‘The Whale’ restaurant to break ground on new buildingEndangered Florida panther deaths surpass 2023 total in 5 months
FORT MYERS BEACH ‘The Whale’ restaurant to break ground on new building The Whale is a place that has shown great strength and determination.
COLLIER COUNTY Endangered Florida panther deaths surpass 2023 total in 5 months It’s taken wildlife officials just over four and a half months to report finding more dead endangered Florida panthers than in all of 2023.
FORT MYERS FMPD honors 7 officers and 2 K-9s who died in the line of duty dating back to 1930 Nine lives were given, and all nine will remain remembered. A lifetime of gratitude for the fallen officers.
Firefighter recovering from heat exhaustion after battling flames in Collier County It happened at Progress Rail, a transit corporation on Mercantile Avenue just before 5am on Friday.
FORT MYERS How do SWFL graduation rates compare to the state average? How do graduation rates for Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties stack up against the state? WINK News crunched the numbers.
FORT MYERS Community divisive over ‘justified’ officer-involved shooting of Christopher Jordan A detective who killed an unarmed black man in a controversial shooting will be back at work on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Family submits civil complaint against Cape Coral Police Department The family of a 13-year-old boy who was struck and killed while riding his scooter has officially filed a civil complaint.
FORT MYERS Community reacts to ‘justified’ officer-involved shooting of Christopher Jordan Leaders with the NAACP are saying there is a divide between the black community and Fort Myers police.
NAPLES Inside look at $21 million Naples Players Theater, set to open at the end of May On Friday, as the theater’s 70th season approached, leaders and organizers invited WINK News for a ‘hard-hat-tour’ to showcase the new additions and construction updates.
FORT MYERS Detective who fired fatal shot at Christopher Jordan returns to work Monday Fort Myers police have confirmed to WINK News the detective who shot and killed a man inside his home will return to work Monday morning.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot onto first state semifinals in nearly a decade A trip to the FHSAA State Semifinals has been a long time coming for the Bishop Verot Vikings who have not been since 2016.
Paul Fleming expanding Lake Park Diner, PJK restaurant concepts Lake Park Diner co-owners Smith Organics and Paul Fleming Restaurant Group anticipate 50 locations of what will be a Naples-based chain.
New construction, business growth continues near Punta Gorda Airport Development surrounding the Punta Gorda Airport continues to grow with 2.5 million square feet already developed and 1.5 million square feet planned, according to Charlotte County Economic Development Director Dave Gammon.
AREA SHELTERS AND REFUGES OF LAST RESORT CHARLOTTE COUNTY Emergency Operations Center (941) 833-4000 charlottecountyfl.gov/departments/public-safety/emergency-management/ PLEASE NOTE: Do not depend on a particular shelter or refuge. Sites may, or may not, be opened depending on the size of the storm and the predicted landfall area. *All Charlotte County shelters are pet-friendly. PORT CHARLOTTE Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center, 23400 Harold Ave. […]
FORT MYERS BEACH ‘The Whale’ restaurant to break ground on new building The Whale is a place that has shown great strength and determination.
COLLIER COUNTY Endangered Florida panther deaths surpass 2023 total in 5 months It’s taken wildlife officials just over four and a half months to report finding more dead endangered Florida panthers than in all of 2023.
FORT MYERS FMPD honors 7 officers and 2 K-9s who died in the line of duty dating back to 1930 Nine lives were given, and all nine will remain remembered. A lifetime of gratitude for the fallen officers.
Firefighter recovering from heat exhaustion after battling flames in Collier County It happened at Progress Rail, a transit corporation on Mercantile Avenue just before 5am on Friday.
FORT MYERS How do SWFL graduation rates compare to the state average? How do graduation rates for Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties stack up against the state? WINK News crunched the numbers.
FORT MYERS Community divisive over ‘justified’ officer-involved shooting of Christopher Jordan A detective who killed an unarmed black man in a controversial shooting will be back at work on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Family submits civil complaint against Cape Coral Police Department The family of a 13-year-old boy who was struck and killed while riding his scooter has officially filed a civil complaint.
FORT MYERS Community reacts to ‘justified’ officer-involved shooting of Christopher Jordan Leaders with the NAACP are saying there is a divide between the black community and Fort Myers police.
NAPLES Inside look at $21 million Naples Players Theater, set to open at the end of May On Friday, as the theater’s 70th season approached, leaders and organizers invited WINK News for a ‘hard-hat-tour’ to showcase the new additions and construction updates.
FORT MYERS Detective who fired fatal shot at Christopher Jordan returns to work Monday Fort Myers police have confirmed to WINK News the detective who shot and killed a man inside his home will return to work Monday morning.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot onto first state semifinals in nearly a decade A trip to the FHSAA State Semifinals has been a long time coming for the Bishop Verot Vikings who have not been since 2016.
Paul Fleming expanding Lake Park Diner, PJK restaurant concepts Lake Park Diner co-owners Smith Organics and Paul Fleming Restaurant Group anticipate 50 locations of what will be a Naples-based chain.
New construction, business growth continues near Punta Gorda Airport Development surrounding the Punta Gorda Airport continues to grow with 2.5 million square feet already developed and 1.5 million square feet planned, according to Charlotte County Economic Development Director Dave Gammon.
AREA SHELTERS AND REFUGES OF LAST RESORT CHARLOTTE COUNTY Emergency Operations Center (941) 833-4000 charlottecountyfl.gov/departments/public-safety/emergency-management/ PLEASE NOTE: Do not depend on a particular shelter or refuge. Sites may, or may not, be opened depending on the size of the storm and the predicted landfall area. *All Charlotte County shelters are pet-friendly. PORT CHARLOTTE Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center, 23400 Harold Ave. […]
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS New Lee County Manager begins work Dave Harner starts his first day as the new Lee County Manager, overseeing a $2.6 billion budget and 28,000 employees.
LEHIGH ACRES Lee BIA Builders Care surprised Army vet with air conditioning A 67-year-old Army veteran in Lehigh Acres lived without air conditioning for five years. That stopped on Wednesday after Lee BIA Builders Care surprised her with a new HVAC system so she can live comfortably in the Florida heat. Dolores Armstrong lost her A/C in 2017 when Irma struck. She was at first shocked by […]
NAPLES Naples Botanical Garden to reopen after Hurricane Ian Naples Botanical Garden is preparing to reopen to the public on Nov. 1 after being closed for more than a month due to damage from Hurricane Ian. Although the gardens sustained about a third of the damage compared to when Hurricane Irma hit Southwest Florida in 2017, there was still plenty of work to be […]
GOLDEN GATE Florida Power & Light buries power lines underground in Golden Gate neighborhood Power lines are part of the deal in many Southwest Florida neighborhoods, but soon they’ll be gone from a Golden Gate neighborhood. On Thursday, Florida Power and Light began work on burying power lines. “We know that underground power lines perform about 85% better than overhead power lines during Hurricane Irma. And they perform about […]
UVALDE, Texas (CBS) Husband of teacher killed in Texas school shooting has died Fourth-grade teacher Irma Garcia was one of two faculty members killed on Tuesday during a mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. On Thursday morning, her husband and high school sweetheart Joe died from what family members said was a “medical emergency.” “I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart,” Irma Garcia’s cousin […]
LEE COUNTY Florida Legislative Black Caucus visits SWFL to see destruction from Ian The Florida Legislative Black Caucus visits SWFL to see the destruction left behind by Hurricane Ian. After hosting at Town Hall, they went out to communities devastated by the storm. They went to Harlem Heights, Dunbar, and Lehigh Acres. Tommy Bowen lives in Dunbar, he said all of his belongings are a total loss. Most […]
COLLIER COUNTY Collier County emergency supplies at risk for damage Collier County is preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best after getting more than $2,000,000 for a warehouse that will be used to store and distribute disaster, emergency, and COVID-19 supply inventory. The area where Collier’s essential emergency supplies are stored is basically in the open air, leaving them vulnerable to damage from […]
COLLIER COUNTY Collier County Emergency Management held a press conference on storm preparedness The Collier County Bureau of Emergency Management held a press conference on Saturday. WINK News spoke with Dan Summer who is the director of the Collier County Emergency Services and Emergency Management. Summers spoke at the press conference, he encouraged SWFL residents to get ready for the storm. “Don’t take anything for granted. We want […]
SANIBEL Red tide getting worse in Southwest Florida Red tide lines Southwest Florida’s coast from south Lee County into Sarasota. And the bloom appears to be growing. Health officials in Charlotte County issued an alert for the presence of a red tide bloom near Whidden Key, east of Lemon Bay and Buccaneer Bend. The water sample was taken a week ago. When Calusa […]
Army Corps studying storm risk management in Collier County after Hurricane Ian Hurricane Ian has drawn powerful attention to an Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study of coastal storm risk management in Collier County that began after Hurricane Irma but was shelved before a final report was released. The historic storm surge last fall from Hurricane Ian changed the way coastal risks are viewed. “We are redoing […]