Election Day crowds expected despite record early votingVoters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election
Election Day crowds expected despite record early voting Election Day is nearly upon us. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the polls will be closed, and our team will bring you the results.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Voters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election A lot can change in four years. During the 2020 election, many voters masked up as they cast their ballots, and the pandemic was at the top of many voters’ minds.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents frustrated by hurricane debris delays Many people in parts of southwest Florida feel like they’ve dealt with more than their fair share of storm damage lately.
Miracle Moment: A rosy outlook following surprise diagnosis It’s time for Miracle Moment. Today, we meet a toddler diagnosed with a disease without known prevention or cure.
Poll workers ready for Election Day rush in Collier County Poll workers gear up for a busy Tuesday in Collier County; some have been there for a while, and this year marks their first time working at a polling place for others.
CAPE CORAL Voters decide: Will Cape Coral City Council members stay or go? Stipends, Jaycee Park and new developments have been topics of concern in the City of Cape Coral for months now.
MATLACHA Lee County residents still dealing with damage from hurricanes Hurricane recovery has been an ongoing project here in Southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian.
FGCU Former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III makes PGA Tour After playing two seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III is moving up to the PGA Tour.
Parents cast their votes for Lee County school superintendent With just hours now until the election, WINK News wants to highlight a few local races that haven’t gotten as much attention. One of them is the election of Lee County’s next superintendent of schools.
NORTH FORT MYERS Former Dollar General employee accused of stealing $7,000 in returns A woman has been arrested after defrauding a Dollar General in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Tropics and Red Tide; what happens if or when they interact? The Tropics are active despite the fact that there’s less than a month left in hurricane season. But how will a system interact with red tide?
CAPE CORAL Police investigate gunfire at Cape Coral rental home The bullet holes left behind by shots heard in a normally quiet Cape Coral neighborhood scared one woman into buying security cameras for her home.
CAPE CORAL Bimini Basin residents face housing challenges Time is running out for the families who live in one Cape Coral community to find places to call home.
Harris and Trump make a furious final push before Election Day A presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being pushed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts comes down to a final sprint across a handful of states on Election Day eve.
Using AI to detect pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. That’s due in part to the limited testing available for early detection.
Election Day crowds expected despite record early voting Election Day is nearly upon us. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the polls will be closed, and our team will bring you the results.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Voters in Downtown Fort Myers ready for 2024 Election A lot can change in four years. During the 2020 election, many voters masked up as they cast their ballots, and the pandemic was at the top of many voters’ minds.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda residents frustrated by hurricane debris delays Many people in parts of southwest Florida feel like they’ve dealt with more than their fair share of storm damage lately.
Miracle Moment: A rosy outlook following surprise diagnosis It’s time for Miracle Moment. Today, we meet a toddler diagnosed with a disease without known prevention or cure.
Poll workers ready for Election Day rush in Collier County Poll workers gear up for a busy Tuesday in Collier County; some have been there for a while, and this year marks their first time working at a polling place for others.
CAPE CORAL Voters decide: Will Cape Coral City Council members stay or go? Stipends, Jaycee Park and new developments have been topics of concern in the City of Cape Coral for months now.
MATLACHA Lee County residents still dealing with damage from hurricanes Hurricane recovery has been an ongoing project here in Southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian.
FGCU Former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III makes PGA Tour After playing two seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, former FGCU golfer Frankie Capan III is moving up to the PGA Tour.
Parents cast their votes for Lee County school superintendent With just hours now until the election, WINK News wants to highlight a few local races that haven’t gotten as much attention. One of them is the election of Lee County’s next superintendent of schools.
NORTH FORT MYERS Former Dollar General employee accused of stealing $7,000 in returns A woman has been arrested after defrauding a Dollar General in North Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS BEACH The Tropics and Red Tide; what happens if or when they interact? The Tropics are active despite the fact that there’s less than a month left in hurricane season. But how will a system interact with red tide?
CAPE CORAL Police investigate gunfire at Cape Coral rental home The bullet holes left behind by shots heard in a normally quiet Cape Coral neighborhood scared one woman into buying security cameras for her home.
CAPE CORAL Bimini Basin residents face housing challenges Time is running out for the families who live in one Cape Coral community to find places to call home.
Harris and Trump make a furious final push before Election Day A presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being pushed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts comes down to a final sprint across a handful of states on Election Day eve.
Using AI to detect pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. That’s due in part to the limited testing available for early detection.
Credit: National Hurricane Center Where were you when Hurricane Ian blew into Southwest Florida? It’s one of those milestone moments in our lives that will stay etched in our memories forever. But, the days and weeks after the storm are a blur for many of us – seeing the damage and destruction firsthand, living without power, unable to drink water out of our faucets. While the situation has improved, many scars remain. Damage on Fort Myers Beach caused by Hurricane Ian. CREDIT: WINK News A boat stuck in Cape Coral after Hurricane Ian. CREDIT: WINK News Now, the federal government is pitching in $1.1 billion to help Lee County recover. Utilizing those funds in the best way possible is a big task, and that’s why county commissioners formed Resilient Lee. The Recovery Task Force is soliciting input from the community on where that billion dollars should be spent and will help direct exactly where it goes. “The public needs to understand that they need to take the time to do the surveys or attend the public meetings because the county really wants their input,” Fort Myers native Johnny Limbaugh added. Limbaugh is keeping tabs on the process and making sure the most vulnerable groups don’t get left behind. He wears many hats in the community, and doesn’t take that for granted. “As the Chairman of the Lee Homeless Coalition, it’s important to understand what the resources are out there so that we can take full advantage of those, and also to provide input to the county on how they could do better in providing some of those resources to help us help them,” Limbaugh told WINK Investigates reporter Kellie Miller. Who is part of the Resilient Lee task force The task force is made up of an oversight committee of 13 local leaders. Kevin Ruane, Lee County Commissioner, Chairman of the Recovery Task Force Chris Corrie, Councilman, Bonita Springs John Gunter, Mayor, Cape Coral Jon McLain, Mayor, Estero Kevin Anderson, Mayor, Fort Myers Bill Veach, Council Member, Fort Myers Beach Holly Smith, Councilwoman, Sanibel John Holloway, Undersheriff, Law Enforcement Robert Dilallo, Fire Chief, Fire Armor Persons, Chairman, Lee County School Board David Collins, Board Member, Lee Health Jenna Persons-Mulicka, Representative, Legislative Delegation Matt Caldwell, Property Appraiser, Constitutional Office Resilient Lee’s Diverse Branches Then, there are 8 branches, each of which covers a specific topic. Planning and Capacity Infrastructure Economic Recovery Housing Education and Workforce Natural Resources Health and Social Services Cultural Resources Local business owner Sandy Stilwell Youngquist oversees Planning and Capacity. “Personally, I grew up here in Lee County, and I own businesses out on Captiva, I have five restaurants, they’re all currently closed right now, and a small inn that will probably need to be mostly torn down…and so, it’s been devastating to not have anything open. And, so I’ve been going through this build back, and so I kind of understand the frustration people have,” Stilwell Youngquist explained. Resilient Lee seeks community input Building back and planning for long-term resiliency takes time. The first order of business is gathering community input at town halls and through online surveys. Stilwell Youngquist added, “A lot of times people think that, ‘Oh, my voice really doesn’t make a difference.’ But it really does. And as we get all of this data in, we’ll have a common thread of a voice, and then we’re looking at short term goals and we’re also looking at long term goals.” The goal of Resilient Lee task force Improving immediate recovery response efforts post-disaster is one goal. For example, how can the money be used to expedite the process of getting people back into their homes? How can it be used to ensure power and internet are restored quickly in all areas? Those are questions Resilient Lee is discussing. “Dividing up that money is not an easy situation, and the government is going to put a lot of criteria on it, income criteria and other criteria that the committees are going to have to look at. So, when you actually silo out all that money, it’s not going to address all the needs that are coming forth. But it’s still important to understand what those needs are,” Limbaugh said. You still have time to offer your input. At the end of July, Resilient Lee’s expected to deliver a plan to the community based upon the data they collect, including from the surveys they hope the community will fill out. Take the surveyEmail Kellie Miller