Dave Elias

1 day ago | gulfcoastnewsnow.com | Dave Elias

Body camera footage reveals new details in a Fort Myers police encounter with two teens. A viral video shows a Fort Myers police officer pulling his gun and using a Taser on a Black teenager, sparking public outrage and demands for accountability. But now, the president of the local chapter of the NAACP says body camera footage tells a different — and more complicated — story.

2 days ago | gulfcoastnewsnow.com | Dave Elias

It was a campaign announcement unlike any other. As he plummeted thousands of feet through the Florida sky, former U.S. Marine Mike Pedersen officially declared his candidacy for Florida’s 19th Congressional District — a seat soon to be vacated by Republican Byron Donalds, who is running for governor. “It was awesome,” Pedersen said moments after his parachute jump, a symbolic leap into what he knows will be a battle for political altitude in a divided nation.

5 days ago | gulfcoastnewsnow.com | Dave Elias

As Florida's July budget deadline approaches, tensions are escalating in Tallahassee over how best to provide tax relief to residents. Gov. Ron DeSantis is threatening to veto a proposed sales tax cut, putting him at odds with House leadership and highlighting a growing divide over who should benefit most: Florida homeowners or all consumers, including tourists.

1 week ago | gulfcoastnewsnow.com | Dave Elias

A deadly black bear attack in Collier County — the first ever recorded in Florida — has sparked an urgent debate over how the state should manage its growing bear population. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirmed that DNA test results are pending after three black bears were killed in the Everglades, suspected of being involved in the fatal incident that occurred Monday morning in the small town of Jerome, just north of U.S. 41 and south of Interstate 75.

1 week ago | gulfcoastnewsnow.com | Dave Elias

New data from Bankrate.com reveals that Florida homeowners are now paying some of the highest home insurance premiums in the country, second only to tornado-prone Nebraska. On average, Floridians shell out about $5,400 annually for home insurance. In comparison, homeowners in nearby Georgia pay roughly $2,000 a year. Even in disaster-prone California, average premiums are significantly lower, around $1,400.