12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidaysFort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
NAPLES 12-year-old collecting donations for the needy during the holidays A 12-year-old Naples boy isn’t worried about what he’s getting for Christmas. Instead, he’s working on his 6th annual “Holiday Sock Drive.”
Fort Myers man facing homelessness before the holidays A 75-year-old man is on the brink of homelessness despite working over 80 hours a week.
NAPLES Adoptee uses non-profit to provide suitcases for foster children This holiday season, a Naples woman is on a mission to bring foster children something many take for granted: a suitcase filled with dignity.
MARCO ISLAND City of Marco Island discusses lead awareness during city council meeting The city of Marco Island sent out 4900 letters to residents warning them that their pipes could contain plastic or lead.
NAPLES The future of electric planes in Southwest Florida Features of living near an airport include persistent headache-inducing engine rumbles and foul-smelling jet fuel, but electric planes could play a part in the solution.
PORT CHARLOTTE Neighbors awaiting answers on Port Charlotte Beach Park repairs Neighbors said a contractor hired by the Florida Division of Emergency Management mishandled the boats at Port Charlotte Beach Park.
FGCU introduces new technology for cognitive health screenings Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for doctors to assess how well you remember, how quickly you learn things, and how your brain is working overall.
WINK Investigates: Disgraced contractor faces new lawsuits and allegations Paul Beattie, a disgraced home builder is back doing business but legal challenges continue as another one of his businesses gets sued. Former employees of Beattie speak out, only to WINK.
SWFL reacts to UNC hiring Bill Belichick Southwest Florida reacts to North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as its new head football coach and how that could impact the decisions of local recruits.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Some Floridians want more alone time during the holidays The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, but nearly half of Americans say they really want more alone time during the holiday.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
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.