NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — When you go over the Edison Bridge from Fort Myers to North Fort Myers, it's hard to miss the abandoned boats at the Old Bridge Marina. Fox 4 senior reporter Kaitlin Knapp is digging into why it's taking so long to remove them.
The boats have been there since Hurricane Ian. Because the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has a program to remove derelict boats, Knapp started there.
Watch below to see what Kaitlin Knapp found out about the marina's derelict boats:
A spokesperson said, "We are aware of the vessels however, as it stands right now the marina is responsible for removing them as they are on the marinas private property not out in the public waterway. As far as who owns the marina I have not heard if it has recently changes ownership at all or not."
When Fox 4 flew its drone over the boats, more than a dozen were either sunk or partially submerged.
So who owns the Old Bridge Marina? Knapp went by and spotted a Nastart Roofing company truck, which matched business records.
A receptionist provided Knapp with the email address of the owner's sister, Billie Adkison. As of Wednesday afternoon, no response has been given.
Fox 4 went to the City of Fort Myers and asked if there are any code violations against the marina.
The Community Development Department, who would not do an interview, provided a statement.
"The City is the submerged landowner of the boat slips where the Old Bridge Marina is on the other side of the river. The City has been working with the leaseholder to have the boats removed in an environmentally responsible manner. CDD, Legal, City Manager and Emergency Management are all involved in working with the leaseholder on a plan for the boat removal. The leaseholder will be preparing an Environmental Resource Permit to submit to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). There are a multitude of state and federal agencies involved in the approval of the removal of the boats."
Knapp also went to the DEP, and as of Wednesday afternoon, they are working on the request for more information.
So for the time being, you will continue to see the boats as you go over the bridge with no clear timeline for their removal.
When there is an update, Fox 4 will bring it to you.
