Boat docked at marina in Fort Myers contaminates canal

FORT MYERS, Fla. Neighbors believe a boat docked at Elite Offshore Performance is contaminating the canal with large amounts of diesel fuel.

Chelsea Cook, owner of the House of the Rising Sun Art Bar, called local authorities and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to alert them to the situation.

“It makes me very upset and not only that, but not following the rules when you’ve been told to do something the right way and you don’t do it blatantly, and you hide it and you get caught,” Cook said.

The owner of the marina on the 17000 block of San Carlos Blvd said the fuel leak was cleaned up, but Cook wants to see more action.

“It’s sinking and it’s smelling and it’s seeping into all the mangroves,” Cook said.

The U.S. Coast Guard joined efforts Friday to help clean up the 30-foot Chris-Craft boat’s fuel leak, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.