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.
Since power, water, and cable are back on in many areas throughout Southwest Florida, you may reasonably wonder what the real estate market will look like in the future. WINK News spoke with real estate expert Denny Grimes to get some perspective on the situation. WINK News asked Grimes what went through his mind during the storm regarding the real estate market. “I don’t worry about the real estate business, the industry. Florida is a great state. You see what happened during COVID,” Grimes said. “We offer three things that people want: water, warmth and way of life. “If hurricanes were going to deaden the market, who would ever live anywhere that’s tropical on a beach? I mean, look at the Bahamas; look at all over Florida. Look at every coastline. Look at Texas, they’ve all had storms, and we grow anyway,” Grimes said. Grimes described the Southwest Florida real estate market as a snow globe that’s been shaken up. He said major events, from the pandemic to Hurricane Ian, create uncertainty, leading to fear. “And fear is a terrible advisor,” Grimes said. Grimes predicts Fort Myers Beach will be largely unrecognizable once it’s rebuilt. “There’s an area in Naples on the beach called… Barefoot Beach, where you’ve got these beautiful houses, they’re all three stories or whatever… you’re going to see a sterile island develop like that. You’re going to see one of the nicest beach areas probably in all the Gulf Coast develop and come out of the ashes of Ian,” Grimes said. “You’re not gonna be able to sit your feet on the sand while you’re having a beer, you know, on ground level, though, so that’ll be gone. But, sooner or later, that’d be gone anyway,” Grimes said. And Grimes thinks there will be no shortage of people who want to invest in that new Fort Myers Beach. “For every one person who wants to leave, I think there’s two that want to be here,” Grimes said. And while some will leave Florida, others won’t go far for safer and higher ground. “Right now we’re sitting in Gateway, which is around 17 to 18 feet above sea level, and no water damage whatsoever,” Grimes said. “The other areas of the county that were higher, people said, ‘What a difference 20 miles makes!’ I said, ‘It’s not 20 miles; it’s 20 feet.’ “Somebody thinking about rebuilding is probably going to be looking at areas that are a little bit more inland, a little bit higher. Somebody said, ‘Storm probably just put Babcock Ranch on the map,'” Grimes said. “It might even put a push into the Lehigh Acre area because now you can go there, still relatively affordable, don’t have to worry about flood,” Grimes said. “And I think people, after they saw the water devastation, I think that will be on people’s mind more than the wind.” If you’re considering selling, Grimes said to be patient if you can, because the first offer you get would likely not be the best one. “The first buyer may be the opportunist. If you’re in a pickle and need the money, that buyer’s for you; if you have the patience, the second wave of buyers, once the snowglobe settles down a little bit and some of these questions get answered, will be what I call the rational investors,” Grimes explained. “Now, they’re not gonna play retail, they want it wholesale. However, their model is probably going to hold it to rent, they’re not flippers, so a little bit more favored towards the seller. “I don’t think there’s going to be any fire sale for sellers for property values to fall. I think property values will rise,” Grimes said. It should be understood that Grimes doesn’t know what impact the high cost and limited availability of property insurance will have on the market. The state is in crisis and Grimes thinks the government needs to step in quickly with solutions.