Reckless driver arrested twice in 10 days in Fort MyersWINK Neighborhood Watch: Deadly shooter, home invasion and drug trafficking
FORT MYERS Reckless driver arrested twice in 10 days in Fort Myers A Fort Myers man with a revoked license was arrested twice within 10 days for driving violations.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Deadly shooter, home invasion and drug trafficking This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features deadly shootings, home invasions and drug trafficking.
FORT MYERS Pedestrian dead after crash on McGregor Boulevard The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that left at least one person dead Saturday night.
Sunday brings sun and clouds with chance for a stray shower The Weather Authority forecasts another seasonal day across Southwest Florida, with temperatures reaching the upper 70s to low 80s this afternoon.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
FORT MYERS Reckless driver arrested twice in 10 days in Fort Myers A Fort Myers man with a revoked license was arrested twice within 10 days for driving violations.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Deadly shooter, home invasion and drug trafficking This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features deadly shootings, home invasions and drug trafficking.
FORT MYERS Pedestrian dead after crash on McGregor Boulevard The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that left at least one person dead Saturday night.
Sunday brings sun and clouds with chance for a stray shower The Weather Authority forecasts another seasonal day across Southwest Florida, with temperatures reaching the upper 70s to low 80s this afternoon.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Credit: WINK News The latest numbers from the state of Florida show that more than 45 percent of claims have been paid out to people seeking unemployment benefits since March 15. Now, lawyers are turning to the court in hopes of getting money into the hands of people faster. Two Tallahassee lawyers filed two class-action motions last week: A mandamus ordering the state to pay people’s benefits as soon as possible, and a lawsuit for negligence. Marie Mattox and Gautier Kitchen said they are filing another emergency motion Thursday to get an order for payment immediately. “We are going to file another emergency motion today to ask that the court have a hearing, not just on the motion to dismiss,” Mattox said. “But have a hearing on the merits, the mandamus, to compel the state of Florida to just pay.” They’re suing Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Department of Economic Opportunity, and the company that created the system back in 2013. Punta Gorda ride-share driver Robert Kantor said as soon as he heard about the lawsuit, he sent in the form to be a part of it. “What they’ve done is just taking us all in circles,” Kantor said. “It’s just absolutely ridiculous. And I figure some legal pressure might work.” That pressure is coming from lawyers Gautier Kitchen and Marie Mattox on behalf of thousands of Floridians. “We’re hearing tragic stories about people who can’t buy their medication, they can’t buy food. We have one of the plaintiffs who had to trade diapers for his 2-month-old child for food,” Mattox said. “The first goal is to get everybody paid now,” Kitchen said. “In 2020, after $77 million spent, we can’t make a website work? It would be laughable if it wasn’t so tragic.” The state paid more than $77 million to create the website in 2013, using the company Deloitte. Mattox and Kitchen allege the unemployment system was intentionally designed to be vague and cumbersome to keep unemployment numbers down. “You add that with the fact that the website can’t handle the traffic, that was all foreseen. And we have whistle-blowers telling us that is exactly what this administration and the prior administration were warned about,” Kitchen said. The lawyers point to the governor’s own words on the system. “This thing was a clunker, there’s no doubt about it. It was designed with all these different things, to basically fail, I think,” DeSantis said on April 24. “I agree with the governor,” Kitchen said. WINK News reported in early April on the 2019 audit that highlighted several glitches and technical problems with the site, issues that auditors also brought up in 2015 and 2016 – before DeSantis was in office. Fast forward to 2020 and a pandemic, and Kantor said he’s hoping legal action brings some relief before things get worse. “Maybe another month or two tops, and that’s it. And then I have a choice of either borrowing money from family, or putting a mask on, going out and doing ride-share driving and putting myself in serious risk,” Kantor said. Judge Angela Dempsey will hear the state’s motion to dismiss next Wednesday. Both the DEO and DeSantis’ office said they don’t comment on pending litigation. The company that made the website, Deloitte, sent WINK News this statement: “When the state accepted the system and we completed our work in 2015, CONNECT was vastly outperforming the systems it replaced and processing claims more efficiently and accurately than ever before. We have not been involved in the system since then. Clearly, any lawsuit involving us would have no merit.” Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) was governor when the system was created. He’s not listed on the lawsuit, but gave WINK News this statement regarding the allegations about the system allegedly being designed to deliberately fail: “Obviously, this is false and ridiculous. Every state in the country is struggling to deal with the unprecedented volume of suddenly unemployed workers. Everyone should be focused on getting relief to people who need it as fast as possible. Senator Scott worked with his colleagues to significantly boost unemployment benefits in the CARES Act and will continue work on policies that help the people who have been hurt by this crisis.” Attorneys Gautier Kitchen and Marie Mattox say people affected by unemployment system issues can submit their information to be included in the class-actions at www.payfloridaworkers.com. You may also send them this intake form by emailing it to FrontDesk@MattoxLaw.com and/or Gautier@Kitchen-Law.com or mailing it to: Mattox Law Firm PA 203 N. Gadsden St. Tallahassee, FL 32301 Mattox told WINK News she and Kitchen “won’t be making a penny” off of any unemployment claimants for the mandamus. For ongoing updates and information on unemployment, follow WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard on Twitter and Facebook. She also updates the FAQ: Unemployment Resources page as information is received.