CAPE CORAL Cape Coral red tag hearings soon to begin Residents of Cape Coral have experienced confusion, frustration, and possibly fines due to red tags popping up on buildings under construction.
NAPLES Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Naples Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Naples.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs residents alarmed after car break-ins A Bonita Springs homeowner is sleeping with one eye open after her social security card was stolen from her car, an incident caught on video.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
FORT MYERS Exclusive: Florida Warriors president talks misunderstanding with city On Friday, the president of Florida Warriors Hockey got a letter saying that starting July 1, his program’s rink access at the Fort Myers Skatium would be cut from 48 hours a month to only eight hours a month.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 3 law officers killed, 5 others wounded trying to serve warrant in North Carolina, authorities say Three law enforcement officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded Monday in a shootout at a Charlotte, North Carolina, home, police said.
CAPE CORAL Massive fire leaves Cape Coral businesses in shambles Several fire rescue trucks are responding to a structure fire at a commercial building in Cape Coral.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers residents concerned over abandoned boat A day out in the water turned into an alarming discovery for one North Fort Myers family.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers first responders stress safety after rollover crash Fort Myers fire department officials are pointing to safety and awareness following a recent rollover crash on Palm Beach Blvd. and Oasis Way.
NAPLES FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe’s determined heart is on the mound Former Barron Collier ace, now FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe is recovering from two open heart surgeries in five days.
Contrasting Lee, Collier and Charlotte homicide rates to nationwide numbers The Wall Street Journal says nationwide homicide rates have dropped by 20% compared to the numbers from 2023.
New program to make life more manageable for Parkinson’s patients A new program, backed by research, was created using the power of spin cycling to redefine the fight against Parkinson’s.
Medicaid class action gets go-ahead A federal judge has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit that alleges Florida did not properly inform people before dropping them from the Medicaid program after a COVID-19 public health emergency ended.
FORT MYERS New downtown Fort Myers parking options coming soon Two new spots are coming for you to park on nights and weekends in downtown Fort Myers, but you’ll still have to pay.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Family ‘sucker-punched’ in Lehigh Acres brawl A woman is speaking out about a conflict she was involved in at Barefoot Lake.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral red tag hearings soon to begin Residents of Cape Coral have experienced confusion, frustration, and possibly fines due to red tags popping up on buildings under construction.
NAPLES Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Naples Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Naples.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs residents alarmed after car break-ins A Bonita Springs homeowner is sleeping with one eye open after her social security card was stolen from her car, an incident caught on video.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
FORT MYERS Exclusive: Florida Warriors president talks misunderstanding with city On Friday, the president of Florida Warriors Hockey got a letter saying that starting July 1, his program’s rink access at the Fort Myers Skatium would be cut from 48 hours a month to only eight hours a month.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 3 law officers killed, 5 others wounded trying to serve warrant in North Carolina, authorities say Three law enforcement officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded Monday in a shootout at a Charlotte, North Carolina, home, police said.
CAPE CORAL Massive fire leaves Cape Coral businesses in shambles Several fire rescue trucks are responding to a structure fire at a commercial building in Cape Coral.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers residents concerned over abandoned boat A day out in the water turned into an alarming discovery for one North Fort Myers family.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers first responders stress safety after rollover crash Fort Myers fire department officials are pointing to safety and awareness following a recent rollover crash on Palm Beach Blvd. and Oasis Way.
NAPLES FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe’s determined heart is on the mound Former Barron Collier ace, now FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe is recovering from two open heart surgeries in five days.
Contrasting Lee, Collier and Charlotte homicide rates to nationwide numbers The Wall Street Journal says nationwide homicide rates have dropped by 20% compared to the numbers from 2023.
New program to make life more manageable for Parkinson’s patients A new program, backed by research, was created using the power of spin cycling to redefine the fight against Parkinson’s.
Medicaid class action gets go-ahead A federal judge has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit that alleges Florida did not properly inform people before dropping them from the Medicaid program after a COVID-19 public health emergency ended.
FORT MYERS New downtown Fort Myers parking options coming soon Two new spots are coming for you to park on nights and weekends in downtown Fort Myers, but you’ll still have to pay.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Family ‘sucker-punched’ in Lehigh Acres brawl A woman is speaking out about a conflict she was involved in at Barefoot Lake.
Jeff Lello stands in front of the van in which he lives, in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant, since being laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. Lello is one of an estimated 20 million Americans living paycheck to paycheck, spending more than 30% of their income on rent, who are likely to experience homelessness at some point, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. Jeff Lello has never been rich, but the 42-year-old could pocket $100 cash most weekend nights at the steakhouse chain where he waited tables. He always had enough money for groceries, his car and the modest Orlando apartment he rented with roommates. But when he reported for work on a Friday night in March, the manager ushered him and the rest of the staff into an office and told them they were laid off indefinitely as the restaurant, along with much of the country, shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic. Still wearing his uniform, Lello left the restaurant where he’d worked for two years, unsure of what was next. He’d been waiting tables since he was a teenager. He often picked up extra shifts and could always scrimp by. He’d never had to rely on food stamps or unemployment. But now, as he waited for Florida’s backlogged unemployment system to send money, weeks turned into months. His meager savings dried up, and he could no longer afford rent or his car. Overnight, he went from having a roof over his head to living in a flimsy tent purchased with his last $75. Lello is one of an estimated 20 million Americans living paycheck to paycheck, spending more than 30% of their income on rent, who are likely to experience homelessness at some point, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. The group predicts that number could increase by 45% because of the pandemic. As the virus outbreak pushed unemployment rates to record numbers, Florida’s situation was especially dire. The Sunshine State was one of the slowest in the nation to process claims, delaying payments for months for Lello and others. By mid-June, the state hadn’t paid 40% of is 2.2 million claims. “I don’t understand what I did wrong. Why me?” Lello said of the safety nets that failed him. “I had just lost all hope in everything.” He’d never been much of a camper, but he pitched his yellow-and-blue tent deep in the woods. He feared bugs and spiders, and other homeless campers. Inside, he had a cot with a sleeping bag, and a shelf for food and belongings. One corner was for clean clothes, the other for dirty. He threw a tarp over the top to protect against rain. Lello thrives on routine — he’d lost 150 pounds in the past year, running daily to clear his head. He was eager to maintain hard-fought gains. Most days, he was awake by 7 a.m. , searching for a convenience-store bathroom to freshen up and wash a shirt. He’d head to the food bank and haul away a big brown bag of pasta, sauce and other things that require pots, pans and electricity. He gave most of it away, keeping peanut butter and granola bars — enough to get by for a day. He made rookie mistakes. Once, raccoons tore through his supply of bars, bagels and crackers. He learned it’s best to be first in the food-bank line, and it’s usually too hot to be in a tent before nightfall. He spent much of the day begging for money, food or odd jobs on the roadside. “6 weeks with no help. Please,” his sign read. Each week, as he waited for long-overdue unemployment checks, he scrawled a new number, until it’d been nearly 12 weeks. Most people didn’t stop: “I think the most I ever got was one dollar and a bag of oranges.” Begging wasn’t the hardest part, he said. It was the human interaction — coming so close, yet so far from meaningful contact. Cars full of friends and families talking and laughing whizzed by. He said he thought of his father, who killed himself years ago, and his mother and sister, from whom he’s estranged. “I was truly, truly alone,” he said. “I was going back to no one.” He spent the day’s hottest hours in the library, charging his phone and applying for jobs. He checked his unemployment-funds status — calling, hanging up and dialing back for hours. His stimulus check and tax refund were also stuck in red tape, he said. Although he was living the headlines — unemployment backlogs, record jobless claims, relief-fund debates — he felt invisible. Summer stretched on without a check. He’d struggled for years with manic depression and was getting counseling from a free clinic, but that, too, shuttered. Running — when he could manage, given his meager diet — became a lifeline. Each sweat-drenched session felt like a rebirth, something to be proud of. At night, he screamed into his pillow or bit his cot to soothe his nerves. Thoughts of suicide haunted him. “In the morning I’m working on being positive and building up my body and, at night, I want to destroy myself because there wasn’t any hope,” he said. His closest friend, Amanda, visited a few times. Sometimes, her family let him shower at their home and have a meal. Once, she arrived with a small bag of change she said was her last, he said. Near the end of July, Amanda called. He’d forwarded his mail there. The unemployment check had arrived, with his back pay: $4,800. He took her to breakfast at Denny’s, filling up on plates of eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausage. “When you’re homeless,” he said, “the hardest thing is to get something hot.” The steakhouse reopened, with a skeleton crew for takeout, and offered him two weekly shifts — not enough to live on, but a start. He bought a van with air conditioning, a roof, doors, an alarm. The DMV isn’t taking new appointments, and he can’t drive it until it’s registered. But he can sleep there, and soon, he hopes, get food-delivery work. Florida’s unemployment system has now processed 99% of claims, paying nearly $15 billion to 1.9 million people. Lello is more hopeful now, but cautiously so. His loner instincts are hard to shake. When he needed help most, so many turned their backs — the restaurant, the government, most of his friends. “It makes me just want to find a way of not depending on anyone ever again,” he said. “When the hard times come, there’s not going to be anyone there.”