Changing how you are represented in Lee CountyFrontier Airlines announces nonstop flights from RSW to San Juan, PR
LEHIGH ACRES Changing how you are represented in Lee County Leaders want to hear your thoughts this week at a town hall on how you elect county commissioners.
FORT MYERS Frontier Airlines announces nonstop flights from RSW to San Juan, PR These flights will take off on June 2 and run 3 times a week.
City of Naples hosts open house workshop for Naples road projects The City of Naples is hosting an open house workshop to hear from the public regarding road improvements.
CAPE CORAL Ollie’s Pub, the home of SWFL’s local music scene, closes after 4 memorable years Ollie’s Pub, once the center of local original music in Southwest Florida, is closing after a prosperous yet arduous four years.
New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis puts business degree to use Hargis began his new job at FGCU on April 29 knowing he would have about $15 million in annual funding—and also knowing the budget has more than doubled in the last decade.
Future unknown for Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel site What’s to come of the Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel and adjoining Hurricane Charley’s Sushi, Raw Bar & Grill after demolition is yet to be determined.
(CBS) Trump held in contempt for violating gag order in “hush money” trial. Here’s how much he owes. The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York held him in contempt of court on Tuesday for violating a gag order.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Shootout that killed 4 law officers began as task force tried to serve a warrant, police say A shootout that killed four law enforcement officers and wounded four others in North Carolina began as officers went serve a warrant.
WINK NEWS Semi-truck crash shuts down multiple lanes at Pine Ridge Road A crash involving a semi-truck caused lanes at Pine Ridge Road to close temporarily on Tuesday.
FORT MYERS Man accused of fatal North Fort Myers shooting held without bond The North Fort Myers man arrested for allegedly shooting into a truck, killing a man is being held without bond following a court appearance.
Lake Park Diner expands with Founders Square location Not only will the new Founders Square location of Lake Park Diner serve the growing population in North Naples and Golden Gate Estates, the second helping of the local dining spot will serve as the prototype for future iterations of the casual restaurant concept.
IONA Woman discovered in Bayside Inlet, condition unknown According to the fire district, reports of a woman in a canal were issued at around 7:50 a.m. at Junonia Court in Iona.
NAPLES Gov. DeSantis waives entrance fees for Florida State Parks for Memorial Day Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the suspension of all entry fees in Florida state parks during Memorial Day weekend.
FORT MYERS Annual SWFL Wellness Fair in Fort Myers to promote well-being The Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium is partnering with the SWFL Wellness Fair to offer a day of fun and inspiration in Fort Myers.
Tampa Gov. DeSantis renews the Freedom Sales Tax holiday in Florida Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the renewal of the Freedom Sales Tax holiday in Tampa.
LEHIGH ACRES Changing how you are represented in Lee County Leaders want to hear your thoughts this week at a town hall on how you elect county commissioners.
FORT MYERS Frontier Airlines announces nonstop flights from RSW to San Juan, PR These flights will take off on June 2 and run 3 times a week.
City of Naples hosts open house workshop for Naples road projects The City of Naples is hosting an open house workshop to hear from the public regarding road improvements.
CAPE CORAL Ollie’s Pub, the home of SWFL’s local music scene, closes after 4 memorable years Ollie’s Pub, once the center of local original music in Southwest Florida, is closing after a prosperous yet arduous four years.
New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis puts business degree to use Hargis began his new job at FGCU on April 29 knowing he would have about $15 million in annual funding—and also knowing the budget has more than doubled in the last decade.
Future unknown for Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel site What’s to come of the Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel and adjoining Hurricane Charley’s Sushi, Raw Bar & Grill after demolition is yet to be determined.
(CBS) Trump held in contempt for violating gag order in “hush money” trial. Here’s how much he owes. The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York held him in contempt of court on Tuesday for violating a gag order.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Shootout that killed 4 law officers began as task force tried to serve a warrant, police say A shootout that killed four law enforcement officers and wounded four others in North Carolina began as officers went serve a warrant.
WINK NEWS Semi-truck crash shuts down multiple lanes at Pine Ridge Road A crash involving a semi-truck caused lanes at Pine Ridge Road to close temporarily on Tuesday.
FORT MYERS Man accused of fatal North Fort Myers shooting held without bond The North Fort Myers man arrested for allegedly shooting into a truck, killing a man is being held without bond following a court appearance.
Lake Park Diner expands with Founders Square location Not only will the new Founders Square location of Lake Park Diner serve the growing population in North Naples and Golden Gate Estates, the second helping of the local dining spot will serve as the prototype for future iterations of the casual restaurant concept.
IONA Woman discovered in Bayside Inlet, condition unknown According to the fire district, reports of a woman in a canal were issued at around 7:50 a.m. at Junonia Court in Iona.
NAPLES Gov. DeSantis waives entrance fees for Florida State Parks for Memorial Day Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the suspension of all entry fees in Florida state parks during Memorial Day weekend.
FORT MYERS Annual SWFL Wellness Fair in Fort Myers to promote well-being The Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium is partnering with the SWFL Wellness Fair to offer a day of fun and inspiration in Fort Myers.
Tampa Gov. DeSantis renews the Freedom Sales Tax holiday in Florida Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the renewal of the Freedom Sales Tax holiday in Tampa.
FILE: Man scoops blue-green algae out of the water. in May 2019 (Credit: WINK News/FILE) A demand for transparency. Southwest Floridians that spent months living next to and breathing in blue-green algae want to know what’s being done to prevent it from happening again in the future. Congressman Francis Rooney hosted a closed-door roundtable meeting Tuesday with federal, state and local leaders on the health and economic impacts from harmful algal blooms or HABs, and residents want to know what was said. Neighbors in the Clipper Bay community say it’s just a matter of time before the algal blooms comes back and it becomes a living nightmare. Today, Peter Formica can breathe easy outside his Cape Coral condo, but a year ago that wasn’t the case. Formica was scooping thick, blue-green algae out of his backyard every morning. The closed-door meeting included Rooney, Gov. Ron DeSantis, representatives from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, and many others. “We need answers, and if you’re saying that no one will give you the answers, well maybe they’re not the answers that we want to hear,” Formica said. “Maybe we want to hear what was really going on. I would think that after they met that they would give that information back to all of us homeowners.” Local leaders that attended the meeting want homeowners to know that now is the time for continued collaboration and research. Sanibel Mayor Kevin Ruane says after attending Tuesday’s meeting, he has the answers homeowners are looking for. “I can tell my community if we have another red tide outbreak, you may want to consider these five issues. If you have these five symptoms go to the hospital and indicate, by the way, you live on Sanibel,” Ruane said. Providing doctors the information they need to document health impacts is important, and Ruane says meeting Lee Health and federal officials face-to-face was beneficial because he knows who to call. “Now, I have contacts at all different agencies that I didn’t have before,” Ruane said. “If we have a direct line to CDC, it’s a much better operation.” A direct line might help coastal communities navigate dealing with red tide when it hits. Red tide can cause respiratory issues for beachgoers and mass marine life deaths. Last year’s simultaneous algae and red tide outbreak created the worst water conditions Southwest Florida has seen, leaving leaders stumped on what to do and looking for support. “There’s a lack of information,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Dr. Quay Dortch who also attended the meeting. NOAA is another agency, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and Lee Health, who admits more knowledge and research is needed into blue green algae and red tide affects. “This really became more about the scientists listening to what the problems are so we could better tailor our research to the problems,” Dortch said. She says the meeting helped her better understand the impacts of red tide and blue-green algae, which in NOAA’s case, can lead to funding needed to provide solutions. “Certainly, the meeting made us all feel the urgency of this so we all came home with to-do lists,” Dortch said. WINK News reached out to the two Florida Gulf Coast University scientists about the health impacts discussed during the meeting, but both declined to comment, saying they were respecting Rooney’s decision to keep the meeting off the record. Rooney is hosting another meeting Friday, May 10 at The Conservancy of Southwest Florida and it will be streamed online. Submit Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.