Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the legExclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
NAPLES Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
NAPLES Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
FORT MYERS NTSB report reveals new details in helicopter crash after Hurricane Ian The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on a helicopter crash that occurred in Iona, Florida, shortly after Hurricane Ian.
NAPLES Memorial celebrates the life of John Passidomo Hundreds of friends and family gathered for a memorial at Baker Park in Naples.
‘Latinos in Action’ empowers all students to succeed WINK News talked with teachers who are a part of the program, helping kids reach their full potential.
Immokalee ‘The eyes always draw me in’; Immokalee portrait artist turns dark times into color One of Southwest Florida best portrait artist, Martha Maria Cantu, almost gave up art. Now she’s on the forefront of the city of Immokalee, to make her community filled with color.
GOLDEN GATE Collier commissioners approve agreement for golf complex in Golden Gate Collier commissioners unanimously approved a long term lease and operating agreement to reopen the Golden Gate golf course Tuesday.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a multimillionaire who used his personal fortune to help propel him into office, reported Thursday that his overall net worth tumbled sharply in the past year. Scott filed his annual financial disclosure form that showed that his net worth was nearly $119.6 million by the end of 2015, a drop of nearly 19 percent from the previous year. Despite the steep drop, Scott still reported earning nearly $16.6 million last year from his investments. The former health care executive does not take a salary as governor. Because much of Scott’s wealth is shielded from direct public view, it’s hard to understand the reasons for the steep decline in his net worth. He has slightly more than $100 million in a blind trust where the individual assets are not disclosed. Last year Scott reported that his blind trust had a value of nearly $128 million. The Republican governor also reported that he owns a home in Naples worth more than $15.4 million and a vacation home and land in Montana worth nearly $1.5 million. A spokeswoman for Scott declined to comment on the drop in his net worth. Scott’s financial dealings have prompted lawsuits and criticism that he has not given an accurate portrait of his wealth. But Scott and his attorneys have won every legal battle, and his aides have maintained the criticisms were politically motivated. During his first run in 2010, Scott released his tax returns and a lengthy list of business holdings. But shortly after taking office, he received permission from the state’s ethics commission to set up a blind trust to remove direct control over his finances and try to avoid allegations of conflicts. Legislators in 2013 passed a law authorizing blind trusts, but it was challenged by a lawsuit. Jim Apthorp, a former aide to the late Democratic Gov. Reubin Askew, maintained that the law violated a constitutional amendment requiring elected officials to disclose their financial dealings. The lawsuit was rejected by both a circuit court and an appeals court. While the lawsuit was pending in 2014, Scott dissolved the trust and released his joint tax returns with wife, Ann Scott, that gave a much broader financial picture. The tax returns showed that the Scott family earned millions more than the governor reported he earned individually. Scott then created a new blind trust run by the same long-time business associate who has managed his finances. A second lawsuit filed in late 2014 maintained that Scott was not following the law because filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission showed he had substantially larger holdings in several companies than he reported to the state. Scott’s lawyers called the lawsuit “misleading” and they explained the SEC filings and state filings were different primarily due to the involvement of Ann Scott. Florida law does not require spouses of elected officials to reveal their financial holdings. That second lawsuit was also thrown out by a judge.