Genesis of Naples breaking ground on new car dealershipEmails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment
Genesis of Naples breaking ground on new car dealership A genesis—or new beginning—is under way for Genesis of Naples. The local franchise plans to break ground this summer on a new and expanded luxury auto dealership in North Naples.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
CAPE CORAL 13-year-old arrested for allegedly getting involved in hit-and-run with stolen car, fleeing from Cape Coral police A teen was arrested on multiple charges after allegedly getting involved in a hit-and-run with a stolen car and then fleeing from police.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caloosahatchee River Bridge to close overnight for construction The Caloosahatchee River Bridge from First Street to North Key Drive in North Fort Myers will close so crews can perform bridge work.
CAPE CORAL Accused Cape Coral double murderer, Wade Wilson, goes to court to try to get death penalty off the table Wade Wilson, the man who allegedly murdered two women, will be in court to try to persuade the court to get the death penalty off the table.
Jupiter DeSantis announces funding for developmentally disabled individuals Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke on education for children with developmental disabilities at the Els Center of Excellence in Jupiter.
CHARLOTTE COUNTY Bradenton man arrested after allegedly masturbating inside Charlotte County Walmart A man from Bradenton has been arrested after he was allegedly masturbating inside a Walmart in Charlotte County.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres work trailer explosion injures 1 The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District responded to a work trailer explosion that injured one person.
CBS News Trump and DeSantis, once GOP rivals, meet in South Florida to talk about 2024 election Florida Governor Ron DeSantis met privately with former President Donald Trump for several hours on Sunday morning to talk, in part, about fundraising ahead of the 2024 general election, several sources familiar with the meeting tell CBS News.
WINK NEWS Florida Prepaid open enrollment deadline approaches All parents fear the expense of college for their children; however, the state offers a great option in the Florida Prepaid Plan.
The Weather Authority Few showers Monday afternoon in SWFL The Weather Authority is tracking a few rain showers on Monday afternoon into the early evening.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead, 1 arrested after North Fort Myers shooting The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested one person following an evening shooting that killed a man in North Fort Myers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
Genesis of Naples breaking ground on new car dealership A genesis—or new beginning—is under way for Genesis of Naples. The local franchise plans to break ground this summer on a new and expanded luxury auto dealership in North Naples.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
CAPE CORAL 13-year-old arrested for allegedly getting involved in hit-and-run with stolen car, fleeing from Cape Coral police A teen was arrested on multiple charges after allegedly getting involved in a hit-and-run with a stolen car and then fleeing from police.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caloosahatchee River Bridge to close overnight for construction The Caloosahatchee River Bridge from First Street to North Key Drive in North Fort Myers will close so crews can perform bridge work.
CAPE CORAL Accused Cape Coral double murderer, Wade Wilson, goes to court to try to get death penalty off the table Wade Wilson, the man who allegedly murdered two women, will be in court to try to persuade the court to get the death penalty off the table.
Jupiter DeSantis announces funding for developmentally disabled individuals Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke on education for children with developmental disabilities at the Els Center of Excellence in Jupiter.
CHARLOTTE COUNTY Bradenton man arrested after allegedly masturbating inside Charlotte County Walmart A man from Bradenton has been arrested after he was allegedly masturbating inside a Walmart in Charlotte County.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres work trailer explosion injures 1 The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District responded to a work trailer explosion that injured one person.
CBS News Trump and DeSantis, once GOP rivals, meet in South Florida to talk about 2024 election Florida Governor Ron DeSantis met privately with former President Donald Trump for several hours on Sunday morning to talk, in part, about fundraising ahead of the 2024 general election, several sources familiar with the meeting tell CBS News.
WINK NEWS Florida Prepaid open enrollment deadline approaches All parents fear the expense of college for their children; however, the state offers a great option in the Florida Prepaid Plan.
The Weather Authority Few showers Monday afternoon in SWFL The Weather Authority is tracking a few rain showers on Monday afternoon into the early evening.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead, 1 arrested after North Fort Myers shooting The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested one person following an evening shooting that killed a man in North Fort Myers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Bishop of the Diocese of Venice releases statement following sexual abuse allegations by SWFL priest The Bishop of the Diocese of Venice is speaking out after Charlotte County Reverend Leo Riley was arrested on five counts of sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.
NEW YORK (AP) Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November.
FORT MYERS Gone but not forgotten: Traveling Vietnam Memorial pays tribute to veterans A powerful symbol of honor and remembrance is standing proudly here in Southwest Florida. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is open to the public, a reminder of those we lost who served our country.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. The first indication for Julie Riddle was the fraudulent charges to her bank account. She contacted her bank, filed a police report and monitored her account. But the damage was already done. “Over $7,000. Yeah, the first check was $2,300,” the retiree sighed. “We’re having to change all of our direct deposits. We’re having to watch the account because up to a a week- and-a-half ago, there were still fraudulent checks coming in.” Scammers cleaned out her bank account by appearing to wash out one check, and in another instance, recreated her checks using her personal information. “As long as they’ve got your routing number and your account number, all bets are off, all bets are,” she said. How criminals get you Riddle was a victim of check washing, when a criminal steals a real check, removes all ink except for the signature, then make the check out to themselves. The practice is “really simple to do,” said Carrie Kerskie, director of the Identity Fraud Institute at Hodges University. An online search by Kerskie produced multiple tutorials on how to do it. Using household chemicals, the ink can be removed in a matter of minutes. “They’re going to wash all that information off except for your signature and they’re going to write in paid to themselves and change the dollar amount,” she said. The antidote The best defense is to use a security pen, Kerskie said. “When you go to buy a pen it will say on there anti-check washing or it’s a security pen,” she said. “The ink in that has been found it cannot be removed through these substances where regular ball point ink and even some sharpies, can be removed by this chemical substance.” Several stores sell the pens, including Walmart, which has a two-pack for $2.74. Fraud still possible? While the pen can prevent ink removal, it won’t prevent using one’s routing and account numbers to make new, fraudulent checks. For Julie Riddle, criminals printed checks with her account information, but made one spelling mistake with her husband’s name. “Brain. His name is Brian and it turned into Brain,” she said. During tax season, Kerskie said consumers should look out for “fishing.” “[Scammers] know people are going to start mailing their tax returns closer to the April deadline,” she said. “They will actually go fishing and I’m not talking the “ph” type phishing, with the emails. Good, old fashion, rod and reel.” Crooks will put a sticky string down mailboxes and try to catch your mail, she said. “If you’re going to use one of those big blue boxes, use one closest to the door of the post office or better yet put it in the inside of the post office because it’s going to be more difficult for them [the scammers] to do it inside the post office,” she said. Same goes for those making electronic payments, Kerskie said. “If you authorize your bank to send payments, out at a certain times, sometimes they may send those payments out in the form of a check,” she explained. Protecting yourself Kerskie advises consumers to regularly check their bank accounts and purchase security checks that have features indicating it was tampered with. Another big tip – register your online accounts. “If you’re not online, you have a greater risk of becoming a victim and here’s why, because if you’re not setting up those online accounts, you’re leaving it wide open for a criminal to come in and set them up on your behalf,” she said. “Now they have remote access to your accounts and they can do whatever they want with them.” Made whole After alerting her bank, Riddle was told it could take at least 20 days to get her funds back. A volunteer at WINK News Call for Action suggested using social media to get a more immediate response. She posted her situation on her bank’s Facebook page. Someone from the bank responded immediately and resolved the issue.