Let’s Waffle opens in Cape Coral Let’s Waffle is one of two businesses the Feix family launched locally, with the FMS Florida Boat Tours and Limousine Service owned and operated by Feix’s husband, Alexander.
Planned Punta Gorda hotel, pub, brewery faces construction delay Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House Irish pub in downtown Punta Gorda, and his partner, S4 Global Investments, were found in violation of the city’s exposed soils code.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Man arrested and charged with over 90 counts of fraud The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man for allegedly stealing items from a business and then pawning them.
Man accused of pulling gun on someone ordering at Collier County Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru A man has been arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on someone ordering at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in Collier County.
League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofits At a mid-April breakfast event, the 35 area nonprofit agencies—chosen from a record number of applicants—were awarded grants from the women’s volunteer organization in areas ranging from arts education, to fighting hunger and homelessness, to providing bikes and wheelchairs to children in need
Tim Aten Knows: Chick-fil-A drive-thru proposal faces criticism in Naples Chick-fil-A is proposing a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. 41 in Naples, but the project is facing early criticism.
Man convicted for murder of 17-year-old girl will be in court for resentencing A convicted man will be in court for resentencing for a murder that he committed as a teenager almost 20 years ago.
NAPLES Friday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Collier County Domestic Animal Services to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Dust Devil spotted spiraling in Fort Myers A dust devil was spotted and recorded by a WINK News viewer on Hanson Street in Fort Myers.
Warm, dry and breezy afternoon after a comfortable morning The Weather Authority is tracking a comfortable Friday morning start with dry and breezy afternoon conditions expected.
NAPLES Event held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week The City of Naples and Project HELP held an event in Baker Park for National Crime Victims Week.
NAPLES 25-acre brush fire off I-75 in Collier County lowers air quality The Greater Naples Fire Rescue responded to a 25-acre brush fire at Mile Marker 96 on I-75 in the Picayune Strand State Forest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral softball coach arrested for alleged inappropriate conduct with student released on bond A former Cape Coral volunteer softball coach arrested for alleged sexual contact with a student was released from jail on bond.
FORT MYERS A prom like no other at Golisano Children’s Hospital Logan Stryker may be a little young for high school prom, but he’s the prom king of Golisano Children’s Hospital.
FORT MYERS Group protests death of Christopher Jordan Their messages were aimed at the Fort Myers police department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and State Attorney Amira Fox.
Let’s Waffle opens in Cape Coral Let’s Waffle is one of two businesses the Feix family launched locally, with the FMS Florida Boat Tours and Limousine Service owned and operated by Feix’s husband, Alexander.
Planned Punta Gorda hotel, pub, brewery faces construction delay Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House Irish pub in downtown Punta Gorda, and his partner, S4 Global Investments, were found in violation of the city’s exposed soils code.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Man arrested and charged with over 90 counts of fraud The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man for allegedly stealing items from a business and then pawning them.
Man accused of pulling gun on someone ordering at Collier County Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru A man has been arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on someone ordering at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in Collier County.
League Club of Naples awards record $683K in grants to Collier, Lee nonprofits At a mid-April breakfast event, the 35 area nonprofit agencies—chosen from a record number of applicants—were awarded grants from the women’s volunteer organization in areas ranging from arts education, to fighting hunger and homelessness, to providing bikes and wheelchairs to children in need
Tim Aten Knows: Chick-fil-A drive-thru proposal faces criticism in Naples Chick-fil-A is proposing a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. 41 in Naples, but the project is facing early criticism.
Man convicted for murder of 17-year-old girl will be in court for resentencing A convicted man will be in court for resentencing for a murder that he committed as a teenager almost 20 years ago.
NAPLES Friday’s Furry Friends: Holly, Slim For this week’s Friday’s Furry Friends, WINK visits the Collier County Domestic Animal Services to showcase two adorable animals ready to be adopted.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Dust Devil spotted spiraling in Fort Myers A dust devil was spotted and recorded by a WINK News viewer on Hanson Street in Fort Myers.
Warm, dry and breezy afternoon after a comfortable morning The Weather Authority is tracking a comfortable Friday morning start with dry and breezy afternoon conditions expected.
NAPLES Event held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week The City of Naples and Project HELP held an event in Baker Park for National Crime Victims Week.
NAPLES 25-acre brush fire off I-75 in Collier County lowers air quality The Greater Naples Fire Rescue responded to a 25-acre brush fire at Mile Marker 96 on I-75 in the Picayune Strand State Forest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral softball coach arrested for alleged inappropriate conduct with student released on bond A former Cape Coral volunteer softball coach arrested for alleged sexual contact with a student was released from jail on bond.
FORT MYERS A prom like no other at Golisano Children’s Hospital Logan Stryker may be a little young for high school prom, but he’s the prom king of Golisano Children’s Hospital.
FORT MYERS Group protests death of Christopher Jordan Their messages were aimed at the Fort Myers police department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and State Attorney Amira Fox.
Florida Fish and Wildlife logo. CREDIT: FWC Sid Pennington has decided to spend his retirement trapping invasive lizards threatening native wildlife in his community. Pennington, 60, has singlehandedly captured at least 117 Argentine black and white tegus from the woods and neighborhoods in western Fort Pierce, where he lives. In September, after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission saw how skilled Pennington was at catching nonnative tegus on his own, biologists lent him 20 traps and recruited him as a volunteer. He’s caught 31 this year alone. “I grew up being a big reptile guy,” said Pennington, a former employee at the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant. His first catch was a female tegu in 2019, measuring just under 4 feet long. “I don’t want them to be here. But it is fun.” Tegu populations spreading in Florida With sharp teeth and scaly black-and-white splotches, tegus may be spreading faster than biologists can trap them. The state has no definitive population estimate, but residents have reported at least 132 sightings in St. Lucie County through 2021. Sixty percent of those sightings came from Pennington. The South American lizard’s appetite for the eggs of native animals — such as killdeer, alligators, and gopher tortoises — and its ability to flourish in cooler environments has prompted a strong response from FWC. If tegus start spreading north, it could wreak havoc on native species already straining from habitat loss and overdevelopment. This St. Lucie County population likely originated from escapes or releases stemming from the exotic pet trade, according to FWC nonnative biologist Dan Quinn. The species is now successfully breeding in three other Florida counties: Charlotte, Hillsborough and Miami-Dade. Over 12,000 tegus statewide have been removed from the wild to date. “They’re starting to make a foothold here,” Quinn said of Fort Pierce during a news conference off Rock Road Wednesday. “Since 2016, when the first tegu was reported, we’ve seen an uptick in reports. We think it’s possible the population is increasing in this area.” Most sightings have been recorded west of Florida’s Turnpike, with a majority of the reports south of Orange Avenue and north of Okeechobee Road, according to the FWC. Sightings have been verified over three miles apart. Quinn said that there’s also been periodic sightings of individual animals in Martin and Indian River counties, which are likely released pets and not part of an established population. There’s strong evidence tegus are affecting native species across Florida. A lizard caught in Charlotte County had gopher tortoise eggs in its stomach. University of Florida researchers in 2014 documented a tegu eating alligator eggs. In April 2021, the FWC deemed tegus a “high risk” species and banned owning or breeding them. The remaining tegus in captivity can live out the rest of their life, but any future sales are prohibited. Tegus are lured to traps by chicken eggs and are then humanely killed, Quinn said. “The vast majority of sightings (in St. Lucie County) have happened in the last two years,” Quinn said. FWC seeks help from public When it comes to removing invasive species, state wildlife biologists have their hands full. The FWC has removed thousands of Burmese pythons from the Everglades, overseen a multi-year statewide effort to kill lionfish from Florida waters, and actively encourages iguana removal. Tegus are now the latest animal on the list of problematic species, and the state has spent roughly $1.3 million since 2016 to reduce the population, according to FWC spokesperson Lisa Thompson. A female tegu can lay roughly 35 eggs annually. As temperatures increase with climate change, cold-blooded invasive species will spread wider and faster. A population of tegus, for instance, has already been recorded in Georgia. This past week, FWC outreach teams sent 3,800 mailers to St. Lucie County homes near where tegu sightings were documented and placed five informational signs along busy roadways. They’ve also visited hundreds of houses in the area, distributing brochures that read: “How you can help stop the spread of an invasive lizard.” Quinn said the goal is to inform the public and encourage documenting verified reports. “We suspect more people are seeing them and not reporting them,” he said.