Anchor: Chris Cifatte
•7/23/2026
SOUTH GULF COVE, Fla. (WINK) — A Charlotte County couple's eight-month ordeal with a dangerously low line hanging over their driveway ended mysteriously after WINK News got involved.
Ron Riebe and his wife moved to Greetings Street in South Gulf Cove from Indiana late last year.
"The warmth, the ability to just be outside and do things whenever you want. Golf. You can swim," Riebe said.
But the experience since moving in hasn’t been the most welcoming. The 53-year-old said the cables posed a constant worry every time he pulled into his driveway.
"These lines were hanging down. I'm 53 years old, and I could jump up there and touch the line. That's how low they were," Riebe added.
He said the cable was so heavy that it took two people to lift it when it fell previously. The wire was visibly damaged and hanging by a thread.
"I would have to be conscious about it when I pulled in because I don't know if it maybe had dropped through the day or when I wasn't here. So yeah, I was a little nervous about that," Riebe explained.
Riebe spent months trying to identify which company owned the line. No one claimed responsibility or offered to help, so he reached out to WINK Listens.
"I called a lot of different places, and nobody was willing to help. So, that led me to you. Bottom line," Riebe said.
WINK News contacted several cable and fiber optic companies with lines in the area, but none claimed ownership of the problematic cable. WINK then reached out to Charlotte County to determine which companies had permits to work on Greetings Street. The County also reached out to several companies doing work in the area.
That inquiry was made on a Friday. By Monday afternoon, the line was gone.
"I was able to contact you, and you got it taken care of, and I appreciate that. And whoever put it up, thank you too. But it was an eight-month experience," Riebe said.
The mystery remains unsolved—no company has claimed responsibility for removing the line. Riebe said he's just relieved it's finally gone and he no longer has to worry about it hanging over his driveway.
