NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
COLLIER COUNTY 13th dead Florida panther of 2024 found Saturday; deaths now match 2023’s annual total Wildlife officials discovered the 13 dead endangered Florida panther of the year, matching 2023’s total reported mortalities less than halfway into the year.
NORTH PORT Entryway work temporarily closes North Port Library The North Port Library will be closed through Saturday while work is being done to the entryway. During the closure books and other borrowed items can be returned to nearby locations.
NAPLES Turtle Club in Naples reopens Following a 19-month closure because of Hurricane Ian, the Turtle Club has reopened.
FORT MYERS BEACH Hurricane season preparations at Lee County construction sites Many already know the drill when hurricane season is around the corner.
SANIBEL Bones found on Sanibel concern beachgoers A husband and wife found what appeared to be bones. What type and where they came from is being investigated.
FGCU FGCU president reflects on first year with graduating class Alico Arena was packed this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast University graduated 1,900 students in four ceremonies.
Reverse shoulder replacement offers new approach to pain management Shoulder replacement is the third most common replacement in the US, following hip and knee replacement.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Lee County teachers bargain for new raises Kevin Daly is the voice of the Lee County Teachers Union, and he says he knows firsthand the struggle teachers experience across the state.
FORT MYERS New Starbucks off Colonial expected to add to traffic headaches It’s a venti-sized traffic nightmare. That’s how Gina O’Donnell envisions the future of this plaza.
NAPLES Feeding families through Meals of Hope They’re a Naples-based non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger both locally and throughout the country.
Family dealing with two losses in quick succession A teenager will not get to celebrate turning 21 years old with friends, can’t put a smile on his family member’s faces and will never get to see his mother again.
JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah Israeli leaders approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday, hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.
FORT MYERS Middle school tech worker uses CPR skills to save pickleball player’s life It was the right place, at the right time, and that right place was near the pickleball court.
EVERGLADES Big Sugar’s lawsuit for control over Lake Okeechobee water A local non-profit is calling one lawsuit a battle for who controls the water in the State of Florida. Three major sugar companies filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the design and intended use of the Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA) Reservoir.
NAPLES Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program returns to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Sunday was a day to remember the six million men, women and children lost in the Holocaust.
COLLIER COUNTY 13th dead Florida panther of 2024 found Saturday; deaths now match 2023’s annual total Wildlife officials discovered the 13 dead endangered Florida panther of the year, matching 2023’s total reported mortalities less than halfway into the year.
NORTH PORT Entryway work temporarily closes North Port Library The North Port Library will be closed through Saturday while work is being done to the entryway. During the closure books and other borrowed items can be returned to nearby locations.
As home values go up and it cost more to make repairs after a disaster, some Southwest Florida homeowners struggle to find policies with Florida-based insurance companies. One Naples homeowner said he’s having trouble getting his company to send a check to repair his extensive Ian damage. The day Ian hit Richard Ribellino is no stranger to loss. On September 28, 2022, he and his family were in New Jersey. Ribellino shows his home’s damage. Credit: WINK News “We were attending a funeral,” Ribellino said. “Of course, we’re watching what’s going on down here with the news and decided to just hang back.” A few days later, they came back to Hurricane Ian’s destruction all over Naples and all around their home. Ribellino’s furniture floating The Damage “There was furniture floating,” Ribellino described. “There was a terrible, terrible odor from whatever came in here. I don’t know if it was sewage or if it was just from the canal and seawater. It was just unbearable. So, of course, we couldn’t stay here. We had to evacuate the home because it was unlivable.” Ribellino’s furniture floating They moved in with friends and family but eventually bought another home in the Golden Gate area. Now Ribellino pays two home mortgages, one of which is a construction zone. He hired a public adjuster and filed a claim with his homeowners insurance company, Lloyd’s of London. Like the name of the company suggests, it’s based in England. Insurance Issues Mark Friedlander with the Insurance Information Institute told WINK News Consumer Reporter Andryanna Sheppard that the company writes reinsurance, which is insurance for the insurance companies, as well as surplus lines coverage for people around the world. Surplus line carriers write policies in parts of the country that are considered high-risk and where homeowners cannot find traditional insurance. Ribellino’s child’s bedroom. Credit: WINK News “If you have a million-dollar home, you need to go to another market,” Friedlander added. “Most Florida residential insurers will not write high-risk coastal homes in Florida. So, you need to go to the surplus lines market and Lloyd’s is a big element of that.” “To repair my home here, it was over a million dollars to fix. The insurance company came back and thought it was $200,000 to $300,000 to fix, which is quite different,” Ribellino said. “We put in for our contents, roughly $400,000 and they came back with $100,000.” Another damaged room in Ribellino’s home. Credit: WINK News Surplus Carriers Data from the Insurance Information Institute shows about nine percent of total homeowners premiums are written by surplus lines carriers. That number is growing. Friedlander said Lloyd’s of London is the biggest supplier in the United States. “40 percent of Lloyd’s total global premium is written in the U.S. So, they have a very strong presence here,” Friedlander added. Ribellino has two policies with Lloyd’s of London, homeowners and excess flood. His primary flood policy is with a Florida company. He is not having much success getting a check from Lloyd’s to fix his house. “We lost everything down here. Everything was trashed from the storm,” said Ribellino. “Everything got wet, damaged or broken.” Ribellino’s furniture floating And now, crickets. “Now they’re not answering our calls. They’re not answering my [public] adjuster. They’re completely ignoring us,” Ribellino said in frustration. Ribellino’s first floor. Credit: WINK News WINK News Consumer Reporter Andryanna Sheppard reached out to Lloyd’s of London to get some answers. The company told her it’s “not at liberty to discuss individual policies or policyholders.” Ribellino hopes he’ll hear from the company soon so his family can move back home. If you would like to share your insurance situation with Andryanna Sheppard, you can do so through this form.