North Naples homeowners forced to pay thousands to repair culverts

NORTH NAPLES, Fla. – Homeowners on Willoughby Drive are fed up, saying the county is forcing them to replace culverts on their property by the end of the month and it will cost them thousands of dollars.

The pipes are rusted out and at least 30 years old, but homeowners were shocked to find out they will have to replace them.

“I was so mad,” said homeowner Patricia Shaughnessy. “I just thought it was through the county and they were cleaning it out and that was the end of it.”

Now, Shaughnessy says she’ll be responsible for paying between $3,000- $8,000 to
have the culvert at the end of her driveway fixed. What’s worse, she didn’t even know it was
on her property.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do,” said Shaughnessy. “Right at Christmastime, no less.”

A spokeswoman for Collier County Code Enforcement says they’ve already issued four violations on the street. Charles Smallwood says he’s waiting to get his. County workers already told him verbally he’ll have to replace his culvert because there are holes in it.

“I’ve been retired for 14 years, 76 years old. So, it hurts,” said Smallwood. “It needed to be
done. There’s no doubt about that.”

Neighbors on Willoughby Drive admit that sometimes the road does not drain properly. But,
they wish they had more time to prepare for such a huge financial burden.

“It’s Christmastime. People have families, they have kids. They have other responsibilities,”
said neighbor Dawn Scalogna. “They should have been given more of a notice.
Give them time to save up.”

A county spokeswoman tells WINK News, the neighbors can file for an extension.