Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recoveryCSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
New Punta Gorda City Council accepts city manager’s resignation Punta Gorda’s new City Council accepted City Manager Greg Murray’s resignation Nov. 20 and agreed to pay toward hurricane repairs and provide several months of rent abatement to business owners who lease space at city-owned Herald Court. Debi Lux was named mayor and Greg Julian vice mayor by the new-look Council, which saw three incumbents […]
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
New Punta Gorda City Council accepts city manager’s resignation Punta Gorda’s new City Council accepted City Manager Greg Murray’s resignation Nov. 20 and agreed to pay toward hurricane repairs and provide several months of rent abatement to business owners who lease space at city-owned Herald Court. Debi Lux was named mayor and Greg Julian vice mayor by the new-look Council, which saw three incumbents […]
Credit: WINK News. Seniors living in Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties will be able to get vaccinated for COVID-19 while shopping at Publix, under an agreement Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration reached with the Florida-based supermarket chain. The state is directing 15,000 vaccine doses to 22 Publix stores across the three Central Florida counties as the administration works to increase the number of locations where people age 65 and older can go to receive inoculations. DeSantis’ announcement Tuesday about the Publix agreement comes amid a wave of criticism about the governor’s handling of the vaccine rollout. The supermarket chain will begin taking online appointments for the vaccinations on Thursday, according to a press release issued by DeSantis’ office. The first vaccinations will be administered on Friday. “As you’re shopping for groceries, knock out your vaccine,” DeSantis said Tuesday at a Publix in Marion County, where the governor announced the agreement. Three Publix locations in Citrus County will offer the vaccinations, as will 11 stores in Hernando County and eight stores in Marion County. Nationwide, 4,836,469 people had received the first dose of the Pfizer Inc. or the Moderna vaccine as of Tuesday morning, according to a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracking system. A Florida Department of Health report shows that 289,773 people in Florida had been vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as of Tuesday. The number includes 1,997 people who have received two doses of the vaccine, as recommended by the federal government. The governor has attributed the slow start of vaccinations to the winter holidays but predicted that there will be an uptick in activity in January. Holidays aside, the vaccination rollout has been hampered by days of long lines, jammed phone systems and overwhelmed websites as Florida seniors who, along with health care workers, were designated as eligible for vaccinations scrambled to get doses from county health departments and hospitals. The problems have drawn unflattering national media attention and DeSantis sparred on Monday with a CNN reporter who asked questions about the issue. DeSantis made the Publix announcement as the number of COVID-19 cases in the state continues to mount. Florida health officials have recorded 1,392,123 infections in the state since the coronavirus first arrived in the state last year. More than 22,000 Florida residents have died of COVID-19, according to the Florida Department of Health. The agreement with the Publix supermarket chain, which operates pharmacies, underscores the DeSantis administration’s continued reliance on the private sector to help get shots into the arms of individuals who qualify for the vaccinations. Initially, hospitals were told to inoculate their frontline health care workers, as well as frontline workers at nearby facilities. On Dec. 23, DeSantis issued an executive order making the vaccine available to all health care workers as well as to people over the age of 65, which DeSantis on Tuesday acknowledged led to long lines as demand for vaccinations outpaced supply. Florida is home to roughly 4.4 million people age 65 and older. “There was a natural crush that happened,” DeSantis said. “And I think as we continue, as more people get booked for appointments, there’s still going to be high demand, but I think it’ll get a little easier to navigate. The bottom line is being able to bring these vaccines to people, getting it so they have the ability to sign up (for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment) is very, very important. So we are just going to keep doing it. We’re going to keep expanding the opportunities for this.” Publix is the first pharmacy the state has brought into its vaccination distribution efforts, though the federal government has inked agreements with CVS and Walgreens to provide vaccinations for residents and staff at long-term care facilities. Cocoa pharmacist Dawn Butterfield, who is the owner of West Cocoa Pharmacy & Compounding, is disappointed that the governor didn’t look to independent pharmacies to help provide vaccinations. Butterfield said that she has received a stream of phone calls from customers who don’t want to go to the hospital to get a COVID-19 vaccination. The alternative — the Brevard County Health Department — has run out of supply and is not taking any additional appointments or maintaining a waiting list for those who want the vaccine. “Left out again,” Butterfield said in an email to The News Service of Florida, adding that it’s “ALWAYS the big corporations” that are chosen to work with the state. WINK News asked Publix if rolling out vaccines at certain locations will hinder grocery shopping or parking. Publix responded and said it will require appointments in an online reservation system. There will be 120 shots a day while supplies last. A spokesperson told WINK News Publix is working with Florida Department of Health to expand vaccinations at more grocery stores in the state, but there is no set date yet.