CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)— Ten months ago, WINK Listens began its humble journey in Cape Coral, giving residents an opportunity to speak with us one-on-one and share their stories.
Since then, our team has visited Marco Island, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, North Naples, Immokalee, Lehigh Acres, Fort Myers, Estero, South Fort Myers, LaBelle, and Arcadia.
Now, we’re heading back to where it all began, Cape Coral.
Tuesday’s WINK Listens at First Cape Church, 4117 Coronado Parkway, is running from 3 to 7 p.m. The First Cape Church is located at the corner of Coronado Parkway and Del Prado Boulevard, in southeast Cape Coral.
WINK Listens is our mission to listen to the community. We invite you to different communities across Southwest Florida. You talk. WINK Listens.
In many areas, there are common issues—from messy neighbors to bad roads, to code enforcement, to too little or too much traffic congestion.
However, we’ve learned that one of the largest impacts in the Southwest Florida community stems from problems dating back to hurricanes Ian, Helene, and Milton.
Michael Contorno’s condo association paid $368,000 for roof repairs after Hurricane Ian, which he said were never completed.
“This is really frustrating. We could really use that money,” Contorno added.
Gail Dawn-Hinesley brought her frustrations over State Road 70 construction in DeSoto County to our WINK Listens in Arcadia.
“They didn’t tear up just one street. They tore up the entire town,” she shared.
Noise is also a hot topic in many neighborhoods, whether that’s from short-term rentals, yard equipment, or something a little more playful.
David and Carla Cadwell live in Marco Island. They told us pickleball shattered their slice of paradise.
“You hear how quiet it is right now. This is how it was before all the pickleball started,” said Carla.
They attended our WINK Listens at the Marco Island Center for the Arts in January. Since then, the city council has approved noise control panels.
“I know they probably think we only like to come in and complain and whine, but we also want to thank them for when they do things for the community that benefits, I think, everybody, both the racket center and their people,” David expressed with gratitude.
Each community has its own shining star and unique stories. There’s the quilling artist on Matlacha.
Or, the miracle man who survived a massive brain aneurysm.
“They said, I need immediate brain surgery that you know, I was out, and I never woke up. I didn’t wake up for over five days,” Ed Price shared.
“I have no memory of anything from the beginning until late, sometime in June, July of 2023, was when I began to wake up.”
Some people just hope to have their voice heard.
“Well, just watching you guys and other stories and how you’ve handled them. I thought, you know, I’m not here to get anybody in trouble, you know, I’m just here for our health, for our neighbors,” said Darla Parks.
Sally Harris expressed her gratitude at our Matlacha WINK Listens, “Corey was absolutely awesome. He cared. He didn’t push me. He wasn’t in a hurry. Want to know everything. Very impressed, very impressed.”
Whatever your reason, we hope you will stop by and talk so we can listen.
If you cannot make it to this WINK Listens, our next stop will be in Moore Haven. Our team will be at the Doyle Conner Building, 900 US-27, Moore Haven, from 3 to 7 p.m. on June 18.