Camera captures man stealing patio furniture outside ice cream shop on Fort Myers Beach

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. —

Someone really took "Take a seat" a little too literally. Cameras caught a man stealing 11 patio chairs and a table from outside the Sweet Licks Ice Cream Shop on Fort Myers Beach.

"We ended up checking out in the cameras, and we saw a guy pull up with a beach wagon, and he stacked up all the chairs and just went on his merry way," said Sweet Licks owner Adriana Maffei.

The only thing scooped up faster than ice cream was these patio chairs and the table stolen from outside the shop last Thursday. Surveillance video shows a man taking the items.

"Definitely felt violated. Nerve-wracking, you know, to feel that someone could be that, that there's someone lurking in the community here, especially on Fort Myers Beach," said Maffei.

Maffei filed a report with the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

The total value of the stolen property is more than $1,000. The owner says she's having difficulty understanding the motive behind the theft.

"I mean, we have so many good people, like we've just experienced, but then you have your bad apples, and that was definitely one of them. So, you know, I definitely think he's watching. He knows we all see him, and we know the type of person he is. If he has any conscience, he'll come forward," said Maffei.

Since the theft, the community has stepped in to help replace their stolen chairs.

"There aren't words to express it, but definitely such a love, a loving feeling to know that this community sticks together and they stand strong together and they help each other out," said Maffei.

The owner says she is working to figure out how to properly secure and install the new chairs that come in to prevent this from happening again.

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