Lee County’s response to Wildcat Drive’s flooding problem

WINK News is staying on top of a story developing near Lehigh Acres and seeing what the county is doing to help the flooded community.

As WINK spoke to homeowners on Wildcat Drive, they told us they want help from the county.

• RELATED: Wildcat Dr. near Lehigh Acres has more problems than just flooding

What we found from our calls is Lee County wants to help, but it’s going to take some work before they can start talking about fixes.

WINK News anchor Claire Galt did some research into the roadblocks standing in this community’s way.

“Wildcat Drive is my home,” said resident Sean Burlarely. “The river to my home, which I probably need an airboat to get to.”

Burlarely said he’s used to driving his souped-up Jeep through knee-deep floodwaters like the kind that Tropical Storm Debby left behind.

“It continues to get worse because people continue to mismanage the road … We really need somebody like the Board of County Commissioners to step in,” explained Burlarely.

The problem is they can’t. Wildcat Drive is a private road.

Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman told WINK, “Florida law prohibits us from spending taxpayer dollars on private roads, and we don’t want to break the law.”

Hamman said the road needs paving, and the county has tried to work with the community to get it done.

“They would contract with the county to get the road paved, and then they’d pay for it through their property taxes, like an assessment. [B]ut the residents, unfortunately, have not taken that path,” said Hamman.

Now, the most the county can do when the rain comes is ensure emergency vehicles can get to people who need help.

“That’s our primary concern, and that has been deemed passable,” Hamman said.

Hamman said the path to paving the road is still on the table. He told WINK it’s the solution.

Burlarely said he and some of his neighbors are willing to give it a try.

“We’ve got to get somebody who knows how those laws work, and it’s probably a delicate thing, but that’s where we’re headed now,” said Burlarely.

For neighbors to contract with the county, more than 50% of them would have to vote to do it and accept the property tax assessment.