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.
The tent where a woman named Sharon lives on her front lawn in St. James City after Hurricane Ian flooded her house. Credit: WINK News A woman who rode out Hurricane Ian on Matlacha while her home in St. James City flooded now lives in a tent on her front lawn, and she is one of several blaming FEMA for dragging its feet on providing temporary housing for people in affected areas. “Foam mattresses that you get at Costco; it starts in a box and you let it loose and it is solid foam,” said Sharon. “And that’s what kept me up out of the water.” Sharon lost many memories; everything that was inside of her home has been left out on the curb to be hauled away, something almost everyone on her street has had to do. A friend of hers brought over the tent Sharon now sleeps in. It has a bed, chairs and even some decorations inside. But Sharon says she never thought she would have to live like this. “It’s just such an experience… I hope other people that haven’t gone through this can see I had to carry my water from the canal before we got water and pour it into the toilets to flush,” Sharon said. Julie Gaylor, a member of the Matlacha Hookers charitable organization that helps people like Sharon, tells WINK News she is angry with FEMA, because she has not seen one FEMA trailer on Matlacha. Gaylord has called and emailed the agency, but she says she has not gotten the response she wants. Most people living here can’t stay in their homes because of the significant damage. Gaylor has heard of other people sleeping in cars or in tents like Sharon. “I really just thought we’d get more help from the local government and the state government, from FEMA, and it’s sad to know that… I’m sorry, it’s very sad for me to hear about people living in their cars when they had a home,” Gaylor said. “This is a disaster— they feel lost, they feel tired, they’re seeing the devastation every day, they don’t get a break from it.” Sharon, a survivor of Hurricane Ian, unzips the tent she lives in on her front lawn in St. James City. Credit: WINK News Sharon says it has been a brutally stressful month for her: She lost her husband two weeks before Hurricane Ian and has been left with next to nothing from the home she shared with him. Sharon is now trying to save the few memories she still has, like some photos from her childhood. “I can watch the water while it rises, and I watched it come up over my dock and the seawall—and we have a 2-foot drop—and then from there it came up pretty fast into the house,” Sharon said. “We reached out to people; people reached out to us. We just never felt like we had the support we expected to have after a major event like this.” Gaylor also says she has heard from people that Lee County is not allowing FEMA trailers on the islands. WINK News reached out to Lee County to verify the truth of that claim, and a spokesperson for the county redirected WINK to FEMA. The agency’s response was as follows: “FEMA, along with our federal, state and local partners, is committed to supporting Hurricane Ian survivors to get a safe roof over their heads as quickly as possible. We are working in close partnership with the state to provide immediate temporary solutions – including utilizing hotels and rental assistance. Our focus is to meet the immediate sheltering need, give survivors a jumpstart to their recovery and bridge the gap between now and the long-term solutions. “The Transitional Sheltering Assistance program provides temporary housing for eligible survivors at participating hotels and motels to provide immediate needs. Eligibility is determined on an individual basis. We maintain close communication with survivors and will reassess their housing needs every 14 days. When eligibility for a particular household ends, those survivors will be notified seven days prior to their checkout date. “We continue to work closely with the State of Florida to identify survivors’ needs for the direct temporary housing assistance mission. FEMA will notify applicants who are eligible for direct temporary housing to schedule pre-placement interviews. “It will take time to transport, permit, install and inspect these units before they are available. Our team remains committed to helping survivors find housing that best suits their needs.”