Milton strengthens to Category 5, winds at 165 mphSanibel evacuates as flooding and storm surge threaten island
SANIBEL Sanibel evacuates as flooding and storm surge threaten island Sanibel is already dealing with flooding from the heavy rain we’ve seen over the past few days, and Milton is expected to bring 10 feet of storm surge to the island.
ENGLEWOOD Manasota Key residents scramble ahead of Hurricane Milton Parts of Manasota Key are already unrecognizable from the damage Helene caused, and now, with Milton on the way, people are heartbroken and wondering what the future holds.
FORT MYERS SHORES ‘We’re getting the heck out of here’ 416,000 in mandatory evacuation zone in Lee Co. Around 416,000 residents in Lee County are under a mandatory evacuation order that went into effect Monday at noon because of Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Downtown Fort Myers businesses prepare for Hurricane Milton Business owners in downtown Fort Myers are getting their businesses ready for whatever Hurricane Milton will bring.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral isn’t offering sandbags, but one Cape Coral local is One Cape Coral resident saw a need during Hurricane Milton and decided to do something about it.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach braces for Hurricane Milton after Helene WINK News’ team coverage brings us to Fort Myers Beach, an area prone to storm surge and still recovering from Helene.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral holds press conference; here are 10 takeaways Cape Coral held a press conference Monday morning to discuss Hurricane Milton. Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter says storm surge is the biggest threat of Hurricane Milton to the city. His message to his neighbors Monday morning is to make a plan and execute it now.
NORTH FORT MYERS Charlotte County man prepares what he can ahead of Milton Hurricane Helene ravaged many homes in Charlotte County, and now locals are getting ready for a potentially stronger Hurricane Milton.
SWFL Florida evacuation orders ahead of Milton There are now mandatory evacuation orders for some barrier islands in Southwest Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton.
What’s open and closed as Hurricane Milton looms As Hurricane Milton strengthens in the Gulf of Mexico, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are adjusting their hours or closing temporarily.
Punta Gorda residents, businesses brace for Hurricane Milton With Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall somewhere along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Oct. 9, some Punta Gorda hotels stopped taking reservations, flight disruptions are expected and residents and business owners spent Oct. 7 prepping.
Lee County coastal businesses evacuate merchandise as Hurricane Milton approaches As Hurricane Milton began making its way across the Gulf of Mexico to a precise destination yet unknown on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Lee County business owners on Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and other coastal areas weren’t waiting around to find out.
WINK NEWS List of shelters in SWFL ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are opening across Southwest Florida to provide safety and refuge for residents.
Know your zone: Evacuation zones ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, get familiar with your evacuation zone.
SANIBEL Sanibel evacuates as flooding and storm surge threaten island Sanibel is already dealing with flooding from the heavy rain we’ve seen over the past few days, and Milton is expected to bring 10 feet of storm surge to the island.
ENGLEWOOD Manasota Key residents scramble ahead of Hurricane Milton Parts of Manasota Key are already unrecognizable from the damage Helene caused, and now, with Milton on the way, people are heartbroken and wondering what the future holds.
FORT MYERS SHORES ‘We’re getting the heck out of here’ 416,000 in mandatory evacuation zone in Lee Co. Around 416,000 residents in Lee County are under a mandatory evacuation order that went into effect Monday at noon because of Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Downtown Fort Myers businesses prepare for Hurricane Milton Business owners in downtown Fort Myers are getting their businesses ready for whatever Hurricane Milton will bring.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral isn’t offering sandbags, but one Cape Coral local is One Cape Coral resident saw a need during Hurricane Milton and decided to do something about it.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach braces for Hurricane Milton after Helene WINK News’ team coverage brings us to Fort Myers Beach, an area prone to storm surge and still recovering from Helene.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral holds press conference; here are 10 takeaways Cape Coral held a press conference Monday morning to discuss Hurricane Milton. Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter says storm surge is the biggest threat of Hurricane Milton to the city. His message to his neighbors Monday morning is to make a plan and execute it now.
NORTH FORT MYERS Charlotte County man prepares what he can ahead of Milton Hurricane Helene ravaged many homes in Charlotte County, and now locals are getting ready for a potentially stronger Hurricane Milton.
SWFL Florida evacuation orders ahead of Milton There are now mandatory evacuation orders for some barrier islands in Southwest Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton.
What’s open and closed as Hurricane Milton looms As Hurricane Milton strengthens in the Gulf of Mexico, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are adjusting their hours or closing temporarily.
Punta Gorda residents, businesses brace for Hurricane Milton With Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall somewhere along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Oct. 9, some Punta Gorda hotels stopped taking reservations, flight disruptions are expected and residents and business owners spent Oct. 7 prepping.
Lee County coastal businesses evacuate merchandise as Hurricane Milton approaches As Hurricane Milton began making its way across the Gulf of Mexico to a precise destination yet unknown on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Lee County business owners on Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and other coastal areas weren’t waiting around to find out.
WINK NEWS List of shelters in SWFL ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are opening across Southwest Florida to provide safety and refuge for residents.
Know your zone: Evacuation zones ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, get familiar with your evacuation zone.
The Fort Myers Police Department. CREDIT: WINK News The City of Fort Myers has released the names of 155 applicants for the position of Fort Myers Police Chief. The list will be narrowed down to around 10 applicants before those people are interviewed. The process of naming the next police chief could take some time, but the department is moving forward with the list of 155 applicants. The full list of applicants can be seen below. Applications-for-Police-Chief-as-of-05.04.2023Download The last police chief for the Fort Myers Police Department was Chief Derrick Diggs, who died on Feb. 15. There’s no denying Chief Diggs’ success at FMPD. Crime dropped despite the city’s population growing and the downtown area was revitalized. Now, more than 150 applicants will compete to take over the role, a welcome sight for former officer and current Mayor Kevin Anderson. “Fort Myers is a very attractive place, and the Fort Myers Police Department is a respected agency that all of these people want to lead,” Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson said. Interim Chief Randal Pepitone was Diggs’ right-hand man, coming to Fort Myers after working with Diggs for decades in Toledo. He’s run the department since last July when Diggs first took medical leave. His name is notably not on the list of applicants to take over the Chief role. “I’m retiring pretty soon,” Pepitone explains. “I hope the department continues on the path that Chief set them on.” However, four of the top six members of FMPD command staff have thrown their hats in the ring. “The four candidates internally, I was doing the recruiting and hiring when they were hired,” Anderson says happily. “So of course, I’m thrilled to see those four candidates.” The Fort Myers job has attracted candidates from the west coast, to Canada, and back down to Florida. Whether the next Chief comes from inside the department or thousands of miles away, a former officer and City Councilmember Johnny Streets want the entire Fort Myers community to have a say. “We want to make sure that the process is transparent,” Streets says. “We want to make sure the community is involved, business people, again everybody needs to be involved.” Whoever becomes the next Chief will win the job through a very competitive process. WINK News dug through all 150+ applicants. More than 30 are law enforcement pros right here in Florida. 13 candidates are female, while more than 40 have some kind of police chief experience. Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson wouldn’t confirm what kind of experience matters most but admitted it’s a factor. “It could be Chief experience, it could be Deputy Chief,” Anderson speculated. “It really all depends on the depth of the experience.” Several candidates are from larger departments, including a handful from the Miami area. Councilmember Lin Bochette says that kind of background is appealing. “Someone who’s calm, steady. Has been in a larger city than ours, it’s not their first rodeo,” Bochette says. Anderson tells WINK, the city has already started to trim down its list, cutting out more than 90 percent of applicants. City leaders estimate about 30 days before presenting three to four candidates to the city council publicly but making the cuts is easier said than done. “They’re struggling! Because these are such quality and high caliber candidates,” Anderson says. Despite the rough estimate, an exact timeline isn’t coming any time soon. Councilmember Johnny Streets – who also served at FMPD – says the city holds the police Chief as one of the most crucial spots in local leadership. “This ranks among the highest, the best for our people. So we want to make sure the process is transparent,” Streets assures. “We want to make sure the community is involved.” “We would like to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible but we’re not going to rush it,” Anderson agrees. “We want to make sure when we make a decision, it’s the right decision.”