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.
Operation Eye See You. (WINK News photo) Investigators charged several suspects for setting up fake eye doctor clinics and using stolen identities to collect millions. Fraud detectives with the Florida Department of Financial Services said, the suspects are part of a large insurance fraud ring with locations in Fort Myers. Authorities arrested 10 of the 14 suspects. One person is expected to turn themself in Wednesday, but the others are still at large.i The group is accused of billing United Healthcare and Florida Blue for high-end eye treatments. The group submitted more than 23,000 claims from 2015-2018 totaling almost $43 million. Just over $10 million was paid out. The suspects are accused of stealing doctors’ identities and were operating 15 phantom clinics that were nothing more than a storefront. Three of those were in Fort Myers. The accused “ring leader” is a former Miami doctor with a history of shoddy behavior leading his license to be taken from him. Another suspect was a former billing manager who knew how to handle the paperwork aspect of the operation and franchised the fake clinics with friends. Jimmy Patronis, CFO of Florida, said the insurance companies were not the only victims. “Ultimately, the victim is becoming the citizens of Florida,” Patronis said, “who will see a change in their cost for health insurance rates because of fraudulent billing practice.” Consumers calling fraud hotlines and reporting suspicious activity on their insurance statements helped authorities make arrests, Petronis said. The following suspects all face multiple felony charges in connection to this case: Xiomara Baullosa, 59—charged with one count of racketeering; two counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Maylene Cruz, 51—charged with one count of racketeering; 12 counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; · Enrique Galera-Risco, 61—charged with one count of racketeering; two counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Sandra Nadal Hidalgo, 58—charged with one count of racketeering; one count of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Anais Hernandez Jorge, 39—charged with one count of racketeering; two counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Jorge Valido Leyva, 42—charged with one count of racketeering; one count of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Luis Eslen Machado, 27—charged with one count of racketeering; one count of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Nivardo R. Parra, 52—charged with one count of racketeering; two counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Gonzalo Rodriguez, 50—charged with one count of racketeering; four counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Nestor Rodriguez, 60—charged with one count of racketeering; two counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Nestor Damian Rodriguez, 28—charged with one count of racketeering; two counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Arnaldo Valido, 30—charged with one count of racketeering; seven counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; Jorge Arnaldo Valido, 61—charged with one count of racketeering; 16 counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; and one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information; and Minerva Valido, 57—charged with one count of racketeering; four counts of fraudulent insurance claim; one count of scheme to defraud; one count of money laundering; one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information.