FORT MYERS, Fla. — On Friday, forward progress on the damage left by Hurricane Ian was being slowed by illegally parked drivers, needing to move for Fort Myers debris trucks.
“We have a substantial problem with that and it is preventing our huge massive trucks that can haul a lot of debris from being able to pick those up. So our police are actually starting to tighten their belt and they might be subject to ticketing,” said City of Fort Myers Spokesperson Liz Bello-Matthews.
Fort Myers Police Department even posted a PSA on its Facebook page reminding drivers of the fine for parking in the “right of way.”
On East Riverside Drive in Fort Myers, Jason Demers talked with Fox 4 about how debris and cars have crowded his street.
"This street was down to one lane for a couple of days,” said Demers.
On Friday, Demers said neighbors are starting to figure it out.
“Most people have just picked a spot in the lawn, I mean the grass. It's growing but ya know everyone's yard is kind of in disarray right now,” said Demers.
Demers said his guest home was destroyed in his backyard, meaning more debris will end up in a pile out front.
“They clean it up and within a couple of days later it’s filled back up again,” said Demers.
That's why Bello-Matthews said debris trucks need all the room they can get, so city streets can be cleared by the holidays.
“In the next week or two, we will be absolutely on track to complete that second pass in November and we should have a super clean city hopefully by Thanksgiving,” said Bello- Matthews.
The City of Fort Myers also wants to remind residents to separate all their debris into piles.
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