Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho’s impact on educationSanibel cracks down on school zone speeders with new camera system
NAPLES Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho’s impact on education Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho, a beloved philanthropist and advocate for education, dedicated his life to empowering others through opportunity and knowledge.
SANIBEL Sanibel cracks down on school zone speeders with new camera system Sanibel is tightening its grip on school zone speeders with newly installed cameras.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry expands efforts with Harry Chapin support The Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers plays a crucial role in supporting smaller food banks in the area.
Fort Myers Beach Pier scheduled to be finished a year ahead of schedule The Fort Myers Beach Pier remains a symbol of the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian two years ago. Efforts to rebuild it has taken a lot of time.
FORT MYERS Iconic Fort Myers statue to undergo repairs The iconic “Rachel at the Well” statue on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers has been a landmark for 94 years. However, it became a casualty of Hurricane Ian in 2022, and discussions for its repair are ongoing.
Collier County Salvation Army Thrift Store closing its doors The Salvation Army has announced the permanent closure of the Naples Family Store on Davis Boulevard.
SANIBEL Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a cause Construction crews are hard at work making the Sanibel Causeway more resilient. The bridge is being fortified to withstand future storms.
LEE COUNTY No. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training Roman Anthony, who is ranked as the second best in baseball, is with the Boston Red Sox for his first Spring Training.
MANASOTA KEY Popular Manasota Key restaurant reopens after storm damage Manasota Key is steadily recovering from a challenging hurricane season, and residents are celebrating the reopening of a beloved local spot.
PINE ISLAND Construction to start on hurricane-proof fire station on Pine Island A new hurricane-proof fire station is coming to Pine Island. The current station, over 40 years old, is in dire need of replacement.
NORTH PORT Braves’ Chris Sale on the mound in southwest Florida once again Spring Training is in full swing for the Atlanta Braves, who’s full squad reported on Tuesday, that means Chris Sale is back in SWFL.
NAPLES Denise Brown speaks on domestic violence at Naples fundraiser event A record crowd of 825 people gathered at the Ritz Carlton Tiburon to raise money and awareness to end domestic violence.
NORTH NAPLES Construction on Collier County diverging diamond begins in March Construction on Southwest Florida’s third diverging diamond interchange is set to begin in March.
Charlotte County homeowners consider elevating homes Recent hurricanes and flooding events prompted some Charlotte County homeowners to either demolish or elevate their homes.
CLEWISTON Clewiston man shoots friend over alleged sexual crime against relative There is new information about a murder in Clewiston earlier this month.
NAPLES Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho’s impact on education Dr. Cornelius “Pat” Cacho, a beloved philanthropist and advocate for education, dedicated his life to empowering others through opportunity and knowledge.
SANIBEL Sanibel cracks down on school zone speeders with new camera system Sanibel is tightening its grip on school zone speeders with newly installed cameras.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry expands efforts with Harry Chapin support The Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers plays a crucial role in supporting smaller food banks in the area.
Fort Myers Beach Pier scheduled to be finished a year ahead of schedule The Fort Myers Beach Pier remains a symbol of the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian two years ago. Efforts to rebuild it has taken a lot of time.
FORT MYERS Iconic Fort Myers statue to undergo repairs The iconic “Rachel at the Well” statue on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers has been a landmark for 94 years. However, it became a casualty of Hurricane Ian in 2022, and discussions for its repair are ongoing.
Collier County Salvation Army Thrift Store closing its doors The Salvation Army has announced the permanent closure of the Naples Family Store on Davis Boulevard.
SANIBEL Rebuilding the Sanibel Causeway with a cause Construction crews are hard at work making the Sanibel Causeway more resilient. The bridge is being fortified to withstand future storms.
LEE COUNTY No. 2 prospect in MLB Roman Anthony with Red Sox for Spring Training Roman Anthony, who is ranked as the second best in baseball, is with the Boston Red Sox for his first Spring Training.
MANASOTA KEY Popular Manasota Key restaurant reopens after storm damage Manasota Key is steadily recovering from a challenging hurricane season, and residents are celebrating the reopening of a beloved local spot.
PINE ISLAND Construction to start on hurricane-proof fire station on Pine Island A new hurricane-proof fire station is coming to Pine Island. The current station, over 40 years old, is in dire need of replacement.
NORTH PORT Braves’ Chris Sale on the mound in southwest Florida once again Spring Training is in full swing for the Atlanta Braves, who’s full squad reported on Tuesday, that means Chris Sale is back in SWFL.
NAPLES Denise Brown speaks on domestic violence at Naples fundraiser event A record crowd of 825 people gathered at the Ritz Carlton Tiburon to raise money and awareness to end domestic violence.
NORTH NAPLES Construction on Collier County diverging diamond begins in March Construction on Southwest Florida’s third diverging diamond interchange is set to begin in March.
Charlotte County homeowners consider elevating homes Recent hurricanes and flooding events prompted some Charlotte County homeowners to either demolish or elevate their homes.
CLEWISTON Clewiston man shoots friend over alleged sexual crime against relative There is new information about a murder in Clewiston earlier this month.
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