FEMA deadline looms for Lee County: flood insurance discounts at riskMan wanted for grand theft at North Fort Myers Dollar Tree
FORT MYERS BEACH FEMA deadline looms for Lee County: flood insurance discounts at risk FEMA will soon announce whether homeowners in five different areas of Lee County will keep that 25% discount on their flood insurance policies long term.
NORTH FORT MYERS Man wanted for grand theft at North Fort Myers Dollar Tree SWFL Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man wanted for committing grand theft at a Dollar Tree in North Fort Myers last week.
WINK NEWS 1 dead from e-coli outbreak due to carrots sold in popular grocery stores The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating an outbreak of e-coli linked to tainted carrots.
FORT MYERS Lee County Library System announces annual Fandom Fest The Lee County Library System is inviting people of all ages to bring cosplay and pop culture fun to its annual Fandom Fest.
FORT MYERS Lee County opens Royal Palms Avenue parking lot for downtown Fort Myers workers Lee County has announced the opening of the Royal Palms Avenue parking lot, which will be used by downtown workers and become paid public parking on nights and weekends.
NAPLES Naples sculptor makes memorable busts for 9 locations You may notice some new, massive statues that have been placed in popular areas around Naples, like Waterside Shops and Maserati Naples.
the weather authority Seasonal Monday with highs in the mid 80s The Weather Authority is tracking seasonal temperatures with an approaching cold front that is expected to bring rain and cooler conditions during the middle of the week.
Volunteers gather for 20th annual Turkey Drop event in Collier County The 20th annual Capital Wealth Advisors Turkey Drop event is set to begin as organizers seek to mark this milestone anniversary with the goal of over 7,000 turkeys donated.
FORT MYERS BEACH FMB residents raise concerns over removal of business trailers Residents and business owners on Fort Myers Beach are raising concerns after FEMA called for the removal of temporary structures off the island.
Driver arrested after failing to stop in Lehigh Acres According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a driver was arrested after he failed to stop for troopers on State Road 82 and Blackstone Drive in Lehigh Acres on Saturday Night.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: burglary, aggravated battery and cockfighting This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a burglary spree, aggravated battery with a vehicle and a man arrested for cockfighting.
NAPLES Deputies investigating death at Collier house party The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a death that happened at a house party.
southwest florida Beautiful Sunday on tap with temperatures reaching the low 80s this afternoon It will be another seasonal day with sun and clouds across Southwest Florida with temperatures reaching yet again topping out in the low 80s.
NAPLES Community raises funds for family of elementary school choking victim Staff and students from Laurel Oak Elementary School gathered at a Naples Culver’s to raise money for the family of Benjamin Cronin, an 11-year-old boy who died after choking at school.
Traffic investigation on US 41 at Olympia Ave. temporarily closes NB lanes The Punta Gorda Police Department responded to a traffic crash that temporarily closed the northbound lanes of U.S. 41 at Olympia and Marion avenues.
FORT MYERS BEACH FEMA deadline looms for Lee County: flood insurance discounts at risk FEMA will soon announce whether homeowners in five different areas of Lee County will keep that 25% discount on their flood insurance policies long term.
NORTH FORT MYERS Man wanted for grand theft at North Fort Myers Dollar Tree SWFL Crime Stoppers is seeking information on a man wanted for committing grand theft at a Dollar Tree in North Fort Myers last week.
WINK NEWS 1 dead from e-coli outbreak due to carrots sold in popular grocery stores The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating an outbreak of e-coli linked to tainted carrots.
FORT MYERS Lee County Library System announces annual Fandom Fest The Lee County Library System is inviting people of all ages to bring cosplay and pop culture fun to its annual Fandom Fest.
FORT MYERS Lee County opens Royal Palms Avenue parking lot for downtown Fort Myers workers Lee County has announced the opening of the Royal Palms Avenue parking lot, which will be used by downtown workers and become paid public parking on nights and weekends.
NAPLES Naples sculptor makes memorable busts for 9 locations You may notice some new, massive statues that have been placed in popular areas around Naples, like Waterside Shops and Maserati Naples.
the weather authority Seasonal Monday with highs in the mid 80s The Weather Authority is tracking seasonal temperatures with an approaching cold front that is expected to bring rain and cooler conditions during the middle of the week.
Volunteers gather for 20th annual Turkey Drop event in Collier County The 20th annual Capital Wealth Advisors Turkey Drop event is set to begin as organizers seek to mark this milestone anniversary with the goal of over 7,000 turkeys donated.
FORT MYERS BEACH FMB residents raise concerns over removal of business trailers Residents and business owners on Fort Myers Beach are raising concerns after FEMA called for the removal of temporary structures off the island.
Driver arrested after failing to stop in Lehigh Acres According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a driver was arrested after he failed to stop for troopers on State Road 82 and Blackstone Drive in Lehigh Acres on Saturday Night.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: burglary, aggravated battery and cockfighting This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a burglary spree, aggravated battery with a vehicle and a man arrested for cockfighting.
NAPLES Deputies investigating death at Collier house party The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a death that happened at a house party.
southwest florida Beautiful Sunday on tap with temperatures reaching the low 80s this afternoon It will be another seasonal day with sun and clouds across Southwest Florida with temperatures reaching yet again topping out in the low 80s.
NAPLES Community raises funds for family of elementary school choking victim Staff and students from Laurel Oak Elementary School gathered at a Naples Culver’s to raise money for the family of Benjamin Cronin, an 11-year-old boy who died after choking at school.
Traffic investigation on US 41 at Olympia Ave. temporarily closes NB lanes The Punta Gorda Police Department responded to a traffic crash that temporarily closed the northbound lanes of U.S. 41 at Olympia and Marion avenues.
Credit: WINK News The new executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said that one week into his job, his first assessment is what he calls a “workload vs. manpower issue.” Dane Eagle spoke with WINK News via Zoom from his car as he traveled to survey Hurricane Sally damage in Pensacola and answered some of your more pressing questions. RELATED: Suggestion Box – Florida’s unemployment system “One thing I’ve really been focused on is communication,” he said, discussing his plans for the department. “While there’s a great team assembled, they need more help. And with the balance budgets, with the government jobs, that is a cost that we have to incur,” he said. “We’re ramping up staff in our communications department, ramping up staff in our legislative affairs department, ramping up staff in our Reemployment Assistance department and the IT department. Those are all very crucial areas to addressing this problem.” The main issue: the remaining backlog of claims for reemployment assistance, Eagle’s number one priority. “We’ve paid 97% of eligible claimants. That’s a great number, but the 3%, that means 3% of Floridians, 3% of families out there are still waiting to get … what’s owed to them. So that’s something that I’m committed to.” RELATED: DEO’s Reemployment Assistance Claims Dashboard He couldn’t give a timeline on when that number will reach 100%. Meanwhile, he said he’ll be reviewing everything that’s gone wrong to make sure it doesn’t happen again. “The governor has admitted that the system was designed to fail people. Terri Adams wants to know what are some concrete plans you have to improve fix or entirely replace the unemployment website?” asked WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard on behalf of a viewer. “The CONNECT system has obviously had its problems and we’re trying to address that. We’ve got a good IT team looking into it. They’re overworked as well, so we want to make sure that they’re addressing the right issues at the right time, doing the right builds, having the right programs installed so that people can get that user-friendly access, that we would all hope and expect like we would if we go to Amazon or something like that,” Eagle replied. “We’re trying to assess long-term what’s the best thing to do, rebuild or replace, but in the meantime, we’ve got to maintain and continue to rebuild and try to be innovative with the current system we have. Unfortunately, that’s the only answer we have in the short term.” Eagle is also preparing for the next legislative session when lawmakers are expected to propose an increase in unemployment benefits. On behalf of a viewer named Don Austin, our reporter asked: “Will you try to make that happen? Do you want to see benefits raised?” “It will be up to them to decide. We won’t certainly meddle in that process, but we will provide the data and the information they request so that they can make the right decisions,” Eagle said. The director said that before his appointment, he reached out to every legislator in the state to get their perspectives on what they’ve seen with their constituents, what has worked and what hasn’t, and suggestions for improvement. “I think that information is invaluable, being able to come into DEO and help assess from the ground level what we were seeing, and think about it collaboratively, and bring our ideas together and really try to be innovative and think outside the box.” Eagle said he’s making himself available like he did as a legislator and improving on communication with you. “I think that some of the best ideas are going to come from claimants who have dealt with the system, they’re going to come from the legislators who are working with those claimants,” he said. “I’m looking at everybody for communication and ideas. So send them our way.” Have suggestions on how to improve our current unemployment system? Submit them here and we’ll take them straight to the top. 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.