Animal cruelty investigation launched after cat shot with BB gunLee County teen caught on camera during car burglary spree
NORTH FORT MYERS Animal cruelty investigation launched after cat shot with BB gun Authorities in Lee County are investigating a case of animal cruelty after a beloved feral cat was found injured by a BB gun.
FORT MYERS Lee County teen caught on camera during car burglary spree An 18-year-old man is in jail after deputies say he went through a neighborhood breaking into cars and stealing items.
FORT MYERS FGCU men’s basketball team visits pediatric cancer patients The Eagles visited pediatric cancer patients at Golisano Children’s Hospital as part of Coaches vs. Cancer week.
Florida House and Senate approve new immigration bill It took four and a half hours of back-and-forth debates for the Florida Senate to vote and pass the immigration bill.
NORTH FORT MYERS United Way donates bikes to children in need Thanks to the generosity of donors, the United Way School Resource Center was able to distribute 24 bikes and helmets to Lee County School District students.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers girls soccer star’s record breaking season North Fort Myers High School girls soccer forward Hannah Busenbark breaks school’s single-season scoring record.
DORAL Updates on day 2 of Trump Doral retreat Lawmakers at the U.S. House Republican retreat in Doral are preparing to take a break after a day filled with closed-door meetings. Their goal is to devise a plan to advance President Trump’s ambitious agenda on Capitol Hill.
CAPE CORAL New worship center opening to Cape Christian Fellowship Church Cape Christian Fellowship Church will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new worship center. Upon completion, this new 1,300-seat auditorium-style building will be one of the largest venues for gatherings in Cape Coral.
PUNTA GORDA WINK News helps Charlotte County woman recover lost Christmas gifts Sheila Nicoloff from Charlotte County faced disappointment when the Christmas presents she sent to her family in Ohio did not arrive on time.
ARCADIA 19 heavy metal bands to perform at 119-year-old Arcadia opera house A 119-year-old opera house will host 19 local heavy metal bands as part of a two-day festival.
Florida officials seek tougher penalties for illegal arcades Experts say that illegal gaming places are like cockroaches: if you squash one of them, a bunch more pop up in their place.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents urged to stay vigilant as armed man eludes capture Authorities are still searching for a 20-year-old man considered armed and dangerous, who escaped from deputies during an attempted arrest.
CAPE CORAL Behind the scenes look at upcoming Sunplash upgrades Sunsplash Waterpark in Cape Coral is set to unveil its newest attraction, Paradise Cove, later this year.
little gasparilla island Relief for Little Gasparilla as barge begins debris removal after hurricanes Little Gasparilla Island is receiving much-needed assistance from Charlotte County to clear debris from hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Space research may unlock heart repair breakthroughs Researchers are exploring new frontiers in medical science by conducting experiments in space to address cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death.
NORTH FORT MYERS Animal cruelty investigation launched after cat shot with BB gun Authorities in Lee County are investigating a case of animal cruelty after a beloved feral cat was found injured by a BB gun.
FORT MYERS Lee County teen caught on camera during car burglary spree An 18-year-old man is in jail after deputies say he went through a neighborhood breaking into cars and stealing items.
FORT MYERS FGCU men’s basketball team visits pediatric cancer patients The Eagles visited pediatric cancer patients at Golisano Children’s Hospital as part of Coaches vs. Cancer week.
Florida House and Senate approve new immigration bill It took four and a half hours of back-and-forth debates for the Florida Senate to vote and pass the immigration bill.
NORTH FORT MYERS United Way donates bikes to children in need Thanks to the generosity of donors, the United Way School Resource Center was able to distribute 24 bikes and helmets to Lee County School District students.
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers girls soccer star’s record breaking season North Fort Myers High School girls soccer forward Hannah Busenbark breaks school’s single-season scoring record.
DORAL Updates on day 2 of Trump Doral retreat Lawmakers at the U.S. House Republican retreat in Doral are preparing to take a break after a day filled with closed-door meetings. Their goal is to devise a plan to advance President Trump’s ambitious agenda on Capitol Hill.
CAPE CORAL New worship center opening to Cape Christian Fellowship Church Cape Christian Fellowship Church will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new worship center. Upon completion, this new 1,300-seat auditorium-style building will be one of the largest venues for gatherings in Cape Coral.
PUNTA GORDA WINK News helps Charlotte County woman recover lost Christmas gifts Sheila Nicoloff from Charlotte County faced disappointment when the Christmas presents she sent to her family in Ohio did not arrive on time.
ARCADIA 19 heavy metal bands to perform at 119-year-old Arcadia opera house A 119-year-old opera house will host 19 local heavy metal bands as part of a two-day festival.
Florida officials seek tougher penalties for illegal arcades Experts say that illegal gaming places are like cockroaches: if you squash one of them, a bunch more pop up in their place.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents urged to stay vigilant as armed man eludes capture Authorities are still searching for a 20-year-old man considered armed and dangerous, who escaped from deputies during an attempted arrest.
CAPE CORAL Behind the scenes look at upcoming Sunplash upgrades Sunsplash Waterpark in Cape Coral is set to unveil its newest attraction, Paradise Cove, later this year.
little gasparilla island Relief for Little Gasparilla as barge begins debris removal after hurricanes Little Gasparilla Island is receiving much-needed assistance from Charlotte County to clear debris from hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Space research may unlock heart repair breakthroughs Researchers are exploring new frontiers in medical science by conducting experiments in space to address cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death.
FEMA sent the town of Fort Myers Beach a letter explaining why they lost their flood insurance discount. One reason was not removing temporary trailers and containers from flood zones. Now, the mayor says to blame him for it. Dan Allers says the town did what it could to bring business back to the island, and help people. That meant letting people work out of shipping containers and trailers. When hurricane Ian’s powerful category five storm surge and winds wiped out the Rude Shrimp Company, owners Lisa Lahners and TJ Holzapfel told WINK News that red shipping containers saved their Fort Myers Beach business. “If we couldn’t do this, we wouldn’t, we wouldn’t be here,” said Lahners. “As you know, and everybody knows, it was a war zone. It was horrific,” said Holzapfel. More than 2 years later, they’re serving shrimp out of the trailer. Mayor Dan Allers told WINK that after the storm, the town voted to permit the trailers to help business owners, but FEMA said the beach broke the rules and ripped away people’s 25% discount on flood insurance. On Thursday, the agency sent the town a letter outlining where they went wrong. “It comes down to the trailers, the trailers that they’re using to store equipment at the condos that still aren’t open, some of the food trucks they’re not happy with,” said Allers. “Knowing what I know now, would I have still voted the way I voted back in October of 2022, right after the storm, to get people back in temporary trailers and temporary businesses? Absolutely. We had to do what we had to do…. There was so much devastation, we knew we had to get people back in their homes and try to provide some sort of commerce for the people that were here trying to rebuild.” But by helping businesses, Greg Scancsy fears the town may have hurt homeowners in the process. Scancsy lost his home in Hurricane Ian and has been living in a trailer and with neighbors since. “Our town exists for the residents. They need to look out for our interests first. I’m not saying they’re not doing that, but we need to push that a little more aggressively,” said Scancsy. Betty Thomas told WINK that losing the flood insurance discount may mean losing her home. She can’t afford to live on the beach anymore. “I live on my Social Security, and it’s getting to the point where I can’t anymore; it doesn’t stretch far enough,” said Thomas. RELATED: Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount RELATED: Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount RELATED: New information on why FEMA put Fort Myers Beach on probation “I’m sure people want someone to blame, and they can point the arrows at me and the council if they want. We’re the ones that made the policy decision to allow people to get into their trailers right afterward and try to get some businesses to get employees back to work,” said Allers. “So, if there’s any blame to be thrown around, throw it at us. We’ll take it, but we’re certainly going to correct it, make sure we get it back to where at least we were, if not better,” said Mayor Allers. Now, the town is on probation, which means they have to fix all the problems. Once they do that, they can apply to get the discount back, but it takes two years. Allers said the town will talk about starting the process of removing the trailers, and he hopes FEMA will see the town’s efforts and reconsider.