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.
Southwest Florida wildfire. Credit: WINK News Americans facing the toughest housing market in years aren’t just facing high property prices and rising mortgage rates — they’re also grappling with the risk of natural disasters, such as floods, tornadoes and, increasingly, wildfires. Fires are getting more intense and more frequent due to climate change, which is drying out vegetation and making fires more likely to spark and burn longer. Notably, that’s also increasing the likelihood of wildfires in areas known for temperate and humid climates. As a result, Florida now has the third-largest number of properties at risk for fire, after California and Texas, according to new data from the First Street Foundation. Today, 3.9 million properties in the state — or 4 in 10 — face some risk of wildfire, according to First Street. California has the most properties with some wildfire risk, at 4.6 million, while Texas has 4.5 million, according to First Street. Nationwide, First Street’s research shows about 26 million homes have at least some wildfire risk — a much greater number than has previously been reported. Credit: First Street Foundation Other Western states have a much higher portion of properties at risk of fire. In Wyoming and New Mexico, two-thirds of all properties have at least a moderate risk of fire; in Utah and Arizona, almost 60% do, and in Montana and Oklahoma about half do. First Street, which has quantified the effects of climate change and flooding on the nation’s infrastructure, decided on a 1% risk over 30 years (the lifetime of a typical mortgage) as a meaningful floor to show the potential impact of fire damage. While far fewer homes are at risk of fire than other disasters, like flooding, the potential impact of fire is much more severe, said Jeremy Porter, First Street’s chief research officer. “If there’s a fire that touches your property, then it’s not that you’re seeing $20,000 of damage, it’s total destruction,” Porter said. “The scale of damage is hard to grapple with.” More fire-prone areas First Street’s research shows that wildfire risks are likely to grow in the next 30 year — especially in areas not currently known for wildfires. “Wildfire risk is increasing in places where people may not expect it,” said Sara Brinton, lead product manager for Realtor.com. “People are really familiar with wildfire in Colorado, California, but wildfire risk is a growing problem in Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey.” Realtor.com has assigned a wildfire risk score for every property on its site in the continental U.S. — including those that aren’t for sale — to educate homeowners and potential buyers, Brinton said. (Eventually, the feature will also be available for rentals.) The scores take into account the features of an individual building that make it more or less likely to burn, including the layout of the property, proximity of vegetation, building materials and even what type of windows a home has. “Single-pane versus dual-pane windows are a big determinant of whether a house will burn in a wildfire,” said Ed Kearns, chief data officer at First Street. Features like metal screens on attic vents can also improve a house’s ability to resist in a wildfire. Homebuyers are increasingly concerned about the risk of natural disasters to their properties as climate change makes mudslides, floods and wildfires more frequent. A recent survey by Realtor.com and HarrisX found that more than three in four recent homebuyers consider natural disasters when choosing where to buy a home. “We hear regularly from consumers that it’s become so important in the homebuying journey,” said Sara Brinton, lead product manager for Realtor.com. Two years ago, Realtor.com added a flood risk feature that lists the likelihood of flood damage for all properties. It’s since become one of the most popular features on the site, Brinton said. Warming climate makes fires more likely Climate change, brought on by the burning of fossil fuels, is making drought more likely in places like the Southeast and other parts of the East Coast, which have not historically been known for fire, noted Kearns. Hotter temperatures can dry out normally humid forested areas and make fire more likely to catch and spread. Credit: First Street Foundation “It only takes about 100 hours of it being dry under hot conditions for fuel to become combustible fuel,” he said. While Eastern fires typically don’t get as large as they do in the West, denser populations in the East mean thousands of people are potentially affected. And as the climate warms, the risks of fire will grow, noted Matthew Eby, First Street’s executive director. “The last five years have been horrific, and that’s kind of the new norm — over the next few decades it’s only going to get more intense,” he said.