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.
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.