Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort MyersThe Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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 charged 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.
FORT MYERS Trumparilla Boat Parade kicks off in Fort Myers The Lee County GOP is hosting the Trumparilla Boat Parade in support of the Republican nominee.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Hot temperatures, rain, and we’re watching the tropics Get ready for a typical Southwest Florida weekend. It’s going to feel like the triple digits before rain rolls in and we’re watching the tropics.
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 charged 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.
WINK News spent a week traveling through the Gulf of Mexico with a team of marine researchers documenting how Ian changed our oceanic environment and, by extension, Southwest Florida’s waterways. While we rebuild on land, our environment does the same at sea. Scientists like Eric Milbrandt, director of the marine laboratory at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, are looking to learn from it, just like we did from Charlie and Irma. “I’ve been through three major landfalling hurricanes since I’ve started my career in Florida,” Milbrandt said. “And, yeah, we learned something about mangroves the first one; we learned something about water quality the second. So, you know, I hope we can learn something from this catastrophic event.” Since Ian struck, Milbrandt and researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University have voyaged through the Gulf three times, studying the water immediately after the storm and documenting its recovery until now. “The main thing is the nitrogen levels after the storm are significantly higher than pre-storm, and that comes from a lot of places,” Milbrandt said. “There were some wastewater spills. There were people’s possessions that were washed into the estuaries and out to the coastal ocean.” A handoff of water and nutrients between land and water left our Gulf filled with nutrients that exacerbate the natural growth of Karenia brevis—red tide. “Immediately after the storm, we saw a lot of turbidity and then beginnings of red tide patches,” Milbrandt said. “The last time we were out, in January, we saw much larger blooms happening. And then, as we left last week, we started seeing a diminishing of the red tide bloom.” The water clarity has improved, and mangroves are slowly but surely recovering. Now, researchers’ eyes are turned to what’s happening below the water. “We’ve seen some oyster reefs that look like nothing happened and some that are buried and scoured,” Milbrandt said. “We’re still conducting those assessments right now.” FGCU Dive Safety Officer Calli Johnson dove into these waters before the storm, immediately after, and now. Ian’s strength was clear, while the water wasn’t. “One of our artificial reefs was standing vertically, and it’s now horizontal on the bottom, which in 60 feet of water is a huge change,” Johnson said. Twenty-four miles off Fort Myers Beach, the natural reef was unrecognizable, covered in sand with just a few corals poking through. ”Where sediment was scoured off the bottom, it’s refilling now; the species that we expect to see both on the bottom and swimming around are returning,” Johnson said. And invasive species like lionfish that moved in after the storm appear to have gone away, at least temporarily. “So it just goes to show, like, Mother Nature can throw a lot at us,” Johnson said. “But then, also, she can ensure that there’s resiliency and rebuilding.” While the environment hasn’t returned to where it was pre-Ian, it looks better than it did six months ago and should look even better in another six months.