Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast UniversityMissing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres
Students react to 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.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
Students react to 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.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
CAPE CORAL, Fla.- Cape coral residents are making noise, both on social media, and within their community, as two modular homes pop up on their streets. “I would definitely like to see them put this one back on a traitor and pull it back down the road, obviously,” said Jeff Leonarczyk, a resident on Embers Parkway. He says he’s lived in Cape Coral for eight years, and just built his new home in July of last year. Now he worries his beautiful home may not be worth as much. “The first thing you’re gonna see when you come down the street is this modular home .. It’s just not a fit for the area. Residents including Leonarczyk have joined a Facebook group titled “Cape Coral Residents Against Modular Homes”, one that already has thousands of members, to express their concerns over the homes. So far, only two have been built. One on Old Burnt Store road, the other on Kismet Parkway East. “You’re surrounded by upper scale homes here, that are all block construction,” said Doug Malinowsky. “They’re built from the ground up, and [then] you bring in something that’s probably like 80 to 85 thousand dollars, built at a factory. It just devalues everyone’s property around here.” These community members are now taking their concerns to city officials, asking them to step in and stop construction. Modular homes are usually built and sold cheaper than Concrete Block Structured (CBS) homes, like many of the ones in Cape Coral. They’re wood based, smaller and built off-site. These homes are selling for between 120 to 200 thousand dollars, according to Golden Key Homes. A much cheaper price than the homes directly in front of it, which are valued close to 500 thousand dollars. The city of Cape Coral tells WINK News, per state law, they are not allowed to ban a specific type of home from being built in the area. State law also does not allow them to impose stricter regulations on modular homes, in comparison to CBS homes. A response, continuing to anger residents. “They could flood this area, there’s a lot of growth coming out here, and it’s a big area so there’s room for a lot of these out here.” Cape Realty Realtor Peter Davis agrees neighbors should be concerned, and the homes could in turn deter other buyers from the area. “I had a client who just closed on a home. I asked him if he would have purchased the home if this was next door, he said no.” He says the look of the homes alone stands out from the consistency of the neighborhood, and could paint a different picture. “You don’t have a lot of the articulation and design elements that you have in the typical homes in this area, you know, they kind of have the perception that they are low quality.” WINK News spoke to Spencer Raffel, an employee with J&S Construction, the company contracted to build the homes. He tells WINK News he’s aware of the backlash regarding the homes, but disagrees that it will affect other property. He says he and Golden Key homes, the company behind both these homes, provides customized homes, in any location the buyer chooses to purchase land. “They tell us where they wanna be, not us. We ask ‘where would you like to be? [they say], Well, I have family in Lehigh or North Fort Myers or North Cape, or what have you. We go there because they tell us to go there,” said Raffel. Cape Coral officials say as long as the home buyers and contractors have the proper permits, the city has no say in where they can or cannot build a modular home. Other cities like Jacksonville have created standards and added them to a city ordinance to help regulate the construction of modular homes in certain neighborhoods. City officials said that’s something they can consider. They are evaluating options to set certain architectural and design standards for the homes. In the meantime, residents are still left upset at the new additions to their communities, but emphasize it’s a concern for their entire community. “You know, we’re not rich, snobby people that we don’t want these homes in here. This is my life savings, this is everything I have I put into this area. I put it into this area because of the way the homes were, not because there were modular homes or trailers.”