LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — Lehigh's empty lots make a perfect spot for gopher tortoise burrows.
Kara Tyler Julian with the East Lee Wildlife Stewardship Group (ELWSG)pointed out an elevated burrow hidden in the brush.
"Beautiful, well built burrow," Julian described.
She said more than 300 other species can call the burrows home.
Watch Lehigh Acres Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades report below:
The group puts up signs and even caution tape to tell developers they can't build on the threatened species home. The community constantly sends them messages to mark burrows across Lehigh Acres, so the animals don't get hurt.
However, Julian said it sadly doesn't always stop people from hurting the burrows.
"Construction, clearing of lots, they're losing their habitat. If they survive their burrows being bulldozed, they're on the move looking for a new place to have a burrow, so they're crossing the streets a lot and they're getting hit a lot," she explained.
A Lehigh neighbor sent her group a photo of a gopher tortoise seriously injured, that they say, was hit by mail delivery driver.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it investigated the incident and looked at a nearby home's security camera video and confirmed the truck hit it.
"A cat, a dog running in front of your car, you don't have enough warning," Julian said. "You have warning with tortoises. They're very slow movers if you're paying attention."
It's why the community asked ELWSG to put signs up on roads to let drivers know the tortoises are out here, but legally they can't do that since the county owns the roads.
Julian asked Lee County to install gopher tortoise crossing signs.
Lee County said in a statement:
"The presence of gopher tortoises in the area is not the sole criteria used for evaluating the validity of placing a sign."
Julian said she remains hopeful.
"Optimistic knowing that it wasn't an immediate no, wasn't an immediate that's not something we do. That's not something we've done, but will look into it," she said.
ELWSG said they hope at some point, someone will hold people accountable who hurt the animal or its burrows.
"You can at least say if they're signs that that person had warning, and you should've known they were tortoises there in the very least," Julian said.
