NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
Executive Director Dane Eagle of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Credit: WINK News. Executive Director Dane Eagle of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity says he needs more money and more people to fix the unemployment system. We’ve received questions, concerns and suggestions from people about how to make it better, and took them to Eagle. Meanwhile, Patrick Hoffman of Fort Myers has almost given up on the DEO. He’s back to work now, but when he lost his job this past summer, he only received two weeks of payments from the state. “They owe me between $10,000 and $11,000,” Hoffman said. “They say, ‘Oh, there’s a computer glitch in the system.’ And then, ‘If you don’t get paid within two or three weeks to call us back.’ And that’s what I’ve been doing.” Still, Hoffman’s weeks show up as “disqualified.” “They said, they see no reason why I shouldn’t get paid,” Hoffman explained. He says he feels cheated. “It’s up to the state to pay us, and we’re not getting paid to live,” Hoffman said. “I’m lucky I had my savings account, or I’d be on the street.” We shared Hoffman’s story with Eagle. “When I hear cases like that, we delve into it and see what is exactly happening, and we readily admit that there are IT glitches that we continue to have to fix,” Eagle said. Two months into the job, Eagle, a former state representative of Cape Coral, says leading the DEO has been a whirlwind. “Since I’ve started, we’ve been able to process over 600,000 claims to the tune of over $2.5 billion,” Eagle said. “I mean, that is real progress. There’s progress being made.” But Eagle recognizes some people still feel left behind. We spoke to him when he was first appointed to DEO in September, and he asked for the suggestions from Floridians about how to make the system better, which we provided. Eagle also took suggestions from lawmakers helping claimants navigate the system. WINK News obtained emails from lawmakers to the DEO asking for help with many issues, including backdating and mixed messages. The biggest complaint was a lack of communication. Eagle says they’ve worked on that. “We’ve ramped up our legislative affairs department,” Eagle said. “We have a new director there and new staff there, so we’ve been able to assist them with the claimants that they’ve been trying to address.” Eagle says they’ve also hired more than 200 people since he’s started, mostly in the Reemployment Assistance department to handle more “complicated” claims. The agency has also already spent $18 billion on operational costs and fixing the claims portal. “The system is far from perfect. We’ve been able to improve it to make sure that it is at least operational and then we can get things done,” Eagle said. Eagle says he wants to ask lawmakers for $5 million in the next legislative session to add at least 100 more people to his staff. Most of the suggestions submitted reaffirm the issues Eagle’s team is already working on, he says, including IT improvements, streamlining the application process and ramping up communication. In the meantime, Hoffman is among many others still waiting to receive benefits, and he says promises don’t pay the bills. “I did everything I was supposed to do,” Hoffman said. “I just want my money.” Submit Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.