A burned-out mobile home and piles of trash have become more than an eyesore for a North Fort Myers community—they now consider it a safety hazard.
Residents of the Mobile Manor community expressed their concerns to WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar during a WINK Listens event in downtown Fort Myers.
The trouble began on July 8, 2025, when a fire shook the neighborhood. Two people, including the homeowner, were rescued but suffered severe burns. Firefighters encountered significant challenges extinguishing the blaze.
The following day, WINK News captured drone footage showing the charred remains of the mobile home.
“We have called many, many times to code enforcement and they’re like, oh well, they gave her a piece of paper, and it’s like, oh well, we’re going to fine you so much money a day. And they’re like, they don’t do nothing,” said Linda Verrill and Cheryl Peters, who attended the WINK Listens event to voice their frustrations.
Verrill and Peters described the property as if the fire happened yesterday, highlighting the presence of squatters and rats.
WINK News reviewed county records and found 31 code complaints about the property since 2019. The county plans to proceed with a violation case for the unsafe structure, which will require the demolition of the mobile home. The county is also considering a county-sponsored cleanup.
“It would be great. We can’t afford it. We want it cleaned up because nobody would be getting hurt,” said Susie Reed, the property owner’s sister.
Neighbor Roy Chapman expressed his frustration with the ongoing situation.
“We just feel like we should not have to put up with anymore of this stuff,” said Chapman.
Efforts to contact the homeowner have been unsuccessful. Relatives told us she is still recovering. The county indicated that resolving an unsafe building violation case could take more than nine months.