Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction projectHot and humid Thursday before evening isolated storms impact coastal communities
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project The Fort Myers City Council is set to provide an update on the progress of the Fowler Street intersection project.
the weather authority Hot and humid Thursday before evening isolated storms impact coastal communities The Weather Authority is tracking a humid Thursday morning with high afternoon temperatures and evening coastal isolated storms.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis to hold a news conference in Jacksonville Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Jacksonville.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sea turtle nesting season begins in Fort Myers Beach Sea turtle nesting season has officially begun, and the FWC wants to remind visitors about the fragility of the young reptiles.
BAREFOOT LAKE Neighbors react to chaos at Barefoot Lake Imagine being scared to leave your home on the weekends. Ana and Anrik understand the feeling all too well.
CAPE CORAL The story of Ollie’s Pub and what kept it open through years of hardships Before Ollie’s housed weekly events, packed to the brim with artwork and home to many, it was a simple dream and an empty space.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Remembering Fort Myers Beach ‘Mayor’ Brad Benson To know Brad Benson was to know a legend. He recently passed away at the age of 71 after battling health issues.
CAPE CORAL Proposed Cape Coral City Council meeting time change fails In a 4 to 4 vote, the motion to move Cape Coral meeting times from 4:30 to 9 a.m. failed.
Greater Dunbar initiative begins A duplex that has been around since the 1960s and is filled with generations of memories is being demolished.
Caught on camera: funnel clouds, hail and more during thunderstorm Wednesday’s thunderstorms storms have produced hail and funnel clouds.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New mammography guidelines Breast cancer is much easier to treat when it’s caught early.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral church picking up the pieces after massive fire Calvary Connection ministries is unrecognizable after a massive fire swept through a Cape Coral Complex on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Day Two of FEMA code compliance hearings in Cape Coral Another 50 people were summoned Wednesday for the second day of code compliance hearings before the special magistrate.
PUNTA GORDA Cracking down on vapes in Charlotte County schools Vaping is taking over, and that’s why three Charlotte County High schools are testing out vape sensors.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project The Fort Myers City Council is set to provide an update on the progress of the Fowler Street intersection project.
the weather authority Hot and humid Thursday before evening isolated storms impact coastal communities The Weather Authority is tracking a humid Thursday morning with high afternoon temperatures and evening coastal isolated storms.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis to hold a news conference in Jacksonville Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Jacksonville.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sea turtle nesting season begins in Fort Myers Beach Sea turtle nesting season has officially begun, and the FWC wants to remind visitors about the fragility of the young reptiles.
BAREFOOT LAKE Neighbors react to chaos at Barefoot Lake Imagine being scared to leave your home on the weekends. Ana and Anrik understand the feeling all too well.
CAPE CORAL The story of Ollie’s Pub and what kept it open through years of hardships Before Ollie’s housed weekly events, packed to the brim with artwork and home to many, it was a simple dream and an empty space.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Remembering Fort Myers Beach ‘Mayor’ Brad Benson To know Brad Benson was to know a legend. He recently passed away at the age of 71 after battling health issues.
CAPE CORAL Proposed Cape Coral City Council meeting time change fails In a 4 to 4 vote, the motion to move Cape Coral meeting times from 4:30 to 9 a.m. failed.
Greater Dunbar initiative begins A duplex that has been around since the 1960s and is filled with generations of memories is being demolished.
Caught on camera: funnel clouds, hail and more during thunderstorm Wednesday’s thunderstorms storms have produced hail and funnel clouds.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New mammography guidelines Breast cancer is much easier to treat when it’s caught early.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral church picking up the pieces after massive fire Calvary Connection ministries is unrecognizable after a massive fire swept through a Cape Coral Complex on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Day Two of FEMA code compliance hearings in Cape Coral Another 50 people were summoned Wednesday for the second day of code compliance hearings before the special magistrate.
PUNTA GORDA Cracking down on vapes in Charlotte County schools Vaping is taking over, and that’s why three Charlotte County High schools are testing out vape sensors.
Shoppers at a SWFL Target. Credit: WINK News Things are getting much busier this time of year in Southwest Florida, and the lack of workers in many industries creates further complications. What are the best strategies for consumers and business owners? It helps to remember this isn’t just happening in Florida, it’s happening everywhere. And though it may be frustrating to deal with the crowds here longer than usual, mental health experts say we should be thinking about the benefits, too. The typical range of months in which we have grown used to seeing seasonal guests is expanding. What was once Thanksgiving to Easter is now almost all year long. You may see busier businesses, longer lines and more traffic, but mental health counselor Dr. Laura Streyffeler reminds everyone to be patient and not rush to judgement. “I think natives and people that live here year-round for years always say, ‘Oh, the snowbirds are coming, oh, we’re going to be inundated,’ you know, as though this is their territory and other people are invading it,” Streyffeler said. “But, really, they’re fueling the businesses, the economy, and they have just as much a right to be here as anybody else.” She emphasizes that Southwest Floridians should try to keep the bigger picture in mind when feeling inconvenienced by snowbirds this year. “I think remaining calm… you’d have to look at what’s going on, not only in the world, but your world,” Streyffeler said. “You know, we can’t control what happens, but we can control how we respond to it.” Streyffeler also says it helps to plan ahead: Don’t wait until you’re on your last roll of paper towels to buy them. That way, you will still ahead if a certain item is out of stock when you go to the store. Dr. Victor Claar, economics professor at FLorida Gulf Coast University, agrees, saying it’s as simple as this: Good strategies succeed where bad ones fail. But until we know more about what supply and demand is going to look like, there is no right or wrong in what businesses can do. Claar says it’s still hard to tell why people aren’t returning to the jobs that they used to work pre-pandemic, because there’s no one, specific reason. He has seen employers offer incentives, but that’s not necessarily a reason for every employee to come back. Claar says the pandemic itself pushed many employees past the point of no return. “Yeah, some of it may be money,” Claar said. “But I think, in many cases, the pandemic was such a disruption, it gave people who have the ability to do so a chance to rethink their lives and how they want to split up family time versus work time and the sort of environment they want to live in. And another big piece that I think people don’t think about, when they first think about restaurant wait times and how long the lines are at Target, is… they don’t think about the fact that [employees are] the people who are assuming the most risk, because the pandemic is still a thing.” Claar said he has still seen some successful strategies, such as increasing hourly pay, offering signing bonuses or a chunk of money at the start of a new job. With a surge of new people coming in, he says the pressure on businesses is probably not going to get better anytime soon.