Bimini Basin residents face housing challenges

Time is running out for the families who live in one Cape Coral community to find places to call home.

Here on WINK News, we told you about the 19 acres east of Bimini Basin in Cape Coral. We also reported about Cape Coral grabbing up this land for revitalization.

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Marc Bryant has a simple message for Cape Coral City leaders.

“Help. I mean, bottom line. I mean, you made this decision. None of us had any idea that we’re gonna have to do this, and we don’t have the financial resources to just up and move,” said Bryant.

The Bryant family has taken hit after hit this year and the latest is a letter telling them they have to be out by Jan. 31.

“We’ve had enough losses here. My daughter died in June, lost half our Social Security benefits, and then to find out on the news that we’re gonna have to move out too. It’s, it’s a lot,” said Bryant.

Neighbors living on the 19 acres east of the Bimini Basin knew this was coming after hearing the report on WINK News that the city had plans to buy the land.

“My neighbor, Shannon, called me up and said, ‘Hey, did you hear the news?’ And none of us had,” said Bryant, “and considering it was only gonna be three months, you think we get more notice than that, and then our happy Halloween was getting our, you know, 90 days notice that our lease is being terminated.”

In the letter, it says the city is establishing an assistance program to aid qualified residents impacted by the notice, like the Bryant family.

“I really don’t [know what’s next]. There’s really nothing affordable for people like us. I mean, we got a lot of low-income seniors and working people that are in that neighborhood,” said Bryant.

In a statement on Monday, the city told WINK News that its priority is to handle this process transparently and respectfully for its tenants, and it’s working closely with its property manager.

This statement, however, doesn’t hold much weight with those being forced out.

“They’re really not giving any kind of land. It’s basically, you know, they made a decision and didn’t think about the residents that were actually living there,” said Bryant.

What would neighbors like to see?

They say any sort of assistance, whether it be financial or the city working with a property manager for discounted units.

WINK News has reached out to the property manager and has not heard back yet.