Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort MyersThe Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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 charged 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.
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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 charged 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.
James Tennant (Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office) A Southwest Florida sex offender faces charges after being arrested while working at a fair. Deputies say James Tennant gave a different name to pass a background check to work at the Lee County Fair. On a day at the fair, you’d expect to find families, food and fun, not a fair worker who is a sex offender with a fake identity in a place full of kids. “I am really not happy about that. I mean, if you were going to do something and be around children and families and staff, that is not a good thing,” said Wayne Bowling of Alva. “What is he doing there?” said Michael Canon from Venice. “He should not be working there.” A Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrest report says Tennant used a fake name, James Martino, to avoid background checks and score a job at the Lee County Fair. On Tuesday, deputies got a tip and arrested Tennant for failing to register as a sex offender. It turns out Tennant has done this before and was caught working at carnivals in Lake County and Manatee County without registering as a sex offender. “These people shouldn’t be allowed to just change their name and be around families and little kids and so on and so forth,” Bowling said. “I think they should be doing a lot more background checks.” The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says they did run a background check on Tennant, but because he was using a different name, he went undetected. WINK News Safety and Security Specialist Rich Kolko said background checks should be a must to work in places like the fair. “They want to protect themselves, and they want to protect their customers,” said Kolko. “Don’t want these people working in this type of environment where there’s a lot of kids certainly a danger and a problem for everybody involved.” “He was working at a game where you throw the dart and pop the balloon and win a prize. He was working for another company that rents that space from Reithoffer Shows,” said Mike Peak, president of the board of the Southwest Florida and Lee County Fair. Rick Reithoffer, with Reithoffer Shows, said he runs background checks himself on all of his employees. For the independent companies who rent space from him, he collects the names of their staff and hands them over to LCSO to do the background checks. James Tennant worked for one of those independent companies and said his name was James Martino. “Where this guy kind of slipped the system was he gave us a false name using a false identity. We turned it in and ran background checks but I think the sheriff’s department actually came up with the fact that it was something unkosher about the ID,” said Reithoffer. That was only after the sheriff’s office got a tip. Those in charge of the fair said they are glad Tennant is off their fairgrounds. “We were naturally very upset about it. We are out here to have a good time and everybody that comes to the fair, we want to make sure that they’re safe and that they’re here to have a good time so we don’t anyone like that on our grounds,” said Reithoffer. Tennant faces five years in prison, five years probation and a $5,000 fine for failing to register as a sex offender.