LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. -- Residents in a Lehigh Acres neighborhood shared concern, Tuesday, about people on ATVs and bikers using their street as a drag strip.
Audio recordings captured sounds made by bikers revving their engines on East 5th Street near Columbus Avenue. According to neighbors, racing happens almost nightly. Several neighbors witness bikes and ATV's traveling at extremely high rates of speed most afternoons as well. "All night long, just racing through here," said one neighbor. "I don't want my little dog getting run over."
One man, who rents a seasonal home in the area, said the issue has gotten so out of hand, that he will no longer rent his seasonal property. He said he's concerned about his family's safety in the area. "You see them come by well over 100 miles an hour," he said. "Pretty much ruined our vacation here in this location. We will never come back to Lehigh Acres."
Landlords in the area are afraid of what kind of affect the street racing will have on property values. "If that continues, I'm going to lose part of my income, and of course, it's going to affect property values big time," he said.
The landlord, who wished to remain anonymous, said empty lots in the area attract the bikes and ATVs. He said some neighbors have already confronted the riders, but got no results.
He believes some of the vehicles are not street legal, because they do not have license plates or headlights. Upon calling the Lee County Sheriff's Office, he discovered the agency does not have the man power to stake out a resolve the issue.
4 In Your Corner reached out to the sheriff's office, who said they've responded to calls on the bikes, but have not caught them in the act. It's unclear if they will do anything to prevent the issue in the future.
4 In Your Corner also reached out to District 5 County Commissioner Frank Mann to discuss the issue. We are waiting on a reply.
