Charlotte County EOC in full swing to respond to Hurricane MiltonImportant numbers and links as Milton approaches SWFL general area
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County EOC in full swing to respond to Hurricane Milton WINK News reporter Annalise Iraola went to the Charlotte County EOC and spoke with Public Information Officer Todd Dunn about what’s happening within the EOC as Milton impacts Southwest Florida.
Important numbers and links as Milton approaches SWFL general area As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast, here are resources in the state, county and city level.
Hurricane Milton Cat 2 strength, heavy impacts expected in SWFL The Weather Authority is continuing to track Hurricane Milton, which continues to be a major hurricane even as it was downgraded slightly.
Biden holds press conference on Hurricane Milton President Joe Biden held a press conference on Hurricane Milton on Wednesday evening.
SOUTH FORT MYERS The Villas in Fort Myers sees damage due to Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton made its way to Florida, residents in the Villas in South Fort Myers went through a possible tornado around 12 p.m. on Wednesday.
27 preliminary reports of tornadoes in Florida caused by Milton You may have seen videos and pictures of tornadoes due to Hurricane Milton and the damage they have caused in Southwest Florida.
Tracking Milton: Power outages across SWFL The Lee County Electric Cooperative has reported power outages throughout the area due to the effects of Hurricane Milton.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis holds news conference in Tallahassee Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference regarding Hurricane Milton.
NORTH FORT MYERS Potential tornado touchdown in North Fort Myers Neighbors said there was a lot of damage. Residents surveyed the aftermath on their vehicles.
Roadways affected by Milton As Southwest Florida feels the effects of Hurricane Milton, roads are being affected.
What’s open and closed for Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton gains momentum toward the west coast of Florida, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are adjusting their hours or closing temporarily.
WINK NEWS Images of how Milton is impacting Southwest Florida Just shy of two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Southwest Florida residents are once again facing life-threatening storm conditions by Hurricane Milton.
WINK NEWS List of shelters in SWFL ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are opening across Southwest Florida to provide safety and refuge for residents.
NAPLES Mandatory curfews begins across Southwest Florida Mandatory driving curfews are being implemented starting Wednesday afternoon ahead of Hurricane Milton in Southwest Florida.
Know when it’s time to shelter in place for Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton gets closer to Southwest Florida, first responders are doing their final sweeps of evacuation zones.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County EOC in full swing to respond to Hurricane Milton WINK News reporter Annalise Iraola went to the Charlotte County EOC and spoke with Public Information Officer Todd Dunn about what’s happening within the EOC as Milton impacts Southwest Florida.
Important numbers and links as Milton approaches SWFL general area As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast, here are resources in the state, county and city level.
Hurricane Milton Cat 2 strength, heavy impacts expected in SWFL The Weather Authority is continuing to track Hurricane Milton, which continues to be a major hurricane even as it was downgraded slightly.
Biden holds press conference on Hurricane Milton President Joe Biden held a press conference on Hurricane Milton on Wednesday evening.
SOUTH FORT MYERS The Villas in Fort Myers sees damage due to Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton made its way to Florida, residents in the Villas in South Fort Myers went through a possible tornado around 12 p.m. on Wednesday.
27 preliminary reports of tornadoes in Florida caused by Milton You may have seen videos and pictures of tornadoes due to Hurricane Milton and the damage they have caused in Southwest Florida.
Tracking Milton: Power outages across SWFL The Lee County Electric Cooperative has reported power outages throughout the area due to the effects of Hurricane Milton.
TALLAHASSEE DeSantis holds news conference in Tallahassee Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference regarding Hurricane Milton.
NORTH FORT MYERS Potential tornado touchdown in North Fort Myers Neighbors said there was a lot of damage. Residents surveyed the aftermath on their vehicles.
Roadways affected by Milton As Southwest Florida feels the effects of Hurricane Milton, roads are being affected.
What’s open and closed for Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton gains momentum toward the west coast of Florida, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are adjusting their hours or closing temporarily.
WINK NEWS Images of how Milton is impacting Southwest Florida Just shy of two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Southwest Florida residents are once again facing life-threatening storm conditions by Hurricane Milton.
WINK NEWS List of shelters in SWFL ahead of Milton As Hurricane Milton approaches, shelters are opening across Southwest Florida to provide safety and refuge for residents.
NAPLES Mandatory curfews begins across Southwest Florida Mandatory driving curfews are being implemented starting Wednesday afternoon ahead of Hurricane Milton in Southwest Florida.
Know when it’s time to shelter in place for Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Milton gets closer to Southwest Florida, first responders are doing their final sweeps of evacuation zones.
Alliance for the Arts gallery. 9-9-24 Southwest Florida’s growing art landscape is feeling the effects of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ veto of art grants, which affected hundreds of institutions and facilities across the state. On June 12, DeSantis vetoed $32 million worth of art grants, explaining that the money would be going towards material that might include sexual content. “We didn’t have control with how it was being given, so you have your tax dollars being given in grants to things like the Fringe Festival, which is like a sexual festival. How many of you think your tax dollars should go to fund that? Not very many people would do that,” DeSantis said during a press conference on June 27, where he was asked about the veto. Credit: WINK News Florida performance art spaces have held Fringe Festivals in Tampa, Orlando and Fort Myers, and they span every genre of live performances, including theater, comedy and cabarets. While the veto was with certain content in mind, all art institutions that receive state funding lost eligibility to receive their funds, which led to millions of dollars lost. CREDIT: Alliance for the Arts. Art is a billion-dollar industry in Florida and an economic driver for tourists from all over the world. Florida art institutions that rely on state funding—such as theaters, showcases, operas, ballets, museums and more— have been affected by this veto, and months later, they are still recovering. Arts on Tap event. CREDIT: Alliance for the Arts. DeSantis said that when he sees money being spent for events like the Fringe Festival, he has to stand up for taxpayers and say that it’s an inappropriate use of their dollars. “Transportation, these roads are important. I can sell that. Education is important. I can sell that. Preserving our natural resources is important. I can sell that. I can’t sell the Fringe Festival to taxpayers. Nor would I want to try to sell the Fringe Festival to taxpayers,” he said. RELATED: Collier Community Foundation donating $250,000 in grants for arts Alliance for the Arts, a nonprofit institution in Fort Myers, which hosted the Fort Myers Fringe Festival this summer, is a hub for art and performances, holding a variety of events year-round. CREDIT: Alliance for the Arts. “DeSantis’ shortsighted cuts were blamed on Fringe festivals,” said Molly Deckart, the alliance’s CEO. “That is an event for us, not a program. The grant dollars go solely to support arts access programs at the Alliance. I don’t want confusion on how that money is allocated.” She stated that no grant funding goes to events like the Fringe Festival; it only goes to arts programs. Deckart said the institution was eligible for roughly $131,000 in the next fiscal year. CREDIT: Alliance for the Arts “He wound up vetoing all state funding two weeks before the new program was set to start, so it punched an $11,000 hole in our budget, monthly. Without any warning, and as you can imagine, that’s pretty devastating to a lean program as it is,” Deckart said. The institution doesn’t rely only on state funding, but Deckart said it does help them provide free and accessible programming for the community. This especially affected them because, according to Deckart, the institution hasn’t fully recovered from Hurricane Ian and even COVID-19. CREDIT: Alliance for the Arts “So, this is like a one, two, three punch that I think is gonna affect all of us throughout the year in ways that I don’t even think we know yet. July was the first month that we really felt it,” Deckart said. The Alliance’s immediate action was to cut people, not programs. They had to lay off three staff members when they had only 14 on the roster. The Florida Repertory Theatre in Downtown Fort Myers qualified for $150,000 from the state but fell short of these funds after the veto. CREDIT: Florida Repertory Theatre “Realizing that we would not be receiving any of those funds from the state this year was a big setback for us,” said Greg Longenhagen, Producing Artistic Director for the theater. “We count on every penny. We’re a not-for-profit, and that is a tremendous amount of money to Florida Repertory Theater.” The theater has since been appealing to its donor patron base, who have contributed to try to make up for some of the loss. Longenhagen mentioned how the fiscal impact was also substantial in this veto. CREDIT: Florida Repertory Theatre “Many other businesses were harmed. Many residual businesses like restaurants and bars and other places that take in these folks around those types of events and those types of visits,” Longenhagen said. Hundreds more art institutions felt the effects of the veto in not just SWFL but the state. For more information on the Alliance For the Arts, click here. For more information about the Florida Repertory Theater, click here. Learn more about art in SWFL here.