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.
Trying to make a difference for people who lost everything in Hurricane Ian. That was the goal of the Fort Myers Beach Woman’s Club Saturday during a mini version of its annual Christmas tree festival. Half of the 150 trees up for auction at the event will be donated to families who lost everything during Ian. The proceeds will go to the 33931 Fund, which has raised more than $700,000 from the women’s club and community foundation. The Woman’s Club of Fort Myers Beach is still able to host the Christmas tree festival despite Ian destroying their building. Several people came to support them, including the mayor, local workers, and teachers. Organizer Dawn Thomas says she is pleasantly surprised and thankful for the turnout. “We lost our home, and we’re sad, but at the same time, we want to keep growing and be resilient and see our home back to what it used to be because we chose this island because we love it. And this is just a small little way we can give back and let everybody feel a little bit of normal,” said Thomas. “The fact that they can still do it, in spite of everything we’ve been through, is wonderful. It’s marvelous. So I think that just shows the fortitude of the people on the beach, the strength of the people on the beach,” said Joy Rockwell. Everyone WINK News spoke to called the event a major success and were thankful it was able to happen at all. “It’s kind of bittersweet, but you know, the storm has really brought us a little bit closer because we’ve always been really close to our communities. We’re very close. But yes, we’re a little extra tighter now. Because we’ve all been here for each other,” said Hinckley. “I’m thrilled with the success. I’m not going to lie. I kept saying ‘how many people are we going to have’ and I did panic, thinking we weren’t going to have enough people show up,” said Thomas. They almost didn’t have the festival. Many of the non-profit organizations that typically donate were unable to after Ian, but they had enough trees donated from all over to still want to put it on. “It is a little choked up. But we have an amazing community, and we are so fortunate. If you just look at this turnout, it’s proof positive that Fort Myers Beach is present. They want to be here. They love our town,” said Megan Allers. “So it’s not exactly what we had hoped for. But it’s, it’s, you know, you make do with what you got, and next year, hopefully, we’ll be back bigger and stronger than this,” said Dan Allers. “It’s like way better be feels like more home because everything that happened, we couldn’t really get together until everything was fixed up, and now like everyone’s together, so it feels really nice,” said a kid who was at the event. “It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Just because it is extra special. You know, like think, as a community, we’ve all gone through so much together. And so to see us come together and not give up on Christmas, you know, feels really nice to see that, you know, we’re all still hopeful,” Hinkley said. The people who bought the trees auctioned off will choose to whom the tree is donated.