Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference at Florida CapitolWeb Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads Up
TALLAHASSEE Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference at Florida Capitol Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference at the state capitol building.
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.
the weather authority Near-record heat this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking more heat as near-record highs are to be expected this Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Sibling rivalry brewing between SWFL Super Bowl champions Philadelphia may be known as the city of brotherly love, but here in southwest Florida, there’s a brotherly rivalry brewing between two of our own.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mother warns others after falling victim to ticket fraud A mother’s intended surprise turned into a disappointment when she paid for Savannah Bananas tickets but never received them. The tickets were meant to be a special gift for her son.
Legal expert weighs in on 17-year-old found not guilty of murder of mom Collin Griffith, a 17-year-old, has been found not guilty in the death of his mother, Catherine Griffith, who was fatally stabbed in the neck.
FORT MYERS $150k worth of equipment stolen from Lee Health Fort Myers police arrested a hospital employee accused of stealing more than 150 thousand dollars worth of medical equipment from Lee Health.
NAPLES Award-winning stylist to host event during Naples Automotive Experience On Friday, an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood stylist will host Forever Fabulous, a charity event with the St. Matthew’s House.
FORT MYERS Colonial and I-75 diverging diamond to be completed by spring The diverging diamond at Colonial Boulevard and Interstate 75 in Fort Myers is diverting drivers.
NAPLES 20th Annual Spring Home & Garden show coming to Naples The 20th semi-annual Spring Home & Garden show is coming to Naples.
NAPLES Collier Publix worker spreads joy with kindness cards In Collier County, one person stands out for his daily acts of kindness, bringing smiles to those around him.
FGCU FGCU softball pitcher ranked among the best in the country FGCU softball pitcher Allison Sparkman enters her sophomore season ranked as one of the top pitchers in the country.
Congress steps in as Port Charlotte widow searches for husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman continues to fight to find her husband’s ashes, lost in the mail. Members of Congress are now backing her efforts.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mom recounts dramatic chase to find kidnapped daughter A mother’s worst nightmare unfolded when her 2-year-old daughter was taken from her in Fort Myers on Monday.
ESTERO Copperleaf Community fights hunger through fundraising The Copperleaf Country Club community in Estero is making a significant impact in the fight against hunger.
TALLAHASSEE Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference at Florida Capitol Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference at the state capitol building.
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.
the weather authority Near-record heat this Friday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking more heat as near-record highs are to be expected this Friday afternoon.
FORT MYERS Sibling rivalry brewing between SWFL Super Bowl champions Philadelphia may be known as the city of brotherly love, but here in southwest Florida, there’s a brotherly rivalry brewing between two of our own.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mother warns others after falling victim to ticket fraud A mother’s intended surprise turned into a disappointment when she paid for Savannah Bananas tickets but never received them. The tickets were meant to be a special gift for her son.
Legal expert weighs in on 17-year-old found not guilty of murder of mom Collin Griffith, a 17-year-old, has been found not guilty in the death of his mother, Catherine Griffith, who was fatally stabbed in the neck.
FORT MYERS $150k worth of equipment stolen from Lee Health Fort Myers police arrested a hospital employee accused of stealing more than 150 thousand dollars worth of medical equipment from Lee Health.
NAPLES Award-winning stylist to host event during Naples Automotive Experience On Friday, an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood stylist will host Forever Fabulous, a charity event with the St. Matthew’s House.
FORT MYERS Colonial and I-75 diverging diamond to be completed by spring The diverging diamond at Colonial Boulevard and Interstate 75 in Fort Myers is diverting drivers.
NAPLES 20th Annual Spring Home & Garden show coming to Naples The 20th semi-annual Spring Home & Garden show is coming to Naples.
NAPLES Collier Publix worker spreads joy with kindness cards In Collier County, one person stands out for his daily acts of kindness, bringing smiles to those around him.
FGCU FGCU softball pitcher ranked among the best in the country FGCU softball pitcher Allison Sparkman enters her sophomore season ranked as one of the top pitchers in the country.
Congress steps in as Port Charlotte widow searches for husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman continues to fight to find her husband’s ashes, lost in the mail. Members of Congress are now backing her efforts.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mom recounts dramatic chase to find kidnapped daughter A mother’s worst nightmare unfolded when her 2-year-old daughter was taken from her in Fort Myers on Monday.
ESTERO Copperleaf Community fights hunger through fundraising The Copperleaf Country Club community in Estero is making a significant impact in the fight against hunger.
Charlotte County debris clean-up. (CREDIT: WINK News) Charlotte County is almost exiting its emergency response phase nearly two weeks after Hurricane Ian, according to the county’s director of emergency management Patrick Fuller. Following the storm, the county had a team of people who reported to work immediately to begin the push process. A series of maps that highlighted what areas needed resources and clean up on roads were distributed as the process began. Within 36 hours, the initial push roads, which are major infrastructure roads to get people to hospitals and ambulance corridors were cleared. On the seventh day of response, all areas on the maps were cleared. “In my experience working here 34 years, this was an insane timeframe that we were able to get the push open,” said public works director John Elias. “The initial short-term issue that we have to do is the push. Simultaneously while the push is going on, they’re mobilizing for debris removal.” The county is in the process of debris removal, with four temporary storm debris drop off locations for residents at Placida West Boat Ramp, 12560 Placida Road; Florida Street, South County Area, 7000 Florida St. in Punta Gorda; Mid-County Mini-Transfer & Recycling Facility, 19765 Kenilworth Blvd. in Port Charlotte; and West Charlotte Mini-Transfer & Recycling Facility, 7070 Environmental Way in Englewood. All four locations are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, accepting white goods, storm-related yard or vegetation debris and construction and demolition debris from residential properties. Due to limited maneuvering space, residents are asked to bring trailers that do not exceed 12 feet in length. For residents unable to bring debris to drop off locations, the county is currently looking into options to assist in private property debris removal, as an official request for public assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency would have to be made. The county’s monitoring firm, AshBritt and Tetra Tech, is expecting a minimum of 2 million cubic yards of debris from the storm. As of Tuesday morning, the county had 118 signalized intersections, with 17 still down. “A lot of these that are working go back down,” Elias said. “The ones that aren’t operational are going to require a complete overhaul.” The county also has 80,000 signs that are going to be replaced or repaired, many of which are stop signs. As far as electricity is concerned, Florida Power and Light indicates the county is at 99% and Lee County Electric Cooperative had about 25 accounts that hadn’t been restored as of Tuesday morning. Electricity has been restored to the county’s retail sector, meaning most of the county’s grocery stores and restaurants are up and running and water is now drinkable. The county’s water system is back to normal operations, as the last boil water notice in the county was lifted on Monday. However, the county is still addressing some minor leaks in the system. The wastewater system is almost back to normal, with 17 of 315 lift stations running on generator power. The county has also been partnering with other agencies to identify potential short-term impacts like bacteria levels, and long-term concerns such as nutrient inflows, organic matter and dissolved oxygen impacts to the harbor, Lemon Bay, and upstream areas of Charlotte County. In terms of bacteria, levels do not cause concern, except for a portion of Charlotte Harbor where Alligator Creek comes south of Punta Gorda where fecal indicator bacteria is high. In Lemon Bay and Tom Adams Bridge, and in the regions where Rocky Creek, Oyster Creek and Buck Creek come in, bacteria levels are off the charts. “I would try to minimize your direct interaction with the water,” said water quality manager Brandon Moody. “Don’t go swimming and whatnot until we get some more data to get a better handle as to whether or not those bacteria levels are going down.” In terms of numbers, Moody said the results for a couple of those areas were too numerous to count, meaning there were so many colonies of bacteria that they can’t even provide a number. Oxygen levels are normal throughout the main part of the harbor and Lemon Bay, with the expectation of levels changing as organic matter starts to break down, ultimately dropping oxygen levels. The Peace River and the Myakka River already have extremely low oxygen levels from top to bottom, expecting to see stress on fish populations in the area. “This is what we’re really concerned about right now,” Moody said. “It’s just seeing what’s going to happen to the fish populations in these areas and whether or not those low oxygen conditions are going to spread far enough into the harbor that is going to cause risk to the fish community in that region.” As of Tuesday, all the emergency rooms in Charlotte County are open, expecting to have some small inpatient capabilities on Monday, including some operating room, interventional radiology, cath labs and endoscopy capabilities.