Professional Experience

2021 - present: WINK News morning anchor
2019 - 2021: WINK News weekend anchor/reporter
2018 - 2019: WINK News reporter
Previously worked as a weekend anchor and reporter at KMIZ in Columbia, Missouri.

Awards and Recognition

2019 Suncoast Regional Emmy Award nomination for reporting on a "Bomb Squad Search at a Home in Cape Coral."
Two Heart of America Gold Awards from the Kansas City Press Club for a special report on "Surviving a Mass Shooting" and for several reports on human and sex trafficking in mid-Missouri.

News Philosophy

Be a voice for the voiceless.

Education

Ohio University, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism

Hometown

Canonsburg, PA

Hobbies and Interests & Community Involvement

I love soaking up the sun. You can find me relaxing at the beach or at the pool with a good murder mystery book. I enjoy working out and recently became a certified Les Mills Body Pump instructor. Being just a short flight away from so many beautiful countries and territories in the Caribbean, I love exploring new areas and cultures. Animals are my favorite. I am a volunteer at the Gulf Coast Humane Society and help other rescue organizations with events and fundraisers. I also volunteer with Best Buddies Southwest Florida and the Children's Advocacy Center.

Family and Pets

My husband and I are proud parents to two black cats named Isaac and Cleo.

Likes best about Southwest Florida:

The weather and beaches. We live where people vacation.

 

SWFL lawyer retires from 25-year career as NFL official

A law practice in Southwest Florida is different because one of its attorneys is also a professional NFL official whose career spans multiple decades. Attorney J. Jeffrey Rice of Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice and Purtz, P.A. has officiated more than 400 NFL games, including four Super Bowls. We spoke to Rice Monday, who said he […]

FILE: Water being released from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River on October 29, 2018. (Credit: WINK News/FILE)

Push by Florida lawmakers to block bill giving ‘legal rights’ to nature

There have been several efforts to give legal rights to nature in Southwest Florida. But now, some lawmakers are trying to block the movement before it appears on your ballot. The calm Caloosahatchee River is one of the 15 Florida waterways that people are fighting to give legal rights. Karl Deigerts is among these people. […]

(Credit: WINK News)

Wiggins Pass dredging poses navigation hazard for boaters

A major project in Collier County is set to finish in the next few days. Crews are dredging up sand from Wiggins Pass and pumping it two miles north toward Barefoot Beach. From the shoreline, you can see the dredging barges. What you can’t see are the large pipes underneath the water posing a danger […]

Mugshot of Jesus Francisco Santana Perez, 52. (Credit: Lee County Sheriff's Office)

Signs to stop the rise of human trafficking in SWFL

Some of the most unsuspecting homes are in the quietest Southwest Florida neighborhoods and have hidden dark secrets. At one home in Lehigh Acres, Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a man last week accused of forcing at least two young girls to have sex with him and other men. That suspect, Jesus Francisco Santana […]

FILE: Luminary Hotel rendering (Graphic via Mainsail Development/FILE)

Check out what the Harborside Event Center will look like after renovations

The bare walls and concrete floors inside the Harborside Event Center will soon be bright and brand new. There will also be a new name: Caloosa Sound Convention Center and Amphitheater. Rhonda Decherd, the director of catering and convention services at the Luminary Hotel, knows what the old event center looked like, having worked there […]

Naples ‘Care and Share’ program helps Harry Chapin feed seniors in need

Thousands of seniors in Southwest Florida need help to get their meals. A program, which is called “Care and Share,” was created by the Harry Chapin Food Bank and is doing just that. But, WINK News and Harry Chapin are still well short of our fundraising goal to support programs like the Care and Share. […]

Dunbar sludge lawsuit against City of Fort Myers tossed out by federal judge

A federal lawsuit against the City of Fort Myers over the damages from Dunbar sludge has been tossed out on Monday afternoon. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were demanding $500 million for dumping toxic sludge in the Dunbar community. Neighbors claimed the former sludge site made them sick. The sludge caused arsenic levels to rise […]

Getting, staying financially fit in 2020

If your New Year’s resolutions include getting in better financial shape, you’re not alone. A new poll by Offers.com finds 27% in Florida want to save money in the new year. The experts we spoke to recommend using a banking app to track spending. They say doing that can keep you financially fit this year […]

Terry Cramer III, former chief administrative attorney for the City of Fort Myers. (Credit: Linkedin)

Fort Myers attorney pushes back against city’s ‘unauthorized termination’

Fireworks are flying at Fort Myers City Hall over the firing of Terry Cramer, chief administrative attorney, earlier this month. “That’s not fair to the taxpayers,” Terrolyn Watson said. “It’s not fair to the city leaders. All we know is he’s fired and that’s it.” Cramer’s attorney, Sawyer Smith, sent a letter to council member, […]

Why did I not receive an AMBER Alert in SWFL for the missing kids?

Police believe two missing children could be anywhere in Florida. Unlike other AMBER Alert cases, our smartphones were not notified in Southwest Florida. Many people are now asking why. Maria and Richard Stanley have gotten plenty of AMBER Alerts on their cell phones over the years. Maria describes the alerts as “very loud” and “very […]