ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
For renters, finding a place to live in Southwest Florida that fits in their budget can feel like looking for gold at the end of a rainbow. “Rent’s terrible,” one resident told WINK News. A report from Florida Atlantic University, University of Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast University shows rent in the Fort Myers-Cape Coral area is quickly squeezing more and more out of Southwest Floridians’ wallets. Credit: Waller, Weeks and Johnson Rental Index “Whenever you go into the market to rent housing here, the prices are going up,” said FGCU Professor of Real Estate Dr. Shelton Weeks, Ph.D. “Unfortunately, that trend is continuing.” Credit: Waller, Weeks and Johnson Rental Index Every month, the three universities release the Waller, Weeks and Johnson Rental Index which breaks down the changes in rent in the country’s largest metropolitan areas. The Fort Myers-Cape Coral metro area has seen 13.1 percent increase in rent in April 2023 compared to the same time the year before, putting the area at the top of the year-over-year change list. From March 2023 to April 2023, rent went up 0.13 percent. North Port, Florida rent went down 0.48 percent. Credit: Waller, Weeks and Johnson Rental Index “Our average rent is now above $2,300 whereas based on the historical trend, we’d expect it to barely be over $2,000,” Dr. Weeks recalled from the report. That number does not include utilities. “You think about trying to budget for that if you’re in this market, it’s going to be very challenging,” Dr. Weeks added. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says if someone is putting more than 30 percent of their income toward rent, they’re considered “rent burdened.” According to the Waller, Weeks and Johnson Rental Index, you’d need to make $92,904.83 in the Fort Myers-Cape Coral metro area in order to not have that label. “The next column is ‘severely rent burdened.’ HUD describes that as an individual having to pay more than 50 percent of their gross [income] to cover housing expenses,” Dr. Weeks said looking at the report. “You see when you look at that number it’s almost $56,000 in Southwest Florida and again that’s without utilities. You put utilities there and that number is in the mid $60,000.” Job search website Zip Recruiter lists the average salary for Southwest Florida at $44,487. “Quite simply people have to move where they can afford to live,” said Dr. Weeks. “It means that it’s going to be harder for our first responders, our teachers, the folks that wait on us in the restaurants, where are they going to live?” Hurricane Ian made this rental crisis even worse. Dr. Weeks said Southwest Florida lost thousands of apartments and homes. “Whenever you have a storm event like Ian, you are going to lose some units. In particular, the units that you lose tend to be ones of maybe lower quality, older structures, which, unfortunately, are probably the most affordable from a rental standpoint,” Dr. Weeks aded. And there’s no easy way to fix the problem. “The only answer for us in terms of addressing the problem is to add supply to the housing market,” Dr. Weeks added. “To add supply to the housing market, it takes years. We have to figure out how to do that more efficiently and as fast as possible.” Dr. Weeks believes that needs to include all types of housing, places Southwest Floridians can rent like apartments as well as homes and condominiums they can buy.