Fort Myers teen finds dead body in bed of his truckFGCU softball falls to No. 4 Florida in NCAA Tournament
FORT MYERS Fort Myers teen finds dead body in bed of his truck A 16-year-old in Fort Myers drove to school, drove home, drove to the barbershop and back home again. Then, he noticed a swarm of flies in the back of his truck.
Scottie Scheffler facing felony charges; local attorney reacts The attorney we spoke with told us that, at a minimum, we’d spend the night in jail before having our first appearance and getting bail.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball falls to No. 4 Florida in NCAA Tournament The FGCU softball team couldn’t keep up with the No. 4 Florida Gators as the Eagles drop their first Regional game 6-0 to the Gators.
Summer Safety: Swim safety tips to know before the summer The pool is warming up to be the hot spot for kids and families this summer. It’s now also the number one leading cause of drowning deaths for children ages 1-4 in the state.
FORT MYERS BEACH ‘The Whale’ restaurant to break ground on new building The Whale is a place that has shown great strength and determination.
COLLIER COUNTY Endangered Florida panther deaths surpass 2023 total in 5 months It’s taken wildlife officials just over four and a half months to report finding more dead endangered Florida panthers than in all of 2023.
FORT MYERS FMPD honors 7 officers and 2 K-9s who died in the line of duty dating back to 1930 Nine lives were given, and all nine will remain remembered. A lifetime of gratitude for the fallen officers.
Firefighter recovering from heat exhaustion after battling flames in Collier County It happened at Progress Rail, a transit corporation on Mercantile Avenue just before 5am on Friday.
FORT MYERS How do SWFL graduation rates compare to the state average? How do graduation rates for Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties stack up against the state? WINK News crunched the numbers.
FORT MYERS Community divisive over ‘justified’ officer-involved shooting of Christopher Jordan A detective who killed an unarmed black man in a controversial shooting will be back at work on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Family submits civil complaint against Cape Coral Police Department The family of a 13-year-old boy who was struck and killed while riding his scooter has officially filed a civil complaint.
FORT MYERS Community reacts to ‘justified’ officer-involved shooting of Christopher Jordan Leaders with the NAACP are saying there is a divide between the black community and Fort Myers police.
NAPLES Inside look at $21 million Naples Players Theater, set to open at the end of May On Friday, as the theater’s 70th season approached, leaders and organizers invited WINK News for a ‘hard-hat-tour’ to showcase the new additions and construction updates.
FORT MYERS Detective who fired fatal shot at Christopher Jordan returns to work Monday Fort Myers police have confirmed to WINK News the detective who shot and killed a man inside his home will return to work Monday morning.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot onto first state semifinals in nearly a decade A trip to the FHSAA State Semifinals has been a long time coming for the Bishop Verot Vikings who have not been since 2016.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers teen finds dead body in bed of his truck A 16-year-old in Fort Myers drove to school, drove home, drove to the barbershop and back home again. Then, he noticed a swarm of flies in the back of his truck.
Scottie Scheffler facing felony charges; local attorney reacts The attorney we spoke with told us that, at a minimum, we’d spend the night in jail before having our first appearance and getting bail.
GAINESVILLE FGCU softball falls to No. 4 Florida in NCAA Tournament The FGCU softball team couldn’t keep up with the No. 4 Florida Gators as the Eagles drop their first Regional game 6-0 to the Gators.
Summer Safety: Swim safety tips to know before the summer The pool is warming up to be the hot spot for kids and families this summer. It’s now also the number one leading cause of drowning deaths for children ages 1-4 in the state.
FORT MYERS BEACH ‘The Whale’ restaurant to break ground on new building The Whale is a place that has shown great strength and determination.
COLLIER COUNTY Endangered Florida panther deaths surpass 2023 total in 5 months It’s taken wildlife officials just over four and a half months to report finding more dead endangered Florida panthers than in all of 2023.
FORT MYERS FMPD honors 7 officers and 2 K-9s who died in the line of duty dating back to 1930 Nine lives were given, and all nine will remain remembered. A lifetime of gratitude for the fallen officers.
Firefighter recovering from heat exhaustion after battling flames in Collier County It happened at Progress Rail, a transit corporation on Mercantile Avenue just before 5am on Friday.
FORT MYERS How do SWFL graduation rates compare to the state average? How do graduation rates for Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties stack up against the state? WINK News crunched the numbers.
FORT MYERS Community divisive over ‘justified’ officer-involved shooting of Christopher Jordan A detective who killed an unarmed black man in a controversial shooting will be back at work on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Family submits civil complaint against Cape Coral Police Department The family of a 13-year-old boy who was struck and killed while riding his scooter has officially filed a civil complaint.
FORT MYERS Community reacts to ‘justified’ officer-involved shooting of Christopher Jordan Leaders with the NAACP are saying there is a divide between the black community and Fort Myers police.
NAPLES Inside look at $21 million Naples Players Theater, set to open at the end of May On Friday, as the theater’s 70th season approached, leaders and organizers invited WINK News for a ‘hard-hat-tour’ to showcase the new additions and construction updates.
FORT MYERS Detective who fired fatal shot at Christopher Jordan returns to work Monday Fort Myers police have confirmed to WINK News the detective who shot and killed a man inside his home will return to work Monday morning.
FORT MYERS Bishop Verot onto first state semifinals in nearly a decade A trip to the FHSAA State Semifinals has been a long time coming for the Bishop Verot Vikings who have not been since 2016.
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The cleanup is underway after the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in nearly 11 years barreled into the panhandle. Hermine made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Friday around 1:30 a.m. just east of St. Marks in northwest Florida. The system has since weakened to a tropical storm as it moves over land near Charleston, South Carolina. Winds were down to 50 mph as of the 5 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center. It was moving northeast at 20 mph. Unlike with Wilma Southwest Florida largely dodged a bullet with minimal impacts from the storm. Water levels rose 1 to 3 feet above average, and wind gusts of up to 43 mph in Naples, 37 mph in Fort Myers and 35 mph in Punta Gorda were recorded. Several inches of rain prompted localized flooding, especially in areas closer to the coast. Elsewhere, the effects were much more severe. At least one fatality happened as a result of the storm, as a homeless man died in Marion County when a tree fell on him, Gov. Rick Scott said. Storm surge of 5 to 8 crashed on shore in north Florida. A 78 mph wind gust was recorded as far south as Indian Shores in the Tampa Bay area, where the storm closed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge shortly after noon Thursday. It finally reopened at about 4 p.m. Friday. The storm is expected to continue on a northeasterly path away from Florida. Scattered storms are present Friday in Southwest Florida as the tail end of the storm makes its way through the area. Conditions will be drier for the weekend, with significantly less storm coverage forecast for Sunday. Hermine worsens threat to Manasota Key condos Charlotte County officials have deemed a pair of Manasota Key condos unsafe because of worsening erosion issues. Waves crashed just feet away from the La Coquina condos off North Beach Road as sandbags were swept into the Gulf of Mexico on Friday amid the lingering effects of Hermine. Condo owners have dealt with erosion for nearly 30 years. Sandbags have been in use since 1988 along the buildings as the distance to the shoreline has grown progressively smaller. It’s up to building owners to get an engineer to re-evaluate the condos, and owners are still working with the state to get a permanent seawall built. Panhandle, Big Bend deal with brunt of storm A 78 mph wind gust was also recorded at Alligator Point, a coastal community in Franklin County close to the point of landfall. Water damage also took its toll there, as the only road going in and out of Alligator Point could be seen crumbling into the Gulf on Friday. Waves going over top of roads, downed powerlines and fallen trees, some of which smashed into homes, were common sights in the hardest-hit areas of the panhandle and the Big Bend. “You never know what’s going to happen because it’s so unpredictable, especially one like this,” Cedar Key resident Mike Davis said before the aftermath of the storm became apparent. Visit WINK News Hurricane Central for continued updates and to make sure you have what you need to be prepared for the effects of any tropical system. Above-normal tides submerged turtle nests on Fort Myers Beach. Above-average tides threatened to submerge this dock on Fort Myers Beach. The effects of Hurricane Hermine caused street flooding in Fort Myers Beach. Waves from above-normal tides lapped at the side of the Sanibel Causeway. September 1, 2016. Above-normal tides took their toll on Useppa Island. Street flooding began in Apalachicola, near the projected site of Hurricane Hermine’s landfall, around midday Thursday. Water began to rise near Apalachicola on Thursday afternoon, hours in advance of the storm’s projected landfall. Waves from above-normal tides crashed along docks on Manasota Key. Rising water made its way onto Pine Island on Thursday. The view from the Interstate 75 bridge crossing the Caloosahatchee showed the effects of rising water. Credit: WINK News. File photo