Cape Coral to discuss purchasing land for burrowing owlsAlva residents fear losing rural lifestyle as Lee County plan advances
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral to discuss purchasing land for burrowing owls Cape Coral is taking steps to protect its burrowing owls.
Gladiolus Food Pantry in Lee County: A lifeline for those in need The Gladiolus Food Pantry in Lee County is playing a crucial role in the fight against food insecurity.
ALVA Alva residents fear losing rural lifestyle as Lee County plan advances Lee County commissioners have approved amendments to the county’s comprehensive plan that could lead to redevelopment in a rural community.
ch South Gulf Cove to host benefit for family of slain Charlotte deputy The South Gulf Cove Homeowner Association will host a fundraising event to honor the late Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz.
FORT MYERS Local doctors working to speed up biopsy process Waiting to find out if a suspicious lump is cancerous can be incredibly stressful. Anything that speeds up the process and leads to faster treatment, if needed, is a huge help.
Punta Gorda keeps its own 911 dispatch center Punta Gorda City Council on Feb. 19 voted unanimously to keep its 911 dispatch center under city control in a move that blocks the county from consolidating the city’s dispatch center with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers man sentenced to 2 years in prison for possessing marijuana, firearm A Fort Myers man has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison for possessing marijuana with intent to distribute and a firearm as a person with felony convictions.
ICE activity confirmed in Hendry County WINK News has confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is in Hendry County.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers woman sentenced to 1 year in prison for forging late mother’s signature to claim benefits A Fort Myers woman has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for acts of wire fraud involving her dead mother dating back to 2005.
TALLAHASSEE Streaming Now: Gov. DeSantis holds news conference at Florida Capitol Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a news conference at the state capitol, 400 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee.
City of Fort Myers to keep fluoride in drinking water City of Fort Myers won’t be joining other local governments in removing fluoride from its drinking water, council members decided.
WINK NEWS President Trump signs Executive Order aimed at expanding access to IVF President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Tuesday to try to reduce the costs of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for Americans.
Warm and breezy afternoon with scattered rain this evening The Weather Authority is tracking a warm and breezy Wednesday, and scattered rain is expected this evening.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
SANIBEL Sanibel Church rebuilds after Hurricane Ian The Sanibel Community Church has completed its remarkable rebuild after Hurricane Ian devastated their place of worship over two years ago.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral to discuss purchasing land for burrowing owls Cape Coral is taking steps to protect its burrowing owls.
Gladiolus Food Pantry in Lee County: A lifeline for those in need The Gladiolus Food Pantry in Lee County is playing a crucial role in the fight against food insecurity.
ALVA Alva residents fear losing rural lifestyle as Lee County plan advances Lee County commissioners have approved amendments to the county’s comprehensive plan that could lead to redevelopment in a rural community.
ch South Gulf Cove to host benefit for family of slain Charlotte deputy The South Gulf Cove Homeowner Association will host a fundraising event to honor the late Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputy Sgt. Elio Diaz.
FORT MYERS Local doctors working to speed up biopsy process Waiting to find out if a suspicious lump is cancerous can be incredibly stressful. Anything that speeds up the process and leads to faster treatment, if needed, is a huge help.
Punta Gorda keeps its own 911 dispatch center Punta Gorda City Council on Feb. 19 voted unanimously to keep its 911 dispatch center under city control in a move that blocks the county from consolidating the city’s dispatch center with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers man sentenced to 2 years in prison for possessing marijuana, firearm A Fort Myers man has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison for possessing marijuana with intent to distribute and a firearm as a person with felony convictions.
ICE activity confirmed in Hendry County WINK News has confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is in Hendry County.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers woman sentenced to 1 year in prison for forging late mother’s signature to claim benefits A Fort Myers woman has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for acts of wire fraud involving her dead mother dating back to 2005.
TALLAHASSEE Streaming Now: Gov. DeSantis holds news conference at Florida Capitol Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a news conference at the state capitol, 400 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee.
City of Fort Myers to keep fluoride in drinking water City of Fort Myers won’t be joining other local governments in removing fluoride from its drinking water, council members decided.
WINK NEWS President Trump signs Executive Order aimed at expanding access to IVF President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Tuesday to try to reduce the costs of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for Americans.
Warm and breezy afternoon with scattered rain this evening The Weather Authority is tracking a warm and breezy Wednesday, and scattered rain is expected this evening.
WINK NEWS Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
SANIBEL Sanibel Church rebuilds after Hurricane Ian The Sanibel Community Church has completed its remarkable rebuild after Hurricane Ian devastated their place of worship over two years ago.
Sanibel City Manager Dana Souza (CREDIT: Sanibel government) The City of Sanibel is having to defend itself against rumors that it wants to disband its police department in favor of using services from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. On Friday, the city released a letter written by City Manager Dana A. Souza addressed to residents and communities. Souza said the Cape Coral Fraternal Order of Police made a Facebook post on Aug. 9, alleging that Sanibel Mayor Holly Smith was attempting to have “closed meetings without the Chief of Police being present” to discuss the future of the police department. Souza told WINK News on Saturday that his letter “says it all.” “To repeat the primary point, the Sanibel City Council nor the Sanibel administration have had any conversations related to disbanding the Sanibel Police Department in favor of services from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office,” he said. According to Souza’s letter, the Facebook post said COVID-19 has strained the Sanibel Police Department, leading to finance, retention and recruitment issues. The post alleges Smith “does not Back the Blue but only the green in the form (of) money and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.” Souza responded to the post on Aug. 11, but it was then deleted. In his letter to the Sanibel community, Souza wrote that it was not true that city council did not support the police department. “The accusations presented in the Cape Coral FOP Facebook page are false, unfortunate, and divisive,” Souza said. “It does not represent the positive community culture generally found in Sanibel. We are a community founded on principles of positive communication, tolerance, and civil discourse. I hope this letter can put these false accusations to rest, so we can all focus on our work to ensure Sanibel remains a beautiful, safe, and respectful place to live and work.” Souza said he was sharing the letter with the community for transparency because the Facebook post had been deleted and so was a response from the city. He also shared the since-deleted Facebook post. Souza addressed the rumors and said it was not up to Smith but up to him, who attends city meetings and that to date, Sanibel police Chief William Dalton had not been excluded from any meetings. Additionally, Souza said, the city council recently approved an average 6% pay increase for sworn police officers, outside of any collective bargaining negotiations and has also approved a multi-million dollar upgrade to police facilities, showing that they are in support of the police department. Souza did say there are four vacant positions that they are having a hard time filling, which is an issue for police departments in Southwest Florida. Souza said he reached out to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno about whether he had any meetings with Sanibel city officials and Marceno “confirmed that his office has not had any conversations with Sanibel elected officials or staff about providing police services to Sanibel.” “It is particularly disappointing this false statement was published, since prior to the timing of this post, the Sanibel Police Chief and I met with a majority of Sanibel Police Department personnel to advise them directly that this allegation was false,” Souza said in a comment on the now-deleted Facebook post. “These are the facts,” he added. To read the full letter from Souza and the previously-published Facebook post and the city’s response, visit this link. This is a developing story.Â