Former NFL star Tre Boston gives back to hometown of Fort Myers for ThanksgivingHoliday Cheer: Send letters to Santa at Sunshine Ace Hardware
FORT MYERS Former NFL star Tre Boston gives back to hometown of Fort Myers for Thanksgiving Boston was joined by members of the Lehigh Senior High School Football team to help deliver 800 turkeys to those in need.
WINK NEWS Holiday Cheer: Send letters to Santa at Sunshine Ace Hardware Sunshine Ace Hardware will be serving as a drop-off location for any children looking to mail their holiday wish lists to the North Pole.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sand, sweat, and precision: Final day of sculpting on Fort Myers Beach Sunday was the final day of the 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship, hosted on Fort Myers Beach.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Illegal gun possession, Kate Spade theft and deadly crash This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a gun possessed by a person with felony convictions, a Kate Spade thief and a man arrested for causing a crash that killed a man on Alligator Alley.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead and 1 critically injured in double shooting in North Fort Myers The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported shooting in North Fort Myers on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral looking to increase their FEMA flood insurance discount The City of Cape Coral got good news from FEMA; the 25% flood insurance discount is staying in place for the next three years.
Cool start, mild afternoon with lots of sunshine on this Sunday The Weather Authority says Sunday started off even slightly cooler than Saturday morning, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across the area.
CAPE CORAL Community rallies behind hate crime victims and cleans the home After Cape Coral homeowners fell victim to vandals who destroyed their home with racist and hateful slurs, the community is rallying together to get the home back to its original state. WINK News broke this story on Wednesday. RELATED: Cape Coral home vandalized; homeowner calls it a “hate crime” On Friday, Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony […]
FGCU FGCU volleyball wins fourth straight ASUN Tournament title The FGCU volleyball team beat Lipscomb in three sets to claim the program’s fourth straight ASUN Tournament title.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers community comes together for Thanksgiving turkey giveaway This time of year is especially stressful for people who are struggling financially. Adding all the holiday expenses on top of rent, food and basic necessities can leave people feeling anxious and off balance.
FORT MYERS Driver arrested after fleeing police, causing multi-car crash in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Police Department has arrested a man accused of causing a multi-car crash in Fort Myers.
Chilly morning and a cool Saturday afternoon with lots of sunshine The Weather Authority says the weekend is starting off nice and chilly, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across Southwest Florida.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Regional Semifinals It’s the regional semifinal round of high school football in Southwest Florida. Check out the scores and highlights.
FORT MYERS BEACH New information on why FEMA put Fort Myers Beach on probation FEMA was sure to lay it out in a letter. Out of the five points listed, three areas need work on Fort Myers Beach to re-apply for the flood insurance discount.
CAPE CORAL Exclusive: Cape Coral Police Chief speaks out on hate crime incident New exclusive surveillance video shows the moment a Cape Coral home is vandalized. The suspects painted racial slurs on the wall in red paint. WINK News broke this story on Wednesday.
FORT MYERS Former NFL star Tre Boston gives back to hometown of Fort Myers for Thanksgiving Boston was joined by members of the Lehigh Senior High School Football team to help deliver 800 turkeys to those in need.
WINK NEWS Holiday Cheer: Send letters to Santa at Sunshine Ace Hardware Sunshine Ace Hardware will be serving as a drop-off location for any children looking to mail their holiday wish lists to the North Pole.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sand, sweat, and precision: Final day of sculpting on Fort Myers Beach Sunday was the final day of the 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship, hosted on Fort Myers Beach.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Illegal gun possession, Kate Spade theft and deadly crash This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a gun possessed by a person with felony convictions, a Kate Spade thief and a man arrested for causing a crash that killed a man on Alligator Alley.
NORTH FORT MYERS 1 dead and 1 critically injured in double shooting in North Fort Myers The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported shooting in North Fort Myers on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral looking to increase their FEMA flood insurance discount The City of Cape Coral got good news from FEMA; the 25% flood insurance discount is staying in place for the next three years.
Cool start, mild afternoon with lots of sunshine on this Sunday The Weather Authority says Sunday started off even slightly cooler than Saturday morning, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across the area.
CAPE CORAL Community rallies behind hate crime victims and cleans the home After Cape Coral homeowners fell victim to vandals who destroyed their home with racist and hateful slurs, the community is rallying together to get the home back to its original state. WINK News broke this story on Wednesday. RELATED: Cape Coral home vandalized; homeowner calls it a “hate crime” On Friday, Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony […]
FGCU FGCU volleyball wins fourth straight ASUN Tournament title The FGCU volleyball team beat Lipscomb in three sets to claim the program’s fourth straight ASUN Tournament title.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers community comes together for Thanksgiving turkey giveaway This time of year is especially stressful for people who are struggling financially. Adding all the holiday expenses on top of rent, food and basic necessities can leave people feeling anxious and off balance.
FORT MYERS Driver arrested after fleeing police, causing multi-car crash in Fort Myers The Fort Myers Police Department has arrested a man accused of causing a multi-car crash in Fort Myers.
Chilly morning and a cool Saturday afternoon with lots of sunshine The Weather Authority says the weekend is starting off nice and chilly, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across Southwest Florida.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Regional Semifinals It’s the regional semifinal round of high school football in Southwest Florida. Check out the scores and highlights.
FORT MYERS BEACH New information on why FEMA put Fort Myers Beach on probation FEMA was sure to lay it out in a letter. Out of the five points listed, three areas need work on Fort Myers Beach to re-apply for the flood insurance discount.
CAPE CORAL Exclusive: Cape Coral Police Chief speaks out on hate crime incident New exclusive surveillance video shows the moment a Cape Coral home is vandalized. The suspects painted racial slurs on the wall in red paint. WINK News broke this story on Wednesday.
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