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.
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.