Vacant Cape lot becomes dumping ground for old furniture

In a quiet neighborhood near NE 4th Place, there’s one looming problem.

“Nobody wants to see that things that belong inside a house on the outside,” said Cape Coral resident Kelly Copertino.

Two mattresses found a new home—this time in an empty lot, and neighbors aren’t happy about it.

“It just looks horrible. I mean nobody wants to live in a neighborhood that looks junky,” Copertino said.

She adds that people have been dumping their unwanted items in the lot near her house for about six months.

“Whole couches, whole chairs, whole love seats, mattresses, like a house full of furniture,” she said.

Copertino says she’s called waste management and code enforcement, but the problem still persists.

“They just use that lot as a dumping ground and all the residents here have to look at it,” Copertino said.

For now, neighbors like Copertino want the mess gone.

“Why can’t you dispose of it yourself instead of dumping it in a place that’s not yours and that’s around residents that have to look at it every day?” she said.

A spokesperson for the city manager’s office said, “We have a two-man trash crew that collects this type of debris on a daily basis. I will let our services manager know about the location at NE 5th Avenue and NE 5th Terrace.”

City employee Steven Naso said a crew will be out there Friday.

But Copertino still has a message for whoever is dumping their unwanted items near her house.

“Whoever’s watching,” she said. “If you’re doing it, please stop.”