2 years since Charlotte County deputy was killed on I-75Mostly sunny and cool afternoon ahead for your Friday
the weather authority Mostly sunny and cool afternoon ahead for your Friday The Weather Authority is tracking a mostly sunny and cool Friday afternoon with breezy conditions throughout the day.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
the weather authority Mostly sunny and cool afternoon ahead for your Friday The Weather Authority is tracking a mostly sunny and cool Friday afternoon with breezy conditions throughout the day.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
A car found floating on Plantation Road. Credit: WINK News The flooded roads of Lee County saw fire rescuers jump into action to save a man from his slowly sinking SUV. The South Trail Fire & Rescue Service District rescued a man from inside his sinking vehicle on Plantation Road at around 11:45 a.m. According to the fire rescue, water was over the driver’s lap, and the car was slowly sinking into the mud. Credit: The South Trail Fire & Rescue Service District WINK News was there and watched it all happen. The driver told WINK News Reporter Olivia Jean it was one of the scariest things he had ever experienced. The rain today was dangerous and frightening, and Steven Yanniello is a prime example of how extreme weather can almost take your life. Steven lost control after hitting a big puddle on Plantation Road, right by Daniels Parkway. CREDIT: WINK News “The water caught, and that was it. You could see where I came in. By the time I got here, I had the brakes on, and the car was floating. And I couldn’t back up. It just kept floating until it went all the way in where you saw it. I didn’t know how deep it was. I called the tow truck. They said it would take a while, and the guy told me flat out, ‘I’ll get your car out, but you got to get out on your own.’ So I called 911,” Yanniello said. Around 12 on Wednesday afternoon, Plantation Drive was flooded. EMS, police, firefighters, a tow truck, and Steven’s red Suburu Forester were almost buried in the water. “It was just weird because you’re so shaken up in your soul. What the heck happened?” Yanniello said. WINK News watched as the tower struggled in the water to get the car out of the water. The tow truck driver said he has never gotten a car out of this deep of water. CREDIT: WINK News “The job needs to get done, and there is always a first time for everything, so we got it done. Customer’s vehicle is out of the water, so I’m happy with it,” Rafael Hernandez with Star Five Towing said. EMS rescued Steven. “They already had life jackets and everything ready to go,” he said. Steven is glad to be alive, as thankfully, he wasn’t seriously injured. “There was nowhere else to go. There was nothing I could do. My first thought was, I gotta get a window open or something so I can get out of here,” Yanniello said. He watched as his car was towed out of the mess in the early afternoon on Wednesday. CREDIT: WINK News “You never know what you’re going to find at a water scene and Florida,” Hernandez said. Steven said he wasn’t even planning on driving because of the bad weather, but something urgent came up. The tow truck driver has some strong advice: if you don’t see the road because of water, do not go through it. Steven is shaken up but OK. Rain has been falling at a rate of around two to four inches per hour, with six inches of total rainfall possible over the next four hours.