The Fight Between a Former Anchor and His Station are Headed for Court

Former WINK News Chief Meteorologist Matt Devitt and the station’s parent company, Fort Myers Broadcasting Company (FMBC), won't be taking their ugly legal fight to a jury anytime soon. A Lee County judge set a four-week trial period starting September 7, 2027, with court-ordered mediation required by March 29, 2027. In the meantime, the two sides are slated for a major motion hearing on September 9 to fight over third-party subpoenas, dismissals, and whether Devitt’s alleged gambling habits belong in the court record at all.

FMBC hit Devitt with a 60-page, $100,000 lawsuit in late March, claiming his January firing followed a pattern of misconduct rather than coming as a "complete shock." The station alleges Devitt launched a competing business, WeatherView Inc., while still on the payroll, and General Manager Jamie Ricks noted in a memo that Devitt had received warnings and a prior suspension. Devitt clapped back with a 90-page filing on May 19, moving to dismiss parts of the suit and filing a counterclaim to protect his personal social media brand. Devitt's online presence boasts roughly 1.3 million followers, and his legal team argues FMBC has no right to his personal accounts or outside revenue, pointing to past internal emails from former News Director Tom Doerr and station social posts that previously celebrated his massive follower growth. Devitt’s team also claims the station is overreaching with its non-compete by trying to block him from presenting hurricane preparedness talks in Charlotte County.

The legal battle has spilled beyond the station walls and into local politics. During a July 14 Congressional District 19 candidate forum in Naples, media executive Jim Schwartzel—who owns Sun Broadcasting, which shares facilities, IT, and HR resources with WINK via a Shared Services Agreement—admitted station management gave him a heads-up before Devitt was axed. Schwartzel defended the notification because his stations pay to air WINK’s news product, though he acknowledged he will likely be deposed in the suit. Schwartzel's involvement previously sparked a political spat after Republican candidate Catalina Lauf publicly accused him of orchestrating Devitt's firing, prompting former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to tweet demanding answers from WINK. Schwartzel released a statement denying any ownership or control over WINK TV or WINK News.

The dirtiest fight in the filings centers on FMBC’s attempts to pry into Devitt’s alleged gambling. Station lawyers are seeking surveillance footage, attendance records, and tax filings dating back to 2018 from Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee and Spinners Arcade, even attaching affidavits from former co-workers who claim Devitt scratched off lottery tickets in the weather center and spoke of marital strain caused by his gambling. The station also unearthed a 2024 IRS Form W-2G showing $1,725 in casino winnings. Devitt’s attorneys filed to strike the gambling allegations entirely and block the subpoenas, calling the moves an irrelevant smear campaign designed to embarrass him. Devitt maintains he has never even set foot in Spinners Arcade and notes the station has failed to connect any alleged casino visits to a single missed forecast, missed shift, or loss of revenue.