DIRECTORS PAGE

SHOW OPEN-CLIP

FIRST WEATHER-WX WALL

SMOKE ON TOWERCAM-VOTOPS

A BRUSH FIRE SPARKED IN NORTH FORT MYERS THIS AFTERNOON.

IT WAS BURNING IN THE SABAL SPRINGS COMMUNITY, JUST NORTH OF THE SHELL FACTORY.

THIS IS THE SMOKE FROM OUR TOWERCAM OUTSIDE OUR STUDIOS IN FORT MYERS.

OUR METEOROLOGISTS SAY LIGHTNING WAS IN THE AREA AT THE TIME.

THEY THINK A BOLT MAY HAVE SPARKED THE BLAZE.

GAS PRICES-VO IN TC MON

RELIEF AT THE PUMP.

DEFINITELY A GOOD SIGHT FOR DRIVERS THIS HOLIDAY WEEK.

GAS PRICES-PKG

Kathy Sullivan is gearing up-

Sot Kathy Sullivan, baseball mom

"we're loading the cooler with water."

And gassing up-

For a week full of baseball games with her son.

And while the the sun takes it's toll-

Sot Kathy

" the heat is something else."

The gas pump- is offering her some relief.

Sot Kathy

"a big chunk of our expense will not be on gas. It will still be some but it won't be as huge sn affect as it has been in the past."

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Today's Average in

SWFL: $3.16

Florida: $3.18

National: $3.33

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Compare that to A Year Ago

SWFL: $3.51

National: $3.56

Residents say the change- is helping them this holiday.

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Betty Hemmingway, resident

" I can kinda spend more money toward family stuff like for the holidays, the 4th of July get more fireworks, get more groceries."

But those on the road- might face another headache-

More drivers than ever on the road.

Sot Marsha Kut, AAA

" oval the travel for this holiday is up about 4 percent."

Aaa estimating this holiday week could break 2007s record of 42.3 million Americans driving 59 miles or more."

Sot marsha.

" this July 4th holiday, being mid week it extends the holiday since people are taking of Thursday and Friday or they took off Monday and Tuesday."

Allowing residents like Terri Hewitt to take a trip she didn't think would happen.

Sot Terri Hewitt, resident

"tomorrow were going to cape may, it will be fun, this is our first time."

MCGREGOR CRASH-VO

DOCTORS ARE TREATING A MAN, SERIOUSLY HURT IN A CRASH ON MCGREGOR BOULEVARD TODAY.

IT HAPPENED AROUND NOON IN FORT MYERS, NEAR MARAVILLA AVENUE.

OFFICERS SAY AN S-U-V BLEW A STOP SIGN, AND A PICKUP TRUCK HIT IT.

THE SUV ENDED UP FLIPPED AGAINST THE TREE.

PARAMEDICS TOOK THE DRIVER OF THE SUV TO LEE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.

OFFICERS WILL TICKET HIM FOR FOR FAILING TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN.

FORT MYERS BEACH PARADE-OC NATSVO WIPE

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE OUT TODAY, CELEBRATING THE FOURTH OF JULY.

FOR SOME, IT WOULDN'T BE A HOLIDAY WITHOUT A TRIP TO THE BEACH.

nats=4 sec

"happy fourth of july

THOUSANDS HIT FORT MYERS BEACH FOR THEIR ANNUAL FOURTH OF JULY PARADE.

THE ONE-HOUR STRUT DOWN ESTERO BOULEVARD BEGAN AT THE BEACH LIBRARY.

PAGENT QUEENS AND ISLAND VOLUNTEER GROUPS GREETED CROWDS.

THE FORT MYERS BEACH FIRE TRUCKS ROLLED THROUGH.

FORT MYERS BEACH PARADE-SOTVO CG

Beth Bonnette, parade watcher

06:48:49:06 "there's a lot of people this year, and it brings the community together and we just love it 06:48:54:07

CROWDS STUCK AROUND FOR LIVE MUSIC AND EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON FORT MYERS BEACH.

THE CELEBRATION ENDS WITH A 20-MINUTE FIREWORKS SHOW, SET TO MUSIC.

NAPLES PARADE-OC NATSVO WIPE

A SALUTE TO AMERICA IN NAPLES TOO.

fire truck parade nats

THOUSANDS LINED THE STREETS THERE TO CELEBRATE AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY.

MORE THAN 60 GROUPS WALKED, OR RODE ON FLOATS OR IN CARS.

NAPLES PARADE-SOT

Lauren Dillard/Naples

17.29.17

NAPLES PIER FIREWORKS-VOTOPS-CG

THE EVENTS CONTINUE TONIGHT IN NAPLES.

THE NAPLES PIER IS CLOSED FOR A BIG FIREWORKS SHOW,

CREWS SET UP HUNDREDS OF FIREWORKS YESTERDAY.

THE DISPLAY STARTS AT NINE TONIGHT ALONG NAPLES BEACH AND WILL LAST 25 MINUTES.

TEAM COVERAGE CLIP-CLIP

TOSS TO SARA-OC DBX

WE'RE JUST A FEW HOURS AWAY FROM A BIG CELEBRATION IN CAPE CORAL AS WELL.

ABC SEVEN'S SARA MILES JOINS US LIVE FROM RED, WHITE AND BOOM, JUST ACROSS THE CAPE CORAL BRIDGE.

RED WHITE & BOOM-REM LIVE

THE FIREWORKS ARE A LITTLE MORE THAN 3 HOURS AWAY -

RED WHITE & BOOM-VOTOPS WIPE

THEY ARE EXPECTING MORE THAN 20 THOUSAND PEOPLE TO PACK CAPE CORAL PARKWAY -

AND UNTIL THE BIG FIREWORKS SHOW TONIGHT THAT BEGINS AT 930 -

PEOPLE CAN BUY FOOD, DRINKS AND ARTS AND CRAFTS FROM THE MORE THAN 100 VENDORS.

THERE IS ALSO A VIP TENT WITH FOOD AND DRINKS

AND FOR THE KIDS THERE IS A FUN ZONE AREA.

SOON THE SOUNDS OF MUSIC WILL FILL THE AIR AS JAIDA DRYER TAKES THE STAGE AT 630 FOLLOWED BY HEADLINE JAMES WESLEY AT 8.

RED WHITE & BOOM-SOT CG

Well we are from panama city and it's a heavy duty party place there I don't know ask me when this is over and I'll let you know but so far everyone is friendly and having a great time kids - adults I think it's gonna be great!! 15 sec

THE BEST PART OF IT ALL IS ADMISSION IS FREE.

NO COOLERS OR PETS OR ALLOWED. BUT BLANKETS AND CHAIRS ARE OK.

AND ALSO THERE IS FREE BUS SERVICE - PICK UP AREAS ARE CLUB SQUARE, IGUANA MIA, SWEET BAY AND BIG JOHNS.

AGAIN THE FIREWORKS START AROUND 930.

RED WHITE & BOOM-REM LIVE

LIVE CAPE CORAL -

FIREWORKS TAG-OC BNR

IF YOU STILL DON'T HAVE PLANS FOR TONIGHT, HEAD TO OUR WEB SITE, ABC DASH SEVEN DOT COM, AND CLICK ON "THINGS TO DO."

WE'LL SHOW YOU A FULL LINEUP OF FIREWORKS DISPLAYS LATER IN THIS NEWSCAST.

FM SHOOTING UPDATE-VO

A SHOOTING VICTIM IS RECOVERING AT HOME AFTER HE LEFT THE HOSPITAL TODAY.

LEE COUNTY DEPUTIES ARE STILL LOOKING FOR THE GUNMAN WHO SHOT EDWARD PLACIDE.

HE HAS THREE BULLET WOUNDS IN HIS CHEST.

DETECTIVES TELL ABC SEVEN SOMEONE SHOT HIM AT AN UNKNOWN LOCATION IN PINE MANOR -- JUST SOUTH OF THE FORT MYERS CITY LIMITS.

NAPLES BOAT EXPLOSION-SS VO

A NAPLES FATHER AND SON ARE STILL IN THE HOSPITAL, RECOVERING FROM BURNS AFTER A BOAT EXPLOSION.

ABC SEVEN CALLED TAMPA GENERAL TODAY.

THEY TOLD US ALEX SEMPF IS STILL IN CRITICAL CONDITION WITH BURNS OVER 75 PERCENT OF HIS BODY.

HIS SON 11-YEAR-OLD KRISTOFF SEMPF IS STILL IN FAIR CONDITION.

WITNESSES TELL US THEY WILL FUELING UP THEIR BOAT LAST FRIDAY, GETTING READY FOR THE HOLIDAY WHEN GAS SPILLED.

ALEX USED A VACUUM TO CLEAN UP THE SPILL.

MATANZAS PASS FILLING UP-ONCAM

MORE THAN A WEEK SINCE TROPICAL STORM DEBBY STIRRED UP SOUTHWEST FLORIDA'S COAST, BOATERS ARE FEELING THE IMPACTS.

SOME TELL US THE STORM MAY HAVE PUSHED MORE SAND INTO THE NORTH END OF THE CHANNEL THEY NAVIGATE THROUGH MATANZAS PASS.

THAT'S OFF BOWDITCH POINT ON FORT MYERS BEACH.

MATANZAS PASS FILLING UP-PKG

TO GRAB A BITE AT DOC FORDS IN FORT MYERS BEACH, YOU COULD GET THERE BY LAND.

nats 07:09:39 do you need anything else?

JOHN MURRAY AND HIS FAMILY CHOSE A DIFFERENT ROUTE.

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John Murray, Fort Myers

07:03:49 we're gonna celebrate a little bit 07:03:51

CELEBRATE THE FOURTH, BY TAKING HIS 28-FOOT SEA RAY FROM FORT MYERS TO THE SAN CARLOS ISLAND RESTAURANT-- BUT ON THE WAY, THE AVID BOATER SAW SOMETHING UNEXPECTED NEAR BOWDITCH POINT.

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John Murray, Fort Myers

07:02:05 it was a little shocking i just couldn't believe it was gonna be that shallow that quick even my son and law made the comment, he said god this looks like its awful low 07:02:13:02

MURRAY SAYS THE CHANNEL BOATS FOLLOW THROUGH MATANZAS PASS WAS HALF AS DEEP AS IT WAS JUST WEEKS AGO.

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John Murray

07:03:08 when you're used to 21 feet and it goes down to 11 it stops flashing, that means it was even lower than that 07:03:15

HE, AND SON IN LAW BRIAN RICH, LIKE OTHER BOATERS, BLAME TROPICAL STORM DEBBY FOR THE ADDED SAND.

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Brian Rich

07:06:06 "we were here even a month ago and it wasn't that bad, so it seems like it did come out quite a bit" 07:06:10

THE SAND BAR MAKES FOR NICE SUNBATHING, BUT RICH WORRIES COULD MAKE NAVIGATING THE BACK BAY TRICKY.

nats

SEA TOW SAYS THEY'VE RESPONDED TO TWICE AS MANY BOATS RUN-AGROUND THERE, SINCE DEBBY.

AND A NARROWING CHANNEL MAY IMPACT BUSINESSES, WHOSE CUSTOMERS BOAT UP FOR A DRINK OR MEAL.

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Brian Rich

07:06:20 it either needs to be dredged again or there needs to be a new marker in and it needs to be adjusted a little bit 07:06:25

HIGH TIDES HELPED BOATERS ALONG THIS AFTERNOON--

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John Murray

07:04:11 people better be really careful really i mean, because of the low tide 07:04:25

FREEDOM SWIM-VO WIPE

IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY, A UNIQUE TRADITION TO CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY.

DECKED OUT IN RED, WHITE AND BLUE, HUNDREDS TURNED OUT FOR THE ANNUAL FREEDOM SWIM.

WITH STORM CLOUDS LOOMING, FOLKS SWAM, CANOED AND BOATED ACROSS THE PEACE RIVER TO FISHERMAN'S VILLAGE IN PUNTA GORDA.

SHERIFF DEPUTIES AND THE COAST GUARD WATCHED ON FOR SAFETY.

FREEDOM SWIM-SOTVO

18.00.35 - 18.00.45

Pamala Staik: "I've never done it before. The Freedom swim is just an event you have to do at least one time in Punta Gorda, so here we go. "

Lorraine Schneeberger: "And this is my 5th time, so let's do it together "

HEAT WAVE-VO WIPE

IT'S THE HOTTEST FOURTH OF JULY ON RECORD IN MANY PLACES.

TEMPERATURES REACHED THE TRIPLE DIGITS IN THE MIDWEST.

PEOPLE IN ILLINOIS, MISSOURI, AND MINNESOTA WERE HOTTER THAN WE WERE TODAY.

HEAT WAVE-2 SOT VO

"We are staying in the shade,"/ "We have water bottles. We are ready to

enjoy a great day."

I stay cool by drinking water.

ABOUT ONE MILLION HOMES IN THE MIDWEST AND MID-ATLANTIC STILL DON'T HAVE POWER AFTER A STORM OVER THE WEEKEND.

THAT MEANS NO AIR CONDITIONING.

ANIMALS ARE SUFFERING IN THE OPPRESSIVE HEAT, TOO.

ZOO KEEPERS IN BIRMINGHAM ARE TREATING LIONS TO SOME ICE TREATS, AND ENCOURAGING ELEPHANTS

TO TAKE A DIP IN A POOL.

NEXT AT 6 OPEN-CLIP

TEASE ONE-1 SHOT

IF YOU'RE TIRED OF EXERCISING AT HOME, YOU'RE IN LUCK.

ABC SEVEN FOUND OUT THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO JOIN A GYM.

HOW YOU CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOME DEALS.

TZ1 A SUMMER DEALS FOR GYMS-VO

FIREWORKS SCROLL-CGTOPS

JP STORMWARN OPEN-CLIP

WEATHER-PWC

SUMMER DEALS FOR GYMS-ONCAM

IF YOU'RE READY TO JOIN A GYM BUT HAVEN'T GOTTEN AROUND TO IT NOW'S THE TIME.

GYMS ACROSS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ARE GIVING SPECIAL DEALS TO TRY AND ATTRACT NEW CUSTOMERS DURING THE LONG HOT SUMMER.

SUMMER DEALS FOR GYMS-PKG

NATS - RUNNING

FOR ADAM FELIX THE HARDEST PART OF GOING TO THE GYM-

NATS - PUTTING WEIGHT ON BAR

IS MOTIVATION.

Adam Felix

"I came home from college, am staying busy, instead of being lazy."

FELIX GOT AN EXTRA PUSH TO JOIN WORLD GYM ON HIS SUMMER BREAK THANKS TO A SUMMER DEAL.

05:29:49 3

"I looked at a lot of places, this place had a great deal."

WORLD GYM IS ONE OF MANY OFFERING DOZENS OF DOLLARS IN DISCOUNTS ON NEW MEMBER FEES.

AMBER GOODBERRY WORKS HERE,

SHE SAYS DURING THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER NEW MEMBERS DROP BY HALF - AND SEASONAL RESIDENTS TAKE OFF.

LEAVING LOTS OF EQUIPMENT UNUSED.

05:24:55

"We have a ten dollar enrollment fee instead of the usual 59."

ANOTHER GYM WE FOUND CUTTING COSTS TO SIGN UP IN FORT MYERS - PLANET FITNESS.

05:35:02

"When you're seeing the clientele drop by 50 percent there are less people coming through the door."

MANAGER JEFF FALZONE SAYS THE BEST WAY TO MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO GET MOVING TO THE GYM IS TO WAIVE SIGN-UP FEES.

SO THIS SUMMER THEY'RE OFFERING A DOLLAR INITIATION FEE.

A LOT LESS THAN THE USUAL 99 DOLLAR CHARGE.

NATS - weightliftin

WITH DEALS LIKE THAT - FELIX SAYS HE'S PUSHING CLOSER TO HIS GOAL OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.

"It's really important to me, being, healthy, and it keeps me busy."

SUMMER DEALS FOR GYMS-ONCAM

NOW WE CHECKED OUT A FEW OTHER GYMS IN THE AREA --

MOST ARE REDUCING THOSE ONE-TIME SIGN-UP FEES.

WHEN IT COMES TO FINDING YOUR BEST GYM-

TEASE TWO-POP

RAYS LOOKING TO SWEEP THE YANKEES RIGHT OUT OF ST. PETE. TIGER WOODS TALKING ABOUT GETTING BACK TO FORM

TZ2 A SPORTS TEASE-VOTOPS

WORLD NEWS TEASE-BLK-SOT

TONIGHT AT 7 OPEN-CLIP

GOD PARTICLE-SOTTOPS-VO

we're reaching in to the fabric of the universe at a level we've never done before.

SCIENTISTS UNCOVER A BREAKTHROUGH THAT COULD UNLOCK THE MYSTERY OF THE UNIVERSE.

SPORTS OPEN-CLIP

HOTDOG TIME-VOTOPS

LET'S EAT SOME HOTDOGS. HOW ABOUT 68 OF THEM.

RAYS YANKEES-POPMON

RAYS YANKEES-VOTOPS

FIRST STOP THE TROP. MORE HOTDOGS.

DAVID PRICE PITCHED A DANDY. WENT 7. GAVE UP 1. STRUCK OUT 8.

4TH. SEAN RODRIGUEZ SERVES ONE TO RIGHT. BEN ZOBRIST SCORES. 1-0 RAYS.

LIGHTNING-VOTOPS

LET'S KEEP IT IN TAMPA. LAST WEEK THE LIGHTNING AND FLORIDA EVERBLADES RENEWED THEIR RELATIONSHIP. ONCE AGAIN MAKING THE BLADES THE ECHL AFFILIATE OF TAMPA BAY.

LIGHTNING-SOTTOPS

MINNESOTA WILD-VOTOPS

THE MINNESOTA WILD. BROKE OUT THE POCKETBOOK TODAY.

THE WILD SIGNED RYAN SUTER AND ZACH PARISE. TO IDENTICAL CONTRACTS. BOTH GUYS GETTING 98 MILLION DOLLARS OVER 13 YEARS.

WIMBLEDON-POPMON

WIMBLEDON-VOTOPS

MURRY IN A BATTLE WITH DAVID FERERER

BIG POINT HERE IN THE 4TH SET. MARRAY HAMMERS A BACKHAND FOR THE POINT. WOULD WIN THE GAME.

THEN FOR THE MATCH. GETS THE ACE. MURRAY WINS IN 4 SETS. HE WILL FACE JO-WILFRIED TSONGA IN THE SEMI-FINALS.

TIGER WOODS-VOTOPS

FRESH OFF HIS WIN AT THE AT&T NATIONAL. TIGER WOODS BACK ON THE COURSE THIS WEEK FOR THE GREENBRIER CLASSIC.

TIGER WOODS-SOTTOPS

GOODBYE-3 SHOT