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.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has endorsed candidates for school board, which are traditionally nonpartisan races. (CREDIT: WINK News) School board races are becoming partisan as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his opponent, former governor and current U.S. House Rep. Charlie Crist are endorsing candidates. DeSantis, a Republican, is endorsing candidates who back his agenda, including two men in Lee County. Typically, Florida governors do not get involved in school board races, which are supposed to be nonpartisan. DeSantis has attacked superintendents for mandating masks. He supported and then signed the Parental Rights in Education law or the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity. DeSantis has endorsed political candidates before, but now he has set his sight on non-partisan school board elections. In a tweet, DeSantis told voters the people he supports. It’s crucial we elect strong candidates who are committed to advancing our pro-parent, student-first education agenda in FL. These candidates will ensure our students succeed, protect parental rights in education, & combat the woke agenda from infiltrating our public schools. pic.twitter.com/solsNOlS5Y — Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) July 14, 2022 They all seemingly agree with his mission to make sure what he calls woke indoctrination never gets into Florida public schools. For example, DeSantis has signed into law measures that ban critical race theory and social-emotional learning. In Lee County, DeSantis is endorsing Sam Fisher, who is running to replace Mary Fischer. Meanwhile, Crist is endorsing Debbie Jordan, who is running in Lee County. “It’s not just the governor supporting me, as I said, I have, you know, parents and teachers and small business owners, grandparents, everyone supporting me,” Fisher said. Fisher spoke to WINK News about the governor’s support. Armor Persons, who the governor is also endorsing, declined to speak to WINK News. Persons is running against Gwynetta Gittens. “Does that make me nervous? Not at all because, number one, I know what I have done in the last three and a half years. Number two, I know the depth of my knowledge and experience and desire to do what’s best for children. And number three votes win races, not money, not signs, not even my billboards; votes win,” Gittens said. People who study politics disagree. “The short answer is in Republican counties, DeSantis endorsement and extra money could be the thing that puts these candidates over the top and helps them win,” said UCF political scientist Aubrey Jewett. Jewett said Lee County is clearly a Republican county. Carol Weissert, a retired USF political scientist, said the DeSantis endorsement will be important. “I think that’s really going to be important this kind of cue taking, where if you don’t know what the person is really like, then you have to find some other reason to vote for him or her,” Weissert said. How did Fisher and Persons earn DeSantis’ endorsement? Fisher said it might have something to do with a survey he filled out on the governor’s campaign website. “There’s a vetting process and anyone that was running for school board could apply for that,” Fisher said. Weissert said that was very strategic of DeSantis. “He’s very interested in, you know, what he would call make woke, woke candidates and woke school boards. And so, he wants to, you know, make sure that he doesn’t have that to deal with in Florida,” Weissert said. Gittens knows about the survey but she didn’t fill it out. “The minute I open up anything that has a survey or questionnaire, and they mentioned CRT, LGBTQ, any of that, abortion, I just closed it up,” Gittens said. There are plenty of candidates who did not get a DeSantis endorsement. For example, Jordan wants to keep her seat on the Lee County School Board. She said she didn’t even know about the survey. Her three opponents? Gerri Ware refused to answer the questions. Meanwhile, radio personality James “Big Mama” Jones took the survey and so did Dan Severson. Severson didn’t get DeSantis’ endorsement, but he did receive donations. “I believe there are things that we need to do to reform our education system, to put our kids first, put the parents back in charge, and then protect our kids in the school institution,” Severson said. Severson has received campaign contributions from several Republican committees. The Trump Club gave him $125. He received $100 from the Cape Coral Republican Club and $1,000 each from the Friends of Spencer Roacn and Just the Fact PAC. “The extra money that these candidates are getting could really prove decisive in a number of races,” Jewett said. Weissert said: “There are a lot of conservative groups that have education as a top priority, and they are willing to put their money in where their mouth is.” WINK News asked Weissert if there is a danger in inserting politics into a nonpartisan race. “I think we’ve already sort of inserted that into, into education, haven’t we,” Weissert said.