16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier CountyNew bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association breaks ground on new Fort Myers headquarters As Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association’s president pointed out, about 1,000 people are still moving to Florida every day, and many of them are finding their way to Southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years A Charlotte County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.
lehigh acres ‘How to sign away parental rights?’; Lehigh Acres woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a woman accused of killing her 4-month-old baby.
Hurricane Season 2023 has officially begun, but Hurricane Ian recovery is far from ending. Many Southwest Florida homeowners blame their insurance companies for the slow recovery. Insurance experts advise homeowners to check their coverage at the beginning of the season and update it as needed. Some have said a lot of Southwest Floridians found out after Ian that they didn’t have enough homeowner’s coverage. One Port Charlotte couple said they did understand their policy before Hurricane Ian. They knew what was in it and they had enough. But now, they believe their insurance company isn’t following its own directions more than eight months later. Peggy and Mike Ludgate, Credit: WINK News Peggy and Mike Ludgate are a very happy and friendly couple but coming out of Hurricane Ian has left them with some emotional scars. “Something blew through the master bedroom window,” Peggy added. “It sounded like a bomb went off.” There are physical scars all around their home as well. “It’s just been like a long, bad nightmare,” Peggy said. “We couldn’t sleep for quite a while,” added Mike. “No, we couldn’t,” Peggy finished. “We had nightmares for months.” Credit: WINK News The nightmares continue as the Ludgates claim they’ve struggled to get their company, SafePoint Insurance, to honor their policy as written. SafePoint sent them a check for $7,449.16. The Ludgates said their estimated damages are about $55,000. “You see how we’re living? Would you want to live this way? We think we’ve paid our insurance in good faith. It’s time for you to pay your share in good faith,” Peggy gestured around her home. “They’re playing games. We’re not trying to get rich off insurance. You hear people say ‘Oh, you know, you got a good claim going here.’ We just want what we deserve. What’s owed to us to recoup our savings that we’d spent and depleted.” One of the Ludgates’ bedrooms after Hurricane Ian They added one of the reasons they went with SafePoint for coverage in the first place was no one would write them a policy since their roof was considered old. Credit: WINK News “We finally got SafePoint, who agreed to insure it at what they said was 30 percent. It actually turned out to be 28 percent that they would pay and we would have to pay the difference, which we understand that. We didn’t know we were going to have to do it so soon,” Peggy said. “Because the [roofing] company did not get paid within 90 days, they liened the house,” added Curt Vogel, the owner of Reliable Insurance Consulting and the Ludgates’ public adjuster. Vogel said SafePoint eventually paid the roofing company and the lien was removed. He said the current battle is replacing the broken windows. He argued SafePoint wants to replace the windows with the same windows. Florida Building Code says if 25 percent or more of the windows in a house need to be replaced after a hurricane, they need to be replaced with hurricane impact windows. Vogel said SafePoint is still refusing even though the policy requires they be replaced with hurricane impact windows. One of the broken windows in need of replacement “We’re only going to replace the windows with like kind and quality,” Vogel recalled from past email conversations with the insurance company. “Which means that they’re only going to put in panes of glass where they can’t.” WINK News called and emailed SafePoint hoping to get answers. A couple of days later, the Ludgates told WINK News the insurance company called and said someone would look more into their case. Now, the couple hopes for the best at mediation. “We want to get this resolved. If we don’t get a result at mediation, we’re going to have to go legal,” Vogel said. The Ludgates updated WINK News that SafePoint accepted their counter offer at the end of May 2023. They said it’s not what they hoped for, but they needed the money. WINK News reached out to SafePoint insurance again. The company said they are not at liberty to discuss pending claims. Data from the Florida Department of Financial Services shows 3,916 homeowners filed complaints against their insurer after Hurricane Ian through May 31, 2023. 43 of those are against SafePoint, including the Ludgates’ complaint. 38 have been resolved.