CAPTIVA Voting to restore the beaches of Captiva Island On the way to Captiva Beach, you see sign after sign reminding people to speak up and nourish the beach.
NAPLES Barron Collier boy’s tennis wins 3A State Title The Barron Collier boy’s tennis team won the Class 3A State Championship for the program’s first title since 2014.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot’s baseball team falls in state semifinal It was a heartbreaker for Bishop Verot’s baseball team in Hammond on Tuesday. The Vikings fell to North Broward Prep 4-1 in the 3A state semifinal.
Collier commissioners consider guesthouse rentals in Urban Estates Collier commissioners moved forward with a plan to allow urban estates homeowners to rent guesthouses to address a critical shortage of workforce housing.
LCSO needs help locating man wanted for animal cruelty The Lee County Sheriff’s office is looking for a man who is wanted for violating the conditions of his release from jail after he was arrested for animal cruelty.
LOS ANGELES (AP) Matthew Perry’s death under investigation over ketamine level found in actor’s blood An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
Contractor arrested after pointing gun, following man home; records show A contractor was arrested after pointing a gun at a man and following him home, according to a probable cause affidavit.
FORT MYERS What you need to know about the Caloosahatchee Bridge closure The Florida Department of Transportation has made the decision to close the Caloosahatchee Bridge for 10 weeks while crews work on the bridge. Here’s what you need to know.
Lee County allocates $41.6M in federal money for affordable housing The money comes from the federal government’s Department of Housing and Urban Development. Lee County commissioners voted 5-0 in allocating the money, part of a $1.1 billion Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery fund.
Poached closing longtime restaurant in North Naples Poached soon is going to be toast—as in defunct. The local breakfast-lunch restaurant is permanently closing next week in Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt in North Naples.
PINE ISLAND ‘We’re Pine Island proud,’ Pine Island artists paint power poles Relaunching 20 years later, Pine Island artists have been painting power poles up and down Stringfellow Road to bring back color and vibrancy after Hurricane Ian.
Naples Airport presented with 4 site options in eastern Collier County Environmental Science Associates conducted an exploratory study and met with landowners interested in selling land. ESA whittled that to a list of four sites for a general airport.
Expert: Buying or renting depends on your situation Shelton Weeks, Lucas professor of real estate and director of the Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development and Finance, is asked a lot by students whether they should rent or buy.
Attorneys offer update on Bonita Estero Rail Trail project The proposed project hit a milestone in February when the Trust for Public Land secured a purchase and sale agreement for $82 million with the Seminole Gulf Railway on a 14.9-mile segment stretching from Alico Road to Collier County for conversion to a hiking and biking trail.
NAPLES Woman arrested for stealing over $150K from Naples Ballet The Naples Police Department arrested a woman for allegedly stealing over $150,000 from the Naples Ballet, a non-profit organization.
CAPTIVA Voting to restore the beaches of Captiva Island On the way to Captiva Beach, you see sign after sign reminding people to speak up and nourish the beach.
NAPLES Barron Collier boy’s tennis wins 3A State Title The Barron Collier boy’s tennis team won the Class 3A State Championship for the program’s first title since 2014.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot’s baseball team falls in state semifinal It was a heartbreaker for Bishop Verot’s baseball team in Hammond on Tuesday. The Vikings fell to North Broward Prep 4-1 in the 3A state semifinal.
Collier commissioners consider guesthouse rentals in Urban Estates Collier commissioners moved forward with a plan to allow urban estates homeowners to rent guesthouses to address a critical shortage of workforce housing.
LCSO needs help locating man wanted for animal cruelty The Lee County Sheriff’s office is looking for a man who is wanted for violating the conditions of his release from jail after he was arrested for animal cruelty.
LOS ANGELES (AP) Matthew Perry’s death under investigation over ketamine level found in actor’s blood An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
Contractor arrested after pointing gun, following man home; records show A contractor was arrested after pointing a gun at a man and following him home, according to a probable cause affidavit.
FORT MYERS What you need to know about the Caloosahatchee Bridge closure The Florida Department of Transportation has made the decision to close the Caloosahatchee Bridge for 10 weeks while crews work on the bridge. Here’s what you need to know.
Lee County allocates $41.6M in federal money for affordable housing The money comes from the federal government’s Department of Housing and Urban Development. Lee County commissioners voted 5-0 in allocating the money, part of a $1.1 billion Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery fund.
Poached closing longtime restaurant in North Naples Poached soon is going to be toast—as in defunct. The local breakfast-lunch restaurant is permanently closing next week in Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt in North Naples.
PINE ISLAND ‘We’re Pine Island proud,’ Pine Island artists paint power poles Relaunching 20 years later, Pine Island artists have been painting power poles up and down Stringfellow Road to bring back color and vibrancy after Hurricane Ian.
Naples Airport presented with 4 site options in eastern Collier County Environmental Science Associates conducted an exploratory study and met with landowners interested in selling land. ESA whittled that to a list of four sites for a general airport.
Expert: Buying or renting depends on your situation Shelton Weeks, Lucas professor of real estate and director of the Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development and Finance, is asked a lot by students whether they should rent or buy.
Attorneys offer update on Bonita Estero Rail Trail project The proposed project hit a milestone in February when the Trust for Public Land secured a purchase and sale agreement for $82 million with the Seminole Gulf Railway on a 14.9-mile segment stretching from Alico Road to Collier County for conversion to a hiking and biking trail.
NAPLES Woman arrested for stealing over $150K from Naples Ballet The Naples Police Department arrested a woman for allegedly stealing over $150,000 from the Naples Ballet, a non-profit organization.
Many sighs of relief Sunday night as a plane full of people traveling from Israel landed at Tampa International Airport. As many as 270 people were on the charter flight traveling from Tel Aviv to Portugal to Tampa, many of them residents of Florida. The breakdown of the passenger list showed the following statistics: 75% Floridians 91 children 4 dogs WINK News’ Claire Galt was the only Southwest Florida reporter on the tarmac at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ invitation as the flight arrived. It is the first state-coordinated one but not the last. “I am proud of how quickly we have been able to activate resources and do what the federal government could not: get Floridians and other Americans back home, reunited with their families, free of charge,” said DeSantis. And, back on American soil, where there isn’t the constant fear of bombs, missiles or war, there is a sense of relief but also concern. “I left because of the kids,” said Marianne Hollou. “It’s very emotional to be here, to be away from all of them. I have family back there as well.” Hollou and her family split their time between Miami and Tel Aviv. When Hamas launched its terror attack a week ago Saturday, she knew they had to get out. “Very thankful but I feel very guilty,” she added. The Governor said he anticipates hundreds of Floridians will fly back to Florida in the next few days. WINK News asked how he sees the war ending. “Well, I think, I mean, how it should end is that Hamas should be eradicated, and the whole infrastructure of terrorism should be eliminated. That’s ultimately what you have to do Sunday’s flight was coordinated in partnership with Project Dynamo, a search, rescue, aid and assistance non-profit. “We have a dedicated team of volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure the well-being of Americans caught in crisis situations all over the world,” said Bryan Stern, Project Dynamo CEO and Founder. “It’s truly heart-wrenching to watch the destruction unfolding in Israel. We’re so grateful to Governor DeSantis for partnering with us on this mission to save every American in need.” First state-coordinated flight from Israel – CREDIT: WINK News DeSantis announced on X, Thursday, that he approved an executive order authorizing rescue operations in Israel. DeSantis said the operations will “bring Floridians home and transport supplies to our allies.” This comes as the U.S. State Department on Sunday upped the number of Americans killed to 30 in the Hamas attack on Israel. Hamas terrorists have murdered over 1,400 Israelis since the Oct. 7 assault on Israel. WINK News spoke with Bryan Stern, the head of Project Dynamo, about the rescue mission. “Two hundred seventy Americans and one shot, it’s the largest rescue Dynamo’s ever done,” said Stern. “I can’t thank the Governor enough. I can’t thank his team enough. His team has been great, different parts of the Florida state machine. My team, we’ve been working really hard. I haven’t slept in four days. We’re just really, really, really happy to be home.” The Governor’s Office has released a link for those needing evacuation. Click here to fill out the form.