Lauren Sweeney

The state will not prosecute Jay Rodriguez, a former a captain with the Fort Myers Police Department, according to new court documents. Rodriguez was accused of soliciting and engaging in prostitution with a female massage therapist while on duty and acting in an undercover capacity during a massage parlor operation in Fort Myers on March […]

Incumbent Councilman Johnny Streets defeated community activist Anthony Thomas in the race for Ward 2 on Fort Myers City Council on election night Tuesday. Streets has been a staple on the council for over a decade but said this race was one of the more difficult ones for him, and he’s grateful the citizens of […]

A hearing officer hired by the City of Fort Myers recommended to Fort Myers Council to find Anthony Thomas has met residency requirements to run for council. Thomas is a a candidate for Ward 2 against incumbent Councilman Johnny Streets. Thomas’ cousin filed an affidavit with the city clerk that called his residency into question. […]

Republican candidates in Southwest Florida outraised and outspent Democrats by huge margins for the 2020 general election cycle based on a WINK News review of federal, state and local campaign finance data. For example, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, a Republican, raised more than $580,000 through the end of October. Just to get through the […]

A hearing officer appointed by the City of Fort Myers heard testimony Monday regarding an allegation that a council candidate did not meet residency requirements to run for city council. Anthony Thomas Jr. is running for Ward 2 against incumbent Councilman Johnny Streets. Sawyer Smith, an attorney for Thomas’ cousin, presented an affidavit at the […]

Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday it has not been approached by the City of Fort Myers to investigate accusations of election fraud against Anthony Thomas, a candidate for Ward 2 on Fort Myers City Council. As it stands, the plan would be to use Lee County taxpayer dollars and resources on what some critics […]

Fort Myers City Council voted Monday to have Lee County Sheriff’s office investigate whether a candidate for city council filed fraudulent documents to run for office. The allegation is that Anthony Thomas, a candidate for Ward 2, did not reside at the address that he used on his official campaign documents when he registered to […]

The City of Fort Myers plans to spend more tax dollars to keep an investigation into corruption at Fort Myers Police Department under wraps. We’ve been pressing the city about this misconduct mystery for years. Monday, Fort Myers City Council approved the settlement of a lawsuit with Gulf Cost Police Benevolent Association for $8,000, which […]

Police are searching for a Belle Isle woman, and mother of three, who grew up and has family in Fort Myers. The Belle Isle Police Department is attempting to locate Stephanie Chitwood Hollingsworth, 50. She was last seen on September 25, at noon at her home on Monet Avenue, in Belle Isle, near Orlando. Orange […]

Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coviello has not responded to several WINK News requests for an interview about a civil infraction he faces for violating the Sunshine Law. The law requires public entities to conduct business in a public forum so that the community can have all the information about how their tax dollars will be […]