NAPLES, Fla. — After nearly a month of inactivity, demolition crews have resumed cleaning up debris at Palm River Village in North Naples, bringing relief to frustrated neighbors who had been waiting for progress since Hurricane Ian.
WATCH: Fox 4's Eric Lovelace follows-up with neighbors after clean-up resumes:
Bill Miller, who lives nearby at the River Bend of Naples community, said the construction noise is a welcome sound after weeks of silence.
"This is one instance where construction noise is welcome," Miller said. "It's music to my ears, I'm so excited."
Eric Lovelace first reported on neighbors' concerns about the lack of clean-up progress on Monday night. Neighbors expressed frustration over what they perceived as stalled efforts to clear hurricane debris from the area for the last month.
Two days after Lovelace's story aired, neighbors called and said crews had returned to work. Miller said there had been no movement for a month.
When Lovelace followed up with Collier County about the apparent holdup, a county spokesperson said there wasn't a delay. They explained that approved permits give crews the duration of the permit to complete demolition work.
According to the county, 27 permits that were issued in June 2025 and are expected to expire in March 2026. The county also said those permits can automatically be extended since Florida is still under an Executive Order from Governor DeSantis.
The county said Code Enforcement visited the site on Wednesday and Thursday. A spokesperson said they opened an additional case to monitor the debris containment and removal.
The county said the property management company was issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) Wednesday to get the property cleaned up in 14 days or they could be faced with a requirement to appear before the Code Enforcement Board for a hearing.
Lovelace also contacted the demolition company, which said they are looking into why progress stalled.
Wendy Stamnas, current president of the Riverbend Cooperative, believes the completed cleanup will benefit the entire community.
"It just makes the whole area look a lot nicer and more attractive for purchasers," Stamnas said.
For now, neighbors are satisfied as long as the cleanup work continues and the debris is removed.
"Just get it done and cleared out, whoever gets it done, I'm happy with," Miller said.
