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.
People living underneath the Matanzas Pass Bridge were kicked out. Many had lived there since right after Hurricane Ian made landfall. The struggle to find housing since the storm has been unheard of. People have been doing all they can to have a roof over their heads while waiting for anyone to help them. This most recent eviction is another punch in the stomach. “Where the **** are they supposed to go?” said Fred Caldwell. Caldwell asks all the right questions. “How do you throw people out of somewhere when they have no place to live?” “You started seeing little tent communities grow and grow and grow,” said Irina Mirabales, who lives next to the displaced people. Initially, some of them were in tents underneath the Matanzas Pass Bridge. “You come down here, and you see the people sleeping underneath there. I try to bring them some food,” Caldwell said. He used to visit them and try to help them out. “It’s really sad. Everything sad.” It was sad, but it wasn’t safe. “There could be a lot of violence, a lot of people going into tents. There could be a lot of crime that happens with that,” said Mirabales. She knows because of how close she lived to those tents. FDOT fencing under the Matanzas Pass Bridge. (Credit: WINK News) The Florida Department of Transportation put up orange and red fencing to tell the people living under the bridge that they couldn’t stay there anymore. FDOT is starting the San Carlos Project so people can no longer pitch tents under the bridge. When did people start picking up their things? “I’d say probably about two, three weeks ago, she started to relocate,” said Mirabales. Now those forced to leave will need to find another place to live. “What else can you do when you lose everything? You know, shelter is shelter,” Mirabales said. Maurice Dodds says the odds are not in his favor. “That’s pretty much heartless,” said Dodds. “We got nowhere to go.” He’s one of the dozens kicked out from underneath the bridge. “They just booted everybody out!” FDOT confirmed that the project that removed the people under the bridge was happening but wouldn’t say anything else. Dodds’ emotions about the day they got kicked out are intense. “I could not say that on tv. That’s pretty much heartless. All these people that are live here that are still going through hard times. They still don’t have a roof over their heads. I got nowhere to go,” Dodds said. Now, he’s living in a tent outside of the American Legion of Fort Myers Beach, about half a mile from where he pitched his tent before. If he could go afford to go somewhere else, he would. “I can’t afford $2,000 a month. I mean, that’s the cheapest place I could find, even rent a room. I don’t have that kind of money,” Dodds said. “I need a roof over me, my wife’s head, and I need good solid work. I can do woodwork, concrete work. Tileworks sheetrock paint. I knew pretty much just about everything landscaping, and I worked hard. I just need somebody to help me out.”