Community rallies behind hate crime victims and cleans the homeFGCU community rallies to clean vandalized home after hate crime
CAPE CORAL FGCU community rallies to clean vandalized home after hate crime The FGCU community rallied together to restore the house to its original state on Saturday after a hate crime.
FGCU volleyball wins fourth straight ASUN Tournament title The FGCU volleyball team beat Lipscomb in three sets to claim the program’s fourth straight ASUN Tournament title.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers community comes together for Thanksgiving turkey giveaway This time of year is especially stressful for people who are struggling financially. Adding all the holiday expenses on top of rent, food and basic necessities can leave people feeling anxious and off balance.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO: Shooting Investigation underway in North Fort Myers The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident in North Fort Myers on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Driver arrested after fleeing police, causing multi-car crash in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Police Department has arrested a man accused of causing a multi-car crash in Fort Myers.
Chilly morning and a cool Saturday afternoon with lots of sunshine The Weather Authority says the weekend is starting off nice and chilly, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across Southwest Florida.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Regional Semifinals It’s the regional semifinal round of high school football in Southwest Florida. Check out the scores and highlights.
FORT MYERS BEACH New information on why FEMA put Fort Myers Beach on probation FEMA was sure to lay it out in a letter. Out of the five points listed, three areas need work on Fort Myers Beach to re-apply for the flood insurance discount.
CAPE CORAL Exclusive: Cape Coral Police Chief speaks out on hate crime incident New exclusive surveillance video shows the moment a Cape Coral home is vandalized. The suspects painted racial slurs on the wall in red paint. WINK News broke this story on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL New police precincts coming to Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department is adding new precincts around the city. The reason? Growth.
Vietnam veteran’s unique service animal companion When we think of service animals, dogs usually come to mind, but it’s not just dogs that help people navigate through their challenges.
NAPLES Gulfshore Life’s Men and Women of the Year award honoree: John Cooney It’s one thing to be philanthropic and help our community. It’s another to provide so much help and want absolutely nothing in return, not even your name mentioned.
FORT MYERS Dunbar High principal named Lee County Principal of the Year Carl Burnside was the last to find out Friday morning that he was selected as Lee County Schools Principal of the Year for 2025.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach businesses excited for increased season traffic Those on Fort Myers Beach are excited for the town to return to normal. Businesses are ready to accept snowbirds and residents again.
CAPE CORAL Mom faces DUI charge after crash during pick-up at Oasis High School A crash in the pick-up line at Oasis High School led Cape Coral police to a DUI investigation.
CAPE CORAL FGCU community rallies to clean vandalized home after hate crime The FGCU community rallied together to restore the house to its original state on Saturday after a hate crime.
FGCU volleyball wins fourth straight ASUN Tournament title The FGCU volleyball team beat Lipscomb in three sets to claim the program’s fourth straight ASUN Tournament title.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers community comes together for Thanksgiving turkey giveaway This time of year is especially stressful for people who are struggling financially. Adding all the holiday expenses on top of rent, food and basic necessities can leave people feeling anxious and off balance.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO: Shooting Investigation underway in North Fort Myers The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident in North Fort Myers on Saturday.
FORT MYERS Driver arrested after fleeing police, causing multi-car crash in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Police Department has arrested a man accused of causing a multi-car crash in Fort Myers.
Chilly morning and a cool Saturday afternoon with lots of sunshine The Weather Authority says the weekend is starting off nice and chilly, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across Southwest Florida.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Regional Semifinals It’s the regional semifinal round of high school football in Southwest Florida. Check out the scores and highlights.
FORT MYERS BEACH New information on why FEMA put Fort Myers Beach on probation FEMA was sure to lay it out in a letter. Out of the five points listed, three areas need work on Fort Myers Beach to re-apply for the flood insurance discount.
CAPE CORAL Exclusive: Cape Coral Police Chief speaks out on hate crime incident New exclusive surveillance video shows the moment a Cape Coral home is vandalized. The suspects painted racial slurs on the wall in red paint. WINK News broke this story on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL New police precincts coming to Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department is adding new precincts around the city. The reason? Growth.
Vietnam veteran’s unique service animal companion When we think of service animals, dogs usually come to mind, but it’s not just dogs that help people navigate through their challenges.
NAPLES Gulfshore Life’s Men and Women of the Year award honoree: John Cooney It’s one thing to be philanthropic and help our community. It’s another to provide so much help and want absolutely nothing in return, not even your name mentioned.
FORT MYERS Dunbar High principal named Lee County Principal of the Year Carl Burnside was the last to find out Friday morning that he was selected as Lee County Schools Principal of the Year for 2025.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach businesses excited for increased season traffic Those on Fort Myers Beach are excited for the town to return to normal. Businesses are ready to accept snowbirds and residents again.
CAPE CORAL Mom faces DUI charge after crash during pick-up at Oasis High School A crash in the pick-up line at Oasis High School led Cape Coral police to a DUI investigation.
Credit: WINK News. Business in Southwest Florida is headed for a record-breaking year. Last month, tourism was up from the best year ever. From flights to hotels, people want to spend money in the region, boosting the local economy. Hotels are saying this year is like a never-ending season. People clearly want to be in Lee County and other parts of Southwest Florida, and the weather is one reason, but so is the fact Florida didn’t shut down as long as other states did during the pandemic. Florida set lots of tourism records in 2019, and the state is set to break them beyond anyone’s expectations. A beach vacation is a must for lots of people. It’s the sun, the sand and the chance to relax. But when the coronavirus hit in March 2020, almost all of that stopped. “We had a very difficult challenge here with the coronavirus coming, and basically, the entire island shut down,” said Alex Cass, the general manager of Carousel Beach Inn on Fort Myers Beach. As Florida reopened, visitors returned to local beaches. “The last summer, last winter, this past season, it’s very positive for us, very busy,” Cass said. “A lot of people are starting to travel again.” Now, 13 months after the shutdown, tourism has never been better. “When people were allowed to return to the beach and allowed to stay on the beach again, we have seen a significant increase,” said Melissa Schneider, the marketing director for Lani Kai on Fort Myers Beach. “Honestly, we have not come down off of that.” The hotels are happy; visitors are happy, and leaders in charge of tourism in Lee County are happy, too. “I think it’s because of the proactive policies that we had to try and keep the state open and let people make their own personal health care decisions,” said Commissioner Brian Hamman, who is on the Tourist Development Council in Lee County. In April alone, the Tourist Development Council shows a 46% increase in bed tax collection compared to the record year of 2019. “This is big for our airport,” Hamman said. “We’re seeing the most travelers we’ve ever seen in the history of our airport right now.” The people who run hotels in Southwest Florida said advance bookings prove there’s no slowdown in sight. “In speaking to a lot of the other businesses on the island, this year kind of symbolizes the season that never ends,” Cass said. Need more proof? Southwest Florida International Airport expects to see a 60% to 90% increase in passengers between June and August. Most of those people are coming to visit and spend money.