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Laura Brooks is Fort Myers Yacht Basin Since July 2017. It’s the only home she shares with her two cats, Nemo and Mimi.
She left her home on the water in downtown Fort Myers Friday morning and was told she would have to find another location because the marina was deemed unsafe and uninhabitable.
All, including about 40 people whose primary residence is the boat, were told to leave the area Friday morning by officials including code enforcement, fire safety inspectors and police.
“I have nowhere to go,” said Brooks. “I’m desperate and angry. They said the boat could stay, but we can’t.
“You are spending your tax dollars on things that are supposed to maintain your environment,” she added. and you were disappointed and said you had to go.”
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In a letter handed out to residents and boat owners, City Attorney Grant Alley said, as the property owner, the city could not safely allow the marina to open because it was undergoing a hazard or damage assessment.
On Friday morning, residents blamed the city and Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson, saying the marina was not properly maintained and the city had not hired a dock manager.
“We get hurricanes here. We get terrible hurricanes all the time,” says Brooks. “They should have been more prepared for this and made sure their residents were more prepared.”
But Anderson told the news press that it would be the same if other properties were badly damaged.
“It is no different than any other home that is considered unsafe or uninhabitable. We cannot stand by and watch people live in such unsafe conditions.” Mr Anderson said.
“It’s a devastating storm,” he added. “Many people have been affected and we are doing our best to keep the city safe and recover.”
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Letters handed out to residents claimed the marina had no water, electricity, safe conditions for navigating the waterway, and no harmful environmental impacts. The hazards, it said, included the fire department’s inability to access necessary resources in the event of a fire and the wrecked boat sinking or continuing to sink.
The city did not provide a timeline for how long residents will be evacuated. Gulf Coast at 9550 Six Mile Cypress Parkway, Anderson said the Federal Emergency Management Agency at Church of God can help residents.
But Brooks worries about how he’ll get a job and where he’ll sleep at night.
“I live paycheck to paycheck,” said the 62-year-old. “I need a home. I need a place for me and my cat.”
Marina is a community of its own. Everyone takes care of each other. They cleared the storm debris and restored the water connections.
It’s full of people Laurel Justice calls family. She’s been living on her 27-foot boat at Yacht Her Basin since her 2018.
“I chose this Marina out of several options. We care about each other. I don’t think anyone loved Marina more than now,” she said.
“I feel devastated. I feel abandoned.”
Contact Ashley White at [email protected] or on Twitter. @Ashleyy Di.
This article originally appeared in the Fort Myers News-Press. Fort Myers Deems Yacht Basin Dangerous, Tells Residents To Leave Boats
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