SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
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.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
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 Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
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.
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.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
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.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
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 Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
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.
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.
MGN FORT MYERS, Fla. – It can be challenging to guard against criminals eyeing your debit and credit cards, but there is one defense against popular skimming devices. What are skimmers Skimmers are electronic devices designed to read the magnetic stripe on the back of your credit card. Crooks can use handheld skimmers inside places like restaurants, or they can hide the devices inside ATMs and gas pumps. Criminals can then access the card information from the skimmer to make counterfeit credit cards. The devices are so popular that local authorities coined the term “skimmer farming,” meaning criminals are planting these devices all over Southwest Florida, then when the time is right, collect their harvest. Gas station inspections The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is in charge of inspecting gas stations. Every year, department inspectors visit more than 9,000 gas stations across the state. Inspectors look at, among other things, gasoline quality and pricing, as well as pump maintenance, which includes looking for skimmers. “I have to look everyday [for skimmers during inspections] because there’s some new device out there that we have to hunt for,” explained state Department of Agriculture Inspector Jim Bougard. During one of his routine gas station inspections, Bougard allowed WINK News to observe what he looks for when he opens a pump. His routine inspection is the only thing protecting users from criminals. “[Criminals are] getting sneakier and sneakier,” he explained. Bougard added that he once found a skimmer device inside a gas pump. “I did…it was in line on here, it was like a hobby-grade, bound in heat-strength materials,” he said. “It looked like it was a hand-made electronic device. It stood out like a sore thumb.” The skimmer was obviously out-of-place when looking at the pump from the inside, but not noticeable from the outside. Keeping Track of Crime Last year, the state started keeping track of how many skimmers they found in gas station pumps: 179 statewide, including eight in Lee County and one in Charlotte County. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office also started taking notice of the popular crime trend. “It’s popular because it’s generally easy to carry out the crime,” Det. Kevin Regtuyt said. “People go undetected, and there’s a good chance of financial gain while doing this.” Since May 2014, the sheriff’s office has conducted task force sweeps of gas stations about once every quarter. They team up with the Cape Coral Police Department and the state Department of Agriculture in order to fan out across Lee County and inspect as many gas pumps as possible. Four were found during a recent sweep. The department found 15 skimmers last year. Tougher Laws State lawmakers are currently considering bills that would increase penalties for someone found with counterfeit credit cards and require gas stations to increase security measures to better protect their pumps. Protecting yourself There are steps residents can take to reduce their chances of becoming a victim of a skimmer: Look for tamper-proof stickers on the pumps Ask the station about what kind of surveillance do they have in place on their pumps Check your bank or credit card statement regularly Pay in cash