Game of the Week: Cape Coral Seahawks vs. Immokalee IndiansDisaster assistance available for Charlotte County residents
WINK NEWS Game of the Week: Cape Coral Seahawks vs. Immokalee Indians The Seahawks are undefeated on the road and the Indians have never lost on home turf. Friday night only one will advance to round two.
Disaster assistance available for Charlotte County residents Charlotte County residents affected by hurricanes Ian, Helene or Milton can now apply for disaster assistance from local resources through Community Organizations Active in a Disaster (COAD).
Great Wolf Lodge celebrates grand opening with Rob Gronkowski Pack your trunks. We’re taking you to the grand opening of the Great Wolf Lodge resort in Collier County.
BOCA GRANDE Lee County issues red tide alert near Boca Grande Pass The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Boca Grande Pass.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres parent arrested after allegedly assaulting school bus driver A Lehigh Acres parent is facing charges accused of assaulting a school bus driver. Neighbors told WINK News it began with a screaming match Friday afternoon.
CAPE CORAL Cape police believe retail burglaries are linked Detectives believe a man is linked to multiple burglaries in Southwest Florida.
ESTERO Driver charged with DUI after crashing SUV into restaurant in Gulf Coast Town Center The driver of an SUV that crashed into a restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero has been charged with DUI.
Tesla issues sixth Cybertruck recall in a year, over 2,400 vehicles affected Tesla stock might be up, but their Cybertrucks have another recall for their drivers to deal with.
Great Wolf Lodge celebrates grand opening, economic impact in Collier County With pomp, circumstance and an appearance from retired NFL player Rob Gronkowski, Great Wolf Lodge celebrated both its grand opening and its economic impact for Collier County.
CAPE CORAL Orientation for new Cape Coral City Council members Five fresh new faces are on the Cape Coral City Council.
the weather authority Tropical Storm Sara forms in the Caribbean The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Storm Sara in the Caribbean.
Local builder Paul Beattie gives up license, agrees to pay fine Beattie Development has been accused of taking customers’ money and not completing work promised, and now the company’s owner is surrendering his license.
NAPLES Naples Botanical Garden performs prescribed burn in garden area The Naples Botanical Garden is conducting a prescribed fire as part of its maintenance of the nature preserve.
NEAR FORT MYERS Jerry Seinfeld to perform at Barbara B. Mann in SWFL Comedian and co-creator of a popular sitcom of the same name, Jerry Seinfeld, is set to perform near Fort Myers.
COLLIER COUNTY DOH-Collier cautions of blue-green algae at Lake Avalon The Florida Department of Health in Collier County (DOH-Collier) wants to caution the public of the presence of blue-green algae in Lake Avalon.
WINK NEWS Game of the Week: Cape Coral Seahawks vs. Immokalee Indians The Seahawks are undefeated on the road and the Indians have never lost on home turf. Friday night only one will advance to round two.
Disaster assistance available for Charlotte County residents Charlotte County residents affected by hurricanes Ian, Helene or Milton can now apply for disaster assistance from local resources through Community Organizations Active in a Disaster (COAD).
Great Wolf Lodge celebrates grand opening with Rob Gronkowski Pack your trunks. We’re taking you to the grand opening of the Great Wolf Lodge resort in Collier County.
BOCA GRANDE Lee County issues red tide alert near Boca Grande Pass The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Boca Grande Pass.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres parent arrested after allegedly assaulting school bus driver A Lehigh Acres parent is facing charges accused of assaulting a school bus driver. Neighbors told WINK News it began with a screaming match Friday afternoon.
CAPE CORAL Cape police believe retail burglaries are linked Detectives believe a man is linked to multiple burglaries in Southwest Florida.
ESTERO Driver charged with DUI after crashing SUV into restaurant in Gulf Coast Town Center The driver of an SUV that crashed into a restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero has been charged with DUI.
Tesla issues sixth Cybertruck recall in a year, over 2,400 vehicles affected Tesla stock might be up, but their Cybertrucks have another recall for their drivers to deal with.
Great Wolf Lodge celebrates grand opening, economic impact in Collier County With pomp, circumstance and an appearance from retired NFL player Rob Gronkowski, Great Wolf Lodge celebrated both its grand opening and its economic impact for Collier County.
CAPE CORAL Orientation for new Cape Coral City Council members Five fresh new faces are on the Cape Coral City Council.
the weather authority Tropical Storm Sara forms in the Caribbean The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Storm Sara in the Caribbean.
Local builder Paul Beattie gives up license, agrees to pay fine Beattie Development has been accused of taking customers’ money and not completing work promised, and now the company’s owner is surrendering his license.
NAPLES Naples Botanical Garden performs prescribed burn in garden area The Naples Botanical Garden is conducting a prescribed fire as part of its maintenance of the nature preserve.
NEAR FORT MYERS Jerry Seinfeld to perform at Barbara B. Mann in SWFL Comedian and co-creator of a popular sitcom of the same name, Jerry Seinfeld, is set to perform near Fort Myers.
COLLIER COUNTY DOH-Collier cautions of blue-green algae at Lake Avalon The Florida Department of Health in Collier County (DOH-Collier) wants to caution the public of the presence of blue-green algae in Lake Avalon.
Hurricane recovery efforts helped November tax collections in Florida as housing sales waned and people continued to dip into savings amid high inflation. A report released Wednesday estimated that general-revenue collections were 14.1% higher than projected for November. The report by the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research estimated that the state collected $3.625 billion in general revenue in November, $447.2 million over the projection issued in August. The office said its preliminary analysis indicated that Hurricane Ian recovery and rebuilding efforts resulted in about a quarter of the higher-than-expected revenue. The Category 4 storm made landfall on Sept. 28 in Southwest Florida before crossing the state. “This means that most of the final reported overage reflected the continued reliance on savings to support personal consumption and first-round inflationary effects,” the report said. For months, state economists have said people were reducing their savings. Inflation has helped increase Florida tax collections because it causes higher prices, but the report cautioned that it is a short-term effect. “Persistent inflation conditions, however, ultimately suppress collections as consumers begin to spend more money on non-taxable necessities like food and health care,” the report said. The personal-savings rate stood at 2.4% in November, up slightly from 2.2% in October. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the savings rate in the 2018-2019 fiscal year was 7.9%. The rate ballooned to 33.7% in April 2020 as people cut back on spending and started receiving federal stimulus checks. Meanwhile, documentary-stamp tax collections on real estate transactions were $32.8 million, or 23.9%, below a projection for November. Last week, the industry group Florida Realtors indicated that the housing market is struggling against interest rates that remain above 6% — “a rate level not seen since late 2008.” November figures showed existing single-family home sales in Florida were down 38.2% from a year earlier, while condominium and townhouse sales were off 38.9%. “The effect of these higher rates on homebuyer demand throughout the U.S. this fall was not a positive one,” Florida Realtors Chief Economist Brad O’Connor said in a Dec. 21 statement. “Here in Florida, we could already see that conditions were worsening in response to the rise in rates above 6 percent in October’s housing market data. Based on those figures, it’s not surprising that the newly released November figures for closed sales from Florida Realtors exhibit similar declines — and we should probably expect similar declines in closed sales in December, as well, given that rates were at their recent peak near 7 percent for much of November, when many of the homes scheduled to close in December were going under contract.” The report released Wednesday by the Office of Economic & Demographic Research showed that sales-tax collections — a significant part of general revenue –– topped a projection by $412.1 million. Sales-tax collections related to tourism topped expectations by 11.3%, while auto sales were 24.4% above a projection. Meanwhile, corporate income taxes were off by 22.6%. General revenue is closely watched in Tallahassee because it is vital in funding education, healthcare programs, and prisons.