Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for PalestineWarm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
NORTH NAPLES Grant Thornton Invitational returns to Tiburon Golf Club Stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours are back in Southwest Florida for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club.
FORT MYERS Black Flag brings classic punk energy to The Ranch in Fort Myers Legendary punk band Black Flag made their mark in Southwest Florida during the Fort Myers stop of their “First Four Years” tour.
Charlotte Technical College breaks ground on aviation facility The Charlotte County School District is flying high and keeping its “Space Academy” designation with a new aviation training facility for students.
CAPE CORAL Man arrested in connection with Cape Coral home invasion The Cape Coral Police Department has announced the arrest of one of three men suspected in a home invasion that took place earlier this month.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral residents react to $100M North Cape land deal The city of Cape Coral is seeing two projects that will change the city. One is called one of the most lucrative deals in county history.
The people dealing with flooding in Punta Gorda are telling us they want leaders to take their issues seriously. In unincorporated Charlotte County, as of Monday, 15 homes had water inside. Riverside Drive and Darst Park are areas WINK News saw were flooded. In Punta Gorda, two drivers were rescued as their cars got stuck in flood water. WINK News has been monitoring the flooding the past three days, caused by Debby, and saw firsthand how much water makes it into residential neighborhoods and businesses. Now, neighbors are turning to WINK, wanting answers to why they have to deal with this so often. Punta Gorda neighbors are fearful. “We lost the car right here in the driveway from Idalia,” Debbie Wilson-Clay, who lives right off of W. Marion Ave. Business owner Mark Draper had to pay $35,000 for Idalia water damages. His business is off of E. Olympia Ave. Both have been in the area for years and both say they are exhausted of the flooding and the non-working storm drains. “You cannot have the level of widespread flooding that occurs from here all the way through the residential historic district of Punta Gorda, unless there is a problem, unless there is something more significant than just one street is higher than the other street. It occurs all over,” Draper said. Wilson-Clay says the city seems to not care. “They have no, they really don’t even have a plan to look at and a way to stop the flooding or a way to mitigate the flooding. They don’t care.” She’s not the only one who thinks that. Mike Polk, who lives off of Berry Street said leaders need to step it up. “I’ve spoken in front of the city council several times and we’ve met with more than one engineer and both the ones that we talked to said it’s fixable, it just needs to be a priority,” Polk said. Everyone WINK News spoke to says the storm drains are the issue. They are supposed to take in water instead of spilling out water. Neighbors say the drains take in water from the Peace River, then spill it out into the neighborhood streets. “There’s obviously a problem with the storm sewer system. There needs to be some type of valve that would allow the water to the stormwater to run off, but prevent the tidal water from coming back in,” Draper said. “It’s gotten better for an afternoon rainstorm, but on the catastrophic storms, they’re not blocking that off. So the storm surge is coming through those enormous water pipes and coming right up into our homes and into our neighborhood,” Wilson-Clay said. “At this point, we shouldn’t have this type of flooding. This is something that is fixable. It’s the storm drain system,” Polk said. Wilson-Clay said she has considered moving because of it. “We’re getting older. When you’re young, it’s easy to clean up stuff. It’s easy to, kind of bounce back, but, at this point, we’re getting older. It’s been a great place to live, but I don’t know how much more, if they’re not going to do anything about the flooding, I can handle it,” Wilson-Clay said. Neighbors also say some streets are higher than others so those homes in a “bowl” see the worst of the worst, all of the time. WINK News will be meeting with city and county leaders later this week to discuss these issues.