ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Quinn Alberto said he and his parents are reliving a “nightmare” in their fight against a contracting company they hired to make repairs to their home. The family signed a contract with IB Homes Inc., a Cape Coral-based general contracting company, to fix the damage caused by an EF2 tornado that ripped through homes in southwest Cape Coral in January. “My family suffered enough. I don’t want anyone going through this,” Alberto said. About 178 structures were damaged in that tornado: One home was destroyed, 14 had major damage and 163 suffered minor damage, the National Weather Service said. It took six months for their insurance company to send a check for the damage sustained in the tornado, Alberto said. Then, they started looking for a contractor to make the repairs. “We selected this one because he was the one who worked on our neighbors’ homes and they were all satisfied,” Alberto said. The contract detailed almost $70,000 of work to be done, both inside and outside the home. It took IB Homes three months to complete all the work on the list. The family was told they could move back in in August. “We came back into the house and we were sick that first week. I mean, I knew something was wrong when you wake up in the morning and you’re having chest pains and your lungs hurt and you’re waking up with red eyes and you don’t know what’s the cause,” Alberto said. Alberto and his family went to the emergency room and multiple doctors after their symptoms didn’t improve. They told WINK News they had trouble breathing. Documents from those visits list symptoms of bronchitis, nausea, dizziness, and upper respiratory tract infections. The Alberto family says the doctors advised them not to stay in the house. WINK News walked through the home and was shown a number of things the Alberto family wants IB Homes to correct. Before doing so, we were told to put on masks. Some of the Alberto family’s concerns include minor issues like grouting, matching tiles, and placement of light fixtures. However, the family says their immediate concern is the air quality inside the home. Alberto says they noticed mold growing in the ceiling just under an area of the roof that was patched up by the contractor. Alberto says, it wasn’t done properly and with days of rain, mold began to form. The family had a separate company remove the mold, but they say the patch job still needs to be fixed to prevent future problems. After looking through the home’s air vents, the family also noticed it was covered in dust and debris. IB Homes told the family the air conditioning was running at times, while work was being done to the interior of the home. They believe residue from the construction process is now in the air vents and circulating in the home. After noting all their concerns, the Alberto family says they contacted IB Homes and sent them a list of issues they’d like fixed. But so far, no one from the company has returned to the property to address the issues. “It makes me angry,” Alberto said. “You can’t function right because you don’t feel right. You’re not in your home. You’re living somewhere else, the expenses are mounting because you have to pay for an extra residence and then this particular home, you have no idea when is it gonna get fixed? What’s gonna happen next?” WINK News reached out to IB Homes, and after multiple phone conversations, our team was told the family’s issues haven’t been resolved due to lack of communication between the company and the homeowners. IB Homes says they called the Albertos multiple times and no one picked up. The Alberto family showed us multiple emails sent to IB Homes during the same time frame, in which they never got a response. They tell us they eventually wanted to communicate through email to have documentation of each request and conversation. The homeowners have already paid more than $60,000 to IB Homes for doing the work, but have not paid the remaining balance of nearly $5,000 dollars. They say, they want their problems resolves before giving the company any more money. IB Homes has since responded to the family’s request and has threatened to put a lien on their home, if they don’t make their final payment. “If it was done right the first time, it wouldn’t be a problem. We’d make the payment. They’re happy they got paid for a job and we’re happy that my folks got their house back,” Alberto said. The family says they feel cornered. After multiple attempts to resolve the issue, IB Homes has now stopped answering calls from WINK News, and deferred our team to their attorney. After several phone calls and emails, we’ve still received no response. The Albertos now fear pending legal action from IB Homes will leave their home in limbo. “We can’t breathe in the house. You know? How would you feel if you couldn’t live in your house?” Alberto said. IB HOMES LICENSE WINK News checked on IB Home’s license with multiple agencies. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation says the contracting license for IB Homes has not been renewed and expired on Sept. 9, almost one month after they completed work on the Alberto family’s home. The company’s expired license leaves the Alberto’s unsure if IB Homes will finish the work properly. “If we had known that this contractor was going to do this type of work, then obviously we wouldn’t have selected him,” Alberto said.