FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Even the bad weather doesn't stop drivers from stepping on the gas when driving down Zemel road in Charlotte County. People who live near the road tell Fox 4 that speed isn't the primary safety concern, but a slanted pole.
Through the lens of his binoculars, Bruce Lanterman, who lives near Zemel Road, noticed a nest on the slanted pole which is home to Osprey. "I think this is almost an emergency, not only for the birds but for people that travel on Zemmel," Lanterman said. He believes the leaning pole could be a safety concern to the birds and travelers on Zemel Road.
"I've called FPL twice. I didn't get any response, so this morning I called Fox news and they came right out here today.
Fox 4 called Florida Power and Light and took Lanterman's concerns to the company to see if the pole is in fact a safety hazard. A spokesman with FPL tells me: "We inspected the pole today and found that it is not a safety issue for either our customers or the Ospreys that are in the nest, and we plan on sending an environmentalist to take a look at that to see when would be the opportune time for us to straighten the pole," said Bill Orlove with FPL.
The spokesman with FPL adds the poles are 7 to 8 feet in the ground and used as nesting platforms for Osprey to avoid nest being built on power line structures.
