Beloved Charlotte County man killed outside home, investigation ongoingThe Lani Kai Resort reopens on Fort Myers Beach
Beloved Charlotte County man killed outside home, investigation ongoing A man loved by his peers and his community was taken away from them in the middle of the night at his own home.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Lani Kai Resort reopens on Fort Myers Beach An iconic spot on Fort Myers Beach is back open and taking reservations for the first time since Hurricane Ian.
Gov. DeSantis being considered for defense secretary Will Ron DeSantis be your governor in 2025, or is he headed to Washington?
NAPLES Naples votes to remove fluoride from tap water The Naples City Council has voted to remove fluoride from its tap water.
Red meat linked to health complications Doctors with the Cleveland Clinic are researching a link between eating red meat and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man arrested on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested a 71-year-old Lehigh Acres man on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
WASHINGTON (AP) Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over allegations: AP sources Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick, was fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions Wednesday about his personal conduct as the president-elect’s team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
COLLIER COUNTY 2 indicted in unrelated Collier County cases for fentanyl distribution death The State Attorney’s Office announced two unrelated indictment cases involving the distribution of fentanyl that led to death.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee County woman wins $1M playing Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game The Florida Lottery has announced a Lee County woman claimed a $1 million top prize from the Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weapon The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Huge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures, as Wednesday afternoon highs are expected to be in the lower 70s.
CAPE CORAL 3 men involved in home invasion in Cape Coral neighborhood Three masked men broke into a house, pistol-whipped the owner and took off with cash.
FORT MYERS Advocates urge safety measures for retention ponds after boy drowns The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off Wine, music and making a difference! On Tuesday evening 40 couples joined together to kick off the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
PUNTA GORDA Blue Angels returning for 2025 Florida International Air Show The Blue Angels will finally return for the first time in over 12 years to next year’s Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport.
Beloved Charlotte County man killed outside home, investigation ongoing A man loved by his peers and his community was taken away from them in the middle of the night at his own home.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Lani Kai Resort reopens on Fort Myers Beach An iconic spot on Fort Myers Beach is back open and taking reservations for the first time since Hurricane Ian.
Gov. DeSantis being considered for defense secretary Will Ron DeSantis be your governor in 2025, or is he headed to Washington?
NAPLES Naples votes to remove fluoride from tap water The Naples City Council has voted to remove fluoride from its tap water.
Red meat linked to health complications Doctors with the Cleveland Clinic are researching a link between eating red meat and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man arrested on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested a 71-year-old Lehigh Acres man on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
WASHINGTON (AP) Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over allegations: AP sources Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick, was fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions Wednesday about his personal conduct as the president-elect’s team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
COLLIER COUNTY 2 indicted in unrelated Collier County cases for fentanyl distribution death The State Attorney’s Office announced two unrelated indictment cases involving the distribution of fentanyl that led to death.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee County woman wins $1M playing Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game The Florida Lottery has announced a Lee County woman claimed a $1 million top prize from the Loteria Grande Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weapon The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Huge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures, as Wednesday afternoon highs are expected to be in the lower 70s.
CAPE CORAL 3 men involved in home invasion in Cape Coral neighborhood Three masked men broke into a house, pistol-whipped the owner and took off with cash.
FORT MYERS Advocates urge safety measures for retention ponds after boy drowns The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off Wine, music and making a difference! On Tuesday evening 40 couples joined together to kick off the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
PUNTA GORDA Blue Angels returning for 2025 Florida International Air Show The Blue Angels will finally return for the first time in over 12 years to next year’s Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport.
If you’re on unemployment in Florida and never received your Lost Wages Assistance from the federal government, this could be why. WINK News obtained documents from the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity discussing the federal assistance those on unemployment can get for weeks claimed in August. Except call takers at the DEO’s customer service centers are told not to tell claimants about the form, unless they have a specific reason. Darlene Felker of Punta Gorda knew something was wrong when, after the state began distributing LWA payments in September, she didn’t get hers. Now, WINK News has the internal documents to show the DEO wasn’t forthcoming with helping people who were eligible but didn’t get paid. FEMA approved Florida for four weeks of $300 in LWA to go to eligible unemployed people. People collecting benefits had to meet certain requirements to qualify, and Felker says she met them all. “Those $300 should have been released,” Felker said. She had her suspicions, thinking she didn’t get paid because one of the questions she had to answer she feels was misleading. That question is “are you currently unemployed?” “I specifically called DEO, I was told to put ‘no’ because I am working, I’m just working 8-10 hours a week, 16 hours at the most,” Felker said, who’s partially unemployed. Under the eligibility requirements listed by the state, it says, “Floridians who are eligible for state or federal Reemployment Assistance benefits, are unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19 and have a weekly benefit amount of at least $100 in a state or Federal Reemployment Assistance program may be eligible to receive the additional $300 LWA benefits.” WINK News brought her situation to the DEO back in September and a representative said “this is a non-issue.” But three weeks later, WINK News got a tip about something the DEO was keeping quiet. A public records request revealed internal documents showing an email dated Oct. 5, where the DEO told its call center employees in part: “A new form has been created […] for those claimants calling in stating they answered incorrectly to the question regarding COVID-19 while requesting benefits for the weeks ending 08/01/20-08/22/20. This form will be used internally, please do not volunteer to complete this form for anyone calling regarding the Lost Wage Assistance payments, the claimant specifically has to indicate they answered the question incorrectly. Also, this form will only be available for the duration of time the department has available funding for the Lost Wage Assistance program (LWA).” That means people calling in to the DEO have to specifically say they answered a question wrong to get help. Felker said had she not known she’d answered a question wrong, she would’ve thought she wasn’t eligible for the money. After WINK News questioned the DEO about the existence of these instructions, they sent out a press release on Oct. 9, saying people need to call if they think there are errors in their application, not once did it mention Lost Wages Assistance. “It tripped all these people up that are not getting that money, it’s crazy,” Felker said. It took more than a dozen calls and several faxes to the DEO, but last week, Felker finally got the $1,200 owed to her. “You just have to be persistent on calling and speaking to a supervisor and letting them know that you’re aware of this form,” Felker said. WINK News on Monday asked the DEO why they kept it internal, a representative did not address that question. However, DEO did confirm there is still LWA funding available. For ongoing updates 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.