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.
A home in Southwest Florida. Credit: WINK News Homeowners being squeezed by insurance premiums right before hurricane season hope Monday will be the start of relief, as state lawmakers go into a special session focused on property insurance. Gov. Ron DeSantis says his goal is to make changes to the Florida building code in order to make property insurance more affordable to residents, which is why he called the special session which will go on for most of this week. Peter Bergerson, a political science professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, says a special session like this is usually only called when the state is going through a crisis. While changes to property insurance are expected to happen, Bergerson says it will be a while until people see the impact. “Now, I’d have to pay up over $4,000 a year,” Littell said. “And that’s the average of what it’s been, over $4,000. Now, for insurance, it’s just going to be too much.” “It’s been an issue that’s lingered for the past two or three legislations, and it’s such a complicated and detailed issue that it was a regular session, which is 60 days, [and] it didn’t have time to work out all of the compromises and the agreements,” Bergerson said. “It’s just getting to be too much,” Littell said. “To the point where, you know, I mean, we’re on a fixed income, some of us down here. And where’s that money gonna come from, with insurance? My particular house, I’ve lived there for a few years, and we’ve not had any problems. It’s been through some hurricanes, and we’ve not had any damages. But, all of a sudden, they decide they going to cancel.” Cape Coral resident Anna Richeimer shared a few thoughts. “It makes me feel like they are calling my house not good because of the roof.” Richeimer knows it’s old by insurance standards, 30 years, but she just renewed her policy with no problem last month. Not long after her insurance agent called to say she got dropped. Now she has until the end of May to find new coverage. Her only option is Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state-backed insurer of last resort. “It’s been very stressful and to me a little bit sad because no matter what citizens says, what the premium is. we have to accept it because there is no other option to us,” Richeimer says. Natural disasters, fraud, and lawsuits have caused Florida insurers to lose a lot of money and others to jump ship. It’s also why you might see your rates shoot up. Mark Friedlander with the insurance information institute says these bills don’t do much to address the fraud or the lawsuits. “It’s a first step,” Friendlander says. “But a lot more needs to be done a lot more needs to be addressed that maybe is completely ignored, or not addressed in a way that’s going to be beneficial.” Because one bad storm and every Floridian will pay for it. Meanwhile, Richeimer is glad she at least has citizens but hopes our lawmakers figure something out for everyone down the road. “We can’t handle that. The middle class can’t handle so many pressures coming from every direction,” Richeimer says. That doesn’t help people like William Littell, a Naples resident who has been looking for affordable property insurance for months. Property insurance companies say if you get quoted and it seems high, check and see what your coverage includes and get quotes from multiple other companies. Submit Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.