The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropicsWoodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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.
Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coviello. Credit: WINK News. Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coviello has not responded to several WINK News requests for an interview about a civil infraction he faces for violating the Sunshine Law. The law requires public entities to conduct business in a public forum so that the community can have all the information about how their tax dollars will be spent. On September 14, a civil infraction was filed against Coviello with the Lee County Clerk of Court. It followed a Florida Department of Law Enforcement Investigation into allegations of bribery and bid tampering by the city manager and city’s business manager and an allegation involving quid pro quo conversations conducted by the Mayor. No other criminal or civil charges against any other members of Cape Coral city staff have resulted from the investigation. MORE: Cape Coral mayor accused of making deals without public knowledge The investigation into Coviello started in December 2019 when councilmember Marilyn Stout had a meeting with the chief of police and the city manager in 2019 to alert them about a conversation she had with Coviello. She claimed that the mayor offered to help out a charity that she runs, if she were to vote with him to fire the city manager. She said later that the mayor apologized to her for the conversation. But when the Cape Coral police department handed the investigation over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Stout refused to make a controlled call to the Mayor to help in their investigation. According to an FDLE report, Stout told investigators she felt it was a waste of resources since the Mayor had already apologized to her. On another occasion, the report said Coviello spoke to councilwoman Jessica Cosden about assuming the role of Mayor pro-tem. In an interview with investigators, she said the Mayor was simply suggesting that she run for the position as a “feather in her cap”. She also told investigators that she “could see herself” as having made comments in the past about suspecting the Mayor of committing crimes, but at the time, “she and the Mayor weren’t getting along”. She claimed since she was appointed at Mayor pro-tem, “she has developed a more favorable opinion of the Mayor.” By phone, Cosden told WINK News that she had no further comments outside of what she had already told investigators. As of publication, Stout did not respond to WINK News requests for an interview. Coviello also did not respond to WINK News requests for an interview. However, he told the Cape Coral Breeze newspaper that he felt the conversations were misconstrued and did not feel he’d committed any violation. He also told the paper, he would pay the fine and move on and equated it to a traffic ticket. “It’s law; it’s sunshine law, and for you to violate that, you break the law. It’s not a speeding ticket. It should be much more than a speeding ticket,” said Jay LaGace, a longtime Cape Coral resident and realtor who supported Coviello’s opponent in the last mayoral race. Coviello was elected by a small margin over Michael Hollow. But LaGace said his distaste over the sunshine law violation has nothing to do with who he supported in the last election. “The purpose behind the sunshine act is to show transparency between government officials to make sure the public is always made aware of the decisions that their public bodies are making,” said Daniela Abratt, a media law attorney that specializes in fighting for open government access. Abratt said it’s relatively unusual for a public official to be fined for a Sunshine Law violation, which speaks to the serious nature of the civil infraction on Coviello. “Certainly, you would hope that if somebody gets fined, they would realize it’s a problem, and they need not to engage in that type of behavior again,” she said. A hearing is scheduled in the infraction on October 6. “The filing is being reviewed and considered. The matter is non-criminal and is considered a suspected infraction. If an oversight occurred in the manner of a discussion(s) with other members of City Council, it is Mayor Coviello’s intention to respond in a responsible manner,” said John Potanovic, an attorney representing Coviello. https://winknews.com/wp-content/uploads/DocView-1.pdf