SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11Cape Coral man files injunction against city over Jaycee Park
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11 The Lehigh Lightning beat the Sarasota Sailors in a Monday night matchup to earn their first win of the season in week 11.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man files injunction against city over Jaycee Park A Cape Coral man has filed an injunction against the City of Cape Coral over the renovation of Jaycee Park.
CAPE CORAL Brothers gain highest Boy Scout award for repairing food pantry General Manager of the Adventist Community Services Alexandra Berru said she couldn’t be more grateful for the twin brothers.
2 Vietnam veterans raise $20,000 for monument in Naples Two Vietnam veterans raised over $20,000 to create a Vietnam monument at Cambier Park in Naples.
BONITA SPRINGS Lee County to pick up debris on Estero and Hickory boulevards After three weeks of hard work clearing mountains of sand from Estero and Hickory boulevards, Lee County crews are ready to switch gears to storm debris collection along these main county roads.
SANIBEL Are our habitats on the brink of a slow collapse? For two years, Sanibel Island’s delicate ecosystems have been battered by unrelenting storm surges, leaving behind dead trees and tainted freshwater pools.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres driver wants more safety measures for State Road 82 A Lehigh Acres man wants other drivers to know to pay attention. He also wants the county, city or state to put some more patrols out here.
SANIBEL What beaches are experiencing red tide issues now? Parts of Southewst Florida are dealing with red tide. But it’s not impacting Sanibel or beachgoers there.
NAPLES Naples Police Department begins celebrations of 100 years of service The City of Naples Police Department will hit 100 years of service in November of 2025, and they are now beginning their year of celebrations.
ESTERO FGCU students and professor weigh in on upcoming election As the nation gears up for a pivotal election, a question lingers among young voters. Will students turn out to vote?
New procedure helping disc pain Neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain and arm pain can all be caused by a herniated disc. If left untreated, this can become debilitating and lead to nerve damage.
FORT MYERS Final weekend for early voting The clock’s winding down on early voting. This is the final weekend to cast your ballot. If you haven’t voted yet, you may have to wait in line on Election Day.
Wawa tumblers recalled after reported injuries Wawa is recalling 60,000 tumblers because of a safety hazard with metal straws.
SOUTH FORT MYERS Boil water notice lifted in South Fort Myers area After taking necessary precautions, Lee County Utilities has rescinded the boil water notice that affected 420 residences and 15 commercial sites for South Fort Myers.
The Weather Authority Tracking the Tropics: Possible development in the Gulf of Mexico has 70% chance of formation The Weather Authority is tracking a possible development in the Gulf of Mexico that is slowly gaining strength.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11 The Lehigh Lightning beat the Sarasota Sailors in a Monday night matchup to earn their first win of the season in week 11.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man files injunction against city over Jaycee Park A Cape Coral man has filed an injunction against the City of Cape Coral over the renovation of Jaycee Park.
CAPE CORAL Brothers gain highest Boy Scout award for repairing food pantry General Manager of the Adventist Community Services Alexandra Berru said she couldn’t be more grateful for the twin brothers.
2 Vietnam veterans raise $20,000 for monument in Naples Two Vietnam veterans raised over $20,000 to create a Vietnam monument at Cambier Park in Naples.
BONITA SPRINGS Lee County to pick up debris on Estero and Hickory boulevards After three weeks of hard work clearing mountains of sand from Estero and Hickory boulevards, Lee County crews are ready to switch gears to storm debris collection along these main county roads.
SANIBEL Are our habitats on the brink of a slow collapse? For two years, Sanibel Island’s delicate ecosystems have been battered by unrelenting storm surges, leaving behind dead trees and tainted freshwater pools.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres driver wants more safety measures for State Road 82 A Lehigh Acres man wants other drivers to know to pay attention. He also wants the county, city or state to put some more patrols out here.
SANIBEL What beaches are experiencing red tide issues now? Parts of Southewst Florida are dealing with red tide. But it’s not impacting Sanibel or beachgoers there.
NAPLES Naples Police Department begins celebrations of 100 years of service The City of Naples Police Department will hit 100 years of service in November of 2025, and they are now beginning their year of celebrations.
ESTERO FGCU students and professor weigh in on upcoming election As the nation gears up for a pivotal election, a question lingers among young voters. Will students turn out to vote?
New procedure helping disc pain Neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain and arm pain can all be caused by a herniated disc. If left untreated, this can become debilitating and lead to nerve damage.
FORT MYERS Final weekend for early voting The clock’s winding down on early voting. This is the final weekend to cast your ballot. If you haven’t voted yet, you may have to wait in line on Election Day.
Wawa tumblers recalled after reported injuries Wawa is recalling 60,000 tumblers because of a safety hazard with metal straws.
SOUTH FORT MYERS Boil water notice lifted in South Fort Myers area After taking necessary precautions, Lee County Utilities has rescinded the boil water notice that affected 420 residences and 15 commercial sites for South Fort Myers.
The Weather Authority Tracking the Tropics: Possible development in the Gulf of Mexico has 70% chance of formation The Weather Authority is tracking a possible development in the Gulf of Mexico that is slowly gaining strength.
Credit: WINK News. High-rent prices are making it harder for many people to make ends meet in Florida, and that includes Southwest Florida – one of the most expensive areas to rent in the state. According to the 2021 Out of Reach report, an individual would have to make more than $26 an hour to afford housing in parts of Collier County. On average, someone would have to work nearly three full-time jobs at minimum wage to afford a two-bedroom rental home. We looked at salaries for teachers and firefighters, and it looks like some of them would struggle to pay rent. Some of those jobs start around $30,000 to $40,000 annual salaries, and there are a lot of people who don’t make that much year-round. “I feel like it can get overwhelming,” Deshawn Layne said. Having the essentials is not always easy. “I’ve been renting down here for a good minute,” said Layne, who lives in Collier County. “With everything going on and how it’s going high, I feel like they’re not reasonable.” Layne agrees rent prices are sky high and sometimes hard to pay up. “They can’t breathe because there is just so much more they have to come up with to pay this,” Layne said. According to the report, the Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island area is one of the top five most expensive areas to rent. The average two-bedroom apartment or home is more than $1,300 in monthly rent. “Because prices are higher here, we do see a lot of people renting, and a lot of new construction, luxury apartments and rentals,” Realtor Michelle Jackson said. That means to live comfortably, people would need to make on average $55,000 annually. To put it into perspective, teachers in Collier County make yearly salaries of $30,000 to $52,000, and starting EMS and firefighters make $44,000 to $76,000 each year. For some people, including Grant Henderson, it’s what drove him away from renting, and he decided to buy a home. “I noticed that rent and property prices were going up, and I was renting, and it was going up,” Henderson said. “I decided I was getting tired of that.” The salaries needed to live comfortably in Cape Coral and Fort Myers are almost $48,000 each year. In Punta Gorda, it’s more than $42,000. Unfortunately, Jackson says she thinks the trend will continue. “We predict it to continue on for about a year and a half,” Jackson said. “We don’t see it tanking or anything like that.” MORE: National Low Income Housing Coalition – Out of Reach 2021 2021 Out of Reach Report – Florida