Punta Gorda to repair old city hall buildingSWFL teen injured in New Orleans terror attack released from hospital
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda to repair old city hall building The City of Punta Gorda is scrapping plans to build a new city hall.
SWFL teen injured in New Orleans terror attack released from hospital According to the mom of one of the teens injured in the New Orleans Terror attack on New Year’s Day, she has been released from the hospital.
NAPLES Jay Leno comedy show coming to Southwest Florida One of the most famous comedians in the world is coming to Southwest Florida.
SOUTH NAPLES Collier neighbors anticipating second Costco location Members of a community are waiting for one of the most popular wholesale stores, but there is something standing in the way.
AVE MARIA Caught on camera: Massive gator seen in front of Ave Maria home A massive alligator was seen using a walking path in front of an Ave Maria home, and it was all caught on camera.
NCAA approves plan to pay women’s basketball tournament teams In a historic unanimous vote, the NCAA approves of a plan to pay women’s basketball teams that compete in March Madness.
FORT MYERS City of Fort Myers announces Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival The City of Fort Myers invites the public to the 21st anniversary of the Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival in downtown Fort Myers.
MATLACHA Neighbors to protest delay in repairs to Matlacha Pass Bridge People are set to take the streets and protest the delay in repairs to the Matlacha Pass Bridge.
Port Authority postpones talk of RSW’s $346M, four-year delayed terminal expansion Lee County and Port Authority Commissioner Brian Hamman finally had a public forum to get some answers on why a construction project went more than $346 million over budget and will be more than four years behind schedule to complete.
DeSantis responds to question on possible Sheriff Marceno suspension Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed calls for the suspension of Lee County’s sheriff amid an FBI investigation into his office.
Annette’s Beach Book Nook celebrates grand reopening on Fort Myers Beach From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 18, Annette Stillson finally will be celebrating the grand reopening of the new-look Annette’s Beach Book Nook.
Punta Gorda renowned media artist finds safe haven for work Former businessman and artist David Sussman, known for his photography on canvas and coffee-table photography books, has found a safe, flood-proof homestead after he lost several homes and studios to hurricanes.
Mugshot released of man accused of injuring deputy then leading multi-county chase The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has released the mugshot of Fritzson Paul, the man accused of leading deputies on a multi-county chase stemming from a carjacking.
FORT MYERS FDOT hosts ribbon-cutting ceremony for Caloosahatchee River Bridge sidewalk project The Florida Department of Transportation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Caloosahatchee River Bridge and the New Sidewalk Project.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda to repair old city hall building The City of Punta Gorda is scrapping plans to build a new city hall.
SWFL teen injured in New Orleans terror attack released from hospital According to the mom of one of the teens injured in the New Orleans Terror attack on New Year’s Day, she has been released from the hospital.
NAPLES Jay Leno comedy show coming to Southwest Florida One of the most famous comedians in the world is coming to Southwest Florida.
SOUTH NAPLES Collier neighbors anticipating second Costco location Members of a community are waiting for one of the most popular wholesale stores, but there is something standing in the way.
AVE MARIA Caught on camera: Massive gator seen in front of Ave Maria home A massive alligator was seen using a walking path in front of an Ave Maria home, and it was all caught on camera.
NCAA approves plan to pay women’s basketball tournament teams In a historic unanimous vote, the NCAA approves of a plan to pay women’s basketball teams that compete in March Madness.
FORT MYERS City of Fort Myers announces Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival The City of Fort Myers invites the public to the 21st anniversary of the Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival in downtown Fort Myers.
MATLACHA Neighbors to protest delay in repairs to Matlacha Pass Bridge People are set to take the streets and protest the delay in repairs to the Matlacha Pass Bridge.
Port Authority postpones talk of RSW’s $346M, four-year delayed terminal expansion Lee County and Port Authority Commissioner Brian Hamman finally had a public forum to get some answers on why a construction project went more than $346 million over budget and will be more than four years behind schedule to complete.
DeSantis responds to question on possible Sheriff Marceno suspension Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed calls for the suspension of Lee County’s sheriff amid an FBI investigation into his office.
Annette’s Beach Book Nook celebrates grand reopening on Fort Myers Beach From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 18, Annette Stillson finally will be celebrating the grand reopening of the new-look Annette’s Beach Book Nook.
Punta Gorda renowned media artist finds safe haven for work Former businessman and artist David Sussman, known for his photography on canvas and coffee-table photography books, has found a safe, flood-proof homestead after he lost several homes and studios to hurricanes.
Mugshot released of man accused of injuring deputy then leading multi-county chase The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has released the mugshot of Fritzson Paul, the man accused of leading deputies on a multi-county chase stemming from a carjacking.
FORT MYERS FDOT hosts ribbon-cutting ceremony for Caloosahatchee River Bridge sidewalk project The Florida Department of Transportation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Caloosahatchee River Bridge and the New Sidewalk Project.
Parking on Fort Myers Beach. CREDIT: WINK News Fort Myers Beach is looking to get people back on their island, but where the cars will go is a question many are asking. The problem they’re facing is parking spaces. Before Hurricane Ian, the Whale had 18 parking spots, but building back in the aftermath of Ian is different. The current code is asking for 54 parking spaces, and they want that number reduced from 54 to 17, along with two other variances. “As far as the town goes, I think we lost pretty close to about 100 spaces, just for under the town control,” said Frankie Kropacek, the operations and compliance director of Fort Myers Beach, “so we know that the system, for lack of a better term, is kind of broken, but not easy and kind of clean slate of that, so as these businesses start to grow back, we can’t as a town penalize them for something that was made in the past,” said Kropacek. Kropacek said the town has been working on a development plan to come up with a better solution. “So adding kind of new parking areas is really not the solution,” said Kropacek. “It’s trying to reconfigure what we do have to make it the best sense and not penalize businesses trying to come back.” One business impacted by parking space requirements as it tries to rebuild is The Whale. At last week’s local planning agency meeting, owners Mike and Dawn Miller requested three variances from the town. Kropacek told WINK News as Fort Myers Beach grows as an island, they have to think outside the box and look at off-island parking options. “San Carlos Island: that would provide us off-island parking, whether it would be a water taxi possibly coming in this way, whether it would be a tram coming this way to park and ride, so there’s going to be a lot of variables at play, but this is something that, again, we’re still in the preliminary stage, but we hope to get it out really soon,” said Kropacek. The operations and compliance director told WINK News they hope to at least get some definite answers out to the public after the first of the calendar year in 2024.