Gorgeous Thursday afternoon with highs in the mid 80sFailed air quality tests push back reopening date for The Sanibel School
the weather authority Gorgeous Thursday afternoon with highs in the mid 80s The Weather Authority is tracking pleasant afternoon conditions with temperatures in the mid-80s this Thursday.
SANIBEL Failed air quality tests push back reopening date for The Sanibel School The tentative reopening of The Sanibel School has been pushed back once again after being closed since Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a crash involving one vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Florida policyholders urged to contact OIR if policies are canceled or nonrenewed If your insurance has been canceled or is not being renewed due to this year’s storms, the state of Florida wants you to reach out to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
BAREFOOT BEACH Woman thinks QR code got hacked A Fort Myers woman says a fraudulent QR code at Barefoot Beach caused her credit card to be hacked. She’s on a mission to warn others.
CAPE CORAL Sticker shock: Cape Coral residents hit with unexpected property tax hikes This is the time of year when people start paying their property taxes, but what happens when you get your bill and it’s more than you expected?
SANIBEL Sanibel workshop teaches residents benefits of elevating homes and businesses With each hurricane that brings damage to our area, many people rush to be more resilient. On Sanibel, more than 300 people have RSVP’d to learn about raising their homes and businesses.
SANIBEL Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local business Repairing the Sanibel Causeway after recent storms has caused more than just traffic back-ups.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures Everything inside the Escondido Lounge whispers an authentic speakeasy, from the dim red lights to the fancy vintage glasses.
ESTERO Caught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero A business manager feels violated after a man took money from a tip jar on Tuesday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 13th for establishing small businesses A blog set out to find the top U.S. cities where aspiring business owners can thrive in 2024, Cape Coral was named 13th.
NAPLES Minimally invasive balloon procedure for sinus issues Battling a sinus infection is bad enough, but contending with chronic sinus infections can be a real problem.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024.
the weather authority Gorgeous Thursday afternoon with highs in the mid 80s The Weather Authority is tracking pleasant afternoon conditions with temperatures in the mid-80s this Thursday.
SANIBEL Failed air quality tests push back reopening date for The Sanibel School The tentative reopening of The Sanibel School has been pushed back once again after being closed since Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a crash involving one vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Florida policyholders urged to contact OIR if policies are canceled or nonrenewed If your insurance has been canceled or is not being renewed due to this year’s storms, the state of Florida wants you to reach out to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
BAREFOOT BEACH Woman thinks QR code got hacked A Fort Myers woman says a fraudulent QR code at Barefoot Beach caused her credit card to be hacked. She’s on a mission to warn others.
CAPE CORAL Sticker shock: Cape Coral residents hit with unexpected property tax hikes This is the time of year when people start paying their property taxes, but what happens when you get your bill and it’s more than you expected?
SANIBEL Sanibel workshop teaches residents benefits of elevating homes and businesses With each hurricane that brings damage to our area, many people rush to be more resilient. On Sanibel, more than 300 people have RSVP’d to learn about raising their homes and businesses.
SANIBEL Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local business Repairing the Sanibel Causeway after recent storms has caused more than just traffic back-ups.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures Everything inside the Escondido Lounge whispers an authentic speakeasy, from the dim red lights to the fancy vintage glasses.
ESTERO Caught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero A business manager feels violated after a man took money from a tip jar on Tuesday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 13th for establishing small businesses A blog set out to find the top U.S. cities where aspiring business owners can thrive in 2024, Cape Coral was named 13th.
NAPLES Minimally invasive balloon procedure for sinus issues Battling a sinus infection is bad enough, but contending with chronic sinus infections can be a real problem.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024.
Cleaning up debris left behind by Ian will not be cheap. (CREDIT: WINK News) Getting all the debris off the streets will not be cheap and on Tuesday, in a split decision, Lee County Commissioners decided to move forward with a clean-up contract. WINK News recently reported this comes with a fair amount of questions. Particularly, one item, where the cost to haul waste out of town spiked from five cents to $40 a mile. The large increase has gotten some negative attention around Florida, but county leaders said while it may seem steep, the overall increase in contract price, when you look at all the numbers, is around 11%. Piles of garbage and debris left behind by Ian. (CREDIT: WINK News) One thing people in Southwest Florida can probably agree on is, everyone has the same goal. And that’s to get all the trash and remnants left behind by Hurricane Ian out of the area quickly. Roger Dejarlais, a county manager, spoke with WINK News about the issue. “We’re collecting over 70 70,000 cubic yards of debris per day,” Dejarlais said. Dejarlais mentioned they’re collecting debris nearly five times faster than they did after Hurricane Irma. And they’re using the same company, Crowder-Gulf, to take it out. But, as soon as Crowder-Gulf has to haul it across the Lee County line, the cost to get it out of sight skyrockets. A broken door, just another piece of debris that Ian left behind. (CREDIT: WINK News) Doug Whitehead is the solid waste director, and he talked about how the price jumped. “It was five cents per cubic yard of material in the 2017 contract. That means it was five for a full truck it was $5,” Whitehead said. In the new contract, the full truck costs $40 one way, for every mile driven over the Lee County line. But, the county said that’s only taking a snapshot of the big picture. “Under most typical work provides a savings compared to the old contract, which was inflated and like I said, over 21% over the life of the contract. So this is cost less for us,” Whitehead said. “It helps us provide continuity throughout a responsive disaster.” Crowder-Gulf only expects to drive three miles into Charlotte County, thousands of times. “That line item is a lot more expensive. But still, the net works for us,” Whitehead said. The county manager signed the contract on Oct. 2, when the county was still under emergency status. So, even if every commissioner voted against it, the contract for Crowder-Gulf would stand. And that leaves the county with the next step, trying to get reimbursement from FEMA. County commissioner Brian Hamman spoke to WINK News about this. “I think we are going to do everything we can to pursue FEMA reimbursement for all of this,” Hamman said. “Everything that’s eligible for FEMA reimbursement, we’ll do everything we can to pursue that reimbursement.” One thing commissioner Kevin Ruane discussed during the meeting was being transparent. He suggested hosting a workshop to explain to people where their money is going, what has been done, and what still needs to be done. However, there has not been a date set to do that yet. But if you live in unincorporated Lee County and you’re wondering when the debris in your neighborhood will get picked up you can click here to check that.