School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 11, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
Second leading cause of chest pain The leading cause of cardiac chest pain is coronary artery disease, which affects over 18 million adults in the United States.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office: Parent brings weapon to Lehigh Acres school According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, there is probable cause to believe a woman unintentionally brought a firearm to school.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 11, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
Second leading cause of chest pain The leading cause of cardiac chest pain is coronary artery disease, which affects over 18 million adults in the United States.
A state lawmaker is backing the high-ranking Lee County leader who went public on WINK News Tuesday with his warning about possible money trouble inside the sheriff’s office. That state representative told anchor Claire Galt exclusively Wednesday that he’s the one who encouraged the comptroller to put the warning in writing after he got shut down. What got these two people so concerned is money. Kevin Karnes is the Lee comptroller. Adam Botana is the state representative. When they heard reports of fraud and money laundering in Sheriff Carmine Marceno‘s office, they believed they had to take action. A meeting behind closed doors had the Lee County Comptroller so concerned about what was happening inside the Lee County Sheriff’s Office that he went to Botana to ask what to do. “He said, ‘Hey, I’m asking the county to look into these consultants, and pretty much he was told not to. They got a lot of pushback, so that’s really concerning for me,” Botana said. WINK Investigations got copies of those consultant contracts. They show several people on the sheriff’s office payroll for various things, like social media help, writing kids’ books and even a $9,000-a-month deal with former state senator Lizbeth Benaquisto’s company for lobbying and advising. Botana told us that Karnes wanted to look into those, and an external auditor did, too. So Botana told Karnes to put his worry in writing, sending a letter dated Oct. 29, in which he admits “county leadership and the undersheriff expressed passionate disagreements” with the external auditor. “The undersheriff said, ‘No, we’ll take care of that internally, don’t worry about it, or we’ll take care of it.’ That’s probably not a good look,” Botana said. Karnes told us on Tuesday, “I think we need to let the facts play out. It’s not a rush-to-judgment sort of thing to look at any county department and do an audit. It’s a very calculated decision that we believe is in the best interest for the taxpayers.” “I mean, everybody needs oversight. You get $2 billion, [it] needs oversight,” Botana said. Both men said they’re more concerned now that the FBI is investigating the sheriff and that a federal court has served subpoenas on Lee County for records about the sheriff’s home and headquarters amid accusations of money laundering. Botana said that this concerns him even more now. Karnes’ letter asking for the audit wasn’t the first letter the county received. In the wake of the pandemic and Hurricane Ian, Botana and three other state lawmakers sent this letter to Karnes asking for an audit of how the county spent those federal funds. Botana said Lee County’s leaders gave him a lot of pushback. That’s why Botana pushed Karnes to write his letter asking for an audit of the sheriff’s office.