Officials on scene of active fire at Charlotte County homeFort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship
Officials on scene of active fire at Charlotte County home Firefighters are on the scene of a fire at a Charlotte County home.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship Fort Myers High School senior cross country runner Masha Dorofeev reflects on her state championship win and committing to UCF.
CAPE CORAL Coyote kills beloved family pet For 16 years, Sarge and his owner, James Stewart were inseparable.
FORT MYERS Local artist AHZUWOP to hold fashion show at tattoo shop A local artist is throwing a fashion show at a tattoo shop, an event that will also feature music performances and an art exhibition.
NAPLES Identity released of body found in Collier County retention pond According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a body was found in a retention pond on Sunday. The body was found on Lindsey Lane.
FORT MYERS City leaders looking to improve Fort Myers infrastructure with AI When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they typically think of online apps like Chat GPT but the City of Fort Myers wants to use it to make a real-world difference.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City neighbors create art from hurricane destruction Many who pass through Saint James City see this as just leftovers from a hundred-year storm but not Floyd Cornett.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Children starting the year cancer free Several youngsters are celebrating starting 2025 cancer-free.
FORT MYERS Flood insurance discount up to 20% in Fort Myers Anyone who lives in the City of Fort Myers will be getting a bigger flood insurance discount.
Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.
FORT MYERS Cutting down on truck traffic on McGregor Boulevard Giant trucks are rumbling on roads meant to connect neighborhoods, and now city leaders want to eliminate trucks from the roads completely.
Exercise: an instant health boost Did you know that just 30 minutes of exercise can start helping your body right away?
State attorney removes herself from Lee County Sheriff’s Office case A source sent WINK News anchor Claire Galt an executive order saying the state is investigating Ken Romano, a consultant who was on the sheriff’s office payroll.
Collier County woman arrested twice for operating illicit massage parlor The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of operating an illicit massage parlor, her second time arrested on this charge.
Mother accused of killing 4-month-old baby pleads not guilty A woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse.
Officials on scene of active fire at Charlotte County home Firefighters are on the scene of a fire at a Charlotte County home.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship Fort Myers High School senior cross country runner Masha Dorofeev reflects on her state championship win and committing to UCF.
CAPE CORAL Coyote kills beloved family pet For 16 years, Sarge and his owner, James Stewart were inseparable.
FORT MYERS Local artist AHZUWOP to hold fashion show at tattoo shop A local artist is throwing a fashion show at a tattoo shop, an event that will also feature music performances and an art exhibition.
NAPLES Identity released of body found in Collier County retention pond According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a body was found in a retention pond on Sunday. The body was found on Lindsey Lane.
FORT MYERS City leaders looking to improve Fort Myers infrastructure with AI When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they typically think of online apps like Chat GPT but the City of Fort Myers wants to use it to make a real-world difference.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City neighbors create art from hurricane destruction Many who pass through Saint James City see this as just leftovers from a hundred-year storm but not Floyd Cornett.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Children starting the year cancer free Several youngsters are celebrating starting 2025 cancer-free.
FORT MYERS Flood insurance discount up to 20% in Fort Myers Anyone who lives in the City of Fort Myers will be getting a bigger flood insurance discount.
Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.
FORT MYERS Cutting down on truck traffic on McGregor Boulevard Giant trucks are rumbling on roads meant to connect neighborhoods, and now city leaders want to eliminate trucks from the roads completely.
Exercise: an instant health boost Did you know that just 30 minutes of exercise can start helping your body right away?
State attorney removes herself from Lee County Sheriff’s Office case A source sent WINK News anchor Claire Galt an executive order saying the state is investigating Ken Romano, a consultant who was on the sheriff’s office payroll.
Collier County woman arrested twice for operating illicit massage parlor The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of operating an illicit massage parlor, her second time arrested on this charge.
Mother accused of killing 4-month-old baby pleads not guilty A woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse.
FILE: Woman submitting a ballot. (Credit: WINK News) There are no challengers in sight for six Republicans in Florida House and Senate races here in Southwest Florida. The Southwest Florida lawmakers running unopposed are: Naples Republican Senator Kathleen Passidomo Port Charlotte Republican Representative Michael Grant North Fort Myers Republican Representative Spencer Roach Cape Coral Republican Representative Michael Giallombardo Naples Republican Representative Bob Rommel Naples Republican Representative Lauren Melo “If you’re a Democrat, you’re gonna see very few candidates on the ballot,” said Frank Schwerin, chairman of the Collier County Republicans. Schwerin is right. Locally, Democrats are conceding race after race. UCF political scientist Aubrey Jewett said there are lots of reasons why, but he narrowed it down to four. “One, because we’ve had redistricting and you have a lot of districts that are favoring Republicans,” said Jewett. That is not a huge factor in Southwest Florida but it is statewide. In all, 56 republicans are on the ballot unopposed. Jewett said reason number two is because of the president. Joe Biden’s approval rating is below 40% and sinking. Democrats all over the country, and especially in Florida, are paying for it. “I suspect if they were being honest, they would point out to some of these factors,” said Jewett. That trickles down to reason number three, incumbency. “In most of these races where Democrats aren’t feeling a candidate, not all but in many, there are republican incumbents,” Jewett said. Jewett said that translates to a hard time fielding Democratic candidates. His fourth reason behind the lack of Democrats in the upcoming election is money. Republicans have it and Democrats don’t. “Because of all these other things I’m talking about, Democrats are going to have a more difficult time raising money and being competitive,” said Jewett. “They can’t afford to lose any more seats, because the majorities are so big in the Florida legislature,” said Schwerin. WINK News reached out to every prominent Democrat in Southwest Florida in hopes of including them in this story. WINK News reached out to candidates for governor Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried, Senate candidate Val Demings, the man in charge of the Democratic party statewide, the party’s leaders in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties, and none of them responded. The GOP says for the first time, Republicans outnumber Democrats by 200,000 registered voters. In Florida, two Senate Democrats are running unopposed and six Democrats in the Florida House are running unopposed.