Florida
If Wade Wilson gets death sentence he’ll join 8 from Lee, Collier on Florida death row
Wade Wilson’s first appearance on first-degree murder charges
Wade Wilson has his first appearance in court via video chat from the Lee County Jail on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, in Fort Myers.
Amanda Inscore, AINSCORE@NEWS-PRESS.COM
A Fort Myers man convicted of two Lee County murders could join eight other men from Lee and Collier counties on Florida’s death row.
On June 12, 2024, Wade Wilson was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder in the 2019 deaths of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz.
Wilson is scheduled to be back in court on Thursday, June 20 for the trial’s penalty phase. Each first-degree murder conviction makes him eligible for a death sentence.
Eight inmates currently sitting on Florida’s death row were convicted in Lee or Collier County.
Here’s what we know about Wade Wilson’s sentencing, Southwest Florida inmates under death sentences:
Wade Wilson sentencing
The penalty phase of Wade Wilson’s trial is set to begin Thursday, June 20 and the jury will decide his fate.
The jury will hear evidence to establish aggravating factors and mitigating circumstances and recommend life imprisonment or death based on those considerations.
The trial judge decides whether the sentence is imposed.
Florida juries were required to vote unanimously for a death sentence recommendation until April 2023 when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill allowing the jury to recommend death with as few as 8 votes.
Here are the eight men from Southwest Florida Wilson could join on death row if he is sentenced to death:
Lee County
Harold Lucas
Harold Lucas has been on death row since 1977. He was convicted in the 1976 murder of 16-year-old Anthia Jill Piper in her Bonita Springs home. Piper was shot seven times.
Anton Krawczuk
Anton Krawczuk was sentenced to death in the 1990 murder of David Staker in his North Fort Myers home.
Krawczuk choked Staker for about 10 minutes and then poured drain cleaner and water down his throat. Krawczuk’s co-defendant, William Poirier, then put a washcloth in Staker’s mouth and taped it in.
The pair dumped the body in Charlotte County.
Joshua Nelson
Joshua Nelson was convicted of killing Cape Coral teen Tommy Owens in 1996.
According to reports, Nelson and his co-defendant Keith Brennan planned to kill the 18-year-old and steal his car. They lured Owens to a remote street in Cape Coral and hit him multiple times with a baseball bat before using a box cutter to slit his throat.
Owens was still conscious and begged to be knocked out. Nelson hit him again and the pair dragged his body to nearby bushes where Owens later died.
Kevin Foster
Kevin Foster, the ringleader of the “Lords of Chaos,” a self-proclaimed militia group that terrorized Lee County in the 1990s, was convicted in 1998 of killing Mark Schwebes, a Riverdale High School music teacher in April of 1996.
Schwebes reportedly caught Foster and his group vandalizing the east Fort Myers high school’s auditorium and said he would turn them in the next day. Foster and three other teens went to Schwebes’ Pine Manor home where Foster fatally shot him.
Mark Sievers
Mark Sievers is on death row for the murder-for-hire death of his wife Teresa Sievers, a 46-year-old Southwest Florida doctor.
Teresa Sievers left a family vacation and returned alone to her Bonita Springs home on June 28, 2015.
After she walked into the house, Curtis Wayne Wright and Jimmy Ray Rodgers used hammers to bludgeon her to death.
Joseph Zieler
Joseph Zieler, of North Fort Myers, was sentenced to death in the brutal 1990 rape and murder of 11-year-old Robin Cornell and her babysitter, Lisa Story, 32, in Cape Coral.
Collier County
Brandy Jennings
Brandy Jennings received the death penalty for the infamous “Cracker Barrel Killings” in Collier County in November of 1995.
Jennings and his co-defendant Charles Graves killed 18-year-old Jason Wiggins, 27-year-old Vicki Smith and 38-year-old Dorothy Siddle during a robbery at the restaurant which was located off Collier Boulevard where both were previously employed.
The victims had their hands bound, throats slit and were left in a restaurant freezer.
Mesac Damas
Mesac Damas is on death row for the murders of his wife and five children.
Damas killed Guerline Dieu Damas, and their five children – Michzach, 9; Marven, 6; Maven, 5; Megan, 3; and Morgan, 1 – by slicing their throats with a filet knife in their North Naples townhouse between Sept. 17 and 18, 2009.
Damas fled to Haiti, where he was born and raised, but was soon located and returned to Florida.
Methods of execution in Florida
In 1923, the Florida Legislature passed a law replacing hanging with the electric chair. An oak chair was built by prison inmates in that year.
Florida’s current three-legged electric chair, nicknamed “Old Sparky,” was built of oak by Florida Department of Corrections staff and installed at Florida State Prison in Raiford in 1999.
Legislation passed in 2000 allows for lethal injection as an alternative to the electric chair.
Support local journalism by subscribing to a Florida news organization.
ORLANDO, Fla. – Over the past couple of years, experts have noticed a heavy decrease in lovebugs across Central Florida.
However, that trend may have just been reversed.
Lovebugs are known for flying through the air while getting “stuck” together during their explosive breeding seasons, causing plenty of splatters on the front of people’s cars.
But in recent years, Florida natives have noticed a stark drop in the number of these pests flitting about.
During a 2024 conversation with Dr. Norman Leppla — a professor at the University of Florida specializing in pest management — he explained that lovebugs’ disappearance was part of a larger trend.
“I really don’t know why, but we’re having a crisis globally with the loss of insect species and all kinds of other organisms just plain disappearing. And we’re quite worried about it,” he said at the time.
[ Where did all the lovebugs go?]
But this week, News 6 reached out for a follow-up after several members in the newsroom noticed more lovebugs in the air this year.
“Your newsroom members are correct in noticing more lovebugs than last year,” Leppla wrote. “I have seen some in North Central Florida during the past couple of weeks where there were none last year. They certainly aren’t abundant, however.”
According to Leppla, the number of lovebugs you see flying around depends on the survival of larvae, which in turn depend on continuous moisture to feed and develop.
Female lovebugs can lay hundreds of eggs, but if the environment is too dry or submerged for too long, the larvae end up dying — resulting in fewer lovebugs.
Typically, lovebug season pops up twice per year in Florida: in April to May, and August to September.
Per Leppla, lovebugs actually reached nuisance levels last month down south in places ranging from the Florida Keys up through Ft. Myers.
“They probably occurred in swarms along the lower east coast, as well,” he continued. “They will continue to be relatively abundant in local habitats where larvae can develop. Lovebugs will exist as far north as the climate will enable the larvae to survive.
However, lovebugs aren’t originally from Florida.
They actually hail from the Yucatán in Mexico, having traveled into the Gulf Coast through Texas during the early-to-mid 1900s. In the Sunshine State, they weren’t seen until around 1950.
That means that even if lovebugs really did disappear from Florida, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re gone for good.
“They live in that tropical habitat, and they came here as our habitat became more conducive to lovebugs,” Leppla previously explained. “That’s usually what happens. And so they spread, and they can certainly just recede right back to the tropics.”
[ Don’t touch these fuzzy Florida bugs!]
But that begs the question: what are the impacts of lovebugs possibly disappearing from Florida?
The short answer? Not much.
In fact, lovebug guts reportedly contain an enzyme that can eat through the clearcoat of a vehicle, which can damage the vehicle’s paint. As such, it could be good news for drivers.
“It’s not going to cause a lot of issues for the folks here in Florida,” Leppla stated. “Only the car wash people.”
Leppla gave News 6 a few tips to keep the pesky insects away. Here’s what you should know:
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Lovebugs are attracted to light colors, so you can avoid wearing light-colored clothing and being near light-colored walls to not draw them in
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They are also bad flyers, so you can use a fan to blow them away
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Lastly, lovebugs don’t fly at night and take a break around noon, so if you limit outdoor exposure during the morning and afternoon times you may be able to avoid them
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
When does voting end for 2026 HGTV Smart Home near Orlando, Florida? 5 pm ET Friday, June 19, 2026, on hgtv.com and foodnetwork.com.
Voting is underway for the 2026 HGTV Smart Home in Florida − who’s going to win?
The home and garden network’s sweepstakes contest began last month, and those interested in the $1.3 million grand prize − a fully furished poolside paradise near Orlando and some cool cash − have just over a month to try their luck.
Voting continues twice a day at HGTV and Food Network sites. Here’s what we know.
What to know about 2026 HGTV Smart Home in Florida
The three-bedroom, three-bath HGTV Smart Home in Apopka, which is about 20 miles from Orlando, boasts a so-Florida vibe with its upscale tropical, relaxed decor. But what makes it a “smart home?” The state-of-the-art technology, functionality and mindful use of space when it came to the design. Or so says the designers and hosts of the 2026 HGTV special, Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt. The HGTV reality show hosts, who live in Tampa, made the inside and outside living spaces comfortable and compatible with Florida’s relentless summer heat, yet magazine cover-worthy.
Over the years, the Kleinschmidts have hosted “100 Day Dream Home,” “White House Christmas 2024,” “100 Day Hotel Challenge” and “Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge,” all on HGTV. Their inside knowledge as Florida residents came into play with the 2026 HGTV Smart Home design.
It’s not the first time the home and garden network picked a site in the Sunshine State for its sweepstakes contest: Most recently, the 2024 HGTV Dream Home was on Anastasia Island, Florida, near St. Augustine, and the 2021 HGTV Smart Home was in Naples on the West Coast of the state.
How much is 2026 HGTV Smart Home near Orlando, Florida, worth?
The grand prize for the 2026 HGTV Smart Home in Apopka, Florida, is worth more than $1.3 million. The newly built, fully furnished resort-style home about 20 miles from Orlando is a 3,000-square-foot three-bedroom, three-bathroom home with a pool and outdoor living space. The winner of the HGTV Smart Home sweepstakes contest will receive the keys to the home, the furnishings and decor inside and out, plus $100,000 in cash.
The home was built by Hartizen Homes with interior design by husband-and-wife HGTV stars Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt.
The outside living space includes a swim-up bar, outdoor projector, putting green and gourmet grill station. Inside, the HGTV Smart Home evokes an upscale Florida design featuring a game room, movie theater lounge with multiple screens, open-concept living spaces and lots of skylights.
What does 2026 HGTV Smart Home in Florida look like? Tour it with hosts Mika and Brian Kleinschmidt
HGTV Smart Home 2026 sweepstakes in Florida. See features, video tour
HGTV Smart Home in Apopka, Florida, by Orlando is worth $1.3 million. Voting is April 21, 2026, through June 19, 2026, at hgtv.com and foodnetwork.com
Video courtesy of HGTV
When does voting end for 2026 HGTV Smart Home near Orlando, Florida?
According to sweepstakes contest rules, voting for the HGTV Smart Home 2026 giveaway runs 9 a.m. ET Tuesday, April 21, 2026, to 5 p.m. ET Friday, June 19, 2026. During that time, viewers can enter twice daily at hgtv.com/smart and foodnetwork.com/smarthome. A one-hour special about the 2026 HGTV Smart Home sweepstakes contest aired April 24, though streaming is available on HBO Max and Discovery+.
Photos of 2026 HGTV Smart Home near Orlando, Florida
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
The City Commission must vote on the idea, too.
STUART — Permission to have backyard chickens behind single-family homes and duplexes may soon be granted to homeowners here.
The city’s Community Redevelopment Board on May 5 voted 5-2 in favor recommending the City Commission approve the idea. It would give homeowners permission to have up to four chickens.
“I’m going to be really honest here,” Board Member Bonnie Moser said. “I have chickens in my backyard.”
She got them about 18 months ago, she said, with the permission of all of her neighbors.
Backyard chickens were approved by the City Commission in June 2017, but two weeks later a commissioner backtracked his “yes” vote, killing the deal that had passed 3-2.
“My 2-year-old son loves them,” Moser added. “We eat the eggs every day.”
The chickens are fed with the family’s food scraps, and the manure fertilizes her vegetable garden, she said.
Moser suggested two changes to the proposed ordinance. One, that allows the height of the coop to be increased to 7 feet and the other that allows the height of the required fence or hedge to be reduced to 5 feet. The Community Redevelopment Board also recommended the City Commission approve those changes.
Noise and smell
Concerns about noise are overstated, Moser continued. The chickens really make noise only when they’re laying eggs, which happens in the morning or midday.
“It’s a couple of clucks and then it goes away,” she said. “As long as they’re not being attacked by anything, they’re not making noise.”
The crows and dogs on her street make more noise than the chickens, Moser said.
Smell is another concern people have about allowing chickens behind homes, which Moser also addressed.
It’s only four chickens or less, she said.
Additionally, allowing chickens can be a great educational opportunity for children, Moser said, because children think food comes from the grocery store.
“So, cat’s out of the bag,” Moser said. “I’ve got chickens. Come and get them if you want them. But know that my 2-year-old would be very sad because the highlight of his day is going out there to collect eggs every day.”
Opposition to the idea
Board Chair Frank McChrystal and Board Member Frederick James opposed the idea.
“This will just lead us to a slippery slope,” James said. “If we allow chickens, why not allow pigs?”
Martin County got it right by prohibiting chickens, McChrystal said. He polled his neighbors, who said, “They’re bringing that up again?”
McChrystal said no more about why he opposed the idea.
The fee to have chickens would be $65 annually, Stuart Development Director Jodi Kugler said.
Keith Burbank is a watchdog reporter for TCPalm, usually covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com.
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