Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmateConstruction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns
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.
Lee County Parks & Recreation to offer free parking this weekend for certain locations Lee County Parks & Recreation sites offering free swimming or free parking this weekend to include parks, beaches and boat ramps.
Tim Aten Knows: Construction expanding Shoppes at Vanderbilt in North Naples Two outparcel buildings under construction simultaneously on the north and west side of the CVS pharmacy at Airport-Pulling and Vanderbilt Beach roads will have new spaces for restaurants, stores and a variety of additional service concepts at the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt, said P.J. Hill, leasing manager for the sprawling retail center in North Naples.
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.
Lee County Parks & Recreation to offer free parking this weekend for certain locations Lee County Parks & Recreation sites offering free swimming or free parking this weekend to include parks, beaches and boat ramps.
Tim Aten Knows: Construction expanding Shoppes at Vanderbilt in North Naples Two outparcel buildings under construction simultaneously on the north and west side of the CVS pharmacy at Airport-Pulling and Vanderbilt Beach roads will have new spaces for restaurants, stores and a variety of additional service concepts at the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt, said P.J. Hill, leasing manager for the sprawling retail center in North Naples.
For many people, staying in a hotel may conjure up thoughts of vacation, luxury and even room service. But for others, it may unleash memories of a painful past: Florida accounted for over 5% of all human trafficking calls into the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2021. The second most-used venues for trafficking were illicit spas and massage businesses. The first? Hotels and motels. Hotels sued Our community is no exception. About two dozen Collier County hotels were sued in 2020, accused of allowing sex trafficking on their premises. WINK News anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen sat down with one survivor who was sex trafficked for years by people she knew and trusted. We will not identify her. Survivor story “It destroyed me. My first trafficker introduced me to the needle and shooting, so I started shooting meth,” she said. “That took me to places I never ever dreamed of, and I went down into a really deep black hole. I got to the point where I couldn’t make sense of my reality. I thought it was me. I thought that I was literally going insane. I was… I tried to take my life numerous times.” She spent time trapped in her own mind, in abusive, manipulative relationships, and she said, in hotels where nobody helped her. In the end, she saved herself. “Like some kind of weird survival came over me, and I somehow learned how to manipulate my manipulator. I ran for my life,” she added. It’s the law A 2019 Florida law says it’s not supposed to be up to the victim. Hotels should look out for trafficking. They’re required to put up anti-human trafficking signage, train employees to spot signs of trafficking and have a plan in place if it is discovered. If not, they face fines. Out of the 2023 Legislative session – a new law cracks down on hotels not following the rules – cutting the time to get back in compliance in half – and not allowing any second chances before fines. Linda Oberhaus is CEO of The Shelter for Abused Women and Children. She added, “Hotels and motels, they can save lives, and they can save victims years of trauma that they might otherwise experience.” Getting help Oberhaus went on to explain, “They can get very structured services with the staff, therapeutic services, life skills, anything they need to be able to work through the trauma that has occurred and have the skills they need to get back on their feet.” The trauma the survivor Rachel met is working through her experience with the help of the shelter. “I’m becoming stronger on the inside,” she said, “and, you know, that way, I don’t ever have to live my life like this again. There’s no going back for me.” Resources Below are anti-human trafficking and mental health resources available to Southwest Floridians at the national and local levels: The Shelter for Abused Women & Children: naplesshelter.org 1 (888) 373-7888 National Human Trafficking Hotline SMS: 233733 (Text “HELP” or “INFO”) Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week Languages: English, Spanish and 200 more languages Website: http://humantraffickinghotline.org What is Human Trafficking? https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking Human Trafficking in Florida: https://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/human-trafficking/ Path 2 Freedomhttps://www.path2freedom.org/ National Suicide Prevention Hotline1-800-273-8255suicidepreventionlifeline.org David Lawrence Center (Collier County)(239) 455-8500davidlawrencecenter.org National Alliance on Mental Illness – namicollier.org | namilee.org Local Support Groups: Anxiety and Depression Association of Americaadaa.org U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Mental Health and Addiction Insurance Help)hhs.gov/programs/topic-sites/mental-health-parity