Punta Gorda Council discusses proposed new $16M City HallDepartment of Labor seeks to distribute $4.7M in wages owed to Florida workers
Punta Gorda Council discusses proposed new $16M City Hall Punta Gorda City Council got sticker shock Dec. 4 when they learned that a new City Hall building with a design chosen by former council members would cost close to $16 million.
Department of Labor seeks to distribute $4.7M in wages owed to Florida workers With year-end approaching, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor is working to return $4,737,110 in wages it recovered to almost 7,500 Florida workers who earned them.
GLADES COUNTY Florida panther struck by vehicle in Glades County; 32nd death in 2024 A 7-to-8-month-old panther was killed by a vehicle in Glades County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 32 for 2024.
FORT MYERS Commissioner Hamman: Caloosahatchee bridge project to be completed soon The pedestrian walkway project on the Caloosahatchee bridge in Fort Myers is on schedule and is expected to be completed before Christmas Day.
WINK NEWS Citizens Property Insurance depopulation program This is a sign our insurance crisis in Florida is recovering. Citizens, designed to be Floridian’s last resort insurer, is shrinking.
WINK NEWS Warmer temperatures build in for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures. Thursday is in the 50s, and the warming trend is continuing into the weekend.
WINK NEWS Smoke from prescribed burns this Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking smoke in the air Thursday morning. If you notice smoke, it’s likely from recent prescribed burns.
LEHIGH ACRES Firefighters break open submerged car in Lehigh Acres Firefighters break open a submerged car and appear to rescue someone stuck inside in Lehigh Acres overnight.
FORT MYERS Stem donor meets recipient at Florida Gulf Coast University An FGCU student is giving the gift of life this holiday season. FGCU senior Zoe Horowitz met the person who received her stem cell donation.
PORT CHARLOTTE CCSO ‘Shop with a Cop’ event spreads holiday cheer Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputies spent time helping kids pick out gifts for their families during the annual Shop with a Cop event.
CLEWISTON Caught on camera: Explosion in hotel parking lot in Clewiston There was an explosion in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Clewiston on Wednesday.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda leaders outline plans for Gilchrist Park repairs Gilchrist Park is closed, and Punta Gorda city leaders have been discussing possibly restoring the park.
NORTH NAPLES Airman surprises 6-year-old daughter at school for the holidays after ten months of service in Kuwait After almost a year of service in Kuwait, one airman came home for the holidays and surprised his daughter.
FORT MYERS Breaking down the Lee County Sheriff’s Office budget The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Carmine Marceno have been under scrutiny since a federal investigation on potential money laundering began. Many have questioned LCSO’s spending, so we broke down the budget.
How to protect yourself from thieves this holiday season On Cyber Monday, Americans spent $13 billion, which will translate into many packages on doorsteps this holiday season.
Punta Gorda Council discusses proposed new $16M City Hall Punta Gorda City Council got sticker shock Dec. 4 when they learned that a new City Hall building with a design chosen by former council members would cost close to $16 million.
Department of Labor seeks to distribute $4.7M in wages owed to Florida workers With year-end approaching, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor is working to return $4,737,110 in wages it recovered to almost 7,500 Florida workers who earned them.
GLADES COUNTY Florida panther struck by vehicle in Glades County; 32nd death in 2024 A 7-to-8-month-old panther was killed by a vehicle in Glades County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 32 for 2024.
FORT MYERS Commissioner Hamman: Caloosahatchee bridge project to be completed soon The pedestrian walkway project on the Caloosahatchee bridge in Fort Myers is on schedule and is expected to be completed before Christmas Day.
WINK NEWS Citizens Property Insurance depopulation program This is a sign our insurance crisis in Florida is recovering. Citizens, designed to be Floridian’s last resort insurer, is shrinking.
WINK NEWS Warmer temperatures build in for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures. Thursday is in the 50s, and the warming trend is continuing into the weekend.
WINK NEWS Smoke from prescribed burns this Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking smoke in the air Thursday morning. If you notice smoke, it’s likely from recent prescribed burns.
LEHIGH ACRES Firefighters break open submerged car in Lehigh Acres Firefighters break open a submerged car and appear to rescue someone stuck inside in Lehigh Acres overnight.
FORT MYERS Stem donor meets recipient at Florida Gulf Coast University An FGCU student is giving the gift of life this holiday season. FGCU senior Zoe Horowitz met the person who received her stem cell donation.
PORT CHARLOTTE CCSO ‘Shop with a Cop’ event spreads holiday cheer Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputies spent time helping kids pick out gifts for their families during the annual Shop with a Cop event.
CLEWISTON Caught on camera: Explosion in hotel parking lot in Clewiston There was an explosion in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Clewiston on Wednesday.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda leaders outline plans for Gilchrist Park repairs Gilchrist Park is closed, and Punta Gorda city leaders have been discussing possibly restoring the park.
NORTH NAPLES Airman surprises 6-year-old daughter at school for the holidays after ten months of service in Kuwait After almost a year of service in Kuwait, one airman came home for the holidays and surprised his daughter.
FORT MYERS Breaking down the Lee County Sheriff’s Office budget The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Carmine Marceno have been under scrutiny since a federal investigation on potential money laundering began. Many have questioned LCSO’s spending, so we broke down the budget.
How to protect yourself from thieves this holiday season On Cyber Monday, Americans spent $13 billion, which will translate into many packages on doorsteps this holiday season.
FILE – In this May 31, 2013 file photo, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference to announce the increase in penalties for texting while driving in New York. New York state is set to study the use of a device known as the “textalyzer” that would allow police to determine whether a motorist involved in a serious crash was texting while driving. Cuomo announced Wednesday, July 26, 2017, that he would direct the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to examine the technology, as well as the privacy and constitutional questions it could raise. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA) A bipartisan group of lawmakers embarked Tuesday on a road that has resulted in a dead end in the past: getting the House and Senate to make texting while driving a “primary” traffic offense in Florida. The Senate Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee voted 7-1 — following testimony from family members of people killed by texting motorists — to approve a primary-offense bill (SB 90). But the measure already faces questions over how the ban could be enforced without requiring motorists to be completely hands-free of wireless devices or if the law would create any noticeable change in motorists’ behavior. Should there be harsher penalties for those caught texting & driving? More: https://t.co/TtZdQPmz1C — WINK News (@winknews) October 25, 2017 Sen. Dana Young, a Tampa Republican who voted for the measure, said the bill might also not go far enough in tackling the issue of drivers distracted by watching movies, scrolling through music playlists, applying makeup or even reading books. “Why would you not just deal with the issue, which is the elephant in the room, which is distracted driving, careless driving,” Young said. Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, said he’s seen statistics showing a move to enforcement as a primary offense fails to reduce crashes. “My main concern here is not giving people false hope that this is going to solve the problem,” Clemens said. “If we really want to do something to solve the problem, we should just not have people be able to use their phones while driving.” Florida law bars texting while driving, but the ban is enforced as a “secondary” offense, meaning motorists can only be cited if they are stopped for other reasons, such as speeding. If it becomes a primary offense, police could stop motorists for texting behind the wheel. Bill sponsor Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, said he is typically opposed to creating new regulations, but as the father of a daughters ages 17 and 20, “this is a public safety issue” and the proposal is intended to change people’s behavior. Clemens got an amendment added to the bill Tuesday that would require police to inform people stopped for texting while driving that they can decline searches of their devices. Perry’s proposal doesn’t match a House proposal (HB 121) by Democratic Reps. Emily Slosberg of Boca Raton and Richard Stark of Weston, but he said they would hammer out the differences as the measures advance. The House measure, along with making texting while driving a primary offense, would double fines for texting while driving in a school zone or through a school crossing. Slosberg sought a texting ban in the 2017 session and has spent the past several months urging support from local governments. More than 20 counties and nearly 30 cities approved resolutions in support of making texting while driving a primary offense. “As deaths are increasing, our laws are doing nothing to address it,” Slosberg said during a news conference held Tuesday in the Capitol by the FL DNT TXT N DRV Coalition. The coalition is backed by the Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Police Chiefs Association. Slosberg’s efforts to increase traffic safety are personal. On Feb. 23, 1996, Slosberg and her twin sister, Dori, got into a car with friends. The driver, 19, was speeding 90 mph in a 50-mph zone when the car struck a median and crashed into a car heading east. Emily Slosberg survived the crash with a punctured lung and several broken bones. Dori was killed along with four other teenagers. “I will never get my twin sister back, but I want to make sure Floridians and every other person in this state does not go through what I did,” Slosberg said. Gwendolyn Reese, a St. Petersburg resident, said during the news conference that law enforcement needs the ability to stop motorists before more tragedies occur. “When did we become a society that valued convenience and everything else above human life?” Reese asked. Reese’s 24-year-old niece Lavon Reese, a Florida State University student, was killed in Tallahassee in January 2015 when struck by a vehicle driven by a woman who was driving 89 mph while texting. “I cannot say if it had been a primary offense that my niece would still be alive,” Reese said. “But I can think that quite possibly she would, because the woman who was speeding and texting would know she could be stopped for either.” Perry’s proposal still needs to get approved by three more Senate panels before it could go to the full Senate during the 2018 session, which starts in January. Texting while driving is a primary or secondary offense in every state other than Montana. Currently Florida joins Ohio, Nebraska, Arizona and South Dakota in listing texting while driving as a secondary offense, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Those other states each have some areas in which the law is a primary offense.