1 dead following deadly crash into canal in Lehigh AcresPatients caught in the middle of NCH and Florida Blue negotiations
lehigh acres 1 dead following deadly crash into canal in Lehigh Acres The Florida Highway Patrol and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a deadly crash in Lehigh Acres.
Motorcyclist injured after Golden Gate crash A motorcyclist is fighting to recover from a crash in a Golden Gate neighborhood on Monday.
NAPLES Patients caught in the middle of NCH and Florida Blue negotiations Patients are worried they’ll have to find new doctors if Florida Blue and NCH cannot reach an agreement.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Apartment community center ransacked in Downtown Fort Myers Residents in a luxury apartment woke up on Sunday morning to ransacked packages and what appeared to be blood splatters on the floor.
CAPE CORAL Families forced to vacate Cape Coral find out on WINK News Neighbors living into Cape Coral told WINK News they found out from our reporting last month that soon they’ll have to vacate the properties they’re currently living in and renting.
FORT MYERS Local art institutions still feeling pinch of DeSantis’ $32 million art grant veto Southwest Florida’s growing art landscape is feeling the effects of Governor Ron DeSantis’ art grant veto and is trying to bounce back.
CAPTIVA Captiva Beach continues renourishment project Nearly two years later, the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue on Captiva Beach. People WINK News spoke with say it’s a work in progress since Hurricane Ian, but they are hopeful as more time passes and more sand is brought in for beach renourishment.
Proposal to mine in the Everglades withdrawn for now The now-withdrawn proposal for the Southland Water Resource Project was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in July by contractor Phillips and Jordan.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot cross-country runner commits to UF The Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior won a state championship last year. Now, she’s committed to running at the University of Florida.
DeSantis fights back on Amendment 4 Florida may not be the swing state it used to be, but we’ll be on the map and certainly making headlines for at least one big reason this year: Abortion.
The do’s and don’ts of ATV’s An investigation is underway after a car crashed into an ATV with six people, including children, on it. Concerns are now being raised over the rules and regulations of ATVs.
SANIBEL Sanibel city council votes on E-bike limits The Sanibel City Council has voted to set new speed limits for e-bikes and whether they can ride on the island’s bike paths.
NORTH FORT MYERS Child shoots themselves in foot at youth football game, later arrested There was a frenzy on the field as parents and kids rushed to shelter in a concession building after hearing a gunshot fired during a youth football game.
Miracle Moment: Horsepower drives healing A horse gave a young girl the motivation she needed to fight an aggressive cancer.
Former LCSO deputy pleads not guilty to jewelry store shooting A former Lee County deputy has been caught on the wrong side of the law twice now, but he says he is innocent.
lehigh acres 1 dead following deadly crash into canal in Lehigh Acres The Florida Highway Patrol and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a deadly crash in Lehigh Acres.
Motorcyclist injured after Golden Gate crash A motorcyclist is fighting to recover from a crash in a Golden Gate neighborhood on Monday.
NAPLES Patients caught in the middle of NCH and Florida Blue negotiations Patients are worried they’ll have to find new doctors if Florida Blue and NCH cannot reach an agreement.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Apartment community center ransacked in Downtown Fort Myers Residents in a luxury apartment woke up on Sunday morning to ransacked packages and what appeared to be blood splatters on the floor.
CAPE CORAL Families forced to vacate Cape Coral find out on WINK News Neighbors living into Cape Coral told WINK News they found out from our reporting last month that soon they’ll have to vacate the properties they’re currently living in and renting.
FORT MYERS Local art institutions still feeling pinch of DeSantis’ $32 million art grant veto Southwest Florida’s growing art landscape is feeling the effects of Governor Ron DeSantis’ art grant veto and is trying to bounce back.
CAPTIVA Captiva Beach continues renourishment project Nearly two years later, the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue on Captiva Beach. People WINK News spoke with say it’s a work in progress since Hurricane Ian, but they are hopeful as more time passes and more sand is brought in for beach renourishment.
Proposal to mine in the Everglades withdrawn for now The now-withdrawn proposal for the Southland Water Resource Project was submitted to the South Florida Water Management District in July by contractor Phillips and Jordan.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot cross-country runner commits to UF The Bishop Verot Catholic High School senior won a state championship last year. Now, she’s committed to running at the University of Florida.
DeSantis fights back on Amendment 4 Florida may not be the swing state it used to be, but we’ll be on the map and certainly making headlines for at least one big reason this year: Abortion.
The do’s and don’ts of ATV’s An investigation is underway after a car crashed into an ATV with six people, including children, on it. Concerns are now being raised over the rules and regulations of ATVs.
SANIBEL Sanibel city council votes on E-bike limits The Sanibel City Council has voted to set new speed limits for e-bikes and whether they can ride on the island’s bike paths.
NORTH FORT MYERS Child shoots themselves in foot at youth football game, later arrested There was a frenzy on the field as parents and kids rushed to shelter in a concession building after hearing a gunshot fired during a youth football game.
Miracle Moment: Horsepower drives healing A horse gave a young girl the motivation she needed to fight an aggressive cancer.
Former LCSO deputy pleads not guilty to jewelry store shooting A former Lee County deputy has been caught on the wrong side of the law twice now, but he says he is innocent.
As we have reported this week, some people have unfinished homes. Some just have a vacant lot. The owner of the vacant lot told WINK News Reporter Olivia Jean he paid $100,000 to Beattie Development, and they never broke ground. The owner explained that he had previously hired Beattie before the pandemic and thought Beattie did a great job. So, when his house needed to be rebuilt after Hurricane Ian, he called Beattie Development. Within 15 days of signing the contract, he sent Beattie Development over $100,000. He then said he was “pulling teeth” to get Beattie to start on his house. Once Beattie asked him to move his permits to a new entity, he realized he needed to terminate his contract. “I’m one of the luckier, unluckier ones,” the owner said due to him not having liens, making his house free and clear to move forward with a new contractor. RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Former Beattie Development project manager speaks out RELATED: Beattie Development at risk of losing BBB accreditation WINK News has talked to several homeowners, but what about those selling the land? Steven LaBoeuf, owner of Florida Gulf Home Realty, said he quickly regretted his recommendation to send three of his clients to work with Beattie Development. He said, “I decided I wasn’t going to recommend anybody again.” He said all three of them have their homes, but they lost thousands of dollars as a result. The first client was completed before “things got out of control.” The second client did a lot themselves to get moved in. The third client was left with an unfinished home by Beattie after paying in full but was able to more or less complete it. LaBoeuf also told us that the Beattie Development owes him $16,000 for commissions on two new construction homes, but he doesn’t expect to ever get that money. He went on to say, “Paul [Beattie] pursued me to sell homes for him because he knew I sold 2-3 new construction per year.” READ MORE: Where’s Beattie? Former customers speak out; connect through group chat READ MORE: Beattie Development subcontractors speak out LaBoeuf was happy to see Cape Coral police take some action when they raided Beattie’s office on Wednesday. “I was thrilled to death. I was on an airplane on Tuesday, and when I landed, my phone was blowing up from everybody that I talked to about the guy. They’re all sending me pictures and videos. And I’m like, yes, because my customers, I’m like, I was begging the one customer in particular that paid over $100,000 in escalation. I go, ‘Dude, you got to get a lawyer.’ Somebody’s got to stand up to this guy. He keeps doing this to everybody,” LaBoeuf said. “I would like to have a picture of Paul Beatty behind bars, or at least with handcuffs on, so I can hang it in my office,” LaBoeuf said. There is still no word from Cape Coral police about the Wednesday raid of the Beattie Development Offices. As for Paul Beattie, WINK News did reach out again on Friday, as we have since Wednesday, and have not heard back. WINK News will keep pushing for answers, but in the meantime, contact us if you have information about Beattie’s development to share.