CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Wayne Arey remembers the night the home at the end of NE 2nd Avenue caught fire.
“They said it was a kitchen fire… there was two little girls in there, they did get out,” said Arey, who lives nearby.
Arey says that was years ago. In fact, according to WINK News archives, it was six years ago. Today the home remains boarded up and the inside is still a mess.
“This home has been sitting here for that whole period of time and I’m just getting tired of looking at it,” Arey said.
Other neighbors say they’re tired of looking at it too, and want to know what’s being done about it. One man said he’s had to call the cops more than once over the years because homeless people were sleeping inside.
A piece of paper taped to the front window says the property is under the supervision of a company called “Altisource,” but when we called, they said that’s no longer the case.
The city says the property went into foreclosure in 2014 and is currently owned by Deutsche Bank. We called the bank, who told us to call their real estate department, who told us to call their Florida representative, who didn’t answer the phone. However, the city says a local representative recently inspected the property and is recommending to the bank that it be demolished.
“I don’t like to see empty lots but I don’t like to see eyesores either,” said Arey.
The city says it’s awaiting the bank’s decision.