Why are the abandoned boats still near the Edison Bridge? Fox 4 found out.
NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. – Driving across the Edison Bridge from Fort Myers to North Fort Myers, it’s hard to miss the abandoned boats in the Old Bridge Marina. Fox 4 lead reporter Kaitlin Knapp looks into why their recovery is taking so long.
The boats have been there since Hurricane Ian. Since the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has a program to recover abandoned boats, Knapp started there.
See what Kaitlin Knapp discovered about the marina’s abandoned boats below:
Why are the abandoned boats still near the Edison Bridge? Fox 4 found out.
A spokesman said: “We are aware of the vessels but at present the marina is responsible for their removal as they are on the marina’s private property and not on public waterways. As for the marina’s ownership, I have not heard whether or not it has recently changed hands.”
When Fox 4 flew over the boats with its drone, more than a dozen of them had either sunk or were partially submerged.
So who owns the Old Bridge Marina? Knapp walked by and spotted a truck belonging to Nastart Roofing, which matched the business records.
A receptionist gave Knapp the email address of the owner’s sister, Billie Adkison. There was no response as of Wednesday afternoon.
Fox 4 went to the City of Fort Myers and asked if there were any violations of the marina’s building codes.
The Ministry of Community Development declined to give an interview but issued a statement.
“The City is the submerged landowner of the boat launches, where the Old Bridge Marina is located across the river. The City has been working with the lessee to remove the boats in an environmentally responsible manner. CDD, Legal, City Management and Emergency Management are all working with the lessee on a plan to remove the boats. The lessee will prepare an Environmental Resource Permit to submit to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Numerous state and federal agencies are involved in approving the removal of the boats.”
City of Fort Myers
Knapp also reached out to the DEP, and as of Wednesday afternoon they have been working on the request for more information.
So for now, you will continue to see the boats when you cross the bridge, and there is no clear timeline for their removal.
If there is an update, Fox 4 will make it available to you.
