Florida Highway Patrol investigating fatal hit-and-run involving motorcyclistFEMA agrees to outside investigation into avoiding homes with Trump signs
lehigh acres Florida Highway Patrol investigating fatal hit-and-run involving motorcyclist The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a hit-and-run that left a motorcyclist dead in Lee County.
FEMA agrees to outside investigation into avoiding homes with Trump signs FEMA’s administrator has agreed to an outside investigation to find out why her employee gave orders to deny trump supporters aid after Hurricane Milton.
Denise Carlin sworn in as Lee County Schools superintendent It’s a big night for families with kids attending Lee County Schools! Dr. Denise Carlin was just sworn in as superintendent.
PORT CHARLOTTE 8 illegal immigrants arrested in Charlotte County Eight people have been arrested in Port Charlotte for being in the country illegally.
SANIBEL Memorial statue unveiled for exotic birds at Jerry’s Foods on Sanibel Island For over 40 years, Dick Muench displayed many of his exotic birds from Central and South America at Jerry’s Foods on Sanibel.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers veteran worried about FEMA code compliance letter One marine veteran is worried sick over having to raise his home.
Residents oppose U-Haul storage unit development in Collier County A lush line of trees in Collier County may turn into storage units, and neighbors are unhappy.
LEHIGH ACRES Parents want changes made to Lee County Schools JROTC The Lee County School District is making changes after 25 students were treated by emergency services for heat exhaustion at a local high school on Friday.
FORT MYERS BEACH La Ola speaks out a day after FEMA deadline A day after the FEMA deadline for temporary structures on Fort Myers Beach to be removed, the scenery remains largely unchanged.
FORT MYERS Neighbors react to plans for new Amazon warehouse in Fort Myers Amazon will soon have the largest building in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Councilman Johnny Streets retires after nearly 20 years of service After nearly two decades of service, Fort Myers City Councilman Johnny Streets is retiring.
Local human trafficking survivor speaks out It’s a question many of us think we know the answer to: What is human trafficking? A Collier County woman told WINK her definition changed after she survived it.
Sheriff’s Office: Teen victim knew suspect in deadly Collier County shooting There is new information on the deadly shooting late Saturday of a teenage girl in Collier County.
FORT MYERS Inauguration ceremony for Lee Board of County Commissioners Lee County held an inauguration ceremony for a newly appointed county commissioner and two incumbents.
FGCU FGCU volleyball prepares to defend ASUN Tournament title FGCU volleyball looks to secure its fourth straight ASUN Tournament title this week and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
lehigh acres Florida Highway Patrol investigating fatal hit-and-run involving motorcyclist The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a hit-and-run that left a motorcyclist dead in Lee County.
FEMA agrees to outside investigation into avoiding homes with Trump signs FEMA’s administrator has agreed to an outside investigation to find out why her employee gave orders to deny trump supporters aid after Hurricane Milton.
Denise Carlin sworn in as Lee County Schools superintendent It’s a big night for families with kids attending Lee County Schools! Dr. Denise Carlin was just sworn in as superintendent.
PORT CHARLOTTE 8 illegal immigrants arrested in Charlotte County Eight people have been arrested in Port Charlotte for being in the country illegally.
SANIBEL Memorial statue unveiled for exotic birds at Jerry’s Foods on Sanibel Island For over 40 years, Dick Muench displayed many of his exotic birds from Central and South America at Jerry’s Foods on Sanibel.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers veteran worried about FEMA code compliance letter One marine veteran is worried sick over having to raise his home.
Residents oppose U-Haul storage unit development in Collier County A lush line of trees in Collier County may turn into storage units, and neighbors are unhappy.
LEHIGH ACRES Parents want changes made to Lee County Schools JROTC The Lee County School District is making changes after 25 students were treated by emergency services for heat exhaustion at a local high school on Friday.
FORT MYERS BEACH La Ola speaks out a day after FEMA deadline A day after the FEMA deadline for temporary structures on Fort Myers Beach to be removed, the scenery remains largely unchanged.
FORT MYERS Neighbors react to plans for new Amazon warehouse in Fort Myers Amazon will soon have the largest building in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Councilman Johnny Streets retires after nearly 20 years of service After nearly two decades of service, Fort Myers City Councilman Johnny Streets is retiring.
Local human trafficking survivor speaks out It’s a question many of us think we know the answer to: What is human trafficking? A Collier County woman told WINK her definition changed after she survived it.
Sheriff’s Office: Teen victim knew suspect in deadly Collier County shooting There is new information on the deadly shooting late Saturday of a teenage girl in Collier County.
FORT MYERS Inauguration ceremony for Lee Board of County Commissioners Lee County held an inauguration ceremony for a newly appointed county commissioner and two incumbents.
FGCU FGCU volleyball prepares to defend ASUN Tournament title FGCU volleyball looks to secure its fourth straight ASUN Tournament title this week and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
City of Fort Myers downtown area. Credit: WINK News. A new study says three places in Lee County are booming among the top places in the country. An FGCU economics expert says they are not exactly sure that is a good thing. And locals have also noticed the changes to their homes as well. In a recent study conducted by SmartAsset, Lehigh Acres, Fort Myers and Cape Coral were all ranked among the top 50 in its “Top Boomtowns in America – 2019 Edition.” “I’ve noticed a huge change,” said Jennifer Chapman in Cape Coral. “The economy has changed. I don’t know about getting better, but population has grown and increased tremendously.” Chapman has seen her city at its best and worst. Chapman has lived in Cape for 20 years, and she knows, while the city appears to be booming right now, she’s not so sure that’s an immediate positive. SmartAsset researchers looked at population growth, unemployment and household income when factoring everything for the top boomtowns. “It means that there is a lot of cheap money entering the economy nationally,” said Christopher Westley, the director of FGCU’s Regional Economic Research Institute. “And a lot of it is coming down to Southwest Florida.” Cape and Lehigh also made the boomtown list back in the early 2000s. “As it turned out though, there was unsustainable growth,” Westley said. “So, when the bust came, they suffered the most.” Westley told us one of the problems at that time was that people did not save money. But a boomtown can be a good thing now if growth is sustainable. “You want to have interest rates that reflect the market,” Westley said. “And a market interest rate would be higher than the one we’re seeing right now. That would allow for investment to occur but also for saving to occur.” The study also points out the City of Naples is seeing tremendous growth, but its population is too small to make the list. Chapman says she’s excited for all the benefits this stage brings. “It’s making this town much more known,” Chapman said. “We’re getting a big hotel very soon. We’ve never had that before.”