Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s DegreeLCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
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.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
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 Broadcasting Company, the parent company of WINK-TV and an affiliated company with Gulfshore Business, just paid $18.5 million for its future new home and broadcast center.   The 57,260-square-foot building and adjacent 5.6-acre parking lot, 12641 Corporate Lakes Drive, previously had served home to a Comcast service and dispatch center. The building is off Daniels Parkway, about 3.5 miles east of Interstate 75. Elm Tree Capital LLC, the seller, removed the building and parking lot parcels from its portfolio of properties, a process that added a few weeks to getting the deal done. The off-market deal ended a search for the CBS-TV affiliate to find a suitable new home after Hurricane Ian flooded the station’s current home near downtown Fort Myers. Enn Luthringer, a commercial real estate broker and partner with CRE Consultants, brokered the deal on behalf of Fort Myers Broadcasting Company, the last family-owned TV broadcaster in Southwest Florida. “We beat the bushes to find this,” Luthringer said. “That was not on the market. So we contacted everyone who had a big enough office. “I’m just happy to find this facility in time for the upcoming hurricane season. The location, based on being as far away from the water line as possible—they’re not going to get flooded again.” Luthringer also looked at a nearby building that had been used by Alta Resources. But the former Comcast building better suited the TV station’s needs, with a higher ceiling in which to build the future TV studio. Other than those two buildings, Luthringer could not find any other suitable, existing office buildings on the market in central Southwest Florida. “This was a better location for a broadcast studio,” Luthringer said. “It has an additional parking lot that is 5.67 acres. So that needs to be factored into the overall deal.” Constructing a building that size from scratch in today’s market would cost at least about $300 per square foot—or north of $17 million. But the construction time would have been about two years. The transition into this building should happen within one year, said Mark Gilson, operations manager at WINK-TV. “The move, meticulously planned and executed, will begin immediately and unfold over the course of the next year,” Gilson said. “As each department’s space is fully built out in the new center, they will seamlessly transition into their new environment. This phased approached ensures minimal disruption to our operations and continuity of services for our viewers and listeners.” WINK-TV has been broadcasting from 2824 Palm Beach Blvd. since 1954. The long-term future use of that 32,551-square-foot building remains uncertain. “We have not determined the best use for the future of the building,” Gilson said of the current location. “The use remains an open canvas. However, our broadcasting headquarters are moving to the Gateway facility.” WINK-TV already had intended to renovate the existing building before the storm, Gilson said. “Hurricane Ian’s impact on our current facility was a stark reminder of nature’s unpredictable power,” he said. “While we have significantly grown our operations over the past 70 years, the storm underscored the inevitability of our need for a larger, more resilient facility. In a way, Hurricane Ian accelerated our decision-making process, nudging us toward the inevitable transition sooner than anticipated.” The new location also will become home to Fort Myers Broadcasting’s other broadcast properties, including WINK FM, WTLQ FM, WAVV FM and Winknews.com.