Cape Coral City Council discussing transforming plot of land into Festival ParkLee County student accused of making school threat
FORT MYERS Southwest Florida Ag Expo brings agriculture and fun to Fort Myers Fort Myers is holding the Southwest Florida Ag Expo, which promises a mix of agriculture, entertainment, and education this year.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral City Council discussing transforming plot of land into Festival Park Right now, the Cape Coral City Council members are discussing the transformation of a plot of land into Festival Park.
Lee County student accused of making school threat A student from Cypress Lake High School is facing charges for making school threats.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warm and breezy this Wednesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a warm and breezy Wednesday with increased cloud coverage.
miami beach Streaming Now: Gov. DeSantis holds news conference in Miami Beach Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Miami Beach.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
FORT MYERS Drivers react to newly opened intersection on Colonial Blvd. The dreaded drive through one of our busiest intersections has been the focus of several construction projects.
Dinosaur from Shell Factory finds new home in Saint James City marina A dinosaur has found a new home at the soon-to-be Nauti-Dolphin Marina in Saint James City, Florida. This prehistoric attraction is already drawing attention even though it’s the only thing currently on the property. Dean Zoner, owner of the Nauti-Dolphin Marina, acquired the dinosaur from the Shell Factory, a local business that was going out […]
Florida lawmakers to vote on revamped Governor backed immigration bill on Thursday The House and Senate are set to vote on a new immigration bill on Thursday. The bill aims to address illegal immigration and support federal mass deportation efforts.
CLEWISTON Community raises concerns about Clewiston Animal Services The Clewiston Animal Shelter has made significant improvements, but there is still work to be done to bring conditions to a more humane level.
Collier County beachgoers react to Gulf of America name change The Gulf of Mexico has been officially renamed the “Gulf of America” following an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood Beach’s closure impacts local economy; businesses seek answers Business owners on Englewood Beach are growing increasingly anxious as they await the reopening of the beach, which has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton.
FORT MYERS BEACH Food truck park proposal on Estero Blvd divides Fort Myers Beach locals The Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency recently voted on whether to transform a vacant lot on Estero Boulevard into a food truck park.
CCSO works with ICE to catch suspects in Southwest Florida State lawmakers are working on a new immigration bill. Here in Southwest Florida, one county has been following strict guidelines on illegal immigration for quite some time.
Burn ban in effect for Collier County The Board of County Commissioners has authorized a burn ban in Collier County.
FORT MYERS Southwest Florida Ag Expo brings agriculture and fun to Fort Myers Fort Myers is holding the Southwest Florida Ag Expo, which promises a mix of agriculture, entertainment, and education this year.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral City Council discussing transforming plot of land into Festival Park Right now, the Cape Coral City Council members are discussing the transformation of a plot of land into Festival Park.
Lee County student accused of making school threat A student from Cypress Lake High School is facing charges for making school threats.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warm and breezy this Wednesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a warm and breezy Wednesday with increased cloud coverage.
miami beach Streaming Now: Gov. DeSantis holds news conference in Miami Beach Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Miami Beach.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
FORT MYERS Drivers react to newly opened intersection on Colonial Blvd. The dreaded drive through one of our busiest intersections has been the focus of several construction projects.
Dinosaur from Shell Factory finds new home in Saint James City marina A dinosaur has found a new home at the soon-to-be Nauti-Dolphin Marina in Saint James City, Florida. This prehistoric attraction is already drawing attention even though it’s the only thing currently on the property. Dean Zoner, owner of the Nauti-Dolphin Marina, acquired the dinosaur from the Shell Factory, a local business that was going out […]
Florida lawmakers to vote on revamped Governor backed immigration bill on Thursday The House and Senate are set to vote on a new immigration bill on Thursday. The bill aims to address illegal immigration and support federal mass deportation efforts.
CLEWISTON Community raises concerns about Clewiston Animal Services The Clewiston Animal Shelter has made significant improvements, but there is still work to be done to bring conditions to a more humane level.
Collier County beachgoers react to Gulf of America name change The Gulf of Mexico has been officially renamed the “Gulf of America” following an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood Beach’s closure impacts local economy; businesses seek answers Business owners on Englewood Beach are growing increasingly anxious as they await the reopening of the beach, which has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton.
FORT MYERS BEACH Food truck park proposal on Estero Blvd divides Fort Myers Beach locals The Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency recently voted on whether to transform a vacant lot on Estero Boulevard into a food truck park.
CCSO works with ICE to catch suspects in Southwest Florida State lawmakers are working on a new immigration bill. Here in Southwest Florida, one county has been following strict guidelines on illegal immigration for quite some time.
Burn ban in effect for Collier County The Board of County Commissioners has authorized a burn ban in Collier County.
File Photo by WINK News. When Debi Giardello first contacted WINK News in 2019, she was fighting to keep her home. Attorneys for Bruno Total Home Performance, a now-defunct Bonita Springs Air Conditioning company, had filed a lien on her property and were seeking to foreclose on it. Giardello said it started when a Bruno sales rep convinced her to sign a tablet to see if she qualified for a financing program. She believes the company copied and pasted her signature onto a document to show that she approved of a $50,000 estimate for work on her home. She said she didn’t find out that huge dollar amount until technicians had already removed her existing air conditioning unit and installed a new one. She said when she contacted the financing company and explained the situation, they agreed to cancel her contract. But when she tried to work out an arrangement to pay a fair price for the new air conditioning system with Bruno Total Home owner Louis Bruno, she said he wouldn’t budge. Instead, he sued for breach of contract and tried to foreclose on her property. WINK News heard similar tales from other former Bruno Total Home performance customers who complained to the attorney general and through lawsuits that the company forged their signatures onto financing agreements. In January 2019, investigators with the Cape Coral police department and the Florida Attorney General’s office raided the headquarters of Bruno Total Home Performance. For 15 months, the Attorney General’s office has told WINK News the same thing: it has active criminal and civil investigations into the company and cannot comment further. As of the publication, the Attorney General’s office said it had received more than 240 consumer complaints about the company. “It needs closure, and until that happens, I think everybody is nervous about it,” she said. Giardello hired an attorney to fight off the foreclosure. The company dropped the foreclosure action and released the lien, but the case is still open. “They took advantage of people in vulnerable situations,” said Robert Goodman, who represents Giardello. Goodman said he’s working with around 200 former Bruno customers and has already filed four lawsuits. “Almost all of my clients are senior citizens who were worried about not having air conditioning in their house. Some had health issues,” he said. Louis Bruno and his attorney were not available for an interview with WINK News. In the past, Bruno denied all allegations and called it “fake news.” The company sold its assets to a Davie based air conditioning company in December.