Someone plants banana tree in pothole to protest road condition

Many of us who drive around Lee County notice the potholes in the roads. In order to call attention to the issue, someone decided to plant a tree inside of one.

While the banana tree may not be unique, the place it’s planted certainly is. In the middle of Honda Drive in south Fort Myers now sits a banana tree.

The person who did this wanted to make a point that the pothole was so deep, that they could plant a tree in it. So, they did just that.

This is basically something you have to see to believe. And those who have seen it were shocked. John Hulker lives in Fort Myers. “I pulled up and I’m like, is that really a tree in the middle of the road,” said Hulker.

Scott Shine works with SWFL RV Rental and Sales. “I took two takes, what what what is this,” said Shine.

Nicholas Angus also lives in Fort Myers. “Me and my wife started instantly laughing,” he said.

But some say the tree, and the pothole it’s growing in is no laughing matter. Cars driving down that road had to either swerve left or right to get around the tree. This is exactly what they normally would do to avoid a pothole, that is if they spot it in time.

“The tree makes it harder to get around the next pothole that’s right next to it. Because normally I just drive over the pothole but because there’s a big tree you can’t drive through a tree,” Angus said.

Even in Friday’s rain, two men made sure the tree stayed in place to get their message across. They want the potholes on Honda Drive to be fixed.

“I see a lot of cars come through here and they bottom out. You know you hear this big bang and someone hit a hole,” Shine said.

Charlie Lopez lives in Cape Coral. “It messes up your tire, messes up the rim and then it basically messes up your day,” Lopez said. 

The problem is that Honda Drive is a private street so Lee County is not responsible. It is up to the private owner(s) to fix the problem.

“The message is there but unfortunately it’s going to be up to us to try to figure out a solution in the end,” Lopez said. 

Still, no one seems to know who actually planted the tree but those who live nearby appreciate the effort. Many expect the tree to stay there until the mulch is replaced with asphalt.