Tamiami Trail – Tampa to Miami and vice versa – started with Dade County commissioners agreeing to fund a portion of the road in 1915 and ending with a 260-mile highway and a new county – Collier During the 13 years of construction, work would stop several times because of a lack of funds. Barron Gift Collier finally agreed to fund completion of eastern portion through The Everglades in exchange for Collier being formed out of what was then a giant Lee County and named for him a new world for visitors and more residents to Florida was considered a feat of civil engineering including dynamite and specialized equipment The project cost about $8 million, which is about $127.1 million in 2025 dollars How many people worked on building the Tamiami Trail on Florida's west coast?More than 2,000 people did back-breaking work carving blasting and scraping their way along the designated route through The Everglades the last 5 years saw most of the Trail’s completion in addition to founding the Naples Daily News Collier backed a $350,000 loan to complete the trail and put his own construction company on the job according to a 1976 story in the newspaper that was republished in 1994 The limestone in The Everglades was deep and conditions were sweltering with more mosquitoes than people living in The Everglades How much dynamite was used?Cutting out the Trail used more than 2.6 million sticks of dynamite which had been invented in 1867 by Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel When did the Tamiami Trail open?April 26th The road acted as a dam to block the natural flow from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay and the Big Cypress Watershed flow into the Gulf The road in question is called Tamiami Trail cuts through the Florida Everglades to connect Tampa and Miami which cities it stretches through and why the Florida senator that proposed its name change dropped the bill The Tamiami Trail is a 284-mile stretch of U.S cuts through the Everglades and ends in Miami Why is it called the Tamiami Trail?This Tamiami Trail is the southernmost portion of U.S Its name comes from the two major cities it connects: Tampa and Miami “Today, Tamiami Trail has been outpaced by faster routes like Alligator Alley (a portion of I-75). But in its heyday, the Trail  was considered a feat of civil engineering,” Florida Seminole Tourism’s article on the history of the trail says “Connecting Tampa and Miami across the Everglades was a dream just out of reach at the beginning of the 20th century… Conversations between movers and shakers in Miami and Fort Myers began to envision a connecting highway that would cut through the swamp.” The construction for the trail was a long, expensive process that started in 1915 and took 13 years, more than 2,000 workers, $8 million (around $147 million in 2025) and more than 2.6 million sticks of dynamite to complete, according to Florida Seminole Tourism It's official: Florida's FWC dives in, adopts the 'Gulf of America' name change The Tamiami Trail cuts through the cities of Palmetto, Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice and North Port, according to Visit Florida More about the dropped proposal: Sarasota Sen. Gruters drops proposal to rename U.S. 41 Gulf of America Trail after outcry Joe Gruters did propose a bill in February 2025 that would have renamed the 284-mile stretch of U.S 41 the “Gulf of America Trail.” But he dropped the bill in March 2025 “Gruters proposed the name change as part of statewide efforts to adopt the name Gulf of America on official state records in compliance with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump during his first day in office,” The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported last week “But he quickly dropped it after negative public reaction following news reports of the proposal.” “I don't want the renaming of Tamiami Trail to be a distraction from a lot of the other good bills that we have moving forward,” Gruters told the Herald-Tribune The bill would have changed the name of the road between Hillsborough and Miami-Dade Counties Other countries are still referring to the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) they’ve “updated the Gulf’s name to coincide with the President’s Proclamation to recognize February 9 “Federal agencies are currently in the process of updating their maps, products, and services to reflect the Gulf of America name change,” the USGS website says Apple Maps and Google Maps have also updated their maps to say “Gulf of America.” (This story was updated to add more cities that the Tamiami Trail cuts through.) Florida is moving quickly to adopt a name change for the Gulf under the leadership of President Donald Trump 41 could be the first major roadway in line for a permanent name change in response State Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, filed a bill for consideration during the legislative session beginning next week that would rename a stretch of U.S. 41 commonly known as Tamiami Trail to "Gulf of America Trail" — following suit with directives from the White House to adopt the name "Gulf of America" nationwide Named for the Florida cities it was built to connect It opened in 1928 and served as the main thoroughfare between the two major metros until construction of Interstate 75 decades later In case you missed the news: Trump to sign executive order to rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America Also: GOP bill would change 'Gulf of Mexico' to 'Gulf of America' in more than 50 state statutes "There is a lot of love for the president in Southwest Florida specifically and that stretch of Tamiami Trail from Tampa all the way through Collier is Trump country," Gruters told the Herald-Tribune "There is no better way to show him our appreciation and love for our home-state president than naming one of the larger roadways after the Gulf of America." The bill would also require that state agencies county school districts and charter school boards to use teaching materials that reflect the name "Gulf of America." State Rep filed a similar bill last week in the Florida House Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, and House Majority Leader Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, have filed bills that would change references in state laws from Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America More: It's now Gulf of America. US officially makes Trump change to Gulf of Mexico any mention in Florida statute that says the words 'Gulf of Mexico' will simply change to Gulf of America," DiCeglie said "It's a body of water that drives our tourism here in Pinellas County and that goes for the entire west coast of Florida and people come here from all over the world and a simple name change to Gulf of America I think really celebrates that Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson also recently directed the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to enshrine the "Gulf of America" name change in all department rules who is believed to have eyes set on a run for Florida governor after Gov said the Gulf has been of vital importance to the nation's economy history and culture for generations and he supports Trumps efforts to stamp America's name on it "To me it's a pretty simple process," Simpson said "The President entered an executive order to change the name to Gulf of America and it's incumbent upon us to make sure it's reflecting properly for all time I believe it was Buffalo Avenue in downtown Tampa we all changed our addresses to reflect that change," Simpson said "I see the Gulf of America as the same exact thing and our records are going to reflect that it's the Gulf of America Fla — A Florida state senator has filed a bill to rename Tamiami Trail The bill was filed by State Sen and Hillsborough Counties to "Gulf of America Trail." In addition, the bill would require state agencies to update geographic materials to reflect the Gulf of America. The action comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico. district school boards and charter school governing boards will also have to adopt and acquire materials and collections that reflect the name change President Trump first mentioned the name change back in January during a press conference. Since then, multiple elected officials like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have backed the order. Google announced that it would comply with the order by updating Google Maps to show the Gulf of America and I feel like that's part of where the system failed" Henry Betsey Jr. is facing charges for marrying three Florida women in three different counties at the same time. Now saying the system that handles marriage licenses kept them in the dark More Sarasota and Manatee County News from ABC Action News Report a typo UPDATE: Republican Senator Joe Gruters dropped this proposal to rename Tamiami Trail A bill filed in the legislature would change the name of an iconic road with a nearly 100-year history One historian says a name change might chip away a piece of Florida history Republican Sarasota Senator Joe Gruters filed SB 1058 to change Tamiami Trail a history professor at Florida Southern College says a name change may lead to a loss of history symbolizes some of the early history of Florida something that ought to give leaders pause,” Denham told WMNF and was the main way for people to get from Tampa to Miami and back until I-75 came years later “It’s really one of the great engineering feats in American history ““It’s an iconic engineering project and the name I think immediately conjures up early Florida in the last frontier And I think it’s important for people to really know and understand how difficult it was to build such a road.” This comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America The bill also would require schools and state agencies to update materials to reflect the name of “Gulf of America.”  It comes amidst a larger name change movement. In Citrus County, Commissioners recently discussed renaming the Cross Florida Barge Canal to the American Freedom Canal Senator Gruters did not respond to WMNF’s request for comment We must ask ourselves: Why are Republicans working so hard to erase our history I think it’s an attempt to remove Native American names from our country XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong> Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value" Listen: Environmentalists in Pinellas County are calling for a renewed.. Roundup of news headlines produced for WMNF Community Radio: Trump,.. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin' Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_4" ).setAttribute( "value" Proud member of Project Galileo and protected by Cloudflare WMNF is a registered 501(с)3 charitable organization - The Nathan B. Stubblefield Foundation, Inc. | Online Public File Or if you just wanna let our DJ know you’re enjoying their show Signup below to get The Scoop delivered every weekday to your email inbox Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" WMNF advises you to check with the individual venues or event planners listed before heading to anything posted here There is a high likelihood that many events have been or will be canceled or postponed Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" — People in Naples are split over a new bill introduced in the Florida Senate that would rename Tamiami Trail proposing the name change following the federal government’s recent decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America WATCH TO SEE HOW PEOPLE IN NAPLES ARE REACTING TO THE PROPOSAL TO CHANGE U.S named for its connection between Tampa and Miami has been a key roadway in Southwest Florida for nearly a century Many residents and visitors who spoke to Fox 4 say they want it to stay that way I don’t think it should be changed,” said one former Naples resident visiting for the holiday it goes from Tampa to Miami and that's why it named that," another added saying it aligns with the recent federal decision to rename the Gulf It just aligns with all the other messaging coming out of the White House today,” said Kevin Purcell “Really excited about it—where can I sign up?” “I think it’s a that could be a good option Donald Trump Drive would be just as fine," said Kevin Kelly "I mean we’re in Naples you know we’re on the Gulf the bill would require updating road signs along U.S 41 and mandate that school districts and state agencies use the Gulf of America name in official documents I’d support it absolutely,” one woman said The Florida legislative session begins in March If approved by the House and Senate and signed by the governor the name change would take effect on July 1 Typical ebbs and flows of the single-family home market do not have much of an impact on the ultra Four restaurant chains and a cake shop will join seven other businesses coming this year to the new Tree Farm.. the May 5 opening of the Hospital for Special Surgery at NCH takes the health care.. Angel investors from the Naples-based Tamiami Family of Angel Funds invested an additional $1.05 million in Kind Designs a South Florida-based climate-tech company that manufactures environmentally friendly Living Seawalls to protect coastal communities from rising sea levels Tamiami Angel investors are now the largest backers of the company Kind Designs uses 3D-printing technology to print seawalls that mimic coral reefs and mangroves hosting biodiversity and improving water quality while dissipating wave action The company’s Living Seawalls are reinforced with recycled ocean plastic fibers and contain embedded water-quality sensors to create a global network of water data Kind Designs is benefiting from government mandates to raise seawalls the need for environmentally friendly building materials in marine construction and the competitive edge of lower installation costs Sarasota Republican State Sen. Joe Gruters has dropped a proposal in a bill he filed that would have changed the name of U.S. 41 to Gulf of America Trail as lawmakers were set to start of the 2025 legislative session following public criticism But he quickly dropped it after negative public reaction following news reports of the proposal "I don't want the renaming of Tamiami Trail to be a distraction from a lot of the other good bills that we have moving forward," Gruters told the Herald-Tribune on Tuesday The bill he filed last month would have renamed U.S to "Gulf of America Trail" in counties between Hillsborough and Miami-Dade In case you missed it: Sarasota senator pitches plan to rename U.S. 41, Tamiami Trail, to Gulf of America Trail Also: It's official: Florida's FWC dives in, adopts the 'Gulf of America' name change 41 to the "Gulf of America" has been nixed other initiatives to rename the Gulf live on at the state level The bill proposed by Gruters also included a directive for Florida schools colleges and universities to refer to the Gulf as "Gulf of America." The bill will still be considered during the Florida legislative session State Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, and House Republican Leader Tyler Sirois of Merritt Island, filed bills that would change references in state laws from "Gulf of Mexico" to "Gulf of America." The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have also announced efforts to rename the Gulf of Mexico in all commission materials documents and rules to reflect its new name Gruters said he still supports the "Gulf of America" name change and intends to back measures to officially rename the Gulf of Mexico in all Florida records so everything else is moving forward because we can't have different names appearing in different areas," Gruters said "There is no cost to have future materials printed with the correct name." the Gulf of America Trail is an unneeded distraction in the community when I have so many great things going on," he said "I'd rather have people focus on some of the better bills that we're proposing." The Tamiami Trail gets it's name from the two cities it connects and in the early 20th century the idea to cut through the Everglades was quite a feat According to Florida Seminole Tourism,The Trail has a rich history that started with the President of The Chamber of Commerce in Fort Myers and the President in Miami In addition to the renaming of the trail, the bill would require state agencies to update geographic materials to reflect the Gulf of America. The action comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico. The GOP in Florida is all over President Donald Trump's "Gulf of America" name change the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has been directed to make the change in all its rules and now a Sarasota senator has filed a bill to rename a major roadway Trump issued an executive order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on day one of his second term as president runs from Tampa to Miami and was named for both cities It served as the main thoroughfare between the two major metros until the construction of Interstate 75 decades later 14 that AP journalists were indefinitely barred from limited spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One because of the name-change refusal "The law does not allow the government to control speech based on its likes and dislikes." On Tuesday, the Trump administration went a step further and announced from now on it would decide which news outlets have access to the president something that had previously been decided by an independent association of journalists Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has threatened to sue Google if it does not reconsider its decision to rename the Gulf for its U.S “If a country wants to change the designation of something in the sea it would only apply up to 12 nautical miles This is what we explained in detail to Google,” Sheinbaum Pardo told reporters in Mexico City Mexico and Cuba share the body of water and each one controls a certain amount of the coastal waters of the Gulf In 2007, Mexico asked to extend its continental shelf up to 350 nautical miles in certain areas which would overlap some of the U.S.'s jurisdiction The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf accepted Mexico's arguments in 2009 but Mexico and the U.S would need another agreement to formalize each country's claims State Sen. Joe Gruters of Sarasota spends a lot of time trying to find ways to ingratiate himself further with President Donald Trump – which is fine every street sign along Tamiami Trail would need to be replaced – and the thousands of businesses that line the roadway would have to change all of their printed materials and signage Gruters wants to be the next chief financial officer of Florida In the current era of DOGE and its mission to stop government waste it's not a great idea to propose wasting millions for precisely zero benefit to anyone – except for earning you a pat on the head from President Trump He was a candidate for Florida's 16th Congressional District in the Republican Party 2022 primary election This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Joe Gruters announced Monday he was dropping a bill to rename Tamiami Trail highway to the “Gulf of America Trail.” but did not explain Monday while he was pulling it Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account EVQLV had everything Tamiami Angel Funds investors were seeking: a foothold in the life sciences industry to diversify its portfolio a tech-based company capable of rapid scaling and a trendy AI engine Another bonus: The business is based in Miami which aligns with the preferences of Naples-based Tamiami Angel Funds—the largest and most active angel fund in Florida with five funds and nearly $33 million in investments over the past decade these investors want to support ventures within the state “We prefer to invest in Southwest Florida over anywhere else in the state of Florida,” said Tamiami Angel Funds Chairman Timothy J “we find that Southwest Florida still lacks some important components to really be an entrepreneurial or innovation hotspot.” One such component that’s missing is a research university or institute such as Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville or Kennedy Space Center in Melbourne The closest comparison he made is The Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University “As it starts to get more recognized and generates grants and research maybe there will be some pretty cool water technologies conservation or purification [efforts] that come out of it but that’s one thing this region lacks compared to other regions,” Cartwright said Cartwright also pointed out that the region lacks a strong technology development environment similar to Silicon Valley Tamiami Angel investors entered an agreement with Bonita Springs-based financial technology business ConnexPay This promise is partly due to the FGCU Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship where students can acquire start-up skills Participants in the school’s Runway Program can even secure seed funding in a Shark Tank-style setting with Tamiami Angels participating in the judging process The link between what Cartwright referred to as the “incredible entrepreneurial energy in Southwest Florida” and “business knowledge of semi-retired people that move down here” can also be advantageous for aspiring executives “If you could team a very motivated and persistent young entrepreneur with the right kind of technology and [teach them] how to solve big business problems market internationally and build an executive team and combine that with capital from the Tamiami Angel Funds you start to think about how special this place could be which could attract more entrepreneurs,” Cartwright said The Small Business Development Center at FGCU and local SCORE chapters are two places young innovators can connect with seasoned executives Other informal mentor-type relationships can be built via chamber meetings and more Professionals can even match on the pickleball court as Florida ranked second of the top 10 states with the most places to play the sport according to the online pickleball community Pickleheads These relationships may help entrepreneurs learn to become more adaptable in their endeavors A coachable CEO is something Tamiami Angel Funds also considers That’s what ultimately led the group to invest $500,000 in EVQLV after initially turning the company down due to its original business model Cartwright said angel investors advised EVQLV CEO Andrew Satz to make some changes When they learned that Satz implemented the advice and secured more customers as a result “Partnering with Tamiami Angel Fund has provided EVQLV with far more than just capital Their strategic insights and mentorship have been invaluable helping us accelerate our growth even before they officially became an investor,” Satz said Tamiami Angel Funds invests in an average of six to 10 businesses per year Tamiami Angel Funds is a double-bottom-line investor meaning the first bottom line is return of investment; the second is some additional feel-good benefit a start-up in question has to meet both criteria which sometimes leads to investments outside the area “Since we’re ROI-focused as our first bottom line if the company is in Ohio versus Florida and the Ohio company has a better we’re going to invest in that company and not the Florida-based company,” Cartwright said Not only has Chef Brian Roland physically and emotionally returned to public life in Southwest Florida after his life-altering tragedy.. Beeline is counting on thirsty folks making a beeline to its new upscale cocktail bar at Mercato in North Naples... The 72-unit Verandas III opened and is fully occupied on Airport Road marking the final phase in the redevelopment of.. Sarasota city officials are preparing for a major water infrastructure project that could disrupt traffic on segments of North Tamiami Trail for years The main runs through the center of Tamiami Trail one of the busiest highway corridors in the state so replacing the entire pipe at once is infeasible the project will be a slow roll − seven phases replaced over a projected 3.5 years The main serves residents in north Sarasota The project has been in a design phase since 2019 and it will work its way north on Tamiami Trail Phase 1 will replace the line from 14th street to 17th street; the final Phases 6 and 7 will tackle the stretch from 47th Street to University Parkway The city said the repair part of a $300 million plan approved by the City Commission in 2018 to replace aging utilities The project’s webpage says construction is projected to begin this summer but Project Manager Georges Nicolas said there are still several bureaucratic hoops to jump through including final approval from the City Commission before he estimates when jackhammers will hit pavement The water main runs through the road's median Construction crews will coordinate with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to keep the outside lanes open while they work Nicolas said time of the day for construction will change “The time varies depending on the nature of the work General work will be done for business hours because that's when we need staff to monitor and inspect but certain other scope of the work will have to be done at night because that's less traffic,” Nicolas said patchwork repairs are a costly headache both for city officials and commuters they present public safety concerns − the system was built with asbestos in the 1960s It breaks could contaminate the water supply “The material that it's made of is no longer permissible and it's kind of run through its useful life,” Nicolas said The project manager said there was no danger of contamination unless parts of the main broke and the city monitors water for any problems we have to go through a slew of testing for bacterial and different contaminants The city said it will also closely coordinate agencies including the Florida Departments of Health and Environmental Protection “The main goal here is sustainability and resilience for the next 100 years,” Nicolas said Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Email him at ccasale@gannett.com and or christiancasale@protonmail.com Image: Lauren Jackson South Sarasota residents and passersby watched as the property that was formerly The Devyn was transformed into an enormous Asian market a sign was placed on the property's front lawn alerting the neighborhood that HL Asian Market would be coming soon Everyone's interest was immediately piqued cars backed up both the northbound and southbound lanes of U.S 41 as eager customers waited for parking spots to open up celebratory customers stood shoulder-to-shoulder greeting people they knew and showing off what they found whether it was something from their former home country somewhere they had visited or a product they had been hoping to use in a recipe but could not find in Sarasota's other We've been waiting for months," one couple said to the cashier during checkout HL Asian Market rivals the size of other area grocery chains and has 23 aisles of ingredients an assortment of alcoholic beverages and more a meat and seafood counter offers dozens of varieties of proteins many of which are still alive in their saltwater tanks Besides being the largest Asian market in town HL Asian Market also has the longest hours it's a safe bet that the market will be busy in the coming weeks take a drive over to marvel at the selection of products and check out the huge space TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida senator has pulled the bill hefiled last week to rename Tamiami Trail to Gulf of America Trail State Sen. Joe Gruters, (R-Sarasota) filed a bill on Feb Gruters pulled the renaming portion of the bill saying I removed the GOAT road rename portion of the bill to avoid an unnecessary distraction of my own making I have important and challenging work ahead on bills that will allow me to fight for our community and I want everyone united behind me on those efforts.” The bill would still require state agencies to update geographic materials to reflect the Gulf of America When Royal Palm state park was dedicated in 1916 the portion of Ingraham Highway to Royal Palm had been completed president of the Model Land Company and vice president of the Florida East Coast Railroad who had large involvement in earlier land surveys and dedicating Royal Palm as a state park it was Flagler’s dream to develop South Florida With the intent of extending a railroad through the Everglades Flagler hired Ingraham to determine whether the Everglades could be drained for a railroad Another route was determined more suitable for a railroad but Ingraham still had plans for growth in development and agriculture for the Everglades While numerous technical problems and the onset of World War I made it impossible to extend the road to Cape Sable by 1922 a large portion of the original proposed Ingraham highway was complete Tied to the development of the Ingraham Highway was the Homestead Canal The construction of the canal was necessary to provide drainage of the Everglades for the road to be developed The canal is approximately 50 miles long and follows the road until Coot Bay/ Mud Lake much of the historic Old Ingraham highway has been incorporated into newer roads from Florida City to Flamingo Some of the highway has been removed to restore the landscape while other portions are now used as park administrative roads or trails The Tamiami trail is a road that serves as the north eastern park boundary with each district building their portion of the road After thirteen years of cutting through the glades and sand the Tamiami Trail and canal were complete the road contributed to the development of the interior and the accessibility of the Everglades the road also led to the development of sport hunting and tourism along the trail The location of the Tamiami trail disrupted the natural flow of water blocking Seminole and Miccosukee canoe travel many villages developed along side the trail where Miccosukee people served as hunting or tourist guides Download the NPS app to navigate the parks on the go This family-friendly takeover will make its way to Tamiami Park as part of Balloon Shows USA. It’ll take place during the last weekend of the month, where you can watch in awe as balloons become illuminated with laser lights and music! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hot Air Balloon Shows (@balloonshowsusa) live DJs and entertainment at the festival There will be plenty available to keep the little ones entertained as they’ll have a designated Kids Zone with games and rides You’ll even have the opportunity to ride a hot air balloon yourself because what kind of balloon fiesta would it be without that option Tickets to catch a ride and enjoy stunning bird’s-eye views are available separately to general admission festival tickets The main attraction — the laser show and balloons — will officially commence at 9 p.m. as the crowd joins in unison for a countdown With lively music and a synchronized display of hot air balloons and lasers you’ll be in for a glowing spectacle that’s not to miss chairs and umbrellas to set up your perfect viewing spot The Miami Hot Air Balloon Festival will take over Tamiami Park on Friday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1. It will run from 5 to 11 p.m. More information can be found on their website here 2025 at 6:01 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}An excavator came off a trailer shutting down an area of North Tamiami Trail on Friday evening (Courtesy of Sarasota Police Department)SARASOTA FL — An excavator came off a trailer shutting down a section of North Tamiami Trail Friday evening Sarasota police wrote in a Facebook post around 5:40 p.m The crash happened south of University Parkway Traffic is being diverted at Remington Drive This post will be updated when more information is available and the road has reopened Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. "The name of the hotel will be The Carnelian," Vice President of Development Joe McCabe told In the Know "We anticipate a groundbreaking in December and project completion/opening in the fall of 2026." With Waterside doing its own demoing and redeveloping that's part of the continuing remaking on both sides of Tamiami Trail of what had been the Pine Ridge Road outskirts of Naples many decades ago You just don't notice it when you're exceeding the 45 mph speed limit With an architectural goal complementary to Pelican Bay's grandeur, this all paved the way for The Carnelian, named for a stone that royalty and the affluent have treasured for centuries to not only demonstrate a family's wealth but offer physical and spiritual protection to the wearer In the Know: Veteran developer has Naples Mercato-style plans ready to go near Collier-Lee border "It's meant to be positioned with Waterside, on that level of demographic," Gulf Coast founder Phil McCabe told my colleague Laura Layden of the 2.5-acre site purchased for $8 million and it has the zoning for what I'm doing already Housing 'It's staggering.' Qualifying income to buy Naples home now more than double U.S. average Rooftop pools are planned for guests including one for adults and another for families to go with hot tubs a fire pit and other amenities including a restaurant On the ground floor, the goal is for two high-end national restaurants comparable to at least the level of a Capital Grille Grand opening celebrations scheduled for Friday a leading and top-performing cannabis company in the U.S. today announced the opening of new Florida medical cannabis dispensaries in Bonita Springs and St Grand opening celebrations at both locations will be held Friday and opportunities to register for upcoming patient education sessions as well as learn about #YesOn3 and the ballot initiative to legalize adult cannabis use in Florida "We look forward to helping more people in Lee and St John's Counties enhance their lives through medical cannabis." offering walk-in and express pickup service Both new dispensaries will carry a wide variety of popular products including Trulieve's portfolio of in-house brands such as Alchemy Customers will also have access to beloved partner brands such as Alien Labs all available exclusively at Trulieve in Florida Investor ContactChristine Hersey, Vice President of Investor Relations+1 (424) 202-0210Christine.Hersey@Trulieve.com Media ContactPhil Buck, APR, Corporate Communications Manager+1 (406) 370-6226Philip.Buck@Trulieve.com ©2018 – 2025   Trulieve - All Rights Reserved.Terms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyADA Compliance The Sarasota Pavilion shopping center added another retailer to its roster of stores at the corner of Stickney Point Road A new Old Navy store opened in the center Friday It’s the second Old Navy store in the Sarasota area joining the one located at the University Town Center The store contains more than 11,000 square feet of retail space according to a press release from the clothing brand Marshalls and Bealls also located in the Sarasota Pavilion shopping center Illinois-based real estate investment firm InvenTrust Properties purchased the 1.5 million square-foot shopping center for almost $45 million in 2010 according to Sarasota County property records Contact Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@gannett.com Hannah Yechivi MIAMI-DADE COUNTY – A 23-year-old man has been arrested after a 4-year-old boy was injured in a shooting over the weekend at a mobile home community in Miami-Dade County’s Tamiami neighborhood Christopher Stiven Del Carpio was arrested Sunday on charges of attempted second-degree murder shooting or throwing a deadly missile and resisting an officer without violence The shooting was reported shortly before 9 p.m Saturday in the area of Southwest 127th Court and 12th Street inside the University Lakes mobile home community Miami-Dade police said Del Carpio and several other people were socializing in the common area of one of the homes when he and a 37-year-old man got into a dispute which escalated into a physical confrontation Police said Del Carpio armed himself with a gun at which time the man he had been fighting with and a 28-year-old woman retreated inside one of the units Del Carpio fired at the victims and into the unit but multiple bullets passed through the walls of the unit into a second unit Police confirmed that the boy was struck by one of the bullets on the left side of his torso His mother told Local 10 News that bullets also struck her car and window The boy was transported to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital where hospital staff discovered that he sustained a graze wound to his torso and the bullet did not penetrate his internal organs “Police came -- they were doing the investigation The only thing I want is to find the person,” the boy’s mother detectives pulled over a Lyft vehicle on Sunday that had picked up Del Carpio and his girlfriend Police said Del Carpio refused to get out of the car during the traffic stop and detectives had to pull him out of the vehicle and repeatedly punch him in the torso to get him to comply with their orders Del Carpio later provided a “full confession” to detectives He was then transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center said this shooting highlights the importance of people thinking prior to reacting He said a quick reaction can end up taking away an innocent life “This is a situation where someone had a firearm was acting reckless and (it) could have cost the child’s life,” Sierra said the child’s going to be OK and people need to be more accountable of their actions.” Authorities said the boy was released from the hospital and is recovering at home Del Carpio was held without bond Tuesday after appearing in court The judge also ordered him to stay away from the victims involved in the incident Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com Hannah Yechivi joined the Local 10 News team in May of 2024 TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Closed Captioning / Audio Description Contact Us Careers at WPLG Terms of Use Privacy Policy Public File FCC Applications EEO Report Do Not Sell My Info 1.0 Host Exhibit Copyright © 2025 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC. VENICE – The owners of 1.44 acres near downtown Venice have scrapped plans to build a hotel on part of the land, in favor of multifamily residential housing along Guild Drive and commercial along Tamiami Trail The City Council had deadlocked on a 3-3 vote in its Jan 14 meeting when development of a hotel was in the plan and Council Member Rachel Frank was absent the council gave initial approval of ordinances to unify the future land use designations for the area as "mixed-use corridor" and to change the zoning of three lots along Guild Drive to pave the way for the development by identical 5-2 votes with council members Joan Farrell and Ron Smith dissenting who used to live in the adjacent Country Club Shores neighborhood voted with Farrell and Smith to create the deadlock has been owned by the Barsuk family since the 1970s who was representing Barsuk Florida Properties LLC The three lots that front Tamiami Trail in the island are already designated as mixed-use corridor The three lots that front Guild Drive in Country Club Estates are designated as high-density residential The change reduces the height and density of any residential development on those back three lots do not plan to develop the parcel themselves but would sell it to a subsequent party who would do so He offered additional stipulations that specifically ruled out development of a hotel on the site and access along Guild Drive with a consolidated access off of Fairway Drive “We tried to listen to the comments from the mayor and council as well as the public,” Black said referencing both council's and residents' comments that raised questions about the compatibility between a hotel and the single-family residences east of Tamiami Trail The City Council had previously balked at plans for a hotel abutting Country Club Estates at 775 S Once that proposal stalled, the land was purchased by MPS development. Developer Mike Miller has plans to build a 36-unit condominium there. The Barsuk property is just south of Gold Rush BBQ Once the ordinances are approved on second reading any multi-family residences would be limited to 35 feet in height by right with the possibility of 10 feet understory parking Black said he anticipated the likely use of property along Tamiami Trail would either be restaurant or office use The second reading of the two ordinances will likely as soon as the Feb At its March 19 Village Council Meeting the Village of Estero presented a traffic study that revealed the most dangerous intersections in the village Staff from Johnson Engineering reviewed five years of crash data (2020 through 2024) at key intersections along the Tamiami Trail corridor within the Village of Estero The crash data was reviewed to observe high crash areas and determine if corrective actions could be taken such as turn lane improvements A total of 643 crashes occurred at the six intersections listed in the study The study showed that a majority of these accidents were rear end collisions and side swipes Rear end collisions accounted for approximately 60% of the crashes that occurred along Tamiami Trail The most dangerous intersection in Estero is Corkscrew Road and Three Oaks Parkway which has seen 179 crashes in the past five years This intersection was followed by the following intersections: US 41 & Estero Parkway: 165 crashesUS 41 & Corkscrew Road: 158 crashesUS 41 & Williams Road: 118 crashesUS 41 & Coconut Road:105 crashesThree Oaks Parkway & Estero Parkway: 93 crashesCorkscrew Road & Ben Hill Griffin Parkway: 70 crashesMore analysis of Estero's dangerous intersectionsThe rates of accidents along Tamiami Trail have stayed consistent over the five-years of data even though the rates of overall traffic volumes has increased A majority of these crashes were property damage only Over the previous 5-years there have fatalities documented along the corridor with most of these intersections having at least 1 Williams Road at Tamiami Trail had 3 fatal accidents over the previous 5 years 2 of which were angled crashesinvolving vehicles making permissive left turns onto Williams Road from Tamiami Trail A review of the 5-year crash history (2020 through 2024) along Corkscrew Road within the Village limits and Three Oaks Parkway was conducted to assess the crash data along the Village of Estero’s main arterial roadways A total of 414 crashes occurred at the six major intersections Similar to the crashes that occurred along Tamiami Trail approximately 60% of these crashes were also rear end collisions the rates of accidents along Tamiami Trail have stayed consistent over the 5-years of data Over the previous 5-years there were two documented fatalities Avehicle fatality due to an angle collision occurred at Three OaksParkway and Coconut Road A pedestrian fatality occurred at theintersection of Corkscrew Road and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway in 2021 This intersection has since been reconstructed as part of the Lee County Corkscrew Road widening project and included signal and pedestrian improvements Andrews and his wild adventure across the future Tamiami TrailNaples Daily NewsThe cross-peninsular stretch of the Tamiami Trail between Naples and Miami officially opened on April 25 Area residents welcomed the road and predicted a boost to the local economy from the increased traffic Perfectly positioned to profit from the road were the Koreshans whose property ran adjacent to the Tamiami Trail as it passed through the small wrote about his experience during the “blazing” stage of the Tamiami Trail Andrews was among the group known as the “Trailblazers” who completed the first successful motorcade crossing of the route that later became the Tamiami Trail the Trailblazers set out from Fort Myers towards Miami across the vastness of South Florida The motorcade consisted of 10 vehicles and 28 men Andrews described this place as a land where “law and order are practically unknown,” home only to the Seminoles and assorted moonshiners As the expedition progressed through wet prairie Andrews and the others relied on the knowledge of their Seminole guides to find water game and to determine the best route across the glades The constant need for fresh water weighed heavily on Andrews’ mind “To the writer the lack of good drinking water proved the greatest privation and there were frequent periods when one's thoughts dwelt in anticipation upon the ice cream and cooling drinks one would get in Miami when the Trail’s end was reached – but when?” As they reached the 100-mile mark from Fort Myers which was “practically gone” at that point His outlook brightened when one of the Seminole guides known to whites as Abraham Lincoln or Assumhatchee Soon the men had boiled venison for dinner sufficient to satisfy the “almost famished crowd.: Apparently the buck yielded enough meat for “fried venison” the next morning the Trailblazers reached dense stands of cypress “ … avoiding as much as possible the larger trees and with a hatchet in hand blazing the way on both sides of the route Then came the axe men and those who bore away the underbrush and fallen timber When a half mile or so had been cleared a delegation would go back to bring up the cars.” After the cypress came “frequent big outcropping ledges of jagged lime rock” exuding from the alternating wet and dry prairie Andrews described this portion as “the roughest motoring we had so far experienced.” The motorcade rejoiced when they heard the “whirl of a motor” from an airplane passing overhead they came upon construction crews working to connect the finished sections of the route They learned from a “blasting crew” stationed some 40 miles west of Miami that the daily papers had featured several stories that feared the Trailblazers were lost in the Big Cypress Swamp The Trailblazers met with great excitement upon finally reaching Miami the city held a parade and reception on Flagler Street Andrews credited himself and his fellow Trailblazers with focusing the attention of millions of Americans on an ambitious highway project in the swamps of Florida He closed his account with a nod to the legacy of the Trailblazers who “proved the healthfulness and fertile character of the country” and stimulated the investment of “many thousand dollars” to complete the project “A Yank Pioneer in Florida” (Jacksonville: Douglas Printing Company A version of this article was first published April 4 by Florida Memory and the State Archives of Florida A brief history of Naples from the air From the Archives: October 1973 – Big Cypress National Preserve established From the Archives: Taking flight for a historic tour of Naples Take it slow on the Tamiami Trail and see what wildlife you can spot MIAMI – A 20-year-old jail inmate facing drug and weapons charges appeared in court on Monday accused of a woman’s murder in Miami-Dade County Homicide detectives reported communication records and a witness showed Domenic Pedre delivered and sold the narcotics that caused the woman to overdose twice The woman didn’t survive her second overdose She was treated for the first overdose and returned home on Aug Her father reported finding her foaming from the mouth on Aug The grieving father told police that he administered nasal NARCAN and started CPR before Miami-Dade fire rescue personnel rushed his daughter to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital police officers reported finding 14 bars of Xanax and a folded dollar bill with a residual powder that later tested positive for fentanyl the medical examiner reported the cause was acute combined drug toxicity involving Xanax Miami police officers with the gang intelligence unit arrested Pedre at 7:30 a.m. after responding to his home on the corner of Northwest 43 Avenue and Fourth Street in the Flagami neighborhood Pedre asked officers to use the restroom and “took off on foot while handcuffed.” He was arrested “after a short foot chase.” Police officers reported finding about $105,560 in cash The list of drugs included over 125 grams of cocaine Miami-Dade County inmate records Monday show Pedre was at the Metrowest Detention Center with two pending cases and three warrant cases Miami-Dade court records show Pedre is facing nine charges in the two pending cases for murder and drug trafficking 11 with two charges: First-degree murder with a controlled substance and sale of a controlled substance 31 with seven charges: Cocaine trafficking while armed possession of a controlled substance while armed Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013 She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award Andrea Torres – Miami-Dade detectives continued searching for a shooter on Sunday while a 4-year-old boy who was wounded remained hospitalized A dispute devolved into gunshots outside of the boy’s mobile home and a stray bullet struck him while he was in a bedroom on Saturday night in Miami-Dade County’s Tamiami neighborhood There were bullet halls on an outer wall and a cracked window Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel found the boy in “critical but stable” condition at about 9 p.m. at the University Lakes mobile home community Fire rescue personnel used an ambulance to rush the boy to the HCA Florida Kendall Hospital but she fears that “maybe next time” they won’t be the child is going to be OK,” said Detective Luis Sierra a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department Witnesses said the boy’s parents were not involved in the dispute and were home with him but it wasn’t the first time police officers had responded because of a conflict in the area Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Mercedes Cevallos contributed to this report Samiar Nefzi joined the Local 10 News team in August of 2023 SOUTHWEST FLORIDA — Early voting for the General Election has started Here's a list of locations across Southwest Florida This location is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m – A 61-year-old woman was arrested Sunday after Miami-Dade police said she was seen dragging a dog outside of her vehicle at Tamiami Park the incident occurred shortly before 10:45 a.m Police said officers responded to the scene after multiple people called 911 to report that they saw Beatriz Milagros Aguero heading toward the park’s exit in her car while her black dog was outside of the vehicle officers blocked Aguero’s car and she became “irate,” saying she was walking her dog outside of her car because it was “covered in s***” and she was attempting to “dry him.” Police said witnesses told officers that they saw Aguero hitting her dog in the park bathrooms before getting into her car and driving away The witnesses told offices that they tried to stop Aguero but she told them to “f*** off” and “mind their own business.” the witnesses tried to flag her down to stop her and even stepped in front of the vehicle continuing to drag her dog as it struggled to keep pace with the vehicle’s speed Police said one witness took cellphone footage of the incident Aguero was arrested on an animal cruelty charge her dog was taken by Miami-Dade Animal Services Aguero remained held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond — The Collier County Sheriff's Office says one person was trauma-alerted to a local hospital following a stabbing in Naples Deputies say the incident occurred at a McDonald's location at 2886 Tamiami Trail East near 2:30 a.m