Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weaponHuge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weapon The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Huge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures, as Wednesday afternoon highs are expected to be in the lower 70s.
CAPE CORAL Police respond to home invasion in Cape Coral neighborhood The Cape Coral Police Department deployed police and forensics to a scene located on Southeast 5th Place.
FORT MYERS Advocates urge safety measures for retention ponds after boy drowns The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off Wine, music and making a difference! On Tuesday evening 40 couples joined together to kick off the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
PUNTA GORDA Blue Angels returning for 2025 Florida International Air Show The Blue Angels will finally return for the first time in over 12 years to next year’s Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport.
Lee County Commissioners discuss LCSO Budget and Sheriff Marceno federal investigation In light of recent investigations into Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, a Lee County Commissioner proposed a change at Tuesday’s commissioner’s meeting that would separate the county budget from the sheriff’s. This potential change is a long way from being implemented because it isn’t necessarily a proposal, but more like the beginning steps of one. […]
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers cheerleaders push for Nationals with community’s help The North Fort Myers Pop Warner cheer team has the talent to compete on the biggest stage but lacks the money.
Victim identified in Charlotte County shooting A victim has been identified after a shooting on Nasturtium Drive early Monday morning.
Advanced care for lung cancer patients in Lee County The outlook for lung cancer is typically not good, mostly because it’s often picked up in late stages. However, Lee Health hopes to change that trajectory by launching a new advanced care center focusing on lung disease.
CHARLOTTE PARK After the storm: Harbor Belle RV Resort faces a slow path to recovery Here on WINK News, we have told you about the devastation at the Harbor Belle RV Resort in Charlotte Park and how, for months, many people did not have power.
New K-9 honors fallen Fort Myers officer A Fort Myers police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice serving southwest Florida gets a unique honor.
Websites to help you avoid charity rip-offs The holiday season is a popular time for people to open their wallets and make donations to charities, but how can you be sure your money is going to the right place?
Southwest Florida celebrates Giving Tuesday It’s a day of giving to the ones who need it the most. Giving Tuesday is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
FORT MYERS BEACH Pink Shell developers plead their case against Fort Myers Beach To build up and out or to not. That is the debate going on right now on Fort Myers Beach. The Pink Shell wants to expand on the island.
NORTH FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Lee County man arrested for assault after using saw-like weapon The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who is accused of assault with a saw-like weapon.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Huge warm up as we head into the 70s this Wednesday The Weather Authority is tracking increased temperatures, as Wednesday afternoon highs are expected to be in the lower 70s.
CAPE CORAL Police respond to home invasion in Cape Coral neighborhood The Cape Coral Police Department deployed police and forensics to a scene located on Southeast 5th Place.
FORT MYERS Advocates urge safety measures for retention ponds after boy drowns The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off Wine, music and making a difference! On Tuesday evening 40 couples joined together to kick off the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival.
PUNTA GORDA Blue Angels returning for 2025 Florida International Air Show The Blue Angels will finally return for the first time in over 12 years to next year’s Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport.
Lee County Commissioners discuss LCSO Budget and Sheriff Marceno federal investigation In light of recent investigations into Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, a Lee County Commissioner proposed a change at Tuesday’s commissioner’s meeting that would separate the county budget from the sheriff’s. This potential change is a long way from being implemented because it isn’t necessarily a proposal, but more like the beginning steps of one. […]
NORTH FORT MYERS North Fort Myers cheerleaders push for Nationals with community’s help The North Fort Myers Pop Warner cheer team has the talent to compete on the biggest stage but lacks the money.
Victim identified in Charlotte County shooting A victim has been identified after a shooting on Nasturtium Drive early Monday morning.
Advanced care for lung cancer patients in Lee County The outlook for lung cancer is typically not good, mostly because it’s often picked up in late stages. However, Lee Health hopes to change that trajectory by launching a new advanced care center focusing on lung disease.
CHARLOTTE PARK After the storm: Harbor Belle RV Resort faces a slow path to recovery Here on WINK News, we have told you about the devastation at the Harbor Belle RV Resort in Charlotte Park and how, for months, many people did not have power.
New K-9 honors fallen Fort Myers officer A Fort Myers police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice serving southwest Florida gets a unique honor.
Websites to help you avoid charity rip-offs The holiday season is a popular time for people to open their wallets and make donations to charities, but how can you be sure your money is going to the right place?
Southwest Florida celebrates Giving Tuesday It’s a day of giving to the ones who need it the most. Giving Tuesday is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
FORT MYERS BEACH Pink Shell developers plead their case against Fort Myers Beach To build up and out or to not. That is the debate going on right now on Fort Myers Beach. The Pink Shell wants to expand on the island.
The tragic drowning of a little boy in Fort Myers is starting a conversation. It’s only natural for people to gravitate towards the things they love, and 7-year-old Braylin Staco’s family told WINK News he loved water. The little boy with autism was found dead in a retention pond in Lee County on Friday, and now a local man wants to make sure what happened to Braylin will never happen again. WINK News reporter Haley Zarcone spoke with the man to find out how he hopes to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again. Drowning in a retention pond specifically, John Fletemeyer said, is a preventable death. Fletemeyer is the chairman of the International Drowning Prevention Alliance, and he’s taken a special interest in this tragedy. “A child will walk to the edge of a pond and see a tadpole or frog,” Fletemeyer told WINK. “In Florida alone, there’s between 7,500 and 7,600 retention ponds.” Sadly, it is not prevented enough. Fletemeyer’s book Retention Pond Safety may seem niche, but it hits home for the young boy’s family. Staco was autistic. “Water is like a magnet to them, and they’re drawn to water depending on what level in the spectrum they are, but at any level, they’re certainly drawn to the water. And this is the reason that retention ponds are especially dangerous to children suffering from autism,” Fletemeyer explained. RELATED: Police report reveals how child with autism got out of house before drowning in Fort Myers pond A portion of this book is dedicated to those with autism, and it states, in part, that water is a calming sensory for children with autism. Within the last 18 months, Staco is the third child with autism to drown in Southwest Florida. So what can be done? Now that his book has hit the shelves, Fletemeyer hopes it catches the eyes of a state legislature. “We need to have retention ponds with a barrier fence or fence-in all swimming pools that you see in a condominium complex or a public pool, they’re fenced in, and they prevent a barrier for a child to accidentally gain access to,” Fletemeyer explained. “Studies that we’ve conducted over the years, about 5%, show that retention ponds have barrier fences. 95% don’t. So 95% are especially dangerous.” In regards to Staco’s drowning, DCF has received our request for their report, and they said they are working on getting that to us.