FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Every day, thousands of people make their way to Fort Myers Beach, often spending hours stuck in heavy island traffic, but some drivers have found an illegal shortcut.
Watch as Fort Myers Beach Community Correspondent Anvar Ruziev, confronts the trespassing drivers:
Instead of patiently waiting in traffic on Estero Boulevard, many drivers are cutting through private property, specifically through vacant lots and even partially constructed buildings, to avoid the congestion. The neighbors have given this shortcut an unofficial name: "Road of Shame."
One affected property includes the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce building.
Dayla Rumpf, Events Director for the Chamber, vividly described the issue.
"You'll see them stop, look around, see where to go. People just don't care, so, oh! There goes one right there," she said, pointing to a trespassing car during our interview.
Neighbors have taken measures to protect their properties. "You can see we made a little table here because they will just go all the way through," Rumpf added.
In just a short period, dozens of cars were observed illegally cutting through the site of the former Red Coconut RV resort, taking the shortcut during peak traffic times.
However, what might seem like a quick fix often backfires.
Many drivers end up getting stuck in the sand or dirt, turning their attempt to save time into an unexpected long delay waiting for help.
Even though some entrances have been blocked off to prevent trespassing, this has led drivers to find alternative ways out, often through neighboring properties.
When asked why he chose the shortcut, one driver shared, "It saves me 45 minutes." But he quickly defended his actions, suggesting it was permissible because maintenance workers do it, too.
Upon hearing it was illegal, his surprise was evident.
Beyond the trespassing, neighbors are frustrated by safety concerns.
"My biggest beef is that they're speeding, they're not stopping at the stop signs. They should just wait in traffic like everybody else," said a neighbor who lives on a nearby street.
"The Road of Shame, that's a great title," Rumpf said. "Because it should be shameful driving through someone else's property."
Seagate Development Group, which owns the large property in question, has been notified about the situation, though they have not responded. Neighbors say they're working on sealing the remaining shortcut.
