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.
Newest Update: On Wednesday, WINK News learned Cape Coral code compliance has requested notice of violations on all three homes for 4.1(6) uses by zoning district. Neighbors are accusing people who rent out vacation homes in Cape Coral of breaking the rules. They say owners are allowing guests to stay for less than a week, which is against city rules. The biggest complaint from Southwest Cape neighbors is the noise. Neighbors told WINK News Reporter Olivia Jean that groups of up to 30 people come to Cape Coral and throw massive parties in quiet residential neighborhoods. They are fed up and said they’ve reached out to Cape Coral code enforcement but they have done nothing. A quiet Cape Coral neighborhood faces a lot of noise thanks to 3613 SW 12th Ave, 1137 SW 37th St, and 1149 SW 37th St, all of which are vacation rental homes. Markus Hartwich, Macy Magas and Gregg Mckee’s homes are surrounded by rental homes that aren’t following the rules. The City of Cape Coral passed an ordinance that prohibits residential rental properties from renting out shorter than 7 days. “Nobody seems to really enforce it,” Hartwich said. One of the neighbors has reported the homes several times to code enforcement. The email from May 28 in part reads: “This past weekend the group of approximately 20 to 25 people arrived on Friday and were here to party. After disrupting all of the owner’s enjoyment of the weekend, they left on Monday before 10 AM. My neighbor did call the police because of the noise.” It continued to say, “I truly hope the Cape cracks down on all these weekend rentals. It is completely out of control not that the City of Cape Coral cares. PLEASE HELP THE OWNERS OF CAPE CORAL!” Code enforcement did not get back. The neighbors have a message for Cape Coral code enforcement. “You don’t have to come out here in the heat or stand out here and wait for the noise to happen. You can do it online. It’s a very easy job. Do your job. Do what we pay you to do,” Mckee said. “We’re the residents of our neighborhood. And if we’re asking you, please to help us, it would be the best thing if you could. We’re the ones who live here every day. We’re the ones who have to deal with it,” Magas said. “They have to step up. If we have these guidelines in the city, they have to enforce them,” Hartwich said. These neighbors claim they’ve seen people stay much less than a week, play loud music, and have huge parties. “You can’t sit outside and enjoy yourself. I mean, even if I sit in my living room, I have my TV off, I hear the music from these homes and that’s just not acceptable,” Hartwich said. “If there were just kids playing and just a family group, that would be totally fine. But it’s the loud music. And it’s the loud talking, like, we can hear them inside of our home,” Magas said. And when these neighbors say something to the loud vacationers… The neighbors have exchanged words with the vacationers, asking them to quiet down. “They yell right back at us. They just start screaming without even any context or anything. They’re just they get so mad at the fact that we’re asking not a hard thing,” Magas said. “I’ve asked politely and been cursed out immediately,” Mckee said. All three of the homes causing issues for neighbors can be found on Airbnb and Booking.com. WINK News verified that all three homes can be reserved for less than seven days. “We’re all frustrated and fed up with it. So something has to happen,” Hartwich said. A city representative said these houses violate the “land development code” since they are rented out for less than seven days. In addition, the city said “There are several ways to report an issue to Cape Coral Code Compliance, including through the 311 portal, Cape Coral 311 app, phone or email, or in person during public comment at meetings. Keep in mind that a person who reports a possible violation must provide their name and address as part of the complaint. You can find more information on our website. Loud parties can also be reported to the Cape Coral Police Department. WINK News also reached out to Cape Coral code enforcement on Monday who said the following: “3613 SW 12th AVE no calls to CCPD for noise this property is registered as a rental no complaints have been received. 1137 SW 37th ST one call to CCPD for noise 5/11/24 not registered as a rental no complaints. 1149 SW 37th ST one call to CCPD for noise on 5/24/24. Not registered as a rental no complaint.” Tuesday morning, code compliance officers were at all three of the homes. On Wednesday, we found out code compliance has requested notice of violations on all three homes for 4.1(6) uses by zoning district.