A neighborly feud leads to toilets lining a Cape Coral yard

Has this feud gone too far?

Toilets are now lining a yard, which has become an eyesore for people in the community. But all this has been done just to target the person across the street.

At first glance, the toilets in southwest Cape Coral might seem like an eyesore.

Danny Morales works in Cape Coral and has watched the developments. “When I turned the corner, I noticed that there were urinals outside but as I came closer, I saw that they were decorative, and I said, ‘That’s a good idea. Maybe I should put them in front of my house,'” Morales said.

These toilets tell a story.

“I thought the guy was just trying to be decorative,” Morales said.

The plants didn’t just grow there. They were out there intentionally because of a feud between two neighbors.

“I didn’t know that,” Morales said.

So how did this happen? Homeowner number one called out his neighbor, “John,” who lives across the street.

Neither would talk on camera with WINK News, but John said the battle began when his neighbor sold untaxed furniture out of his home for over 15 months and reported him to the Department of Revenue. That’s when the neighbor responded by placing potted toilets outside, facing John’s home.

“Holy smokes,” Morales said. He says he didn’t know the backstory. He has just seen the toilets. With the prior knowledge, he wants them gone.

“That’s freedom of expression, but it’s going a little too far,” Morales said.

The toilets do not only impact the street. Realtor Elizabeth Williamson says the potty planters are driving away her clients.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Williamson said. “It sends the wrong idea. The clients that I had that saw this as they were following me, they were like, ‘What is this all about?'”

“These are people coming from another coast looking for a better life for their kids and they see something like this, and they’re like, ‘I thought there were codes in this neighborhood.’ Well, there are,” Williamson said.

Cape Coral Code Enforcement said, as long as the homeowner keeps the toilets at least 15 feet from the road, they can stay.

“I think freedom of expression is perfect. I think it’s a great thing to have, but there is a place for everything in on your front line,” Williamson said. “In a neighborhood with homes that are over $300,000 and above, that is not the place.”

So, for now, the feud continues.

WINK News Anchor Nicole Gabe checked, and those toilet planters have been moved back to at least 15 feet.