Gulf Coast Life

David Rahahę·tih Webb was born in Southwest Florida and grew up on Sanibel Island, which puts him in a relatively small group of people compared to this area’s current population. But, his family roots go back for generations and their connections to life on Sanibel are both broad and deep. His ‘pioneer’ side goes back eight generations on Sanibel and his Seminole side goes back past recorded history. His direct ancestors were Spanish Seminole members of the Sanibel Island Rancho. Ranchos were

We meet southwest Florida resident Marina Berkovich. She’s a native of Kiev, Ukraine, who fled the Soviet Union and Communism with her mother at the age of 18. Trained as a CPA, Ms. Berkovich was chief financial officer of a New York City-based hotel and property management company before she began teaming up with her husband Alex Goldstein, a renowned Russian-American cinematic composer, to make documentary films -- many of which help tell the story of Jewish people who made, and make, a positive

Two decades ago two young men disappeared in Naples under mysterious circumstances. Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos were both last seen with the same Collier County Sheriff’s deputy, Steven Calkins. They were both men of color in their 20s. And they were both last seen in Deputy Calkins’ patrol car. Deputy Calkins was fired after his story changed when questioned. He denied wrongdoing. He’s the only person of interest in the cases, but law enforcement never found evidence against him. This week,

As state lawmakers convene Florida’s 2024 legislative session Tuesday, Jan 9, we take a closer look at bills legislators will be considering over the course of the 60-day session tackling a broad range of issues including healthcare access, voting, firearm regulation, child labor laws, minors on social media, the property insurance crisis, and public education. We’ll hear from University of Central Florida Political Scientist Aubrey Jewett, Ph.D., and Opinion Editor of the Sun Sentinel Steve

While it might be easy to say that we should all be more compassionate and kind, and have empathy for everyone around us, it’s usually not something that comes easily or naturally for most of us, and can even be seen as a sign of weakness in our highly competitive culture. As we start another year, we’re having a conversation about the importance of compassion, kindness, and empathy through the lens of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Roots of Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) Center. It's dedicated to

William B. Taylor served as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009 during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama presidencies. He’s been vice president, Europe and Russia at the U.S. Institute of Peace since 2015. It’s a federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. He returned to Ukraine in 2019 to serve as Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv after President Donald Trump fired the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. He remained in