Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort MyersSun and clouds with a stray shower possible
FORT MYERS Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort Myers Drivers along Interstate 75 near Colonial Boulevard can expect changes soon.
the weather authority Sun and clouds with a stray shower possible The Weather Authority says sun and clouds overhead will lead to another day with above-average temperatures.
FORT MYERS LCSO offering youth boxing program The Lee County Sheriff’s Office youth boxing program is your kid’s golden ticket to mastering the art of self-defense.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man speaks on helping apprehend armed 13-year-old The man who helped apprehend an armed 13-year-old spoke on the incident.
NAPLES Naples Cars on Fifth event fuels $2M for local charity efforts For over two decades, car enthusiasts in Southwest Florida have gathered on Fifth Avenue in Naples.
MARCO ISLAND Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island set to reopen Collier County announced the reopening of the Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter to host Puppy Bowl 3 ahead of big game Ahead of the big game on Sunday, Cape Coral Animal Shelter will be featuring its very own Puppy Bowl III.
FORT MYERS From the ballpark to the beach: the Minnesota Twins are back for Spring Training 1700 miles later the Twins truck is here and the team from Minnesota is ready to spend the next six weeks here in Fort Myers.
the weather authority Warm stretch continues throughout this weekend The Weather Authority says if you are a fan of the warmer weather, you are going to love this weekend.
SANIBEL Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concerns With great weather in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be a perfect beach weekend. However, visitors to the barrier islands should exercise caution.
NAPLES Naples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House The Naples Automotive Experience brought excitement and philanthropy to the community, raising money for St. Matthew’s House.
MATLACHA Little Pine Island bridge work causes delays, FDOT promises progress Construction on the Little Pine Island Bridge has narrowed traffic to one lane, causing significant delays for drivers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Support women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day The first Friday in February marks National Wear Red Day!
Ongoing repairs following Naples plane crash A deadly plane crash that occurred one year ago in Naples, Florida continues to impact lives in Southwest Florida. The tragic event involved two pilots who lost their lives on Interstate 75.
FORT MYERS Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort Myers Drivers along Interstate 75 near Colonial Boulevard can expect changes soon.
the weather authority Sun and clouds with a stray shower possible The Weather Authority says sun and clouds overhead will lead to another day with above-average temperatures.
FORT MYERS LCSO offering youth boxing program The Lee County Sheriff’s Office youth boxing program is your kid’s golden ticket to mastering the art of self-defense.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man speaks on helping apprehend armed 13-year-old The man who helped apprehend an armed 13-year-old spoke on the incident.
NAPLES Naples Cars on Fifth event fuels $2M for local charity efforts For over two decades, car enthusiasts in Southwest Florida have gathered on Fifth Avenue in Naples.
MARCO ISLAND Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island set to reopen Collier County announced the reopening of the Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter to host Puppy Bowl 3 ahead of big game Ahead of the big game on Sunday, Cape Coral Animal Shelter will be featuring its very own Puppy Bowl III.
FORT MYERS From the ballpark to the beach: the Minnesota Twins are back for Spring Training 1700 miles later the Twins truck is here and the team from Minnesota is ready to spend the next six weeks here in Fort Myers.
the weather authority Warm stretch continues throughout this weekend The Weather Authority says if you are a fan of the warmer weather, you are going to love this weekend.
SANIBEL Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concerns With great weather in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be a perfect beach weekend. However, visitors to the barrier islands should exercise caution.
NAPLES Naples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House The Naples Automotive Experience brought excitement and philanthropy to the community, raising money for St. Matthew’s House.
MATLACHA Little Pine Island bridge work causes delays, FDOT promises progress Construction on the Little Pine Island Bridge has narrowed traffic to one lane, causing significant delays for drivers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Support women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day The first Friday in February marks National Wear Red Day!
Ongoing repairs following Naples plane crash A deadly plane crash that occurred one year ago in Naples, Florida continues to impact lives in Southwest Florida. The tragic event involved two pilots who lost their lives on Interstate 75.
Credit: WINK News. The state released September’s unemployment report Friday. After a steady decline, it looks like the rate went up at 7.6%. That’s 27,000 more people out of work than in August. The new numbers show 770,000 people are jobless in Florida. It comes as the state’s hospitality and tourism industries continue to struggle. “I do want to caution about reading too much into changes over the month like that, in terms of rankings,” said. Adrienne Johnston, the chief economist of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. “It’s better to give it some time and see if that trend sticks around for a while.” The good news today, the average of unemployment rates in July, August and September will lead to an increase how long people can collect unemployment. DEO preliminarily says the number of weeks you can collect state unemployment will go up from 12 to 19 weeks in 2021. The average unemployment rate in the third quarter of this year is 8.7%. By law, when that is above 5%, the state must add one week for every additional half a percent. Doing the math, that adds 7 weeks, increasing the maximum number of weeks people can collect benefits from 12 to 19. But, because September’s rate isn’t finalized, we’ll find out next month exactly how many more weeks will be available in 2021. In response to whether individuals who exhausted their benefits in 2020 would be able to apply in 2021, the DEO says: “If the individual’s benefit year end date from their 2020 state Reemployment Assistance claim has passed, the individual may be eligible to establish a new benefit year,” said Tiffany Vause, the DEO director of communications, in an email to WINK News. “The individual would have to be monetarily eligible and not have a disqualifying separation. In addition, according to federal and state law, the individual must have worked in-between the prior claim for state Reemployment Assistance and the new 2021 application and earned at least three times their weekly benefit amount.” In the meantime, as of September, fewer people make up Florida’s labor force. “Overall the labor force number did decline, but what we are seeing is an increase in the number of people who are saying that they are unemployed but looking for work. So it could be that people are more encouraged to look for work, so they’re counting themselves as unemployed,” Johnston said. Although numbers from the DEO show Florida’s unemployment rate did go up in September, Southwest Florida overall saw a decline. LOCAL (SEPTEMBER, UNREVISED) CHARLOTTE – 5.9% COLLIER – 6.0% LEE – 6.4% HENDRY – 7.5% GLADES – 4.6% ​DESOTO – 4.0% LOCAL (AUGUST, REVISED) CHARLOTTE – 6.5% COLLIER – 6.8% LEE – 7.1% HENDRY – 8.5% GLADES – 4.9% ​DESOTO – 4.2% The two counties with the highest unemployment rates depend heavily on tourism — Osceola County and Miami Dade County. The counties with the lowest jobless rates in September were Lafayette and Wakulla counties in North Florida. MORE: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Provides Reemployment Assistance Update – October 16 Florida’s September Employment Figures Released