‘It’s a warzone here’: Rowdy ATV drivers distress Cape Coral neighborhood

ATV drivers are out of control in Southwest Florida, from deadly crashes to takeovers on busy roads.

One anonymous WINK Viewer told us about all the illegal and dangerous things he has witnessed on Burnt Store Road in Cape Coral.

The man was so worried about his safety that he had to sell the home he built himself.

“You can go outside and just hear them coming,” he said. “It’s a warzone here.”

According to the concerned neighbor, the riders meet up at an empty plot of land about a quarter mile from his house every Friday and Saturday.

Despite the distance, he can still hear them clear as day.

“It’s like, imagine if there was a bunch of Harley Davidsons in your backyard just doing donuts back there,” he said.

• RELATED: Neighbors concerned for ATV safety after child dies in crash

Dozens of ATV riders will meet at a time, showing up at 10 p.m. and staying out past 2 or 3 a.m.

The resident told WINK News he’s contacted the Cape Coral Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office multiple times, but he still feels like nothing is being done to stop it.

“They’ll say, ‘Well, we had higher priority calls. We don’t have the manpower.’ I mean, the list goes on and on: ‘It’s private land. We can’t trespass anybody.'” he said. “I’ve utilized all the proper channels, all the police, the sheriff’s, everything, and nothing is getting done. It’s bad.”

The Cape resident said all his efforts had brought him and his family nothing but retaliation.

“They will bring everything they’ve got and circle our place at night. When I say our place, our neighborhood,” he said.

According to Cape Coral’s Noise Ordinance rules, there are limitations between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Any unreasonably loud noises should be a minimum of 100 feet away, which fits the description.

Cape Coral Police Department added a statement:

Our department takes ATV violations and complaints very seriously. We have had multiple different operations, some of which included the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, focused on people riding ATVs where it is not legal to do so.

Our ATV-focused operations tackled the issue: we have not seen any incidents arise since or received any complaints on the topic since. Putting in the time and resources early on was successful in combatting potentially unsafe and illegal ATV operations.

Click here for city ordinance violations as well as possible Florida State Statute charges that could be associated.