‘Please get us fixed’: San Carlos residents express anger over lack of Irma debris cleanup

San Carlos Park residents expressed their frustration over the lack of progress associated with damage left from a cleanup crew months in the months after Hurricane Irma.

“They said they’re doing it so the water would flow,” said San Carlos Park resident Joe DeStefano. “All we got is frogs and snakes now.”

Lee County hired Daniels Tree Service to clean the canals and get rid of debris after Hurricane Irma swept through Southwest Florida in September 2017.

DeStefano said he feels “left out” and there’s been a lack of communication with the company.

“We are totally left out of the communications,” DeStefano said. “They just did whatever they wanted.”

A tree toppled on DeStefano’s property in February, causing major damage to his pool enclosure.

“We were left with a mess for two months before we could even use our pool,” DeStefano said.

DeStefano expressed his frustration with the tree service as he said nothing has been resolved.

“Please fix what you promised us that you would fix,” DeStefano said. “It’s been four months now and you haven’t done a thing.”

Yetxary Trabal, of San Carlos Park, expressed her concern over the dirt-filled backyard.

“When we come back here and we see all of this dirt we and mosquitoes, it makes us uncomfortable,” Trabal said.

Daniels Tree Service provided a statement to WINK News:

We have continued to work through all of the received property damages and they are progressing well. Conditions for grass establishment is improving and we only expect this trend to continue.

It has been a pleasure to serve the people of Lee County.

Others, like DeStefano, wish the problem would be remedied.

“We’re part of the fix, please get us fixed,” DeStefano said.

The county paid the tree service $1 million for the work to be completed, and are withholding 10 percent of the funds until the homeowners are satisfied.