CAPE CORAL — A Cape Coral neighborhood is buzzing about beehives in one man’s backyard.
Daniel Herrera has three hives on his property, and he says it’s totally legal, but his neighbors say the insects are driving them crazy.
Julie Cook’s fiance took video of the bees flying around their property on Monday.
"It’s hard. It’s your dream home, and you can’t go out in your yard," said Cook.
Cook said her fiance is deathly allergic to the insects, and other neighbors are starting to get concerned as well. We spoke with one woman who lives in the neighborhood, but did not want to be identified.
“I think that bees are very important for our earth. I just don’t think that someone should have to mow the yard with an epidural (sic) pen in their pocket," said the woman.
When we went to speak with Herrera about the issue, he was happy to give us a tour of his hives.
"My laboratory is here. This is where I study my bees. Behaviorisms, patterns, flight patterns," said Herrera.
And Herrera said, he’s got a permit for everything he’s doing.
"You’re allowed to have up to five hives, so there’s room to grow," said Herrera.
We checked with the City of Cape Coral, and sure enough, the City responded saying "A code officer verified the property owner’s state certification.”
"Anybody moving to Florida, before you just move in and decide that the bees are violating your space, you should probably do diligence on the State of Florida agricultural laws," said Herrera.
Cook said, since she’s already made the decision to spend her retirement money on her home next door to Herrera, she’s hoping they can find a solution.
"There’s a place to do hobbies and to rescue bees. Take them where, someplace that’s not a neighborhood is all we’re asking," said Cook.
Cook said the City told her the only way she can get this dispute resolved legally would be to take Herrera to civil court, something she said she doesn’t have the money to do. We did some digging, and learned the only time keeping bees on private property is banned in Florida is if you live in a deed-restricted community that forbids it.
