Video shows neighbor sweeping dead grass into algae-filled canal

A woman caught her neighbor on camera sweeping dead grass into an algae-filled canal off Del Prado Boulevard.

Michell Gatsios is new to the Cape Coral area, and being unsure of the rules and regulations herself, she posted the video to Facebook asking for input.

“The majority of people were mad, telling me to call the police and report it,” Gatsios said. “Some told me I was just being a nosy neighbor.”

Cape Coral Code Enforcement identified the person in the video and released a statement saying, “He is a juvenile and was mowing the lawn because the family has had issues with their lawn company. He was educated about the code and given a warning.”

One concern is that the debris will contribute to the toxic algae blooms in Southwest Florida waterways.

“Those grass clipping are pretty refractory they fall into the water and very slowly decay in the water,” said Dr. Brian Lapointe.

Lapointe works for Florida Atlantic University and is in town collecting blue-green algae samples. He says when the grass decays, it turns into nutrients the algae needs to grow.

“It’s about educating our community,” said Gatsios. “I didn’t know, and unless this would have happened, who knows, I could have thrown debris in the canal.