LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Residents of Cape Coral want the city to find more ways to regulate rental properties after consistent cleanliness issues in the community.
When one resident found trash overflowing and a used condom on SW 49th Terrace, that was the final straw.
“Used condoms that sent me over the top,” Tom Piatkowski said.
And it’s not just that — It’s the extra cars taking up space in the street and the trash blowing into the road.
“Summertime is a problem because the flies are all over, so I contacted this woman, and she came out the very next day and made sure they were taking it,” he said. “She was in the area, but she doesn’t live here. That’s one of the problems.”
But he feels like he shouldn’t have to reach out to the property managers first. He wants the city to do that or at least code enforcement.
“The city needs to regulate. The city needs to get involved,” he said.
Right now, City staff tells us their code enforcement regulates short-term rentals. Their officers look at listings to make sure they are in compliance. If not, they reach out to the property managers.
“There are 10 properties I can identify as either Airbnb rentals,” he said.
Neighbors said this isn’t making enough of a difference.
“There’s two properties on our street that rent rooms,” he said. This isn’t just along his street, he said.
“These Air B&B’s are in your neighborhood also,” Piatkowski said. “They pay the fee for a couple of days or whatever and think they’re entitled to everything they’re not.”
Cape Coral said they are looking into these ten properties to make sure they are in compliance.