News of President Joe Biden, 81, stepping aside from the 2024 Presidential race has reverberated across the country and here in Southwest Florida.

In a letter to his “Fellow Americans,” Biden noted in part, “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country to stand down and focus solely on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”

• RELATED: SWFL community shares thoughts on Biden not running again

The Democratic Party of Lee County shared President Biden’s full letter to X. The Interim Chair also spoke with WINK News Reporter Haley Zarcone.

“It’s going to be a short season for her. But on the other hand, she’s taking over with the Biden team. She’s taking over with apparently the bag divided in fundraising. She doesn’t need to start from scratch,” said Jim Rosinus. “He’s got the team already built; she just needs to pick up like a relay race. Okay, so he’s handed off the baton. She’s already running. She just needs to pick up the baton and move on.”

Dawn Mann from the Charlotte County Democratic Party sent WINK the statement below:

President Biden’s legacy will be marked by his crucial role in safeguarding our nation from Donald Trump, not once but twice. His accomplishments will rival those of any president in our lifetimes: he created millions of new jobs, rebuilt America’s infrastructure, turned our economy around, and brought manufacturing back to America.  This Administration has passed the most expansive climate change legislation in our nation’s history.

We have 100 days until the presidential election.  This election comes at a critical moment for our nation and our democracy.  Our challenge is to continue the work of the Biden-Harris Administration: promoting our progressive values of freedom and equality. 

We embrace the upcoming leadership convention because it is the core of the democratic process. We look forward to emerging from the convention stronger than ever, ready to take on the hate that defines MAGA with the full force of the freedom that defines Democrats. 

“The race may have changed, but the focus of the Democratic Party has not changed,” said Jane Schlechtweg, the Collier County Democratic Party Chair. “We are determined to win in November. I think with the strong support that we will show Kamala Harris, I think we can do this. Joe Biden understands better than most what a second term for Trump would mean for the country. And we trust his decision to support the Vice President, and are taking up the mantle of this campaign to protect American rights, freedoms, and democracy. And we, in the Collier County Democratic Party, remain committed to building on the progress that the Biden-Harris administration has made.” 

U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R) from Naples called on Mr. Biden to resign now.

U.S. Congressman Greg Steube (R) echoed Scott’s comments.

Florida Representative Jenna Persons-Mulika (R), who represents Fort Myers:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis weighed in as well.

As many who live in Southwest Florida know, the number of registered Republicans outweighs registered Democrats. Here’s a breakdown by county.

*Charlotte County – 77,360 Republican – 31,826 Democrat – Other 42,535

*Collier County – 138,805 Republican – 52,283 Democrat – Other 66,832

*DeSoto – 8,680 Republican – 5,722 Democrat – Other 4,995

*Glades – 3,893 Republican – 1,592 Democrat – Other 1,363

*Hendry – 7,683 Republican – 4,084 Democrat – Other 3,191

*Lee – 225,495 Republican – 107,526 Democrat – Other 141,112

President Biden has put his backing behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.

“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” responded Harris.

Biden has come under fire, with many questioning his age and health. Calls for him to leave the Presidential race grew louder following the debate against Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump in Atlanta in late June.

The post Southwest Florida leaders react to Biden dropping out of Presidential race appeared first on WINK News.

Ask about President Joe Biden leaving the race for the White House, and you will certainly get various answers. That’s what WINK News Reporter Ashley French discovered in Fort Myers.

Biden has already endorsed the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, as his choice for the Democratic nominee.

Some said Biden’s decision to step down was the best decision for the American people and democracy, while others were disappointed.

But the big question on the minds of voters is whether or not Kamala Harris is the right person to replace Biden on the ticket.

“Somewhat disappointed, a little bit, surprise, surprise, but I kind of knew it was coming,” said Emmanuel, who was out in Downtown Fort Myers.

“I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for him to do it. But it’s the right thing to do,” stated Christian Mcelliott.

• RELATED: Southwest Florida leaders react to Biden dropping out of Presidential race

As for thoughts on Kamala Harris?

“She’s a capable person. She has done a great job in California. As a senator, then as a vice president. She will be a good president,” said Vjay.

“I have mixed feelings about that. And I hope they consider and investigate other options. Anybody that can win,” Mcelliott added.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Kamla, it doesn’t matter if it’s Gavin Newsom, it doesn’t matter. If it’s Gretchen Whitmer, it doesn’t matter who any of them are; at the end of the day, the people are going to put Trump back in office,” Sean Logue said.

Emmanuel had a message for voters, “My message to the Democrats is that they need to really gin up a lot of energy to go and vote because the Republicans are really ready to go. I mean, they have motivation, they just had an assassination attempt, they are ready to go.”

“We all want prosperity, and we want strong leadership. So vote for the strongest leader in your eye. United we stand, divided we fall is what I would say,” explained Andrew Zinga. “So I think we should unite and have these conversations, and whoever is in office, we need to stand together.” 

The post SWFL community shares thoughts on Biden not running again appeared first on WINK News.

This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features drug and gun-related charges, killer road rage and enough fentanyl to kill nearly 100,000 people.

Javier Joel Perez was sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute it, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm and ammunition as a person with convictions.

Perez, 46, was arrested in 2023 by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office after deputies recovered a firearm and a significant amount of illegal narcotics at a suspected drug house.

According to court documents, CCSO deputies uncovered marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine packaged for sale, along with a loaded firearm in Perez’s home.

Detectives recovered the following items during the search:

-Methamphetamine – 29.5 grams

-Cocaine – 8.8 grams

-Marijuana – 1,733 grams

-A semiautomatic rifle

Perez pled guilty to the charges in February 2024.

READ MORE: Immokalee man sentenced to prison for drug and gun-related charges

Jamaine Alexander Washington, 44, was arrested after allegedly rear-ending a man on a motorcycle in Fort Myers, killing him.

According to the Fort Myers Police Department, Washington was speeding excessively northbound on the Caloosahatchee Bridge on Feb. 11. 23-year-old Christian Hodson-Foote was also traveling in the northbound lane when Washington rear-ended him, taking his life.

He is being held in the Lee County Jail.

He’s being charged with vehicular homicide, driving with a suspended license and providing a false statement to law enforcement.

READ MORE: Man arrested after allegedly killing motorcyclist on Caloosahatchee Bridge

Ruuderston Scott Ashle Antonie was arrested for allegedly possessing enough fentanyl to kill nearly 100,000 people.

According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, a narcotics search warrant investigation was executed at Antonie’s home in Naples Manor, leading to the arrest of the 23-year-old.

Detectives found:

-196.6 grams of fentanyl

-218.5 grams of cocaine

-9.5 grams of psilocybin mushrooms

-804.6 grams of marijuana

The amount of fentanyl recovered was reportedly enough to kill 98,500 people potentially, said CCSO.

Detectives also recovered an AR-15 rifle that was reported out of Clewiston in 2020.

Antonie is being held in the Collier County Jail and charged with multiple felonies, including trafficking fentanyl over 28 grams and trafficking cocaine 28-200 grams.

READ MORE: Naples Manor man accused of having enough fentanyl to kill nearly 100K people

The post WINK Neighborhood Watch: Guns, drugs, killer road rage, and fentanyl appeared first on WINK News.

The Sanibel Police Department is now issuing hurricane re-entry permits for residents and businesses for the 2024 season.

You can pick up your permit at the Sanibel Police Department, located at 800 Dunlop Road in Sanibel, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you’re a resident or property owner on Sanibel or Captiva, you’ll need a RESIDENTIAL (Green) Permit. Just bring a valid ID showing your Sanibel or Captiva address, or a valid ID along with another proof of residence listed on the application.

Applying for a re-entry permit is easy. Click here to download the application form. Once you’ve filled it out, email the form and required documentation to [email protected].

Your permit will be mailed to you once your application is processed. Alternatively, you can bring the completed form to the Sanibel Police Department at City Hall.

For businesses operating on Sanibel or Captiva, you’ll need a COMMERCIAL (Red) Permit. You must have a Sanibel Business Tax Receipt, a Lee County Business License, or a State of Florida DBPR. If you have questions about obtaining or renewing your Sanibel Business Tax Receipt, call the Finance Department at (239) 472-9615.

To apply for a commercial permit, click here to download the application form. Once it’s filled out, follow the same steps as above to submit it.

If you need more information, call the Sanibel Police Department at (239) 472-3111.

The post Sanibel Police Department Issuing Residential and Commercial Hurricane Re-Entry Passes appeared first on WINK News.

President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection after a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about the incumbent’s fitness for office with the election just four months away. It was a late-season campaign thunderstrike unlike any in American history.

The decision comes after escalating pressure from Biden’s Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 debate, in which the 81-year-old president trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to call out the former president’s many falsehoods. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump and encouraged his party to unite behind her.

Biden plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon ET on Jan. 20, 2025.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted to his X account.

Nearly 30 minutes later, Biden threw his support behind Harris, the party’s instant favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago.

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he said in another post on X. “Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump.”

Biden’s decision came as he has been isolating at his Delaware beach house after being diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, huddling with a shrinking circle of close confidants and family members about his political future. Biden said he would address the nation later this week to provide “detail” about his decision.

Senior campaign and White House staff were notified just minutes before the letter went out, according to people familiar with the matter. Biden had been reflecting on his future for the past couple of days and the decision was closely held.

The White House confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

The announcement is the latest jolt to a campaign for the White House that both political parties see as the most consequential election in generations, coming just days after the attempted assassination of Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.

A party’s presumptive presidential nominee has never stepped out of the race so close to the election. The closest parallel would be President Lyndon Johnson who, besieged by the Vietnam War, announced in March 1968 that he would not seek another term.

Now, Democrats have to urgently try to bring coherence to the nominating process in a matter of weeks and persuade voters in a stunningly short amount of time that their nominee can handle the job and beat Trump. And for his part, Trump must shift his focus to a new opponent after years of training his attention on Biden.

The decision marks a swift and stunning end to Biden’s 52 years in electoral politics, as donors, lawmakers and even aides expressed to him their doubts that he could convince voters that he could plausibly handle the job for another four years.

Biden won the vast majority of delegates and every nominating contest but one, which would have made his nomination a formality. Now that he has dropped out, those delegates will be free to support another candidate.

Harris, 59, appeared to be the natural successor, in large part because she is the only candidate who can directly tap into the Biden campaign’s war chest, according to federal campaign finance rules.

Biden’s backing helps clear the way for Harris, but a smooth transition is by no means assured.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, but the party had announced that it would hold a virtual roll call to formally nominate Biden before in-person proceedings begin.

It remained to be seen whether other candidates would challenge Harris for the nomination. The Democratic National Committee’s chair, Jaime Harrison, said in a statement that the party would “undertake a transparent and orderly process” to select “a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

Trump reacted to the news in a post on his Truth Social site, in which he said Biden “was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve.”

“We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly,” he added. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

While Trump and his team had made their preference for facing Biden clear, his campaign had nonetheless ramped up its attacks on Harris as pressure on Biden to step down intensified.

Democratic officials, including many who were behind the effort to push Biden from the race, quickly released statements praising Biden’s decision.

“His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “Joe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York praised Biden as “one of the most accomplished and consequential leaders in American history.”

Some prominent Democrats moved to endorse Harris, who hadn’t yet commented publicly on Biden’s decision to step aside or formally stated she is running to succeed him.

“We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said Biden should immediately resign if he is not fit enough to run for office. In a statement, Johnson said, “November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.”

In 2020, Biden pitched himself as a transitional figure who wanted to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders. But once he secured the job he spent decades struggling to attain, he was reluctant to part with it.

Biden was once asked whether any other Democrats could beat Trump.

“Probably 50 of them,” Biden replied. “No, I’m not the only one who can defeat him, but I will defeat him.”

Biden is already the country’s oldest president and had insisted repeatedly that he was up for the challenge of another campaign and another term, telling voters all they had to was “watch me.”

And watch him they did. His poor debate performance prompted a cascade of anxiety from Democrats and donors who said publicly what some had said privately for months, that they did not think he was up to the job for four more years.

Concerns over Biden’s age have dogged him since he announced he was running for reelection, though Trump is just three years younger at 78. Most Americans view the president as too old for a second term, according to an August 2023 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A majority also doubt his mental capability to be president, though that is also a weakness for Trump.

Biden often remarked that he was not as young as he used to be, doesn’t walk as easily or speak as smoothly, but that he had wisdom and decades of experience, which were worth a whole lot.

“I give you my word as a Biden. I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job,” he told supporters at a rally in North Carolina a day after the debate. “Because, quite frankly, the stakes are too high.”

But voters had other problems with him, too – he has been deeply unpopular as a leader even as his administration steered the nation through recovery from a global pandemic, presided over a booming economy and passed major pieces of bipartisan legislation that will impact the nation for years to come. A majority of Americans disapprove of the way he’s handling his job, and he’s faced persistently low approval ratings on key issues including the economy and immigration.

Biden’s age surfaced as a major factor during an investigation of his handling of classified documents. Special counsel Robert Hur said in February that the president came across in interviews with investigators as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

The president’s allies seized on the statement as gratuitous and criticized Hur for including it in his report, and Biden himself angrily pushed back on descriptions of how he spoke about his late son.

Biden’s motivation for running was deeply intertwined with Trump. He had retired from public service following eight years serving as vice president under Barack Obama and the death of his son Beau but decided to run after Trump’s comments following a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, when white supremacists descended on the city to protest the removal of its Confederate memorials.

Trump said: “You had some very bad people in the group, but you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. On both sides.”

That a sitting president didn’t unequivocally condemn racism and white supremacy deeply offended Biden. Then, Biden won the 2020 election and Trump refused to concede and stood by for hours while his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, beating and bloodying law enforcement in a failed attempt to overturn the certification of Biden’s win.

“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” Biden once said during a campaign event.

Biden’s wife, First Lady Jill Biden, responded to the president’s announcement by reposting Biden’s letter announcing his decision and adding red heart emojis.

Granddaughter Naomi Biden Neal said on social media “I’m nothing but proud of my Pop.” She said he has served the country “with every bit of his soul and with unmatched distinction” and that “our world is better today in so many ways thanks to him.”

Superville reported from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

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A new establishment that’s been the talk of the town for a few months officially had its grand opening in South Fort Myers.

The Milhous Pub, named and owned by a Bonita Springs firefighter, opened its doors on Saturday, July 20. 

Located at 15200 S Tamiami Trail #114 in Lee County near Lakes Park, from the outside looking in, Milhous Pub is more than just your average pub.

The owner of this restaurant is Bob Milhous, who has quite a few titles.

He’s an active firefighter with Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue and a realtor.

“We’re excited about this big grand opening,” said Milhous. “It’s kind of an all-hands-on-deck. I’m just trying to get the word out there that we’re here and we’re family-owned. I’m a firefighter just trying to get a local gathering place for the community.”

He said he’s been living and serving this community for over 20 years and now, he’s continuing to serve the community in a new way by providing a space for not only the public to enjoy but for first responders like himself.

“I just wanted a local gathering place for first responders,” said Milhous. “I found this place online, I am a local real estate agent. I was able to leverage a couple of things and be able to pull a lot of funds together to open the space. It’s been exciting so far, we’ve got good reviews on our food. Everything’s been really good and we’ve been well-received in the community.”

Guests like Dottie Kowles already approve of it. 

“It’s been nothing but wonderful,” said Kowles. “Just great people great, great atmosphere. It’s like our own Cheers kind of pub.”

They were treated to a special performance by a band known as Guns n Hoses Pipes n Drums.

John McMahon is president of the band and a former first responder who values the importance of fellowship while on or off the line of duty.

“Many times when we do come together, it’s because somebody passed away or died in the line of duty,” said McMahon. “When you have an opportunity to come to a bar to sit down with your brothers and sisters on the job it makes it all worthwhile that’s why we’re happy to be here and help Bob promote his business.”

Milhous Pub is currently open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Every first responder who walks in gets a 10% discount. 

The post Bonita Springs firefighter opens community pub appeared first on WINK News.

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a serious rollover crash that happened late Saturday night in Collier County.

The crash occurred on Livingston Road and Golden Gate Parkway in Naples, just west of I-75.

WINK News has reached out to FHP for more information on the health of the drivers as well as if there were any passengers.

Stay tuned to WINKNews.com, WINK News App, streaming, and on-air for any new developments on this story.

The post Florida Highway Patrol investigating rollover crash in Collier County appeared first on WINK News.

“We’re seeing quite a bit of Saharan dust impacting the Southwest Florida air quality,” said The Weather Authority Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler. “It may look a little bit hazy when you step outside.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, defines the Saharan air layer as a mass of very dry, dusty air that forms over the Sahara Desert during late spring, summer, and early fall. This layer can travel and impact locations thousands of miles away from its African origins.

According to NOAA, activity typically ramps up in mid-June and peaks from late June to mid-August.

Scientists explained that the warmth, dryness, and strong winds associated with the dust have been shown to suppress tropical cyclone formation and intensification.

It also reduces the chances of rain but can make storms more intense.

According to a study partially funded by NASA, Saharan dust also brings nutrients into the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s West Coast, which may kick off red tide blooms.

This is largely due to iron, one of the minerals found in the dust. As the dust falls into the Gulf, it attracts a cyanobacteria called Trichodesmium. The bacteria use that iron to convert any nitrogen in the water into a form that can be consumed by other marine organisms, including the algae that lead to red tide.

The study found that in June 1999, dust from the Sahara Desert made its way across the ocean and reached parts of Florida in late July. By October, and after a 300% increase of this biologically accessible nitrogen, a huge bloom of toxic red algae had formed within the study area, an 8,100-square-mile region between Tampa Bay and Fort Myers.

For a greater explanation of this phenomenon, click here to watch WINK News Lauren Kreidler’s Facebook reel.

The post The Weather Authority: What is Saharan Dust? appeared first on WINK News.

Above-average temperatures continue.

Temperatures will be even slightly warmer than Saturday by a degree or two across Southwest Florida, putting most of the area in the mid-90s by the afternoon.

A plume of Saharan dust is working its way through, making the sky appear hazy at times.

“Scattered showers and storms are possible, though rain coverage will be slightly limited,” added The Weather Authority Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler.

• RELATED: What is Saharan Dust?

A Heat Advisory remains in effect for our inland communities and all of Collier County until 6 p.m. due to ‘feels-like’ temperatures reaching upwards of 110 degrees.

For the boaters, it is going to feel hot on the water. There is a slight breeze out of the southeast, around 5 to 10 knots throughout the day.

“The water temperature in the Gulf is reaching a warm 90 degrees,” added Kreidler. “Overall, it’s not going to be a bad boating day, just stay hydrated and wear plenty of sunscreen!”

Tropical moisture is on its way towards us, increasing our chances of rain in the form of scattered showers and storms Monday into Tuesday.

This will also push our temperatures back to near average, topping out around 92 degrees for Monday and Tuesday before we warm back up and see drier air come back into play by midweek.

The post The Weather Authority: If you found Saturday hot, brace yourself—Sunday will be warmer appeared first on WINK News.

Heavy winds, flooding, and destruction are all things that come to mind every year when hurricane season comes around.

This hurricane season has already had its first category five hurricane of the year, and there is still activity to be had in the tropics.

With one month to go until this season ramps up significantly, one of Florida’s largest independent food banks is helping families stay prepared.

Farm Share is distributing hurricane supply kits to families in southwest Florida. These kits have some of the necessities a family would need during a hurricane.

Things like non-perishable foods, water, a can opener, toiletries, bug spray, etc.

And if your family has pets, they’ll also give out pet supply kits, which have dog or cat food and pet-safe shampoo.

The kits also contain information to help keep your family and pets safe going into peak hurricane season.

These kits were provided by an internationally recognized disaster relief nonprofit Global Empowerment Mission.

500 kits will be given out for free at the Suncoast Community Health Center on Saturday.

The distribution started at 9 a.m. and will last until supplies run out.

WINK News reporter Camila Pereira went to the event to show us how the community has welcomed this help.

Ciara Cancino is the Director of Development at Farm Share, “We still remember Fort Myers about two years ago. I mean, even just driving through the community, we still see the recovery happening here.”

It doesn’t help that the gulf has already seen its first category-five hurricane of the year, Hurricane Beryl.

Raul Celaya is the Director of Operations with Global Empowerment Mission, “Beryl was unprecedented, as we all know, and was something nobody expected to become a category five. So quickly, in so many different places in the Caribbean were hit….We were there within 24 hours dropping aid, and really, you know, just doing what we do best.”

But on Saturday at the Suncoast Community Health Center in North Fort Myers, Farm Share and Global Empowerment Mission partnered up to do things differently.

“Everybody’s always like let’s respond to a hurricane. But I’m like, but what if we help people become prepared for a hurricane,” said Cancino.

This event of giving out free hurricane kits is drawing people from near and far, to keep themselves and their families safe this hurricane season.

“I think it’s a good thing. Hopefully, we don’t have to deal with the hurricanes,” said a North Fort Myers resident.

“I lost my power for almost six weeks last time so and I didn’t have the internet for three months,” said a Cape Coral resident.

The drive started at 9 a.m. and will last until supplies run out Saturday.

Cancino said if they have kits left over after the drive is wrapped up, you can still pick them up at the Suncoast Community Health Center.

The post Farm Share, Florida food bank distributes hurricane kits appeared first on WINK News.

According to the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, road patrol units responded to a disturbance in the Montura Ranch Estates area on Thursday, July 11.

Upon arrival at the scene, deputies found 48-year-old William Diaz along with a juvenile female.

The two were separated and the girl told deputies that she had been sexually assaulted by Diaz.

Members of the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division took over the investigation.

The juvenile victim was transported for medical treatment.

A search warrant was executed on the property and residence. During this investigation, it was discovered that Diaz had reportedly made threats to the girl and other family members.

After the search concluded, Diaz was placed under arrest and charged with multiple charges including lewd or lascivious battery on a victim between 12 and 16.

He is currently being held without bond at the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office.

The post Hendry County man accused of molesting minor, threatening her family appeared first on WINK News.

A Heat Advisory has been issued for most of Southwest Florida until 6 p.m. on Sunday due to ‘feels-like’ temperatures that are expected to reach upwards of 108 degrees.

“We will start Saturday off dry, but then we will see a round of our typical summertime afternoon and evening storms,” explained The Weather Authority Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler.

Temperatures will reach the low to mid-90s into the afternoon.

Saturday evening, we will be back into the low 80s with a few lingering showers and storms.

For the boaters, winds are out of the southeast today, around 5 to 10 knots. The temperature in the Gulf is just on the cusp of reading 90 degrees.

As far as the tropics, no development is expected for the next 7 days. Saharan dust plumes across the Atlantic are helping to keep things calm.

The post The Weather Authority: Hot weekend ahead with scattered storms appeared first on WINK News.

The flood insurance discount is back, but the work to keep it is just starting.

“I was very happy for everybody who has gotten a discount. I know, they were counting on it. I know, it means a lot,” said David Silverberg, a Retired Editor at Homeland Security Today who covered FEMA throughout his career.

• READ MORE: FEMA confirms Lee County and its municipalities can have their flood insurance discount

“Of course, it’s good news. But why did we have to go through it? I guess that’s been my question from the start,” said John Miehle, a Cape Coral resident.

The threat of losing this discount is still fresh in everyone’s minds.

Even with this good news, Silverberg says that fear of higher rates was to push us to be better.

“FEMA is trying to create a situation where after every hurricane, they don’t have to pay for rebuilding all the same structures, they want communities to harden, they want them to become more resilient. And the way they do this, is by imposing these codes, or standards,” said Silverberg.

Estero is keeping their 20 percent.

Cape Coral, Bonita springs, Fort Myers Beach and unincorporated Lee county will keep their 25% for now.

But come November 18, if each area’s violations are not fixed they can be placed on probation and in turn, you’d lose your discount on April 1, 2025.

The question now is how do we keep this discount?

“How do you keep this discount? You meet the standards, you exceed them, you build resiliently you harden your community for the next storm and Lord knows we may be having quite a few this year,” said Silverberg. “And you create a situation where you’re resilient against climate change, its effects, the storms, the weather, and every other hazard that threatens your community.”

Not only do we keep our discount, it can even increase. Take Pinellas county for example: their flood insurance discount is 40%.

WINK News asked Silverberg if he thought we could see that in southwest Florida. He says if we exceed FEMA’s expectations it’s possible we could be eligible for an increased discount.

The post FEMA flood insurance discounts are here to stay appeared first on WINK News.

A new research study is making its way across social media, sparking a conversation about the safety of tampons.

A first-of-its kind study looked into the presence of metals and found trace amounts of more than a dozen metals in 14 different brands.

Florida Gulf Coast University students were scrolling TikTok when they learned about the toxic metals found in their feminine products. It sounded scary to Avery Larson.

“It impacts the use of tampons further on because we don’t know what’s in them. And it’s crazy that this has just come up now,” said Larson.

Her friend, Florcie Jean, shared her alarm. “I also saw like a whole bunch of slideshows on TikTok of people saying like, ‘Oh, like this brand was higher and like this brand was lower.’ “

There is no truth to that. This was a blind study; even researchers didn’t know the brands.

Published in July by Environmental International, 30 types of tampons from 14 popular brands—including organic ones—purchased at major retailers in the U.S. were tested. The results yielded 16 different metals, among them mercury, arsenic and lead. This creates concern because tampons are an important and popular part of feminine hygiene.

Full list of metals:

-Arsenic

-Barium

-Calcium

-Cadmium

-Cobalt

-Chromium

-Copper

-Iron

-Lead

-Manganese

-Mercury

-Nickel

-Selenium

-Strontium

-Vanadium

-Zinc

The modern tampon was patented back in 1931, and its premise remains the same: to pull moisture away from the body. Today, up to 80% of menstruating women use them.

WINK News health and medical reporter Amy Oshier shared the study with FGCU assistant professor Christina Dzioba. Dzioba offers a unique perspective. “I was an engineer before I was a nurse. And one of the things that I did was feminine care products.”

This makes her intimately familiar with tampon design. “Tampons are going to be some kind of cotton, or rayon that is absorbent. They’re usually kind of encased in a material like a spun cotton or something that holds it together,” Dzioba said. “And then there’s a cord that goes into them; they can have all kinds of different materials that help with wicking.”

Dzioba said it’s likely the metals, which are naturally occurring, come from the cotton.

“The roots of the plant take it up. The same way that we get our nutrients in our food is the same way that it’s going to end up probably getting into the products that we’re using.”

Some of these metals, the mercury, arsenic and lead are considered toxic. There is concern they can disrupt hormones, and the chemicals are linked to dementia, cancer and other health issues.

“It’s very low levels that they found. They don’t know whether or not it actually goes into the body or what the levels might be,” Dzioba said. “But it is a very small amount compared to what we think of as an acceptable level overall.”

For now, women everywhere are wondering whether they should toss their tampons.

“I would want to learn more about it because definitely cause for concern,” Larson said.

More research needs to be done to find out if these metals are absorbed into the body.

WINK News reached out Procter & Gamble, the maker of Tampax, to see if they were part of the study or could offer insights. We did not hear back.

Click here to read the study.

The post “It’s crazy this has just come up now”; Toxic metals in tampons causing health concerns appeared first on WINK News.

Lamp lighting usually sets the mood and helps people relax, but they’ve also been used for therapy after Hurricane Ian.

Family Traditions is a home decor store in Cape Coral and people have been bringing in their broken lamps to be repaired because it’s often the only thing they had left intact after a category five storm.

Flipping the switch on damages caused by Hurricane Ian.

“It’s heartwarming, it brings hope.” Kelsey Crandall owns Family Traditions, a home decor business that gives furniture a second life.

“It’s felt like we built a family here in the community throughout these years,” said Crandall.

Unlike thrift stores, every piece in Family Traditions Home Decor and Furnishing is hand-picked. Whether it be a lampshade or a piece of furniture.

However, less than two years ago many of those hand-picked items were lost when Ian struck.

“Unfortunately, during Hurricane Ian, one of our units, the roof caved in,” Crandall explained.

The storm damaged most of her inventory, but Crandall said her family was ready to rebuild.

“I was in quite a rush to get to a new location and fill the store with furniture because I thought you know, everybody’s gonna need furniture,” she said.

Or so she thought.

As it turns out, it wasn’t furniture Crandall’s customers came searching for.

“We saw this uptick in selling lampshades that had gotten damaged. People coming in with their lamps saying that this is all they have left,” she explained.

Lamps, the unlikely survivor in many southwest Florida homes.

According to Crandall, “A lot of people from Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach coming in and literally saying we lost everything except for this lamp and I figured it could be salvaged.”

The lamps she fixes make life brighter, for more reasons than one.

“We were able to clean them all up, replace all the brass parts and bring them new life and the joy that it brought people. I just get goosebumps thinking about it. It was really remarkable.”

Restoring both the hardware and memories each lamp holds for the families that bring them in.

The post ‘Family Traditions’ in Cape Coral shines bright after Hurricane Ian appeared first on WINK News.

This Fort Myers Beach hotel was once the beating heart of a community, a place where families and friends made memories.

Wyndham Garden Hotel at Fort Myers Beach is now a ghost ship stranded and forgotten by the shore.

People who once cherished its lively tiki bar, cozy rooms and vibrant atmosphere are left wondering why the beach favorite remains abandoned and forgotten.

Before Hurricane Ian, on a Friday night, the hotel would’ve been packed, according to the people WINK News reporter Asha Patel spoke with.

Now, the community wants to know what’s next for the beloved building. Will it be torn down? Replaced?

At one point the Wyndham Garden Hotel had a Pinchers Grill Room and Tiki Bar; weddings were also held at the hotel because of its large event room.

Now, it sits empty.

Isabell Saiz has had a condo for the last 38 years right across from the Wyndham Hotel.

She grew up going there and seeing it abandoned now gives her a constant reminder of Ian, even two years later.

“I don’t understand how the city or our town allowed [the hotel] to be like that. [The] fact it’s been almost two years and nothing has happened and no information and news available to the residents,” said Saiz.

Currently, no one has said anything about what the future holds for the hotel.

WINK spoke to some people on the beach to hear their opinions.

“Wonderful time; we would come with our friends, 5 families from our little town, we would bring our children, we would go every Labor Day weekend,” said one beach visitor, Michelle Thomas.

And now it’s a place that sits quietly, with no cars, no people and no business.

“[We are] disappointed there’s not more progress than there is, but we understand since every condo needs major work. The contractors are spread really thin,” said Gary Miller, a nearby property owner.

Residents and visitors would like to know what comes next.

“Concerned with the fact it’s been languishing there since the storm and hasn’t been touched and no information as to what is going to happen to that building,” said Saiz.

According to the hotel’s website, the hotel will be closed for renovations until September.

WINK News has reached out about plans for the hotel but has not received a response yet.

The post Fort Myers Beach hotel’s future in limbo appeared first on WINK News.

At Harns Marsh Middle School, education is not the only thing taking place. It is also one of the busiest spots for drive-thru food distribution this summer.

“There’s a need. People are in need to feed their kids on the weekend,” said Mary Ann Cuico, Cafeteria Manger for Harns Marsh Middle.

Since early June, Cuico, along with a few other ladies, are handing out 3-day meal boxes every Friday, rain or shine.

“A lot of these kids won’t eat during the summer. And this is a way for us to give them to eat on the weekend,” said Cuico. “We’ve get kids that come up on bicycles. We get people that walk up, you see the car, the traffic that we have here. This is what we do. We’re out here rain or shine, thunderstorms and all.”

This is also the school’s first time being a non-congregate meal site, meaning meals don’t need to be eaten on-site and can instead be packed up and go home with families.

And the more families they feed, the better impact it makes on the Lehigh Acres community.

“They’re doing their job. They’re helping out like I said, with the prices of everything. It does help, especially kids. They’re always snacking,” said Raquel Gomez. “And it comes with stuff they like. They asked me, ‘Oh, you’re gonna get the box on Friday?’ So for the weekend, they do have some stuff to hold them.”

Now, you can pick up your meal box next Friday at Harns Marsh Middle School from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Next Friday will also be the last day for drive-thru food distribution for Lee County Schools.

Drive-thru distribution can also be found at the six locations listed below:

Serving times for non-congregant meal sites:

• -Buckingham Community Park: 11:30-12:30
• -Alva Community Park: 11:30-12:00
• -Harns Marsh Middle School: 11:30-12:30
• -Olga Baptist Church: 12:30-1:00
• -Palms at Pine Island: 11:00-11:30
• -Phillips Park: 11:45-12:15
• -Summit Church Gateway: 11:30-12:15

The post Feeding hungry children across Lee County appeared first on WINK News.

A 96-year-old woman isn’t letting her age slow her down one bit.

Betty Kai is a bartender and an office manager, but more importantly, she’s just a really cool person. She’s turning 97 in October, but that’s not slowing her down, you can still find her behind the bar.

With all of these activities, you have to wonder if she’s found the Fountain of Youth.

She is an icon on Fort Myers Beach. Everyone knows her and loves her.

“I’ve been bartending since 1962,” Kai said.

But that’s not all Kai does.

“Hostess at night, bartender in the day. [I] work at the Bel Air Beach Club a couple of days a week, and [I am an] office manager. I’ve married probably close to 300 400 people in 35 years,” Kai said.

But Kai doesn’t just work hard.

“She goes out more than we all go out,” said Tina Tomasino, owner of the Hurricane Tinas Dive Bar.

We asked Kai why she’s still working.

“Can’t just sit around on your butt,” she replied.

Keeping busy is what Kai said is her secret to life.

“She loves it. She wants to. I think that if she stopped, that’s when she would probably feel her age, so because that’s pretty old to be bartending and doing everything. She’s still pretty good. She remembers more people’s names than we all do,” Tomasino said.

Betty has quite the personality. If you want to see Betty in action, she works at Hurricane Tinas on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday starting at 9 a.m.

The post 96-year-old bartender still serving smiles appeared first on WINK News.

It’s been almost two years since Hurricane Ian devastated our neighborhoods. Family Initiative, a non-profit, partnered with Lee County to better understand hurricane readiness for the families they serve.

Through a survey that 100 autism families took over the past three months, there were many takeaways post-Ian.

Jessica Van Hart, the mother of Colby, said Family Initiative changed their lives for the better.

“I honestly thank God for finding them. They have been a blessing to Colby, myself and my whole family,” Van Hart said.

She’s not alone. There are many families in Southwest Florida in the same boat, and Family Initiative strives to help them, especially following Hurricane Ian.

“We responded pretty quickly to the needs of the families that we’re able to communicate with,” said Anjali Van Drie, the Vice President and Co-Founder of Family Initiative.

“The aftermath of no electricity, no water. The streets were terrible, the devastation, the stress that it puts on families and myself as a parent to take care of the needs that my son has,” Van Hart said.

Van Hart took Colby to a shelter at her husband’s work building, which has concrete.

“It was probably one of the most stressful things I’ve ever had to go through,” Van Hart said.

It was extra stressful because 26-year-old Colby has autism.

“I think that the biggest obstacles for us were the unknown. Our kids need to have structure, they need to have schedules, they need to know what’s coming next. It’s really hard to reassure your child that everything’s going to be okay. I think the biggest struggle is just the breaking routine,” Van Hart said.

Change, especially unexpected change, can be very stressful for those on the spectrum.
To be better prepared for a hurricane, Family Initiative sent a hurricane survey to 100 families.

Van Hart knew it was something she needed to do. She said, “What autism parents go through is completely different than the needs of your elderly or even just people that need to evacuate. We have unique needs for our children. So, I felt it was really important to take the survey so that we could put this together and have a conversation.”

“I think our goal in this is how do you take something that’s really awful and learn from it and do better,” said David Brown, the President and Co-Founder of Family Initiative.

Family Initiative wanted to know how to be better prepared for hurricanes.

Results

WINK News Reporter Olivia Jean sat down with Co-Founders David Brown and Anjali Van Drie to discuss the surprising results.

“Of all the families that we surveyed, only 10% of respondents said that they’re aware of the special needs hurricane shelter program. Amongst those families, another 50% of those families basically said to us [that] they were reluctant to go to the shelters because they weren’t sure what their experience might be like there. So, I think right away, we knew that we had a lot of work to do, to really educate advocate to our families about resources that were available,” Brown said.

The number one issue was downed fences, with concerns of those with autism running away.

“The number one thing that Anjali and I were contacted about after in was pull cages and fences. We have a lot of moms and dads that were very concerned about the elopement issues for the kids,” Brown said.

Another issue is access to clean laundry.

“There’s a little guy who comes to us every day and who wears the exact same outfit. So mom, bless her, every night washes that outfit, because of the sensory sensitivity. So there are particular shirts or particular shorts or particular socks that they can wear,” Van Drie said.

Another surprise issue was internet. Many kids rely on tablets throughout the day.

“People just accessing the internet that we had just the moms and dads are sitting back in the car air-conditioning or maybe taking a nap. Kids are in the backseat with their headphones on on their tablets,” Brown said.

68% of families dealing with autism plan to evacuate Lee County or Southwest Florida during the next major hurricane.

91% get the most reliable hurricane news from local news.

13% didn’t know about any local county resources.

Only 6% of eligible families registered for special needs shelter.

Only 23% have a solar charging device but devices are so important to their families.

35% of families’ most urgent recovery needs are repair items to prevent elopement.

The primary personal needs are daily/weekly laundry (60%) and cooling locations (54%).

You can view all of the results here.

Special Needs Shelters

Only 10% of families were aware of the special needs shelter program in Lee County.

The shelters are:

• Amanecer Elementary School
• Dunbar High School
• East Lee County High School
• Estero Recreation Center
• Florida Gulf Coast University Alico Arena
• Gateway High School
• Harns Marsh Elementary
• Harns Marsh Middle School
• Hertz Arena
• Island Coast High School
• Manatee Elementary
• Mirror Lakes Elementary School
• N. Fort Myers Academy of the Arts
• North Fort Myers Recreation Center
• Oak Hammock Middle School
• South Fort Myers High School
• Tortuga Preserve Elementary
• Treeline Elementary School
• Varsity Lakes Middle School
• Veterans Park Recreation Center

Family Initiative now has an 18-foot trailer to help families no matter where they live and used the survey results to help figure out what was needed inside. It includes air-conditioning and WI-FI. They said it is a game changer.

Take the survey here.

To learn more about Family Initiative, visit here.

The post New survey results detail autism family needs during hurricanes appeared first on WINK News.

A man was killed and another injured after a two-vehicle crash in Punta Gorda.

The collision occurred on Burnt Store Road at Notre Dame Boulevard at 1:39 p.m. Friday.

According to a press release from the Florida Highway Patrol, a sedan was traveling north on Burnt Store Road, on the right lane, approaching the intersection of Notre Dame Boulevard.

At the same time a second sedan was traveling south on Burnt Store Road, on the left turn lane, and entered the intersection to travel east on Notre Dame Boulevard.

The front of the first sedan collided with the front right of the second vehicle.

The first sedan landed upside down in a ditch with the victim who was transported to Gulf Coast Medical Center with serious injuries.

The other driver, a 70-year-old man, died at the scene after he was ejected from his car onto the road. 

Charlotte County Fire and Emergency Services responded to the scene.

The post 1 dead, 1 injured after crash in Punta Gorda appeared first on WINK News.

Justin’s Place Recovery Center through Saint Matthew’s House helps people struggling with addictions. People like Jeff Reno.

“I kind of went off the deep end and went back to using and I got hooked on fentanyl. And my life has just spiraled out of control. I ended up homeless living next to a dumpster,” said Reno.

Reno said his struggle with a fentanyl addiction, took him to some very dark places.

“Absolutely. I kind of went on a bender there for a long time and I was seeking out the most strongest stuff,” said Reno. “I would hear people overdosing on it and I would seek that out, just, I was on a suicide mission. But I truly, truly believe that God didn’t want me, he didn’t want me dead.”

A drug charge arrest by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office landed him in jail, where a corrections officer told him about Saint Matthew’s House.

“Once I got out of jail, as I said, on that bus stop. And I was in tears. And I just asked God to help me make a good decision. And I got on the bus and ended up in St. Matt’s in Naples. And I tell you, it’s been the most freeing thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said Reno.

He now works with other men recovering from addiction while on his own 12-month journey to recovery.

He has a message for drug dealers still pushing poison.

“To the drug dealers, I would say, please stop killing people, period. That’s what they’re doing,” said Reno.

He also shared words of encouragement to those battling their addictions now.

“There is another way of life on proof. I mean, there are many men here that’s proof that, that there is a better life out there,” said Reno.

Reno plans to continue his recovery journey through helping others with St. Matthews House.

Although addiction is overwhelming, he says a better way of life is possible through recovery.

The post Justin’s Place Recovery Center helps those who suffer from drug addictions appeared first on WINK News.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection to a murder that took place on Alexander Circle in Immokalee.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 20-year-old Jaihmereun Short of Immokalee and charged him with the murder that occurred early Tuesday morning.

The shooting took the life of Brandon Christmas, who was discovered dead on a grassy area with bullet wounds in his body.

The motive behind the shooting is currently unknown.

This continues to be an active investigation.

The post Man arrested in connection to fatal Immokalee shooting appeared first on WINK News.

Much of the world woke up scrambling as Microsoft 365 apps were hit by widespread outages early Friday morning, connected to the cybersecurity software company CrowdStrike.

From airports to hospitals, banks to news stations, IT systems were down globally. Many are still recovering.

• RELATED: RSW ground stops multiple airlines due to Microsoft outage

Expert explains

Dr. Chengyi Qu, an assistant professor of computing and data science at Florida Gulf Coast University described CrowdStrike as one of the top cybersecurity software companies in the world.

“They have the major companies as their clients,” said Dr. Qu. “They could provide their software solutions, cybersecurity solutions to them, so they can just easily use their software to block any cybersecurity issues.”

How did this happen?

Dr. Qu said it all started with a minor CrowdStrike software update that caused a major problem.

“They pushed the update into [the] Windows system, and just something happened, and the old Windows system crashed,” said Dr. Qu.

Outdated versions of Windows, like Windows XP and older versions, were more likely to be affected by the outage.

Was this preventable?

“We cannot forecast these things right to avoid any of the altogether issues are software update issues. But I believe that after this situation, like most of the company may rethink about if they want to install this CrowdStrike software at all in the near future,” said Dr. Qu.

Dr. Qu believes it’s an important reminder to keep your software up to date and not solely rely on cybersecurity software to keep your information safe.

As for those impacted Friday, Dr. Qu advises companies to prepare for an outage like this.

One way to do that is to install data on a separate software system.

The post Outages hit Microsoft apps linked to cybersecurity software update appeared first on WINK News.

An Immokalee man has been sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute it, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.

Javier Joel Perez, 46, was arrested in 2023 after Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies recovered a firearm and a significant amount of illegal narcotics at a suspected drug house.

According to court documents, CCSO deputies uncovered marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine packaged for sale, along with a loaded firearm in Perez’s home.

Detectives recovered the following items during the search:

• Methamphetamine – 29.5 grams
• Cocaine – 8.8 grams
• Marijuana – 1,733 grams
• A semiautomatic rifle

Perez told deputies that the items located in his home belonged to him.

Perez is a nine-time convicted felon and is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition; he was ordered to forfeit his firearms.

During the investigation, detectives said they routinely observed a high level of “traffic” at the residence.

Most of the traffic was individuals engaged in hand-to-hand transactions with Perez, exchanging money for narcotics.

Perez pled guilty to the charges in February 2024.

“I’ve made it very clear this type of illegal activity will not be tolerated in Collier County,” Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said. “Our Vice and Narcotics Bureau detectives work diligently to identify and arrest drug dealers in our community. Day or night, you never know when they are going to come knocking.”

This case was investigated by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.

The post Immokalee man sentenced to prison for drug and gun-related charges appeared first on WINK News.

A global technology outage caused by a faulty software update grounded flights, disrupted hospitals, banks, businesses and government offices on Friday.

North Collier Hospital said the only impact they had was to their voice detection system, meaning people had to type their notes versus verbal dictation, but other than that, there were no issues.

“It sounds like a lot of people are stuck in airports,” said Scott Hamblen, the chief operating officer for Sunshine Ace Hardware. “There’s a lot of impacts across America from the cyber outage; it’s got to be challenged in a lot of people’s day-to-day business.”

The trouble with the update issued by cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike affected customers running Microsoft Windows. It’s important to note this wasn’t the result of hacking or a cyber attack, and Crowdstrike said a fix was on the way.

• RELATED: Outages hit Microsoft apps linked to cybersecurity software update

“Behind the scenes, there’s a few things that are working exactly perfect, but nothing that the customers or our associates are having to deal with,” Hamblen added.

Businesses and governments experienced hours-long disruptions, so WINK News reached out to Naples Police, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, and several businesses and restaurants, who said they’re doing just fine.

“Our sister company, Wynn’s Market in downtown Naples, is operating just fine, as well as Sunshine Handyman Services. That has not had any issues either. So as far as the customers would know, we’re open for business and ready to go,” Hamblen said.

There were some internal support systems impacted from Sunshine Ace Hardware, but Hamblen said all of their systems remained online during the incident.

“We’re also very happy to hear that no customer information has been compromised. Nothing that prevents us from being able to take care of the customers need to repair a toilet, or fixing plumbing; we’re ready for business. And so no real impact of the customers would have to worry about shopping with Sunshine Ace Hardware,” he said.

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The Cape Coral City Council will hold a meeting regarding Jaycee Park next week.

The meeting will be held Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. and will mark the first public hearing regarding changes to the redesign of Jaycee Park in November.

Some Cape Coral residents have opposed the park’s redesign and formed the Cape Coral Preservation PAC to stop the renovation of Jaycee Park.

• RELATED: Man escorted from Jaycee Park redevelopment meeting tells his story

The PAC collected 8,000 signatures within 90 days, which fell short of the 28,000 needed to get a referendum on the ballot to halt the renovation of Jaycee Park.

William Ulrich is a businessman who was present for the meeting last October. He has spoken at every hearing regarding Jaycee Park, but he doesn’t think the city is listening.

“I’ve said everything I could possibly say, and they don’t care,” Ulrich said.

Connie Barron is the Assistant City Manager for the City of Cape Coral, and she is trying to address the concerns of the parkgoers.

“We did listen to public feedback we had heard,” she said. “Doing nothing was not considered an option. We looked for ways to make modifications in the design that would address the concerns that we heard.”

The concept for Jaycee Park is at 75% completion and includes:

• A playground with full-shade sails
• Six available spaces for food trucks
• Grills
• Six bike racks
• Misting stations for people and dogs

There is now a plan for a building in the park called The Reef. It will be about 1,000 square feet.

The Reef will feature a snack bar, and the building will have an oversized roof to provide shade for those walking up for service.

After the meeting on Wednesday, another public meeting has been set for Aug. 7.

To read more about the redesign, click here.

An earlier version of this story said the proposal included a bistro-style restaurant. This story has since been updated to reflect that a restaurant is not part of the proposal. WINK News regrets the error.

The post Cape Coral City Council to hold public hearing over Jaycee Park redesign appeared first on WINK News.

Residents of Lee County are breathing a sigh of relief as FEMA has agreed to allow homeowners to maintain their flood insurance discount.

FEMA confirmed Friday that Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach, Estero, Bonita Springs and portions of unincorporated Lee County will maintain its flood insurance discount of 25% (Estero’s discount is back to 20%, due to it being a younger, incorporated municipality).

The news of Cape Coral keeping their discount came to WINK News late Friday morning via Cape Coral representative Mike Giallombardo, a few hours before Scott’s announcement.

According to Giallombardo, FEMA requires Cape Coral put a plan together to prevent an event like this from happening again.

Afterward, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott provided an update via X, where he mentioned, “I won’t stop working with our local communities and FEMA to ensure these flood insurance discounts remain in place long-term and that the federal government is a partner with local governments as we continue to recover from hurricanes.”

Giallombardo told WINK that he received the information from the City of Cape Coral.

Cape Coral was among five areas in Lee County to receive notice from the federal organization regarding unpermitted work and a lack of documentation of damages caused by Hurricane Ian in 2022.

After the claims had been made, Cape Coral, along with Fort Myers Beach, Estero, Bonita Springs, and other areas of unincorporated Lee County, had to submit the proper documentation to clear the accusations.

Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter held a news conference Friday, outlining the specifics of the FEMA notification.

The post FEMA confirms Lee County and its municipalities can have their flood insurance discount appeared first on WINK News.

Seagate Development Group will manage construction, which should begin by the end of October, said Doug Hrabik, senior project manager. 

“We’re excited to get it off the ground,” Hrabik said. “This is a milestone right here.”

To read more at Gulfshore Business, click here. 

The post Resurgence Brewing, Central Rock Gym celebrate groundbreaking in south Fort Myers appeared first on WINK News.

All six candidates running for Punta Gorda City Council were in attendance. 

The three challengers oppose 2023 changes to the city’s land development regulations, or LDRs, which they say will create tall buildings and high density in the city.  

The incumbents disagree, saying the LDRs will limit building heights and help the city maintain its small-town charm. 

The changes spawned a grassroots movement that prompted several residents to run for office, including last year when Dr. Debi Lux unseated incumbent Mark Kuharski in District 3.

To read more at Gulfshore Business, click here.   

The post Punta Gorda City Council candidates meet the voters appeared first on WINK News.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co. announced eight new nonstop routes to 13 U.S. cities in all, but Savannah will be the only new route to and from PGD. 

Passengers departing PGD will fly into Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Charlotte County Airport Authority Director of Marketing and Communications Kaley Miller said the route will be year-round. 

To read more at Gulfshore Business, click here. 

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A man has been transported to the hospital after reportedly crashing into an unoccupied building in Fort Myers.

According to the Fort Myers Police Department, the driver crashed into a building at Fowler Street Friday morning.

They said it seemed he mistook the gas for the brake.

The driver is currently in the hospital. The extent of his injuries remains unknown.

The post Driver crashes into unoccupied Fort Myers building appeared first on WINK News.

A: “The Castle” in Naples with its stone-clad circular turret tower has been mostly reduced to rubble but nothing new is planned yet at its royal resting place at 900 Goodlette-Frank Road. 

Fifth Third Bank closed its longtime bank there last August. Before the eye-catching building became a bank, it was a string of short-lived restaurants and nightclubs. Recent talk that the former bank was going to be a restaurant again ended up being just a rumor. 

To read more at Gulfshore Business, click here. 

The post Tim Aten Knows: ‘The Castle’ comes down in Naples appeared first on WINK News.

Early voting for the primary election starts less than a month from now, which means deadlines are fast approaching.

Early voting for Southwest Florida residents provides a convenient opportunity for voters to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day.

On Aug. 20 we have primary elections before the general election in November.

One thing voters may need a reminder of is that all previous vote-by-mail requests expired in Florida at the end of 2022. If you plan to vote by mail in 2024, you must submit a new request form.

Also important to remember is that since Florida is a closed primary state, only voters who are registered political party members may vote for their respective party’s candidate in a primary election. The voter registration and party change deadline for the 2024 Primary Election is July 22.

The deadline to register to vote is 29 days before any election.

Voters can check their registration status by going to the Lee Supervisor of Elections website.

“Go on our website, Lee.vote,” said Tommy Doyle, Lee supervisor of elections. “You can check your registration by putting in your your name and your last four of your Social Security or your Florida ID or Florida driver’s license.”

Provided below are the counties where you can register to vote, along with their early voting dates:

Collier County: Aug. 10

Early Voting

• Aug. 10 – Aug. 17 | 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Offices

• Main office: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Building, 3750 Enterprise Ave., Naples, FL 34104 | 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday

Lee County: Aug. 10

Early Voting

• Aug. 10 – Aug. 17 | 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Offices

• Fort Myers Offices: Melvin Morgan Constitutional Complex, 2480 Thompson St., 3rd Floor, Fort Myers, FL 33901
• South Fort Myers Branch Office, 13180 S. Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33907
• Cape Coral Office: Lee County Government Center, 1039 SE 9th Ave., Cape Coral, FL 33990
• Bonita Springs Office: Bonita Commons, 25987 S. Tamiami Trail, #105, Bonita Springs, FL 34134
• Lehigh Acres Office: 600 Homestead Road S., #9, Lehigh Acres 33974
• All offices: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday

Charlotte County: Aug. 5

Deadline to request vote-by-mail ballot: Aug. 8

Early Voting

• Aug. 5 – Aug. 18

Offices

• Port Charlotte Office: Murdock Circle 18500 Murdock Circle, Port Charlotte, FL 3394 | 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday
• Punta Gorda Office: Charlotte County Historic Courthouse, 226 Taylor St., Punta Gorda, FL 33950 | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Englewood Office: Mac V. Horton West County Annex, 6868 San Casa Drive Englewood, FL 34224 | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Hendry County: Aug. 5

Early Voting

• Aug. 5 – Aug. 17 | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. 

Offices

• LaBelle Office: 25 E. Hickpochee Ave., LaBelle, FL 33935  
• Clewiston Office: 1100 S. Olympia St., Suite 504 Clewiston, FL 33440

DeSoto County – Aug. 5

Early Voting

• Aug. 5 – Aug. 17

Offices

• 201 E. Oak St., Room 104, Arcadia, FL 34266 | 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday | 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. weekends

The post Deadline approaches to register to vote for primary election in SWFL appeared first on WINK News.

WINK News sent a list of five questions to each of our school districts – Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, and Lee. We asked the Superintendent in each district to provide answers. Here’s what they had to say:

Charlotte County Schools Superintendent Mark Vianello

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge regarding children and their education today?

A. The aim of education is not for students to do well in school but to excel in the lives they lead outside of it.  The biggest challenge and the number one issue we face in education today is relevance.  My experiences as a teacher, principal, district administrator, and parent of three have reinforced my belief that a high-quality 21st-century education must be relevant. For students, relevance means getting a strong return on their time investment in school. Education should foster self-discovery, ensuring every student graduates with the necessary skills and a well-coordinated plan for the future, whether that involves post-secondary education, employment, or enlistment.

For the community, relevancy means a high return on investment for the tax dollars spent annually to support public education. Taxpayers should expect productive graduates and a school system that contributes to the workforce and economic solution to the community, region, and state. By being relevant, education becomes a pivotal element in strengthening both individual futures and the broader community, creating a strong return on investment for all stakeholders.

Q. More parents are leaving the public school system and using vouchers to pay for private options.  Do you have any concerns about it pulling funding away from the public school system without the same accountability public schools face? 

A. As a superintendent, I understand parents’ desire to choose the best educational options for their children, including using vouchers for private schools. Public schools adhere to rigorous accountability standards to ensure high-quality education for all students, which may not always be the case for private institutions. This funding shift can challenge public schools’ ability to meet diverse needs and maintain essential programs. It is important to ensure that public schools remain well-funded and capable of providing excellent education to every student, supporting both parental choice and the strength of our public education system.

Q. How will you keep children safe?

A. My years as an educator have led me to believe that all things in school matter, but safety matters most. In Charlotte County, we are deeply committed to implementing measures to ensure the well-being of our students, staff, and community visitors. Our schools have secure entrance and exit points equipped with controlled access systems, including keycard entry. Comprehensive surveillance systems monitor activity across all premises. Emergency protocols for lockdowns, evacuations, and other critical situations are regularly updated and practiced through drills. We collaborate closely with local law enforcement to enhance our security measures. Utilizing school, district, and state data, we identify problem areas and develop targeted interventions.

We are also investing in our human capital, or “heartware.” Teachers and staff are encouraged to build strong relationships with students, helping to identify early warning signs of potential threats. Regular safety drills and comprehensive training for all staff ensure preparedness for emergencies. Students are educated on safety procedures, empowering them with the knowledge to stay safe. Our partnership with local law enforcement and community organizations enhances school safety and response capabilities. By combining robust physical security measures with a strong emphasis on relationships and community engagement, we are creating a safe and supportive environment that prioritizes student safety above all else.

Q. We often hear from parents about their children being bullied in school. How will you deal with the bullying issue?

Ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all students is top priority, especially when it comes to addressing bullying issues. Our approach is proactive, beginning with comprehensive bully training for all students within the first month of school. This training educates students on how to recognize and report instances of bullying, whether they are the target or a bystander. They are encouraged to report any incidents to a staff member, a trusted friend, or by using our dedicated CCPS Bully Button. We emphasize the importance of the “see something, say something” approach to ensure that any instance of bullying is promptly addressed. Our goal is to foster a culture of respect and responsibility where every student feels empowered to contribute to a safe school community.

Q. What is your plan to get and keep more teachers in the classroom?

Talent wins, and we must develop human capital by ensuring every student will have excellent educators daily. In Charlotte County, it’s an ongoing pursuit to recruit new and veteran teachers to our district, retain those already here, and continuously develop those we employ. We recognize a national teacher shortage and proactively problem-solve through creativity and innovation.  Our District Strategic Plan is structured around four key priorities, with Priority 2 focusing on staff. This priority is dedicated to equipping our staff with the necessary tools and resources to enhance student success. A critical aspect of this priority is recruiting and retaining talented employees across all roles within our organization. To support this, we are introducing a new teacher induction program designed to facilitate a smooth transition for new educators. Additionally, we are expanding coaching opportunities for all instructional staff to foster their professional growth. We are fortunate to have hired teachers through both military and internship certification routes for the upcoming school year.

Q. Bonus question: What’s one fun fact about you?

A. This past June marked my first anniversary in Charlotte County. A fun fact about me is that my wife and I love spending weekends exploring the beautiful beaches and discovering new areas in our community. Whether it’s taking a stroll along the shoreline, enjoying a beach picnic, or trying out a local restaurant, there’s always something exciting and refreshing to do. Our community’s natural beauty and local culture make every weekend an adventure!  Being part of such a welcoming and dynamic area is something I truly cherish, and I’m always eager to uncover the hidden gems that make Charlotte County so special.

You can read more about Superintendent Mark Vianello’s background here.

Collier County Schools Superintendent Dr. Leslie C. Ricciardelli

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge regarding children and their education today?

A. Social media and technology have introduced several challenges for children, which often impact their education or the educational environment. CCPS has a long-standing expectation and practice that electronic devices should be powered off and put away during instructional time. Last year, Governor DeSantis enacted legislation prohibiting the use of cell phones during learning time unless specifically directed by the teacher for instructional purposes. He also prohibited the use of TikTok and access to TikTok on district-owned devices and internet. This has supported teachers to create an environment where students are able to focus on learning and engage with their peers in face-to-face social interactions. It is critical we provide students with opportunities to develop essential interpersonal skills which can be done by reducing screen time, specifically social media and entertainment apps, and increasing real-world experiences to help foster well-rounded, socially competent individuals.

Q. More parents are leaving the public school system and using vouchers to pay for private options.  Do you have any concerns about it pulling funding away from the public school system without the same accountability public schools face? 

A. CCPS has long supported parental choice and educational options. To date, our enrollment has kept pace with previous years, which I believe is due to our strong academic success and the amazing teachers who impact students each day. We will continue to remain steadfast in our mission to develop lifelong learners with strong moral character who strive to reach their potential as productive members of American culture.

Q. How will you keep children safe?

A. The document below gives a deep dive and district-wide perspective into recent enhancements in the areas of safety, security, and student relations for the 60 school and support sites operated by CCPS.

Of particular interest for your viewers would be the following: The Florida Department of Education Office of Safe Schools visited our District 54 times this past school year, and 100% of visits to traditional public schools within CCPS were without a finding. (FYI: Those visits are unannounced.)

CCPS takes a layered approach to help ensure our school campuses remain safe places for our 50,000 students to learn and grow. Here are some of the layers in place:

• Law enforcement personnel are on our campuses all day, every day.
• We operate single points of entry at all schools.
• Video doorbells allow front doors to remain locked at all schools.
• Classroom doors remain locked throughout the day.
• We assess every single classroom in conjunction with law enforcement.
• All CCPS staff are trained to initiate a lockdown.
• Students and staff at ALL schools have ID badges to identify who should be on campus.
• All CCSO deputies have ID badges providing access to any school building in case of an emergency.
• CCSO has access to every camera in every school in case of an emergency.
• We have School Threat Assessment Teams at every school.
• Backpacks and large bags are not permitted at athletic events.

Q. We often hear from parents about their children being bullied in school. How will you deal with the bullying issue?

A. Our staff promptly responds to parent and student concerns and acts in accordance with School Board Policy 5517.01 and School Board Procedure 5517, which prohibits bullying and harassment and outlines consequences, reporting procedures, and the investigative process.

Students and parents are often reminded and encouraged to report any potential acts of bullying, threats, or concerning behaviors either electronically or in person. Anonymous tips can be reported through the FortifyFL app, SWFL Crime Stoppers, or the District’s website: www.collierschools.com/bullying.

Q. What is your plan to get and keep more teachers in the classroom?

A. CCPS has worked diligently to set competitive salaries, offer many paid supplemental opportunities, and provide health insurance at no cost to our employees. We make every effort to maintain a positive culture for learning and personal and professional growth.

Q. Bonus question: What’s one fun fact about you?

A. I was raised in Naples from the age of two and attended neighborhood public schools: Lake Park Elementary, Gulfview Middle, and Naples High School. My parents owned and operated a motel in Olde Naples. It was definitely a unique childhood. Though I am sure I did not appreciate having so many chores back then, today, I am thankful that my daily experiences in hospitality became the foundation of my principles of excellence, respect, care, compassion, and work ethic.

You can read more about Superintendent Dr. Leslie C. Ricciardelli’s background here.

DeSoto County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bobby Bennett

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge regarding children and their education today?

A. The biggest challenge we face today is ensuring equitable access to high-quality education for all students. With the rise of technology and diverse learning needs, we must adapt our teaching methods and provide the necessary resources to support every child. Additionally, addressing the socioeconomic disparities that impact students’ learning experiences is crucial for their success.

Q. More parents are leaving the public school system and using vouchers to pay for private options.  Do you have any concerns about it pulling funding away from the public school system without the same accountability public schools face? 

A. Public schools play a vital role in our communities, providing education to all children regardless of their background. We advocate for choice options. Our goal is that the public schools will be the best choice. We must advocate for fair funding and accountability to ensure that every child receives a high-quality education.

Q. How will you keep children safe?

A. The safety of our students is our top priority. We are implementing comprehensive safety measures, including secure school entrances, regular safety drills, and the presence of school resource officers in all buildings. We are also investing in mental health resources and training for staff to identify and address potential day-to-day challenges our students encounter. We have taken proactive measures to partner with local law enforcement and emergency services in preparation. Additionally, fostering a supportive and inclusive school environment helps prevent issues before they arise and ensures students feel safe and valued.

Q. We often hear from parents about their children being bullied in school. How will you deal with the bullying issue?

A. Addressing bullying is critical to maintaining a positive school climate and culture. We have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying and are implementing comprehensive bully prevention programs across the district. Currently we’re educating our students about the effects of bullying, promoting kindness and empathy, along with providing clear reporting mechanisms for students and families.

Q. What is your plan to get and keep more teachers in the classroom?

A. Attracting and retaining quality teachers is essential for our students’ success. We are focusing on competitive salaries, professional development opportunities, higher education tuition reimbursement, and a supportive work environment to attract new teachers. Additionally, we are providing mentorship programs for new teachers, recognizing and rewarding outstanding performance, and offering career advancement opportunities. By fostering a positive and collaborative school culture, we aim to make our district a desirable place for educators to build long-term careers.

You can read more about Superintendent Dr. Bobby Bennett’s background here.

Lee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Ken Savage

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge regarding children and their education today?

A. After the global pandemic, one of the things we have noticed, not just here in Lee County but across the country, is that many students are far less engaged in creating their own future. Somehow, through that experience of increased isolation along with the new methods of student and adult interaction with social media and technology, my concern is that we are seeing the unintended consequences of deeper isolation and less socialization among not just students but adults. With such increased prevalence of mental health issues across our larger society this ultimately shows up as impacting our students as well. For me, this is the biggest issue because ultimately what we are trying to ensure is that we produce successful human beings, and that starts with how we are actively investing in our own humanity first.

Q. More parents are leaving the public school system and using vouchers to pay for private options.  Do you have any concerns about it pulling funding away from the public school system without the same accountability public schools face? 

A. The School District of Lee County is in the unique position of being one of the few in Florida that continues to grow. In the fall of 2018, there were 94,000 students in the District. Five years later, in the fall of 2023, we had 102,000. We expect enrollment to be higher this year and reach 115,000 in 2033. Charter schools and private schools are our partners in education and we are thankful for the services they provide.

Q. How will you keep children safe?

A. We are proud to be the only District in Florida that uses OPENGATE weapon detection systems at every school. Every student and every guest are screened by this entry technology when they enter a campus. We are also proud of our partnership with local law enforcement to continue to provide School Resource Officers on every campus. We continue to employ the Guardian Program as a force multiplier.  Our schools have security specialists, while teachers, support staff, and administrators also provide extra personnel to monitor hallways and other areas. Threat assessment teams review concerning behavior and develop plans to support our students.  Security is our highest priority and we use a multi-layered approach to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

Q. We often hear from parents about their children children being bullied in school. How will you deal with the bullying issue?

A. We do not tolerate bullying. All reported incidents of bullying are thoroughly investigated. Students who engage in bullying are disciplined per the Student Code of Conduct. Board Policy 5517.01 details the process. Bullying means systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one (1) or more students or employees. It is defined as any unwanted and repeated written, verbal, or physical behavior, including any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture, by an adult or student, that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational environment; causes discomfort or humiliation; or unreasonably interferes with the individual’s school performance or participation.

Q. What is your plan to get and keep more teachers in the classroom?

A. With the support of the School Board, some of our teachers have received as much as a 13% raise in the last 12 months. Our most experienced teachers received an 8% increase last school year and another 5% increase for this school year. With School Board support, we continue to pay the entire cost of health insurance for an employee and offer a $4,000 supplement for dependents, which saves teachers with children on their plans $7,000 a year. We will continue to work with the teacher’s union to provide the most competitive compensation possible. We also want to work more closely with our new recruits so they feel like they are joining a family when they work with us and provide them mentors so they are supported early in their careers. However, we have also heard many of their frustrations and so we also transformed our administrative structure to be more responsive to school needs and requests.

Q. Bonus question: What’s one fun fact about you?

A. I am a big fan of the Cleveland, Ohio sports teams! I was born in that area so even though I have lived most of my life in Lee County, I still root for the Browns, Cavaliers, and Guardians. There is a lot of Midwest influence down here in Lee County and I own that connection to both locations proudly!

You can read more about Superintendent Dr. Ken Savage’s background here.

When Glades and Hendry County submit their responses, they will be added to this article.

The post Safety, security, teachers; what Southwest Florida Superintendents have to say appeared first on WINK News.

One year has passed, and the family of Barry Schmalbach is seeking the answer to one question: Where is his body?

On July 19, 2023, Schmalbach mysteriously disappeared after asking a friend to help remove his boyfriend, Christopher Davis, from their Cape Coral home.

• READ ALSO: From suspicious behavior to murder charges: A Timeline of Barry Schmalbach’s disappearance

Davis was the last person to have seen Schmalbach and has been named the prime suspect in the disappearance.

Davis now faces homicide charges according to a detailed 72-page report released by the Cape Coral Police Department.

Some of the details released from the report include the couple arguing at Cruiser’s Lounge, a gay bar in Cape Coral.

Later that evening, a neighbor reported hearing someone getting tossed around, yelling “no” and then eventually crying.

On July 21, at around 4 a.m., a neighbor overhears what they believed to have been a tarp being dragged downstairs by Davis.

On that same day, Davis checks into an AirBnB in Hendry County under his brother’s name.

The records showed that he had purchased a pick-axe and a shovel, which he disposed of the following day.

WINK News spoke with Schmalbach’s sister, Sherry, about her brother’s disappearance.

“When I read the details and everything, it just curdled my stomach, and it messed with my head again. You know, just like it was like at the beginning,” she said.

Sherry told WINK that she wished someone had intervened during the altercation between Schmalbach and Davis.

Davis currently resides in the eLee County Jail and has pleaded not guilty to Schmalbach’s murder.

The post 1 year later: The mystery behind Barry Schmalbach’s disappearance appeared first on WINK News.

The Weather Authority is tracking more heat for this Friday along with scattered rain showers expected inland this afternoon.

The Weather Authority Meteorologist Zach Maloch said, “If you’re staying local this Friday, expect a hotter afternoon, especially along the coast. Scattered showers and storms will develop inland this afternoon; however, the rain will taper off around the early evening.”

Friday

Feeling hotter this Friday with “feels like” temperatures ranging from 105 – 110°.

Collier, Hendry, and Glades Counties are all under a Heat Advisory until 6 p.m.

Highs will be in the lower to mid-90s.

Scattered rain and storms pop up this afternoon and will mainly be along and east of I-75.

Many of you who live closer to the coast will be drier in the afternoon and evening. 

Saturday

Starting warm and dry for Saturday plans with scattered storms popping up in the afternoon and early evening.

We are watching another area of Saharan dust that looks to move in through Saturday so you may notice a more overcast appearance to the sky later in the day.

Highs in the lower to mid 90s with “feels like” temperatures ranging from 105 – 111°.

Sunday

A warm, humid, and dry start for Sunday.

Rain will be impacting more of you for Sunday plans as scattered storms will develop closer to the coast through the afternoon.

Highs will be in the lower to mid 90s with “feels like” temperatures ranging from 106 – 112°.  

The post Feeling hotter with storms mainly inland for Friday plans appeared first on WINK News.

The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested one person for DUI after a fatal crash on Pine Island Road.

The crash was reported to police early Friday and occurred on Pine Island between Andalusia Boulevard and Cultural Park Boulevard, temporarily closing the east and westbound lanes.

According to the CCPD, the three-vehicle crash was caused by a driver experiencing a medical episode. The person was transported to a local hospital for treatment; however, their condition remains unknown.

Another person involved in the crash was not at fault but was arrested for DUI.

One fatality has been reported; however, the identity of the victim or the other people involved in the crash has not been released.

Early reports of the scene show a black vehicle with heavy frontal damage parked on the road’s median.

Stay tuned to WINKNews.com, WINK News App, streaming, and on air for any new developments on this story.

The post 1 dead, 1 arrested for DUI following crash on Pine Island Road appeared first on WINK News.

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) has been experiencing technology issues due to a worldwide Microsoft outage, causing a ground stop for multiple airlines.

According to Downdetector.com, Delta, Allegiant, American and United Airlines experienced flight delays Friday morning due to the outages, causing delays for customers throughout the day.

WINK News contacted RSW to provide a statement regarding the outages.

The Chief Communications & Marketing Officer’s responded with, “The outage primarily impacted American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines. Flights at RSW were delayed and/or canceled due to this. I do not have a recap yet. American Airlines and Delta have resumed operations at RSW, and United is coming online. We expect DL to follow shortly. You need to contact these air carriers for the most up-to-date information on what they experienced.”

WINK News sports reporter Sylvie Sparks was seen scurrying through RSW, trying to make her flight after experiencing delays with Delta.

WINK News reporter Sommer Senne briefly spoke with Sparks about how flight customers must be fluid while adjusting to sudden changes.

“It’s been a hectic morning, so seeing how hectic and confused everyone else is is refreshing,” said Sparks. “My flight from Delta was delayed, and I noticed that Southwest Airlines was among the first to return online, so I rebooked my flight with them.”

Sparks expressed concerns that the outage will affect connecting flights, causing customers to scramble or miss their flights.

Early reports from the Associated Press possibly link the outage to the online security firm Crowdstrike.

According to the AP, “A recording playing on CrowdStrike’s customer service line said, “CrowdStrike is aware of the reports of crashes on Microsoft ports related to the Falcon sensor,” it said, referring to one of its products used to block online attacks. It said callers should monitor its customer support portal.

Mircosoft is a client of Crowdstrike.

Flights are progressing slowly; however, WINK News will update you whenever new information becomes available.

Stay tuned to WINKNews.com, WINK News App, streaming, and on air for any new developments on this story.

The post RSW ground stops multiple airlines due to Microsoft outage appeared first on WINK News.

On Thursday night, Buckingham residents met with candidates hoping to get their votes for the Lee County commission.

Some questions got personal, either about what the candidate does for a living or why the incumbent misses meetings for the Board of County Commissioners.

Both candidates said they were taking a stand on standing water.

“[I’m] not even elected and [received a letter] that said we’re being overrun with water that’s standing on our property for days,” said Amanda Cochran, District 5 County Commissioner candidate. “I do have answers for those property rights and what it means to be ignored and that that doesn’t have to be that way.”

“If we build a small, mini Lakes Park. We take a 200-acre lake in there, the nine-mile canal runs through it,” said Mike Greenwell, District 5 County Commissioner Candidate. “We put a code structure on each side of it. When big rains are coming, we can let the water ease down and lower the river, lower the lake, put it in there instead of letting it come down here and flood these places.”

Water was just one of the many issues sparking conversations and reactions from audience members.

Both candidates also said they’re willing to go to the state capital to lobby for not just their district but all of Southwest Florida.

“That’s an unequivocal yes,” said Cochran.

“Let me answer it this way: yes, I would be glad to,” said Greenwell.

But is that – along with their answers to the other questions tonight – enough to secure a vote?

We’ll find out on Aug. 6 when voters decide.

The post Buckingham voters meet with Lee County commissioner candidates appeared first on WINK News.

The playground, A safe space for kids to dream, quickly became a nightmare for three-year-old Ava after she was allegedly left outside of her daycare.

“We really don’t know how long she was out there,” said Breen Nabors, the girl’s mother.

Nabors says Ava was left outside at daycare. Scared and alone.

“She got left outside. So to me, it seemed like maybe there was like a little bit of PTSD,” said Nabors.

WINK News reporter Maddie Heron spoke exclusively to Ava’s mother, Breen Nabors.

Her daughter was allegedly forgotten on the playground by staff at Wellington Academy in South Cape Coral.

“if they would do it to my child, they’ll do it to another child,” said Nabors.

Nabors said it happened as early as July 5, but she didn’t hear about it until Monday when a teacher at the school finally told her what had happened, more than a week earlier.

She worked quickly to get Ava and her 5-year-old sister out of the daycare.

“I just knew I had to get them out of there. Like, immediately, I just couldn’t believe it. I was in complete shock,” said Nabors.

The Florida Department of Children and Families opened an investigation into the daycare, telling WINK News:

Even with open DCF and Cape Coral police investigations, Nabors said the daycare barely gave her any answers.

“There was a lot of denial, and you know, a lot of no responsibility being taken,” said Nabors.

Although Nabors said Wellington Academy left her in the dark, the DCF citation helps ease her mind.

“It gives like a sense of validation, because somebody is acknowledging that this happened,” said Nabors.

WINK News reporter Maddie Heron took a trip to the daycare to see if she could get a response.

The director she spoke to at Wellington Academy said the daycare’s corporate office is now handling this incident.

On Friday, the Corporate Administrator from Wellington Academy Schools sent WINK News the following statement:

“We take the safety of the children very seriously and all actions are taken to achieve this goal. If any staff is not aligned with this goal, it can mean losing their job. And this has been done in the past as well as in the current case. The incident occurred on July 5th, when the director spoke to the teacher, the teacher claimed the child was at the end of the hallway. The teacher was verbally warned about always keeping head count. When the parent came in on Monday the July 15th, she was irate and screamed to the front office staff, in turn the director questioned the teacher again and that is when she told the director the child was right outside the door for less than a minute and she brought her in. The teacher was terminated, and it was then reported. The director reached out to the family and the mom was still irate screaming on the phone and was not willing to hear what had occurred. Proper protocol for keeping count of the children they have in the class, they are required to carry their clipboards with roll sheets and counts, they should also be counting as the children transition though out the day, so they have an accurate head count at all times. Safety of the children is our topmost priority. And we continue to stand by this and do everything to achieve this goal.”

The daycare’s statement confirmed how long the child was left outside — for ‘less than a minute’ and that a teacher was fired as a result of this incident.

Wellington Academy emphasized the safety of children under their care is the school’s top priority.

The post Mother claims daycare staff left 3-year-old outside alone appeared first on WINK News.

The final day of the Republican National Convention kicked off in Milwaukee on Thursday.

It was the grand finale of the four-day event.

It was a comeback four years in the making for Former President Donald Trump, who is expected to take center stage.

We spoke to Congressman Byron Donalds at the event about the election.

“Joe Biden’s, I think, lack of ability to win is a couple of things. One, he’s done a terrible job. Two, now people can clearly see he doesn’t have the capabilities to do this job for four more years, and third, and I would say most importantly, overall, is that Donald Trump has done this job, and when he was president, our country was better run, our country was secured. Our foreign policy made sense. We weren’t in conflict, and our economy was significantly better for the American people.

WINK News is Campaign Central and the only local news station at the RNC.

The post Final day of Republican National Convention kicks off in Milwaukee appeared first on WINK News.

Once again, Collier County teachers are asking the district for an increase in the current base salary. Both sides went back to the bargaining table Thursday, and the teachers union asked the district for an additional $3,200.

The current average salary for a Collier County teacher is around $69,000, but not everyone makes that. The base salary currently starts at $54,000, and the district wants to move it to $57,000. However, they didn’t reach a deal today and will meet again on July 29th.

“We’re not willing to move much further because, like I said, teachers have to be able to live, and they cannot pay their bills based on what they’re getting paid,” said Pam Baldwin, Vice President of the Collier County Education Association. “We’ll see what they come up with, and then we have some things on our mind that we can give to them to think about to bring us closer together.”

The teachers believe the district already has the available funding to give them better wages and are asking them to step up.

The post Collier teachers continue pay negotiations with the district appeared first on WINK News.

As Florida Southwestern first baseman Victor Figueroa was on the phone with the San Diego Padres, he heard his name called in the MLB Draft, with his family there to share that special moment with him.

“It was a moment that I knew my life was going to change in a moment of seconds,” Figueroa said. “And all I could feel was the blessings that God has given me to take this opportunity.”

Figueroa earned that opportunity thanks to his play with FSW. As the program’s first All-American hitter, Figueroa won the Triple Crown, which was the first time a player won that since 2017. He also rewrote the record books with the Bucs in single season hits (88), RBI (79) and batting average (.421).

“There is no sense of non-accomplishment when it comes to FSW,” Figueroa said. “There’s no regret. There’s no sense of what if. There’s no sense of me thinking that I could’ve done more.”

The first baseman joins the San Diego Padres as an 18th round draft pick.

Figueroa said, “I may not have been everyone’s first choice. But I’m for sure going to make the most of my opportunity to show the world what I can do.”

Baseball was always the path for Figueroa. He followed in his dad’s, Jonathan, footsteps. Jonathan was a prospect with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he passed away in 2009 after complications with Lupus.

“I know that he’s watching over me and knows he wants what’s best for me,” Figueroa said. “And just knowing that I feel like I’ve made him a very proud man I feel like that’s such a surreal feeling.”

The post FSW slugger Victor Figueroa drafted by Padres appeared first on WINK News.

Sawfish mortalities and bizarre fish behavior have been reported in the Florida Keys and other parts of Florida as far back as Fall 2023. Scientists aren’t sure exactly what is causing the event but are beginning to piece together the difficult puzzle.

From fish swimming in an endless loop to endangered smalltooth sawfish flailing ashore and thrashing their rostrum.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission updated the Florida Keys Abnormal Fish Behavior Event statistics on Wednesday. And the numbers may lead you to believe the tide may be turning in favor of the fish.

“Almost basically 10% of the population died within a couple of months. That’s just not sustainable,” said Mike Parsons the director of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Water School.

That’s how the sawfish mortality and abnormal fish behavior event started. Numbers began dropping off since FWC began weekly updating reported sawfish mortalities.

Adam Brame, the recovery coordinator for the Southeast regional office of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA FISHERIES) told WINK News one reason that may be.

“This time of the year makes these migrations up the up the coast,” said Brame. “Even if there was something in the water that was causing this, they’re no longer there in the same density that they were earlier the year.”

• RELATED: Distressed endangered sawfish euthanized nearly a month after rescue
• RELATED: Unsolved: sawfish deaths rise during Florida Keys mystery

Even though the trend seems to be swinging in favor of the fish, Brame did note that the total mortality count may not tell the whole story.

“At this point, I think there’s 54 confirmed mortalities of sawfish, we expect that number to be quite a bit higher,” said Brame.

Parsons explained how the event may be associated with a harmful algae bloom.

“It seems to be related to toxins that are produced by benthic micro algae,” said Parsons. “We saw a lot of them they were elevated over the wintertime, and now their numbers are starting to decrease.”

Since FWC began tracking the abnormal event at the end of January, 54 sawfish mortalities have been reported. The good news is that that number has only grown by eight in the last two months. That is a considerable drop off to the 26 mortalities from the two months prior.

“Sawfish that have died to this point are the adults or young juveniles that are actively involved in the reproduction of sawfish,” said Brame. “And so when you’re removing those from the population, what kind of impact does that have on the species’ ability to recover?”

Despite the bad news, the good news is that reported fish kills are also dropping. 508 fish kill reports have been made since the end of January, but only ten fish kills have been reported in the last month. That makes the last four weeks the fewest one-month fish kills reported to date.

Florida Fish and Wildlife sent WINK News a statement related to the fish kill and sawfish mortalities. You can see that below.

“FWC and partners continue to investigate the cause of spinning fish and sawfish mortalities in the Keys. This event was first identified in the Fall of 2023, with the first sawfish mortality in December of 2023. As of July 17th, 54 sawfish have been found deceased. A number of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) species endemic to the area have been identified in water samples and their associated toxins have been detected in water samples and fish tissues, but more work is needed to determine if this is the cause of the unusual behavior. Elevated levels of the HAB, Gambierdiscus spp., were observed in water and benthic samples early on in the response by FWC and Florida Gulf Coast University, but research is ongoing.”

Click here to learn more about smalltooth sawfish from FWC.

Click here to see FWC’s smalltooth sawfish mortalities listed for each week.

Click here to learn more about sawfish from NOAA Fisheries.

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Florida Gulf Coast University Academy offers programs designed for lifelong learning for adults, seniors, and retirees.

Those who live at Bentley Village were eager to learn more about their mobile devices and iPads.

The class covered new features such as switching camera modes, turning your flash on and off, taking live photos and more.

“Collaboration between the university and Bentley cause they offer any kind of subject geopolitical, art, travel, history, and it’s all right here all you have to do is show up, sign up, and learn,” said Chris Curle, a resident of Bentley who took the class.

John Guerra, the director of FGCU Academy, taught the course and told me technology is always changing, so the course covers topics and ideas to keep everyone up to date.

“The nature of technology is my students will take this class today, and they will probably take it again 3 or 6 months from now because things change so fast and so quickly, so we try to keep them up to date on what’s most important and relevant in their daily lives,” said Guerra.

WINK News reporter Jillian Haggerty asked what the most interesting thing they learned in the class was.

“I have to make sure that you can’t hear me talking to myself, and ‘oh, and I didn’t know that,'” said Curle.

“One of the most fascinating things was you could be in France and take a picture of a sign in French and with your camera click on translate, and it will translate it to English. That was absolutely amazing,” Bently resident Jerry Weis.

The technology course is one of many the academy offers for their live long learning program.

FGCU Academy offers 1,500 courses each year and reaches 10,000 people.

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Cape Coral is constantly growing: more people, more houses and busy roads, but not enough sidewalks.

 “I see a lot of children that are still standing around or sitting on the ground waiting for sidewalks,” said Judi Dugre, a south Cape Coral resident.

If the newly proposed $984.1 million budget for 2025 goes through, that might not be the case much longer.

• RELATED: Proposed Cape Coral city budget for 2025 sees a 10% decrease

A $3.5 million portion of that—the largest amount ever proposed in a single budget year— will be used to expand city sidewalks. 

“There are parts of Cape Coral where that will be a real plus for them,” said Dugre.

Another $11.5 million has been set aside for paving roadways.

The city hasn’t revealed the specifics yet, but the budget does mention sidewalks on Miramar Street, and it allocates funds for sidewalk expansion in school areas.

“I’m a former teacher, so it’s very important to me that the children have sidewalks so that they’re protected because we do have kind of a large number of car accidents,” said Dugre.

Residents WINK spoke to off-camera agreed with Dugre. They also think help is needed most further north.

Whether it’s neighborhoods or portions of main roads like Pine Island, everyone agrees the $3.5 million will be money well spent.

WINK reached out to the City of Cape Coral to find out what upcoming sidewalk projects are planned. The city has share those specific locations.

Click here to view the entire proposed city budget for fiscal year 2025.

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The Collier Community Foundation has donated $250,00 in grants to 14 local arts and cultural non-profits.

The grant comes one month after Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed all grants from the state to the arts.

Going to the theatre, looking at a painting, the arts inspire so many.

“The arts, for me, are why I wake up in the morning. [They are] what I’m most passionate about,” said Elysia Dawn, executive director of United Arts Collier.

Now, Dawn is passionate about raising money to keep their programs going.

Collier County Arts and Culture non-profits were expected to receive $1.5 million from the state. When all of that was vetoed, that number became zero, leaving non-profits scrambling.

“Receiving none of that was [an] absolutely very difficult surprise, and what we decided to do was take a very hard look at our budget and make a decision for our organization,” Dawn said.

Soon, programs for children, veterans and seniors were on the chopping block.

That’s when the Collier Community Foundation stepped in, giving a $250,000 grant to 14 local arts and culture non-profits.

“This money was to help provide a buffer to offset the lack of state funding this year to give the nonprofits a chance to fundraise and give them an opportunity to ramp up their fundraising and their revenue streams,” said Laura Simmelink, vice president of Grant Making, Collier Community Foundation.

The grant will give nonprofits time to fundraise so they don’t have to make budget cuts just yet.

The arts are an important part of Collier County’s economy, but Dawn said they also have many therapeutic benefits.

“Exposure to the arts has been shown to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, even PTSD, and leads to things like shorter hospital stays,” she said.

They still need donations to help save the arts and so the Collier Community Foundation is actively fundraising.

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The community is mourning the loss of a towering figure, civil rights leader Willie Battle, who passed away on Wednesday.

Known for his dedication to the Dunbar community and relentless fight for equality, Battle’s legacy is marked by significant contributions and unwavering support for the disenfranchised.

Lee Pitts, reflecting on their 35-year friendship, described him as a “true old-school freedom fighter” who made everyone feel valued.

Pitts shared how Battle emphasized the importance of community and advocacy in his early career.

A self-made businessman and general contractor, Battle played a crucial role in numerous construction projects, including the Dr. Ella Piper Senior Center and many homes in the area. His dedication to improving Dunbar was recently honored with a street designation on Henderson Avenue.

In a previous story, Mayor Kevin Anderson and others praised him for paving the way for future generations. His work in securing funding for key projects, like the boulevard named after Veronica Shoemaker, further solidified his impact.

Two years ago, Battle received a Freedom Fighter Award for his contributions to Civil Rights and economic empowerment. He was also a mentor to many, working with the NAACP to encourage community service and advocacy.

Pitts recounted his first encounter with Battle when he moved to Fort Myers as a young vice president of a bank, becoming the first Black man to hold such a position in Southwest Florida.

He mentored Pitts on the importance of remaining connected to and supporting the Black community, encouraging him to join the NAACP and become involved in community service. Pitts described Battle as a local Martin Luther King Jr. for his fearless advocacy and willingness to call out injustices.

Battle was also a successful businessman, owning numerous properties and using his wealth to support civil rights causes.

His efforts included building the first mansion by a Black person in the Dunbar community to raise property values and hiring many people through his construction business.

Pitts highlighted Battle’s role in improving economic opportunities for Black people in the area and his candid approach to addressing issues on Pitts’ TV show.

Lodovic Kimble, a friend of Battle, shared his experiences and admiration.

Kimble, a former NAACP president, and Battle led the first political march in their town, protesting police brutality.

Kimble fondly recalled their close relationship, describing Battle as a mentor and likening him to a family member.

He expressed deep loss upon Battle’s passing but discussed the lasting legacy of Battle’s commitment to making their community a better place.

As we remember Willie Battle, we celebrate a life devoted to service, community and progress.

Willie’s legacy continues, evidenced by a street in Dunbar named in his honor, an initiative Pitts helped spearhead.

Lee County NAACP said Willie brought substance to civil rights and made his job as the Lee County NAACP President easier because of what Willie had done all those years ago. 

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Authorities need your help identifying a man who was involved in a disturbance on Bell Boulevard South in Lehigh Acres.

According to Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, he punched the victim’s vehicle, causing damage.

The incident began while the victim was driving eastbound on Leeland Heights Boulevard in the afternoon of June 18.

The victim explained that there was a woman driving in a reckless manner, during which she repeatedly slammed on their breaks and affected surrounding traffic.

The victim passed the woman, and shortly after, both vehicles stopped at the intersection of Leeland Heights Boulevard and Alexander Graham Bell Boulevard.

The victim and the woman began a verbal argument about the reckless driving when suddenly a male exited a separate car and joined in the argument.

The man then approached the victim’s car and punched the rear side quarter panel on the
driver’s side of the vehicle. The victim estimated the punch caused $3,500 worth of damage.

According to the incident report from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies observed a dent on the rear quarter panel on the driver’s side.

If you have any information on the man pictured above, contact Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8744. You can also submit tips online or on the P3 Tips mobile app. Remember, you can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

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Nearly half of all women carrying BRCA gene mutations will go on to develop lethal breast or ovarian cancer.

New research has discovered a method to isolate those dangerous mutations, finding a way to fix them.

BRCA One studies have resulted in more than 14,000 research papers.

This latest breakthrough, recreating BRCA mutations through DNA sequencing for further analysis, has real promise in stopping cancer in its tracks.

Watch above for the full story.

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