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.
Hurricane Ian damage. (Credit: WINK News) Did Lee County make the call to evacuate before Hurricane Ian too late? It is a question that WINK News has been looking into. The first mandatory evacuations came at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, September 27. One day before Ian made landfall. The National Hurricane Center sent out an alert on Monday, September 26, at 11 a.m. warning of the possibility of a life-threatening storm surge along much of the Florida west coast, with the highest risk from Fort Myers up to the Tampa Bay region. Lee County waited 20 hours to make the call to evacuate, which was too late for many. The destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian stretches down every street in the Woodlands community built off Ten Mile Canal. It has flooded during hurricanes in the past. “We had a little bit of an experience from that, but we didn’t expect anything like this,” said Jon Thomas, who lives nearby in Island Park. Thomas and his family didn’t realize the danger of Hurricane Ian until it was almost too late to leave. “We left Tuesday, probably 1 or 2 o’clock. Prior to the storm,” said Thomas. “I didn’t see any presence of law enforcement or police or anybody telling us to get out.” Some of his neighbors weren’t so lucky. Kathleen Tinder has been confirmed as one of the victims of Hurricane Ian and lived in this neighborhood. Gerry Christensen knew Tinder for years. “It’s very sad that this happened to her. And we’re sorry to have lost her,” Christensen said. Community members say in years past, they felt informed in the days before a bad storm. This time around, they didn’t feel adequately warned. “More warning for everyone to evacuate. I think more people would’ve listened to that and gotten out,” said Thomas. Lee County leaders delayed making that call because they were expecting the tides to turn, according to County Manager Roger Desjarlais. “A couple of days ago, Fort Myers, Lee County was right in the very center of the cone of certainty uncertainty. And that’s really the best place to be, you know, three, four days out because the storm will never ever behave that way,” said Desjarlais. Later that same night, at 6:07, Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane posted on Facebook, saying, “Please pay attention to Facebook at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning for a special announcement regarding Hurricane Ian Zone A.” Thirteen hours later, the evacuation call came for Zone A and parts of Zone B. That was too late for some in the Woodlands community. There are unconfirmed reports of several casualties there. The Florida Medical Examiners Commission has publicly revealed the identities of less than half of the storm’s victims. Some people in the Woodlands community are waiting to learn if more of their neighbors will be added to the list. “If we could’ve gotten more warning and gotten everyone to get out in advance, I’m sure lives would’ve been saved,” said Thomas. “Some people don’t ever want to go through it again. So, we’re struggling through those decisions ourselves right now,” said Christensen. WINK News has reached out to half a dozen county officials over the last week. The only one who has responded is Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass, who sources say was in Germany when Hurricane Ian hit. Pendergrass’ office says he will send a statement when his schedule allows.