Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast UniversityMissing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
The cost of living skyrocketed this year as Southwest Florida continued to grow and as it works to rebuild after Hurricane Ian. As we prepare to close out 2022, WINK News decided to take a look back at the past year’s crazy rent prices and revisit a series we did seven years ago called: “Where do we grow from here.” Flags were flying, and signs were lined up everywhere telling people that luxury was available for rent in Southwest Florida, but for what price? Rental advertisement in Southwest Florida. (Credit: WINK News) “The prices were going up,” said Jessica Powell. She lives in Denver after moving there from Fort Myers, partly because of growing costs. “Everything is so seasonal in Southwest Florida as far as when tourists are down, and snowbirds are down. So I kind of needed to be in an economy where there was more opportunity year-round.” WINK News first met Powell in 2015 when she worked in a local salon as a hairdresser. Her salary was based on commission, and when her marital status changed, she had to cut corners. She and a friend moved in together with three sons between the two of them. Fast forward to 2022, and the signs are still there, but the supply isn’t as great, and rental costs continue to soar. Commercial real estate broker Gary Tasman helped us crunch numbers in 2015. “As the demand went up, and the supply stayed constant, rents went up.” WINK News caught up with him again, and he feels it’s a similar story but with an Ian twist. “It’s just supply and demand. Everybody wants to be here, and we can’t build them fast enough. It’s not like 2008, where we were just building them, and we didn’t know who was going to live in them. It was an investor-driven market today is an owner-user-driven market. And because of that, until we get supply and demand in balance, unfortunately, we’re gonna still see increases,” said Tasman. “What the hurricane did was just take some of the older products offline and create more demand for what was there. That’s why we’re seeing the increases.” (Data provided by Cushman & Wakefield) This chart tells a story. The red line is a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment in Naples. The average price in 2015 was nearly $1,400. In 2021, it was nearly $2,000. In December 2022, more than $2,400. It is the same situation in Fort Myers, which is represented in green. In 2015, rent for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment was around $1,200. It has grown to nearly $2,000 a month. In Punta Gorda, represented in yellow, prices have just about doubled from seven years ago to today. Tasman doesn’t expect any immediate relief. “Our workforce in Southwest Florida has 18,000 more people than it did at the beginning of the year. So, you know, we’re continuing to grow. And we’re going to see that growth. I mean, look at the massive construction projects that we’re seeing at the airport, for example, that creates jobs and creates ripple effect demand. Look at the expansion that’s happening at FGCU. Look at the big company expansions that we’re seeing, like Uline and Amazon, and other companies that are looking at our area and committing to this area,” Tasman said. Powell’s advice to people trying to find a place to rent is, “I usually stay with private landlords because I find them to be more fair and you just have to kind of accept that you don’t have all the bells and whistles.” As for whether she’d ever come back, “I would at least snowbird for sure.” Tasman expects, down the road, many of those snowbirds will turn into year-round transplants. “Rents will stabilize. Rents cannot keep increasing at the rate that they are. So I predict that rents will definitely stabilize over the next 12 months,” said Tasman. “I think Southwest Florida is on solid footing with a very sound foundation from which to grow from where we are.”