Deputies initiate recovery operation following Port Charlotte house fireCold front brings less humid air this Tuesday afternoon
Deputies initiate recovery operation following Port Charlotte house fire Charlotte County law enforcement is on the scene attending to a house fire that occurred in Port Charlotte.
the weather authority Cold front brings less humid air this Tuesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a cold front, which will bring in less humidity and cooler temperatures this Tuesday.
golden gate city Collier County launches pilot program to fend off mosquitoes, diseases The Collier Mosquito Control District is launching a pilot program to use sterilization to target invasive insects in Golden Gate City.
Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
FORT MYERS Man accused of burglarizing several businesses in Fort Myers A crime spree came to an end Sunday night as deputies arrested a man in a bush.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship Fort Myers High School senior cross country runner Masha Dorofeev reflects on her state championship win and committing to UCF.
CAPE CORAL Coyote kills beloved family pet For 16 years, Sarge and his owner, James Stewart were inseparable.
FORT MYERS Local artist AHZUWOP to hold fashion show at tattoo shop A local artist is throwing a fashion show at a tattoo shop, an event that will also feature music performances and an art exhibition.
NAPLES Identity released of body found in Collier County retention pond According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a body was found in a retention pond on Sunday. The body was found on Lindsey Lane.
FORT MYERS City leaders looking to improve Fort Myers infrastructure with AI When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they typically think of online apps like Chat GPT but the City of Fort Myers wants to use it to make a real-world difference.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City neighbors create art from hurricane destruction Many who pass through Saint James City see this as just leftovers from a hundred-year storm but not Floyd Cornett.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Children starting the year cancer free Several youngsters are celebrating starting 2025 cancer-free.
FORT MYERS Flood insurance discount up to 20% in Fort Myers Anyone who lives in the City of Fort Myers will be getting a bigger flood insurance discount.
Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.
FORT MYERS Cutting down on truck traffic on McGregor Boulevard Giant trucks are rumbling on roads meant to connect neighborhoods, and now city leaders want to eliminate trucks from the roads completely.
Deputies initiate recovery operation following Port Charlotte house fire Charlotte County law enforcement is on the scene attending to a house fire that occurred in Port Charlotte.
the weather authority Cold front brings less humid air this Tuesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a cold front, which will bring in less humidity and cooler temperatures this Tuesday.
golden gate city Collier County launches pilot program to fend off mosquitoes, diseases The Collier Mosquito Control District is launching a pilot program to use sterilization to target invasive insects in Golden Gate City.
Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
FORT MYERS Man accused of burglarizing several businesses in Fort Myers A crime spree came to an end Sunday night as deputies arrested a man in a bush.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship Fort Myers High School senior cross country runner Masha Dorofeev reflects on her state championship win and committing to UCF.
CAPE CORAL Coyote kills beloved family pet For 16 years, Sarge and his owner, James Stewart were inseparable.
FORT MYERS Local artist AHZUWOP to hold fashion show at tattoo shop A local artist is throwing a fashion show at a tattoo shop, an event that will also feature music performances and an art exhibition.
NAPLES Identity released of body found in Collier County retention pond According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a body was found in a retention pond on Sunday. The body was found on Lindsey Lane.
FORT MYERS City leaders looking to improve Fort Myers infrastructure with AI When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they typically think of online apps like Chat GPT but the City of Fort Myers wants to use it to make a real-world difference.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City neighbors create art from hurricane destruction Many who pass through Saint James City see this as just leftovers from a hundred-year storm but not Floyd Cornett.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Children starting the year cancer free Several youngsters are celebrating starting 2025 cancer-free.
FORT MYERS Flood insurance discount up to 20% in Fort Myers Anyone who lives in the City of Fort Myers will be getting a bigger flood insurance discount.
Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.
FORT MYERS Cutting down on truck traffic on McGregor Boulevard Giant trucks are rumbling on roads meant to connect neighborhoods, and now city leaders want to eliminate trucks from the roads completely.
Kevin Pavlidis, Ryan Ausburn and Angela Scafuro catch a monster sized Burmese python in the Everglades on Oct. 5. (Courtesy: Kevin Pavlidis, Ryan Ausburn and Angela Scafuro) It’s official. An invasive Burmese python captured in the Everglades over the weekend has broken the state record measuring 18.9 feet long. The previous record was 18.8 feet long. Ryan Ausburn, a contracted python hunter with the South Florida Water Management District, and Kevin “Snakeaholic” Pavlidis, a contracted python hunter with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, captured the monster-sized python Oct. 2 along the L-28 Tieback Canal about 35 miles west of Miami. On social media, Pavlidis wrote, “On Friday night, we pulled this BEAST of a snake out of waist-deep water in the middle of the night, deep in the Everglades. I have never seen a snake anywhere near this size and my hands were shaking as I approached her. Every python we catch can be potentially dangerous, but one this size? Lethal. One mistake, and I am for sure going to the hospital. But more importantly, this is a once in a lifetime snake. I could go out every single night for the rest of my life and never see one this big again.” Kevin Pavlidis, Ryan Ausburn and Angela Scafuro catch a monster-sized Burmese python in the Everglades on Oct. 2. (Courtesy: Kevin Pavlidis, Ryan Ausburn and Angela Scafuro) Ausburn described the capture as a real “BATTLE”, saying, “I am just incredibly grateful for this opportunity and an experience I will never forget. Realize what you have when you have it and cherish the experience in the moment. Be grateful, be respected, and be thankful.” Ausburn said he knew as soon as he saw the snake “she had some size but it wasn’t until we walked to the water’s edge did I realize how big.” Usually, snake hunters grab the pythons by the head but Ausburn had to grab her by the rear and started pulling but “she immediately turned back and anchored herself around a tree. It took every ounce of strength to keep her from slipping away.” More than 5,000 Burmese pythons have been captured and removed from the Florida Everglades since the state started paying hunters to track them down in 2017. The python hunter program is managed by the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Kevin Pavlidis, Ryan Ausburn and Angela Scafuro catch a monster-sized Burmese python in the Everglades on Oct. 2. (Courtesy: Kevin Pavlidis, Ryan Ausburn and Angela Scafuro) Burmese pythons were first discovered in the Everglades nearly two decades ago. It’s believed they became established in Florida as a result of escaped or released pets and they are causing serious harm to the fragile Everglades ecosystem by eating native wildlife such as possum, rabbits, deer, bobcats, and other indigenous wildlife. It is illegal to release nonnative species into the wild. They’ve been successful at reproducing in the swampy Everglades because they have no predators. Females can lay up to 100 eggs. That’s why the state started the bounty program, in which registered hunters earn a minimum wage rate for up to 10 hours of work a day, plus a bonus for their catch: $50 for each python measuring up to four feet plus $25 more for each foot measured above four feet. Hunters who catch a nesting female python earn an additional $200. Scientists estimate there are between 100,000 and 300,000 pythons in the Everglades. To learn more about the FWC’s Python Action Team and the SFWMD’s Python Elimination Program, visit MyFWC.com/Python and SFWMD.gov/Python.