Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape CoralMajor 2 vehicle crash shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Major 2 vehicle crash shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte After a major traffic accident near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County, all Northbound lanes of U.S. 41 were closed.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest ; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon After waking up to a cold morning, the Weather Authority is tracking warming conditions to the low 70s this Thursday.
Police release threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Major 2 vehicle crash shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte After a major traffic accident near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County, all Northbound lanes of U.S. 41 were closed.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest ; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon After waking up to a cold morning, the Weather Authority is tracking warming conditions to the low 70s this Thursday.
Police release threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
MGN COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – A Golden Gate Estates man has spent the last three years fighting to get a suspension off his driver’s license for something he never did. In 2012, Dean Meyers went to renew his driver’s license when he discovered it had been suspended. When he asked the clerk at the Department of Motor Vehicles counter, he was told his license was suspended due to unpaid toll tickets, but that did not make sense to him. So, Meyers contacted SunPass to ask for billing records for the unpaid tickets. A short time later, Meyers received a bill in the mail and a picture of an SUV with his license plate driving through the toll booth. The only problem was the SUV was not his, and the plate on the vehicle was supposed to be registered to a white Mustang Meyers had lost the year before in a traffic accident. “Back in 2011, our vehicle was in an accident…He [Meyers’ son] was sitting at a red light and was hit from behind by a drunk driver…and the car was totaled.” Meyers said his insurance company, Progressive towed the car to their lot in Saint Petersburg, and he never saw the car or the car’s plate again. The Mustang was an extra car for the family, so they had no need to renew the plate. However, what Meyers did not know at the time was the plate was stolen from Progressive’s lot. “Whoever stole it, put it on some SUV and was driving around the state of Florida going through SunPass tolls not paying the tickets, and thus my license got suspended.” Meyers said he never received a bill in the mail because he moved from Saint Petersburg to Southwest Florida not long after, and the bills were never forwarded. Once Meyers realized what had happened, he contacted Progressive and had them send him a letter acknowledging the plate was stolen. He sent that letter to SunPass, hoping the company would waive the fee, but that did not happen. Instead, he tells us he spent three years fighting with several different toll agencies in the state to clear his name. “I had to start with SunPass, then I had to go to the police, then I had to go to Progressive, I had to go to the collection agencies, I had to go to an attorney, I had to go to the Miami court system and finally when the Miami court system denied our hearing, I had to go to you,” Meyers said referring to WINK News Call for Action. “She [his wife] has to take her time to drive me everywhere, for any faucet of my life, to get my diabetes medication, to go to Home Depot, to go see my children, anything. So it’s been extremely frustrating.” WINK News Call for Action contacted Progressive, who is working with Meyers to pay off the unpaid toll bills, since the plate was stolen from their lot. They tell us they worked with Mr. Meyers in 2012 and thought that the problem had been resolved. In fact, they said had Mr. Meyers called them back to explain he still needed help, they say they would have stepped in again and sooner to solve the problem for good. Progressive also sent us this statement: There’s no doubt this has been a frustrating experience for Mr. Meyers. His plates were stolen after his vehicle was totaled and someone proceeded to rack up fines and tolls while illegally using those plates. Each time Mr. Meyers has contacted us, we’ve responded and helped as requested. Recently, we were notified that Mr. Meyers hadn’t used the documentation we gave him to prove he wasn’t in possession of the plates when the infractions occurred, but to help him resolve the matter, we’ve agreed to pay all fines and tolls to put the matter to rest. We also reached out to SunPass after Mr. Meyers contacted us and sent them the letter from Progressive saying the license plate was stolen. They sent us this email explaining why they could not forgive the tickets. “SunPass procedurally requires legal documentation releasing liability of a toll payment (divorce decrees, police reports, official motor vehicle records, etc) this covers us when we need to issue any credit adjustments. Mr. Myers [sic] was advised in 2012 that we needed a police report that said the tag was stolen.” While Meyers said he sent the initial crash report to SunPass, what SunPass really needed was a police report documenting the stolen plates. It is a document that does not exist. We recently learned that Progressive reached out to SunPass on their own and SunPass sent us another update: “…although the customer did not get the police report, we did work directly with Progessive to get a clear, original copy of the letter. We have therefore waived the fees owed to the Turnpike. We are closing this matter.” The easiest way to avoid having something like this happen to you is to make sure you cancel a car’s plate if that vehicle is involved in an accident and you do not plan to register the plate to another vehicle.