ALVA Woodpeckers build home in 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 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.
Leaders in Charlotte County are transforming temporary sites into FEMA villages after the commission unanimously voted in favor of the FEMA villages. This comes despite a commissioner telling WINK News he didn’t want to create these villages because of all the crime they attracted after Hurricane Charley. As of Tuesday, there are still more than 500 households that qualify for FEMA housing assistance. FEMA said they wouldn’t be able to help them without a group site in place. One of the sites to be converted to a FEMA village. CREDIT: WINK News For example, people living in apartments or condos don’t have a piece of property to put the trailer on, so they need a group site. Charlotte County staff said there could be a few Lee county households ending up in one of the two Charlotte County group sites. FEMA also mentioned the county learned a lot from the havoc in the FEMA villages after Charley, and they said they’re better prepared for safety and security. “We need to have FEMA prioritize our residents at these locations. And I don’t know if we can get that in writing, but we have too many people here to let others come in from out of the area. I know that sound cold, but I’m sorry, I’m gonna be a little selfish, and take care of our own first, Charlotte County Commissioner Christopher Constance said. It’s hard to say when exactly people will move into and live in the FEMA villages. One of the sites needs to be cleared out, while the other needs to have the trailers hooked up. When the FEMA villages sprung up after Hurricane Charley, those villages were home to around 400 or 500 households. Making matters worse, when survivors moved out, crime, domestic violence, and drugs crept in. Trailers set up after Hurricane Ian. CREDIT: WINK News A similar situation happened four years ago after Hurricane Micahel ravaged the panhandle. For that reason, Charlotte County Commissioner Constance went on WINK News soon after Ian and said they hoped to avoid a FEMA village. “I don’t think we’re interested in rehashing the FEMA village that we had after Charlie, I think that’s one of the lessons we learned was that really wasn’t manageable. One of the things that we’re proposing, and I think is going to get traction is we want to allow folks to have either a trailer or an RV in their driveway and allow them to live on their property as it’s being reconstructed,” Commissioner Constance said. After Hurricanes Charley and Michael, many people had similar experiences feeling as if they couldn’t leave their trailers without a gun or knife for protection. Neighbors living a couple of blocks away also have safety concerns but understand these people need a place to stay. “We’ve heard that sometimes crime also comes up with those types of situations. And that would be the only thing I worry about. But you know, as a temporary thing, I don’t think I’d be that be… People have to have a place to live. So you got to be mindful of that,” Charlotte County resident, Thomas Jones, said.