Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from HeleneSanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian
SANIBEL Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene A Sanibel couple is remaining hopeful after flooding impacted their home during Helene Thursday night.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian Due to Helene, The City of Sanibel has postponed a two-year Ian celebration and turned the event into a cleanup.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene The town of Fort Myers Beach is asking some people not to visit the island.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor flooding While Hurricane Helene was not expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge in the county, the residents were walloped by rising flood water.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
SANIBEL Sanibel couple remaining hopeful following damage from Helene A Sanibel couple is remaining hopeful after flooding impacted their home during Helene Thursday night.
SANIBEL Sanibel residents recovering from Helene two years after Ian Due to Helene, The City of Sanibel has postponed a two-year Ian celebration and turned the event into a cleanup.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach seeking to avoid unnecessary traffic after Helene The town of Fort Myers Beach is asking some people not to visit the island.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor flooding While Hurricane Helene was not expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge in the county, the residents were walloped by rising flood water.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
DeSoto County schools went under a brief lockdown after an inmate on work detail tried to escape in Arcadia. Inmate Elijah Crady, 38, was apprehended by deputies and police Wednesday after he ran away from his assigned job at Oak Ridge Cemetery, which is in the area of West Elementary School. According to DCSO Facebook post, officers with Arcadia Police Department and DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office had a perimeter established within minutes of receiving a 911 call about Crady’s attempted escape. Crady attempted to steal two occupied vehicles while fleeing from law enforcement. He was found in the wooded area near Highway 17 and NE Fiveash Street. After a short scuffle, he was taken into custody and then transported to DeSoto Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. Crady will face several new felony charges due to his actions. He was originally sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2000 for second-degree murder and armed burglary that took place in 1998.
There won’t be a mad dash this holiday season to get a popular Christmas present in Southwest Florida: spring training tickets. That’s because Major League Baseball is still deciding whether to allow fans at the games. It has been a long-standing tradition for fans to line up, sometimes for hours, to get their hands on tickets, but that hasn’t happened this year. With so much uncertainty for the upcoming season, what does this mean for businesses? Spring training is a cherished time of year for Bret Lutsky and his dad. “For those couple months of the year down here, you know, Fort Myers is the Major League mecca,” Lutsky said. It’s an opportunity for them to spend quality time around the game they love. “Living with my mom and my sister, they’re not the biggest sports fans, so he utilizes the opportunity to sit next to me and really chat me up.” Baseball fans like Lutsky hope the pandemic doesn’t ruin spring training come February, and so do the businesses that count on big bucks brought in by fans. Lee County said that in 2018, visiting fans spent close to $70 million here, and they pump Charlotte County’s economy, too, spending $10 million in the shortened season a year ago. “We’d be happy to have whatever percentage that MLB allowed, but yeah, we’d like to see a full house if it was safe to do so,” said Sean Doherty, Charlotte County tourism director. Michael Denunzio owns Fine Folk Pizza, just minutes away from JetBlue Park in south Fort Myers. The games are great for his business. “A normal spring training, we would see a lot of people coming through, walking through the strip to the baseball game. Afterwards, you know, come and dine at our restaurant,” he said. “If we have the opportunity to get tickets to go to these games, we’re absolutely going to do it. Take the proper precautions, be safe about it, and try to have fun,” Lutsky said. The Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins are holding off on selling tickets until they get word from the MLB. The Rays are letting fans put down deposits. As for when the MLB might make a decision, it probably won’t happen until closer to spring training’s opening day in February.
The holiday season is here but that doesn’t mean you have to go overboard on spending! It’s easy to get carried away by the bright lights and sale signs, but sticking to a budget is an important step to stay in control. NerdWallet says to follow the 50-30-20 rule: 50% of your take-home pay goes toward needs, 30% goes toward wants and 20% goes to savings. Next, make a list and check it twice. Yes, factor in gifts, but don’t forget decorations like a tree, wreaths, even cards, postage and wrapping paper. Every time you buy something, write it down. “It’s really all about making sure you can minimize your debt that you accrue because it’s very stressful for people when you put spending on credit cards and you’re unable to pay it off into the new year, and that can really linger,” said Kimberly Palmer with NerdWallet. Once you buy what you need, consider unsubscribing to emails so you’re not tempted to buy more. If you want to cut down on the number of gifts you buy, ask relatives or your friend group to do a “Secret Santa” instead.
You won’t have to worry about sharing a flight with a pet peacock anytime soon. After years of debate, the government is putting an end to emotional support animals on planes. In a story we reported in 2017, we exposed how easy it was to bring an untrained animal on a plane. It was as easy as going online and filling out a questionnaire to get your pet on a plane with you, and that had people with trained service animals upset. I checked my very hyper dog onto a flight a few years ago after answering some questions online and getting a doctor’s note from someone who never actually examined me. The airline industry allowed emotional support animals as long as you had that doctor’s note, but it led to an explosion of unusual and unruly pets on planes. Not anymore. Now the Department of Transportation says passengers with emotional support animals have to check them into the cargo hold and pay a fee. The new rule will likely force those passengers to check their animals into the cargo hold — for a fee — or leave them at home. The debate of emotional support animals heated up after high-profile incidents of conflict between passengers and airlines, including police being called to remove a woman with an emotional support squirrel from a 2018 Frontier Airlines flight. Frontier was one of the airlines that tightened its rules for service and support animals after a story about a peacock aboard a United Airlines flight went viral. American Airlines had banned goats, insects and hedgehogs. The rule requires airlines to treat dogs trained to help people with psychiatric issues the same as other service animals. Advocates for veterans and others had pushed for that. Airlines will be able to require owners to vouch for the dog’s health, behavior and training. Airlines can require people with a service dog to turn in paperwork up to 48 hours before a flight, but they can’t bar those travelers from checking in online like other passengers. Airlines can require that service dogs to be leashed at all times, and they can bar dogs that show aggressive behavior. There have been incidents of emotional-support animals biting passengers. This will not affect trained service animals for people with physical and psychiatric disabilities. Michael Pierce was a Southwest Florida advocate who died in April after a long battle with cancer. He was blind and worked tirelessly on this issue. He said in a previous interview, “You’ve got a dog whose training costs $50,000 and your life depends on the service of this dog.” Sadly he did not get to see his hard work pay off. The new rule for emotional support animals takes effect Jan. 1. CBS News contributed to this report
What was once farmland in Hendry County could one day help solve our water quality crisis. That’s the idea behind the ‘C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir,’ which will capture runoff, Lake Okeechobee releases, and improve the timing of discharges to the Caloosahatchee River. The South Florida water management district is looking at treatment options to clean the water before, during, and after it’s in the reservoir. Georgia Vince with J-Tech said, “Flows from the river will be directed down to the Townsend Canal and into the reservoir. When the river and estuary call for it, water that is stored will be discharged through the Townsend Canal and back into the river and estuary.” Some water quality treatment ideas include constructed wetlands and sand filtration. Once completed in 2023, the reservoir in Hendry County will hold about 170,000 acre-feet of water, or 150 Houston Astrodomes full of water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be talking about Lake Okeechobee releases again. They are holding a meeting Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday’s Lake o water levels are at 16.08 (Feet-NGVD29).
A homecoming king from Englewood was killed in a traffic crash after spending Thanksgiving with his family. Spencer Stephens, 18, was headed to Tampa from Southwest Florida when he was hit by a car. Now, sister Juliannah Stephens is devastated and missing her brother. “Spencer was just the brightest light in any room. He made sure everybody knew just how loved they were. He was just himself.” Spencer was a fierce fashionista, passionate performer, Lemon Bay High School homecoming king, and beloved student. “He just loved that spotlight,” Juliannah said. “It belonged to him anytime it was present it was his.” But above all, they say he was a loving and caring friend to all. His mother Dawn said, “He never ever ended a conversation with anybody without saying ‘love you bye’. Every single person, ‘I love you bye.'” Sunday night Spencer was driving back to Tampa after spending Thanksgiving with his family. His mother noticed it was taking him a little too long to get back to his college apartment. “It was instant panic because I know my son, we stay in touch.” She noticed his phone location wasn’t moving. Everyone got in their cars to get to the scene, and she called it the longest drive of her life. “We were there, we were holding his hand, and they tried everything they could but we just lost him,” Dawn said. Although he has passed, his bright smile and contagious laughter stay with everyone. But he will continue to bring that little bit of light and sparkle. His mother said, “I think I’m going to have to wear a piece of sparkle every day of my life so that I can honor him and just have a piece of him with me.” And wanting everyone to live as loud, proud, and confident as he has.
Life may never be the same for a woman who was injured after diving off a boat in Collier County. “She’s probably not going to be able to walk again but I know her and I doubt she’ll accept that,” said Katelyn Scott. Right now, 18-year-old Eden Schroder is in the hospital, paralyzed from the chest down. Her family is doing everything they can to stay strong. “She’s the one in the hospital bed and she’s the one telling me not to cry, it’s going to be OK,” said Peyton Schroder, Eden’s younger sister. A day on the water near Keewaydin Island, south of Naples, took a tragic turn. “My first reaction was just shock … when they told me she was in a lot of pain and she couldn’t feel her legs,” Peyton said. “Since my mom is a single mother … she [Eden] has always been like a second parent to me.” Eden, a student at Florida State University, was visiting friends in Naples on Friday when she dove into shallow water. She was airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital. “Getting that first call … and having to, you know, alert everyone in the family was just heartbreaking,” Peyton said. Eden’s mother is staying with her at the hospital. “It’s one of the most severe spinal injuries they’ve ever seen,” Peyton said. “As of right now they’re still saying she’s probably not going to be able to walk again,” Scott said. But those close to Eden, like Scott, her co-worker and a family friend, have hope. “When something happens to someone here, it happens to all of us,” she said. “This isn’t going to end anything for her; she will fight to do whatever she has to do regardless of the situation.” Eden’s family says she’s speaking, and in the past couple of days, she’s been able to move her hands. They say she’s staying positive and that heartfelt messages from friends and loved ones are keeping her spirits high.
Lee County deputies say they arrested a suspect at the scene of a home invasion early Wednesday on Fort Myers Beach. Deputies were patrolling when they received a 911 call about an in-progress home invasion on Mango Street. They got to the home and found the front door had been kicked in and suspect Brian Alan Towns, 44, inside. UPDATE: Towns faces a charge of home invasion robbery without a weapon. He was booked into Lee County Jail and bonded out Thursday. Deputies learned that while the victims were sleeping, Towns began pounding on the front door, and while a victim was calling 911, Towns kicked the door in and snatched the phone from the victim. Deputies arrived moments later. Neighbors say Towns was drunk and covered in blood. The property manager told us Towns thought he was at his home, screaming, “You’re in my house. Get out of my House.” He scared a family of four that was on vacation inside the home. Deputies arrived at the scene before anything else happened after Towns was able to get inside. “Then, helicopters started coming and all kinds of police commotion stuff we’re not used to,” said Misty Fox, a neighbor who lives down the street. Misty and her mom, Debra, heard the chaos and saw the flashing lights. “I first told her, ‘Get up quick and lock the door!’ ’cause we don’t know what’s happening.” Now that Fox knows what happened, her thoughts are with the family on vacation. That family has since left the home. “I don’t know what I would’ve done,” Fox said. “What do you do if someone comes, crashes your door in? And with kids,” Fox said. “So I’m going back home, but I’m still really freaked out that she’s going to be right here.”
A glitch in the Florida unemployment system kept people from their cash, and it caused more stress this holiday season. Some coined it a “holiday hold” because some of Floridians who requested benefits on Thanksgiving and Black Friday didn’t get paid when they should have. Joseph Reilly couldn’t start his new job in March because of the pandemic, but he still considered himself pretty lucky. “It’s been like clockwork,” Reilly said. “Since I’ve signed up for unemployment, every Saturday I get it.” That was until, on the day he felt most thankful for what’s he’s got, he hit a roadblock. “I got online and just claimed the weeks, went through everything just like normal, answered the exact same way, and it’s just been sitting on hold,” Reilly said. “It shows zero dollars and just hold.” Reilly and thousands of others who logged on Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday are now dealing with a hold on their unemployment claims, and they don’t know why. “It means I got to kind of figure things out, not go do anything or use gas, have to eat what’s in the fridge,” Reilly said. Vanessa Brito is an unemployment expert and advocate who’s helped people navigate the system since the pandemic began. She’s already sent hundreds of these cases to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) for review. “I’ve looked through my messages, and I can’t even tell you,” Brito said. “It’s gotta be over 1,000 people that I’m dealing with, and I haven’t even checked today what’s going on. It’s too much.” Brito said, from what she saw, there was no pattern to the glitch. “You know, is it people that have a certain payment method?” Brito said. “Was it the time? Is it the program they’re on?” At a time when Reilly might be thinking about gifts this holiday season, that’s on hold too. “Oh yeah, it’s just not happening whatsoever,” Reilly said. UPDATE: “The cause of the “Hold” issue on payments has been identified and will not be a problem moving forward,” said Tiffany Vause, the DEO director of communications. “The Reemployment Assistance Team is working diligently to resolve the issue and projects that this should be corrected for claimants by the end of the week.” If you’re still having trouble and would like to reach Brito for help, you can find her on Facebook or Twitter. For ongoing updates and information on unemployment, follow WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard on Twitter and Facebook. She also updates the WINK News FAQ: Unemployment Resources page as information is received.
This is something you don’t see every day: a dolphin hanging out with a surfer off the coast of Naples. Video of the encounter has gone viral since it was posted over the weekend. Matthew Smith wasn’t the only “getting some air” on Sunday in the Gulf. “I mean, who gets to do that? Not many people,” he said. His wife Shannon was there to capture it all on video. “We heard a slap, a real loud slap on the water,” Smith said. “We had music going and she turned the music down, and she was like what was that? She was concerned maybe there was something wrong with the boat because it was loud.” But nothing was wrong and it turned out just be a friend tagging along. “I said it’s gotta be a dolphin; it’s the only thing it could be because the boat was running fine and I turned around and then it jumped again,” he said. “She rock-starred it because she was driving the boat and she was able to get the phone and film at the same time.” They’ll treasure the moment for years to come, but wake surfing isn’t anything new to Smith. He’s been “riding” for more than 10 years and he hopes this dolphin encounter won’t be his last. “The odds are probably for it. The dolphins are always out there and so am I; we just kind of need to cross paths at the same time.” Smith and his wife are originally from Virginia, where he actually ran a wake surfing school. He also ran one of the largest wake surfing competitions on the East Coast.