NORTH FORT MYERS -- Neighbors on Pine Drop Lane in North Fort Myers are asking the county to install a drainage system after showers left over from Hurricane Hermine flood their street once again, Friday.
Waves rolled in to David Wineston's driveway after rainfall left it completely submerged following heavy rainfall. He tells Fox 4 it happens every time it rains for more than 30 minutes. "You can't even get into your car. You can't park two cars in the driveway without having to step in the water," he said.
His neighbor, Heather Sanders shared his pain. She said the water accumulated in her driveway affects her kids' commute to school. "They have to walk through the water to get to the bus stop, which means their shoes are soaking wet before they ever even get to school," she said. "The potentital Zika virus could be our here, we've got ring worm going around here, and this water can also have parasites in it and our children have to walk through it every day."
Down the street, Andy Unglesbee told Fox 4 getting to his mailbox becomes a challenge because of flooding. "It's like, I got to put on some rubber boots and everything, like my whole fishing gear just to get out of the house," he said.
It appears to be the case for every house on the block, where mailboxes could be seen sticking out of water where there should be grass. Neighbors said they are fed up with the flooding, which has been happening for years and the county has done nothing about it. "How come it doesn't happen to the other streets? Like they don't really care about us," said Uglesbee.
Lee County representatives said the Lee County Department of Transportation got a request to fix the issue on Thursday and crews would have to examine the problem to make repairs. When asked how long action would take, they did not reply.
Residents said they are looking for a long term solution, rather than the canals they have along the road now. "I'd like to see some better drainage systems so that our children don't have to be exposed to ring worm, parasites and wet shoes before school," said Sanders.
If you are experiencing similar problems in your neighborhood, Lee County advises to call their Request for Action hotline at (239) 533-9400.
