a broad swath of the state that extends from the Panhandle down to Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida, and over to heavily populated South Florida.

The two deaths confirmed Friday are a 72-year-old Santa Rosa County man and a Lee County woman in her 70s. As of Saturday, cases of the virus had been confirmed in Manatee County (2), Charlotte County, Volusia County, Okaloosa County, Hillsborough County (2), Lee County (2), Broward County (2) and Santa Rosa County. The DOH also announced a second Lee County case, the second Manatee County case, a Charlotte County case of a woman in her 50s, a Volusia County case of a 66-year-old woman and an Okaloosa County case of a 61-year-old woman Saturday. The Lee County woman with coronavirus who died was treated at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers. The other coronavirus case in Florida is a sister of the Hillsborough County woman.

The other death involved a Lee County resident, whose case had not been disclosed. The department did not immediately release the Lee County residents gender or age, saying the person was in their seventies.Both died following international trips. There is no vaccine to prevent the virus.Symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and shortness of breath, the Department of Health said in the announcement late Friday. It is important to remove actual or perceived barriers to testing for COVID-19. Consumers could be reluctant to seek testing or treatment due to other anticipated costs.

Ron DeSantis at a January ceremony honoring Emergency Management DirectorsHouse and Senate leaders announced Saturday they have agreed to Gov. The virus can be particularly dangerous for seniors and people with other medical conditions. There is no vaccine to prevent the virus.DeSantis said earlier this week that the federal government will be sending tens of thousands of coronavirus testing kits to the state. Two of the 14 people who have tested positive for the virus died, DeSantis announced late Friday night. The state currently is monitoring another 278 people for the virus, the website states.

Sometimes referred to locally as the toll road, the project would create connector roads through corridors in three parts of the state. For Alva residents, a new highway through their part of the world threatens a lifestyle that changes little as time and generations pass. Ron DeSantis authorized the design and construction of bringing a toll road through rural Florida, and rural is the key word here." Studies are underway to develop routes for a new Southwest-Central Florida connector from Collier County to Polk County. "You drive on toll roads and you stop to get what gasoline, what else food and if your'e really tired, hotels, so this springs up."

In this Aug. 6, 2018, file photo, a dead Snook lies dead due to red tide in Bradenton Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)ORLANDO, Fla. - Red tide is being reported in Florida for the first time since the devastating bloom that began in 2017 ended this past winter. Data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows that Karenia brevis, the microscopic alga that causes red tide, was found in high concentrations off the coast of Collier County. The East Coast has not seen any red tide either. It was around this time in 2017 when red tide was first reported in Lee and Collier counties. Though the levels waned at times, the state wasn't completely free of red tide until this March.