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.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
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.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Anthony Thomas Jr., a candidate for Ward 2 on Fort Myers City Council. Credit: WINK News. Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday it has not been approached by the City of Fort Myers to investigate accusations of election fraud against Anthony Thomas, a candidate for Ward 2 on Fort Myers City Council. As it stands, the plan would be to use Lee County taxpayer dollars and resources on what some critics call a political ploy. We are digging into the allegations against Thomas. We went to city council Monday when council discussed the allegations, and Thomas spoke publicly on the record before council. Council wants LCSO to investigate the election fraud accusations, but from what we found, there may not be any need for this investigation in the first place. This story begins at a house on Lemon Street. It’s the only address Thomas lists on all of his public documents. “I have lived at that address for decades,” Thomas told WINK News. “The record is very clear. I receive my mail there. I register to vote there. My vehicle registrations are there. My bank information is there. Everything that would establish where a person lives, I meet that qualification.” But Thomas’ cousin, Melissa Blue, said Thomas doesn’t live at the home he has on the record. Through her attorney, Blue is claiming he lied on his qualifying documents to run for office. Now, just weeks before the election, Blue has come forward to set the record straight. “He’s been running for city council for quite a while. Why just now is she speaking out?” attorney Sawyer Smith said. “It takes courage to speak out against a family member when they are doing something like this.” The allegations occupied two hours of the city council meeting Monday. “I don’t think the city council should investigate,” City Attorney Grant Alley said. Alley suggested hiring an independent hearing examiner to get to the bottom of it. But council went a different direction, voting instead to have the sheriff’s office take the lead. “To be using the sheriff to be investigating these things is going to be costing time, money, etc. and maybe possibly litigation in the future,” said Ulysses Jean, a law professor at Ave Maria. None of it sits right with Jean, who happens to be a Lee County taxpayer. “Voters are smart enough to be able to make up their minds without these kind of maneuvers at the last minute,” Jean said. “It sounds like it was a political ploy.” Attorney Pam Seay, an FGCU justice studies professor, says it all may be much ado about nothing because, from what we can tell, Thomas’ driver’s license has an address in the ward where he’s running, and he’s provided us other proof he still lives in the same ward. “As long as he is still living within that geographic area there is no problem, it does not matter what the exact address is, as long as he lives in that specific area,” Seay said. That brings us back to a house on Lemon Street, where Thomas’ cousin claims she lives, and he does not. But, when we went to the home Tuesday, a woman there said she owned the house and said it’s Melissa Blue who doesn’t live there. She also told us to leave the property before we could ask any other questions. Blue’s attorney claims she was kicked out of the house after this was all made public. “I hope the voters can see through this, and they can see the good work that reporting like yours is doing,” Jean said. “This is very vital for our democracy.”