Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from HeleneSanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian
SANIBEL Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene A Sanibel couple is remaining hopeful after flooding impacted their home during Helene Thursday night.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian Due to Helene, The City of Sanibel has postponed a two-year Ian celebration and turned the event into a cleanup.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene The town of Fort Myers Beach is asking some people not to visit the island.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor flooding While Hurricane Helene was not expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge in the county, the residents were walloped by rising flood water.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
SANIBEL Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene A Sanibel couple is remaining hopeful after flooding impacted their home during Helene Thursday night.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian Due to Helene, The City of Sanibel has postponed a two-year Ian celebration and turned the event into a cleanup.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene The town of Fort Myers Beach is asking some people not to visit the island.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor flooding While Hurricane Helene was not expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge in the county, the residents were walloped by rising flood water.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
FILE PHOTO: MGN TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – A bill that would limit the number of Florida Lottery scratch-off games and cap ticket prices at $5 was overwhelmingly approved by a House committee Wednesday after lawmakers criticized the department for using the games to prey on the state’s poorest residents. The House Government Operations Subcommittee voted 12-1 in favor of the bill which Miami Republican Rep. Frank Artiles said is aimed at setting limits to scratch-off games that he said are most popular in the state’s poorest neighborhoods. Tickets now cost as much as $25 each. The bill (HB 607) would limit the Lottery to 20 active scratch-off games at a time. The department currently lists 79 scratch-off games on its website, including 14 that cost more than $5. “All I want to do is rein them in. What we have here is an abuse of the people who need the most help,” Artiles said. “We are the government and we are the ones that are abusing the system.” Artiles compared the games to slot machines, saying people are looking for instant gratification. He found no vocal disagreement among committee members, including two who cited their own fathers as example of people who are hurt by scratch-off games. “I see it all the time, people who are on Social Security income (and) low-income individuals constantly lining up in the morning on their way to work to buy scratch-offs in the false hope of someday making it big,” said Republican Rep. Jimmie Smith of Inverness. “My father is on Social Security income and he lines up constantly to get scratch-off tickets and this is going to, hopefully, discourage the government from taking advantage of people like my very own father.” Spring Hill Republican Rep. Blaise Ingoglia questioned whether the Lottery will continue offering more expensive scratch-off games if not kept in check. “My fear is if we don’t start capping this stuff, where is it going to end? Are we going to be at $100? Are people going to be dropping C-notes to buy lottery scratch-off tickets?” he said. “Ten, 15, 20 years into the future are the convenience stores going to be de facto casinos?” Meanwhile, the Legislature is considering other bills that would allow Lottery sales at self-service gas pumps and check-out registers. One (SB 402) is ready for a Senate vote while another (HB 415) has two more committee stops in the House. No Lottery representatives spoke at the committee meeting and a call to the department’s media office seeking comment wasn’t immediately returned.