Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve communityBroken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents
NAPLES Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community Cleveland Bass Movers, founded in 1969, stands as the oldest Black-owned business in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.
St. James City Church plans $700k flood-proofing project for future safety Hurricanes have caused flood after flood, and one island church, The First Baptist Church of Saint James City, wants to build higher.
Romance scams rise in the US, AARP warns residents to beware Romance scams are on the rise, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 64,000 cases in the U.S. in 2023.
Fort Myers Savannah Bananas make their way to Fort Myers for first time The Savannah Bananas have made their way to JetBlue Park for Friday’s sold-out game in Fort Myers to watch “the greatest show in sports.”
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Yacht Club receives key permit Cape Coral received a key permit for a Yacht Club Community Park. This permit opens up the necessary steps for the park to be built.
PORT CHARLOTTE Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church holds 31st annual Greek Fest The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Port Charlotte kicked off its 31st annual Greek Fest on Friday.
Donations helping young kids get fed Food insecurity is a pressing issue in the community, and organizations like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Meals of Hope and the Guadalupe Center are stepping up to help.
New risk factors contribute to heart disease February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to assess your heart health.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte High School student arrested for possession of BB gun According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, a student has been arrested after a BB gun was found in his backpack on Friday.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Regional Library to undergo multiple repairs due to Ian The Fort Myers Regional Library is preparing for essential repairs, nearly two years after Hurricane Ian made its impact.
Drug bust at Collier County home leads to triple arrest Three people are accused of running a drug house that held opioids, fentanyl and other illicit narcotics in Collier County.
Charlotte County’s first Grain & Berry opens Fast-growing organic vegan restaurant franchise Grain & Berry opened in Port Charlotte, making it the 19th in the state out of a total of 23 nationwide.
GOLDEN GATE Body found in Collier County canal prompts death investigation Collier County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation after a body was discovered in a canal.
FORT MYERS DeSantis’ new Boater Freedom Initiative would end random FWC boat safety inspections Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the new Boater Freedom Initiative will protect Sunshine State residents’ right to boat.
NAPLES Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community Cleveland Bass Movers, founded in 1969, stands as the oldest Black-owned business in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.
St. James City Church plans $700k flood-proofing project for future safety Hurricanes have caused flood after flood, and one island church, The First Baptist Church of Saint James City, wants to build higher.
Romance scams rise in the US, AARP warns residents to beware Romance scams are on the rise, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 64,000 cases in the U.S. in 2023.
Fort Myers Savannah Bananas make their way to Fort Myers for first time The Savannah Bananas have made their way to JetBlue Park for Friday’s sold-out game in Fort Myers to watch “the greatest show in sports.”
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Yacht Club receives key permit Cape Coral received a key permit for a Yacht Club Community Park. This permit opens up the necessary steps for the park to be built.
PORT CHARLOTTE Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church holds 31st annual Greek Fest The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Port Charlotte kicked off its 31st annual Greek Fest on Friday.
Donations helping young kids get fed Food insecurity is a pressing issue in the community, and organizations like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Meals of Hope and the Guadalupe Center are stepping up to help.
New risk factors contribute to heart disease February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to assess your heart health.
PORT CHARLOTTE Port Charlotte High School student arrested for possession of BB gun According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, a student has been arrested after a BB gun was found in his backpack on Friday.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Regional Library to undergo multiple repairs due to Ian The Fort Myers Regional Library is preparing for essential repairs, nearly two years after Hurricane Ian made its impact.
Drug bust at Collier County home leads to triple arrest Three people are accused of running a drug house that held opioids, fentanyl and other illicit narcotics in Collier County.
Charlotte County’s first Grain & Berry opens Fast-growing organic vegan restaurant franchise Grain & Berry opened in Port Charlotte, making it the 19th in the state out of a total of 23 nationwide.
GOLDEN GATE Body found in Collier County canal prompts death investigation Collier County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation after a body was discovered in a canal.
FORT MYERS DeSantis’ new Boater Freedom Initiative would end random FWC boat safety inspections Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the new Boater Freedom Initiative will protect Sunshine State residents’ right to boat.
There is new information on a horrific case of child abuse. A child forced to live in a filthy closet in a pristine home with an often unused guest room. The adopted 10-year-old boy died in a neighborhood almost three years ago. Is it a tragedy, or is it a crime that’s gone unpunished? There’s so little to go on here. We don’t even have a picture of the victim, Begidu Morris. Public documents show he was 10 years old, found collapsed on the bathroom floor at home and rushed to the hospital, where he was put on life support and died. “So, I have a lot of lingering questions. I’ll just put it like that,” said Kristen Ziman, WINK News’ safety and security specialist. Ziman is a retired police chief who the federal government asked to investigate the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting. We asked her to look into Morris’ death. “We know from the police report that data was taken from the baby monitor, which was installed in the room that the 10-year-old was sleeping. Call it a closet,” said Ziman. Florida’s Department of Children and Families called it exactly that. A closet with a rollaway bed containing a pile of urine-soaked clothes, no ventilation but a camera trained on the door locked from the outside. Despite that data, there have been no charges, not for his death and none for the abuse. The issue with charging in the death seems to be that two people were in the home at the time, so investigators can’t determine who was responsible. “That’s the bottom line: the investigation identified a pattern of abuse, but it did not have conclusive evidence to determine which individual inflicted the fatal injuries,” said Ziman. Remember, no abuse charges have been filed either. The DCF report shows a list of previous traumas: verified internal injuries, physical injury, medical neglect, malnutrition, failure to protect and inadequate supervision. The report says the “caregiver responsible” is the mother and father. Here’s the list of people we tried to ask about that. None of them returned our calls and the family’s attorney had no comment. The child’s uncle The child’s grandfather A pastor A neighbor Here’s another list. The government offices that wouldn’t say anything other than what we already know from public information: The Lee County Sheriff’s Office The state attorney The medical examiner That public information also says the child had scars “consistent with a burn injury,” weighed only 44 pounds when he died and suffered “severe physical abuse” and “severe malnutrition.” Again, DCF identifies the mother and father, Consuela and Jack Morris, as the responsible caregivers. “There is a whole list of things that could be charged that don’t rise to the level of homicide,” said Ziman, “and my biggest question is, why were those lesser charges not filed?” WINK News will keep trying to answer that. The state attorney said it is still an active investigation.