On Southeast 45th Street in Cape Coral, some neighbors say their utility poles look more like DIY projects than professional work. Several cable boxes are attached to poles using duct tape, and residents say they’ve been sitting that way for months.It’s not the biggest problem in Cape Coral. But neighbors wonder if this is acceptable. What else are we willing to overlook?Retired New York firefighter Frank Callari noticed the setup outside his home and says loose wires are now left dangling in the wind. He told us it’s not an emergency, but he believes it shouldn’t be considered an acceptable long-term fix, especially with Florida weather.”I would fire whoever’s in charge. I mean, they definitely need supervision. I mean, this is really shoddy workmanship,” said Callari. “We got loose wires. We get winds. Who knows what can happen?”Just down the street, neighbors showed us a black garbage bag wrapped around utility wires and taped in place. They say that one has been there for nearly two years without anyone returning to replace it.”It seems like instead of putting things back on the poles correctly, they just tape them or, you know, anything it gets. It doesn’t even sound like it’s temporary. It sounds like this is good enough, like they’re not going to come back and fix it right,” said James Gallagher, who also lives on the street. While the wires inside are typically low-voltage and not considered a major electrical risk, utility experts tell Gulf Coast News an exposed pedestal can still cause problems and could possibly lead to service outages if those cables get damaged.LCEC and Xfinity both tell us the equipment is not theirs. LCEC also noted that duct tape is not an acceptable mounting method for utility equipment, meaning whatever company installed these boxes did not follow their standard practices. We’ve reached out to CenturyLink to ask whether the equipment belongs to them and, if so, why it appears to be secured with tape instead of a proper enclosure. We’ll update this story as soon as they respond.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.

CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

On Southeast 45th Street in Cape Coral, some neighbors say their utility poles look more like DIY projects than professional work. Several cable boxes are attached to poles using duct tape, and residents say they’ve been sitting that way for months.

It’s not the biggest problem in Cape Coral. But neighbors wonder if this is acceptable. What else are we willing to overlook?

Retired New York firefighter Frank Callari noticed the setup outside his home and says loose wires are now left dangling in the wind. He told us it’s not an emergency, but he believes it shouldn’t be considered an acceptable long-term fix, especially with Florida weather.

“I would fire whoever’s in charge. I mean, they definitely need supervision. I mean, this is really shoddy workmanship,” said Callari. “We got loose wires. We get winds. Who knows what can happen?”

Just down the street, neighbors showed us a black garbage bag wrapped around utility wires and taped in place. They say that one has been there for nearly two years without anyone returning to replace it.

“It seems like instead of putting things back on the poles correctly, they just tape them or, you know, anything it gets. It doesn’t even sound like it’s temporary. It sounds like this is good enough, like they’re not going to come back and fix it right,” said James Gallagher, who also lives on the street.

While the wires inside are typically low-voltage and not considered a major electrical risk, utility experts tell Gulf Coast News an exposed pedestal can still cause problems and could possibly lead to service outages if those cables get damaged.

LCEC and Xfinity both tell us the equipment is not theirs. LCEC also noted that duct tape is not an acceptable mounting method for utility equipment, meaning whatever company installed these boxes did not follow their standard practices.

We’ve reached out to CenturyLink to ask whether the equipment belongs to them and, if so, why it appears to be secured with tape instead of a proper enclosure. We’ll update this story as soon as they respond.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.