NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
COLLIER COUNTY 13th dead Florida panther of 2024 found Saturday; deaths now match 2023’s annual total Wildlife officials discovered the 13 dead endangered Florida panther of the year, matching 2023’s total reported mortalities less than halfway into the year.
NORTH PORT Entryway work temporarily closes North Port Library The North Port Library will be closed through Saturday while work is being done to the entryway. During the closure books and other borrowed items can be returned to nearby locations.
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
COLLIER COUNTY 13th dead Florida panther of 2024 found Saturday; deaths now match 2023’s annual total Wildlife officials discovered the 13 dead endangered Florida panther of the year, matching 2023’s total reported mortalities less than halfway into the year.
NORTH PORT Entryway work temporarily closes North Port Library The North Port Library will be closed through Saturday while work is being done to the entryway. During the closure books and other borrowed items can be returned to nearby locations.
FILE Photo from Jan. 15, 2019; Heavy police presence at Bruno Total Home Performance in Bonita Springs. Credit: WINK News. One woman told police she was pressured to tears into signing on a tablet. Another said she has multiple sclerosis and can’t even sign her own name. Others claim they were not told they were agreeing to around $50,000 worth of work to be done on their homes. Several former customers’ stories are laid out in a police affidavit in the case against Bruno Total Home Performance owner Louis Bruno and nine of his employees. But one of them said she will not be happy until everyone involved in the scheme is held accountable, including Louis Bruno’s civil attorney Robert Burandt. Attorneys from Burandt’s firm filed a lien on Debi Giardello’s property in 2018 when she canceled a financing agreement. “Everything was done backward,” she said. “They had already installed the unit before I even talked to the financing company.” She said Burandt used a fraudulent contract where her signature had been copied and pasted in order to put the lien on her home. Giardello filed a complaint with the Florida Bar against Burandt for filing false documents with the court. The Florida Bar says that complaint is now a grievance case that is currently being investigated by a grievance committee. Katherine Rueb, whose allegations are also detailed in the police affidavit, also had a lien filed on her property. She also claimed in court documents and in her statements to police that false documents were used to file the lien on her home. WINK News spoke to attorney Robert Burandt in 2019 about Giardello and Rueb’s accusations. In an email from 2019, Burandt wrote: “You asked me if I was aware of any forged or fraudulent documents and my response was no. That is still my response, I am aware that Katharine Rueb has alleged that she didn’t sign the contract and that is a disputed fact. She also says she didn’t get any equipment installed, that is also a disputed fact. If I believed her I wouldn’t pursue this case, but I don’t. If we find out there was no valid contract and no equipment installed the case will be dismissed or I will withdraw. You seem to want to believe everyone who makes unsupported allegations, but remember these are only allegations.” WINK News followed up with Burandt Thursday to find out if he felt differently now that Rueb’s allegations are detailed in a sworn police affidavit. “I did read the probable cause affidavit. I didn’t see anywhere that she says she ever paid Bruno anything, and it appears she has a working system, otherwise the officer would have said so in hIs conclusion. There’s a fine line between overzealous sales pressure and fraud. I don’t remember saying I didn’t believe her and what I think doesn’t matter. What I believe I said was she received a product and hadn’t paid for it, which appears to be what’s in the probable cause affidavit. It’s not my style to accuse someone of not telling the truth in any of my cases, that would be unprofessional of any attorney. No one likes high-pressure sales people including myself,” Burandt wrote by email Thursday. Sawyer Smith, the criminal defense attorney representing Louis Bruno said he plans to defend Bruno against the allegations in court. Bruno bonded out of jail early Thursday morning and has a court date scheduled for June 8. MORE: Bruno to be released on bond after facing judge Bruno Air owner and former employees arrested, face multiple counts of fraud Embattled Bruno Total Home sells amid criminal investigation Bruno insider describes sales tactics Customers want a resolution to attorney general investigation into AC contractor Former AC company employee admits to illegally notarizing customer signatures Investors accuse Bruno air conditioning of embezzlement in lawsuit https://winknews.com/wp-content/uploads/document94.pdf