ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno looks to almost double his narcotics detectives as drug-related crime has increased. (CREDIT: WINK NEWS) The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is looking to double its narcotics unit. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno likes to talk tough especially when it comes to drugs. “It’s literally poison on our streets and when you take it off it saves lives,” Marceno said in a one-on-one interview with WINK News in Oct. 2020. The sheriff’s office said there are more drugs on the streets of Lee County and more people are dying. Cocaine seizures are up 479 percent from 2020 to 2021. Crystal meth seizures are up 352 percent and fentanyl is up by 256 percent. The effect of all those drugs on the streets last year? 190 deadly overdoses. “Since they have a narcotics task force, can we be proactive and continue to invest in this so we can get in front of the curve so we can continue to be one of the safest counties,” said Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane. Ruane points to one more statistic: the increased population in the county. More people equals more drugs and more deaths. Ruane said he is on board with the sheriff’s office to almost double its narcotics unit from 24 detectives to 44. And the state attorney’s office has also requested a budget increase of $460,000 to investigate more drugs cases. While people come to Southwest Florida for its beaches, they don’t want to see more of the drug scene. “We don’t want to paint the picture that there is some massive drug problem in our community but our community is not immune either,” said Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman. The increase in detectives will cost the county $2 million a year. Hamman said that’s a small price to pay when you consider the LCSO budget is $200 million. The sheriff’s office declined an interview request because Marceno will make his case on Tuesday at the commissioners’ meeting. However, they sent us the following statement: “Sheriff Carmine Marceno is committed to fighting the opioid crisis, and keeping residents safe from deadly narcotics. As one of his initiatives, Sheriff Carmine Marceno has dedicated resources to remove a significant number of drug dealers, as well as large quantities of narcotics and firearms off the streets of Lee County. The number of overdose deaths and seized narcotics has consistently increased over the last four years, which is why Sheriff Carmine Marceno is petitioning the Board of County Commissioners to approve funds that would double the size of our current Narcotics Unit. We are grateful for the continued support from the Lee County Manager, Roger Desjarlais, and all of the Lee County Commissioners who are instrumental in our mission.” Statewide Medical Examiners Commission 2020 Report State-wide: 42% increase in opioid caused deaths (6,089 cases) 63% increase in deaths caused by fentanyl (most illegal narcotics-related deaths were caused by fentanyl – 5,302) 21st District (Glades, Hendry & Lee) 269 deaths caused by fentanyl 184 of those deaths were people between the age 18 to 50 Overdose Deaths worked by LCSO: 2019 – 118 cases 2020 – 166 cases 2021 – 190 cases 2022 – Over 20 cases (currently on pace for over 200 cases) LCSO Narcotics Statistics for 2021: Seized 17,706 grams (17.7 KILOS) of Cocaine – 478% increase since 2020 Seized 10,288 grams (10.2 KILOS) of Crystal meth – 352% increase since 2020 Seized 6,597 (6.5 KILOS) grams of Fentanyl – 265% increase since 2020 Seized 91 firearms – 35.8% increase from 2020