Man accused of domestic abuse, false imprisonment, barricading himself in homeTim Aten Knows: Over 150 new restaurants join local dining list in 2024
CAPE CORAL Man accused of domestic abuse, false imprisonment, barricading himself in home The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man accused of domestic abuse, false imprisonment, and barricading himself within his home, ultimately leading to a SWAT team being called.
Tim Aten Knows: Over 150 new restaurants join local dining list in 2024 The end-of-the year goal is to always provide a holiday gift to readers by smoothly wrapping up everything by publishing a succinct list of all of the local restaurants that launched that calendar year.
WINK News Nearly back-to-back endangered Florida panther deaths reported The terrible trend of Florida panther deaths in 2024 continues, as two reported vehicle fatalities have occurred nearly back-to-back.
charlotte harbor Red tide detected in Cape Haze water samples near Charlotte Harbor A concentration of red tide has been detected around Charlotte County, with beaches like Cape Haze being under a health alert due to the algae bloom.
the weather authority Isolated showers for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking isolated showers with mild and humid conditions throughout this Friday afternoon.
CAPE CORAL SWAT team responds to barricaded person in Cape Coral home The swat team was called to Cape Coral home on Thursday night to help get someone barricaded inside of a house.
Tax tips for those who are recovering from hurricanes The holiday season is over and tax season is upon us. Between two hurricanes and Ian, there are things you’ll want to do to get money back.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beyond the businessman: Who is Tom Golisano? Beyond the buildings that bear his name, who is Tom Golisano?
FORT MYERS Accused drunk driver nearly hits 8 Lee County deputies An accused drunk driver almost hit eight deputies trying to stop and get him out of his car.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral nonprofit rescues five dogs from breeder Karena Loudin rescued five miniature Schnauzers – Molly, Joey, Ike, Zeus and Maggie from dog breeder Delaine Lowry’s home in Big Pine Key.
ARCADIA Arcadia residents reflect on Hurricane Ian over 2 years later People in Arcadia survived Helene and Milton with minor impacts, but their Ian story is one that doesn’t get told often or enough.
LEHIGH ACRES More businesses heading to Lehigh Acres, including Chipotle and Chick-fil-A New developments are coming to Lehigh Acres, including numerous restaurants like Panda Express and Zaxby’s.
Former Make-a-Wish recipient gives back to SWFL community From wish kid to wish giver a local college student is turning a life-changing experience into a mission to give back.
FORT MYERS BEACH People spend holiday break on Fort Myers Beach For those who decided to stay in Southwest Florida during the holidays, they had one thing in mind: the beach.
FORT MYERS Innovative thumb joint replacement surgery Similar to getting a new knee or hip to relieve severe arthritis, a growing number of people are getting a thumb joint replacement.
CAPE CORAL Man accused of domestic abuse, false imprisonment, barricading himself in home The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man accused of domestic abuse, false imprisonment, and barricading himself within his home, ultimately leading to a SWAT team being called.
Tim Aten Knows: Over 150 new restaurants join local dining list in 2024 The end-of-the year goal is to always provide a holiday gift to readers by smoothly wrapping up everything by publishing a succinct list of all of the local restaurants that launched that calendar year.
WINK News Nearly back-to-back endangered Florida panther deaths reported The terrible trend of Florida panther deaths in 2024 continues, as two reported vehicle fatalities have occurred nearly back-to-back.
charlotte harbor Red tide detected in Cape Haze water samples near Charlotte Harbor A concentration of red tide has been detected around Charlotte County, with beaches like Cape Haze being under a health alert due to the algae bloom.
the weather authority Isolated showers for your Friday plans The Weather Authority is tracking isolated showers with mild and humid conditions throughout this Friday afternoon.
CAPE CORAL SWAT team responds to barricaded person in Cape Coral home The swat team was called to Cape Coral home on Thursday night to help get someone barricaded inside of a house.
Tax tips for those who are recovering from hurricanes The holiday season is over and tax season is upon us. Between two hurricanes and Ian, there are things you’ll want to do to get money back.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Beyond the businessman: Who is Tom Golisano? Beyond the buildings that bear his name, who is Tom Golisano?
FORT MYERS Accused drunk driver nearly hits 8 Lee County deputies An accused drunk driver almost hit eight deputies trying to stop and get him out of his car.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral nonprofit rescues five dogs from breeder Karena Loudin rescued five miniature Schnauzers – Molly, Joey, Ike, Zeus and Maggie from dog breeder Delaine Lowry’s home in Big Pine Key.
ARCADIA Arcadia residents reflect on Hurricane Ian over 2 years later People in Arcadia survived Helene and Milton with minor impacts, but their Ian story is one that doesn’t get told often or enough.
LEHIGH ACRES More businesses heading to Lehigh Acres, including Chipotle and Chick-fil-A New developments are coming to Lehigh Acres, including numerous restaurants like Panda Express and Zaxby’s.
Former Make-a-Wish recipient gives back to SWFL community From wish kid to wish giver a local college student is turning a life-changing experience into a mission to give back.
FORT MYERS BEACH People spend holiday break on Fort Myers Beach For those who decided to stay in Southwest Florida during the holidays, they had one thing in mind: the beach.
FORT MYERS Innovative thumb joint replacement surgery Similar to getting a new knee or hip to relieve severe arthritis, a growing number of people are getting a thumb joint replacement.
Hurricane Ian damage. (Credit: WINK News) Relief is on the way for homeowners facing FEMA’s 50% rule. Lee County voted to shorten the reach-back rule from five years to one. That could help people rebuild without the added cost of bringing their properties up to the current code. This is a relief for many families who’ve been on the fence about whether to start making repairs to their homes. For many, it is hard enough dealing with all the damage, but what’s made matters worse for Hurricane Ian victims is working around the 50% rule. “These homes, these 21,000 structures, we all know they’re not gonna be bulldozed,” said Paul Beattie, who is a licensed contractor who works with families on how to make sense of the federal provision. FEMA, as part of the National Flood Insurance Program, says repairs to damaged structures cannot exceed 50% of the value of the building. If they do, you must bring your home up to the current code. The 50% decreases if you’ve made repairs or upgrades to your home. In Lee County, they’d look at the work done over the last five years. For example, for a home worth $100,000, with $50,000 in damage from Hurricane Ian, if you did no work on the home, you can rebuild without bringing the structure up to code. If you made $10,000 worth of improvements to the house three years ago, you could only afford $40,000 in damage. For this example, FEMA would subtract that $10,000 from your allowable $50,000 in damage, meaning you have to bring the home up to the current code to repair the $50,000 from the storm. On Tuesday, Lee County reduced the time frame from five years to one year. Using that same example above, the homeowner could now rebuild without bringing the house up to current building standards because those previous repairs fall outside the new timeframe. “I think what we’ve done to try and help ease the pain on people is we’re getting rid of that five-year look back, and I think that’s a really good move on our part to do that,” said Lee County commissioner Brian Hamman For some families, this is the final blow. They now know they will have to bring their homes up to the current code. If you have any questions, Lee County recommends anyone still not sure what to do hire a licensed contractor to evaluate the damage and apply the 50% rule.