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.
Credit: WINK News. UPDATE: The DEO announced June 4 that the chat feature is no longer available. — Another glitch in Florida’s unemployment system is keeping people from their benefits. The Department of Economic Opportunity’s website is accidentally flagging thousands of accounts with holds. The system thinks they’re in jail, but they’re not. “How is this relief package helping the poor people like me that’s lost their jobs during the pandemic?” asked David Bryant of Port Charlotte. Bryant applied for unemployment right at the start of January. After a couple weeks, everything just stopped. “It’s unbearable,” he said. Like millions of people in Florida, Bryant has a record. And like millions in Florida, he’s also struggling with the unemployment system. “This will be my fourth week without any benefit money.” Last month, a glitch in the website flagged Bryant’s and thousands of other accounts with an “incarceration hold.” “The lady said on the phone, oh, well, I’ll put in an emergency paper to the adjudicators, the head person or whatever. But nothing’s happened,” Bryant said. Now, he’s missing at least $2,300, all because of his past that never should’ve caught up with him like this. “I don’t see what that would have to do with one or the other. It doesn’t make sense.” Bryan clearly isn’t in jail now. WINK checked his record, and in 2017, he spent a night at the Charlotte County Jail on a drug charge that was later dropped. “Without the unemployment, there is no food at my house right now, or nothing.” He says he’s gone to the food pantry every day, and bills are going unpaid while he looks for work and takes care of his mom. “I want to die, man. It’s just terrible. It’s awful.” He’s not sure how much longer he can go on. “That’s all I have, that’s all I can do. Just pray that they pay us and they don’t make us suffer longer than what we’ve already suffered.” WINK News let the DEO know about Bryant’s hold. They said they’re aware of the issue and are working to resolve it. There’s no timeline for how long until he gets paid. HOW TO GET HELP Miami-based unemployment advocate Vanessa Brito is helping people fight their incarceration holds. Here are the steps she recommends taking if you have an adjudication message on your CONNECT account because of previous incarceration, arrest or probation. Contact DEO via phone at 1-800-204-2418 or online chat. Ask the CLAIMS SPECIFIC AGENT if your adjudication message is due to a previous incarceration (even if it was years ago or you’ve never been incarcerated) If yes, then you MUST ask that the incarceration/availability hold be voided. Ask if they have a Fact Finding for you on file for that incarceration/availability and CONFIRM IT IS PROCESSED. Brito says holds are typically released within two days of performing the above steps. If not removed or unsuccessful, she suggests writing an email with the following information:> Subject: Incarceration Hold Body of Email: Name Claimant ID The only thing you should say in the body is “Please lift my incarceration hold. I’ve served my time.” Attach any kind of documentation regarding your incarceration. Here’s a list of contacts at the DEO she suggests you email. For ongoing updates and information 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.