ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
People wearing face masks in downtown Fort Myers (Credit: WINK News) In the middle of a crisis, should your county leaders be taking a break? Lee County’s elected officials are doing just that. WINK News has been pressing county commissioners and City of Fort Myers leaders on whether it’s time to call an emergency meeting over the spike in COVID-19 cases. Leaders of Cape Coral are debating Monday on whether to mandates mask, and a lot of people have something to say about how the city responds to the coronavirus crisis. Judging by the emails and phone calls WINK News gets, people in the City of Fort Myers and in Lee County want to have that debate, too. Lee County Commission Chairman Brian Hamman has another idea: educate people on the importance of wearing masks. “Lee County has been trying to lead by example; we wear masks in public, we have put up signs in our facilities to ask people to wear them,” Hamman said. Reporter Morgan Rynor: But education obviously, just by the numbers, it’s not working as of right now. I mean the numbers, and the percentages… “That’s your opinion,” Hamman responded. Rynor: It’s not my opinion, it’s the numbers. What the numbers show. Not only are our cases going up, but hospitalizations, the positivity rate, it’s all of it… Rynor asked what it would take for Hamman to hold a public meeting. “You know in four out of the 16 counties that did have the conversation voted no,” he said. Rynor: That’s at least a conversation. “Forty-seven have not held a meeting on it, so we’re in the group of I guess the majority that have not had a meeting on it,” the chairman said. Rynor: But you said at the beginning of this conversation that you lead by example. And I don’t think you can say both at the same time. You lead by example, but also you know “there are other counties that haven’t done it so why should we?” In the end, Hamman said he will not call an emergency meeting to debate whether to mandate masks, close or restrict beaches, or talk about any other possible response. What about County Manager Roger Desjarlais? He didn’t return Rynor’s calls, so she went to his office. Rynor: We still haven’t heard back. This is the third day in a row that we’ve reached out to the county manager. So we’re just wondering if he’s here and we can talk to him. “Nope, he’s not going to do an interview with you,” said spokesperson Betsy Clayton. It was the same at Fort Myers City Hall when Rynor asked to speak with City Manager Saeed Kazemi, who was “in a meeting” for the entire day. His assistant told Rynor to send another email, but there was no reply. City Councilman Johnny Streets said he sent Kazemi an email, asking if he’s polling the mayor and council for an emergency meeting. Council members Teresa Watkins-Brown and Kevin Anderson also said they reached out to Kazemi.