Cape Coral building once infested with iguanas files for demolition permit

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A Cape Coral building that has been overrun by iguanas for months may finally be demolished after a permit application was filled on Thursday for a full demolition.

Fox 4's Bella Line spoke with neighbors about the building:

Neighbors say the building has created an ongoing iguana problem in the area.

"You come in off of the bridge to the Cape Coral, which is a beautiful city, and you see that it's in disrepair and it's not attractive or safe," Stephen Dycha said.

Line first reported on the iguana-infested building about nine months ago, and neighbors say the reptiles are still causing problems in the community.

Previous coverage:
UNWANTED TENANTS: Neighbors say iguanas have taken over a building in south Cape Coral

"It's pretty trashy," Patty Koyanis said.

Gary Colley agrees the building is problematic for the downtown area.

"For being downtown, it does look really bad in the main area of the Cape," Colley said.

The iguanas have moved beyond just the building itself. Colley said he's seen large iguanas taking over owl burrows.

"There's a couple of them that were, like, three feet long inside the owls burrows on the cold morning hanging out, and I think they're running off the owls," Colley said.

According to the city's website, a full demolition permit application was submitted on Thursday. While the permit hasn't been approved yet, construction crews have been spotted at the building.

"If the building was gone, it would deter them being around and being in such large numbers. For the homeowners, with respect to break walls and damage that they do," Dycha said.

I reached out to the property owner but didn't hear back.

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