Tax tips for those who are recovering from hurricanes The holiday season is over and tax season is upon us. Between two hurricanes and Ian, there are things you’ll want to do to get money back.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beyond the businessman: Who is Tom Golisano? Beyond the buildings that bear his name, who is Tom Golisano?
Accused drunk driver nearly hits 8 Lee County deputies An accused drunk driver almost hit eight deputies trying to stop and get him out of his car.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral nonprofit rescues five dogs from breeder Karena Loudin rescued five miniature Schnauzers – Molly, Joey, Ike, Zeus and Maggie from dog breeder Delaine Lowry’s home in Big Pine Key.
ARCADIA Arcadia residents reflect on Hurricane Ian over 2 years later People in Arcadia survived Helene and Milton with minor impacts, but their Ian story is one that doesn’t get told often or enough.
LEHIGH ACRES More businesses heading to Lehigh Acres, including Chipotle and Chick-fil-A New developments are coming to Lehigh Acres, including numerous restaurants like Panda Express and Zaxby’s.
Former Make-a-Wish recipient gives back to SWFL community From wish kid to wish giver a local college student is turning a life-changing experience into a mission to give back.
FORT MYERS BEACH People spend holiday break on Fort Myers Beach For those who decided to stay in Southwest Florida during the holidays, they had one thing in mind: the beach.
FORT MYERS Innovative thumb joint replacement surgery Similar to getting a new knee or hip to relieve severe arthritis, a growing number of people are getting a thumb joint replacement.
FORT MYERS BEACH Bonita Bills restaurant closing after 30+ years of service Bonita Bill’s will be closing its doors after 30+ years of service.
FORT MYERS BEACH 2 juveniles, 1 man accused of armed robbery, fleeing from Lee County deputies Two juveniles and one man have been arrested after allegedly robbing a victim at gunpoint and then fleeing from Lee County deputies.
cape coral 19-year-old Cape Coral man accused of attempted car burglary on Christmas Eve The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man accused of attempting to steal a car on Christmas Eve.
RSW braces for post-holiday travel Now that the holidays have passed for many, the return to normalcy has begun as Southwest Florida International Airport prepares for a large influx of travelers.
wink news Mega Millions jackpot surges over $1B; next drawing set for Friday The elusive Mega Millions jackpot has evaded players this holiday season as the prize money has ballooned to $1.15 billion.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warmer temperatures and isolated showers for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures along with isolated showers expected throughout this Thursday afternoon.
Tax tips for those who are recovering from hurricanes The holiday season is over and tax season is upon us. Between two hurricanes and Ian, there are things you’ll want to do to get money back.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beyond the businessman: Who is Tom Golisano? Beyond the buildings that bear his name, who is Tom Golisano?
Accused drunk driver nearly hits 8 Lee County deputies An accused drunk driver almost hit eight deputies trying to stop and get him out of his car.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral nonprofit rescues five dogs from breeder Karena Loudin rescued five miniature Schnauzers – Molly, Joey, Ike, Zeus and Maggie from dog breeder Delaine Lowry’s home in Big Pine Key.
ARCADIA Arcadia residents reflect on Hurricane Ian over 2 years later People in Arcadia survived Helene and Milton with minor impacts, but their Ian story is one that doesn’t get told often or enough.
LEHIGH ACRES More businesses heading to Lehigh Acres, including Chipotle and Chick-fil-A New developments are coming to Lehigh Acres, including numerous restaurants like Panda Express and Zaxby’s.
Former Make-a-Wish recipient gives back to SWFL community From wish kid to wish giver a local college student is turning a life-changing experience into a mission to give back.
FORT MYERS BEACH People spend holiday break on Fort Myers Beach For those who decided to stay in Southwest Florida during the holidays, they had one thing in mind: the beach.
FORT MYERS Innovative thumb joint replacement surgery Similar to getting a new knee or hip to relieve severe arthritis, a growing number of people are getting a thumb joint replacement.
FORT MYERS BEACH Bonita Bills restaurant closing after 30+ years of service Bonita Bill’s will be closing its doors after 30+ years of service.
FORT MYERS BEACH 2 juveniles, 1 man accused of armed robbery, fleeing from Lee County deputies Two juveniles and one man have been arrested after allegedly robbing a victim at gunpoint and then fleeing from Lee County deputies.
cape coral 19-year-old Cape Coral man accused of attempted car burglary on Christmas Eve The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man accused of attempting to steal a car on Christmas Eve.
RSW braces for post-holiday travel Now that the holidays have passed for many, the return to normalcy has begun as Southwest Florida International Airport prepares for a large influx of travelers.
wink news Mega Millions jackpot surges over $1B; next drawing set for Friday The elusive Mega Millions jackpot has evaded players this holiday season as the prize money has ballooned to $1.15 billion.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Warmer temperatures and isolated showers for your Thursday plans The Weather Authority is tracking warmer temperatures along with isolated showers expected throughout this Thursday afternoon.
Police cars on the scene after Hurricane Ian. (CREDIT: WINK News) Fort Myers city employees are furious after finding out they stopped getting disaster pay at the beginning of October. Emergency pay is typically given out after disasters because of strenuous work hours. However, a memo was sent out and said that pay ended on Oct. 3. Police officers are planning on fighting this because they believe they’re not getting paid for how much they’re working. Kevin Anderson, the mayor of Fort Myers made it crystal clear when he said that every police officer and every city employee is going to get paid for every hour they worked. It does not matter if you worked 300 hours you will get paid for every one of those hours. Fort Myers police officers working during the aftermath of Ian. (CREDIT: WINK News) But, how much they will get paid and what the rate of their pay will be is up to the department you work for. It all started when Anderson declared a local state of emergency on Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. That was less than two days before Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida. When a state of emergency is called then a policy called “Disaster/emergency compensation” springs into effect. That means that if you’re working, you’re making even more money than you would be during regular overtime. For members of the Fort Myers police, they start getting paid double time-and-a-half. Destruction caused by Hurricane Ian. (CREDIT: WINK News) When the policy ends that pay is no longer in effect. That happens when the mayor or the city council determines the city is open for business, and that happened on Monday, Oct. 4. And while the state of emergency doesn’t end, the “Disaster/emergency compensation,” does end when the city opens up. That information is public policy, but the mayor believes that either a miscommunication or some type of confusion led to the information being brand new for many city employees. One group that’s on that list is police officers working for the Fort Myers Police Department. He said that there was so much confusion and so little knowledge of that policy that the director of human resources for the city sent out a memo to all department directors reminding them of the policy. But, the mayor has stated that he does not fault people for not knowing the policy. WINK News asked the mayor if the city opens up does it therefore follow that the emergency has ended and if he thinks the policy needs to change? Anderson explained, he is open to talking about it because a memo like the one sent might instead need to be sent out before the disaster hits as a reminder, rather than after the disaster strikes. Inside the discussion about disaster pay at City Hall in Fort Myers. (CREDIT: WINK News) WINK News is not alone in discussing this matter at City Hall on Monday. There are reportedly officers from agencies across the city who are concerned about what’s going on with this situation. Those officers will be voicing their concerns at the city council meeting Monday evening.