NAPLES, Fla – The Collier County Sheriff’s Office confirms a 29 year old deputy shot herself in the chest Friday evening in?Sugden Regional Park .
According to authorities,?she used her personal weapon.
She was rushed to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers where she later died.
The park was closed for several hours but has reopened.
Posted in News
Tagged chest, collier, collier-county, deputy-shot, friday, her-personal, News, office, personal, several-hours, sheriff, year-old
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – A Collier County sheriff’s deputy said someone stole his gun from his unlocked SUV.
Jason Slapp said he noticed someone opened the door to his jeep Monday. The jeep was parked outside of his Fort Myers home.
Deputy Slapp noticed his Smith and Wesson nine millimeter handgun and a GPS were missing.
Posted in News
Tagged collier, collier-county, deputy-said, deputy-slapp, door, fort, jeep, nine-millimeter, noticed-someone, opened-the-door, parked-outside, slapp, smith, someone-stole, unlocked
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.- One person was found dead off Keewaydin Island in Collier County.? The victim is a man in his mid-30′s.? He was tubing near the island.? A jet-ski pulling him in the water took a wide turn.? He slammed into another jet-ski and died.? Trust WINK News for any new developments.
Posted in News
Tagged another-jet-ski, collier, his-mid-30, jet-ski-pulling, keewaydin, News, the-water, trust, water
(Monday, it will be your chance at naplesnews.com to Sound Off about traffic. Return to our website on Monday and take several polls about traffic in our area.)
Thursday: Collier’s most dangerous intersections
Friday: South Lee’s most dangerous intersections
Weekend: Dangerous intersections, by community
Monday: Readers’ choices and several polls for you to Sound Off about Southwest Florida traffic
(Pick up copies of the Daily News this Sunday and Monday for newspaper versions of this series and a full-page map showing the most dangerous intersections)
Naples
As part of an analysis of more than 40 of the biggest intersections in Collier County to determine where the most wrecks occur and which intersections are the most crash-prone, the Daily News looked at four intersections within the city limits. They were Goodlette-Frank Road at Golden Gate Parkway; U.S. 41 North at Golden Gate Parkway; Goodlette-Frank Road at U.S. 41 East; and Four Corners, where U.S. 41 East, U.S. 41 North, Ninth Street South and Fifth Avenue South converge.
?Dangerous intersections: Naples has heavy traffic, but few crashes at corners
Golden Gate and Golden Gate Estates
To residents of the area, it’s probably no surprise that several intersections in Golden Gate and Golden Gate Estates rated among the most dangerous ones in Collier County in a Daily News analysis of more than 40 of Collier’s biggest intersections in 2006 to 2008. The analysis shows where crashes are more likely to occur in the county, and what kind of crashes are more likely at each intersection. The analysis looked at total crashes and the crash rate projected out to each one million vehicles.
?Dangerous intersections: Golden Gate Estates has several of Collier’s worst
Marco Island
Most vehicle accidents on Marco Island aren’t occurring where you might think. That’s because, statistically, there aren’t a lot of crashes on the streets of Marco. Instead, Marco Island police data shows most accidents last year occurred on private property, including strip mall and condominium parking lots. Of those, the largest grouping was within a quarter mile of the Bald Eagle Drive and Collier Boulevard intersection.
?Dangerous intersections: Most Marco accidents aren’t happening on the streets
Immokalee
In Immokalee, traffic grows along with the crops. During the growing season, large trucks full of tomatoes and oranges clog the roads, and people from Lehigh Acres drive S.R. 82 to work the fields.
?Dangerous intersections: Immokalee drivers face seasonal traffic, not many crashes
DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS: The series so far
?Dangerous intersections:The series
?Dangerous intersections: A map of crash rates
?Dangerous intersections: A map of crash totals
?Dangerous intersections: Most Marco accidents aren’t happening on the streets
?Dangerous intersections: Golden Gate Estates has several of Collier’s worst
?Dangerous intersections: Naples has heavy traffic, but few crashes at corners
?Dangerous intersections: Where you’re most likely to crash in Collier County
?Dangerous intersections: Immokalee drivers face seasonal traffic, not many crashes
?Dangerous intersections: A closer look at five of Collier County’s worst
?Dangerous intersections: Collier data
?Dangerous intersections: Lee data
?Dangerous intersections: U.S. 41 is accident central throughout south Lee
?Dangerous intersections: How we did our analysis in Collier, south Lee
Dangerous intersections: A closer look at crashes in several Collier communities
Posted in News
Tagged city, collier, daily, dangerous-intersections, david-albers, golden, golden-gate, killerroads, naples, north, ridge, south, streets
Last year, Collier County received $155,299 from the program for housing 425 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) eligible inmates (an identified illegal immigrant) for 41,399 days _ or roughly $3.75 per day for each inmate in a Collier jail.
For its part in 2009, Lee County received $243,376 from the program for housing 82 identified illegal immigrant inmates for 7,214 days _ or roughly $33.73 for each day the inmates were in the Lee County jail.
Collier’s per day share was lower because it received additional money from a second federal program.
NAPLES —
When it comes to getting federal money to pay for illegal immigrants’ stay in local jails, Southwest Florida has been getting a share for years.
Both Collier and Lee counties have been longtime participants in the state Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), a U.S. Justice Department-run initiative that since 1994 has paid municipalities for identifying and reporting convicted illegal immigrants jailed in their communities.
Last year, Collier County received $155,299 from the program for housing 425 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) eligible inmates (an identified illegal immigrant) for 41,399 days _ or roughly $3.75 per day for each inmate in a Collier jail.
For its part in 2009, Lee County received $243,376 from the program for housing 82 identified illegal immigrant inmates for 7,214 days _ or roughly $33.73 for each day the inmates were in the Lee County jail.
Collier’s per day share was lower because it received additional money from a second federal program.
Overall, the state along with 42 Florida counties and municipalities got more than $21.89 million from the program for housing illegal immigrants from July 2007 to June 2008.
Across the country, more than $393 million was distributed.
?As Arizona law takes effect, nation’s jails line up for federal payment for housing aliens
However there are various requirements for an inmate’s stay to count toward getting a refund, said Sgt. David Velez, Services Division supervisor for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office’s Corrections Bureau.
Among the rules is having ICE confirm the inmate is in the U.S. illegally and making sure the inmate spent at least four consecutive days in jail — a day less and that person’s stay can’t be counted toward a refund.
“We have no control over the (final) number,” Velez said. “We submit the information to the Bureau of Justice Statistics to determine.”
Velez said the Lee County Jail, which can house up to 2,003 inmates, had only 1,800 people as of Wednesday morning.
And although the per day price of housing an inmate fluctuates regularly, Velez said that currently the cost comes out to about $78 per inmate.
“The more inmates we have, the lower that number (cost),” Velez said, explaining that with more inmates the overall cost is split more ways, which lowers the per person price.
Regardless, Velez said the program, which the Lee Sheriff’s Office has been participating in since 2003, has been good for the county.
“It’s definitely beneficial to the citizens in Lee County,” Velez said, adding that the Lee Sheriff’s Office would continue to participate in the program.
Collier County Jail Chief Scott Sally agreed and said the agency already has submitted its application for this year’s grant cycle.
Yet the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program is just one funding source for Collier, he said.
The Collier Sheriff’s Office is also partly reimbursed by ICE for housing illegal immigrants through the 287g program, saving taxpayers an incredible amount of money, he said.
About 2,500 illegal immigrants in the past three years have been transferred into ICE custody through 287g.
But even though the department does get reimbursed for a lot of expenses by ICE, sheriff’s Commander Mike Williams said he knows that the amount the agency gets doesn’t cover the full cost of housing someone in the jail.
“If you looked at our jail population in 2007, we had two jails open at that time,” Williams said, noting that expenses added up between staffing, overtime and a big population. “Now we only have one jail open, we are not incurring the overtime cost, and we have 35 (percent) to 40 percent less inmates in our jail.”
In 2007, Collier County received $1.51 million from the Criminal Alien Assistance Program for housing 133 ICE eligible inmates for 15,164 days _ or roughly $100.23 for each day the inmates were in the Collier jail. Other figures:
? Lee County received $193,048 in 2007 for housing 62 ICE eligible inmates for 4,497 days _ roughly $42.92 per inmate for each day. The state, along with 40 Florida counties and municipalities, received more than $24.19 million for housing illegal immigrants from July 2007 to June 2008. A total of more than $376 million was distributed nationwide in 2007.
? In 2008, Collier received $1.03 million for housing 221 ICE eligible inmates for 21,430 days _ roughly $48.35 per inmate for each day. Lee County received $201,361 for housing 71 ICE eligible inmates for 5,304 days _ roughly $37.96 for each day per inmate. The state, along with 42 Florida counties and municipalities, received more than $22.95 million in 2008 for housing illegal immigrants. More than $386 million was distributed nationwide in 2008.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 897 inmates in the Collier County jail, which costs the jail about $124 per inmate, per day.
Williams said the jail is 500 inmates short of population projections from a few years ago, so those hard costs are distributed among fewer inmates.
“Those are all factors that the Justice Department also takes into consideration when awarding (Criminal Alien Assistance Program) money,” he said.
_ Connect with Elysa Batista at www.naplesnews.com/staff/elysa_batista
POLLS: Illegal immigrants in Collier, Lee jails generate federal money for counties
Additional facts from the U.S. Census 2009 population estimates:
? Seven U.S. counties saw their former minority populations become the majority in 2009: Gwinnett in Georgia, Titus and Victoria in Texas, Finney in Kansas, Saguache in Colorado, Yakama in Washington and Contra Costa in California. Meanwhile, Panola County in Mississippi reverted back to white majority in 2009.
? There are 50 majority Hispanic counties nationally, with the top 10 in Texas. In Florida, Miami-Dade County is the only majority Hispanic county with 62.5 percent of its population being of Hispanic descent.
? Nationwide, 76 counties are a black majority; all were in the South. In Florida, Gadsen County’s population is more than 70 percent black.
? Honolulu County, Hawaii, remained the only majority Asian county in the nation.
? California, the nation’s most populous state, had the most whites.
NAPLES —
Southwest Florida is growing more diverse and younger.
According to estimates recently released by the U.S. Census, of the 318,537 people living in Collier County in 2009, 33.22 percent or 105,845 were minorities, an increase of 2,132.
Among Lee County’s 586,908 residents in 2009, Census estimates showed that 160,539 or 27.35 percent were minorities. That’s an increase of 557.
These projections for 2009 are the last ones based on the 2000 Census before the release of the official 2010 Census counts next year.
Estimates were created using administrative records to project the components of population change — births, deaths, and domestic and international migration.
In addition to the racial minority designation that includes Asian, black and Native American, the Census also counts Hispanics, which is an ethnicity and includes people of various racial backgrounds.
Within Collier’s total minority community, 83,391 residents, or 26.17 percent of the population, consider themselves Hispanic. That’s an increase of 2,260 from 2008.
In Lee County, 102,062 residents, or 17.38 percent of the county’s total population, consider themselves Hispanic. That’s a gain of 310 from the 2008 estimate.
Numbers released in April showed that Collier County gained 3,004 residents from 2008 to 2009, and showed that Lee County’s population dropped 1,801 _ the first time it has happened in a decade.
Among Florida’s 18.53 million residents in 2009, a total of 7.51 million are minorities and 3.99 million classify themselves as being of Hispanic descent.
The nation’s overall minority population continued to rise steadily, adding 2.3 million from 2008 to 2009, and bringing the total of minorities in the U.S. to 107,150,000 or 34.9 percent of the total population.
In 2008, the Census Bureau projected that non-Hispanic white children will become the minority in 2023 and the overall white population will follow in 2042.
As of now, U.S. Census spokesman Robert Bernstein said, those projections haven’t been updated, but are expected to change.
“We’ll do new projections based on the 2010 Census,” he said. “It will be really great when we have the fresh numbers from the 2010 Census. That’s just going to give us a tremendous snapshot of the population as it stands now. We are eagerly anticipating that.”
But a change in U.S. population when the current minority becomes the majority remains inevitable, Edison State College sociology professor Mike Andoscia said.
“It’s certain to happen within the next generation,” Andoscia said.
Meanwhile, the latest estimates showed Southwest Florida is getting just a bit younger.
Even so, in 2009, Collier County ranked 17th out of the country’s 2,432 counties with populations higher than 10,000 for the highest over-65 population — 26.8 percent or 85,470 residents.
Lee County came in 60th, with 22.7 percent of its population, 133,488 residents, over age 65.
Charlotte County took the No. 1 spot in 2009 for having the highest over-65 population percentage _ 34.3 percent, or 53,814 of the 156,952 residents.
In December, the Census Bureau is expected to release the official 2010 Census population counts for the nation and states, which will be used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
More than a dozen states also stand to gain or lose House seats after the 2010 census depending on last-minute shifts in population — including the Sunshine State.
“We’ll see how many Congressional seats, if any, Florida is gaining,” Bernstein said.
The population breakdown by race and ethnic background for county and metropolitan areas using 2010 Census numbers is slated for release around March 2011, he said.
Those numbers will be used to redraw legislative boundaries for U.S. House seats and state legislative districts.
__ Connect with Elysa Batista at www.naplesnews.com/staff/elysa_batista
Collier’s population now one-third minority, Census estimates show
Posted in News
Tagged bonita_news, california, college, collier, collier-county, country, database, georgia, hawaii, kansas, nation, News, race
Bonita Springs City Council meets at at 9 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 9101 Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs.
BONITA SPRINGS —
There is a possibility that Southwest Florida’s bus systems soon will connect two neighboring communities.
At this week’s Bonita Springs City Council meeting, LeeTran will make a presentation on a potential link with the Collier Area Transit system.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 9101 Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs.
Bonita Springs City Manager
Gary Price said that the bi-county bus route has been supported by council members in the past.
LeeTran representatives will propose a possible reconfiguration of the current route, called Route 150, which serves Coconut Point mall and the Bonita Beach Trolley.
An east-west route would provide service between Lovers Key State Park and Publix on Bonita Beach Road at Bonita Grande Drive. A north-south route would provide services at fixed stops along U.S. 41, between the Creekside Business Park at Immokalee Road in Collier County and Coconut Point Mall in Lee County.
If approved, Price said, the service would start Oct. 1.
The project would cost $1,029,239 for one year, according to a prepared statement.
The Florida Department of Transportation will provide $626,443 and LeeTran has been awarded $152,914 in matching dollars from the Federal Transit Administration Job Access Revenue Commute Program.
These two grants will be matched with LeeTran money used for two routes — the seasonal Bonita Trolley route and the Route 150 — Bonita Springs’ annual contribution of $566,682.
Lee County has requested a contribution from Collier County government of $73,816 to pay for 50 percent of the cost of operating the route in Collier County.
Estimated ridership on the new Lee-Collier connector is 21,618 trips.
Route 150 provided 51,580 trips in fiscal 2009, and the Bonita Beach Trolley Route had 12,301.
Also at the meeting, representatives of Cella Molnar & Associates will update the council on the Interstate 75-Bonita Beach Road interchange construction. This is a DOT project, which the city has been involved in for about a year, Price said.
The lanes to get onto ramps for northbound and southbound I-75 from Bonita Beach Road will be widened from one lane to two lanes, according to DOT officials.
Funding will come from the former I-75 and Coconut Road earmark.
This project could start in the next couple of weeks, Price said.
Council also will provide direction to staff whether to pursue red light cameras pursuant to the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act. The bill (HB 325) passed during the 2010 Florida legislative session.
Although Lee County didn’t see a significant number of crashes that can be directly linked to red light runners that would warrant Lee pursuing cameras, it would be glad to work with Bonita Springs through an agreement if the city wanted to pursue installing cameras at specific locations, according to a prepared memorandum to Lee County commissioners from Paul Wingard, deputy director for the Lee Department of Transportation.
Other City Council items on the agenda:
– A team of branding experts and graphic artists will provide an update on the Bonita Springs community branding initiative.
– Slated as part of the consent agenda, approve an agreement between Lee County government and the city of Bonita Springs regarding Lee County Domestic Animal Services. This agreement establishes the costs of service from Oct. 1, 2010, through Sept. 30, 2011, which was determined to be $183,136.
– Discussion of a potential fundraiser at Riverside Park for the bird victims of the BP oil spill disaster. Community volunteers, including former Mayor Jay Arend and his granddaughter, Angel Sanchez, wish to use Riverside Park for a benefit concert to help pay for materials to treat and house bird victims with the cooperation of the Calusa Nature Center. The group plans to submit a special event permit and co-sponsorship request on July 7, at the City Council meeting.
– First reading and public hearing of an ordinance to amend road impact fees.
__ Connect with Tracy X. Miguel at www.naplesnews.com/staff/tracy_x_miguel/
Link to Collier bus system, red light cameras on Wednesday’s Bonita agenda
