Neighbors fed up with Cape Coral home overrun with stuff

A laundry basket full of things, a dolly, and a rolled-up rug are just a few of the items that line a driveway and front yard at a home in Cape Coral. Neighbors get to see it each day.

They say the problem has only gotten worse over the years.

They also say the man who lives there has a business where he finds stuff and sells it or trades it. That’s why there’s so much of it.

Neighbors say it will only get worse before it gets better.

Eddie McCarthy has lived next to this house for four years and he’s had enough. He wants the junk gone or he’s going to go.

“People come from three or four blocks away and stop here when they see me and say how do you live next to that?” McCarthy said. “I don’t wanna live here; I want to move now. I’ve had enough.”

But McCarthy’s neighbor, who didn’t want to talk, isn’t ready to make any changes. Instead, McCarthy says the pile continues to grow.

“They bring stuff from, I don’t know where, other people’s garbage and they claim they try to sell it and I don’t see them trying to sell it. They don’t,” McCarthy said.

A quick survey of the yard, from front to back, and it’s clear that there are piles and piles of stuff that should not be piled up.

“When the hurricane comes, that’s a problem there,” McCarthy said.

Cape Coral Code Enforcement knows this property well. There’s a lien on the house. There are also fines and late fees that total more than $3,000.

Waste Pro workers came by on Friday to pick up some of the items but didn’t really make a dent.

Neighbors say they want the homeowner to clean up or get out. “Clean it up. Pay, pay somebody to clean it up if you can’t do it yourself,” McCarthy said.

The family of the man who lives in the home has said he plans to have a garage sale soon to get rid of some things.

The City says his neighbors have offered to help clean this up, but the man simply isn’t interested. The city can’t legally go onto private property and remove it.