Mold Remediation in Marco Island, FL

Green iguanas have been part of Florida's landscape since the 1960s, having migrated from Central and South America.

Over the years, their presence has become problematic enough for them to be added to Florida's prohibited species list.

Residents can humanely kill iguanas as a method to mitigate their environmental impact.

WINK News reporter Paul Dolan met with John Johnson, a hobbyist iguana hunter on Marco Island, where iguanas are seemingly everywhere. Johnson has taken it upon himself to address the issue by hunting the invasive species.

"Down it goes, it's one more that's been eliminated and is eliminated for the community," said Johnson.

Johnson, known as the "Iguana Guy," drives around in his "iguana mobile," targeting areas where iguanas are prevalent. He is motivated by the impact iguanas have on native species, such as burrowing owls.

"They come in, and they kind of push the owls around," said Johnson. "They bully them and say, 'I'm taking this burrow,' and they will do that now."

Johnson began his mission to protect the owls after witnessing their habitats being overtaken. He now serves as a self-appointed predator to the invasive iguanas.

"It's a problem, and I think they do have a natural predator. I decided to volunteer," said Johnson. "A big part of my whole crusade is the little owls."

Johnson's efforts are quantifiable. He keeps a log of his hunts, noting a significant increase in the number of iguanas removed over the years.

"We took out 730 iguanas that year, compared to 255 for '23 and so now we're at, Gosh, 270. It's only April for '25, so it's picked up a lot," said Johnson. "I'm better. The community is better."

Johnson believes every iguana he humanely kills makes a difference.

"I keep data on everything; 56% of those were female. Every female lays 50 eggs. Four hundred nine iguanas times 50 is 20,450 eggs not laid. That's a dent," said Johnson.

Despite his efforts, Johnson encounters residents who are too friendly with the iguanas, exacerbating the problem.

"Any community, no matter where you are, is a series of neighborhoods. Marco Island has a series of neighborhoods, so in essence, the iguanas are Marco Island's problems," said Johnson.

Hunting iguanas takes time and precision, as Johnson carefully scans trees for signs of the creatures.

"This is where I live, and it's really important for me to do something for my community," said Johnson.

Johnson hopes Marco Island will adopt a more proactive approach to address the iguana problem. He also aims to educate the community further.

After catching an iguana, he sends it to Florida Gulf Coast University for students to dissect and study.

From the Editors | Best of the Gulfshore 2025

Category: Best Cultural Showing

Southwest Florida’s cultural landscape reflects the collective influence of its Indigenous voices, Midwestern transplants, global visitors and growing Latin American community. Shining a light on the colorful tapestry and influx of diverse talent, Marco Island Center for the Arts (MICA) spotlights Hispanic artists in one of the most anticipated exhibits of the season for Gulfshore Life’s editors.

On May 5, MICA opens Miami to Marco, a two-month exhibition of works by 15 artists from the permanent collection at Miami’s Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas (MoCA-Americas). Formerly the Kendall Art Center, the museum was founded by Cuban-born collector Leonardo Rodríguez to promote and preserve Caribbean, Central and South American art. Since achieving official museum status in 2022, MoCA-Americas has been broadening its mission, engaging diverse artistic voices and enriching America’s art scene with Latin cultural narratives.

The show marks the beginning of a cultural exchange between the arts centers, kindled by Naples artist Lisett Llorens, who recently discovered the Miami museum and recognized the institutions’ aligned visions. In June, a group of MICA artists—including globetrotting abstractionist Garry Scott Wheeler, Italian-born painter Giampaolo E. Curreri and South African creator Myriam Kriel—display their work in MoCA-Americas, extending the island’s blended culture to the East Coast. “We are bringing our version of multiculturalism,” MICA’s executive director Hyla Crane says.

Cundo Bermúdez

Cundo Bermúdez traveled the world in the mid-1900s, drawing inspiration and exhibiting his works. Influenced by defining Mexican painters Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, as well as Spanish master Diego Velázquez, the late Cuban Modernist explored the midcentury era’s evolving conception of color and form through scenes of Cuban everyday life. Feeling out of place in his native country—and later living in Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C. and Miami—Cundo expressed himself through his art. The Rodríguez Collection includes several pieces from his gouache work in the late 1980s and 1990s, which reflect his experience adapting to life in the United States and resonate with the Latin community’s integration into American culture.

Ivonne Ferrer

Multihyphenate artist Ivonne Ferrer explores the intricacies of gender and societal pressure through the female form. Her figures are often rendered with missing or additional limbs, split craniums or cracked torsos, symbolizing the fractured demands modern women endure. Pieces like No hay rayo que por bien no venga juxtapose classical motifs with digital-age imagery. Roman columns frame a disembodied arm—cell phone in hand—growing out from a mass of tentacles. Ancient figurative sculptures and cityscapes stand obscured by a cell phone, evoking the constancy of digital intrusion. Throughout, Ivonne reminds us that even the human experience—messy, overloaded, uniquely formed—remains shared across form, culture and time.

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Carlos Enrique Prado

A Cuban ceramicist living in the United States, Carlos Enrique Prado projects Greco-Roman-style figurative sculpture work into the modern era, recontextualizing classical motifs with industrial materials and sharp-edged symbolism. In Way of Sorrows from his Stubborn collection, the University of Miami ceramics professor explores themes of struggle and grief. The marble-like figures—cracked, collapsed and struck by blunt objects—reflect a personal and cultural reckoning, bridging centuries-old iconography with the dissonance of modern immigrant identity.

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Naples Daily News

Today we look back at Easter across Florida, landing right here in Southwest Florida – from Naples to Marco Island.

We found a 1953 photo from Daytona Beach, where a young girl poses with – by today’s standards – a very creepy Easter Bunny. We also found a photo from 1959 with people in bunny costumes in St. Augustine’s Easter parade. Then there’s the bird's eye view of the Easter Sunrise Service held at Crescent Beach on Siesta Key (April 1973). The photographer, Joseph Janney Steinmetz, was a world-renowned commercial photographer whose images appeared in such publications as the Saturday Evening Post, Life, Look, Time, Holiday, Collier's and Town & Country.

Interesting note: In Naples, Italy, it’s a tradition to eat Pastiera, a traditional Easter dessert made with ingredients like flour, eggs, orange water, ricotta cheese, candies and sugar — symbolizing different aspects of the day.

Easter egg hunts, Sunday brunch and religious gatherings mark each and every Easter in Naples, Florida.

Between bouts of storm damage, there’s a history of hundreds gathering for Easter sunrise rise at the Naples Pier and Vanderbilt Beach. One of the most popular in our area is on Marco Island.

That multi-denominational service began 35 years ago with 240 people. In 2019, by some estimates, that number rose to around 10,000.

Today in Dunbar, Florida, the Easter parade will march for the 81st time. Founded in the 1940s by Evelyn Sams Canady and Sara Richardson, the parade’s aim was to ensure children in the community had candy and Easter eggs.

Each year a young king and queen are crowned. The event typically draws large crowds, with some reports of crowds of over 10,000 people in 2019.

From the Archives: Everglades Airpark – From necessity to ‘money loser’

From the Archives: Hidden in plain sight – Historical cemeteries of Collier County

Families across the country celebrated Easter, but few had a view as spectacular as those on Marco Island.

The community gathered for the 35th Annual Sunrise Service on the beach, a cherished tradition in Southwest Florida.

Under a clear blue sky, the sound of gospel songs filled the air as nearly 1,000 people from across the region and beyond came together in faith.

Some attendees even arrived by boat, docking near the shore to join the ceremony.

"It's really emotional to see all these people and to walk in faith with so many people," said Desiree, one of the attendees.

Linda Carey, visiting from Ohio, shared her thoughts on the gathering.

"Be here for Easter and with friends and families and neighbors, it's very special. And a beautiful morning like this," she said.

All eyes were on Pastor Scott Kerens as he led the service, sharing the significance of Easter with the crowd.

"Easter is, in fact, the center of my faith. So I believe in a risen Jesus, and so Easter is the celebration of that very center of our faith," said Pastor Kerens.

As the service concluded, attendees reflected on the meaning of Easter and the joy of celebrating together.

John Schewchuck from Marco Island said, "Classic believer in Christ is risen, and it goes beyond the Easter Bunny."

Brenda Knight expressed, "It is special. Easter is, of course, when Jesus rose from the grave, and that is what I base my faith on, my everyday life on."

Desiree added, "I cry every time we sing the songs, they all have such meaning to me. And it's, it's just the most powerful faith that I can have. It gives me hope."

Pastor Kerens emphasized the unique experience of the service.

"This is a once in a lifetime kind of an experience. 1000s of people gathered on a beach, a community gathers together. So I would say, if you haven't tried it, come on out. Enjoy a beautiful sunrise," he said.

The community left the beach with joy and smiles, celebrating the holiday, their faith, and each other.