Open dumpster and residential garbage laws ignored
We said it last year and we’ll say it again: It’s time to clean this island of the garbage along some of our streets.
This time, we we have a survey to back up our claims.
The story of our island’s garbage problem reported in this month’s Tidelines reveals two things: One, the problem is more extensive than some town officials have believed, and, two, it isn’t being addressed.
“The problem is worse than the town has been told,” said acting community development director Frank Shockey.
That ought to be more than enough for the town to take action. It can begin with warnings and end with collecting stiff fines.
The town’s open dumpster and residential garbage laws are being ignored. And that’s creating a mess – literally.
The neglect is caused by one thing: The town policy that it must have a complaint before enforcing a law. While the town is going after violators, it ought to also go after it’s silly code enforcement policy.
This policy stinks as badly as the garbage it leaves on the streets. It forces neighbors to rat on neighbors. When the violator finds out it was his neighbor who ratted on him – and they almost always find out – neighborhood warfare erupts. The town council has no business ruling by policies that trigger neighborhood warfare.
Besides that, some of the violators are influential business people, which causes suspicion as to who’s being treated differently by town officials. While the vast majority of our business people obey our laws and jump through all the hoops to stay legal in the things they want to do, a few simply and arrogantly ignore the law and they’re getting away with it.
Town officials have no business embracing policies that create that kind of situation either. They need to remember that in politics public perception is is nine tenths of truth. It doesn’t matter that the town manager or the mayor may not really be letting someone slide. If the public begins to perceive that because of some silly policy it’s time to change the policy.
No doubt some of the dumpster violators are businesses whose owners have some drag on this island. But that simply underscores the perception.
Finally, town officials are beginning to understand there is a problem. The mayor has vowed to create a committee to find solutions and the town manager is putting his people out on the streets to take a look at the illegal dumpsters.
That’s at least a start.
Lee Melsek
Fort Myers Beach