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.
Our newsroom emails are still filling up with people complaining about contractors, especially Beattie Development. Their offices were raided by Cape police on Aug. 7. We’ve shown you how the number of official complaints has more than doubled since we broke the story, so we wanted to figure out the best advice we could give anyone considering building or remodeling. Beattie Development customers are angry. We showed you Beattie’s offices being raided by police as it happened. Dozens of people complained. The company took their money and didn’t build what they were supposed to. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll hear that there’s more to the story. Beattie was at one time a top-rated builder around here, and many customers who are now out thousands, some hundreds of thousands, did research who they hired. “We’re smart people, and we thought we had vetted him, right?” said Kristen Kramer last month. “We looked a lot on social media. We went to the Better Business Bureau. I mean, we’re doing a lot of looking and digging, and everything was really good, and then all of a sudden, there were so many warning signs in the very beginning,” We discovered that if you’re going to build or remodel, you’d better learn to find those warning signs on your own. “In many cases, they can go to the Department of Business and Professional Regulations website and find out,” said attorney Adam Linkhorst in Palm Beach County. Linkhorst gets calls from people here on our coast with contractor problems. “Oftentimes, if contractors are having a lot of problems, other folks will post things,” Linkhorst said. But we found that after all the Beattie complaints we’ve gotten, and a police raid at their office, the DBPR website shows no complaints for Beattie and an active license. While the attorney general has 38 complaints now, up from 15 when we last checked, they are not searchable on the website, so you won’t find them there. Cape police aren’t talking. Only the Better Business Bureau now shows an “F” rating, but that took months and a lot of unanswered complaints. “Ask for references and not only get the references but call them up,” Linkhorst said. Ideally, at least one person has just finished a project, one who is on a project and one who is just starting. Search social media carefully for emerging patterns of complaints, and don’t forget the clerk of court’s site for lawsuits. “And you start adding up all the little bits and pieces,” Linkhorst said. It can save you from not just paying for something you don’t get but paying twice because of a subcontractor not being paid and putting a lien on your house even though you paid your contractor. “The big picture is Florida legislation needs to change,” said Jason Yoraway, a former Beattie Development customer. Meantime, the bottom line is you’ve really got to protect yourself upfront. Another important step is to get your own lawyer to review the contract up front to make sure you understand things like what happens if building material prices go up in the middle of the project. No one at the company has been charged. Bottom line: you are your own best protection.