Fort Myers Cleans Up 80 Tons of Storm Debris in City-Wide Effort
Since February 2024, Fort Myers city workers have picked up an incredible 80 tons of debris from local streets as they work to clean up areas hit hard by two major hurricanes. Public Works Director Peter Bieniek oversees his teams as they chip away at the mess each day. They focus first on major roads like Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and Colonial Boulevard, filling up a huge 40-yard dumpster at the Arcadia Street location. All that debris ends up in Lehigh Acres, where it gets burned to power local homes — turning trash into something useful.
Dean Park resident Lenette Schwab has noticed the improvement in her neighborhood, where storm debris used to block the sidewalks. “People stroll their babies and walk their dogs, and it’s a walking neighborhood, and it looks very nice,” she says, as crews clear nearby piles. Workers split their time between main roads and residential streets, trying to handle the busy areas and the neighborhoods where storm debris still clutters yards.
Bit by bit, Fort Myers is getting back to normal. Neighbors watch from their front steps as trucks pass by, carrying away the remnants of storm damage that once covered their streets.
