Super 8 in Naples to become apartments for local workersEndangered Florida panther killed by vehicle on SR-29 SB in Collier County; 30th death in 2024
NAPLES Super 8 in Naples to become apartments for local workers A Super 8 Motel in Naples will soon look slightly different; it will become an apartment building with fully furnished units.
Endangered Florida panther killed by vehicle on SR-29 SB in Collier County; 30th death in 2024 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced the 30th Florida Panther death of 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Efforts to restore Fort Myers Beach underway The Fort Myers Beach coastline continues to feel the impacts of the recent storms. Crews working on the sand renourishment beach project have more than six miles of “Critically eroded beach” to restore.
More water headed into Caloosahatchee: What it means for our estuary Southwest Florida cringes every time the mention of releases from Lake Okeechobee comes up. There are concerns about what’s in the water and whether it will dirty our shoreline or even fuel blue-green algae blooms.
NAPLES Transforming animal care: how a $1.5M donation is helping SNIP Collier We are seeing the first major changes from a donation from Tom Golisano.
FORT MYERS BEACH “We did what we had to do” Fort Myers Beach mayor takes blame for loss of FEMA discount 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.
NORTH FORT MYERS Suncoast Estates fatal shooting leaves community on edge A fatal shooting took place on Saturday at the Suncoast Estates in North Fort Myers, on Heck Drive, that left one man dead and another seriously injured.
SANIBEL Gulfshore Life Men and Women of the Year award honoree: James Evans The environment and economy are nearly synonymous in Southwest Florida, and while many people work to protect both, one man stands out and has made the environment his life’s work.
NORTH FORT MYERS Where did the Shell Factory animals go? With the closure of The Shell Factory in September, people have been wondering where the animals went.
NAPLES Naples man arrested on multiple violent charges including kidnapping and sexual battery A Naples man has been arrested on multiple violent charges stemming from an alleged case of kidnapping involving guns, drugs and sexual battery.
MATLACHA CW Fudge Factory in Matlacha getting back to business after storms Getting back to business is giving one island the boost they need before the holidays.
southwest florida How much will a Christmas tree cost in Southwest Florida this year? With Thanksgiving this week and Christmas around the corner, we want to know how tree prices are stacking up across Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Spreading holiday cheer with Christmas tree lighting in Naples The Christmas spirit has awakened in Naples.
Early lung cancer detection According to a critical care pulmonologist with Lee Health, every day, two people in Lee County hear the news that they have lung cancer.
Bishop Verot seniors cheering in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade The Viking seniors get a once in a lifetime experience cheering with Spirit of America in the iconic holiday parade.
NAPLES Super 8 in Naples to become apartments for local workers A Super 8 Motel in Naples will soon look slightly different; it will become an apartment building with fully furnished units.
Endangered Florida panther killed by vehicle on SR-29 SB in Collier County; 30th death in 2024 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced the 30th Florida Panther death of 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Efforts to restore Fort Myers Beach underway The Fort Myers Beach coastline continues to feel the impacts of the recent storms. Crews working on the sand renourishment beach project have more than six miles of “Critically eroded beach” to restore.
More water headed into Caloosahatchee: What it means for our estuary Southwest Florida cringes every time the mention of releases from Lake Okeechobee comes up. There are concerns about what’s in the water and whether it will dirty our shoreline or even fuel blue-green algae blooms.
NAPLES Transforming animal care: how a $1.5M donation is helping SNIP Collier We are seeing the first major changes from a donation from Tom Golisano.
FORT MYERS BEACH “We did what we had to do” Fort Myers Beach mayor takes blame for loss of FEMA discount 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.
NORTH FORT MYERS Suncoast Estates fatal shooting leaves community on edge A fatal shooting took place on Saturday at the Suncoast Estates in North Fort Myers, on Heck Drive, that left one man dead and another seriously injured.
SANIBEL Gulfshore Life Men and Women of the Year award honoree: James Evans The environment and economy are nearly synonymous in Southwest Florida, and while many people work to protect both, one man stands out and has made the environment his life’s work.
NORTH FORT MYERS Where did the Shell Factory animals go? With the closure of The Shell Factory in September, people have been wondering where the animals went.
NAPLES Naples man arrested on multiple violent charges including kidnapping and sexual battery A Naples man has been arrested on multiple violent charges stemming from an alleged case of kidnapping involving guns, drugs and sexual battery.
MATLACHA CW Fudge Factory in Matlacha getting back to business after storms Getting back to business is giving one island the boost they need before the holidays.
southwest florida How much will a Christmas tree cost in Southwest Florida this year? With Thanksgiving this week and Christmas around the corner, we want to know how tree prices are stacking up across Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Spreading holiday cheer with Christmas tree lighting in Naples The Christmas spirit has awakened in Naples.
Early lung cancer detection According to a critical care pulmonologist with Lee Health, every day, two people in Lee County hear the news that they have lung cancer.
Bishop Verot seniors cheering in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade The Viking seniors get a once in a lifetime experience cheering with Spirit of America in the iconic holiday parade.
A Super 8 Motel in Naples will soon look slightly different; it will become an apartment building with fully furnished units. The apartments are mostly reserved for employees of the Moorings Park Senior Living Community. It will also include a few dozen units strictly for low-income families. WINK News reporter Asha Patel went to the hotel, where they knew more affordable housing was needed for seniors in Collier County. Moorings Park bought the motel a few days before Hurricane Ian, and Dan Lavender, the CEO, said that about three months ago, it was 100% occupied by people who had been displaced from their homes. Now, they’re ready to renovate it and start renting it out. Lavender said finding service workers in Collier County is a challenge. “We are standing at what’s going to be a future workforce housing site,” Lavender said. He hopes to change the Super 8 Motel with this first-of-its-kind project to bring more workforce housing to the county. “We saw increasing challenges where they were driving a long way, 2 hours in the car, affordable housing real problem. Here, they’ll be able to get in a place for about $1095 a month, $1295 a month with utilities, cut down on the commute and increase their quality of life,” Lavender explained. This portion of the motel is transforming into 108 furnished studio apartments; Lavender said the goal is to make housing affordable for his employees. “That would be nice, there is a nice pool there you’ve never seen nobody in it; maybe get some more people in here, a nice neighborhood, nice class of people,” said Naples resident Donald Huelse. We met Huelse on Monday. He said he searched for six weeks for an affordable place to live. “Went through some life changes; this was nice and close, only one mile away instead of 12 miles, so, works out for me,” he shared. “Accessibility, bus route all right here; it’s good if you have a car or don’t. If you want a nice dinner, Cracker Barrel is 500 feet away!” Lavender said renovations will start early next year. The number of people in each apartment will be limited to 2. The CEO said things would look totally different once renovations happen. He also said if there are vacancies, Moorings Park will have long-term leases with employers in the area whose eligible employees can lease the units.