PORT CHARLOTTE Sweet’s Diner in Port Charlotte reopens After months of fundraising and rebuilding, this diner, which had a car fly-through it, is back open.
FWC pushing to protect Florida’s endangered manatees Florida Fish and Wildlife is pushing to protect endangered manatees. One danger that animals face is when boats bash into them, leaving deep scars across their backs.
FORT MYERS The Fort Myers Fire Department looks towards new year Fighting fires is always top of mind for the Fort Myers Fire Department. The Fort Myers Fire Department leads the way when it comes to protecting your property when a fire breaks out.
WINK NEWS Palisades Wildfire devastates SWFL family Just hours after evacuating their Malibu home, the Wohl family learned they would never go back.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral expands with development The Cove at 47th The Cove sits in south Cape Coral between Cape Coral Parkway and Southeast 47th Terrace right next to Cork Soakers.
ESTERO 1 injured after shooting at Coconut Point Mall According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, one person has been injured after a shooting at the Coconut Point Mall on Friday.
FORT MYERS ‘Operation Ghost Buster’: 16 arrested in Fort Myers drug operation The Fort Myers Police Department Narcotics Unit conducted an operation targeting drug traffickers and individuals unlawfully selling and possessing firearms in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS ‘A Distinctive Honor’: Bank of America award benefits FSW Nursing Program Bank of America has been awarded Florida Southwestern State College the 2024 Neighborhood Champion Award.
CAPTIVA One step closer to decision on South Seas building density After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge said he stood by his earlier decision in favor of the Captiva Civic Association.
Governor signs death warrant for man accused of 1997 killing of 2 in Charlotte County Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the death warrant for a man accused of killing two people in Charlotte County in 1997.
Community input needed for renaming Challenger Boulevard While Lee Health continues construction on the area’s newest hospital, there are decisions to be made.
ESTERO SWFL Lady Hammerheads find community through rugby The southwest Florida Lady Hammerheads are the Florida Women’s Rugby Union’s newest team.
Heavy law enforcement presence near Arcadia Popeyes According to the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, there is a heavy law enforcement presence near a Popeyes restaurant.
Punta Gorda City Council searches for new home Punta Gorda City Council sought a temporary solution when it was unable to meet Jan. 9 at the Military Heritage Museum because elevators weren’t working, which would have been a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Heavy metal drummer turns Winkler House into Stet’s Bar rock venue Stet Howland, who as a drummer has an affinity for heavy metal music, bought a longtime Fort Myers dive bar and then transformed it into a haven for rock and roll.
PORT CHARLOTTE Sweet’s Diner in Port Charlotte reopens After months of fundraising and rebuilding, this diner, which had a car fly-through it, is back open.
FWC pushing to protect Florida’s endangered manatees Florida Fish and Wildlife is pushing to protect endangered manatees. One danger that animals face is when boats bash into them, leaving deep scars across their backs.
FORT MYERS The Fort Myers Fire Department looks towards new year Fighting fires is always top of mind for the Fort Myers Fire Department. The Fort Myers Fire Department leads the way when it comes to protecting your property when a fire breaks out.
WINK NEWS Palisades Wildfire devastates SWFL family Just hours after evacuating their Malibu home, the Wohl family learned they would never go back.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral expands with development The Cove at 47th The Cove sits in south Cape Coral between Cape Coral Parkway and Southeast 47th Terrace right next to Cork Soakers.
ESTERO 1 injured after shooting at Coconut Point Mall According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, one person has been injured after a shooting at the Coconut Point Mall on Friday.
FORT MYERS ‘Operation Ghost Buster’: 16 arrested in Fort Myers drug operation The Fort Myers Police Department Narcotics Unit conducted an operation targeting drug traffickers and individuals unlawfully selling and possessing firearms in Fort Myers.
FORT MYERS ‘A Distinctive Honor’: Bank of America award benefits FSW Nursing Program Bank of America has been awarded Florida Southwestern State College the 2024 Neighborhood Champion Award.
CAPTIVA One step closer to decision on South Seas building density After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge said he stood by his earlier decision in favor of the Captiva Civic Association.
Governor signs death warrant for man accused of 1997 killing of 2 in Charlotte County Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the death warrant for a man accused of killing two people in Charlotte County in 1997.
Community input needed for renaming Challenger Boulevard While Lee Health continues construction on the area’s newest hospital, there are decisions to be made.
ESTERO SWFL Lady Hammerheads find community through rugby The southwest Florida Lady Hammerheads are the Florida Women’s Rugby Union’s newest team.
Heavy law enforcement presence near Arcadia Popeyes According to the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, there is a heavy law enforcement presence near a Popeyes restaurant.
Punta Gorda City Council searches for new home Punta Gorda City Council sought a temporary solution when it was unable to meet Jan. 9 at the Military Heritage Museum because elevators weren’t working, which would have been a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Heavy metal drummer turns Winkler House into Stet’s Bar rock venue Stet Howland, who as a drummer has an affinity for heavy metal music, bought a longtime Fort Myers dive bar and then transformed it into a haven for rock and roll.
(AP Photo/Byron Houlgrave) Florida’s governor ended his White House run on Sunday, leaving people wondering what Ron DeSantis is going to do next. DeSantis started his presidential campaign with an event on X, crashing the app. He made more headlines for the large amount of cash he raised. Using Florida as the blueprint, DeSantis showed the country how he would run the nation. Despite his best efforts, DeSantis was throttled by 30 points in the Iowa Caucus. Florida’s governor still has three years left in his term, but his eyes could still be set on Washington, D.C., with a bit of a different role. WINK News spoke with Dave Vasquez, the press secretary of DeSantis’ Super Pac, Never Back Down. He said there’s the possibility the governor will run again in 2028, but for now, focusing on Florida is all that DeSantis has in mind. “While this campaign has ended. The mission continues down here in Florida. We will continue to show the country how to lead,” said DeSantis. “He was one of the strongest and most powerful governors the last two or three years,” said University of Central Florida political scientist Aubrey Jewett. WINK News asked Vasquez what went wrong with the campaign. Vasquez explained that mistakes were made. “I don’t believe that really had a massive impact on the election,” said Vasquez. Is it as simple as Doland Trump being the reason DeSantis couldn’t get the support he needed? “It’s not so much that folks didn’t connect with Governor DeSantis. It’s more that they see Donald Trump as the path towards rectifying a lot of these issues that they see in the country,” said Vasquez. An NBC News poll backs up Vasquez’s point. Up until March 2023, DeSantis was right there with Trump. Then, the Manhattan DA got an indictment. “The indictments that have transpired from that point, until now, truly lead a lot of Americans to believe that this is just being carried out as political retribution against Donald Trump,” said Vasquez. Republicans rallied to Trump’s side. That brings us to the present. So, what’s next for DeSantis? “You’re gonna see a governor who’s focused and laser-focused on the issues that matter most to Floridians, including education, the economy and battling Bidenomicss at the moment,” said Vasquez. DeSantis still believes in his Florida blueprint. But DeSantis will not be Making America Florida in 2024. Vasquez told WINK News there’s a very good chance Trump will be the Republican nominee and the next president. However, should Trump lose to Biden, would that give DeSantis an I-told-you-so moment? Not according to Vasquez. That’s not who DeSantis is, he said. Trump now has DeSantis’s full support.