Persistent red tide bloom off Naples to Boca Grande raises concernsCommunity aids in search for missing pitbull after Lee County crash
NAPLES Persistent red tide bloom off Naples to Boca Grande raises concerns As the weather warms up, more people are heading to the beach. However, those with beach plans in Southwest Florida should be aware of the persistent red tide affecting the coastline.
FORT MYERS Community aids in search for missing pitbull after Lee County crash A crash on I-75 near Daniels Parkway in Lee County turned a routine drive into a heartbreaking search for a missing pet.
LEHIGH ACRES Community supporting Lehigh Acres church after destructive fire A massive fire recently burned the Christ at Crossroads Church in Lehigh Acres, and the community is rallying to support the church’s recovery.
FORT MYERS Kids battling cancer in Fort Myers receive cuddly companions from donor Children battling cancer in Fort Myers are finding comfort in a special friend thanks to a generous donor.
2 SWFL veterans find relief at Harry Chapin Food Bank Two veterans in Southwest Florida routinely receive vital support through local food distributions, highlighting a significant issue affecting many who have served our country.
Researchers found lasting effects from COVID-19 COVID-19 cases today are less severe than five years ago, but new research indicates severe infections may have lasting impacts on the heart.
PORT CHARLOTTE Connecting service dogs with veterans A 76-year-old veteran is transforming lives by connecting fellow veterans with support dogs, and the results have been life-changing.
Peace River Wildlife Center celebrates reopening Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda reopened at Ponce de Leon Park after being closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded the center and its hospital that treats injured wildlife.
Dolphin found dead in Collier County amid red tide warnings Red tide is affecting multiple beaches in Collier County, and most recently, a dolphin was found dead in an area that turned up positive samples for red tide from Collier County Pollution Control.
Fort Myers riverfront condo One breaks ground Almost 20 years have passed since the last riverfront condominium project rose along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers.
Former Hendry County deputy found guilty after knocking handcuffed man unconscious A former Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputy could face prison time for his use of unreasonable force on a man who was being held for a domestic violence call.
1 killed in Collier County crash, FHP investigating The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a single-vehicle crash on I-75 at the 97-mile marker in Collier County.
Lehigh Acres Man arrested for crashing into Lehigh Acres duplex, damages several vehicles The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of crashing his vehicle into a Lehigh Acres duplex.
Pedestrian killed while attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a deadly crash involving a pedestrian attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway in Lee County.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
NAPLES Persistent red tide bloom off Naples to Boca Grande raises concerns As the weather warms up, more people are heading to the beach. However, those with beach plans in Southwest Florida should be aware of the persistent red tide affecting the coastline.
FORT MYERS Community aids in search for missing pitbull after Lee County crash A crash on I-75 near Daniels Parkway in Lee County turned a routine drive into a heartbreaking search for a missing pet.
LEHIGH ACRES Community supporting Lehigh Acres church after destructive fire A massive fire recently burned the Christ at Crossroads Church in Lehigh Acres, and the community is rallying to support the church’s recovery.
FORT MYERS Kids battling cancer in Fort Myers receive cuddly companions from donor Children battling cancer in Fort Myers are finding comfort in a special friend thanks to a generous donor.
2 SWFL veterans find relief at Harry Chapin Food Bank Two veterans in Southwest Florida routinely receive vital support through local food distributions, highlighting a significant issue affecting many who have served our country.
Researchers found lasting effects from COVID-19 COVID-19 cases today are less severe than five years ago, but new research indicates severe infections may have lasting impacts on the heart.
PORT CHARLOTTE Connecting service dogs with veterans A 76-year-old veteran is transforming lives by connecting fellow veterans with support dogs, and the results have been life-changing.
Peace River Wildlife Center celebrates reopening Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda reopened at Ponce de Leon Park after being closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded the center and its hospital that treats injured wildlife.
Dolphin found dead in Collier County amid red tide warnings Red tide is affecting multiple beaches in Collier County, and most recently, a dolphin was found dead in an area that turned up positive samples for red tide from Collier County Pollution Control.
Fort Myers riverfront condo One breaks ground Almost 20 years have passed since the last riverfront condominium project rose along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers.
Former Hendry County deputy found guilty after knocking handcuffed man unconscious A former Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputy could face prison time for his use of unreasonable force on a man who was being held for a domestic violence call.
1 killed in Collier County crash, FHP investigating The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a single-vehicle crash on I-75 at the 97-mile marker in Collier County.
Lehigh Acres Man arrested for crashing into Lehigh Acres duplex, damages several vehicles The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of crashing his vehicle into a Lehigh Acres duplex.
Pedestrian killed while attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a deadly crash involving a pedestrian attempting to cross Hancock Bridge Parkway in Lee County.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
FILE PHOTO Fort Myers Beach Pier. Credit WINK News FORT MYERS, Fla. – WINK News tested water quality at three locations along the Caloosahatchee to see what is lurking beneath the waves. “Well it wasn’t pleasant because you were wondering, what’s in this?” Dino Halupa was visiting mid-October from Indiana. He didn’t spend every day of vacation at the beach, because of the brown water. “We were told something was let loose, like form the everglades, or some fresh water,” he said. On October 18 we tested the water from three sites: Franklin Lock, Punta Rassa and Fort Myers Beach pier. The Results: “It’s basically organic matter that is dissolved and that makes the water kind of brown looking. It’s not dangerous,” explained Dr. Serge Thomas, Assistant Professor for Environmental Studies at FGCU. While the brown water present when we took samples did not register as dangerous, Dr. Thomas did find a higher nutrient content. “Nitrogen actually jumped by 1.5 times,” he said. That could mean more seaweed growth. “We don’t want much seaweed here, especially the big brown seaweed, the red seaweed you see drifting… when they start decaying, they suck all the oxygen out of the water. So that can create fish kill,” he explained. DOCUMENTS: See a PDF of the full water quality test results taken on 10/18 Back in July we tested the same three locations and Dr. Thomas said the results showed another elevated nutrient level: phosphorous. He says too much of either can throw off the balance of our ecosystem because our ecosystem no longer has the ability to filter them out. “In the past {the water} used to meandre and go through the grasses and be able to be filtered through the vegetation and sometimes be filtered down through the ground recharging the ground water. Now we have a lot of those impervious surfaces where the water doesn’t have time to infiltrate and just flushes down to the estuaries.” Moving Forward While our ecosystem has been changed by growth, Dr. Thomas says there are ways we can help filter the water ourselves and prevent as many nutrients from getting into the system. “Everything you do upstream will eventually make it’s way downstream unless you filter that water,” he said. “So you have retention pond, which are an ecological filter; you have filter marshes; you have better practices with your septic tanks, you basically clean it often; you have good fertilization practices for your lawn, and um you can also plant the right plants like the native plants that don’t need a lot of fertilizer to grow.” As far as when the brown water should clear, Dr. Thomas says as soon as the flow from lake Okeechobee stops, the water should eventually clear up. But we may have to wait until the weather warms up to see if we are in the clear when it comes to algae blooms or seaweed growth.