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.
Damage done during Hurricane Charley (CREDIT: WINK News) A new technology called High Tide Home System raises homes to avoid severe flooding during hurricanes. On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley struck Charlotte County leaving businesses and homes destroyed. Kevin Doyle, owner of Celtic Ray Public House said, “It was terrifying. We were pretty smug. We had a few pints, the place was evacuated so we hid in the pub. Thinking it was going to go past us to Tampa and it didn’t.” Celtic Ray Public House (CREDIT: WINK News) Former WINK News Chief Meteorologist Jim Farrell made the call first about the hurricane changing directions and heading towards our coast. Doyle and his son Max Doyle were not expecting the hurricane to head toward them. “We hid in the bathroom, one of the bathrooms that had no windows. And we saw the windows pop out front and the doors fly out. Then the roof started flying off,” Doyle said. Max said about half of their pub blew away and got ripped up from above them. After the category 4 storm passed they said Punta Gorda was unrecognizable. You couldn’t find your way around. There were no street signs, no traffic lights, trees were across the roads,” Doyle said. The city was destroyed but the community came together to start the clean-up. “Everybody just got together, everybody. We helped, you know, other businesses that come and helped us with our debris and broken furniture,” Max said. The rebuilding began transforming Punta Gorda into bigger and stronger. “We have new foundations that are strong, 10 times stronger than when we was acquired. So yeah, I think it’ll be in better shape,” Max said. Doyle said the flooding is still a concern at the Celtic Ray. “We’re probably at the lowest point in the county of this corner right here. So if it’s flooded anywhere we’ve already flooded,” Doyle said. Flooding can do a lot of damage and costs a lot of money. But a new technology called High Tide Home Systems might be able to help him and other property owners avoid this problem. Philip Destefano, Chief Executive Officer at High Tide Homes Incorporated said, “This would eliminate that because these homes are raised above the floodwaters.” The company installs a jackable steel grid platform, that allows screws to lift your home from eight to as much as 14 feet in the air. High Tide Homes Incorporated’s steel grid platform lifting a home off the ground (CREDIT: WINK News) So if there is a flood warning, all you have to do is press a button on the High Tide Homes Inc’s smartphone app to raise your home. “This new technology will save millions, if not billions of dollars, between damage and flip losses with insurance companies. That’s really what this is about,” Destefano said. Hopefully to prevent damage to homes and businesses from another catastrophe like hurricane Charley. “When this day comes, we just think of where we’re at today. And we’ve got through it. If and when another one comes, we’ll be ready,” Max said. High Tide Homes is working to build new homes that have this technology included but it can also be retrofitted into existing structures.