Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCUFGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCU San Carlos Park Fire District responded to a dumpster fire Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS FGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony Graduation is a right of passage from school to the real world, but for these students, reality hit them in 2020.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcycle crash leaves 1 dead One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Charlotte County.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Know your risk Hurricane season starts on June 1st, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the week of May 5 through May 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day, Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler will be highlighting ways to stay prepared ahead of this year’s hurricane season.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Stay alert – chance of showers and storms on Sunday Hot, humid, and more rain for parts of Southwest Florida on Sunday.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCU San Carlos Park Fire District responded to a dumpster fire Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS FGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony Graduation is a right of passage from school to the real world, but for these students, reality hit them in 2020.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcycle crash leaves 1 dead One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Charlotte County.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Know your risk Hurricane season starts on June 1st, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the week of May 5 through May 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day, Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler will be highlighting ways to stay prepared ahead of this year’s hurricane season.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Stay alert – chance of showers and storms on Sunday Hot, humid, and more rain for parts of Southwest Florida on Sunday.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
TALLAHASSEE — Talks are ongoing in advance of a special legislative session about how much money would be needed to reduce a backlog of grant applications from Floridians looking to upgrade their homes to help lower insurance premiums. State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis on Tuesday wouldn’t say how much money the Department of Financial Services, which he heads, is seeking to address the more than 17,000 applications that await funding or have been submitted as part of the My Safe Florida Home program. But the program has used most of the $215 million it has received for grants since it was relaunched last year during the first of two 2022 special sessions on the state’s property-insurance problems. The program has resulted in an average reduction in premiums of just over $1,000. Patronis said he’d like “to add a little bit extra to it to carry us through” to the 2024 regular session, which will start in January. Florida CFO and Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis. (Public domain) “’It’s still in the works. We just sat down with Senate appropriations staff yesterday,” Patronis said after speaking to the Capital Tiger Bay Club at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee. “How can we touch more people? Do we need to revisit the different eligibility categories?” Patronis said. “Are there other ways that we can play with it? Maybe we can touch more people and stretch those dollars out.” Republican legislative leaders on Friday announced lawmakers will hold a special session starting Nov. 6 on a series of issues, including the My Safe Florida Home program. Other issues include increasing state sanctions against Iran amid the war between Israel and Hamas; providing additional assistance to people and communities affected by Hurricane Idalia; and increasing the number of children served by the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities voucher program. In memos about the special session, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, pointed to a “backlog” of applications for the My Safe Florida Home program. The program initially was created in 2006 with $250 million but did not receive additional funding in the ensuing years, according to a House staff analysis. The program was re-established as an insurance patch during a May 2022 special session and received $115 million for grants. An additional $100 million went into the program as part of the state’s fiscal 2023-2024 budget, which took effect July 1. Data from the Insurance Information Institute, an industry organization, puts Florida’s home insurance — including windstorm coverage, but not flood protection — at an average cost of $6,000 a year. The average is 42 percent higher than in 2022. The national average is $1,700 a year, which grew by 11 percent from 2022. Among other things, the My Safe Florida Home program provides grants to help pay for such things as reinforcing roof-to-wall connections, upgrading roof coverings and upgrading doors and windows, according to the program’s website. Patronis said inspections are ongoing, while adding “there’s definitely more demand than there’s dollars in the bank.” As of Monday, with 20,926 My Safe Florida grants approved, $209 million has been obligated to homeowners in various stages of completing work. Another 17,617 grant applications are considered “submitted” or are awaiting funding. Meanwhile, inspections have been completed on 84,707 homes, with another 12,419 in the pipeline. Patronis said he would like lawmakers during the 2024 regular session to provide money for the program on an annual recurring basis. “I truly feel like the Legislature likes this program,” said Patronis, a former state House member whose department oversees the grant program. “They see they’ve seen the value because of the drop in premium price.” About $25.7 million in reimbursements have been sent to 2,881 homeowners, an average of $9,137. Of those homeowners, 1,468 have disclosed insurance premium discounts, which the department puts at $1,014 annually. The department said the process from initial home inspection through grant approval, construction and reimbursement is an average of 118 business days. ©2023 The News Service of Florida. All rights reserved