Prescription drug shortages lead to higher prices There are currently more than 250 medications on the nation’s drug shortage list, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The organization says 2023 marked the worst year for shortages in about a decade.
Mental health resources to help children Here are some resources to help you navigate the mental health system when it comes to help for children. Park Royal Park Royal does not have in-patient options for youth; however, the facility’s launched a new intensive outpatient program for 14 to 17-year-olds. It typically last several weeks or months, and offers three to five […]
NAPLES Video: FWC releases bobcat after rehab stint at Naples Zoo Wildlife officials released a bobcat back into the wild after recovering from a broken leg at Naples Zoo for eight weeks.
Single-member vs. at-large voting debate intensifies in Lee County Three members of Southwest Florida’s state Legislature delegation hosted a public forum May 1 at Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, established by the state in 2015.
Unsolved: sawfish deaths rise during Florida Keys mystery More endangered smalltooth sawfish deaths were reported in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s weekly report.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County deputy subdues convicted felon with Taser at North Fort Myers Walmart Lee County deputies used a Taser on a man after they raced through a North Fort Myers Walmart searching for him.
FORT MYERS 2 posing as Target Corporate employees steal over $6K at Fort Myers Target SWFL Crime Stoppers seeks information on two men who allegedly claimed to be employees of Target Corporate and stole over $6,000 at Target.
Punta Gorda cosiders fate of historic A.C. Freeman House It was built by politician and businessman Augustus C. Freeman whose name the house bears, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested for armed robbery in Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man for armed robbery and giving a fake name to law enforcement.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis signs bills to provide financial options for Floridians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will provide financial options to Floridians and another bill that curates the state public school curriculum.
BONITA SPRINGS LCSO seeks information on missing 77-year-old kayaker LCSO seeks information on a missing kayaker after responding to a call about a missing kayak off the coast of Bonita Beach.
FORT MYERS Tim Tebow speaks at annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow took the stage at Hammond Stadium for the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project The Fort Myers City Council is set to provide an update on the progress of the Fowler Street intersection project.
the weather authority Evening isolated storms to impact coastal communities Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking a humid Thursday morning with high afternoon temperatures and evening coastal isolated storms.
Prescription drug shortages lead to higher prices There are currently more than 250 medications on the nation’s drug shortage list, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The organization says 2023 marked the worst year for shortages in about a decade.
Mental health resources to help children Here are some resources to help you navigate the mental health system when it comes to help for children. Park Royal Park Royal does not have in-patient options for youth; however, the facility’s launched a new intensive outpatient program for 14 to 17-year-olds. It typically last several weeks or months, and offers three to five […]
NAPLES Video: FWC releases bobcat after rehab stint at Naples Zoo Wildlife officials released a bobcat back into the wild after recovering from a broken leg at Naples Zoo for eight weeks.
Single-member vs. at-large voting debate intensifies in Lee County Three members of Southwest Florida’s state Legislature delegation hosted a public forum May 1 at Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, established by the state in 2015.
Unsolved: sawfish deaths rise during Florida Keys mystery More endangered smalltooth sawfish deaths were reported in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s weekly report.
Emails show beginnings, contradictions of South Seas resort amendment South Seas resort ownership group’s engineer proposed a land-use amendment for Lee County’s government at least six months before the first public discussions and at least seven weeks before the county’s official timeline began, emails between the resort’s representatives and county show.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County deputy subdues convicted felon with Taser at North Fort Myers Walmart Lee County deputies used a Taser on a man after they raced through a North Fort Myers Walmart searching for him.
FORT MYERS 2 posing as Target Corporate employees steal over $6K at Fort Myers Target SWFL Crime Stoppers seeks information on two men who allegedly claimed to be employees of Target Corporate and stole over $6,000 at Target.
Punta Gorda cosiders fate of historic A.C. Freeman House It was built by politician and businessman Augustus C. Freeman whose name the house bears, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested for armed robbery in Cape Coral The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man for armed robbery and giving a fake name to law enforcement.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis signs bills to provide financial options for Floridians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will provide financial options to Floridians and another bill that curates the state public school curriculum.
BONITA SPRINGS LCSO seeks information on missing 77-year-old kayaker LCSO seeks information on a missing kayaker after responding to a call about a missing kayak off the coast of Bonita Beach.
FORT MYERS Tim Tebow speaks at annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow took the stage at Hammond Stadium for the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project The Fort Myers City Council is set to provide an update on the progress of the Fowler Street intersection project.
the weather authority Evening isolated storms to impact coastal communities Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking a humid Thursday morning with high afternoon temperatures and evening coastal isolated storms.
Andrew Williams and Dalmatian Stella. Credit: Shared with WINK News. When you hear the words — predatory lending — home mortgages may come to mind. But it can happen with any purchase you finance, including pets. We looked into what happened to a 23-year-old college student from Naples, and how his experience may be able to help protect you. For Andrew Williams and Dalmatian Stella, it was love at first sight. “She just screams unconditional love,” Williams said. Williams bought Stella in November of 2020 from Lil Rascals Puppies in Gulf Coast Town Center. The sticker price — about $3,200. He couldn’t afford it up front, so he chose on-the-spot financing offered at the pet store. “I was told it would be $99 a week,” Williams said. “And I figured I’d pay it off in about eight or nine months.” Nine months later, Williams went online to check the remaining balance and discovered he still owed thousands more. That’s because the contract he signed with American First Finance has a 153.36% annual percentage rate. The dog would cost him more than $10,000 if he kept making $99 weekly payments. We asked Williams if he understood this. “I did not see that,” he said. “I saw the payments and the amounts and everything like that, and I thought that was a good amount, and I didn’t see the top at all, the amount of interest I would accumulate for a year or even a less than a year. That blows me away still when I had seen that.” Williams asked his mom for advice. “When I looked at it, I was just in shock,” Donna Williams explained. Donna reached out to the owner of Lil Rascal Puppies to see if there was a way they could renegotiate or restructure the deal, to no avail. “He’s not trying to get out of paying it because he did sign it,” Donna said. “I just don’t like the way it was presented to him. I think it wasn’t fair.” WINK News went to the store to talk to the owner. Melea Pruskauer says she’s upset her business is getting blamed for the loan provided by American First Finance. “They’re just a third party to us,” Pruskauer said. “So we don’t know a whole lot of detail about them. They’re our third party.” Pruskauer didn’t personally handle Williams’ puppy purchase, but claims the terms of the loan are included in the documents customers sign off on when they apply for the credit. We asked if there was any way that Williams would have not seen those numbers on the contract. “When they’re signing on the computer, it shows that on there when they’re signing it,” Pruskauer said. “They read everything. Why didn’t you read it? … Does anyone sign a contract before they read it?” “I never saw the 150% interest rate,” Williams said. Williams also says he didn’t leave the store with a copy of the paperwork. WINK News cannot independently verify what information Williams saw the day he bought Stella. Pruskauer acknowledges the 153% interest was high, but doesn’t think these loans are predatory. “If they can’t afford it, don’t take the dog,” Pruskauer said. Nicole Waid, a former federal prosecutor who is not connected to this case, says this is an example of predatory lending. “You’re going into a situation where you’re taking advantage, frankly, of people, and you’re charging astronomical interest rates that aren’t the normal interest rates.” Waid said. Waid also says it’s legal in the state. “Florida does actually have laws about the amount of interest that can be charged on any type of purchase,” Waid said. “And they’ve got regulations, and they have all of these things. But this pet store is using a third party, and it appears the loophole in the law is that the third party is allowed to charge these astronomical rates, ethically or unethically.” WINK News discovered Illinois is cracking down on the financing of pets. It’s called the Holmes Law. It ends contract loans for the purchase of cats or dogs and takes effect on Jan. 1 of 2022. Waid says that needs to happen here. “Illinois is like, ‘Listen, we are sick of our consumers being taken advantage of, and we’re going to do something about it,” Waid explained. “If we are going to actually protect our consumers, what are the predatory scenarios that are going on with this pandemic, and frankly, buying pets is one of them.” Bryan Oglesby with Better Business Bureau of West Florida sees a lot of complaints about possible predatory lending and says it’s important to explore all your options. “Did he compare those rates were their other loan offers?” Oglesby said. “Could he have reached out to his local bank? Could he have used a credit card and to compare those offers and make the decision of what’s the best offer to finance the pet in this case?” All questions Williams didn’t think to ask. “When they were explaining it to me as a 22-year-old with the dog, puppy in my lap that I was in love with, you don’t really think of these things,” Williams said. We spoke with the general counsel for American First Finance. She defends its practice, saying it’s not predatory lending because the terms of the agreement are spelled out in the contract, and the customer doesn’t have to take the deal. The Company also offers early payout, which would lower the ultimate cost. The attorney says the company is a vendor that offers a technological platform for an out-of-state bank which sets the interest rate. Williams paid off the remaining balance, but did file a complaint with BBB against the store. Here’s are resources that can help: Florida Office of Financial Regulation Florida Office of Attorney General Better Business Bureau