The race for Lee County Supervisor of ElectionsPunta Gorda RV residents concerned about hurricane damage
BONITA SPRINGS The race for US senate in Florida Aside from the presidential and local races, many people are watching the battle for the U.S. Senate.
FORT MYERS The race for Lee County Supervisor of Elections Voters in Lee County are going to the polls to decide the next supervisor of elections.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda RV residents concerned about hurricane damage The people at the Harbor Belle RV Resort had concerns about their homes before hurricanes Helene and Milton.
WINK NEWS How Hispanic voters in SWFL are casting their ballots The Hispanic community in Southwest Florida is seemingly divided as they cast their votes for the next president of the United States.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump and supporters gear up for election night in West Palm Beach All eyes are on the presidential election between Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
SANIBEL City of Sanibel to open time capsule for 50th anniversary It’s a chance to see what the past was like. 41 years ago, the city of Sanibel put items in a time capsule to be opened on the 50th anniversary of the city’s incorporation. On Tuesday, WINK News was there to see what people had to say about the island decades ago.
FORT MYERS BEACH Lee Commission approves contract to restore 2 waterfront parks on Fort Myers Beach The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted to award a contract for the design of the restoration of two waterfront parks on Fort Myers Beach.
Direct approach to hip replacement Surgeons in the United States perform more than 500,000 hip replacements every year, and that number is only expected to increase as our population ages.
ARCADIA DeSoto County Jail employee accused of trafficking contraband into facility An employee at the DeSoto County Jail has been arrested after allegedly trafficking illegal contraband into the jail.
Soluna Restaurant & Bar launches at Bayfront in Naples Emulating its namesake fusion of the sun and moon, Soluna Restaurant & Bar has arisen to illuminate the Naples dining scene.
NAPLES CFO Jimmy Patronis reminds Floridians to check their constructor contracts for post-storm fraud The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, will hold a news conference in Naples on post-storm fraud prevention.
Know where your voting precinct is in Southwest Florida Election Day is only one day away, so it is important to know where to go and if you qualify to vote in Southwest Florida.
The Weather Authority Tracking Tropical Storm Rafael; expected to become hurricane The Weather Authority Meteorologists are watching the Caribbean as Tropical Storm Rafael will strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane later Tuesday night.
The Weather Authority Scattered rain and storms on this Election Day The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms along with warm temperatures throughout this Election Day Tuesday.
Where to drop off your mail-in ballots on Election Day Those who still have their mail-in ballots in Southwest Florida have two options on Election Day: vote in person or drop them off at a specified location.
BONITA SPRINGS The race for US senate in Florida Aside from the presidential and local races, many people are watching the battle for the U.S. Senate.
FORT MYERS The race for Lee County Supervisor of Elections Voters in Lee County are going to the polls to decide the next supervisor of elections.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda RV residents concerned about hurricane damage The people at the Harbor Belle RV Resort had concerns about their homes before hurricanes Helene and Milton.
WINK NEWS How Hispanic voters in SWFL are casting their ballots The Hispanic community in Southwest Florida is seemingly divided as they cast their votes for the next president of the United States.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump and supporters gear up for election night in West Palm Beach All eyes are on the presidential election between Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
SANIBEL City of Sanibel to open time capsule for 50th anniversary It’s a chance to see what the past was like. 41 years ago, the city of Sanibel put items in a time capsule to be opened on the 50th anniversary of the city’s incorporation. On Tuesday, WINK News was there to see what people had to say about the island decades ago.
FORT MYERS BEACH Lee Commission approves contract to restore 2 waterfront parks on Fort Myers Beach The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted to award a contract for the design of the restoration of two waterfront parks on Fort Myers Beach.
Direct approach to hip replacement Surgeons in the United States perform more than 500,000 hip replacements every year, and that number is only expected to increase as our population ages.
ARCADIA DeSoto County Jail employee accused of trafficking contraband into facility An employee at the DeSoto County Jail has been arrested after allegedly trafficking illegal contraband into the jail.
Soluna Restaurant & Bar launches at Bayfront in Naples Emulating its namesake fusion of the sun and moon, Soluna Restaurant & Bar has arisen to illuminate the Naples dining scene.
NAPLES CFO Jimmy Patronis reminds Floridians to check their constructor contracts for post-storm fraud The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, will hold a news conference in Naples on post-storm fraud prevention.
Know where your voting precinct is in Southwest Florida Election Day is only one day away, so it is important to know where to go and if you qualify to vote in Southwest Florida.
The Weather Authority Tracking Tropical Storm Rafael; expected to become hurricane The Weather Authority Meteorologists are watching the Caribbean as Tropical Storm Rafael will strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane later Tuesday night.
The Weather Authority Scattered rain and storms on this Election Day The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms along with warm temperatures throughout this Election Day Tuesday.
Where to drop off your mail-in ballots on Election Day Those who still have their mail-in ballots in Southwest Florida have two options on Election Day: vote in person or drop them off at a specified location.
Credit: WINK News Two Southwest Florida businesses are subject to complaints made to the state for potentially violating its vaccine passport law. Governor Ron DeSantis signed a COVID-19 vaccine law that bans vaccine passports. The state is investigating potential violators of that law and two of those are in Southwest Florida. One being NCH health care systems and the other being Big Arts on Sanibel. Naples Community Hospital and Big Arts on Sanibel are under investigation by the Florida Department of Health, according to documents obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. The two SWFL companies are among the 120 Florida businesses and governments that are currently under investigation by FDOH. Lee Ellen Harder is the Executive Director for Big Arts. “I just was wondering why we’re on the list. Since we are not requiring vaccination,” Harder said. Harder says vaccines are required for staff but not for patrons. So, when she found out Big Arts was on the list, she was shocked. But, there is something that Harder said was important to clear up. “We’re not in that business of deciding you know, who should do what. We just want our patrons’ volunteers, staff, everybody to feel safe,” said Harder. NCH is also on the list and it, too, mandates vaccines for staff. The hospital system recently let go of more than 100 staff members who refused to comply with the vaccine mandate. Aubrey Jewett is a political scientist based out of the University of Central Florida. “We don’t know how this list was generated, like how do people and businesses end up on the list?” Jewett said. The reason we don’t know is that the Department of Health will not say. Jewett says he’s closely followed the politics surrounding vaccines in Florida. It is vastly different from the politics of vaccines in Washington D.C. “We’re definitely getting contradictory advice and rules from the federal government and from the state government,” Jewett said. “And so who gets caught in the middle are the businesses and people who live right here in Florida.” If the state finds that a business or local government broke state law, it could impose a fine of $5,000 per violation. For a small business such as Big Arts, that sort of punishment could really financially damage them. NCH has not responded to specific questions from WINK News about the FDOH investigation. Instead, they sent us the statement below: “NCH does not require proof of Covid-19 vaccine status for its patients or guests. NCH’s inclusion of Covid-19 vaccine as a condition of employment applies to NCH employees, contract staff and volunteers only, and complies fully with federal law.” Since our story aired on Monday evening, NCH sent WINK News an email confirming they’ve received no formal communication from the FDOH. Tuesday afternoon, NCH sent this statement as well: “While NCH continues to wait for any official communication from the state regarding the issue of vaccine passports, we wanted to call the language of the state’s own law to the attention of media. In section 381.00316, Florida Statutes, (http://laws.flrules.org/2021/8, section 18, page 22-23) it clearly states in subsection (1) that “a business entity…may not require patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-infection recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business operations in this state.” And while NCH’s vaccine requirement is only for employees, contractors, and volunteers of NCH and we have NEVER required our patients or visitors to show evidence of vaccination, sub section (5) of that same statute clearly says “this section does not apply to a healthcare provider…” which, in addition to not having received any official notification from the state on this issue, is another reason we find this matter puzzling. We will continue to keep media updated if and when we receive any official notification from the state on this matter. — Matthew Heinle, NCH General Counsel.“ Additionally, media outlets across the state reported in late spring of 2021 on the carve-out of this law that state legislators extended to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers. MORE: Health care industry gets a pass on vaccine ‘passports’ Health care industry exempt from DeSantis ‘vaccination passport’ ban Since our story aired, the Governor’s office has also contacted WINK News and said: “entities on this list are not all under formal investigation, and merely being named on the list is not confirmation of probable cause that an entity may have violated the law.” According to the governor’s office, anyone can submit a complaint if they believe there may be a violation, whether or not a violation occurred. The Florida Department of Health does review every complaint, but it’s possible that some complaints may not warrant a full investigation. Enforcement action would take place only after an investigation has determined that the entity violated the law, as in the case of Leon County today.