Golf great Gary Player joining SWFL charity tournamentWINK News Game of the Week: Gulf Coast at Immokalee
NORTH PORT Golf great Gary Player joining SWFL charity tournament Career Grand Slam winner Gary Player is participating in the 2nd Heron Creek Charity Pro-Am to benefit Tunnels to Towers.
IMMOKALEE WINK News Game of the Week: Gulf Coast at Immokalee Our WINK News Game of the Week for Week 10 brings us to Immokalee when they host Gulf Coast for the district championship.
NAPLES Naples restaurant servers stage walkout over pay changes Restaurant servers in Naples staged a walkout to protest changes to their pay structure. The heart of the issue is tips.
Innovative ultrasound treatment for liver cancer Tens of thousands of Americans die from liver cancer each year.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs offensive lineman puts in work in the trenches and on a job site Bonita Springs offensive lineman Luis Jimenez is one to put his hand in the dirt both on the line of scrimmage and out on a job site.
Amendment 5: Homestead exemption inflation adjustment Property taxes are not anyone’s favorite words, but they are money that must be paid if you own Florida real estate.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Beach man accused of assaulting Capitol police during Jan. 6 arrested A Fort Myers Beach man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Charlotte Co. approves site plan for marina resort development Charlotte County commissioners approved the final site plan Oct. 22 for a marina resort complex with a hotel, restaurants and condos in Placida near the Boca Grande Causeway.
NAPLES Naples Zoo welcomes critically endangered Mongoose Lemurs The Naples Zoo has incorporated a breeding pair of critically endangered mongoose lemurs into its habitat enclosures.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers Fire Department’s newest life-saving upgrade The North Fort Myers Fire Department has a new life-saving upgrade that is used underwater, one that is much needed.
Collier County experiences daily power surge issues due to Hurricane Milton It’s a breath of fresh air now that the storm has passed, and we are slowly picking up the pieces. However, some areas now deal with quick power interruptions almost daily.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers woman wins $2M on scratch-off ticket On Thursday, the Florida Lottery announced that a Fort Myers woman claimed a top prize of $2 million from the Monopoly Secret Vault game.
Affordable housing project planned for North Naples A 150-apartment complex, with nearly half reserved for income-restricted affordable housing, is planned for Vanderbilt Beach Road in North Naples.
FORT MYERS More construction underway for Fort Myers diverging diamond project The Diverging Diamond Interchange at Colonial Boulevard and Interstate 75 is in its final stages.
DeSoto County uses aerial mosquito treatment following Hurricane Milton If you hear airplanes in DeSoto County during the evening and early morning hours, don’t be alarmed. An aerial team is treating the area for mosquitos.
NORTH PORT Golf great Gary Player joining SWFL charity tournament Career Grand Slam winner Gary Player is participating in the 2nd Heron Creek Charity Pro-Am to benefit Tunnels to Towers.
IMMOKALEE WINK News Game of the Week: Gulf Coast at Immokalee Our WINK News Game of the Week for Week 10 brings us to Immokalee when they host Gulf Coast for the district championship.
NAPLES Naples restaurant servers stage walkout over pay changes Restaurant servers in Naples staged a walkout to protest changes to their pay structure. The heart of the issue is tips.
Innovative ultrasound treatment for liver cancer Tens of thousands of Americans die from liver cancer each year.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs offensive lineman puts in work in the trenches and on a job site Bonita Springs offensive lineman Luis Jimenez is one to put his hand in the dirt both on the line of scrimmage and out on a job site.
Amendment 5: Homestead exemption inflation adjustment Property taxes are not anyone’s favorite words, but they are money that must be paid if you own Florida real estate.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Beach man accused of assaulting Capitol police during Jan. 6 arrested A Fort Myers Beach man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Charlotte Co. approves site plan for marina resort development Charlotte County commissioners approved the final site plan Oct. 22 for a marina resort complex with a hotel, restaurants and condos in Placida near the Boca Grande Causeway.
NAPLES Naples Zoo welcomes critically endangered Mongoose Lemurs The Naples Zoo has incorporated a breeding pair of critically endangered mongoose lemurs into its habitat enclosures.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers Fire Department’s newest life-saving upgrade The North Fort Myers Fire Department has a new life-saving upgrade that is used underwater, one that is much needed.
Collier County experiences daily power surge issues due to Hurricane Milton It’s a breath of fresh air now that the storm has passed, and we are slowly picking up the pieces. However, some areas now deal with quick power interruptions almost daily.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers woman wins $2M on scratch-off ticket On Thursday, the Florida Lottery announced that a Fort Myers woman claimed a top prize of $2 million from the Monopoly Secret Vault game.
Affordable housing project planned for North Naples A 150-apartment complex, with nearly half reserved for income-restricted affordable housing, is planned for Vanderbilt Beach Road in North Naples.
FORT MYERS More construction underway for Fort Myers diverging diamond project The Diverging Diamond Interchange at Colonial Boulevard and Interstate 75 is in its final stages.
DeSoto County uses aerial mosquito treatment following Hurricane Milton If you hear airplanes in DeSoto County during the evening and early morning hours, don’t be alarmed. An aerial team is treating the area for mosquitos.
Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina on Fort Myers Beach. Credit: WINK News. Lee County released new data this week on how different areas in the county are bouncing back after Ian, based on the number of hotels that have reopened since the storm. In the entire county, 78.1% of hotels and rentals are open following Hurricane Ian, including Sanibel, Captiva and Fort Myers Beach, which have less than half of their hotels open at this time. Here are all of the numbers from Lee County on the percentage of how many hotels and rentals are open: Boca Grande: 100.0% open Bonita Springs: 94.4% open Cape Coral: 100.0% open Captiva: 56.0% open Estero: 100.0% open Fort Myers: 98.7% open Fort Myers Beach: 42.9% open Lehigh Acres: 100.0% open North Fort Myers: 74.8% open Pine Island: 66.3% open Sanibel: 17.5% open You’ll find that the numbers show Fort Myers Beach, Captiva, and Sanibel struggling to reopen. They are the three hit hardest by Ian. Boca Grande, Cape Coral, Estero and Lehigh Acres are the only areas fully open at 100% capacity. Lee County also shared that during April 2024, 1,133,256 passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport, an increase of 15.5% in comparison to April 2023. Many said it is going to take some time, and not just a couple of years, it is going to take a lot of time. Laura Becker traveled all the way to Fort Myers Beach from Minnesota. “It’s a very lowkey vibe and a very fun place to be,” Becker said. She’s staying in Cape Coral but wanted to stay on Fort Myers Beach. When Becker looked at places on the island for her entire family, she couldn’t find what she wanted. WINK News spoke with Jacki Liszak from the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce. “As of this week, we have about 1,755 rooms available, that’s a hotel and vacation rental. Pre-storm, I have that we had 4,315 rooms and vacation rentals available,” Liszak said. Those who spoke to WINK News on Friday said they are staying in surrounding areas, and not actually on the island, due to the limited options. “We’re here to help rebuild houses after [the] hurricane and for people that don’t have the money to support to do it. And, we’ve been like talking and doing flooring and painting inside people’s houses,” a missionary group from Minnesota said. The three-day rainstorm messed up their plans. “Most of the things we’re doing like inside were also like low-income houses, so it was obviously not like the best situation with rain,” they said. As well as Laura’s beach day. “It’s not fun we did that drove through flooding yesterday. We actually tried to hit some of the other islands and got turned around because the roads were closed because we kept trying to find beaches, but not so much fun. We did puzzles and indoor games,” Becker said. Locals were also shocked to see the rain. “It’s the craziest rain I’ve seen since Ian. It was horrifying,” Paula Gray, a local, said. Maybe in years, the area will be rebuilt. “We’re not even close yet to gaining back what we had pre-storm,” Liszak said. But there is hope. “It’s very good. Feels good to be back,” Becker said. Feels good to be back. Liszak said even with the number of hotels and rentals in the process of opening on Fort Myers Beach, the numbers wouldn’t even come close to pre-Ian. She said people could look forward to these in the future as the public would have access to new and great things, like rooftop terraces, new restaurants and bars.