Pothole pitfalls becoming financial burden on SWFL motorists

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. Motorists may be throwing money into potholes.

That’s what happened to Joseph Seda-Morales when he hit two potholes several weeks ago on Joe Avenue as he turned onto Leonard Boulevard.

“I suddenly bottomed out, and I was thinking to myself, what just happened?” he said. “I would probably need a front bumper replaced because of the damage done. My windshield washer, the reservoir has been shattered, no longer holds windshield fluid. My splash guard is pushed back into my car.”

Seda-Morales contacted the county asking for reimbursements. But after a few phone calls, he was sent a letter saying he wouldn’t get any money for the damage to his Toyota, Seda-Morales said.

It’s unclear how much money Seda-Morales would need to get professional work done on the vehicle. He wound up gluing the parts back together because he doesn’t have money for repairs, he said. But he still insists the county should have to pay.

“It is no one’s responsibility but the county,” he said.

Motorists must contact Lee County Risk Management in order to get reimbursed, county officials say. Reimbursements are granted on a case-by-case basis depending on whether the county created the pothole or if they failed to fix it within a reasonable amount of time after being notified, which varies based on the repairs needed.

“It’s not enough and I should not be held accountable to tell them, ‘Oh, there’s a pothole here, there’s a pothole there,'” Seda-Morales said. “There’s a pothole everywhere.”

The pothole Seda-Morales hit is now filled, he believes it’s only a matter of time before another one appears.

“Its just to the point of being ridiculous,” Seda-Morales said. “I am actually afraid to drive on my own street because this has become so bad. 28th Street Southwest is a mess. May Avenue, Millie Avenue…”

If you’d like to report a pothole, first find out if the road is maintained by the Lee County DOT by visiting http://leegis.leegov.com/RoadLookup/. If it’s not, click here to find your municipal contact.

Then, put in a Request for Action, or RFA, for the county-maintained road by contacting the Request for Action hotline at 239-533-9400 or www.leegov.com/dot/requestforaction.