FDOT asking you if bike and pedestrian lanes should be added to busy roadOverbilled for overflow of water; Residents stuck with hefty water bill
PINE ISLAND FDOT asking you if bike and pedestrian lanes should be added to busy road The Florida Department of Transportation is asking you if bike and pedestrian lanes should be added to the busy road.
Food drive for mental health awareness While someone may look healthy, they may be fighting a real inner battle.
FORT MYERS Overbilled for overflow of water; Residents stuck with hefty water bill The Moore’s make ends meet living at The Cove for almost a year.
ESTERO Scoreless Eagle up for award at NIL Summit FGCU’s Brandon Dwyer is one of the big time performers in NIL despite having never scored a single point in his entire Eagle career.
What happens after a nuisance alligator is captured? For alligators, the month of May means we are in the heart of mating season in the Sunshine State.
Exclusive: Interview with woman who shares hope of recovery on National Fentanyl Awareness Day Lee County Sheriff’s Office said that in 2020 they seized nearly two thousand grams of fentanyl. In 2023, that number jumped to over 8,000.
ESTERO FGCU star in the circle reflects on historical senior season The Eagles’ ace told WINK News she is focused on making every moment count before she hangs up her cleats for the last time.
NAPLES Pastrami Dan’s reopens in Naples after SUV crash Pastrami Dan’s in Naples welcomed customers once again, with people waiting at the door.
FGCU Two FGCU softball players playing for those who impacted their lives Two FGCU softball players, Riley Oakes and Olivia Black, are playing for friends who impacted their lives in a major way.
Police: Cape Coral man breaks into ex-girlfriend’s home, kills fish named ‘Bean’ A man has been arrested after police said he broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home, damaged her property and killed her pet fish.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers family blessed with new home In about sixty days, Myrtle Dillard’s home on Lincoln Boulevard went from being run-down and unlivable to brand new.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte woman’s student loans forgiveness after consolidation One Port Charlotte woman was skeptical of her student loan consolidation and potential forgiveness but an email over the weekend changed her life.
FORT MYERS Allegations against Lee County animal shelter An animal activist group said a local animal shelter is failing to find homes for stray pets, among other complaints.
PORT CHARLOTTE Court hearing held for Trails End Drive murder suspects Two suspects in the Trails End Drive murders were meant to appear in court on Tuesday.
IRVING, Texas (AP) Boy Scouts of America changing name to more inclusive Scouting America after years of woes The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America.
PINE ISLAND FDOT asking you if bike and pedestrian lanes should be added to busy road The Florida Department of Transportation is asking you if bike and pedestrian lanes should be added to the busy road.
Food drive for mental health awareness While someone may look healthy, they may be fighting a real inner battle.
FORT MYERS Overbilled for overflow of water; Residents stuck with hefty water bill The Moore’s make ends meet living at The Cove for almost a year.
ESTERO Scoreless Eagle up for award at NIL Summit FGCU’s Brandon Dwyer is one of the big time performers in NIL despite having never scored a single point in his entire Eagle career.
What happens after a nuisance alligator is captured? For alligators, the month of May means we are in the heart of mating season in the Sunshine State.
Exclusive: Interview with woman who shares hope of recovery on National Fentanyl Awareness Day Lee County Sheriff’s Office said that in 2020 they seized nearly two thousand grams of fentanyl. In 2023, that number jumped to over 8,000.
ESTERO FGCU star in the circle reflects on historical senior season The Eagles’ ace told WINK News she is focused on making every moment count before she hangs up her cleats for the last time.
NAPLES Pastrami Dan’s reopens in Naples after SUV crash Pastrami Dan’s in Naples welcomed customers once again, with people waiting at the door.
FGCU Two FGCU softball players playing for those who impacted their lives Two FGCU softball players, Riley Oakes and Olivia Black, are playing for friends who impacted their lives in a major way.
Police: Cape Coral man breaks into ex-girlfriend’s home, kills fish named ‘Bean’ A man has been arrested after police said he broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home, damaged her property and killed her pet fish.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers family blessed with new home In about sixty days, Myrtle Dillard’s home on Lincoln Boulevard went from being run-down and unlivable to brand new.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte woman’s student loans forgiveness after consolidation One Port Charlotte woman was skeptical of her student loan consolidation and potential forgiveness but an email over the weekend changed her life.
FORT MYERS Allegations against Lee County animal shelter An animal activist group said a local animal shelter is failing to find homes for stray pets, among other complaints.
PORT CHARLOTTE Court hearing held for Trails End Drive murder suspects Two suspects in the Trails End Drive murders were meant to appear in court on Tuesday.
IRVING, Texas (AP) Boy Scouts of America changing name to more inclusive Scouting America after years of woes The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America.
Just mentioning the 50-50 rule creates anxiety in homeowners rebuilding after Hurricane Ian. It’s not simple or easy to understand. Then there is the added complication of the homestead exemption. FEMA sent a letter on Tuesday to Lee County lawmakers saying the Lee County Appraiser’s Office uses a potentially inconsistent method to determine a home’s value, which sent some leaders into a panic. What FEMA calls “A potentially inconsistent method” comes from the fact that FEMA does not understand how Lee County assesses a home’s value. On Friday, the federal agency admitted it should have never sent that letter in the first place. The tension between FEMA and Lee County turned out to be a big misunderstanding. “It’s incredibly disappointing,” said Lee County Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell. Who’s to blame? Caldwell says it’s clear as day. “This has been… a major error on the part of FEMA.” Caldwell said FEMA did not understand how Lee County values its properties. If you’re a permanent resident of Lee County, you get an initial property assessment. If you qualify for a homestead exemption, your annual assessment can only go up by 3%. For example, if your home is worth $200,000, after 30 years, it will be worth dramatically more in the open market than it will when Lee County lists its assessed value. “It’s a huge tax benefit for longtime homeowners,” said Caldwell. So two similar homes on the same street could have dramatically different values based on who owns them. Lots of homes are undervalued on purpose. After Hurricane Ian, Caldwell advised all Lee County municipalities how to help homeowners recalculate their home’s value to qualify for FEMA reimbursement. FEMA sent letters to all lee county governments this week saying that didn’t work for the agency and told them to ignore Caldwell’s guidelines. “They didn’t contact us and ask us to explain it to them at all before they before they issued an opinion,” Caldwell said. That caused a lot of stress, so Caldwell got on the phone Friday morning with FEMA and every city and town leader in Lee County and explained how the homestead exemption works. FEMA got the picture. “They clearly understood they’ve made a horrendous error,” said Caldwell. Caldwell expects FEMA to fix their mistake within three to four days. “This is going to be resolved. All of the jurisdictions have said they’re going to ignore the letter more or less and stick with the game plan the way we have been operating previously. And they look forward to FEMA memorializing that they agree with us now, hopefully, on Monday or Tuesday,” Caldwell said. “It’s unconscionable. Really, it’s you’re messing with people’s lives and their mental health and, and their finances,” said Jacki Liszak, president of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce. Liszak is not the only one fired by up FEMA. So is the mayor. “Back to the beginning, I guess,” said Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers. “If someone in my office sent, it did something like this, sent a letter threatening essentially to cut someone off completely, and had not given them the opportunity to at least communicate, they’d probably be fired,” said Caldwell. WINK News has reached out to FEMA, which said: Working with the State of Florida we recognize that local property assessors are responsible for assigning property values. FEMA will coordinate with the Lee County Appraiser to better understand the methodology used to determine the property valuations issued after Hurricane Ian. Three-person FEMA teams will begin meeting next week with local floodplain administrators within Lee County and several other jurisdictions with significant damage from the hurricane to better understand how they are managing their programs and to support any technical assistance needs they may request We are committed to helping Florida communities be more resilient and reduce losses from future flooding.