NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — A woman says she's left without her deceased husband's priceless belongings after putting them in a North Fort Myers storage unit.
This week, when she went to get some Christmas decorations, she found rodents inside her storage unit.
"Everything is filled with feces and urine," said Shirley Wooten.
Wooten says she had not been back to the storage unit since renting it in January, and always thought her belongings would be safe at Hart Road Means Storage.
"If I wanted rodents and bugs, I would have put [my belongings] in some shed in my back yard, but instead, I paid the money to keep it safe because this stuff is priceless to us," said Wooten.
Wooten says her husband's card collection, awards, and clothes were chewed up and covered in rodent feces, and now she has to tell her daughters that their dad's stuff was eaten up by 'rats.'
Wooten says she saw four dead rodents, but believes there were also live ones since there was still wet urine when she got to the storage unit.
When she went to tell the front office of the rodents, Wooten says she was surprised by their response.
"She said it's not our problem; we can't control nature. I paid money every month to keep my stuff safe, and they should be able to control what happens to my stuff when it's on their property," said Wooten.
An owner from Hart Road Means Storage told FOX 4 they are not responsible for damages caused by rodents, and it's outlined in the contract every renter signs.
They add that the contract also outlines that it is the responsibility of each renter to protect their belongings from rodents.
Wooten says she was not aware of this when she signed the contract and is warning others to be careful when they rent out storage units.
