SWFL residents falling victim to electricity restoration scams

Southwest Florida residents are being scammed just days after Hurricane Ian swept through Florida. Scammers are promising residents to have their electricity restored quickly if they pay a certain amount. Scammers are sending bar codes that look like the “Pay Near Me” program. A barcode is provided with symbols for RaceTrac, 7-Eleven, Publix, etc. The […]

Florida Medical Examiners Commission: 30 deaths in Lee County attributed to Ian

Forty-four deaths have been confirmed to be tied to Hurricane Ian’s path across Florida. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said 30 of those deaths occurred in Lee County. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said on Saturday that 35 people in Lee County had died because of Ian. It’s unclear if five of those deaths […]

Comcast Opens Free Xfinity WiFi Hotspot Network

To help residents and emergency personnel stay connected after Hurricane Ian, Comcast’s public Xfinity WiFi hotspots are now available for anyone to use, including non-Xfinity customers, for free. How to Get Connected For a map of public Xfinity WiFi hotspots located indoors and outdoors in shopping districts, parks, and businesses, visit Xfinity.com/wifi. When a hotspot is within […]

Elon Musk donating Starlink satellites to SWFL

Starlink satellites will soon be helping Southwest Florida emergency responders in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. WTSP reports that Gov. Ron DeSantis made an announcement during a press conference on Saturday that Elon Musk and SpaceX were donating more than 100 large Starlink units to the area to bridge connectivity issues since Ian swept through […]

Collier County issues mandatory curfew beginning Saturday

A mandatory curfew is in place for Collier County and the City of Naples between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. The curfew will remain in effect until the majority of the power has been restored. The purpose of the curfew is to protect the safety of the citizens of Collier County and their property as […]

Glades County offering fueling station for evacuees from SWFL

Glades County Emergency Management is warning residents their area might have heavy traffic as evacuees from Florida’s west coast travel across the state. Glades County will be hosting a fuel site for evacuees. Drivers licenses will be checked to make sure the fueling station is being used by those fleeing Lee, Sarasota, Collier and Charlotte […]

I-75 now opened in North Port after Myakka River overflow

I-75 is now open after the Myakka River overflowed onto I-75 Friday evening. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, due to the rising water, the interstate was closed from mile marker 179 (North Port/Toledo Blade Boulevard) to mile marker 193 (Englewood/Jacaranda Boulevard). Earlier Motorists planning to travel to Southwest Florida on I-75 should seek an […]

DeSantis Eyes Ian Damage, Death Toll at 12

After traveling Thursday to Southwest Florida to get a glimpse of the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, Gov. Ron DeSantis described the impact on Lee County’s Sanibel Island as “destruction,” with people who didn’t evacuate being rescued by air and part of a causeway to the mainland knocked out. Meanwhile, authorities confirmed 12 deaths from […]

We’re still here. Here’s where to watch WINK News after Hurricane Ian

WINK News is back on the air in Southwest Florida on channel 46 WXCW and 96.9 WINK-FM. The station moved to its transmitter site near Babcock Ranch. The broadcast was interrupted after a storm surge from Hurricane Ian breached the station’s broadcast center on Palm Beach Boulevard in Fort Myers. NOW: @winknews is back on […]

Thousands lose power on Sanibel, Pine Island

FPL crews are staging the Charlotte County Airport to prepare ahead of Ian’s arrival. There are about 20 staging sites up and down Florida’s west coast. Severe weather, including heavy rain, flooding and high winds, is expected to cause widespread outages throughout Florida’s western and northern peninsula over the next few days. As of 12 […]