SWFL shelters ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are preparing to open. On Monday, some shelters are expected to open, and on Tuesday, they should all be open. The status and times of these shelters for each county are pending. Lee County The status and time for the shelters will be available Monday. For more details, click here. […]
Hurricane Milton continues to organize and strengthen in the SW Gulf Tropical Storm Milton continues to strengthen in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and it is predicted to reach hurricane status in less than 24 hours.
SWFL schools affected due to Milton Southwest Florida schools are responding ahead of Tropical Storm Milton’s arrival.
Charlotte County residents fear Helene debris will worsen with incoming Milton Some in Charlotte County are worried about piles of debris leftover from Hurricane Helene as Tropical Storm Milton makes its way to Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee County officials held Facebook Live update ahead of Milton The Lee County Public Safety Director, Ben Abes, and the county commissioners are set to provide updates regarding Tropical Storm Milton.
SANIBEL Sanibel in state of emergency ahead of Milton Sanibel’s mayor, Richard Johnson, and the city manager, Dana Souza, are set to provide a live update on storm preparations.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Rain & storms across SWFL throughout Sunday The Weather Authority is tracking heavy rain and storms on Sunday, especially in the afternoon and evening.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis urges Floridians to prepare for Milton Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference to update the public on preparations for Tropical Storm Milton, which is expected to become a hurricane in less than 24 hours.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY NHC has bumped up Milton’s peak intensity forecast to 120mph The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Storm Milton, the latest named storm which will lead to a week of heavy rain for southwest Florida beginning Sunday.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents loading up on sandbags ahead of Milton With Tropical Storm Milton developing in the tropics and heavy rain expected Sunday, people in Charlotte County are getting prepared by loading up their cars with sandbags.
NORTH FORT MYERS Debris from Helene has neighbors worrying about Milton While many are still trying to pick up the pieces left from Hurricane Helene, residents in North Fort Myers still have a lot of leftover debris piling up.
Free sandbag locations available ahead of this Sunday’s heavy rainfall The Weather Authority has been tracking a potential rainmaker that will impact our area from Sunday through Wednesday.
FEMA urging Florida residents to prepare for Milton FEMA is monitoring Milton which is set to become a Category 3 Hurricane as it makes landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
DeSantis declares state of emergency in 35 Florida counties ahead of Milton In an X post on Saturday evening, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 35 Florida counties ahead of Milton.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents preparing for Tropical Storm Milton Another tropical system is taking aim at Florida. The devastation from Helene is still fresh on the minds of Sanibel residents, and they aren’t wasting time preparing.
SWFL shelters ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are preparing to open. On Monday, some shelters are expected to open, and on Tuesday, they should all be open. The status and times of these shelters for each county are pending. Lee County The status and time for the shelters will be available Monday. For more details, click here. […]
Hurricane Milton continues to organize and strengthen in the SW Gulf Tropical Storm Milton continues to strengthen in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and it is predicted to reach hurricane status in less than 24 hours.
SWFL schools affected due to Milton Southwest Florida schools are responding ahead of Tropical Storm Milton’s arrival.
Charlotte County residents fear Helene debris will worsen with incoming Milton Some in Charlotte County are worried about piles of debris leftover from Hurricane Helene as Tropical Storm Milton makes its way to Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee County officials held Facebook Live update ahead of Milton The Lee County Public Safety Director, Ben Abes, and the county commissioners are set to provide updates regarding Tropical Storm Milton.
SANIBEL Sanibel in state of emergency ahead of Milton Sanibel’s mayor, Richard Johnson, and the city manager, Dana Souza, are set to provide a live update on storm preparations.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Rain & storms across SWFL throughout Sunday The Weather Authority is tracking heavy rain and storms on Sunday, especially in the afternoon and evening.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis urges Floridians to prepare for Milton Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference to update the public on preparations for Tropical Storm Milton, which is expected to become a hurricane in less than 24 hours.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY NHC has bumped up Milton’s peak intensity forecast to 120mph The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Storm Milton, the latest named storm which will lead to a week of heavy rain for southwest Florida beginning Sunday.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents loading up on sandbags ahead of Milton With Tropical Storm Milton developing in the tropics and heavy rain expected Sunday, people in Charlotte County are getting prepared by loading up their cars with sandbags.
NORTH FORT MYERS Debris from Helene has neighbors worrying about Milton While many are still trying to pick up the pieces left from Hurricane Helene, residents in North Fort Myers still have a lot of leftover debris piling up.
Free sandbag locations available ahead of this Sunday’s heavy rainfall The Weather Authority has been tracking a potential rainmaker that will impact our area from Sunday through Wednesday.
FEMA urging Florida residents to prepare for Milton FEMA is monitoring Milton which is set to become a Category 3 Hurricane as it makes landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
DeSantis declares state of emergency in 35 Florida counties ahead of Milton In an X post on Saturday evening, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 35 Florida counties ahead of Milton.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents preparing for Tropical Storm Milton Another tropical system is taking aim at Florida. The devastation from Helene is still fresh on the minds of Sanibel residents, and they aren’t wasting time preparing.
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.