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.
Florida governor’s mansion and state capitol building. Credit MGN Since 1987, Florida has paid out $11 million to more than 300 state workers who say they were sexually harassed while at work. Out of all the state agencies, the Department of Corrections has paid out the most in settlements: more than $5 million. <a href=’#’><img alt=’Dashboard 1 ‘ src=’https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Fl/FloridaSexualHarassmentClaims2/Dashboard1/1_rss.png’ style=’border: none’ /></a> INTERACTIVE: FL ssexual harassment settlements 1987-2017 Claims of sexual harassment within DOC The DOC has paid settlements related to 181 sexual harassment claims since 1987. One of the biggest payouts happened in 2010, and included more than 100 current and former workers throughout the state’s prison system. In a class action lawsuit in 2009, mostly women claimed inmates would expose themselves and masturbate in front of them, but the Department of Corrections did not take measures to stop it. A jury found the DOC liable under Title IV because it “unreasonably failed to remedy sexual harassment by its inmates.” The DOC appealed the decision but a judge agreed with the jury, and the DOC paid settlements totaling more than $1.14 million. A large number of plaintiffs in the suit were medical health professionals hired to care for the inmates. “It made it difficult to do our job,” said one woman, who worked as a nurse at Charlotte County Correctional Institute, but did not want to be identified. Three women formerly employed at the Charlotte County prison told WINK News inmates would intentionally masturbate in front of them multiple times a day. “We were their peep show,” they said. They also said some guards would not work to prevent the behavior, and there was no real punishment if a disciplinary report was written for it. “People in the community could get arrested for it, but in that community it was accepted. It was beyond ironic,” said a former mental health counselor who said she joined the lawsuit because she felt victimized. All the women said they hoped the lawsuit would spark change. Two of the women who spoke on the record to WINK News said immediately following the suit there was no real change at the prison. A current employee who spoke to WINK News by phone, said the problem persists at Charlotte County Correctional Institute. Crime and Punishment Prosecution for the crime is now a real possibility. Lawmakers passed a bill in 2010 that made it illegal for inmates to commit lewd or lascivious acts in front of employees. Only seven prisoners have been convicted of the crime in Charlotte County, and no one from that prison has been charged with the crime in the last five years, according to court records. However, the DOC said it has written 99 disciplinary reports at Charlotte Correctional Institute in relation to ‘gunning’ for 2017. Gunning is when an inmate intentionally masturbates in front of prison staff. They claimed in the years prior to the law change more than 300 reports were being written at this prison every year. Are employees still harassed by inmates at DOC? DOC Secretary Julie Jones was appointed in 2015 and did not run the department when the lawsuit was settled. “At the time these occurred, this was remedied in policy, so the policy was fixed back in 2009,” Jones said. “What we’ve been doing since, we monitor this situation very closely we take it very seriously, and every year we examine all our policies in stay accredited.” However, the DOC could not provide any policy documents or memorandum written specific to preventing inmates from gunning, or how to warn staff. Training documents updated in 2013, include the 2010 Florida Statute and reference to discipline procedures. “If you take a problem serious, you document it. You have transparency. (If there was) new policy implementation you would be able to see the records for that,” said Scott Johnson, a forensic psychologist who trains law enforcement about sexual offenders. He said there should be better training for staff, and proper penalties so it’s not a recurrent pattern. Jones said the issue is happening less often because of the discipline that’s in place. “Everyone that works in a prison is trained on how to deal with this particular situation, and we warn our staff — for someone that has a proclivity for this activity and we have shields that they can work behind,” Jones said. “We monitor the situation very closely and we’re very clear with inmates,” she said. Click here to see a full list of how much money Florida’s state agencies have paid out in Sexual Harassment claims.