ESTERO Home Base Golf Tournament helps SWFL Veterans On Saturday, Copper Leaf Golf Club is hosting Home Base Florida, a national non-profit dedicated to veterans.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 3 Thunderstorms tried to put a stop to week three of high school football on Friday Night, but gridiron action prevailed.
Man accused of plotting murder-for-hire denied bond A man suspected of being involved with a murder-for-hire plot will stay behind bars. Ryan Toranzo had his renewed motion to set bond denied today in Collier County Court.
LABELLE Two dead after crash on State Road 80 According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there was a crash on State Road 80 that has left at least one person dead Friday evening.
DeSoto County looks to recruit more teachers While it can sometimes be easy to fill a classroom with students, it is not so easy for teachers. Schools across the nation and locally in Southwest Florida are still dealing with the challenges of teacher shortages. With class back in session, so is teacher recruiting for DeSoto County schools. The assistant superintendent, Jake Reynolds, […]
IMMOKALEE ROAD Push for change after deadly crash on Immokalee Rd. We’re told the woman was driving with two kids in the car when a semi ran a red light and hit her Thursday morning.
FORT MYERS BEACH Mobi-Mats deployed on Fort Myers Beach A walkway to paradise! Brand new and blue, the Mobi-Mat is making things easier for Fort Myers Beachgoers.
NAPLES Women of Steel business conference inspiring and empowering women Focused, hardworking, empowered. These women have made a name for themselves as Women of Steel.
NAPLES Beloved Collier County bus driver retires after 20 years After 20 years of getting kids to school safely, a beloved Collier County bus driver is retiring.
Wade Wilson has new death row mugshot Convicted double-killer Wade Wilson has a new death row mugshot.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Sizzle Dining is back in SWFL It’s Sizzle Season! Local restaurants are ready to welcome new faces by offering exclusive menu deals to attract new customers.
PORT CHARLOTTE Player of the Week: Logan Flaherty Port Charlotte’s QB found the endzone twice himself and had two passing touchdowns in the Pirate’s week two victory over North Fort Myers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral police investigating scooter crash Authorities are investigating a crash in Cape Coral that injured a scooter rider.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach artist’s paint supplies dumped in canal Rogers is a local artist who has painted iconic Fort Myers Beach landmarks like the pier. Sadly, his supplies were taken away, and now he needs your help finding them.
NORTH FORT MYERS Bodycam footage shows deputies respond to NFM alligator attack Lee County Sheriff’s Office has released the bodycam footage as deputies arrive on the scene in North Fort Myers after a gator bit a woman walking her dog near a pond on Thursday night.
ESTERO Home Base Golf Tournament helps SWFL Veterans On Saturday, Copper Leaf Golf Club is hosting Home Base Florida, a national non-profit dedicated to veterans.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 3 Thunderstorms tried to put a stop to week three of high school football on Friday Night, but gridiron action prevailed.
Man accused of plotting murder-for-hire denied bond A man suspected of being involved with a murder-for-hire plot will stay behind bars. Ryan Toranzo had his renewed motion to set bond denied today in Collier County Court.
LABELLE Two dead after crash on State Road 80 According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there was a crash on State Road 80 that has left at least one person dead Friday evening.
DeSoto County looks to recruit more teachers While it can sometimes be easy to fill a classroom with students, it is not so easy for teachers. Schools across the nation and locally in Southwest Florida are still dealing with the challenges of teacher shortages. With class back in session, so is teacher recruiting for DeSoto County schools. The assistant superintendent, Jake Reynolds, […]
IMMOKALEE ROAD Push for change after deadly crash on Immokalee Rd. We’re told the woman was driving with two kids in the car when a semi ran a red light and hit her Thursday morning.
FORT MYERS BEACH Mobi-Mats deployed on Fort Myers Beach A walkway to paradise! Brand new and blue, the Mobi-Mat is making things easier for Fort Myers Beachgoers.
NAPLES Women of Steel business conference inspiring and empowering women Focused, hardworking, empowered. These women have made a name for themselves as Women of Steel.
NAPLES Beloved Collier County bus driver retires after 20 years After 20 years of getting kids to school safely, a beloved Collier County bus driver is retiring.
Wade Wilson has new death row mugshot Convicted double-killer Wade Wilson has a new death row mugshot.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Sizzle Dining is back in SWFL It’s Sizzle Season! Local restaurants are ready to welcome new faces by offering exclusive menu deals to attract new customers.
PORT CHARLOTTE Player of the Week: Logan Flaherty Port Charlotte’s QB found the endzone twice himself and had two passing touchdowns in the Pirate’s week two victory over North Fort Myers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral police investigating scooter crash Authorities are investigating a crash in Cape Coral that injured a scooter rider.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach artist’s paint supplies dumped in canal Rogers is a local artist who has painted iconic Fort Myers Beach landmarks like the pier. Sadly, his supplies were taken away, and now he needs your help finding them.
NORTH FORT MYERS Bodycam footage shows deputies respond to NFM alligator attack Lee County Sheriff’s Office has released the bodycam footage as deputies arrive on the scene in North Fort Myers after a gator bit a woman walking her dog near a pond on Thursday night.
Homeowners want the city to do something fast about their flood insurance discount. For one homeowner WINK News spoke to, it would mean his current flood insurance rates would go down a lot. For the other, it could mean a chance to return to FEMA as a possibly cheaper option. Why? That’s the question on everybody’s mind when it comes to FEMA flood insurance in Fort Myers. “I don’t feel like we’re any worse off than a lot of these other coastal communities. So it is concerning why the percentage is so different,” said Fort Myers resident Kyle Hendricks. While all of these Lee County municipalities offer a 20% or 25% flood insurance discount, Fort Myers offers only 5%. “We are the ones that got hit tremendously. We, as a matter of fact, I think that we should be getting a much bigger discount,” said Fort Myers resident Bob Kwapis. With the Caloosahatchee River running through a great portion of Fort Myers, flooding is common. “The storms we had a month and a half ago or whatever, just driving around town and seeing how long the water stayed and seeing some houses that looked like they may have been impacted,” said Hendricks. So insurance is necessary and required in many areas. “We went from not even having to have it for our mortgage to being in a special hazard zone,” said Hendricks. And it’s expensive, too. “Flood insurance, unfortunately, is very expensive for us because we’re in the 10 -10 zone, flood zone that is,” said Kwapis. “We went private because the FEMA was more expensive,” said Hendricks. And as the City of Fort Myers works hard for a higher discount: “We are hoping to jump to a class seven, possibly a class six, where we can give our citizens a 15 to 20% discount,” said Kwapis. Homeowners are happy but hoping it doesn’t take too long. “Unfortunately, we’re a little behind the eight ball because during that time, while they are trying to get the discount, we still have to pay the full insurance, only the 5% discount,” said Kwapis. The city is currently in the middle of a FEMA audit. It takes place every four years. City officials said that by the end of this year, they should know whether that 5% discount goes up, and they’re hopeful it will.