The South Village boardwalk has undergone many changes since it opened 18 months ago. On Oct. 22, the FGCU University Police Department (UPD) filed a report stating that the SoVi boardwalk had been defaced, with damage to the lights, deterring students from walking on the boardwalk at night. Due to the outage, the university police department has advised students to avoid the boardwalk late at night or in the dark for safety precautions. 

“For safety purposes, we don’t want students crossing there, now that the lights are gone. There’s an abundance of concerns that come into place when you can’t see where you’re going,” said UPD Captain Brian Jones.

According to an email sent by Vice President of Administrative Services & Finance David Vasquez, the damage behind the closures is due to vandalism. 38 lights were damaged and will cost about $13,000 to repair, approximately $338 per light.

The person behind the vandalism has not been found yet, but Jones says that when they are, they will face consequences ranging from community service to seeing the dean or even arrest. 

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“We got to hold them accountable for their actions so it doesn’t affect the 5,000 students who live on campus and their experience,” Jones said. 

Many students who live in SoVi have expressed their frustration and concerns related to the vandalism. 

“I was walking back from a late class at 9 p.m., and I saw the caution tape,” said SoVi resident freshman Alessandra Sanchez. “At first I thought it was a Halloween decoration. When I found out what it really was, it was pretty frustrating. I didn’t want to walk all the way around just to get back to SoVi.” 

Many students’ schedules have been disrupted by the power outage, with many now forced to take a longer, less convenient route or the shuttles. Students continue to remain optimistic despite their frustrations and the inconvenience of needing to take longer paths to get to class on time. 

 “When I got the email that the boardwalk was closing, I was really upset because I used to love biking down the boardwalk at night. It had a certain ambiance to it—it was nice, peaceful,” said freshman Blake Todd. “It really blows, but it will get fixed in no time. It’s just the lights that got damaged, not the actual boardwalk itself.” 

FGCU is considering upgrading the boardwalk’s lighting system to include metal guards to prevent future vandalism and adding cameras to enhance safety and security. There is no known completion date at this time because it is unclear how long the process will take.  

“We understand the frustration, hence the reason it remains open during the daytime. However, with everyone’s safety in mind, it was decided to close it at night,” said Jones. “We are working with facilities to make sure the lights get replaced. We ordered the lights, and it is going to be two weeks. It’s going to take some time.” 

UPD is still working to find the vandal behind the damage, while FGCU plans repairs for the boardwalk promptly. Anyone with information about the act of vandalism should contact the UPD  at (239) 590-1900