State investigates former Lee County Sheriff consultant Collier County woman arrested twice for operating illicit massage parlor
State investigates former Lee County Sheriff consultant A source sent WINK News anchor Claire Galt an executive order saying the state is investigating Ken Romano, a consultant who was on the sheriff’s office payroll.
Collier County woman arrested twice for operating illicit massage parlor The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of operating an illicit massage parlor, her second time arrested on this charge.
Mother accused of killing 4-month-old baby pleads not guilty A woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse.
NAPLES Family of bears caught on camera in the Winding Cypress community You never know what you’ll see when you open the door in Florida, and for one WINK News viewer, it was a family of bears.
SOUTH FORT MYERS Former Uber driver who raped passenger sentenced to life in prison Justice has been served after a former Uber driver was sentenced to life in prison for raping his passenger.
CAPE CORAL Single boat crashes into Cape Coral home dock injuring 3 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating a boat crash in Cape Coral that injured three people.
NAPLES NCH becomes first in Florida to offer Van Gogh Biopsy Tool NCH has become the first healthcare provider in the state to offer the groundbreaking Van Gogh Biopsy tool from Aquyre Biosciences.
First full moon of 2025 peaks Monday evening If you take a look into the sky this evening, you will see the first full moon of 2025, otherwise known as the ‘Wolf Moon.’
1st reported Florida Panther death of 2025, killed by vehicle in Collier A vehicle in Collier County claimed the life of a critically endangered Florida Panther, marking the first death recorded in 2025.
Boston oncologist named medical director at Southwest Florida Proton Southwest Florida Proton’s new senior medical director once taught Dr. Arie Dosoretz in medical school. Now, he is her boss.
tallahassee Gov. DeSantis holds news conference at Florida Capitol Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee.
Man without license arrested for fatal Burnt Store Road crash The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of driving without a license causing death on Burnt Store Road.
Man sentenced to life for attempted first-degree murder of Sanibel police officer A man found guilty of attempted first-degree murder for shooting at a Sanibel police officer has been sentenced to life in prison.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Temperatures warm back up following cold streak this Monday The Weather Authority is tracking a noticeable temperature warm-up, with highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s this Monday.
Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
State investigates former Lee County Sheriff consultant A source sent WINK News anchor Claire Galt an executive order saying the state is investigating Ken Romano, a consultant who was on the sheriff’s office payroll.
Collier County woman arrested twice for operating illicit massage parlor The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of operating an illicit massage parlor, her second time arrested on this charge.
Mother accused of killing 4-month-old baby pleads not guilty A woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse.
NAPLES Family of bears caught on camera in the Winding Cypress community You never know what you’ll see when you open the door in Florida, and for one WINK News viewer, it was a family of bears.
SOUTH FORT MYERS Former Uber driver who raped passenger sentenced to life in prison Justice has been served after a former Uber driver was sentenced to life in prison for raping his passenger.
CAPE CORAL Single boat crashes into Cape Coral home dock injuring 3 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating a boat crash in Cape Coral that injured three people.
NAPLES NCH becomes first in Florida to offer Van Gogh Biopsy Tool NCH has become the first healthcare provider in the state to offer the groundbreaking Van Gogh Biopsy tool from Aquyre Biosciences.
First full moon of 2025 peaks Monday evening If you take a look into the sky this evening, you will see the first full moon of 2025, otherwise known as the ‘Wolf Moon.’
1st reported Florida Panther death of 2025, killed by vehicle in Collier A vehicle in Collier County claimed the life of a critically endangered Florida Panther, marking the first death recorded in 2025.
Boston oncologist named medical director at Southwest Florida Proton Southwest Florida Proton’s new senior medical director once taught Dr. Arie Dosoretz in medical school. Now, he is her boss.
tallahassee Gov. DeSantis holds news conference at Florida Capitol Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee.
Man without license arrested for fatal Burnt Store Road crash The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of driving without a license causing death on Burnt Store Road.
Man sentenced to life for attempted first-degree murder of Sanibel police officer A man found guilty of attempted first-degree murder for shooting at a Sanibel police officer has been sentenced to life in prison.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Temperatures warm back up following cold streak this Monday The Weather Authority is tracking a noticeable temperature warm-up, with highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s this Monday.
Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
Hurricane Ian damage. (Credit: WINK News) The state-administered Florida Disaster Fund has brought in more than $60 million since Hurricane Ian. The funds have been distributed to dozens of service organizations that help individuals within their communities with disaster response and recovery. The Florida Disaster Fund was established in 2004 and reactivated after Ian. The goal of the fund is to help Floridians recover from emergencies by collecting private donations and distributing the money to nonprofits and service groups statewide. The Volunteer Florida Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, administers the fund. First lady Casey DeSantis helps oversee the fund and began advocating for it after Hurricane Ian. “I think it’s important to come out here to talk about the Florida Disaster Fund because so often, you have a lot of nonprofits…some are great, some are wonderful, and then you have some others that take some money, but you never hear from them again,” DeSantis said. “You never see a return on your investment, and so, we want to get out and show the people of the state and the country exactly how this money is being spent and how it’s supporting people because I think that is our responsibility.” WINK News’ partner PolitiFact found that $61.3 million in revenue was collected from Sept. 28 to March 16. Of this amount, $22 million has been distributed. PolitiFact also discovered that an additional $2.2 million in donations has been committed. According to this report, Volunteer Florida Foundation has initiated five rounds of response grants distributed amongst 34 nonprofits in Florida as of Dec. 2022. PolitiFact obtained a list of those organizations: Save the Children, the Salvation Army, Feeding Florida, Florida Professional Firefighters, Florida National Guard Foundation, Collaboratory, and others. Although it’s been six months since Hurricane Ian, you can still donate to the Florida Disaster Fund. WINK News has also been staying on top of the money donated to local Southwest Florida emergency relief funds. You can find more details in this WINK story.