The latest from Estero, Lee County: public safety, courts, local government, schools, business and the cost of living. Every story names its source and links the record.
Estero
Estero's current development pipeline includes 2,900 residential units, two hotels, a 23-story high-rise and 300,000 square feet of commercial space.
San Carlos Park fire officials say crews extinguished a vehicle fire in FGCU Parking Garage 2 after it spread and damaged three vehicles. No injuries were reported.
Florida Highway Patrol marked southbound Interstate 75 clear near mile marker 124 in Estero after a crash roadblock Monday morning.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office says its bomb squad cleared the Estero post office after finding that an unattended container in the lobby held nothing hazardous.
Estero's traffic study recommends a signal at US 41 and Pelican Sound Drive after development east of the highway is completed. It gives no construction date.
Estero authorized up to $65 million in special obligation revenue bonds, with the final amount and borrowing cost still to be set through a competitive sale.
Estero Village Council adopted a $72,973,080 fiscal 2027 budget, including $54.28 million for capital projects, and set the final village millage at 0.7300.
The Florida Highway Patrol no longer lists the Estero injury crash that had blocked westbound Corkscrew Road at South Tamiami Trail early Wednesday.
The Florida Highway Patrol now marks roadway clear for the crash that blocked the left southbound lane of I-75 at mile marker 123 in Estero.
Interstate 75 southbound is clear at mile marker 123 in Estero after a crash blocked the center lane, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Florida Highway Patrol has closed its record for a crash that blocked the left southbound lane of Interstate 75 at mile marker 123 in Estero. The same row listed all lanes clear before it disappeared.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office booking record lists Juan Antonio Saldivar in custody on four charges involving a child. The School District of Lee County says the allegations do not involve a student.
The Florida Highway Patrol board now marks the roadway clear after a crash blocked the center lane of southbound Interstate 75 at mile marker 122 in Estero.
Florida Highway Patrol arrested Christian David Perez, 18, after a Monday morning crash on southbound I-75 north of Corkscrew Road. The Lee County jail lists three DUI counts.
Deputies were called to a Colonial Walk North home at 6.47 p.m. for a possible drowning, and paramedics found a woman face down with her dog floating in front of her. A homicide detective took the case, which is routine and is not an accusation.
The state logged the call at 12.45, a left lane blocked for emergency responders, and the block clear by 1.21. Estero Fire Rescue, Bonita Springs Fire and Lee County EMS responded. No injuries reported, and the cause is under investigation.
The State Attorney's Office for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit says Albert Shane Sibert was adjudicated guilty on five counts, sentenced to five years in prison and 10 years of probation, and has repaid $47,103 to Urban Search and Rescue.
The 7.12 a.m. crash that put a roadblock in a travel lane of Interstate 75 southbound at Estero was stamped cleared at 7.45 a.m. A later crash on the northbound carriageway at Fort Myers cleared at 9.09 a.m. while this desk was reading the board.
A crash logged at 7.12 a.m. on Interstate 75 southbound at mile marker 123 in Estero carries remarks reading roadblock left lane, an escalation from the shoulder wording reported earlier. The 6.59 a.m. entry has been moved to the Corkscrew Road ramp.
A vehicle crash was logged at 6.59 a.m. on Interstate 75 southbound at mile marker 123 in Estero, remarks reading roadblock left shoulder. At a 7.06 a.m. reading it was open with no clearance stamp. The entry a mile south cleared at 6.55 a.m.
The state dispatch board logged the incident at 6.30 a.m. on Interstate 75 southbound at mile marker 122 in Estero, remarks reading southbound roadblock. At a 6.36 a.m. reading the entry was still open, with no clearance stamp.
The Highway Patrol received the call at 11.45 a.m. Sunday and troopers arrived at 12.03 p.m. The incident was still on the live state incident board at 1.08 p.m. The blockage is two southbound lanes and one northbound lane, not the full southbound carriageway.
The Village of Estero adopted Resolution 2026-17 on July 2, declaring a proposed fiscal 2027 operating millage of 0.7300 mills.
The Village of Estero is home to the global headquarters of Hertz, a Fortune 500-scale employer that anchors the local tax base, even as Redfin's recent housing readings show the village's median sale price down from a year earlier on light volume.
Set at the county level, and it lands on every parcel in Estero.
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Lee County ends its 5 a.m. summer trash set-out requirement October 26 for unincorporated areas, Bonita Springs, Estero and Fort Myers Beach.
What it changes →
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Sanibel Fire and Rescue District adopted a tentative 1.3016-mill property tax rate and a $30,853,878 fiscal 2027 budget. The final hearing is September 21.
What it changes →
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The School Board of Lee County approved a $3.055 billion fiscal 2027 budget and cut its total property tax rate to 5.271 mills, down 0.048 mill from fiscal 2026.
What it changes →
