Rehabilitated manatee to be released into Port of the Islands Marina in NaplesWednesday morning showers slowly move out through the day
naples Rehabilitated manatee to be released into Port of the Islands Marina in Naples The Manatee Sightseeing and Wildlife Adventures is set to release a rehabilitated manatee back into the waters at the Port of the Island’s Marina.
the weather authority Wednesday morning showers slowly move out through the day The Weather Authority is tracking rain and showers expected throughout the day before an approaching cold front drops temperatures.
CAPE CORAL New Cape Coral City Council members to be sworn in The City of Cape Coral is experiencing a change in leadership, as two new councilmembers are set to be sworn in.
lehigh acres Florida Highway Patrol investigating fatal hit-and-run involving motorcyclist The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a hit-and-run that left a motorcyclist dead in Lee County.
FEMA agrees to outside investigation into avoiding homes with Trump signs FEMA’s administrator has agreed to an outside investigation to find out why her employee gave orders to deny trump supporters aid after Hurricane Milton.
Denise Carlin sworn in as Lee County Schools superintendent It’s a big night for families with kids attending Lee County Schools! Dr. Denise Carlin was just sworn in as superintendent.
PORT CHARLOTTE 8 illegal immigrants arrested in Charlotte County Eight people have been arrested in Port Charlotte for being in the country illegally.
SANIBEL Memorial statue unveiled for exotic birds at Jerry’s Foods on Sanibel Island For over 40 years, Dick Muench displayed many of his exotic birds from Central and South America at Jerry’s Foods on Sanibel.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers veteran worried about FEMA code compliance letter One marine veteran is worried sick over having to raise his home.
Residents oppose U-Haul storage unit development in Collier County A lush line of trees in Collier County may turn into storage units, and neighbors are unhappy.
LEHIGH ACRES Parents want changes made to Lee County Schools JROTC The Lee County School District is making changes after 25 students were treated by emergency services for heat exhaustion at a local high school on Friday.
FORT MYERS BEACH La Ola speaks out a day after FEMA deadline A day after the FEMA deadline for temporary structures on Fort Myers Beach to be removed, the scenery remains largely unchanged.
FORT MYERS Neighbors react to plans for new Amazon warehouse in Fort Myers Amazon will soon have the largest building in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Councilman Johnny Streets retires after nearly 20 years of service After nearly two decades of service, Fort Myers City Councilman Johnny Streets is retiring.
Local human trafficking survivor speaks out It’s a question many of us think we know the answer to: What is human trafficking? A Collier County woman told WINK her definition changed after she survived it.
naples Rehabilitated manatee to be released into Port of the Islands Marina in Naples The Manatee Sightseeing and Wildlife Adventures is set to release a rehabilitated manatee back into the waters at the Port of the Island’s Marina.
the weather authority Wednesday morning showers slowly move out through the day The Weather Authority is tracking rain and showers expected throughout the day before an approaching cold front drops temperatures.
CAPE CORAL New Cape Coral City Council members to be sworn in The City of Cape Coral is experiencing a change in leadership, as two new councilmembers are set to be sworn in.
lehigh acres Florida Highway Patrol investigating fatal hit-and-run involving motorcyclist The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a hit-and-run that left a motorcyclist dead in Lee County.
FEMA agrees to outside investigation into avoiding homes with Trump signs FEMA’s administrator has agreed to an outside investigation to find out why her employee gave orders to deny trump supporters aid after Hurricane Milton.
Denise Carlin sworn in as Lee County Schools superintendent It’s a big night for families with kids attending Lee County Schools! Dr. Denise Carlin was just sworn in as superintendent.
PORT CHARLOTTE 8 illegal immigrants arrested in Charlotte County Eight people have been arrested in Port Charlotte for being in the country illegally.
SANIBEL Memorial statue unveiled for exotic birds at Jerry’s Foods on Sanibel Island For over 40 years, Dick Muench displayed many of his exotic birds from Central and South America at Jerry’s Foods on Sanibel.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers veteran worried about FEMA code compliance letter One marine veteran is worried sick over having to raise his home.
Residents oppose U-Haul storage unit development in Collier County A lush line of trees in Collier County may turn into storage units, and neighbors are unhappy.
LEHIGH ACRES Parents want changes made to Lee County Schools JROTC The Lee County School District is making changes after 25 students were treated by emergency services for heat exhaustion at a local high school on Friday.
FORT MYERS BEACH La Ola speaks out a day after FEMA deadline A day after the FEMA deadline for temporary structures on Fort Myers Beach to be removed, the scenery remains largely unchanged.
FORT MYERS Neighbors react to plans for new Amazon warehouse in Fort Myers Amazon will soon have the largest building in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Councilman Johnny Streets retires after nearly 20 years of service After nearly two decades of service, Fort Myers City Councilman Johnny Streets is retiring.
Local human trafficking survivor speaks out It’s a question many of us think we know the answer to: What is human trafficking? A Collier County woman told WINK her definition changed after she survived it.
How many homeless people live in Lee County? Right now, the Lee County Homeless Coalition is spearheading a headcount to find out. It’s part of a nationwide mandate and it happens during the last ten days of January every year. WINK News Investigative Reporter Celine McArthur shows you how it’s done in Lee County, where the information goes, and what happens with that data The mission of the PIT count, or point in time count, is to track down all the homeless people – in and out of shelters – to find out how serious the problems are right now and why. The feds then use that data to determine how much federal money local programs can get moving forward. The pit count is a significant undertaking that requires a lot of volunteers, including students at Florida Gulf Coast University. 24-year-old Crystal Jean is a first-year student in the social work program at FGCU. She says she knew as a kid she wanted to be a social worker. MORE: Click here for coverage in The Working Homeless series “I had a social worker as a child, and she really did impact me greatly as a kid. And I didn’t realize that she was a social worker. But I knew I wanted to do what she did. So, I kind of just did some research and put two and two together,” says Jean. The issue of homelessness is also personal. She recently discovered her father had become homeless. “I was shocked. I was very shocked,” says Jean. “I didn’t know… you couldn’t tell.” She tells us he was homeless in a different part of Florida, and, “he came here to our family, and we didn’t realize all the situation that was going on at the time.” But she knew what needed to happen next. “They’re normal people who need help and need love and need services,” says Jean. Professor Tom Felke says the homeless situation in Southwest Florida is getting worse. “I think the other thing that concerns me is I’m worried about what the public reaction to visible homelessness is going to look like,” says Felke. “People generally don’t want to see things that make them uncomfortable. I mean, that makes sense. But in this case, this is not something you can just push back into the shadows. This is something that actually needs to be addressed.” That has Jean wondering. “I think that our public officers are probably not doing enough,” says Jean. “If someone is a convicted felon, for example, what are we doing to provide resources for these people to be reintegrated in society? And for them to have the appropriate literacy skills? To have a job or to have housing services?” She hit the streets as a volunteer in the Lee County annual PIT count to learn more. On this morning, there aren’t many homeless in her designated area, which surrounds the Downtown Fort Myers public library. “I’m a little sad about it. I really am, because I really want to, you know, speak to some people and you know, get to know their story,” says Jean. We caught up with Fort Myers police officer Ryan Beiner, who’s on the Homeless Outreach Team to find out why that might be. “It depends on the weather. It depends on the day,” says Officer Beiner. “People have been moving around lately a lot, going to new places, due to enforcement measures.” Jean did get to spend some time with Officer Beiner to get a snapshot of how he works with the homeless. “Going back into the places where some of these individuals sleep… it’s hard not to cry about it because it’s just… I didn’t know that that was the type of conditions that some of these individuals actually have, like, these are their everyday lives, While brief, this was a career experience she won’t soon forget. “He’s actually been in the field, what I’m learning about, he’s done it for years. And just seeing that we have officers that are actually trying to help our communities,” says Jean. “He’s a social worker in disguise as an officer.” The Lee Count PIT count lasts for three days, and the results won’t be available until at least April. When we get out hands on the data, we will share it on-air, and right here on winknews.com. You too can weigh in on this conversation. Email celine.mcarthur@winknews.com.