Trucks haul away trash, debris from yard; homeowner racks up over $15K in fines

Neighbors are fed up with what they call an eyesore. Trash and debris are piling up in a front yard, and the homeowner has been fined thousands of dollars.

Lee County sent three trucks to haul away various items Friday from the front and backyard of a home on Aldrige Avenue in south Fort Myers.

Heavy equipment was also needed to move everything onto the trucks, so the grass is now torn up on the property.

We spoke to the homeowner off camera, and she told us what happened at her home was wrong.

“It’s just continually gotten worse and worse and worse, and we all had enough around here,” John Lovato said.

Neighbors told us junk lined their neighbor’s yard for years.

Neighbors teamed up and reached out to Lee County, code enforcement, commissioners and anyone they hoped might help.

The county told us it contacted the homeowner seven times to tell her to clean up. It started fining her $50 a day beginning Aug. 6, 2020. It’s been 316 days and a total of $15,800 in fines from the county.

“I hope she doesn’t turn around next week and start it all over again,” Lovato said.

Neighbors we spoke to said they won’t get too excited because they told us the homeowner goes to thrift stores several times a week and is always out driving around the night before trash pickup day.

As for how the homeowner is going to pay the county’s fines, she said she doesn’t know.