COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)\u00a0 \u2014 Dangerous heat is changing the way people across Southwest Florida spend their day, from families looking for relief in the water to outdoor workers adjusting their routines to stay safe.<\/p>\n
A Heat Advisory remained in effect Thursday as afternoon temperatures climbed into the mid-90s and heat index values reached well above 100 degrees.<\/p>\n
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Dangerous heat is changing the way people across Southwest Florida spend their day, from families looking for relief in the water to outdoor workers adjusting their routines to stay safe.<\/p>\n
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At Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park, the pool and splash pad were among the busiest spots as families searched for ways to cool off. While the aquatic areas stayed active, many of the nearby athletic fields saw fewer people during the hottest part of the afternoon.<\/p>\n
For those who work outside, escaping the heat isn\u2019t always an option.<\/p>\n
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Thousands of delivery drivers across Florida are working through a heat advisory with no option to stay indoors.<\/p>\n
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At Tibur\u00f3n Golf Club in Naples, outside services employee Brandon Koontz begins his day before sunrise, preparing golf carts and loading bags before golfers head onto the course.<\/p>\n
A typical shift keeps him outside for about eight hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is definitely one of the hottest summers,\u201d Koontz said. \u201cLifting 30- or 40-pound golf bags all day can be pretty rough when it\u2019s 110 outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Koontz said staying hydrated is part of the job. He drinks water throughout the day, changes shirts during his shift and takes advantage of shaded areas and air conditioning whenever possible.<\/p>\n
The golf club has also added extra ways to help both employees and guests stay cool, including stocked water coolers, ice and shaded recovery areas.<\/p>\n
Director of Operations Jessica Dupree said the club encourages associates to take breaks whenever they need them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have water available all over the place,\u201d Dupree said. \u201cWe\u2019re always encouraging our associates to sit down, take a break. If they\u2019re hot, go inside and get some AC.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that golfers are arriving more prepared than ever, bringing personal fans, sunscreen and plenty of water as they spend hours on the course.<\/p>\n
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Dangerous heat is changing the way people across Southwest Florida spend their day, from families looking for relief in the water to outdoor workers adjusting their routines to stay safe.<\/p>\n
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Thousands of other workers are also navigating the heat each day.<\/p>\n
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida is home to more than 109,000 delivery and sales drivers, many of whom spend their shifts repeatedly moving between air-conditioned vehicles and the outdoor heat.<\/p>\n
Instacart driver Pete Spagnuolo said his car\u2019s air conditioner works overtime during the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you first get in the car, you\u2019ve got to roll all the windows down and blast the AC for a couple minutes just to get the hot air out,\u201d Spagnuolo said.<\/p>\n
He said hydration is one lesson he\u2019s learned the hard way.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you start feeling dehydrated, it\u2019s too late,\u201d Spagnuolo said. \u201cGo inside, get cool air. Don\u2019t try to power through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) \u2014 Dangerous heat is changing the way people across Southwest Florida spend their day, from families looking for relief in the water to outdoor workers adjusting their routines to stay safe.<\/p>\n
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The heat is also affecting local businesses that rely on working outdoors.<\/p>\n
At Clark\u2019s Nursery, manager Matthew Philpot said crews complete their most demanding work early in the morning before temperatures become dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really try to make our schedules around the heat,\u201d Philpot said. \u201cWe know how hot it is. We know how dangerous it can be. It\u2019s just common-sense stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Philpot said homeowners may notice plants wilting or dropping blooms during stretches of extreme heat, but that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they need more water.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t overwater,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes that\u2019ll do more damage than good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, he recommends tackling yard work and planting projects during the cooler morning or evening hours while allowing plants time to recover as temperatures fall.<\/p>\n
Health experts also remind anyone spending time outdoors to drink water before feeling thirsty, take frequent breaks in the shade or air conditioning and recognize early signs of heat-related illness, including dizziness, nausea, headaches and weakness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)\u00a0 \u2014 Dangerous heat is changing the way people across Southwest Florida spend their day,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":335457,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[4250,3837,7353,28,30,29,325,115,121785],"class_list":["post-335456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-charlotte","tag-collaborator_gen_stories","tag-collier","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-lee","tag-news","tag-southwest_florida"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}