ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Cindee Murphy traveled to Tallahassee to deliver a message to lawmakers: Keep those who are mentally ill out of prison Get help for inmates already in custody Murphy shared her son’s story before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice in January. “He suffered from schizophrenia, and was on medication and doing well for a while and then his condition deteriorated,” explained the heartbroken mother. “In December, 2019, he went to the Charlotte County Jail in his pickup truck, and rolled his pickup truck into the pond.” Tristin would ultimately be convicted and sentenced to prison time. He was transferred to the Florida Department of Corrections and placed on work duty. We are treating people who are mentally ill like criminals. Cindee Murphy, Mom “There were about 30 inmates there were asked by the prison guard, ‘does anybody know how to start a chainsaw?’ and Tristin did know how to do that,” Cindee told lawmakers, “because he had been trying to develop a tree trimming company before all this started. He volunteered and immediately put the chainsaw to his neck and severed his neck, went over and sat on the bench and bled out.” Cindee’s plea to lawmakers Make changes. Cindee recommended new, injectable medications for schizophrenia that last longer and eliminate lapses in medication. She also noted the need for a better, electronic records system which would eliminate the need for passing around paper documents. And, she’d like to see changes to the Baker Act. “We are treating people who are mentally ill like criminals. That has to be number one. The change. Then, how do we focus on helping these people?” she said. “Incarcerating them? You know that this is not working. It’s not getting them help so that when they can get back in the community, they can function better.” State Senator Jonathan Martin agreed. While he is firm on punishment for crimes, he added, “They can learn from their mistakes and contribute to society. The mental health component is very important to address because a lot of people are in prison, a lot more in jails around the state of Florida. Day in and day out, (there are) repeat offenders because of mental health issues.” From the beginning, that has been a major concern for Cindee Murphy. She said she felt Tristin with her as she fought his battle in Tallahassee. “I think he would have been proud of me for fighting for him and for fighting for change,” added Cindee, “I think looking down on this, he’d be like, ‘Go, mom.'” Senator Martin backed a bill moving through committees that makes changes to who can petition a court to put someone in involuntary care and would create more oversight of the treatment plan for someone who is mentally ill. How far would that half a billion dollars go, if we directed it towards mental health and rehab in the prison system? Sen. Jonathan Martin, (R) Fort Myers Cindee told WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar she did not know how her trip to Tallahassee would go, but what she found is lawmakers who want change the system for inmates with mental illness. “I went up there with low expectations because I had been warned that mental health issues aren’t jazzy, particularly if they’re linked to criminal justice issues. I really went up there thinking all I would do is hand out some cards to people. But when I got up there, I found just the opposite. I found lots of people who are very, very interested in these issues,” she shared, “Of course, I got to speak before the Appropriations Committee for criminal civil justice. It was in the same room with the Department of Corrections and some of the people that had been involved in Tristin’s journey and got to say, my piece or share my thoughts, which was therapeutic.” Cindee tristin murphy Senator Johnathan Martin mentioned a report from KPMG, a global audit firm, which audited the state prison system. According to the KPMG report, the state would need to pay anywhere between $6 billion and nearly $12 billion to fix prison infrastructure and address staffing. “In the presentation to the Appropriations and Criminal Justice Committee in the Senate, a lot of their discussion was focused on facilities and moving forward with increasing the quality of facilities, which needs to take place. But there’s also a very large increase that they recommended to air condition our prison facilities,” said Martin. “So, there’s a discussion about should we spend about half a billion dollars with air conditioning facilities. How far would that half a billion dollars go, if we directed it towards mental health and rehab in the prison system? Because we spend a lot less money than that every single year on those important things,” continued Martin. “My priority is less on air conditioning and prisons and more on rehabilitation and mental health treatment. There is a component that you can clearly upgrade the facilities and make sure that they’re serving to protect the community, but also, they’re cost effective. They’re designed to be cost effective. As far as heating and cooling and ventilation,” added Martin. Related: The blurry line between being a criminal and needing mental health help Some of that money, Senator Martin said, can also help with mental health staffing levels in the Florida prison system. “Yeah, there’s definitely a shortage of providers and a criminal justice system with the mental health background in training and education,” he added. “So, making sure that we’re doing what we can to make sure that we have mental health providers that are there from the very beginning. The county level, in the court system all the way through the sentencing phase,” added the lawmaker. “If they committed a felony, and they need to have state probation or state prison.”