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.
Black Island in Southwest Florida. (CREDIT: WINK News) Fort Myers Beach is now open to everyone since the southern bridges are now passable. The bridges opened on Wednesday for the first time since the storm and it’s all happening while clean-up and recovery are in full force in Southwest Florida. But, like many things, not everyone is happy about the opening. Driving to the Southwest Florida barrier islands is finally getting a bit easier. WINK News traveled over Big Hickory Pass, New Pass Bridge, Little Hickory Pass, and San Carlos Bay Pass in about 15 minutes. Bridges to the barrier islands are now passable in SWFL. (CREDIT: WINK News) But, once in that area, you see a place that looks like Ian passed by yesterday. Bob Irzyk lives on Black Island and talked about what it’s like on the island. “There’s still a nasty smell throughout,” Irzyk said. “We’re behind,” Irzyk said. “Everybody else is way ahead of us here on Black Island, and we’re finally getting a chance to get in.” And it’s especially not easy considering the fact that on Wednesday, 21 days since Ian’s landfall, is the first day the people living on Black Island have been allowed to go back and clean up their lives. “We parked further away from our beach area thinking that if the water comes up with a storm surge, at least maybe being further away from the beach, we won’t have any issues,” Irzyk said. “Well, that obviously didn’t happen.” While it is technically possible he could have gotten to his home by boat, the water is an issue unto itself. “The water did all this. Moved cars around like they were Matchbox cars,” Irzyk said. Some of the destruction seen caused by Ian on the barrier islands. (CREDIT: WINK News) But that’s the thing, Black Island bridges the gap between Fort Myers Beach and Bonita, so Irzyk feels left in a grey area. “We kind of feel like we were in limbo, because this three-building complex here in black Island, we are stuck between the big Carlos past bridge which was deemed unsafe,” Irzyk said. “And then the other three bridges to the south of us which were deemed unsafe. So these three buildings which have about 250 owners in them between the three, we’re just like, in the middle of it. So we kind of felt like we were a little bit forgotten…” Irzyk even gets mail from Bonita and Fort Myers Beach. “I’ve always considered us to be Fort Myers Beach,” Irzyk noted. “But we also get mail from Bonita because we are like right on the borderline. The border is here.” And so Wednesday Irzyk began to pick up the pieces of his life for the first time since Ian. “I was talking to the project manager this morning,” Irzyk said. “And she thinks it’s not going to be about a year until we are allowed to come back and live here possibly live here…” There is a curfew in place for Black Island and for Fort Myers Beach, but they are somehow different curfews. Fort Myers Beach curfew is from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. while Black Island and Bonita’s curfew is 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.