Cold front brings less humid air this Tuesday afternoonCollier County launches pilot program to fend off mosquitoes, diseases
the weather authority Cold front brings less humid air this Tuesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a cold front, which will bring in less humidity and cooler temperatures this Tuesday.
golden gate city Collier County launches pilot program to fend off mosquitoes, diseases The Collier Mosquito Control District is launching a pilot program to use sterilization to target invasive insects in Golden Gate City.
Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
1 woman unaccounted for following Port Charlotte home fire Firefighters are on the scene of a fire at a Charlotte County home.
FORT MYERS Man accused of burglarizing several businesses in Fort Myers A crime spree came to an end Sunday night as deputies arrested a man in a bush.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship Fort Myers High School senior cross country runner Masha Dorofeev reflects on her state championship win and committing to UCF.
CAPE CORAL Coyote kills beloved family pet For 16 years, Sarge and his owner, James Stewart were inseparable.
FORT MYERS Local artist AHZUWOP to hold fashion show at tattoo shop A local artist is throwing a fashion show at a tattoo shop, an event that will also feature music performances and an art exhibition.
NAPLES Identity released of body found in Collier County retention pond According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a body was found in a retention pond on Sunday. The body was found on Lindsey Lane.
FORT MYERS City leaders looking to improve Fort Myers infrastructure with AI When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they typically think of online apps like Chat GPT but the City of Fort Myers wants to use it to make a real-world difference.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City neighbors create art from hurricane destruction Many who pass through Saint James City see this as just leftovers from a hundred-year storm but not Floyd Cornett.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Children starting the year cancer free Several youngsters are celebrating starting 2025 cancer-free.
FORT MYERS Flood insurance discount up to 20% in Fort Myers Anyone who lives in the City of Fort Myers will be getting a bigger flood insurance discount.
Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.
FORT MYERS Cutting down on truck traffic on McGregor Boulevard Giant trucks are rumbling on roads meant to connect neighborhoods, and now city leaders want to eliminate trucks from the roads completely.
the weather authority Cold front brings less humid air this Tuesday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking a cold front, which will bring in less humidity and cooler temperatures this Tuesday.
golden gate city Collier County launches pilot program to fend off mosquitoes, diseases The Collier Mosquito Control District is launching a pilot program to use sterilization to target invasive insects in Golden Gate City.
Web Exclusive: Rachel Cox-Rosen’s Construction Heads-Up As construction may dampen your commute, WINK News traffic anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen knows the best way to traverse the roadways in this web-exclusive feature.
1 woman unaccounted for following Port Charlotte home fire Firefighters are on the scene of a fire at a Charlotte County home.
FORT MYERS Man accused of burglarizing several businesses in Fort Myers A crime spree came to an end Sunday night as deputies arrested a man in a bush.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers cross country runner reflects on state championship Fort Myers High School senior cross country runner Masha Dorofeev reflects on her state championship win and committing to UCF.
CAPE CORAL Coyote kills beloved family pet For 16 years, Sarge and his owner, James Stewart were inseparable.
FORT MYERS Local artist AHZUWOP to hold fashion show at tattoo shop A local artist is throwing a fashion show at a tattoo shop, an event that will also feature music performances and an art exhibition.
NAPLES Identity released of body found in Collier County retention pond According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a body was found in a retention pond on Sunday. The body was found on Lindsey Lane.
FORT MYERS City leaders looking to improve Fort Myers infrastructure with AI When people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they typically think of online apps like Chat GPT but the City of Fort Myers wants to use it to make a real-world difference.
SAINT JAMES CITY Saint James City neighbors create art from hurricane destruction Many who pass through Saint James City see this as just leftovers from a hundred-year storm but not Floyd Cornett.
FORT MYERS Miracle Moment: Children starting the year cancer free Several youngsters are celebrating starting 2025 cancer-free.
FORT MYERS Flood insurance discount up to 20% in Fort Myers Anyone who lives in the City of Fort Myers will be getting a bigger flood insurance discount.
Message from LCEC raises red flag for customers A push from one of Southwest Florida’s power providers to not use your heater as the temperatures drop has raised a red flag for some customers.
FORT MYERS Cutting down on truck traffic on McGregor Boulevard Giant trucks are rumbling on roads meant to connect neighborhoods, and now city leaders want to eliminate trucks from the roads completely.
Merchandise hanging in Synergy Sportswear’s new store front in Sanibel. Sanibel Island is continuing to recover from Hurricane Ian, as many other Southwest Florida communities are. What many thought would be a long process is turning into a quick turnaround for many on-island businesses this season. The Sanibel and Captiva Chamber of Commerce President, John Lai, says by the end of this season, there should be dozens of new businesses open to the public. The Sanibel and Captiva Chamber of Commerce on Sanibel Island. “We were averaging four ribbon cuttings a week right now. So when you think about that, if you know, that’s 12 weeks, I’m sorry, four weeks, 16 a month. So we’re probably looking at 40 businesses from the beginning of the year, until the end of season that have just come back online in some form or fashion,” said Lai. Post Ian, there are 141 businesses reopened between Sanibel and Captiva. This is compared to the 541 businesses they had before Hurricane Ian. RELATED: Another piece of Sanibel Island is being restored with birds flocking because of it His offices have attended these re-openings and have seen the community come back one open sign at a time. Lai said what they expected to be year’s worth of rebuilding is starting to finish much faster. “For those of us who remember what this island looked like the day after we came back from Hurricane Ian. In our heads, it was going to be a five to 10-year rebuild process. So, the fact that we can shorten that timeline or expedite that timeline, maybe three to five. It’s encouraging, and it’s rewarding and inspirational for all of us on the island that work and live and play here,” said Lai. Island business owners becoming family Bringing businesses back in time for this year’s season came with hardships for some. After being closed for over 400 days, the Sanibel Cafe re-opened in December and has seen customers in and out of its doors since. Owner Richard McCurry said putting up the open sign is a group effort. With each business’s doors opening, other owners and islanders are cheering them on from the sidelines. The Sanibel Cafe re-opened after being closed for over a year in December of 2023. “We’re all rooting for each other. We want to go help the guys and gals that are getting ready to open if they need help, they know they can call us, or if we need help, we call them. We work together; we support each other, lift each other up,” said McCurry. RELATED: The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is back and better! At the other end of the plaza from Sanibel Cafe is a retail shop, Adventures in Paradise. Josh Stewart and McCurry have seen the progress on the island from outside their shop windows because they live on the island. Stewart said being a part of recovery as a business owner and homeowner, he’s gotten to see how strong their community is. “It’s humbling, but it’s also really encouraging to see everybody more like-minded on wanting things to get back to normal as fast as possible.” Newest business on the block Synergy Sportswear just opened its doors Tuesday for the first time since Hurricane Ian. Catching customers mid-season, they said being back up and running is something they’ve waited for. “We just reopened yesterday. Still getting set up. This is probably the best table, but the others are getting filled as we speak. We just got in some boxes,” said Vice President Michael Tateosian. RELATED: Sea Shelling do’s and dont’s With boxes still to be unpacked and merchandise to be hung up, customers have welcomed this reopening with open arms. Amidst being open for just shy of two days, they’ve seen people come through their doors ready to invite them back to the island. Sanibel attire on sale for the first time in Synergy Sportswear since their closure after hurricane Ian in Fall of 2022. Tateosian said, “It was good. Busier than I thought it was gonna be, and customers are happy to be in here. They don’t mind the mess. Because a lot of people are dealing with it themselves.” More openings are on the way Speaking of re-openings, one of the many businesses to re-open this month since Hurricane Ian is Over Easy Cafe. According to their Facebook, on March 17th, the restaurant will celebrate their Grand Re-opening. With more people on the island and more businesses coming back, Lai said coming back stronger than ever is the island’s motivation. “Every day, we’re one day closer to the new Sanibel Island and Captiva Island coming back online. What’s next for Sanibel is a more resilient Sanibel. We take what we know we built Sanibel on in the past and incorporate some of the lessons that we need to learn for the future,” said Lai.