Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local businessSpeakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures
SANIBEL Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local business Repairing the Sanibel Causeway after recent storms has caused more than just traffic back-ups.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures Everything inside the Escondido Lounge whispers an authentic speakeasy, from the dim red lights to the fancy vintage glasses.
ESTERO Caught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero A business manager feels violated after a man took money from a tip jar on Tuesday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 13th for establishing small businesses A blog set out to find the top U.S. cities where aspiring business owners can thrive in 2024, Cape Coral was named 13th.
NAPLES Minimally invasive balloon procedure for sinus issues Battling a sinus infection is bad enough, but contending with chronic sinus infections can be a real problem.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024.
ESTERO Car crashes into restaurant window in Gulf Coast Town Center Authorities are investigating after an SUV crashed into a restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump picks Sen. Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man arrested in connection to cockfighting A Lehigh Acres man has been arrested after deputies found he was running a cockfighting ring near his home.
WINK NEWS Atlanta Dream hires long-time FGCU coach The Atlanta Dream has hired longtime FGCU coach Karl Smesko to lead the team as he steps down as head women’s basketball coach of the Eagles.
Duo arrested in Collier County for bank jugging The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two men who stand accused of bank jugging, stealing thousands of dollars in cash from a victim.
PUNTA GORDA 2 accused of trafficking narcotics after reckless driving stop in Punta Gorda A man and woman have been arrested for allegedly possessing trafficking amounts of drugs after deputies stopped them for reckless driving in Punta Gorda.
HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital purchases land in Bonita Springs Charlotte County’s HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital purchased a 4.3-acre site on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, according to Lee County property records.
NORTH PORT North Port woman wins $1M prize playing scratch-off A woman in North Port won $1 million from a scratch-off game.
FWC rescues baby manatee from shallow area in Caloosahatchee River A baby manatee found in the shallows of the Caloosahatchee River is recovering after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission transported it for care to SeaWorld.
SANIBEL Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local business Repairing the Sanibel Causeway after recent storms has caused more than just traffic back-ups.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures Everything inside the Escondido Lounge whispers an authentic speakeasy, from the dim red lights to the fancy vintage glasses.
ESTERO Caught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero A business manager feels violated after a man took money from a tip jar on Tuesday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 13th for establishing small businesses A blog set out to find the top U.S. cities where aspiring business owners can thrive in 2024, Cape Coral was named 13th.
NAPLES Minimally invasive balloon procedure for sinus issues Battling a sinus infection is bad enough, but contending with chronic sinus infections can be a real problem.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024.
ESTERO Car crashes into restaurant window in Gulf Coast Town Center Authorities are investigating after an SUV crashed into a restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump picks Sen. Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres man arrested in connection to cockfighting A Lehigh Acres man has been arrested after deputies found he was running a cockfighting ring near his home.
WINK NEWS Atlanta Dream hires long-time FGCU coach The Atlanta Dream has hired longtime FGCU coach Karl Smesko to lead the team as he steps down as head women’s basketball coach of the Eagles.
Duo arrested in Collier County for bank jugging The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two men who stand accused of bank jugging, stealing thousands of dollars in cash from a victim.
PUNTA GORDA 2 accused of trafficking narcotics after reckless driving stop in Punta Gorda A man and woman have been arrested for allegedly possessing trafficking amounts of drugs after deputies stopped them for reckless driving in Punta Gorda.
HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital purchases land in Bonita Springs Charlotte County’s HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital purchased a 4.3-acre site on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, according to Lee County property records.
NORTH PORT North Port woman wins $1M prize playing scratch-off A woman in North Port won $1 million from a scratch-off game.
FWC rescues baby manatee from shallow area in Caloosahatchee River A baby manatee found in the shallows of the Caloosahatchee River is recovering after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission transported it for care to SeaWorld.
Operating a business in Sanibel is difficult enough; however, recovering can become a monumental feat when Mother Nature interferes. Residents and business owners alike are familiar with how impactful hurricane flooding can be on the island, which inspires creative ways to deal with recovery. Residents and business owners are encouraged to raise their buildings to better deal with floodwater. While encouraged to do so, many face financial issues preventing them from building their properties upward. WINK News anchor Lindsey Sablan spoke with Rachel Pierce, a Sanibel business owner, and Sue Van Oss, the director of communications at St. Michael and All Angels Church, about their recovery methods and how they can circumvent this issue. Pierce’s art gallery cannot be raised, as it is made from concrete. However, Pierce creatively dealt with flood waters from the latest hurricane to hit the island. “Someone comes in with a push broom and gets momentum of water going, and then other people take the squeegee and squeegee it out,” said Pierce. “This is an epoxy floor. You could drop a sledgehammer on it and not see any damage, so we did that on top of the concrete.” In 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated Sanibel, flooding many homes and businesses. Van Oss faced nearly 5 feet of floodwater, forcing St. Micheal and All Angels Church to rebuild with resiliency in mind. “We have a four-foot high oven. And when we installed it at Ian, people said, Wow, that’s a tall oven,” said Van Oss. “We intentionally replaced all of our kitchen equipment, all of the cabinets, everything after Ian, with stainless steel.” Nearly everything inside the church is equipped with wheels, allowing for easier transportation. Now, Van Oss is looking to the future. “Instead of drywall, use Dura Rock or other types of waterproof drywall. There are removable sections of drywall that you can use. There are flood barriers and flood dams,” said Van Oss. The art gallery and St. Micheal and All Angels Church reopened 10 days after Hurricane Milton impacted Florida.