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.
Abandoned camper in Port Charlotte canal. (Credit: WINK News) A Port Charlotte canal has had an abandoned camper sitting in it since Hurricane Ian, and neighbors want it gone. Neighbors say the camper is an eyesore and an environmental hazard. They say nothing has been done to get rid of the camper. It’s been in the canal for 155 days. The camper doesn’t have tires anymore, but it does have the ability to make the neighborhood a tourist attraction. Abandoned camper in Port Charlotte canal. (Credit: WINK News) The Port Charlotte neighborhood is not an amusement park, but despite that, “It’s quite an attraction,” said Kenny Vermillioa, who wants the camper removed. “Every time you turn around, there’s somebody over there in it.” You read that right, he said in it. “I think it got blown over into the water. And because the water was so high had drifted over that way,” said Vermillioa. When the hurricane hit, the camper was sitting in a nearby yard. Neighbors say the well over 100 miles an hour wind gusts lifted the camper, dropped it into the canal, and washed ashore on the other side. Now, what was left behind inside the camper is being snatched up. “Kids in the neighborhood are going in it and playing in it. And I mean, just every time you turn around, there’s somebody over there,” said Vermillioa. “I’ve seen people come here, and they’ve taken the tires off of it. They’ve taken… It had like a jack.” It is a tempting free-for-all, even for Vermillioa. “I have thought about taking a couple of things.” While it is not a good idea to take things from the camper, Vermillioa wants the camper as a whole taken away. “I mean, there’s no way to get that thing out here. There’s power lines right there. So you really can’t lift it up with a crane and go over the powerlines. They’re gonna have to drag it through somebody’s yard, and either way they go, they’re gonna take down somebody’s fence and everything.” If Shawn Kolanda could pick the camper up with his own two hands, he would. “Get it out of there,’ said Kolanda. “It’s killing the fish.” Kolanda is absolutely determined to get this camper removed from the canal. “I’ve contacted the county, several different agencies within Charlotte County that commissioners, no one has ever responded. I’ve contacted fish and wildlife, the state environmental protection agency.” Who’s responsible for getting it out of here? Neighbor Vermilloa offered his assumption. “There was no insurance on it, I don’t believe, because it was paid for. And so that’s probably why it’s sitting there like that.” The only thing that is not an assumption is the environmental impact this thing has had in the nearly six months it has sat here in the water. “There was really a weird film that was out here for a long time, and it went away. And so, and I don’t know if that came from their septic system in that thing,” said Vermilloa. WINK News reached out to Charlotte County to try to get some guidance on when the camper might be removed but got nothing. A neighbor said they recently saw a crew that looked like they worked with the county surveying this camper and possibility scheming up a way to get it out.