Council members push for better maintenance along Bonita Beach Rd.

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BONITA SPRINGS, Fla.- Bonita Springs City Council members are pushing for stricter maintenance codes to clean up Bonita Beach Road, but some believe it’s a ploy to drive out low income families.

Wayne Cohrs lives in a trailer park off of Bonita Beach Road and says his days of living in Bonita Springs may be numbered.

“The trailer park is all family oriented and hard working people, it would drive some of them out,” Cohrs said. “They’re just trying to hold on to the last little bit of Bonita that they know here.”

The area isn’t well kept– buildings are falling apart, old rotting boats are visible in yards and trash is left outside. Some council members say the mess is hurting the city, deterring developers from investing in Bonita.

“There are some eyesores,” said Laura Thompson. “I think it needs to be cleaned up, you know, it needs to be safer. And then on the other side of that, I think there needs to be affordable housing for you know people.

Cohrs says if the city makes maintenance codes stricter, he and his neighbors won’t be able to afford fixing up the homes and he says there’s nowhere else for them to go.

“Affordable housing is getting scarce in Bonita so they have to do what they have to do,” Cohrs said. “They work around here and of course they want to live where they work and stay in the community.”

City leaders are expected to discuss the issue at a meeting on July 6.

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