Gov. DeSantis being considered for defense secretary Will Ron DeSantis be your governor in 2025, or is he headed to Washington?
NAPLES Naples votes to remove fluoride from tap water The Naples City Council has voted to remove fluoride from its tap water.
Red meat linked to health complications Doctors with the Cleveland Clinic are researching a link between eating red meat and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man arrested on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested a 71-year-old Lehigh Acres man on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
WASHINGTON (AP) Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over allegations: AP sources Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick, was fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions Wednesday about his personal conduct as the president-elect’s team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
COLLIER COUNTY 2 indicted in unrelated Collier County cases for fentanyl distribution death The State Attorney’s Office announced two unrelated indictment cases involving the distribution of fentanyl that led to death.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee County woman wins $1M playing Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game The Florida Lottery has announced a Lee County woman claimed a $1 million top prize from the Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.Â
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weapon The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Huge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures, as Wednesday afternoon highs are expected to be in the lower 70s.
CAPE CORAL 3 men involved in home invasion in Cape Coral neighborhood Three masked men broke into a house, pistol-whipped the owner and took off with cash.
FORT MYERS Advocates urge safety measures for retention ponds after boy drowns The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off Wine, music and making a difference! On Tuesday evening 40 couples joined together to kick off the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
PUNTA GORDA Blue Angels returning for 2025 Florida International Air Show The Blue Angels will finally return for the first time in over 12 years to next year’s Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport.
Lee County Commissioners discuss LCSO budget and Sheriff Marceno federal investigation In light of recent investigations into Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, a Lee County commissioner proposed a change at Tuesday’s commission meeting that would separate the county budget from the sheriff’s.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers cheerleaders push for Nationals with community’s help The North Fort Myers Pop Warner cheer team has the talent to compete on the biggest stage but lacks the money.
Gov. DeSantis being considered for defense secretary Will Ron DeSantis be your governor in 2025, or is he headed to Washington?
NAPLES Naples votes to remove fluoride from tap water The Naples City Council has voted to remove fluoride from its tap water.
Red meat linked to health complications Doctors with the Cleveland Clinic are researching a link between eating red meat and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man arrested on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested a 71-year-old Lehigh Acres man on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
WASHINGTON (AP) Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over allegations: AP sources Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick, was fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions Wednesday about his personal conduct as the president-elect’s team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
COLLIER COUNTY 2 indicted in unrelated Collier County cases for fentanyl distribution death The State Attorney’s Office announced two unrelated indictment cases involving the distribution of fentanyl that led to death.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee County woman wins $1M playing Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game The Florida Lottery has announced a Lee County woman claimed a $1 million top prize from the Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.Â
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weapon The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Huge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures, as Wednesday afternoon highs are expected to be in the lower 70s.
CAPE CORAL 3 men involved in home invasion in Cape Coral neighborhood Three masked men broke into a house, pistol-whipped the owner and took off with cash.
FORT MYERS Advocates urge safety measures for retention ponds after boy drowns The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off Wine, music and making a difference! On Tuesday evening 40 couples joined together to kick off the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
PUNTA GORDA Blue Angels returning for 2025 Florida International Air Show The Blue Angels will finally return for the first time in over 12 years to next year’s Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport.
Lee County Commissioners discuss LCSO budget and Sheriff Marceno federal investigation In light of recent investigations into Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, a Lee County commissioner proposed a change at Tuesday’s commission meeting that would separate the county budget from the sheriff’s.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers cheerleaders push for Nationals with community’s help The North Fort Myers Pop Warner cheer team has the talent to compete on the biggest stage but lacks the money.
Credit: WINK News The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s claims dashboard says it has paid 100 percent of eligible claimants, yet dozens of people have told WINK News that they’re missing weeks of payments. Some have said they’ve gone months and still don’t know whether they’ve been approved. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday said the DEO has been working to find people who have fallen through the cracks – the same people WINK News sends them every day. Mike Dearden of Fort Myers Beach is one of those who feel lost in the system. “Tomorrow is actually going to be 13 weeks now,” he said. Thirteen weeks and he said there’s been no word from the DEO. Dearden said that after facing endless issues with the online system, he sent in a paper application on April 2. It was his only application, since filing more than one can flag the claimant for fraud. “You sit at home wondering am I going to have a roof over my house, over my head next month? When the bills pile up like that,” Dearden said. The DEO is supposed to contact applicants by email or by mail once they receive the application. Dearden has received nothing. “I’m lost somewhere in the shuffle, yeah.” Francesca Wyman of Rotonda is frustrated too. She said she has been out of work for 15 weeks and her claim is still pending because the DEO can’t confirm her identity. For her, calling the DEO for help is a lost cause. “When they get into my account, it’s locked and then they don’t, their hands are tied and they don’t know what to do either,” Wyman said. She said it’s time for the state to fix the system for everyone. “I’m very happy for the people that are getting paid, but we have to stop talking about what you’re doing, what aren’t you doing, and how you’re going to fix it.” As of June 30, the DEO’s claims dashboard said about 7 percent of applications still need to be processed. Shortly after this story aired, WINK News received these responses from a DEO representative: How many paper applications are still waiting to be processed as of today? “As of yesterday, June 30, there were approximately 300 new paper applications outstanding. DEO processes paper applications as they are received. DEO has currently processed 258,095 complete and non-duplicated paper applications. This number is updated daily and can be found on the Reemployment Assistance Claims Dashboard. If the claimant didn’t supply an email address, they were mailed a letter with their temporary PIN for the CONNECT system.” I am hearing from people who only applied by mailed-in paper application who have not received any correspondence from DEO (one since early April). What can they do? “Individuals who sent paper applications or applied through the mobile-friendly site should have received an email from the department with next steps including a temporary pin. These emails were sent from donotreplyreemploymentassistance@deo.myflorida.com. If someone did not receive this email, they can view this guide here for resetting their PIN in CONNECT. We’ve noticed some people have not opened the email that was originally sent from the department, so may not have received this information. “We also received some paper applications that did not have enough information to be transferred into CONNECT (an example would be a name that did not match the social security number with no contact information). Please remind your viewers that it is extremely important to fill out applications completely and accurately. Claimants should double check that all information is complete and accurate before submitting. Additionally, here is a video with more information on how to apply for Reemployment Assistance. “Individuals can file a new claim 24 hours a day, seven days per week at FloridaJobs.org and select “File a Claim.” Once an application is uploaded into CONNECT, the claimant will receive an email from donotreplyreemploymentassistance@deo.myflorida.com with a temporary PIN to log into CONNECT. If they do not have an email on file, they will receive a mailed letter.” What do people do if they’re missing state, PUA or FPUC payments from weeks they didn’t have to claim (pre May 10th)? “These are handled on a case by case basis. If you have claimant IDs you can provide for missing FPUC payments we would be happy to take a look.” It’s my understanding that today July 1 is the start of a new quarter, and claimants have to “renew” their claims at the start of a new quarter, is this correct? When will more info be coming out? “You are correct, the quarter does change today. As a reminder, per state guidelines, a benefit week runs from Sunday through Saturday. In this instance, the new benefit week begins on Sunday, July 5. We will be reaching out to impacted individuals with step-by-step instructions. We will be happy to send those documents to you as well to share with your viewers.” For ongoing updates and information on unemployment, follow WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard on Twitter and Facebook. She also updates the WINK News FAQ: Unemployment Resources page as information is received.