Pastrami Dan’s reopens in Naples after SUV crashTwo FGCU softball players playing for those who impacted their lives
NAPLES Pastrami Dan’s reopens in Naples after SUV crash Pastrami Dan’s in Naples welcomed customers once again, with people waiting at the door.
FGCU Two FGCU softball players playing for those who impacted their lives Two FGCU softball players, Riley Oakes and Olivia Black, are playing for friends who impacted their lives in a major way.
Police: Cape Coral man breaks into ex-girlfriend’s home, kills fish named ‘Bean’ A man has been arrested after police said he broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home, damaged her property and killed her pet fish.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers family blessed with new home In about sixty days, Myrtle Dillard’s home on Lincoln Boulevard went from being run-down and unlivable to brand new.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte woman’s student loans forgiveness after consolidation One Port Charlotte woman was skeptical of her student loan consolidation and potential forgiveness but an email over the weekend changed her life.
FORT MYERS Accusations of animal abuse at Lee County shelter An animal activist group said a local animal shelter is failing to find homes for stray pets, among other complaints.
PORT CHARLOTTE Court hearing held for Trails End Drive murder suspects Two suspects in the Trails End Drive murders were meant to appear in court on Tuesday.
IRVING, Texas (AP) Boy Scouts of America changing name to more inclusive Scouting America after years of woes The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested after police allege he threatened to stab 7-Eleven workers Police have arrested a man who threatened to stab two 7-Eleven gas station employees with a knife.
NEW YORK (AP) Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump’s hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006
Despite SUV crash into Pastrami Dan’s, plans for 50th continue The popular local eatery reopened May 7 after being temporarily closed since a woman drove a Toyota Rav4 SUV into the side of the restaurant on the morning of May 3.
CCSO deputies reminding you not to leave valuables inside the car The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said there were 30 vehicle burglaries in Collier County in April.
NORTH FORT MYERS Heavy police presence on Capitol Street home in North Fort Myers Several Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Myers Fire Department units were seen outside of a home in North Fort Myers.
BONITA SPRINGS Deputies investigating death at Bonita Springs home Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating a death at a home in Bonita Springs.
Fifth Third Bank branch to be built on former SunTrust Punta Gorda site According to project plans sent to the city, the current building will be demolished, and a single-story Fifth Third Bank branch will stand in its place. Assuming approval, the branch is expected to open in the second half of 2025, a banks spokesperson said.
NAPLES Pastrami Dan’s reopens in Naples after SUV crash Pastrami Dan’s in Naples welcomed customers once again, with people waiting at the door.
FGCU Two FGCU softball players playing for those who impacted their lives Two FGCU softball players, Riley Oakes and Olivia Black, are playing for friends who impacted their lives in a major way.
Police: Cape Coral man breaks into ex-girlfriend’s home, kills fish named ‘Bean’ A man has been arrested after police said he broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home, damaged her property and killed her pet fish.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers family blessed with new home In about sixty days, Myrtle Dillard’s home on Lincoln Boulevard went from being run-down and unlivable to brand new.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte woman’s student loans forgiveness after consolidation One Port Charlotte woman was skeptical of her student loan consolidation and potential forgiveness but an email over the weekend changed her life.
FORT MYERS Accusations of animal abuse at Lee County shelter An animal activist group said a local animal shelter is failing to find homes for stray pets, among other complaints.
PORT CHARLOTTE Court hearing held for Trails End Drive murder suspects Two suspects in the Trails End Drive murders were meant to appear in court on Tuesday.
IRVING, Texas (AP) Boy Scouts of America changing name to more inclusive Scouting America after years of woes The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested after police allege he threatened to stab 7-Eleven workers Police have arrested a man who threatened to stab two 7-Eleven gas station employees with a knife.
NEW YORK (AP) Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump’s hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006
Despite SUV crash into Pastrami Dan’s, plans for 50th continue The popular local eatery reopened May 7 after being temporarily closed since a woman drove a Toyota Rav4 SUV into the side of the restaurant on the morning of May 3.
CCSO deputies reminding you not to leave valuables inside the car The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said there were 30 vehicle burglaries in Collier County in April.
NORTH FORT MYERS Heavy police presence on Capitol Street home in North Fort Myers Several Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Myers Fire Department units were seen outside of a home in North Fort Myers.
BONITA SPRINGS Deputies investigating death at Bonita Springs home Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating a death at a home in Bonita Springs.
Fifth Third Bank branch to be built on former SunTrust Punta Gorda site According to project plans sent to the city, the current building will be demolished, and a single-story Fifth Third Bank branch will stand in its place. Assuming approval, the branch is expected to open in the second half of 2025, a banks spokesperson said.
What is it going to take to rebuild our Barrier Islands so they can withstand another hurricane as strong as Ian? This is a simple, straightforward question that many in Southwest Florida are asking. It’s also one of the Florida Building Commission is trying to answer. The good news is, everyone WINK News spoke to from contractors to real estate experts to engineers agree it can and will be rebuilt. It’s just not going to look and feel like the Fort Myers Beach people knew about before the storm. Joe Orlandini is a builder on Fort Myers Beach, he rode out the hurricane on the Barrier Island in a house he just finished building. “I wanted to stay close to my projects, my properties, I wanted to be able to protect all the contents,” Orlandini said. “So I felt, decent decision, we get a foot, I can save it.” But the storm turned out to be far more intense than Orlandini could have possibly imagined. “We got 13 feet above sea level,” Orlandini said. Seven and a half feet of stormwater washed through the ground floor. Orlandini and his two kids watched it all from behind hurricane-proof windows on the second floor. “When we were in the house, right at the peak, you could actually open the door, and realize what you’re in and realize a cat five outside, but when you close the door, it feels like a typical thunderstorm with excessive wind,” Orlandini said. But, it didn’t look like it, as neighbor’s homes and buildings began floating by. “What I’m thinking is a piece of that wall came off, and part of the roof came off, you don’t realize that the whole building is gone,” Orlandini said. “Two hours go by, all of a sudden the buildings stop floating by.” “What I then realized, when the pieces stopped coming by, there’s nothing left at the beach,” Orlandini said. Orlandini said his building survived because it’s concrete from the ground to the roof. “It’s definitely built with the ability to take that impact,” Orlandini said. A hurricane-grade glass railing on the second floor was damaged, but that’s the worst damage Orlandini’s facing. It’s also something he noted that he would change in future builds. “It was a railing that was pre-fabricated and put in place and it just probably wasn’t as ideal for the conditions,” Orlandini said. Orlandini took WINK News through the devastation in his beloved neighborhood, and while he’s sad, he’s also confident in a strong redemption. “Oh, without a doubt. We’re going to rebuild,” Orlandini said. “There’s no doubt we’re going to rebuild.” The Florida Building Commission, responsible for developing and changing building codes is sponsoring a study to learn more about what did and didn’t survive the storm. Professor David Prevatt, of the University of Florida’s Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, is the principal investigator on the study. “I suppose my research will show that rebuilding all the structures to the building code, the current building code, the seventh edition, and the next one to come, we’ll make it more resilient. Okay. But at the same time, placing all this treasure and resources right at the coastline means that we’re probably gonna have to give up something. All right. It is going to place the houses in a position where my it might be unaffordable for a certain level of the population. Is that what we want to see in Fort Myers? That’s a question for the Fort Myers community to answer for itself,” Prevatt said. A question real estate expert Denny Grimes has been discussing with local agents. “I mean, we’re talking there’s some people that did not have the right insurance, they may not have had flood insurance, and so the insurance proceeds will not allow them to rebuild. And so the silver lining, in my opinion, for those people, the people who own the land are going to benefit because the land will be more expensive than ever. Because now it’s like a brand new discovered Island is going to be recreated,” Grimes said. While some businesses won’t be able to afford to rebuild, Grimes thinks new businesses will take their place to meet the demands of the people who will live and visit Fort Myers Beach in the future.