Lee County residents disturbed by Christmas Eve fireworks

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

Fireworks on Christmas Eve in Lee County startled residents and their pets, leading to calls for a quieter holiday.

Janet, a local resident, said, "We heard them on the road, and it did scare my daughter-in-law. She jumped. She wasn't expecting that. And I thought something hit us or something."

Some children were fearful of going to sleep due to the unexpected fireworks and firecrackers.

Alice Powell, a resident, expressed her frustration, saying, "And I can't stand it. I can't stand it, you know, and just say, 'Oh, well, this is how they celebrate their holiday.' Well, it's not how I celebrate my Christmas. So my Christmas gets ruined every year."

Residents turned to social media to help locate pets that ran off due to the loud noises, using Lee County's new website to post about found animals before they are taken to shelters. Fortunately for Powell, her dog Bullet did not run away.

Powell described the scene, saying, "I came out here; the whole area was all full of smoke and cars racing up and down the street, the firecrackers, the fireworks going up, you know, all over, landing on houses, everything." Her dog Bullet, an adopted Chihuahua, is particularly scared of loud noises, having previously run away during Hurricane Ian due to thunder. Powell is scared this could happen again, this time due to fireworks and firecrackers in her neighborhood.

"Ongoing thing. Every single — well, Fourth of July, OK. But every single year it starts a few days before Christmas, and it carries on," Powell said.

Powell reported the disturbances to the Fort Myers Police Department, but no one responded. Fireworks are only legal in Florida on New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and the Fourth of July. Powell's wish for Christmas is simply a quiet night.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the Lee County Sheriff's Office was contacted about the disturbances. It was the Fort Myers Police Department that was contacted .

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