It’s been more than 14 months since Hurricane Ian made landfall on Fort Myers Beach. As we get further and further away from September 28, 2022, we see more homes being repaired and rebuilt and pockets of green grass and new landscaping blanketing the island.
However there are still too many property owners, both residential and commercial, who have not done anything to clean up the mess Hurricane Ian left behind on their properties. Soon, the town will become more aggressive addressing those property owners who have done nothing.
On Monday, Town Manager Andy Hyatt said the town would be sending out request for proposals for contractors who will be hired by the town to knock down structures, remove ignored debris, and clean overgrown yards. Residents who live on the island and have made the effort to clean up their property are starting to get frustrated with those property owners who are doing nothing.
The town has a list of properties they will start with. That list includes property owners who were sent a letter by the town several months ago which simply asked the property owner the status of cleaning up their property. Any property owners that chose to ignore the town letter gets the honor of going to the top of the list. On Mondays With the Mayor, Mayor Dan Allers said, “Now it’s time for the town to get a little more aggressive. We’ve been more than fair.”
If a property has to be cleaned or demolished by the town, it will be at the expense of the taxpayers. The town will then try to recoup that money for the taxpayers by placing a lien on the property in which the work was done. All the legalities of that scenario are now being worked out by the town attorney.
A good example of a property owner that has ignored the town is in Times Square where the property in which the former Pierside Grill once stood has gone untouched and unfenced for the entire 14 months since the storm. Town Council members know that is a highly trafficked area and the property, with chunks of broken concrete and rebar, can easily be accessed from the steps on the beach.
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