‘It’s devastating’: Neighbor reflects on fatal fire in Port Charlotte‘The sound of death’ Neighbors concerned by amount of crashes on Joel Blvd
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘It’s devastating’: Neighbor reflects on fatal fire in Port Charlotte A devastating house fire Monday night in Port Charlotte has left one person dead and another hospitalized while neighbors mourn the possible loss of a beloved member of their community.
‘The sound of death’ Neighbors concerned by amount of crashes on Joel Blvd A woman is heartbroken from witnessing crash after crash outside her Lehigh Acres home.
Fort Myers get 15% increase on flood insurance discount WINK News is finding out what led to the city of Fort Myers going from just a 5% FEMA flood insurance discount to a 20% discount.
FORT MYERS Locals house California wildfire victims The effects of the California fires are being felt worldwide as people evacuate some are in southwest Florida.
LOVERS KEY Couple returns to Lovers Key condo post Ian While Hurricane Ian is long gone from Southwest Florida, many are still feeling its impacts.
EVERGLADES Biden signs Water Resources Development Act, its effect on SWFL President Biden recently signed into law the Water Resources Development Act with an aim to improve rivers and harbors across the country and provide for the conservation of water. Southwest Florida was included in that act. Putting the 240-page plan together took a lot of work, not just from state and federal lawmakers, but also […]
Turning business travel into a vacation Would work travel seem a little easier if you could turn it into a vacation? Two professors say they have proof that would help business travel.
The future of biometrics: Safer security or new AI risks? In 2021, the Transportation Service Agency (TSA) launched its new touchless identity solution in the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County airport.
CAPE CORAL Pelican Elementary resource officer saves infant A school resource officer at Pelican Elementary saved an infants’ life at a traffic stop in Cape Coral.
FORT MYERS Progress being made on City View Park in Dunbar More promises made by a city that has not kept its promises for the last six years have some neighbors concerned about the future of their community.
COLLIER COUNTY Seacrest hoops player hits a full court buzzer beater Seacrest Country Day School boys basketball player Hayden Fuller hits full court buzzer beater against Aubrey Rogers.
NAPLES Cutting-edge ACL surgery reducing reinjury risk by 80% Known for its game-changing orthopedic repair options, Naples-based Arthrex has done it again.
NAPLES MacStrength FL offers sport and lifestyle training for young athletes In 2025, MacStrength FL is swinging for success with their current players and for a wider reach in its community.
You can appeal FEMA’s decision on your claim – Here’s how Now a week after the deadline for FEMA hurricane assistance has closed, the federal agency says you can appeal their decision on your claim if you don’t agree.
Naples selects city CFO as next city manager, averts national search Naples Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer Gary Young will become the next city manager, averting a lengthy, expensive national search for a replacement.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘It’s devastating’: Neighbor reflects on fatal fire in Port Charlotte A devastating house fire Monday night in Port Charlotte has left one person dead and another hospitalized while neighbors mourn the possible loss of a beloved member of their community.
‘The sound of death’ Neighbors concerned by amount of crashes on Joel Blvd A woman is heartbroken from witnessing crash after crash outside her Lehigh Acres home.
Fort Myers get 15% increase on flood insurance discount WINK News is finding out what led to the city of Fort Myers going from just a 5% FEMA flood insurance discount to a 20% discount.
FORT MYERS Locals house California wildfire victims The effects of the California fires are being felt worldwide as people evacuate some are in southwest Florida.
LOVERS KEY Couple returns to Lovers Key condo post Ian While Hurricane Ian is long gone from Southwest Florida, many are still feeling its impacts.
EVERGLADES Biden signs Water Resources Development Act, its effect on SWFL President Biden recently signed into law the Water Resources Development Act with an aim to improve rivers and harbors across the country and provide for the conservation of water. Southwest Florida was included in that act. Putting the 240-page plan together took a lot of work, not just from state and federal lawmakers, but also […]
Turning business travel into a vacation Would work travel seem a little easier if you could turn it into a vacation? Two professors say they have proof that would help business travel.
The future of biometrics: Safer security or new AI risks? In 2021, the Transportation Service Agency (TSA) launched its new touchless identity solution in the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County airport.
CAPE CORAL Pelican Elementary resource officer saves infant A school resource officer at Pelican Elementary saved an infants’ life at a traffic stop in Cape Coral.
FORT MYERS Progress being made on City View Park in Dunbar More promises made by a city that has not kept its promises for the last six years have some neighbors concerned about the future of their community.
COLLIER COUNTY Seacrest hoops player hits a full court buzzer beater Seacrest Country Day School boys basketball player Hayden Fuller hits full court buzzer beater against Aubrey Rogers.
NAPLES Cutting-edge ACL surgery reducing reinjury risk by 80% Known for its game-changing orthopedic repair options, Naples-based Arthrex has done it again.
NAPLES MacStrength FL offers sport and lifestyle training for young athletes In 2025, MacStrength FL is swinging for success with their current players and for a wider reach in its community.
You can appeal FEMA’s decision on your claim – Here’s how Now a week after the deadline for FEMA hurricane assistance has closed, the federal agency says you can appeal their decision on your claim if you don’t agree.
Naples selects city CFO as next city manager, averts national search Naples Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer Gary Young will become the next city manager, averting a lengthy, expensive national search for a replacement.
A family is paying for a mess they didn’t ask for or create. On “60 Minutes,” Ginny Jeff Rapkin told the nation that they believed their insurance company changed the licensed adjuster’s initial damage report costing the couple more than $200,000. WINK News then confirmed the state opened a criminal investigation. When state chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis confirmed the criminal investigation, WINK News asked him what advice he had for the Rapkins and others trapped in a fight with their insurance company. Patronis told WINK: Don’t file a lawsuit first, come to the state for help. The Rapkins said they did go to the Department of Financial Services, and they told WINK, that didn’t work at all. RELATED: New details emerge confirming state investigation into Heritage Insurance RELATED: Family continues legal battle with Heritage Insurance “This is the room my son stayed in,” said Jeff Rapkin. Just standing in this bedroom gets to Rapkin. “You have all these memories from a home, and this could have been saved. All they had to do was cover the top,” said Rapkin. It pains Rapkin to see the mold growing on the walls, coating the ceiling and the insulation. Hurricane Ian whipped the roof right off the Rapkins’ home and two years later, there’s still this gaping hole. “We were living in this house. We would lie in bed at night thinking, ‘Is it going to crumble underneath us, are we going to die tonight?’ So we had to leave,” said Rapkin. And who can blame them? When it rains, water pours down through the house. Water pouring in through a hole in the ceiling Now, Rapkin and his wife live in an apartment. All because they say Heritage Insurance refused to pay their claim. “What’s happened here is wrong. This is a lack of common human decency, a lack of humanity,” said Rapkin. “We’re out of savings. We’re out of money.” The Rapkins went on “60 minutes” and accused Heritage of changing their licensed adjuster’s initial damage report. Jordan Lee determined there was $231,000 worth of damage, starting with the roof. But Heritage sent the couple a check for $15,000. After watching the story on “60 Minutes,” Florida’s chief financial officer told WINK News his office can’t do much to help the couple because they filed a lawsuit instead of working through the state’s Department of Financial Services. “As soon as they hire an attorney, then it’s in the court system. We can’t do anything,” said Patronis. “That’s why I just tell people, ‘If you’ve got a problem, call our office. You can always hire an attorney. You can always hire a public adjuster, but we offer a lot of services at no cost to the taxpayer, which we’re very good at.'” That’s not Rapkin’s experience. He filed a report with the state’s Department of Financial Services in February of 2023. “Crickets, nothing. Silence, absolute silence. I filed a second complaint with DFS. I’ve gotten nothing,” said Rapkin. Two months later, Jeff and Ginny took matters into their own hands and filed a lawsuit against Heritage. Jeff is a lawyer, an adoption lawyer, who is representing himself. “I’m going to lose. I’m in insurance land, and they’re throwing out rules and laws at me that I’ve never heard before, and I’m struggling to keep up,” said Rapkin. That trial is set to begin in less than three weeks. As for the Rapkins’ claim, no one from the state responded to their complaint. WINK News asked Patronis to look into it, and he said he would, but as of Wednesday, he is busy responding to victims of Hurricane Helene.