After an outpouring from the community about the Community Fridge, some Cape Coral City Council members pledged to help find a solution to its ordered removal.<\/p>\n
Councilmember Bill Steinke said he did not know anything about the Community Fridge until it was cited as a code violation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot hold staff guilty for following their job and code,\u201d he said. \u201cI can be part of making changes and making accommodations. I will commit to doing this. I meet with staff every week and talk about issues and potential solutions. We need to find a solution. We will find a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee County Plumbing Supply owner Dionne Lopez made her pitch to keep the Community Fridge at her business during public comment Wednesday, explaining that she began her initiative for people who did not have food and were struggling because of the increased expenses, situations that still exist.<\/p>\n
After five years of operation, she received a citation on March 3 with notice of five days to get rid of \u201cthis.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was then clarified that the code violation citation was not issued because of the Community Fridge itself, but a border property inspection that did not have to do with Lopez.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA couple of hours later they revised it and said something different. Now it isn\u2019t even available. According to whoever wrote this, the Community Fridge is not a problem,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
At issue is having an \u201cappliance\u201d outside in front of her building.<\/p>\n
Lopez asked questions about the abutting Circle K, which she said that does not have a freezer on its property enclosed. She told council that it needs to get together and discuss the matter with staff, since she was given a citation and told the fridge needs to come inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would actually let something like this be taken away from people that actually need it,\u201d Lopez said, adding that she will fight to keep the refrigerator and freezer to help the people who rely on it for meals.<\/p>\n
The citation was put on the door of the business at 532 S.E. 47th\u00a0Terrace on March 5, citing \u201cshelving, litter, and appliances in front of the building. The Cape Coral Code Compliance Municipal Ordinance Violation states that the appliance must be stored inside, and garbage thrown away.<\/p>\n
Resident Gabrielle Ferraro also spoke during the citizens input, defending the program that allows residents to either take food from the refrigerator and shelving or to drop food off.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is the city of Cape Coral actually doing for the hungry people? Right now, from where we are standing, it doesn\u2019t seem like much,\u201d she said. \u201cThe fridge didn\u2019t appear out of nowhere, it has existed for the last five years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ferraro said when people needed help, neighbors stepped up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill the city work with us to find a solution to keep the fridge accessible to every person in this city?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Resident Sean Hartman also asked council to help find a solution.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we need to put a code in the code book to allow community fridges,\u201d he said, adding that Lopez has done one successfully. \u201cTake the model and standards she has set and put them in the code book.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hartman said with a code providing for such program infrastructure, other businesses and entities could also offer a community fridge.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur city is a city that takes care of each other,\u201d he said, adding he learned this after Hurricane Ian. \u201cI believe in the rule of law, but it is very clear that the law needs to be changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Councilmember Jennifer Nelson-Lastra spoke about the guidance Lopez received from the city\u2019s planning department \u2014 remove the fridge, relocate it inside or partner with a food security organization to place the fridge there. She said the zoning of Lopez\u2019s property does not allow for the appliance outside of the building.<\/p>\n
When Nelson-Lastra contacted a local nonprofit, they did not want to take on the liability if someone were to get sick from the cooked food placed in the refrigerator from others.<\/p>\n
She told Lopez she could request a zoning change, but a temporary solution still needs to happen.<\/p>\n
The Florida State Legislature has put a temporary pause on government initiated zoning applications for another year,\u201d City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn said adding that any such zoning application would have to come from the property owner.<\/p>\n