Bonita Springs residents alarmed after car break-insLee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs residents alarmed after car break-ins A Bonita Springs homeowner is sleeping with one eye open after her social security card was stolen from her car, an incident caught on video.
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.
FORT MYERS Exclusive: Florida Warriors president talks misunderstanding with city On Friday, the president of Florida Warriors Hockey got a letter saying that starting July 1, his program’s rink access at the Fort Myers Skatium would be cut from 48 hours a month to only eight hours a month.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 3 law officers killed, 5 others wounded trying to serve warrant in North Carolina, authorities say Three law enforcement officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded Monday in a shootout at a Charlotte, North Carolina, home, police said.
CAPE CORAL Massive fire leaves Cape Coral businesses in shambles Several fire rescue trucks are responding to a structure fire at a commercial building in Cape Coral.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers residents concerned over abandoned boat A day out in the water turned into an alarming discovery for one North Fort Myers family.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers first responders stress safety after rollover crash Fort Myers fire department officials are pointing to safety and awareness following a recent rollover crash on Palm Beach Blvd. and Oasis Way.
NAPLES FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe’s determined heart is on the mound Former Barron Collier ace, now FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe is recovering from two open heart surgeries in five days.
Contrasting Lee, Collier and Charlotte homicide rates to nationwide numbers The Wall Street Journal says nationwide homicide rates have dropped by 20% compared to the numbers from 2023.
New program to make life more manageable for Parkinson’s patients A new program, backed by research, was created using the power of spin cycling to redefine the fight against Parkinson’s.
Medicaid class action gets go-ahead A federal judge has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit that alleges Florida did not properly inform people before dropping them from the Medicaid program after a COVID-19 public health emergency ended.
FORT MYERS New downtown Fort Myers parking options coming soon Two new spots are coming for you to park on nights and weekends in downtown Fort Myers, but you’ll still have to pay.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Family ‘sucker-punched’ in Lehigh Acres brawl A woman is speaking out about a conflict she was involved in at Barefoot Lake.
Miracle Moment: Christina Soriero Doctors diagnosed 22-year-old Christina Soriero with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was just 18. A time in her life when the only thing she should have been dealing with was senioritis and getting ready for life after high school.
DeSantis signs bill impacting new mothers and jury duty Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that will impact new mothers and their eligibility to serve on jury duty.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs residents alarmed after car break-ins A Bonita Springs homeowner is sleeping with one eye open after her social security card was stolen from her car, an incident caught on video.
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.
FORT MYERS Exclusive: Florida Warriors president talks misunderstanding with city On Friday, the president of Florida Warriors Hockey got a letter saying that starting July 1, his program’s rink access at the Fort Myers Skatium would be cut from 48 hours a month to only eight hours a month.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 3 law officers killed, 5 others wounded trying to serve warrant in North Carolina, authorities say Three law enforcement officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded Monday in a shootout at a Charlotte, North Carolina, home, police said.
CAPE CORAL Massive fire leaves Cape Coral businesses in shambles Several fire rescue trucks are responding to a structure fire at a commercial building in Cape Coral.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers residents concerned over abandoned boat A day out in the water turned into an alarming discovery for one North Fort Myers family.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers first responders stress safety after rollover crash Fort Myers fire department officials are pointing to safety and awareness following a recent rollover crash on Palm Beach Blvd. and Oasis Way.
NAPLES FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe’s determined heart is on the mound Former Barron Collier ace, now FSU pitcher Jacob Marlowe is recovering from two open heart surgeries in five days.
Contrasting Lee, Collier and Charlotte homicide rates to nationwide numbers The Wall Street Journal says nationwide homicide rates have dropped by 20% compared to the numbers from 2023.
New program to make life more manageable for Parkinson’s patients A new program, backed by research, was created using the power of spin cycling to redefine the fight against Parkinson’s.
Medicaid class action gets go-ahead A federal judge has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit that alleges Florida did not properly inform people before dropping them from the Medicaid program after a COVID-19 public health emergency ended.
FORT MYERS New downtown Fort Myers parking options coming soon Two new spots are coming for you to park on nights and weekends in downtown Fort Myers, but you’ll still have to pay.
LEHIGH ACRES Caught on Camera: Family ‘sucker-punched’ in Lehigh Acres brawl A woman is speaking out about a conflict she was involved in at Barefoot Lake.
Miracle Moment: Christina Soriero Doctors diagnosed 22-year-old Christina Soriero with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was just 18. A time in her life when the only thing she should have been dealing with was senioritis and getting ready for life after high school.
DeSantis signs bill impacting new mothers and jury duty Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that will impact new mothers and their eligibility to serve on jury duty.
Pine Island Road is no stranger to crashes. On Saturday, Mary Lou Sharp lost her life when she got hit by a car while she was eating lunch at That BBQ Place, a roadside restaurant in Matlacha. Pine Island Road was built years ago before Southwest Florida took off, but it wasn’t built to sustain the amount of traffic it serves daily. Mary Lou isn’t the first to be killed on this road. In 2020, the Blue Dog Bar and Grill, right across the street from That BBQ Place, suffered property damage after a car veered off the road and hit the restaurant. That BBQ Place Owner John Petrus said people pay no attention to the 30 miles-per-hour speed limit. “Some of them think that they can drive down at 40 miles an hour to pass people turning into Blue Dog and yell and scream at us for putting signs out or putting cones out to keep them from doing it because we’ve inconvenienced them for four seconds,” Petrus said. Petrus was not the only one to express concerns. Several people WINK News Reporter Olivia Jean spoke to said the same thing. “I’ve invited the sheriff’s department to sit on my driveway. They have yet to take me up on that,” said Petrus, “I will block off my driveway.” Some people say that speeding is so bad that there is an increase in police presence. On Tuesday, WINK saw multiple police vehicles camped out, catching people for speeding. But many say they still feel the road is very dangerous and has been for years. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office also said they get many reports of speeding on Pine Island Road. In addition to speeding, concerns are that drivers aren’t paying attention to pedestrians. WINK News reached out to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for data. They provided information related to the intersections of Burnt Store and Pine Island Rd, and Stringfellow and Pine Island Rd so far this year. Burnt Store/Pine Island Rd had 11 traffic stops (9 of this having tickets or warnings issued), no crashes. Stringfellow/Pine Island has had 12 traffic stops (all resulting in tickets or warnings), and no crashes listed. It will take time to pull data from the specific stretch of road in Matlacha, but WINK News will keep you updated. Cody Allen with Matlacha and Pine Island Fire tried to help on Saturday. He was working when he got the call that five people had been hit by a car. He saw the chaotic scene. “Anything of that nature and that mechanism, it’s going to be a highly emotionally charged scene,” Allen said. He grew up in Southwest Florida and has been called to Matlacha several times since working at the station. With all that foot traffic, there’s going to be an element of danger associated with it when you have people walking around highly trafficked area,” Allen said. Construction crews with Florida Department of Transportation have been working on the bridge and roadway. Only time will tell if it makes the road safer. Here is the project website: 451937-2 Pine Island Causeway and Bridge Reconstruction Project WINK News spoke with Janella Newsome from the Florida Department of Transportation. “We are making sure the barrels or the cones are quite visible. We will also make sure that our employees can be well seen as people are making their travel through,” Newsome said. “We’re doing everything that we possibly know to do to keep motorists safe and to also keep the traffic flowing in a safe manner. But we can’t do it alone.” She went on to say, “We’ve got to have the help of the drivers themselves. And so that means making sure that you stay alert and be vigilant right. Be aware of your surroundings, cars in front of you and back have you, be aware of the speed limit.” Unfortunately, there may not be a fix for Pine Island Road’s dangers. Stay alert when driving and walking around.