Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior nightPolice: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
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.
PUNTA GORDA 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.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
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.
PUNTA GORDA 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.
Credit: WINK News. The Sunshine State is home to many lawsuits involving homeowners insurance, and lawmakers have a plan to get lawsuits under control. So we looked at what that could mean for insurance coverage. Insurance is designed to help protect homes. But as many people experienced after Hurricane Irma, getting claims paid to satisfaction can sometimes be a challenge. In Southwest Florida, we know about hurricanes, storm damage and the high cost of homeowners insurance. “Right now, rates are going crazy,” said Kagen Cooksley, with Regency Insurance Group. “Depending on where you are, [70% to] 80% rate increases are coming across people’s mailboxes right now.” Lawmakers backing Senate Bill 76 hope to rein in costs, claims and lawsuits. Cooksley says there have been about 100,000 already this year. He calls it a major problem. “These guys have been sitting on their hands for too long and let this problem just fester and fester until it’s erupting volcano, which is what we’re seeing right now,” Cooksley said. The Senate bill calls for reducing the time you have to file a claim from three to two years, giving you actual value instead of the replacement cost based on the age of your roof, which might mean more out-of-pocket costs for you. As for lawsuits, insurers must be allowed to inspect the property before anything is filed, and the suit outcome would dictate the attorney’s fees paid. “I’m sure folks in Collier and Lee County have seen people knock on their door and said, ‘Hey, let me get up on your roof, and I’ll give you $500,'” said State Rep. Bob Rommel of Naples, who sponsored the House version of the bill. “And they’ve actually encouraged people to file probably claims that weren’t necessary.” In the Florida House version of the bill, HB 305, it keeps the replacement costs, but Rommel says, if the state doesn’t do something to deter bad actors, rates will double in two years. “We’re only 7% of the population for claims, but we’re 76% of lawsuits in America,” Rommel said. “If we have better carriers and there’s a less chance of a lawsuit, yes, rates will go down.” With more competition, Rommel says people shopping for homeowner’s insurance will have more affordable options. Cooksley says now is the time to act for everyone. “With the legislation, yes, I think that it will help, and it’ll help stabilize the market,” Cooksley said. Opponents of the bills say there is no guarantee this will lower rates for consumers. Sen. Ray Rodrigues of Lee County voted against SB 76. WINK News reached out to him for comment, but we haven’t heard back. The Senate sent its version of the bill to House lawmakers. Session ends in two weeks.