Fort Myers woman accused of stealing, selling boat and trailerLee County Supervisor of Elections to mail sample ballots
CAPE CORAL Fort Myers woman accused of stealing, selling boat and trailer A woman has been arrested after allegedly stealing a boat and trailer and trying to sell it off by forging the owner’s signature.
Lee County Supervisor of Elections to mail sample ballots The Lee County Supervisor of Elections will soon begin sending out mail sample ballots for the upcoming 2024 election.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: More rain and storms this Thursday afternoon and evening The Weather Authority is tracking more rain and storms this Thursday, possibly heavily impacting some areas this afternoon.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers CRA discusses downtown expansion On Wednesday, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency discussed an expansion of the area they oversee.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple salvages what’s left after dramatic rescue A Punta Gorda couple is awaiting FEMA assistance after dealing with damage from Helene.
BOCA GRANDE Rebuilding after Hurricane Helene and avoiding contractor pitfalls Neighbors across Southwest Florida and beyond are picking up the pieces and assessing the damage left by Hurricane Helene.
PORT CHARLOTTE Areas of Port Charlotte flooded due to heavy rain Some areas of Port Charlotte are underwater after heavy rain Wednesday evening.
PINE ISLAND The Greater Pine Island Alliance is seeking volunteers to help recovery efforts The Greater Pine Island Alliance is looking for volunteers, and age or skill set does not matter; if you want to help, they have a job for you.
FORT MYERS Whiskey Creek residents frustrated by worsened flooding Whiskey Creek residents do not know why flooding has worsened, but they said they want something done about it.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs firefighters rescue a bulldog in Helene’s aftermath In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Bonita Springs Fire Station 27 received a guest: a sweet little bulldog.
FGCU professor speaks on port worker strike 45,000 port workers on the East and Gulf Coasts are officially on strike as of Wednesday after their labor contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance expired.
CAPE CORAL Oasis head football coach leading the Sharks after 22 years with Cape Coral Police Oasis High School head football coach Brice Bearman in his first season after retiring from the Cape Coral Police Department after 22 years.
NAPLES Naples City Council votes to repair Naples Pier Though Helene did cause further damage to the Naples Pier, the city manager said it would not get in the way of its reconstruction.
Florida voter registration deadline upcoming Monday, Oct. 7, is the deadline to register to vote in November’s general election.
FORT MYERS BEACH The future of Church of the Ascension after Helene One of the hardest hit churches by Hurricane Ian is on Fort Myers Beach. Church of the Ascension got more water from Helene, but there wasn’t much left to damage.
CAPE CORAL Fort Myers woman accused of stealing, selling boat and trailer A woman has been arrested after allegedly stealing a boat and trailer and trying to sell it off by forging the owner’s signature.
Lee County Supervisor of Elections to mail sample ballots The Lee County Supervisor of Elections will soon begin sending out mail sample ballots for the upcoming 2024 election.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: More rain and storms this Thursday afternoon and evening The Weather Authority is tracking more rain and storms this Thursday, possibly heavily impacting some areas this afternoon.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers CRA discusses downtown expansion On Wednesday, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency discussed an expansion of the area they oversee.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple salvages what’s left after dramatic rescue A Punta Gorda couple is awaiting FEMA assistance after dealing with damage from Helene.
BOCA GRANDE Rebuilding after Hurricane Helene and avoiding contractor pitfalls Neighbors across Southwest Florida and beyond are picking up the pieces and assessing the damage left by Hurricane Helene.
PORT CHARLOTTE Areas of Port Charlotte flooded due to heavy rain Some areas of Port Charlotte are underwater after heavy rain Wednesday evening.
PINE ISLAND The Greater Pine Island Alliance is seeking volunteers to help recovery efforts The Greater Pine Island Alliance is looking for volunteers, and age or skill set does not matter; if you want to help, they have a job for you.
FORT MYERS Whiskey Creek residents frustrated by worsened flooding Whiskey Creek residents do not know why flooding has worsened, but they said they want something done about it.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs firefighters rescue a bulldog in Helene’s aftermath In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Bonita Springs Fire Station 27 received a guest: a sweet little bulldog.
FGCU professor speaks on port worker strike 45,000 port workers on the East and Gulf Coasts are officially on strike as of Wednesday after their labor contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance expired.
CAPE CORAL Oasis head football coach leading the Sharks after 22 years with Cape Coral Police Oasis High School head football coach Brice Bearman in his first season after retiring from the Cape Coral Police Department after 22 years.
NAPLES Naples City Council votes to repair Naples Pier Though Helene did cause further damage to the Naples Pier, the city manager said it would not get in the way of its reconstruction.
Florida voter registration deadline upcoming Monday, Oct. 7, is the deadline to register to vote in November’s general election.
FORT MYERS BEACH The future of Church of the Ascension after Helene One of the hardest hit churches by Hurricane Ian is on Fort Myers Beach. Church of the Ascension got more water from Helene, but there wasn’t much left to damage.
The Fort Myers Police Department is now facing a lawsuit regarding its activity. On Monday, a former inspector general filed that suit against the city, FMPD, the police chief, a former major, and an investigator. All of this is regarding allegations that a former major tried to deceive city council about the actual cost of new police headquarters. WINK News got an exclusive copy of the lawsuit moments after Donald Oswald’s lawyers filed it in federal court. Oswald makes damning accusations against his former boss, FMPD Chief Derrick Diggs. When former inspector general Donald Oswald resigned from the Fort Myers Police Department, he took accusations of corruption and retaliation public. He then called for an independent investigation into the police department. Many thought it stopped there, but that is not the case. David Seide is Oswald’s attorney. Early Monday morning, Seide filed a complaint in federal court. “This lawsuit says they smeared the inspector general in a variety of ways,” Seide said. The suit includes Chief Derrick Diggs, former Major William Newhouse, Internal Affairs Investigator Lesa Breneman, FMPD, and the City of Fort Myers. “We’ve got we can take this to a jury and 15, you know, in 15 minutes, and inspector general will testify, and we’re confident a judge and jury will find the defendants guilty,” said Seide. The suit lays out what WINK News reporter Sydney Persing has been reporting. Oswald accused Newhouse of making an unethical order to a lieutenant. Newhouse reportedly told that lieutenant not to say anything to Fort Myers City Council about the potential cost overruns for the new police headquarters. Oswald claims that, as a result, Chief Diggs “commenced a campaign of discrimination and retaliation against Oswald so severe that he was compelled to resign.” But, this lawsuit also suggests something new, a motive. Chief Diggs wanted the city to renew his contract. So losing the police station project “could have hurt his reputation and threatened the renewed contract he wanted.” Then, Oswald and his lawyers make an explosive claim. “It implied that he’s a racist, it implied that he was a liar. Those are smears that the Inspector General will rebut in court under oath,” said Seide. Defendant William Newhouse’s attorney, Robert Burdant, predicted that this lawsuit would never make it to court. “I don’t; I just don’t see it. I think federal judges are not going to tolerate this. I think it’s an abuse, actually,” Burdant said. But, if the case does get to a jury, Burdant believes they wouldn’t buy the inspector general’s argument. “When Newhouse allegedly made this statement, nobody jumped up. And if this made him sick to his stomach, like he keeps saying, why didn’t he jump up at that time and say, ‘Wait a minute, what are you doing? This is wrong.’ Nobody did anything. Nobody said anything. And he didn’t say anything for 14 days,” said Burdant. Earlier, Chief Diggs expressed that he was unaware of the lawsuit. But, Diggs decided to address the media, and WINK News investigative reporter Peter Fleischer was there. Diggs said he felt compelled to speak on Monday due to what he referred to as “misinterpretations” surrounding the Oswald-Newhouse controversy. Chief Diggs says that the Jensen Hughes review misinterprets FMPD policy, state law and the officers’ bill of rights. Diggs also defended his work and the work of the police department. According to Diggs, he wanted an outside agency to conduct the investigation so that he wouldn’t be left to answer questions about what he referred to as “fairness” or “nonsense.” So, Diggs decided to hold a press conference before he knew about the lawsuit. Why did he suddenly feel so compelled to speak? Submit Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.